CHANGE OF STADIUM COMES AT RIGHT TIME

She was a grand old dame in her time – but her time has past.

I usually have two distinct feelings when it comes to replacing sports venues. Either the new facility is a waste, in the vein of not needed, or it’s time to get rid of this pit. I felt that way about old Cleveland Stadium – that it was time to get rid of the pit. Jacobs (Progressive) Field was needed in the worst way. In addition, Baseball Commissioners Peter Uberoth and Bud Selig made it clear that if the Indians didn’t get a new house, they would be playing in another city, probably Tampa. My only issue with Progressive Field was that it was built with taxpayer dollars. The same with Cleveland Browns Stadium…also much-needed, but funded at the public trough – but I digress.

I felt that tearing down the Coliseum and building the Gund Arena was a complete waste. The Coliseum, the first sports venue with luxury suites, or loges, was still in the top ten of NBA venues. Had the suites been built between the upper and lower decks and closer to the action for the goober smoochers instead of up in the rafters, the Cavaliers would still be playing in Summit County.

Now we have the last season at the Rubber Bowl. Plenty of memories? You bet. There was a time when the second largest college football stadium in Ohio was a huge plus for The University of Akron. In fact, Gerry Faust said the Rubber Bowl was a big reason for his selection of Akron on the heels of his Notre Dame career. Faust had his sites on making Akron a major independent football power, such as Penn State, Syracuse, and a few other major non-conference programs. He never had the goal of joining the Mid-American Conference, a mid-major league. He thought Akron was a sleeping giant and our stadium played a big part. One thing went wrong – we didn’t win.

Since then, a whole new attitude surrounds sports venues. Look at Canal Park where the Akron Aeros play. Great field. Great Restaurant. Great Suites. Great $$$. The big time hit minor-league baseball about ten years ago. Compare Canal Park with Thurman Munson Stadium where the double A Canton-Akron Indians played.

I predict the same scenario that played out for Canal Park will play out for UA. Both projects are replacing a blighted area. Main Street has had its growing pains with the addition of Canal Park, with a high turnover rate of restaurants and night spots. Crime is also an issue. However, having the football stadium on campus is going to give Akron football, and the entire campus, a whole new feeling.

Yes, InfoCision was built with public money. But the university is a public school. Every building on campus is built predominately with public money. So I don’t have the same gripe with the Zips new stadium that I do for professional teams.

Yes, the Bowl provided us with many great memories. But time pushes on, and with the new stadium, so will Akron football – hopefully to the next level, whatever that might be.

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

Our thoughts and prayers are with our MAC brothers and sisters of Northern Illinois University.

Today, everyone is a Huskie!

Northern Illinois University

ZIPS HOME STREAK CONTINUES

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men’s basketball team rallied for a come-from-behind 68-52 defeat of Toledo on Wednesday night at Rhodes Arena before a crowd of 3,882 fans. UA has now won 21-straight games at home – the fifth-longest streak of its kind in the nation.

Steve McNees’ 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting – including 4-of-5 from 3-point range – led the Zips (15-5, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) as they snapped a two-game losing streak, the program’s longest since losing back-to-back games in the 2005-06 season. The 6-foot-2 redshirt-freshman guard also tied a career high with four assists.

Trailing by five points at halftime, Akron would recover to lead by as many as 17 after the break. UA would vastly improve its shooting in the second half to finish the game 26-of-54 (48.1 percent) after struggling from the field in the first period, successful on just 40.7 percent (11-of-27) of their attempts in the opening period.

Nate Linhart and Darryl Roberts joined McNees as the only other Zips in double figures, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively. Roberts recorded a career-high points total in his first collegiate start, while Linhart’s nine rebounds was one shy of his season high in that category. Linhart also logged 40 minutes. With his five points versus the Rockets, Jeremiah Wood is now three points away from achieving the 1,000-point plateau for his career.

Toledo (6-13, 3-4) was led by Anthony Byrd’s season-high 12 points, while Jerrah Young chipped in 11. The Rockets took advantage of a 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) shooting performance from long range to secure the lead at halftime, but would connect on just 2-of-7 from behind the arc in the second half.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Cedrick Middleton and McNees capped a 21-5 run that gave UA its first lead of the game, 37-35, with 15:59 left in the contest. Another long-distance field goal by McNees would extend the lead to double-digits, 59-49, at the 7:31 mark. Nick Dials (nine points, five assists) began the second half with a quick 3-pointer of his own to set the pace for the remainder of the game.

UT jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before a 3-pointer by Roberts put the Zips on the scoreboard. A Rocket lay-up by Young would hand the visitors their largest lead of the first half, 30-16, with 5:43 remaining before intermission. Early turnovers and poor shooting by Akron resulted in the large deficit.

The Zips have won 24-straight league games at home and 42 of the last 43 overall at Rhodes Arena. In four seasons with head coach Keith Dambrot at the helm, Akron has compiled a record of 51-2 at home. UA also ended a two-game losing streak in the all-time series with Toledo.

Akron will return to action on Saturday when it plays host to Eastern Michigan. Tip-off for that game is slated for 7 p.m. EST at Rhodes Arena.

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo:  Lew Stamp, Akron Beacon Journal)

ZIPS SHOOT DOWN ROCKETS…Akron Beacon Journal

FRESHMEN BAIL OUT ZIPS…The Plain Dealer

HALF-BAD UT FALLS AT AKRON…The Toledo Blade

Post-game notes

Post-game quotes

Box score

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

 Ranking the teams after week 8

Another week of upsets within the conference. The MAC is really had to read this year. Here are my thoughts:

1) Ball State LW(3) 5-3-The Cardinals are still behind CMU in the West but helped themselves with a win over WMU. Ball State moves one step closer toward becoming bowl eligible.
2) Bowling Green LW(6) 4-3-The only other team above .500 so far. Nice win over KSU keeps title hopes alive.
3) CMU LW(1) 4-4-Completely embarrassed by Clemson. The Chips stay near the top because of the .500 record and strength within the conference.
4) Miami LW(2) 4-4-Lost to Temple this week. The rollercoaster ride continues for the Redhawks. They have looked great some weeks while looking very beatable on others.
5) UB LW(5) 3-5 Lost to Syracuse but is in sole possesion of first place in the MAC East.
6) Temple LW(8) 3-5 The Owls have a three game winning streak and could make an arguement that they are the hottest team in the conference right now.
7) Akron LW(6) 3-4 The Zips enjoyed a bye week and are resting up.
8 ) WMU LW(4) 3-5 Lost to Ball State gives CMU the upperhand in the race for the West.
9) EMU LW(11)2-6 Lost to Northwestern. EMU is good at staying in games but bad at finishing them.
10) Toledo LW(12) 3-5 Defeated OU in an exciting game. Maybe the turning point the Rockets needed to get back on track.
11) Kent LW(10) 3-5 Another loss to a MAC East opponent really kills any chance this year. A team with a lot of talent despite 3 MAC loses.
12) OU LW(9) 3-5 Lost to Toledo. Not much to say other than this season has to be disappointing for the bobcat faithful.
13) NIU LW(13) 1-7 Embarrassed by Wisconsin. The Huskies are only playing for pride now.

MAC EAST-BG, Miami, Buffalo, Temple, Akron, Kent OU
MAC WEST-BSU, CMU, WMU, EMU, Toledo, NIU

Looking at these it is hard to rank BG ahead of Miami after last week. Could we see a MAC Championship game of UB/CMU? I am guessing no one would have predicted that before the season.

Can you feel it?

If you’re a baseball fan from Cleveland you know what I mean.

Is it desperation? No, probably not….but close. Is it impatience? Yeah, that’s part of it. Is it exhausting? Heck yeah it is!

So what does it feel like? Well, it’s tough to put it into words. As you sit there in your 8-to-5 day job, trying to stay focused on that deadline next week, you find yourself struggling to keep your mind on your work. Thoughts of tonight’s possible clinching victory sending your beloved Tribe to the World Series consumes all you do. Every 30 minutes you open your internet browser to check mlb.com, espn.com and more. Is there something new about my team? No, not this time. Just more bantering about why Boston is losing these games. Or another article speculating that Joe Torre’s days are numbered. Or more about the Yankees not getting done in the American League Division Series.

Look, here’s a new one: Joe Torre just turned down an offer to return to the Yankees. Good for you Joe!

But still, nothing of significance about the Indians. Nothing praising these kids for just being better than all the teams in the American League. That’s OK. We are Cleveland fans. We’re used to it.

How about that fluttering feeling you felt in your belly during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series? You know the one. It came when you saw these young kids face veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield for the second time through the order. The first time, he baffled them with his filthy ball movement and speed changes.

But this time, these kids adjusted just like veteran ball players do. They combined to score 7 runs, sending 11 players to the plate including two hits in the same inning by third basemen Casey Blake.

How about that euphoria that came over you when the Indians crushed the Yankees 12-3 at the Jake in the ALDS? For many people, this was when they began to believe that this team might actually be able to win this thing. For an experienced, true fan such as yourself, no way! You knew they would be very good this year. You only hoped that the division they played in, predicted to be the best in baseball, didn’t beat them up too much.

Then there is that lump in your throat. Go ahead. Admit it. You won’t be less of a man or just a typical girl if you admit it. It’s that feeling you get when you see Kenny Lofton ( K-Lo as Ryan Garko calls him) come to the plate.

The lump appears and a tear wells up in the corner of your eye when you see him smack in a few RBI. Or when he steals second base to surpass Ricky Henderson for the most stolen bags in the post season.

You reminisce about the ‘90’s. Belle, Baerga and Lofton. You glance to your Tribe memorabilia shelf to see the three baseball set you got from McDonald’s commemorating the Trio. Remember Kenny scoring all the way from second base on a wild pitch by Randy Johnson then of the Seattle Mariners? You know, the play that broke the Mariners’ back and throttled the Tribe to the World Series.

Is this team as good as those teams of the ‘90’s? No.

They’re better. Way better. They have balance and even more youth, but sprinkled with just enough experience from a few veterans.

What’s the difference? They are loose. They are confident. They are having fun!

Can they do it this year?

At lunch today your co-workers asked you, “Is this the year?”

“Shhhhh!” you tell them. “Don’t say it. You might jinx us!”

As you walk away, you smile and think to yourself. “Yeah, this is the year. I can feel it!”