dragit

I don't have any knowledge, but for arguments sake will stipulate he's a good kid, but it still seems you need good faith from the family to let him live his separate life--and "good faith" and "Ferrari family" don't seem like a good fit in the same sentence.

I think we can be pretty sure the scrambling deficiencies won't get addressed with this coaching staff, and I think it's a fair point that has been raised in this and/or other threads that Tom wouldn't hire someone who thinks that far out of his box. That's a pretty hopeful take on the Ferrari situation to believe that you can have only the good and none of the bad.

They are probably still the second best program but not consistently. Penn State is consistently the best. Iowa is the best of the rest over the last decade on the whole but you can't count on it the way you can with Penn State as the best. 2013 - 4th 2014 - 4th 2015 - 2nd 2016 - 5th 2017 - 4th 2018 - 3rd 2019 - 4th 2020 - no tournament 2021 - 1st 2022 - 3rd 2023 - 2nd So they were first or second 3 out of 10 years, third or worse 7 out of 10. And it will probably be 8 out of 11 years as third or worse after next week. This is a consistent top 4 team which has been the second best on average but even that should probably be seen as in jeopardy. And with no indications of improvement. For a little bit there it looked like Brands had turned a corner, but it was really just a blip with the PA recruits. It's hard to unsee so many top talents ending their careers broken down physically and mentally.

Agree with these posts above. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't change his mind. If he doesn't wrestle it would be a singular and disastrous act of petulance with no comparable anywhere in sports that I can think of. A national champion quitting on his team before the championship because of a disagreement over playing time when the coach's decision was based on protecting his health. This would follow him his entire life and could even affect his job prospects in some areas. He'd be completely nuts to follow through on the tweet and he should feel fortunate if his coaches and teammates forgive him and allow him to compete. For his sake I hope he already understands he owes a sincere apology or that someone (Taylor or Brooks, preferably, Cael or Casey if necessary) has a heart to heart with him and gets through to him.

Since I want Lewis to win I agree with eveything there except I'd substitute "80 or less" for "100."

No. And I also failed to research which style prevails in the Prison Yard Conference.

In folkstyle. I'd probably take Idiot Number One in freestyle.

I thank you for being the one who went back to watch The Worst Match In The History Of Wrestling so we didn't have to. I'll stipulate that things aren't that bad anymore. But I think they're still not good. Way too much edge wrestling, way too little stall calls, way too little action. Freestyle matches typically have much more action, much of which is because the incentives to engage and attack are higher, a good percentage of which is due to the pushout rule. Unpenalized stalling is way too big a part of college wrestling. Changing rules and incentives for mkre action can get a sport oit of a rut. Baseball helped itself tremendously with the objective rules from the pitch clock with virtually no detriment. An objective rule like the pushout is the only possible way to change the problem with the terribly enforced subjective stalling regime.

The rule is pasted below. Based on the incomplete facts I have, it looks like the call followed the rules. Please note that 1.b. is also under the heading "interference." Also plase note that 1.a. addresses generally interfering with another swimmer. That's not what happened here. 1.b. is specific to interference caused by leaving your lane while the heat is still in progress. That's what happened here. In applying rules the specific trumps the general. Furthermore, the runner-up plainly states in his interview, where he says he will refuse to stand on top of the podium, that 1.b., changing lanes during the race, was the rule that was applied to DQ the winner. He calls it the dumbest rule. https://sportssd.iheart.com/content/2024-02-29-swimmer-stripped-of-acc-title-for-celebration-officials-ruining-sport/#:~:text=The NCAA rulebook states that,in accordance with its guidelines. Text of the rule, which I would advocate should probably be modified as a matter of good policy, but which appears, as currently written, to have mandated disqualification: Interference ARTICLE 1. a. Any competitor who interferes with another swimmer during a race shall be disqualified from that race, subject to the discretion of the referee. If a swimmer is fouled by another swimmer, including interference by an outside entity, or due to facility equipment failure during a preliminary heat of an event, the referee may allow that swimmer to repeat the race at a time not later than 30 minutes after the last heat of the last event in which the swimmer is competing during that session of the meet. If a foul occurs during a final race, the referee may order the race swum over if, in the referee’s opinion, sufficient unfairness prevailed. No person shall be required, as a consequence of this rule, to swim with fewer than 30 minutes’ rest between a repeated race and any of that person’s regularly scheduled races. b. A swimmer who changes lanes during a heat shall be disqualified.

Here's hoping. Insert praying hands emoji.

Too bad. If Seabass could've gone another year he could have combined some NIL money with his social security and lived quite comfortably.

You forgot to say "mic drop" at the end.

The one thing you agreed with I don't think applies. Lee didn't hurt his knee in the Ramos match, or at least if he did, that's not what the problem was. My point was that they both did uncharacteristically, inexplicably, unnecessarily silly things which put them in dangerous positions (Lee's was dangerous in terms of giving up a big move that he easily could have avoided, Starocci's was dangerous physically) that cost them dearly.

I'm gonna run this one past someone in TnT's family for a sober gambling reality check before I bet on it.

Definitely differences, including Lee was in a hard fought national semi and Starocci in a cakewalk in a meaningless dual. But if you watch the videos it's kind of stunning to see transcendent guys who you've watched for four years engage in such truly bizarre sequences and (we'll see hopefully not here) blow up their own opportunity for history.

This will sound weird, and I acknowledge 20/20 hindsight/Monday morning quarterbacking up front, but watching the video of the injury reminds me a little of watching the video of Spencer Lee's last match vs Ramos. How? The best wrestler in the country, going for 4 championships, does something inexplicable. Lee, with a lead as time is winding down, traps his own head in his opponent's chest, locks his hands around Ramos's back, while he himself is stretched out and in no position to drive for a takedown against a guy he knows from the dual meet has great throws, and in the end basically pins himself. Starocci, time winding down on a TF in his last home match, tries to gild the lilly with a bizarre contortion and pulls his opponent on top of his knee. Extraordinarily awkward looking sequences from extraordinarily smooth technical wrestlers. I wonder if the building pressure of being the most watched wrestler in the country going for 4 triggered brain cramps.

The only reason I'm not going to run out of "likes" while binge watching this little episodic masterpiece is that I just landed in the dreaded eastern time zone and it's really late here and I am going to have to go to sleep.

The broadcast was not ideal on many levels.

Great stuff! Keep 'em coming. It's nice to be reminded there was once a Bill Simmons who you looked forwarded to reading. Kind of like when your whole week was made better when that Sports Illustrated hit the mailbox.

I think the streak goes back to 1990, most recently extended by Warner and Woods.

Neither does Merriam-Webster

Just like the other post, I totally agree with your general point but don't agree with it in this case based on what I've seen. He looks small for 184, which is a strength weight, and although you can see huge potential (smart, technique, explosiveness) when he's wrestled, by the eye test he doesn't look like he's match sharp, particularly 5+ matches in three days against the best in the country sharp.

I should say that I think him wrestling Saturday is a perfect move, a savvy use of the new redshirt rules. It's a very important dual for the team for a lot of reasons, and it's a very good opportunity for him to get big match experience. It would mess that up though if they then blow the redshirt for probably not much reward in return for giving up a year of eligibility of a potential great. And would look particularly bad after what to me was a huge mistake with wrestling Lee in the 2021-22 season instead of having him have surgery and recuperate. Lee always insisted it was his choice, which a lot of people didn't buy, but even if it was, I think the staff should have guided him the other way.

Disagree in this case but respect the logic.