Jim L

I have posted about this before, but I still don't get why wrestlers are so impressed by the four weight classes in four years. He got bigger and moved up. Maybe to the general public it sounds like he is taking on all comers, but he never really wrestled up a weight class. He also had a reputation as a big time weight cutter, so he was never wrestling guys that where bigger than him, maybe some years he cut less, but he was never undersized. When I was growing up and boxing was big, some of the top guys would go up a weight class or two and fight the title holder so they could have multiple belts at the same time. Sugar Ray Leonard famously weighed in fully clothed with rolls of coins in his pockets for his fight with Marvin Hagler. This is not what Dake did. This does not take way from his amazing career. MY personal rankings of his feats (collegiate editiion): 1. 4X titles 2. Beating an all timer in Taylor 2X 3. Winning as a true freshman ... 99. Got bigger and moved up in weight class (Hell I got him beat by a mile for putting on weight as I got older)

If we are talking about the greatest international career w/o an NCAA title, Kevin Jackson deserve a mention as well: 2X World Gold 1X Olympic Gold 2X NCAA 3rd 1X NCAA 2nd

Jamil Kelly was apparently just not an all time level in college as he never even made AA status

I see stalemates called when both wrestlers are on their feet, they are tied up and nothing is going on. This seems like a ideal situation for a double stall. Also question how is it a stalemate when the top wrestler throws in legs and is not able to do much besides hold his opponent down. I do see legitimate stalemates where both wrestlers end up in positions where there is no obvious advantage and neither can improve, so I don't think it needs to be eliminated. I hate to be that guy, but Freestyle rules/refs seems to be get to get this right. Obviously, bringing them back on their feet when nothing is happening on the mat makes this easier.

Ramos is the obvious choice. Last year's runner-up who has shown that he can win BIG matches. A few head scratching losses along the way shows that he is not a dominant favorite. But this does happen all the time to eventual champs.

Other interesting note is that the All Decade team is not hat different than the All-Decade Big Ten team, which is not that surprising to me, showing how dominant the Big Ten is

Did the Big Ten expand again.? Or are you trying to prove your moniker to be accurate? Check out the thread title

The fact that they were so good with so little money is amazing. The real question is how dud they ever compete (and win) against fully funded big time wrestling programs rather than what ever happen to them?

Where they always at 3-4 scholarships?

No . I don't want to play semantics. I understand how theoretically it could matter. I was asking for people's real life experience.

So you personally remember coin flips going against you being a big deal?

You literally gave me a hypothetical. Now you have given an actual situation, so I can accept that some people feel it is an advantage. I don't ever recall it being a big deal to me. I also don't remember it ever being discussed as being a factor in NCAA championship match.,.. i e my guy would have won if the coin flip went his way. And it seems every other "what if' scenario is discussed

I get the hypotheticals. But do you ever remember personally thinking you lost a match because you didn't have choice?

Yeah, I get how it works. Assuming that you wrestled, do you ever remember feeling a disadvantaged because you didn't have choice.

Not a big change. Is it really that big of an advantage to have choice in the 2nd. Have there ever been instances where somebody thought.. I would have won if only I had won that coin flip for choice

Injuries and upsets are the wild cards. For frosh to win this year they will likely need at least one to happen... and they happen every year

The stall calls I see seem unrelated to stalling. 90% of the time if someone is stalling with with a 1point lead with 1 minute or so left in the 3rd, the ref will call the first stall call with about 15 seconds left and then if they don't absolutely flee they will not get a second stall. Stalling on the mat seems arbitrary as well. Too many times I see a bottom guy getting dominated and not able to do anything and get dinged for stalling. This brings back flashbacks for me as I was not best at getting out of the bottom and remember when I got hit for stalling and wanting to yell at the ref "Cant you see I'm trying.. Its just not working"

I am seeing more stalling calls for mat wrestling and they seem mostly arbitrary. Usually when not much is happening on the mat, the top guy is working to hold the bottom wrestler down, which he needs to do before he can start working for a fall. The bottom wrestler is trying to prevent the top guy from scoring, but might be having trouble escaping. Not much is happening so the ref feels obligated to give someone a stall call and I usually dont see that it is obvious that one wrestler is stalling. It is really hard to turn someone at the D1 level and it also is hard to escape against someone with a decent ride. I do like the concept of brining them to their after a set amount of time with no progress by either wrestler. I know has all sorts of implications with the current scoring

As HS cross country runner (and former marathoner) I can attest that all the distance running in the world won't prepare you for wrestling practice

I don't use any social media to follow wrestling (besides this forum..is this social media?) and try to never look at comments from people on any social media EVER. I will say that the one Reddit thread that was linked in a separate thread was totally thrashing Ferrari. I would like to believe that the majority of offensive comments on social media are from sad, lonely people looking for reactions or from the small percentage of truly horrible people expressing their true feelings or HS kids whose brains still need years of development before they should be released on society.

That fact the 90%+ of the wrestling world thinks this guy is a complete jackass and should not be wrestling and should be held to account for his behavior both on and off the mat, despite his talent, is not good evidence to point to as the decline of our society. I don't follow Mineo and am not that interested in his hot takes.

Really this would be a great time for him to have issued a real apology and then keep his mouth shut. His brain just doesn't work right. Still trying to justify his actions. If someone "disrespects" you then everything is fair game? The coach that signs up for this is in for a wild, but probably really short, ride.

Yes. I remember Architecture major as being very time consuming and need to spend lots of time in studio. It often was a 5 year degree. Very impressive for those Cornell wrestlers to be able to accomplish this

Also curious what years the Eng majors are. I remember conversation that Lehigh's lineup and had a lot of Frosh who were declared as Eng majors but by the time they had a year or two of Eng classes they had switched majors or were no longer wrestling. Of course it common for Frosh Eng majors to switch at some point.

Rereading my own post, it sounds very dismissive of what these athletes are doing. I am sure it is really hard to be a high level athlete and a student aiming to graduate in 4/5 years. I just don't think necessarily we should look at the Ivy leagues guys as above and beyond what other student-athletes are doing because their school has a more prestigious reputation.