GP1 Signs Off

[GP1]

Dear Friends,

MODERATORS, PLEASE POST AND LOCK POST.

A few weeks back I said at the end of the season I was going to perform a personal evaluation to determine whether or not this program was worth spending time discussing. Well, after 28 years of abuse, I've had enough. Discussing this program is something I no longer wish to do. It's not like I haven't given it a chance. 28 years is a long time. I'm just fed up with the whole thing and will be spending time goofing off doing other things. I'm not even pissed off at this point, just fed up. A friend of mine and I have bought a website and are going to start working on a cartoon series that I think is going to be really funny. Probably will never make a dime, but it will be fun to put on the internet and see what happens.

I want to win more than we lose. In six of 28 years, we have won more than we lost. Other than that, it has been a pretty horrible ride. In that period coaches have come and gone, athletic directors have come and gone, Presidents have come and gone, we've spent hundreds of millions of dollars on facilities, come out with new uniforms and generally have created an environment where it should be impossible to lose. Still, we continue to lose and in ways that are almost impossible to believe but have become common.

This past season couldn't have been more set up for the program to win more than they lost and we managed to do so. I've watched enough college football in my lifetime to know this is the kind of season that some coaches never recover from and I'm pretty convinced that is going to happen to ours. Recruiting is everything in college football and it is going to be hard to get top notch players to want to come to Akron, so the failure will continue. We are in the cycle that schools like Can't find themselves in endlessly, only they don't have new facilities to create the illusion of something going on. Future discussions will involve our past discussions which is why I'm not interested in discussing any longer: Who will the next coach be? Who will be QB be next year? (Insert questions fans of losing programs ask here)?

I will not ever back away from my support of the University and will still continue to watch the football program, but with less interest. I have not given as much financially in recent years to the Athletic Department because I believe it was throwing good money after bad ideas. Shame on me for not finding other ways to support the school in those years and especially in a time of my life when I could have done more, but recently I have gained an interest in the program that helps recent graduates pay for their student loan debts and will be supporting that financially more in the future. Other than that, I'll continue to watch our games on Tuesday night and whenever I have time on the weekends when I am not doing anything else. Hell, maybe some day we will go to a bowl game and I'll get to see as many of you who are still alive as possible. If they play a regular season game close by where I live I might see some of you there if you are still alive as well and you choose to attend the game.

Over the years, I have had a lot of fun posting on this website. Thank you to all of the moderators who keep it going. Most importantly, thank you to Captain Kangaroo for taking money out of your own pocket to make this happen and allowing a forum for Zips fans to voice their opinions. Good luck and God bless all of the other posters.

In closing, I have written, arranged, directed and performed this song as a closing gift.

Fed up and exhausted with the whole thing,

GP1

[Lee Adams]

Don't stop posting. But,you are correct in saying that there are other valuable ways to better support the University than giving money to the AD.

[Hilltopper]

... saying that there are other valuable ways to better support the University than giving money to the AD.

Any donation made to the Z-fund can be designated to support a specific team. If you decide to donate say $1000 to the mens basketball team, the AD never gets a chance to use it for another purpose.

[Dave in Green]

I guess this thread was unofficially locked for awhile because no one was posting to it for awhile. Really, why would anyone want to lock it? Why would we not want everyone commenting on the farewell post of a ZN.o fixture?

Speaking personally, GP1 has always been an enigma to me. At times I found his analyses of specific team issues to be really insightful. At other times the lengthy, repetitious pontification on pet issues was downright painful. If GP1 doesn't post here for the next 10 years, there's already enough posted on spring football, the building process and death to the NCAA to get us through the next decade even if no one else addresses those subjects.

Mostly I'll remember GP1 as a loyal Zips fan who always said and did what he thought was best for his alma mater. We all take on various personas for various reasons on internet forums. Some of us are just being ourselves, some of us are trying to be what we want to be and some are just role-playing. Figuring out who's doing what for which reasons is one of the intriguing parts of belonging to an internet forum community.

Having said all of that, I don't believe that we've heard the last from GP1. I think where the Zips ended up after being 4-2 was a wrenching experience for us all, and we're all reacting in our own ways. I understand and empathize with what GP1's feeling right now. He just wants the pain to end, and one way to reduce the pain is to walk away from this forum. But that's being a quitter, and I don't see GP1 as a quitter. I would welcome back his insightful comments and grudgingly put up with his pontifications.

[LZIp]

Any donation made to the Z-fund can be designated to support a specific team. If you decide to donate say $1000 to the mens basketball team, the AD never gets a chance to use it for another purpose.

100% correct.

[Zip_ME87]

Any donation made to the Z-fund can be designated to support a specific team. If you decide to donate say $1000 to the mens basketball team, the AD never gets a chance to use it for another purpose.

100% correct.

Or so they lead you to believe. It was awesome 2 years ago when I made a donation to Mens Soccer and then received a letter from UA AD (for tax purposes) at the end of the year thanking me for my donation to Mens Basketball. Of course, when I called them about it, I was told it was just an error in the system. Nothing to show me where it truly went. After that, I started sending all of my donations (other than ticket/seat related) to the University of Akron Office of Development (with designation to specific College, Sport, or other) as opposed to sending it directly to the Z fund.

[Zip_ME87]

@GP1

I totally understand how you feel. Back in 1986 when the then-powers-that-be F'd over the Zips Mens Basketball Program in favor of D-1A Football, I swore that I'd never truly follow Zips sports again until Football got to a Bowl game. Turned out that was fairly easy to do having moved out of state for 11 years (2400 miles away for 4 years; 600 miles away for 7 years). Without the internet, it was almost impossible to get any information about the Zips. Upon returning to Ohio in 1998, I didn't much follow Zips sports until I watched the snow bowl in 2005 and the MACC game and went to the Motor City Bowl. After that, I started attending Zips sporting events again and discovered we had a decent basketball coach and an oustanding Mens Soccer coach.

After the 2nd worst hire in the history of D-1A/FBS football (KU hire of Weiss is worst) with 2 years of we're building a program brick by brick from the foundation up with everyone but the HC himself knowing he was less than clueless followed by the ineptitude this season with such an easy MAC schedule, I'm debating giving up Zips Football altogether. I salute you and anyone who has followed and supported this apparent futility for so long. As you say, there are other ways to support your alma mater and past, current and future college students.

Best wishes, and I hope you'll check in on ZN.o from time to time.

[Dr Z]

Dear Friends, MODERATORS, PLEASE POST AND LOCK POST.

I'm not seeing the purpose of locking this. If I do, it will get pushed to the bottom and not read. If something is inappropriate it will get deleted like everything else. You would be surprised how many people read without commenting. I'm sure some will miss reading your thoughts even though they don't post about it. I will miss your analysis on Zips games. Not that I agreed with everything, but I appreciated your unique posting style. If you don't enjoy something, it's not worth doing. Maybe someday you will find the Zips enjoyable again and decide to return. You are always welcome here if you change your mind. Good luck.

[Hilltopper]

Or so they lead you to believe. It was awesome 2 years ago when I made a donation to Mens Soccer and then received a letter from UA AD (for tax purposes) at the end of the year thanking me for my donation to Mens Basketball. Of course, when I called them about it, I was told it was just an error in the system. Nothing to show me where it truly went. After that, I started sending all of my donations (other than ticket/seat related) to the University of Akron Office of Development (with designation to specific College, Sport, or other) as opposed to sending it directly to the Z fund.

Thats exactly right ME87, when you make your donation all you have to do is direct the Department of Development to apply it to the team of your choosing. Btw, the Z-Fund is part of the Department of Development. Alexa Doutt is the director of the Z-Fund and I'm sure she will make sure your funds end up in the right place.

[ImAZipFan]

I say, any donations to the Equipment Staff! They do have their own non-sport-specific restricted budget. These people are the ones who have always been there through thick and thin. They show up a well before (any) team event, and stay long after the rest of the teams/coaches have gone home. I trust these guys with not wasting money on foolish items, or items on a coaches whim....

What do you all think?

BTW, did you know UA has only ever had 3 full time head equipment managers in their entire existence? The first one was Porky Dudich(sp?). He was followed up by Tex Ritter for 10 years (and who just announced his retirement from Ball State after 29 years - makes him a 39 year equipment manager), and Kevin O'Connor, the UA's current head equipment manager, with 27+ years at the UofA....

[zippy5]

It's always nice to have informed, connected posters. GP1 was a former player, and knew what he was talking about. I wasn't a fan at first, but he was usually right, and I ended up agreeing with him a lot of the time. Here's to hoping he is wrong on the future of the program. Hope to see you back though, GP1.

[K92]

GP1,

Hopefully you are still getting on the board to read comments, although I understand you probably wanted this thread locked because you didn't want to respond to comments. You don't have to respond to me, but I hope you read this.

Message boards need people like you. You spur conversation. You have a take. So much of this (and every other) board is filled with meaningless drivel from dullards like me. It takes people like you to keep it meaningful and entertaining. There are about a dozen posters that make this board. If the other eleven decided to hang it up, there would be no reason to visit here.

If your Zips fandom never gets rekindled, I thank you for all the entertainment you provided while you were here. I will never forget (and I still giggle to this day) your suggestion to rename the MAC East & West divisions to the Dollar General & Family Dollar divisions. If your cartoon series has that kind of humor, it will be successful.

Take care, GP1.

[zen]

I felt almost exactly the same way after the Can't game.

I bit my tongue and didn't even bother to come here and post.

There is one thing I would posit for consideration. It's a philosophical/psychological paradox.
After you have given up all vested emotional interest in something, you will subsequently be liberated from the regret and negative feedback that caused you to want to give up that interest, and you will be free to take (albiet casual) interest again without pain.

Take a break. Take a long one. Enjoy your new hobby.

[skip-zip]

I just don't understand why someone would want/need to formally and definitively "leave" the forum. I hope someone as passionate as GP1 would still just choose to make a visit from time to time,

Maybe he wanted it "locked' so that nobody could talk him into coming back I'll admit, it's often tempting to sit here all day long and get involved in conversations.

[ZippyRulz]

He'll be back sooner than later.

[Dave in Green]

Sometimes it's healthy to just take a time out from a forum. I did that for a week or two one time when ZN.o was so clogged up with negative posts that there was no joy in being here. It helped me clear my mind and learn to tune out non-productive negativism.

Speaking of missing persons, has anyone else noticed that Zipmeister hasn't posted here in a month and a half? Hope he's doing well and just taking a little break.

[Spin]

I haven't been posting layely as much as I was in the past, or going to as many games. I know some will say I'm not a "true fan", that doesn't bother me. I have a lot of ways of spending my leisure time, I prefer not to spend it all pissed off. We should have won a lot more games than we have the past few years. But, SSDD.

Hope you come back GP, agree or disagree our discussions and arguments always made me think. I'm gonna miss that. Best of luck to ya.