Winthrop Game Date

[WinthropBigStuff]

Winthrop die-hard here...really enjoyed the game you guys gave us last year. I'm sure y'all didn't enjoy it quite as much as we did...but it was still an exciting one, for sure.Does anybody have any inside info on when the game might be this year? I'm planning on making the trip, and I'm just trying to get everything nailed down as soon as I can. I read the thread on the '09 schedule here, but nothing about the Winthrop game.Speaking of making the trip...I'm looking at taking Amtrak from Charlotte to Cleveland, is there any public transportation and/or trains that connect Cleveland and Akron? Basically, anything other than a taxi...I'd really like to be mobile and enjoy the place, and I'm just not sure how well-connected public transportation is up there. Down here, it's terrible...you can't do anything without a car. I could drive - just hop on 77 - but with gas prices the way they are, I'd just rather take something like Amtrak. Unless I can get some friends to go and help on gas...then be prepared to have 4 Winthrop fans there instead of just me. I'd also like to visit the Football HOF as well, since it's so close and I'm a huge 49ers fan...again, any public transportation or any way I could get there?Thanks in advance!

[ziptrumpet87]

Welcome WBS!I can't help you with the schedule, but I can tell you to plan on driving. There's next to nothing in the way of public transportation between Cleveland, Akron and Canton. There are buses that do go to Cleveland (and maybe even Canton), but they are too infrequent for that kind of use.Good luck with your travel plans and I hope you enjoy your visit here (but without a win ).

[Valpo Zip]

Your life will be so much easier if you drive your own car but i understand what you say about gas prices. Anyways, your best bet would be greyhound www.greyhound.com. They run buses b/w Cleveland, Akron and Canton.

[Zipmeister]

Public transport from Cleveland really shouldn't be a problem because you will already have slit your wrist on the AmTrak trip. Seriously, have you checked out how long that trip takes?

[Captain Kangaroo]

Driving Charlotte to Akron can be done in 7 hours. Maybe a little less. The HOF is a sand wedge off I-77, and UA is probably driver, then a 3-wood. It is a straight shot from NC...you may not even need to use a turn signal the entire trip.Priceline.com a flight from Charlotte to CAK. Lowball the bid and see what happens.That, or rent a Honda Civic for the weekend. A bus would be brutal.

[WinthropBigStuff]

Thanks for the welcome and the advice guys.If I can get someone else to drive, then I'm just going to go that route. My truck would probably die halfway there (no joke) so I can't drive myself. I really haven't thrown the idea out to many people yet because there's not a set date, but I just wanted to have a backup plan just in case. I traveled 23 straight hours via plane and train to get to Spokane for the 2007 NCAA Tourney vs. Notre Dame (thank god we won) so I'm not above crazy travel plans. Granted that was the NCAA Tournament and this is a November-December OOC matchup, but the Football HOF is something I wanted to visit this summer anyway and the plans fell through, so there's really 2 reasons for the trip.That said...since there's no feasible way to get from Cleveland to Akron, I think I'm going to have to find someone to drive. I knew public transportation is a joke here in the South, but didn't know how well-connected you were up there.Oh, completely unrelated, but I was browsing the forums and saw Miguel Graham in someone's signature. That's nuts...I went to high school with Miguel here in Rock Hill, SC. I had no idea he was playing for you. I'll be following Zips football this year, for sure.

[GoZips]

Coach McFadden says that the Winthrop game is definitely set for Tuesday, November 18, 2008.I did not ask about any other game. The schedule is still in flux as the exempt tournament teams havenot yet been finalized. Do not be surprised if the Zips switch to a different tournament.

[WinthropBigStuff]

Sweet...thanks for the heads up.Man, a Tuesday is kinda gonna throw things off. I was hoping it would be a weekend, would be easier to get friends to make the trip. I'm still planning on coming...all of my classes are Tuesday/Thursday, so I'd only have to miss one day of classes and I could hit the HOF on the way back home on Wednesday.Still gonna have to plan this out a little more though...thanks again!

[GoZips]

One possibility would be to fly between Charlotte and Akron. Airtran price currently is $218 R/T.Watch for a sale. Likely to drop to $79-89 each way (now $109).A trick I often use when driving over 200 miles is to rent a car instead of driving my own car. You canget a new car, all sorts of features like A/C, CD player, comfort, etc. Biggest plus is that you never getstuck hundreds of miles away from home if the car dies. Just be sure you get unlimited mileage and out of state option (often free). When the Zips played a football game at North Carolina State a couple ofyears ago we drove down in a rented Pontiac Grand Prix. A grand ride to say the least. The suckergot 29 MPH and I drive hammer down all the way.

[RootforRoo44]

Oh, completely unrelated, but I was browsing the forums and saw Miguel Graham in someone's signature. That's nuts...I went to high school with Miguel here in Rock Hill, SC. I had no idea he was playing for you. I'll be following Zips football this year, for sure.

MIGUEL GRAHAM !

[Captain Kangaroo]

November 18th is really early for a major OOC game. Good news -- Winthrop won't have much tape on us (we're a pretty different team than '07-08)Bad news -- Lots of new Zips faces with minimal game experienceHow many starters does Winthrop return. Are expectations high in Rock Hill this season?

[GP1]

November 18th is really early for a major OOC game. Good news -- Winthrop won't have much tape on us (we're a pretty different team than '07-08)Bad news -- Lots of new Zips faces with minimal game experienceHow many starters does Winthrop return. Are expectations high in Rock Hill this season?

I'll let the Winthrop fan respond, but my understanding is they had several seniors on the team last year. It is really an amazing story for those seniors. Each year at Winthrop, the seniors made the NCAA Tournament.WinthropBigStuff, if you are going to take some time for a pregame drink, there is a place near UofA called Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3). BW3 is your version of Wild Wing Cafe, only WWC has better food and more food selection, but not as much beer selection.

[WinthropBigStuff]

November 18th is really early for a major OOC game. Good news -- Winthrop won't have much tape on us (we're a pretty different team than '07-08)Bad news -- Lots of new Zips faces with minimal game experienceHow many starters does Winthrop return. Are expectations high in Rock Hill this season?

Nobody'll have much tape on us either...we graduated 4 seniors, 3 were starters and one was our 6th man. The good news is we've had a few excellent recruiting classes, and a couple guys that really showed some good stuff in backup roles are going to get their shot.We also got a surprise out-of-nowhere transfer from Wake Forest, he's a senior this year and because he's coming for grad school, doesn't have to sit out a year. He was Wake's 6th man, and in our conference, anybody who's even rode the bench in the ACC is going to get some nice playing time.I'm not sure how we'll fare OOC, but I have no doubts that we'll win our conference. We've been to the tourney 8 of the past 10 years, and the last 4 straight (lost to Gonzaga in the 4th quarter, lost to Tennessee on a buzzer beater, beat Notre Dame/lost to Oregon, and lost to Washington State after forgetting there are two halves in a basketball game) ... we play in the Big South (NOT the Southern Conference) and honestly, our conference isn't all that good. We lost those 4 players, but everyone else that was good last year lost their marquee players as well. Pretty much anyone you might have heard of from the Big South except Kenny George (UNC-Asheville's 7'7" center) graduated last year (Winthrop's Taj McCullough, Michael Jenkins and Chris Gaynor; Arizona Reid from High Point; Jack Leasure from Coastal Carolina, Reggie Williams from VMI). As such, the entire Big South Conference got a shakeup. Most experts have Winthrop and UNC-Asheville 1-2, from 3 on down it's pretty much drawing names out of a hat.

[Zips Supporter]

As far as other non-conference schedules games, they should be put out in the next month. Most Big Ten schools have scheduled and announced already. But I did hear that the Zips are attempting to schedule 2 or 3 teams who were in the tournament last year. They can always look at the NIT teams last year, wouldn't hurt. The Atlantic 10 is beginning to get a few 20-win season teams, especially in the past 2 seasons, so some should match up to us well. We've had luck scheduling with them in the past. Don't really need to wait till Bracket Buster day to play a top mid-major of course, but it will give these young guys experience. And I did like the VCU match up last year. That was nice to learn from I think.

[GoZips]

Two quick points.1) Expedia.com has an airfare sale. Roundtrip on Airtran or Northwest available for $198.Find Airfare2) The Zips 2008-09 generalized schedule is posted elsewhere on Zips Nation. The hold up for not having it posted officially is because the exempt tournament has not been finalized. It is possible that the Zips will have to switch tournaments. If that happens the road game against Mississippi State most likely goes away. The Zips want to stay in this tournament (Legends Classic) if at all possible.

[dropkick747]

Two quick points.1) Expedia.com has an airfare sale. Roundtrip on Airtran or Northwest available for $198.Find Airfare2) The Zips 2008-09 generalized schedule is posted elsewhere on Zips Nation. The hold up for not having it posted officially is because the exempt tournament has not been finalized. It is possible that the Zips will have to switch tournaments. If that happens the road game against Mississippi State most likely goes away. The Zips want to stay in this tournament (Legends Classic) if at all possible.

Where can I find generalized schedule? Thanks!

[WinthropBigStuff]

Officially floated the idea to a friend today and it appears we'll be driving up to the game/HOF after all. I was pretty confident that I could find someone to drive, I just wanted to think about a backup plan just in case.Be ready to have your coliseum invaded by at least 2 rabid Winthrop fans! :DAlso, please tell me there are better bars around than Buffalo Wild Wings...BWW has good food, but we like to get more of a local flavor and patronize locally-owned establishments. Any particular food/beer unique to your area we should try? Also, anything else that we should check out, other than the Football HOF? We'll probably try to get in a few hours before the game, stay the night, and hit the HOF on the way back the next day...so about 24 hours, we'll be around.

[apalmison]

Officially floated the idea to a friend today and it appears we'll be driving up to the game/HOF after all. I was pretty confident that I could find someone to drive, I just wanted to think about a backup plan just in case.Be ready to have your coliseum invaded by at least 2 rabid Winthrop fans! :DAlso, please tell me there are better bars around than Buffalo Wild Wings...BWW has good food, but we like to get more of a local flavor and patronize locally-owned establishments. Any particular food/beer unique to your area we should try? Also, anything else that we should check out, other than the Football HOF? We'll probably try to get in a few hours before the game, stay the night, and hit the HOF on the way back the next day...so about 24 hours, we'll be around.

I don't live in Akron anymore but when I go back, I frequently go to 69 Taps. They have . . . imaginatively . . . 69 taps. It might be kind of a dive, but it has such a great beer selection it's worth it. I'd highly recommend anything made by the Great Lakes Brewery (located in Cleveland). If nothing else, be sure to pick up a 6-pack or a 4-pack of Great Lakes before you go back home. 69 Taps

[GoZips]

An unofficial look at the 2008-09 non-conference schedule:Home Games:exhibition gameNorth Carolina A & TWinthrop (November 18, 2008)CanisiusSt. Francis of NYDayton (December 6th)Away Games:@Niagara@Virginia Commonwealth (December 17th)@Mississippi State@Youngstown State (January 26, 2009)@UNC- Greensboro@Eastern Kentucky exempt tournament (3 games)@Rhode Island (January 3rd, 2009)@Bracket BusterThis is ALL that I know.

[zippypitt]

Officially floated the idea to a friend today and it appears we'll be driving up to the game/HOF after all. I was pretty confident that I could find someone to drive, I just wanted to think about a backup plan just in case.Be ready to have your coliseum invaded by at least 2 rabid Winthrop fans! :DAlso, please tell me there are better bars around than Buffalo Wild Wings...BWW has good food, but we like to get more of a local flavor and patronize locally-owned establishments. Any particular food/beer unique to your area we should try? Also, anything else that we should check out, other than the Football HOF? We'll probably try to get in a few hours before the game, stay the night, and hit the HOF on the way back the next day...so about 24 hours, we'll be around.

I don't live in Akron anymore but when I go back, I frequently go to 69 Taps. They have . . . imaginatively . . . 69 taps. It might be kind of a dive, but it has such a great beer selection it's worth it. I'd highly recommend anything made by the Great Lakes Brewery (located in Cleveland). If nothing else, be sure to pick up a 6-pack or a 4-pack of Great Lakes before you go back home. 69 Taps

I completely agree! There is no better place to enjoy a $2.00 Great Lakes (preferably a Burning River Pale Ale) than 69 Taps. I also recommend a "stuffed" sandwich at Pints....

[Bleacher Bum]

If the game really is Nov. 18 and you're in the area and taking home some Great Lakes, I HIGHLY recommend some Christmas Ale. Of course, that's if it's not sold out everywhere by then. If you can't find that, they may still have Nosferatu leftover from Halloween, but my current favorite is the Blackout Stout.

[Zips Supporter]

Now of course the Christmas Ale is the best, everyone knows that. But as far as what 69 Taps has Mr. Winthrop Fan, I recommend Bass Ale, Boddington's, Arrogant Bastard, and Purple Haze is always nice. And I don't blame you for trying to find something other than Buffalo Wild Wings and their overpriced everything. As far as a bar with food before or after the game, you could try Barley House, although they don't treat outsiders (no offense) very well there. But their sandwiches are delish, and try the bread pudding, trust me. As long as you aren't Can't State, you are more than welcome anywhere around Akron as far as I'm concerned.

[GoZips]

We have a 69 Taps here in Wadsworth. It is with in easy walking distance of a delightful lady friend of mine. We recently made the short walk for the first time. Both of us enjoyed a Pilsner Uriquil (said to be the best beer in the world), an appetizer, sandwiches (quite good). We will return.Tax, tip and bill was less than twenty bucks.

[GoZips88]

Try the Sun Bar & Grill on Exchange Street just south of where the new U of A football stadium is being built. You can park a block or so to the west (the JAR where UA plays basketball is only a few blocks north). Let us know what you think of the place, including the parking lot. Some here in Akron (a jury) feel the business and parking lot are worth $3.1 mil (a cool $1 mil for the parking lot alone!). Let us know what you think! Then again, forget what I said above and try one of the other places mentioned in this thread. I couldn't resist.

[RowdyZip]

Try the Sun Bar & Grill on Exchange Street just south of where the new U of A football stadium is being built. You can park a block or so to the west (the JAR where UA plays basketball is only a few blocks north). Let us know what you think of the place, including the parking lot. Some here in Akron (a jury) feel the business and parking lot are worth $3.1 mil (a cool $1 mil for the parking lot alone!). Let us know what you think! Then again, forget what I said above and try one of the other places mentioned in this thread. I couldn't resist.

88, you trying to get the man shot? :lol: :lol: Dumpy blighted bar: $3.1millionDodging bullets from riffraff: priceless.