Spin

A MAC championship or two, and a Toledo-Michigan or Toledo-#9Pitt would probably do it. Toledo-Cincy, Toledo-Minnesota, Toledo-Penn St.

That doesn't look right. Just going through RB's, there's no Alex Allen Nate Burney Nathan Cope

The Gladiators were going for the national championship when they broke attendance records. So maybe we need to "drop" to FCS then?

And why is that? Because the Buckeyes have had generation after generation of fans who look to Columbus because they W I N. Every year. A lot of them are alumni, some were brought up to watch "Ohio's team". Others just want to watch a winner for a change. I'll use my worn out analogy they use to drive to Summit County to see indoor soccer. Because the Force were contenders year in and year out. One they figured out the team couldn't win when it counted, the bottom dropped out. But Cleveland fans will travel to Akron to see a winner, smack in the middle of a football hotbed. Going to a more "standard" offense and defense will help, hard core football fans look at the MAC the same way they look at arena football. We have to start a winning tradition first.

CRAP!!!!!!

I just figured out how to get to the website. Pretty funny stuff. "Everybody counts" Does that mean Can't State has raised their admission requirements?

Hell, we watched the soccer team play in that sorry excuse for a high school girls soccer stadium last year... Sat in the frozen water, one porta-jon was the only "facilities". And the students got to pay for the pleasure. I didn't try the food, was afraid to.

Latest word, Texas A&M is staying in the Big 12, as will Texas who wants to start their own cable station. You can't do that in the Pac 10. Rumor has the Big 12 surviving, and picking up TCU as a replacement. With the B12 surviving and the Big Ten reportedly done expanding, it sounds like the mega-conference scheme is dead.

You're right, this is all based on having four 16-team mega conferences and then everybody else, where the "mid-majors" would lose their Big Ten payday game$ and their bowl slots. Which right now seems it won't happen, with Texas saying they will stay in the Big 12. All the other Texas schools will do likewise, and rumor now is the B12 picks up TCU as a replacement. So this in all probability never get to this point. But, if it did, once some hardcore fans got past the FBS stigma, you'll sell as many tickets to a quality FCS program as you could a quality FBS program left out of the mega-conferences. You're going to be playing the same caliber of teams anyway. My comparison is Aeros fans don't care that the team isn't in AAA. Gladiators fans didn't mind the team wasn't in the NFL. The teams play well, play for titles, the venues are comfortable, and the games are a good time. Does anyone really care whether we play Northern Illinois or Northern Iowa? Kentucky or YSU? Anyway moot point at the moment.

One thing not brought up with so many schools in so little space is the spread of available talent. By lopping off 2 or 4 schools into FCS, the rest will have a bigger local talent pool to draw from. If/when the mega-conferences come about, you're going to be playing the same caliber of opponents either way. Do the fans care whether we play Northern Iowa or Northern Illinois? Using my well worn baseball analogy, do Aeros fans care whether they play Reading or Lehigh Valley? They win, they have a comfortable park with good food that's inexpensive, and the kids can get a new glove or jersey and get it signed by Orbit or the left fielder. If we lose the annual "get stomped for cash" game against the Big Ten, and our chance to make the Bob's Bail Bonds Bowl, what do we have to lose by going FCS? Plus like already said, the chance to win a national championship. We all know there are only about 12 legacy schools that are "eligible" to play for a BcS title. Winning a national championship is more attainable and more fun than being the "best of the rest (Boise, Tech) in fBS. Mount U has been having a lot of fun down there in Alliance. Imagine the fan base we would have with a Division I (FCS) title contender. If we built one of course.

When the trickle down gets to the MAC, and the C-USA's look to the MAC to replace schools taken up to second tier conferences, what are the chances of the MAC going after Cleveland State and Youngstown State or other Horizon League programs? The MAC is the bottom of the FBS food chain, and if "higher" conferences are looking to FCS, will the MAC have to?

I was at the Aeros game last night. Hudson Little League brought about 300 people. The Norton Band brought about 200 people. And there were probably about 150 random people milling about. If you took away the freebie tickets, the Aeros would have drawn about 150 people on a beautiful June night. I can't look at one game, on a week night, middle of a 6 game home stand, 71 home games, and say this region will not support a quality football program. Summit County had the only profitable indoor soccer franchise, there were SRO nights. The Aeros draw extremely well. NEOhio broke Arena Football attendance records. We had 400+ straight sell-outs at the Jake. You put a good product on the field, sell it right, people will come. Lots of them. If these people will pay to see the Wichita Wings, New Brittain Rock Cats, or Grand Rapids Rampage, you don't need BCS opponents to draw in fans to see a quality team. In the Rubber Bowl, that would have been a tough sell. In the Info? It's just what we needed for a venue. Which is the jist of the message I was answering in the first place...

I agree with your first point. If we had any hope of being a power one day wayyyy down the road, this puts the skids to that. I disagree with your second point though. IMO a winning exciting team properly marketed would sell BIG TIME in this area. It doesn't matter who we play. Reference the Akron Aeros. Plus, the Zips play football and we know what football means in this area. If the Aeros can play Altoona and New Brittain and rank among the top minor league clubs in attendance, a well run football program could do it too. But when you have UA marketing, and the results and sideshows we had last year, fuggetaboutit.

Yeah thanks for the info. Got my DVR set in case I don't make it back home in time.

LeGone's supporting staff was so great, Danny Ferry just hit the bricks...

Do you think Jacquemain makes the cover?

I hated the CC trade and the Cliff Lee trade when it happened. But the Tribe couldn't resign them. They already have too much payroll going to poorly performing veterans. We thought CC was a good maybe great regular season pitcher who folds in the big post-season game. And he's proven that in New York. We have enough of those in Cleveland already right next door. Reference anyone not wearing "23"... Cliff Lee is average, 7 wins on a World Series team. Serviceable, but not worth the $$ he got from one good year. Philly didn't think so either, they shipped him to Seattle. I'm not abandoning the Tribe just yet. I understand how small market baseball works. You need expert talent evaluation, reference the Rays. And a lot of luck. It's not as much fun as the cap sports, but when they win, it will be that much better. I'm a lifelong racing fan, and was a big NASCAR fan, but they're recent changes, and the IndyCar series having a true management for the first time in decades, has me watching more and more IZOD IndyCar and less NASCAR...

It's business, you EARN based on what you bring in. I have more training than my partner, my rig can take more serious calls because I'm there. I EARN more than he does. You sign LeBron, you sell more tickets, you sell more parking spaces, you sell more nachos. He earned his max contract. He's worth a lot more than that, but the CBA says what he gets. Aerosmith sold out every arena they played in about 6 years ago? They got $100,000 per night. They earned every penny of it, and made promoters rich. If 20,000 people are willing to pay $100 each to watch you scream, you earned what you got. If your scream is weak one night, your name still drew the fans. The money people don't give refunds for bad nights. No, according to your logic, Darko has EARNED more than LeBron because he has a ring. Never mind the fact that he did NOTHING for it, and LeBron was the only player doing EVERYTHING to try to get one. If you knew the first thing about NBA basketball, you would know the real difference between LBJ/Charles/Mailman and Magic/Bird/Jordan is supporting cast. What did Michael do for Chicago before they got Pippen and Rodman? What did Kobe do for the Lakers after Shaq left and before Gasol arrived? What did the Celtics do in the regular season with Garnett out? I agree LeBron choked. He choked on Jamison's bricks and Mo's disappearing acts and Brownie's complete lack of adjustments. Not to mention benching players right after they do a monster play. Or getting 3 fouls. The supporting cast was not good enough. Ferry has been here five years, has made several trades and signings, and still hasn't figured out how to get a point guard here. Roker couldn't coach his way out of a wet bag. And he lost the team. LeBron choked his way to a triple double, huh? I'll have what you're smoking. If you get your way, the only choking you have to worry about next year is yourself when you see the Delonte West led Cavs...

I've already heard the transcript read to me several times. It's a shame the Tribe is so stinking bad. This area needs something else to talk about besides The Saviahh. Talk radio is comlpetely unlistenable.

It's an entertainment business. He HAS earned everything he's got. He sells more tickets, more shoes, more sweatbands, more T-shirts. Sponsors pay more dollars when a network shows his game. The Cavs are worth at least ten times as much with him on the roster. He makes other people rich, he should get his too. When Barbara Streisand signs at a concert and the tickets are over $200 each, she EARNED every penny of what she makes. It doesn't matter whether she is at her best, or the band wins a grammy. Her presence makes other people rich, she should get hers too. By your thinking, Darko Miličić should be in the hall of fame instead of Karl Malone. Shandon Anderson should replace Charles Barkley. They got the rings... Speaking of Darko, don't forget the fact that without LeBron, there is no NBA basketball in Cleveland.

Good question. If the Big Ten expansion causes the Big East or another conference to raid the MAC for a program or two, who is a worthy replacement?

The bars, restaurants, hotels, parking lots, etc in that area cannot stay open year round if all they have is basically 5 months of baseball crowds to sell to. The arena needs far less workers for small crowds. For AHL games they curtain off entire levels. Sporting goods stores would take a hit. Gas stations along the highways leading to Cleveland. The airport. We're not only talking about the 20,000 fans per night at those 50+ games per year, we also look at a huge influx of media. Sometimes there are more media reps at the games than the number of paying fans who showed up for some of the Stepien Cavs games. He is responsible for literally millions of dollars flowing into the local economy. He makes other people wealthy and generates jobs. He earns every penny he makes.

IMO unless they get Bosh in a sign-and-trade, LeBron is LeGone. Or a real point guard. I hope I'm wrong.

I understand the economic impact, emotional impact that him leaving would cause. But do we really need to desecrate the U and our stadium for this kind of crap? This will go over about as well as that song/video they made in Cleveland. We're a friggen joke to the rest of the sports world. And the U is trying to become part of it.

What else would you expect in northeast Ohio?