Any Flyer fans out there?

[david aka the TYZ]

Today is the big game between Xavier and Dayton at UD Arena. As a Xavier hater and casual Flyer fan I will definately be watching. It's on the U, so to a sports bar I must go. Xavier, like most teams always struggle to win in Dayton, they have one of the best home crowd advantages in all of college basketball. Dayton lost it's number two scorer and Xavier is clicking on all cylinders right now, but don't discount the rivalry factor. Hopefully by night's end I will be doing the Flyer Dance, a move I invented a couple years ago after the Flyers beat Xavier and I was so elated I started running around my apartment with my arms extended and moving around like a four-year-old mimicking an airplane. I didn't make airplane noises though, so it's cool.

[Franny]

Great road win for X. They are poised to get a decent seed in the tournament

[JMart]

David apparently likes rooting for crappy basketball teams.

[Tedesco]

For a moment there I thought this was going to be a topic about the Philly Flyers. I was ready to ban the OP.

[david aka the TYZ]

Originally Posted by JMart

David apparently likes rooting for crappy basketball teams.

Wow!! Low blow JMart. Yeah at least you can't say I'm a fair-weather fan. My love for UC needs no explanation as I graduated from there. I root for Dayton for two reasons -- a good friend of mine went there and I would visit the campus from time to time and even though they are a rival to UC (although apparently we dropped that rivalry) they are Xavier's #2 rival and their division rival. I pull for any team against Xavier. It's funny because earlier in the year Xavier played Alabama. As a huge Auburn fan (my dad went there) I hate Alabama. On the day of the game I called my dad and informed him I was rooting for Alabama that day.

[david aka the TYZ]

Originally Posted by Franny

Great road win for X. They are poised to get a decent seed in the tournament

Unfortunately, Fran-man, you are right. I was hoping Xavier would stumble somewhere but they are really playing well. I still don't know how high a seed they will get because tearing through the A-10 is not saying much. Their non-conference results will not help their seeding. There's nothing they can do to change that. The loss to UC keeps looking worse and worse. I don't know if I should smile about that or cry. If they run the table and win the A-10 tourney they could be a six seed, but one more loss and I think they slide into an eight or nine, maybe even ten. Two losses (one regular season, one early tourney) and they still could miss out. The A-10 is that bad. Remember GW last year was 26-2 and still got a six seed. I think the selection committee will be rooting X to win so they don't have to bring two teams in.

[JMart]

I don't actively root against any local team, unless they're playing my team. I don't necessarily root for them either, but in general I wouldn't waste my time rooting against someone unless it had some sort of impact on my team. That's kinda goofy.

[Tedesco]

I go to UC and I actively root against them. I didn't like them before, why should my being a student there now change that? I don't care about Xavier, so I could take or leave how well they do. I definately don't root for any teams in my college conference, but I don't mind rooting for a team in my professional conference when my home team is out of the playoffs. (NFL or NHL) I don't root for any other team in the NL, but I do pull for a couple of teams in the AL.

[Franny]

I would normally "root" for UC if they were playing any team except tOSU, but at this point I think it makes sense to turn against them. If you keep supporting that punk Cronin, you're going to have to tolerate a lot more 11 game losing streaks over the next 2-3 years while he's there.

Like I've said before... It goes back to Franny's Ryan Parker theory... You are not a true fan by sticking with a team that continues to lose. You man up and demand changes. If they don't take place, you stop going to games, buying merchandise, pushing money to the alumni/boosters clubs, etc. Only YOU can prevent shittiness.

[Tedesco]

Then who do you root for? That is what I did with the Bengals, and eveyone on this board lit me up for following a different team.

[Franny]

Originally Posted by Tedesco

Then who do you root for? That is what I did with the Bengals, and eveyone on this board lit me up for following a different team.

You don't give up on a team that is in playoff contention (i.e. the 2006 Bengals). You give up on a team that loses 11 straight games (i.e. 2006/07 Bearcraps)

[Tedesco]

I gave up on the Bengals around 2000, or 2001. I came back once I felt that the team was more concerned about winning and less concerned about the $$.

[david aka the TYZ]

Originally Posted by Franny

If you keep supporting that punk Cronin, you're going to have to tolerate a lot more 11 game losing streaks over the next 2-3 years while he's there.

Fran-man I don't understand the passion against Cronin. First off it was a ten game losing streak. Not that it's much better than eleven but lets stick with the facts. Cronin is a proven winner. Huggins best years at UC were with Cronin recruiting. Same for Pitino at Louisville. When Cronin left both schools their recruiting took a hit and their teams weren't as successful. He went to Murray State and was highly successful. Why should we think he couldn't do any different with UC. He was handed nothing and asked to compete in the toughest conference in college basketball. He did good to bring in what he did, but there is a reason all of these guys were available this late in the recruiting process. Take this for example. Deaonta Vaughn was being recruited by Cronin to go to Murray State. I don't know where Murray State ranks, but they aren't a top-100 program at least from a recruiting standpoint. All the jucos they brought in were already passed over too. How could he be successful? So they started out 9-3 and went 9-5 non-conference. They played above themselves a little bit and faced no real competition. Xavier and NC State were good wins, but at the time Xavier was playing miserably and NC State was without it's point guard and out of sorts. Mixed in were drubbings by Ohio State and Memphis and even a loss to Wofford. Wofford hasn't beaten anybody. Yeah it's frustrating to lose and UC fans want more, but lets face the facts. No coach could turn these guys into winners. And the comment on continued losing? It has been one year. One ugly year, but one year. It takes time to rebuild a program especially starting with what he did. Lets see what happens next year and the year after. If UC is still a losing program I will eat my words and demand Cronin be gone. What good would it serve to change coaches now? Lose the few recruits he has for next year, which are pretty solid recruits and bring in a couple more jucos. Have these players who obviously aren't quick learners have to adjust to another style of coaching and then fire that guy when he loses in the Big East. This isn't the NBA's coaching carasoul. This isn't UC of old where 25 wins is a gimme. This is a team that maybe is less talented than its 170 RPI suggests. None of this is Cronin's fault. Fran-man give the guy a break.

[david aka the TYZ]

Originally Posted by Tedesco

I go to UC and I actively root against them. I didn't like them before, why should my being a student there now change that? I don't care about Xavier, so I could take or leave how well they do. I definately don't root for any teams in my college conference, but I don't mind rooting for a team in my professional conference when my home team is out of the playoffs. (NFL or NHL) I don't root for any other team in the NL, but I do pull for a couple of teams in the AL.

Wow Tedesco. If you go to UC, you should root for UC. That's not only part of the college experience, but what makes college sports so fantastic. They represent your college when out there playing, it gives you a natural reason to support them. I could see if you aren't a sports fan in general but I'm sure that's not the case with you. Let me ask you this, why do your root for your home team in proffessional sports? By your same logic why should you support your local team just because you live in that city? And not only not support them, but actively root against them? Why did you choose to go to UC if you hated their sports program so much? A university's first and most outward display of representing themselves is on the playing field. Granted, universities do a lot more beneficial stuff than athletics, but ask the average person in America about most any university and they will mention sports. You are entitled to root for whomever you please and sure I'm partial to my Bearcats and have to speak up in support of them, but I just find it fastinating how some people don't support their local team or even more their alma mater. Sure a team can do something to piss you off or make moves you don't agree with, but I believe in loyalty first and foremost. It would be easy to say you hate the Bengals because they sucked for so many years and Mike Brown is an embarrasment not only to the team, but for the city of Cincinnati. But a true fan sticks by them. Same for the Reds, we might not like all the decisions they've made recently, but we stick by them. Only a fair-weather fan jumps around their support for teams who are winning. Sure everyone likes a winner and its easy and even enjoyable to root for a team who has made good moves that has turned into dominating success. But once you put your heart into a team, it should stay there through thick and thin. Would you turn your back on a family member when they make bad decisions in life or a friend in the same situations? Probably not, so why your sports teams. These last few comments are neccessarily directed at you Tedesco, but everyone in general. Like I said any one person has the right to root for whatever team they please. Some people choose not to root for the local team, most blindly do. But Tedesco I really would like to know after all my sidetrack ranting why you don't pull for UC. We need all the love we can get right now. It's bad enough I have to fight off Fran-man every week.

[Franny]

Wow Tedesco. If you go to UC, you should root for UC. That's not only part of the college experience, but what makes college sports so fantastic. They represent your college when out there playing, it gives you a natural reason to support them.

Well Tabasco did his undergrad work at Kent State so I don't think he feels the same type of passion for UC basketball as he does for the Golden Zips of the MAC. That's pretty common, usually people have a stronger alumni bond to their undergrad school than their graduate school.

Besides, he doesn't really go to UC, he goes to the University of Blue Ash j/k