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1.You only get one pass at celebrating a victory in an overly emotional way, usually when you win a big tournament (like state) for the first time. After that you have to act like you've been there/done that before. Don't be the Roger Federer of wrestling. For those of you who don't know who Roger Federer is, he's arguably the greatest tennis player in history who's won every major tournament a bunch of times. But every time he wins the same tournament again, he flops down on the court, cries, or gets hysterical in some other way like he's a rookie winning the tournament for the first time. 2. You should, as a matter of respect, shake your opponent's coach's hand after the match. The only time you don't have to do this is if your opponent's coach makes a negative remark about you during the match ("He's tired!", "He's doing nothing, ref!" "He's just resting on bottom!", etc.) He disrespected you, so there's no need to show him respect by shaking his hand. 3. If you're a nobody (unranked) wrestler who makes it to the state finals against a superior wrestler, don't get overly emotional if you lose. You haven't achieved squat during your wrestling career (which is why you're unranked) and only got to the finals through some fluke. So don't act all angry/devastated when you lose as if you were expected to win. 4. If you're a nobody wrestler, chances are you're going to be spending a lot of time in the consolation bracket. If the #1 or even #2 ranked wrestler gets beat at some point in the tournament and chooses the indignity of joining you and the rest of the yabos in the consolation bracket, don't act all high and mighty and wrestle to defeat him. He's already lowered himself to try to get a meaningless 3rd place. He doesn't need the additional insult of some scrub wrestling hard to defeat him. The rule is you wrestle a solid match but the #1/#2 ranked wrestler gets to win. 5. When a weight class gets called at a tournament and all the wrestlers come down from the bleachers to get their bout sheets, it's the lower ranked wrestler who takes the bout sheet and brings it to the assigned mat for the match. 6. Rules for wrestling against the #1 ranked wrestler/returning champion: *Don't step on to the mat for the match before he does. *You wait until he offers his hand for the handshake before the match starts, never disrespect his higher position by offering your hand first. *You never take the first shot of the match against the #1 guy/returning champion. 7. Your headgear should be relatively clean and presentable. Don't tape it all up, put stickers on it, have it all torn up. It's pretentious and screams that you're trying way too hard to look tough/cool. 8. Tape up visible tattoos. This used to be the sport of kings. Don't denigrate that ideal by your trashy tats. Nobody cares how "meaningful" they are to you or how they make you "unique" (unique like every other jackwagon with tats). 9. Win or lose, go to center mat and get your hand raised or stay there while your opponent gets his hand raised. You don't look extra cool/defiant by running off the mat before your opponent gets his hand raised. 10. If you get screwed over in the finals there are several ways of handling the screw job. The ultimate option is to not show up to the awards ceremony so the 2nd place podium is awkwardly empty, which lets everybody know a screw job took place. The other more discrete option is to show up to the awards ceremony and stand on the 2nd place platform. But when the guy comes around to drape the silver medal around your neck, don't bow down and let him do so. Instead reach out and take the medal from his hand and hold it to the side during the ceremony. This is a subtle way of letting everyone know that you'll take the medal but you don't really accept it. If you want to really go all out, you can stand on the 2nd place platform but refuse to take the medal as he presents it to you. 11. If you win a tournament, don't "invite" the 2nd and 3rd place finishers up to join you on the 1st place podium. It's beyond condescending. You're basically saying to them "You weren't good enough to be up here on your own, but I'll give you permission to join me up here even though you don't really belong here." 12. Keep your headgear on after the match until you're off the mat. Have you noticed that the guy who wins is usually the one who pops his headgear strap off immediately after the final whistle or completely takes off his headgear while the guy who lost usually keeps his on? It's like some act of additional bravado after having won. Oh you say it's "uncomfortable" to keep wearing it? You were just wearing it for the entire match you hypocrite. You can keep it on for a few more seconds until you're off the mat. 13. Don't wear t-shirts advertising what "tough" camp you went to over the summer. Nobody cares or is intimidated that you made it through some "intense" camp. Besides it makes you look foolish if you end up losing to a guy who spent his summer sleeping in until noon and playing video games until dawn. 14. If a guy is wearing those old school tights (leggings) under his singlet then he's either the best wrestler at the tournament or the worst wrestler ever. There's no middle ground when it comes to guys wearing tights under their singlets. 15. If you get bounced early from a tournament it's perfectly ok to get the customary serving of extra large nachos with all the fixings and sit up in the bleachers and enjoy it with a huge satisfying grin as you watch everybody else still wrestling and struggling to make weight for the second day. It's one of the greatest joys of losing. 16. If the ref who's gonna be reffing your match is big fat guy then it's almost a given he's going to act like power hungry prick. If he's sporting the classic fat guy goatee (because fat guys think a goatee makes their double/triple chins less noticeable) then it's assured he's gonna be mega prick. The reason these fatties are colossal pricks is because (1) they're fat and (2) they achieved very little during their wrestling careers and now get a kick out of passive-aggressively projecting their fat frustrations on other wrestlers. The only good thing about having a fat ref is that if you put your opponent on his back these fatties will call a pin faster than they can wolf down an entire pie since it's super uncomfortable for them to be down on the mat on their huge gut for too long. 17. If you opponent is going through an "intimidating" pre-match warm-up (slapping himself all over, blaring angry music from his oversized headphones, doing air sprawls, etc.) then you're probably going to beat him fairly easily. The guy's scared and he's trying to hide it by going through this elaborate routine to try to "psyche" you out. The guy you have to worry about is the quiet one who's just standing off to the side of the mat, calmly watching the match going on before you two are up, maybe just nonchalantly bouncing up and down a few times being his entire warm up. 18. Awesome singlet + Brand new state-of-the-art wrestling shoes = mediocre wrestler 19. Your opponent is unusually undersized for your weight class but is highly ranked even though he comes from a no-name school with a non-existent wrestling history? Prepare to be destroyed. 20. You're not listening to a damn word your coach is telling you right before your match if there's a hot stats girl or female trainer nearby. 21. The token chick wrestler on the all-male wrestling team has major issues that you cannot even begin to comprehend. Just let her be. After a few months of trying to prove "she's just as good as any guy", possibly a year if she's really hardcore, she'll get bored and quit. 22. If a wrestler has an injured leg and you see his opponent intentionally avoid shooting in on that leg, don't mistake that for sportsmanship. He's actually hurting the injured leg more by shooting in on the good leg. Why? Because when he gets a single and gets the good leg up in the air he's making the guy balance himself by putting all his weight on the bad leg. Oldest trick in the book to make yourself look like a good sport to the uninformed fans. 23. There are few things more annoying than a loud shrieking middle aged woman cheering during a wrestling match when the rest of the crowd is relatively quiet. "WHOOOOOO!" Alright JOHNNY! WHOOOOO!" 24. It's always disappointing to win a tournament and the medal you get is the exact same design as the medal you got at another tournament a few weeks ago. 25. You made a huge mistake by not taking advantage of the information the announcer said about you to the crowd during your finals appearance at that tournament. While everybody announced that they had a 4.0 GPA, or had signed to wrestle at this or that college, or dedicated this match to their parents, etc...you could have "Been recently nominated for the Nobel Prize and dedicates this match to himself because without him this match wouldn't be taking place right now." 26. How sharp and GQ a coach dresses up to coach his wrestler in the state finals is inversely proportional to how many times he's coached a wrestler in the state finals before. 27. Wrestlers who dye their hair for the state tournament are the watered-down version of tattoo guy. Just like guys with tats, nobody who dyes their hair thinks of it as an original idea on their own. They saw some other shmucks do it and so they decided to copy said shmucks but think they're being original and unique by doing so, much like every guy who gets a tat thinks they're being original and unique. 28. Matside dads are the worse. It's all but guaranteed they've pushed their son to become a wrestler and are living vicariously through him, like most sport's dads do. It's also guaranteed the son hates wrestling even if he's really good at it. Watch any wrestler who has a matside dad and you'll notice he's miserable out there on the mat, even if he's in the process of techpinning his opponent in the state finals. 29. Parents who wear t-shirts and sweaters with encouraging slogans about their son wrestler ("Go Johnny!, "Team Johnny", etc.) come in two varieties. Some are plain obnoxious, especially if their son is an awesome wrestler, and they wear those slogans as a way to brag and let everyone know they're the parents of an awesome wrestler. And some are the sweetest, nicest couple you'll ever meet and are being genuinely sincere by wearing those shirts as a way to support a son they love very much. They're the kind of adorable couple who bakes snacks for the entire team and even become friends with their son's opponents and opposing coaches. Likewise, their son is also a respectful person on and off the mat and together they represent the family you wish you had. 30. Muscle shirt guy is harmless. He's just a dude who works out only his glamour muscles (biceps, pecs, abs) for the attention. He's not as strong as he looks. Definitely not even close to being as strong as farmer boy, who although looks soft compared to muscle shirt guy, will toss you around like a ragdoll during a match by using his unbelievable Herculian strength that is achieved only by those who grow up on a farm. The Legendary DF (Del Fino) from "Unofficial Rules of Wrestling" (the only existing known photo of DF, outside arena before his 2nd state finals match )

Finally, a school that will let him grow into his true body.

I tried to find this quote again but couldn't. I think it was Royce Alger, not sure... In my hometown there are ten tough guys. Nine of them call me sir. Does anyone remember this better than me?

Seeding is everything - coach before and during seeding meeting Seeding doesn't matter - same coach after seeding meeting

Checks category. Yep, it says Dark Horses. OK, what was the question again?

Guilty as charged... And damn proud of it.

Socrates, of course, didn't write anything. It was Plato (his student) who put it all down in dialogue form. And Plato was a wrestler. As a distance runner myself and former wrestler, I'm not sure I fully agree. In any event, here is a brief account: Plato was an athlete, particularly skilled as a wrestler. His given name was Aristocles, after his grandfather, but the coach under whom he trained is said to have called him “Plato” — from the Greek for broad, platon, on account of his broad-shouldered frame. It stuck. So good a wrestler was Plato that he reportedly competed at the Isthmian Games (comparable to the Olympics), and continued wrestling into adulthood. Ensconced at the academy, he spoke strongly on behalf of the virtues of physical education. He felt that one should balance physical training with “cultivating the mind,” exercising “the intellect in study.” The goal “is to bring the two elements into tune with one another by adjusting the tension of each to the right pitch.” Equal parts thought and sweat, so to speak.

When I was in HS, everybody said that about everything.

Idk if this is considered on the decline this is just last season 125- Suriano 1st - 2x champ ,3 x finalist Glory 2nd last year , 2x AA 133- Chris cannon 7th , 2x AA , heilman R16 , Koehler R16 141-Rivera 3rd ,4x AA, CJ composto AA 165- Shane Griffith 2nd , 2021 ncaa champ , Ramirez R12 174- Mekhi Lewis 2nd, 2019 ncaa champ ,mike O ‘Malley R12 184- Poznanski R12 , past AA 197- Cardnes 2-2 285 - Fernandes R12 How many states have 4 finalists and a 3rd in a down year ?

He's so good he can't beat himself. Or can he...

And we're back with another ad hominem. It was an attempt to address each point rather than speaking in vague talking points or personal attacks. Clearly, you're not capable of doing so. It's pretty clear you didn't answer some of the questions because...well...ya didn't have them. Again, you've continually expressed a desire for me to "reciprocate" my sympathies for your happy, loved, well taken care of niece while inferring that I don't believe her life has "value," and when I ask for a clarification on what exactly am I supposed to be offering sympathy for...you turn into a politician caught up in their own bullshit. Just say "no comment at this time." It's easier and not as intellectually dishonest. Or hell, tell me I'm fake news...I don't know, same difference. A little tantrum in lieu of an actual discussion.

Chris Christie meets Snookie at Bar A...

Tony soprano meets DJ Paulie D?

Oh, I think this is exactly what this is about. Much of the writings of the great Russian writers describe a Tsarist Russia with the vast majority of the population in extreme poverty and a very, very few ultra-wealthy empowered by the government/military. Sound familiar? This eventually led to the Revolution of 1905. The amazing thing is that according to many academic studies, the wealth gap in the present day US, China, and Russia is even greater than Russia pre-Revolution. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/russian-inequality-on-the-eve-of-revolution/A5CED37A899914A15F9CFB1777A441DF

I think the "NJ" attitude that surrounds the program is wearing thin for some recruits. If you have the grades and want to stay in NJ, why choose Rutgers over Princeton? And if you are good enough, why choose Rutgers over PSU? Or Michigan, or NU? And so on. My kid was an NJ placer and wanted nothing to do with that Rutgers vibe. Know for a fact he was not alone, and that feeling seems more pronounced of late.

I figured I was being very bullish for Cronin to resist being pinned. Lee is on that kind of mean streak. Should pin or tech everyone else for the rest of the season including Glory (who ducked Ybarra)

Does Phillippi count as a dark horse if it has been 7 years in the making? 174: Edmond Ruth 184: throw a dart at the bottom side of the bracket opposite Brooks. Wherever it lands, that person has a good shot at making a run for second place. 197: anyone seeded 1-16 has a shot. Dean and Warner aren't dark horses as returning finalists but they aren't far off. So I'll say Braunagel even though I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't qualify either.

Tanner Cook - the darkest horse that ever galloped

Fair bet. I accept

They get, "badder" as you go down my street. I live clear at the end in a cave.

Ahh...so the things I said AFTER the post were what made you not reply to the post...after? That tracks I tried to respond to each of your points(as I've done again here) without...getting too emotional. I'm sorry you were not capable of doing the same. LOL...and exactly where did I suggest my feelings were hurt? Because I pointed out that you resorted to ad hominem attacks? Yeah, that doesn't hurt my feelings, it shows the level of discourse you're capable of. Ahh..yes. That was the problem. You were SOOO brilliant, I just couldn't understand it! See...now I can see why you think I'm confused. You like to conflate issues, change the subject, attack and mis-direct. I never said any personal decision to have any abortion would be simple. The question of it being legal however should be. "Fine with me." Your answer when I suggested a referendum on the subject. Don't want politicians interfering. You agreed. Now it seems you're conflating wrestling with the decision to have one with the right to have one(or lack thereof) because you're just...so a great human being! No. It doesn't "have" to be. But again, when I suggested a referendum and you said, "fine with me," you believed it'd be what? We'd have 150 million people writing their own 25 point bills in which they believe it should be legal or not? And no, it's just a contradiction. How is this NOT a contradiction? You were all but too happy to say you were glad the decision was made by her, her Doctors and "no interference from politicians." Now you're all but too happy to list off all types of interference from Politicians. Weren't you babbling about red herrings? Mississippi? Who's advocating for an abortion "the day it's due?" The histrionics are strong in this one. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-late-term-abortion Now, back on Earth where we're talking about 1st terms(as again, we all know how you hate discussing outliers...and we don't wanna make your head explode). https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/13/about-six-in-ten-americans-say-abortion-should-be-legal-in-all-or-most-cases-2/ 61% think it should be legal. 37% illegal. So...seems like they kinda do think it should be legal, right? In KANSAS(the liberal, left leaning, progressive Kansas) they actually did vote on it. ~60/40. https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-vote-recount-e874f56806a9d63b473b24580ad7ea0c So now given that in POLLS Kansas was 49-49, yet during an actual referendum on the subject, it was ~60/40, seems the majority DOES think it should be between a Women and her Doctor...not Jim Jordan and "Nailbender." There are lots of people out there who just love abortion? Even some in elected office? Again...you said something about red herrings? Well, making progress then, aren't we? You're actually thinking for yourself without yammering on about abortions on the day of...because...again, we ALL know how much you dislike the outlier. Hey, just glad I made you think about something. You want ME to stop mentioning her? Repeatedly you chastized me for not reciprocating your sympathy. Numerous times you brought her up. I think what you're most upset about is you realize how ridiculous your persistent pleas to "reciprocate" my "compassion" for a situation that...you again have repeatedly told me turned out very well. So you'll forgive me if I was confused what compassion or sympathy you wanted "reciprocated," for a scenario that by your account, turned out wonderfully. I can understand after my interaction with you that you're too emotional to discuss this issue. I've made it pretty clear. I don't think it's the religious right, I don't think it's the politicians place...I think it's a decision that should be made by the mother. One that again, I'll stand behind and so will the majority of Americans. Yup. I believe I was. Sorry, you just agreed your Niece was none of my business and now you're outraged that I stated as much? You dizzy from talking in circles yet? I don't...picket, I don't donate money, I don't even vote...yeah, I don't care. I don't believe you've ever heard me talk or met me. But I'll err on the rights of the women. Which is ALL I originally did to pull your sting and read your contradictory incoherent ranting. Yeah, but...again, you have kinda said it; Ahh...ok, so this ISN'T you making an inference about how much value I place upon the life of your niece? Gotcha! I didn't say YOU in and of yourself were forcing anything on anyone. I get why you keep making this entirely about YOU after the "if I were King" comments on multiple occasions now, but I've been told we live in a Country with laws And I'm suggesting in that framework that in the first trimester it's up to the women. I understand clearly how this sounds. Not everyone has the resources to care for a child that's going to need to be cared for their entire life. And...wait now, THIS one will shock you...the VAST majority of women who have abortions, they're not married. Meaning they don't have a Husband and they're not in a position to dedicate their life exclusively to caring for a child. Sorry that that "takes the cake" for you, those are just the facts. Yes. We should allow the mother the decision if she's going abort a pregnancy. Again, could have sworn you said you were happy this was a decision made between the Mother and the Doctor without interference by politicians? Now because I've held that same position, you're full of outrage and too emotional to have a coherent discussion? Yeah, that tracks with my experience. I guess then my first suggestion would be...stop? I don't know, I'm thinking outside the box here...lets just see how it works. That's a rather bizarre thing to say. She won't be "my burden." Now are you going to claim you didn't say this in about 3 more posts like you did when you said you didn't believe I thought she had value and then you claimed you never inferred any such thing? I wasn't concerned with her becoming my "burden." I was making a point that it's not a particularly pleasant life growing up as a ward of the state and I'd imagine it's far less so if you've got a disability. Is that a position you'd disagree with? Yeah, I know, you won't answer because you've gotten too emotional about this, but it just a generally bizarre response. "My niece will never be your burden." And this was a paragraph or two AFTER you said you wanted to stop talking about your Niece? Again...I'd refer back to my previous suggestion. Then just stop? I like to think so.

It was the same as "The party's over". Anytime something ended, someone would say "Goodnight Irene". Maybe it was a Southern Tier of NY thing. One of many.

Yeah I’d definitely be most confident in Medley of the 3. In part because the parity at 125 after Lee is crazy (and I wouldn’t even say it’s “weak” as some have the last couple years). Medley would be a great Cinderella story though. Verkleeren can wrestle anyone to a 1 point match. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him do it a few times in a row at NCAA’s. Urbas I admittedly don’t think I had seen other than the Warner match. But seeing what he did to Warner I could see him doing that to other guys and going on a run. 197 of course is another weight with a lot of parity

I agree things have stagnated a bit and could use a change somewhere, but not sure if moving on from Goodale is the answer just yet They’ve definitely had a run of bad luck with injuries over the last year with Poz (AA his freshman year & redshirting this year), Turley (AA his freshman year and not even close to his former self), Janzer (2x state champ and a NQ his freshman year, and a shell of himself now), and now Boone McDermott is out Losing Kyonte Hamilton, the #1 heavyweight recruit to football after he enrolls Glasgow, Aragona, and Alvarez all flaking out. They still have a lot of young, top talent on the roster like Peterson, Oliveri, Poz, Soldano, Shawver, PJ Casale, and have done well in the portal so they can close some of the gaps especially at 157 & 165. Plus if guys like Boone and White keep developing they will be right back in the thick of it next year.

I didn't see anyone mention Jordan Titus of WVa. He's got some good coaches, Flynn, Port.

I agree completely with everything you said. I'd like to add a qualifier though. Except for the top x%, nearly all of the increase in the standard of living was up till the 70s or 80s. Since then, the standard of living for much of the middle and lower classes has leveled off or even lowered, while the wealth of that x% has skyrocketed. Now when the school (the taxpayer) buys a pizza for the school class, the fat kid eats half and the other 15 kids split the other half. I guess that makes sense to some people. (I trust the fat kid reference wasn't too oblique.)

But can Burwick beat burwikk?

I talked with Coach Gill about this the other day. I'm not aware of anyone else, nor was he but it's a big country. He smiled and said he knows as soon as he retires- in the trash!

Looks like probably Northwestern based on his other posts

You seem offended, or maybe just nasty for no reason. My son is long graduated (back before the "decline") but my post was not about him. But you are right, Rutgers was not after him, though a couple Ivies were. My point was, he was not interested in them, and many others felt the same, then and now, even those who were recruited. By the way, there are kids on the roster now who were low NJ placers.

How do you figure NJ wrestling is on the decline? Just last season CJ composto AAed as a true freshman after placing in NJ states once (3rd) , last season was the first true down year in terms of AAs but doesn’t mean the state is on the decline

Aren't Carr and Griffith "returning" to NCAA this year and weren't they "champs?"

1) Of course nearly all politicians are liars, and the crem de la crem rises to the top, Washington. trump was just in a class by himself. Always has been. Sort of the Babe Ruth of Bullshit. No politician has ever rallied the middle and lower class behind him with false promises like trump. Amazingly, he's still a hero to many. 2) If you say so. I have heard his supporters say this. I have zero idea if these things happened, or if trump was responsible for any of it. Admittedly, my head spends a lot of time in the sand. My blood pressure is better that way. 3) I've been riding that horse for a long time. I even voted for a third party candidate, Ralph Nader, 4 times for President. However, to deny that one party is ever vigilant in protecting the rich is simply naive. I don't even think it's beyond possible that many in Washington and their cronies, regardless of party, were rooting for trump in order to keep the vast majority of people divided. No better man for that job. He is the most divisive human being I've ever seen. I can tell you what ALL of their policies are. To protect and serve those that put them where they are and who fill their pockets with money. Simple really, until we do something besides keep electing the same clowns over and over. I call 'em like I see 'em.

...so you'll take the bet?

Soo funny bud

Lol I’m sorry it’s not meant to upset anyone I’m just confused about the hype. Did he win some big offseason tournament I’m not aware of? Idk Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh boy...jajensen09 is probably sitting at his key board, staring at your post, and can't even type a response because he is shaking so bad from anger...watch out....

Owen Pentz NDSU is capable of pinning anybody at anytime. Not sure if he’s a potential finalist, but if I was a high seed that had him in the quarters I’d be nervous. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is just disassociated from reality. Republicans have been running for 50 years on Roe v Wade. That has been one of if not THE most significant issue since the ruling. There is nothing stopping Congress from passing a federal abortion law? Sure there was. Joe Manchin...who repeatedly voted against it. The filibuster. 50 years of the Religious Right running on Roe v Wade and when it gets overturned and the electorate comes and turns what's supposed to be a historic red wave into a red drop, then it's Democrats "playing politics?"

Here are my dark horses, all ranked 14 or lower (yes that is arbitrary, but I like a few 14s) who have never AAd. Some are stretches for sure: 125: Braxton Brown (Maryland) #18 133: Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) #15 141: Vince Cornella (Cornell) # 16 149: Quinn Kinner (Rider) # 23 157: Chase Saldate (Michigan State) # 15 165: Caleb Fish (Michigan State) #25 174: Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga) #14 184: Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) #16 197: Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) #14 Hwt: AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) # 14 (Almost picked Jason Bullock here) And no I did not go to Michigan State, I went to the real Big Red (hint: not Nebraska)

Yes...Jim Crow is certainly NOT the extent of State Abusing human rights. Shit, it's not even the latest or most egregious. When you've got the Federal Gov't allowing for forced sterilization with the Family Planning Services Act...in which 25 up to 42% of women of child bearing ages were sterilizedand THAT went into the 1970s, I find it a little...disingenuous to act outraged like we're SO far beyond taking the rights of someone away.

If it was announced this really would happen, most hyped match since......Dake/Taylor?

I don't get the feeling it's more pronounced, they were just really helped by having 1 or 2 studs like Ashnault, Suriano and Rivera. And Ashnault was the only one that went there as a freshman. Soldano could have the opportunity to become that. Top NJ guys will often choose other schools, in part because a lot of kids just want to get out of state in general, but I'm sure some also want the top programs. Rutgers has for awhile gotten the "second tier" NJ recruits, which are still very good. And they've started getting some more from out of state. They probably shouldn't be losing to Indiana though. And I like Goodale but I can't really think of anyone that seems to have improved a ton since getting there.

I have actually found myself agreeing with a lot of what you wrote on this topic. I have a hard time when people just spew catchy headlines and blast politicians based on if they are a D or an R. If either side screws up they absolutely should be held accountable...equally. And wasn't sure if I wanted to address something you wrote about Trump's policies, or not his policies but don't want to go down that rabbit hole. I too despise the man, but probably for different reasons than you. Stay well.

Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota. #16 11-1

“I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler.” — Socrates Come on, @SocraTease , I had to post that for you :)

I don’t want to give my opponent the satisfaction of watching me celebrate, which would make it look like a big deal that I beat him. - Brent Metcalf

100% this. Boxers used to go up in weight class without gaining weight to have multiple belts at the same time (Sugar Ray Leonard against Hagler for one notable example). Maybe there is some reflex memory is us old guys brains that automatically thinks going up in weight class is impressive

While this cart is a couple of months ahead of its horse, I'll bite on the question, which at first I thought was silly - Dake, of course, but the more I thought about it, even though I am still firmly Dake, you can make some interesting arguments for Lee. As I've argued in lots of these threads, I've got Dake as my best ever because no redshirt (won a title nine months after being a high school student), beat three different champs and a terrific wrestler (2x finalist, probably should have been 3x but for refs) in his finals, well in control of all his NCAA matches, went up a weight and went 3-0 against the defending and future Hodge winner, etc. Though I've never understood why the usual first argument people make is the 4 weight classes in 4 years. It's a nice nugget, but it's more trivia than substance; he won four championships against people who weighed the same, it's not like he made weight at 141 the day he beat Taylor. Lee has had several losses, including being pinned once, losing to Ronnie Bresser once, and getting outwrestled by Sebastian Rivera twice (and having Mueller take care of him before there could be a third meeting), and hasn't beaten competition as strong as Dake's in his finals. He's missed a ton of matches with injuries. The body of work isn't really comparable to Dake. But there are some notable intangibles. He's put together a terrific record, with what I do think is going to end up with 4 titles, by overcoming a ludicrous series of major injuries, surgeries, and illnesses -- the depth of which are totally unchartered territory in the four-timer club (maybe even the two-timer club, any historians with a view on this?). And in the limited windows when he's been fresh, he's been simply transcendent -- a comet lighting up huge crowds at NCAAs and Carver; always attacking; scoring, scoring, scoring; technically beautiful; insanely strong. He generates a buzz like no one else because he's got talent and skill like no one else. And he'll probably end up with three Hodges. I wouldn't put him as my top 4 timer over Dake but I've got him in kind of a special exciting anti-wuss club of his own.