ILLINIWrestlingBlog

37 minutes ago, Fadzaev2 said:

Are you in reference to a former NCAA Champion from Iowa State (as a wrestler and as a coach) using this quote when he broadcasts????

Yes. It is a reference to that immortal phrase. Cheers!

According to Christian Pyles, who is dreamy, 133 at the Midlands got electro-magma-supercharged with the addition of unattached wrestler Kyle Burwick of Nebraska. If you are an organizer, all of the entries should be placed on the bracket by random draw, after proper seeding, except that Burwick-Lamont must be a first-round match.

Other big names at 133 include two-time All Americans Lucas Byrd, Michael McGee, and Chris Cannon, along with Round of 12er Micky Phillipi.  One of those fellows is 8-1 against the other three. Can you guess who?

Heavyweight and 125 are shaping up to be great brackets. Yay for the wee folk and the fatties. 

I've checked Twitter and haven't heard of any teams missing flights because of weather or Southwest Airlines. This is the one benefit you can point to for having few wrestling teams in the South. When it comes to snow, Southerners act like a volcano has erupted.

Back to Burwick: Should he confront the Badger staff with a blank NPO? My belief is that Wisky should sign. My definition of participation might be different from yours.

What the Badger staff did was, after not telling Burwick about the portal deadline, then going behind his back to recruit an AA over him, expect to handcuff Burwick and Lamont in the practice room together for a year with people Kyle couldn't trust, lay a saw on the floor between them and say, "Participate!"

But that might be taking the analogy too far, maybe.

It looks like the second link goes to the same story as the first link. Is there no way to edit these posts? Can I speak to a manager? No, now! Wake him up if you have to!

Anyway, here's the corrected link:  165-285

Midlands caught us all with our guard down. It's just two days away. You can get an idea what's about to go down at these two links:

125-157

165-285

Here's a fun sample:

A DAY IN HISTORY

Mariah Carey topped the charts with Don't Forget About Us. At the box office, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was number one in 3,853 theaters nationwide. Top video games were Age of Empires III, Call of Duty 2 and World of Warcraft. 

It was December 30, 2005. 

On that same day, the #2-ranked ILLINI won their third consecutive Midlands title with placewinners Alex Tirapelle (1st), Pete Friedl (1st), Mike Poeta (2nd), Tyrone Byrd (2nd), Donny Reynolds (6th), and Troy Tirapelle (7th). Kyle Ott didn't even make the trip. 

By the time the ILLINI held up that Midlands team trophy in 2005, The Matrix was already 6 years, 8 months and 29 days old:

16 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Well, the google ad is geared towards your browsing history and ad tracking, not WrestleStats. 

I've gone from creeped out to frightened.

The second post in the stupid things THAT ARE WRESTLING RELATED involves that trip to wrestlestat.com. I wanted to see who the Final Bosses are. IMAR was the very definition of a Final Boss. If you beat him, you won everything. If he beat you, you would have to start all over again. Brooks and Starocci have only three and two losses each, respectively, so will they end up as Final Bosses? 

Spencer Lee has five losses, but there were extenuating circumstances. Most importantly, in the NCAA tournament, he has been a final boss. 

In looking at Starocci's upcoming matches, he has a bit of cakewalk: Fish, fish, fish, fish, Ethan Smith, Donnell Washington, fish, fish, fish. Should we be on "Final Boss Watch" for his matches with Smith and Washington? 

It seems that a lot of threads veer off course around here, so a thread dealing with stupid things THAT ARE WRESTLING RELATED might be appropriate. All of you folks are already at the very top of my enemies list, so I thought that before getting on my last nerve, we should try this. It could be fun, or it could be stupid. We'll see. I'll start. 

I was on Andre's Wrestlestat.com site a short time ago, looking up Spencer Lee's, IMAR's, Aaron Brooks' and Carter Starocci's number of losses when I got to thinking thinking: If Wrestlestat continues its service for the next ten years, should Andre be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame?

I think, First Ballot. 

Then, I saw the google advertisement below. I still think Andre would be first ballot, but, my dude, I'm a little creeped out. 

On 12/17/2022 at 10:57 AM, 98lberEating2Lunches said:

This excerpt appears to make it a black and white issue:

"If applicant institution is unable to document that the student-athlete was no longer given an opportunity to participate by his or her previous institution for reasons outside the student-athlete’s control...."

Yes. Black and white but not in the way you contend. Let me explain with a short drama.

SCENE: The camera pans across the Wisconsin Athletic Director's office. It finally rests on the only two people in the entire world who made certain Burwick could not participate as a varsity Wisconsin wrestler this year: Wrestling Coach Chris Bono and Athletic Director Chris McIntosh. That's because Bono recruited a seventh-year Senior AA to replace Burwick, and McIntosh signed off on that recruitment. McIntosh speaks:

MCINTOSH: You can't read, can you?

BONO: I'm not a strong reader.

FIN

To be clear I hate Nebraska just as much as Wisconsin. The entire populations in both states are on my enemies list. 

1 hour ago, 1032004 said:

 

 

 

 

This seems bizarre to me. I think it was one of the best fact-based responses in the history of Twitter. But the questions! Why would Bono leave himself so open? Why would he tweet one paragraph and not the other (more relevant) paragraphs? Does he need somebody in the legal department to read these for him? Did Snyder create a Deep-Fake verified Bono account to set up Bono? Can Bono read English?

Now, I hate Nebraska and Wisconsin equally--they are both just awful--but I also think Burwick is a really good wrestler, and he would be an immediate upgrade for the cornhuskers, and unless Bono recruits a P4P top twenty kid at 133, Burwick is gonna beat Wisconsin every year. 

Just so it's clear: I loathe both Wisconsin and Nebraska. 

My suggestions for resolving the dispute in order of likelihood: Duel, dual, wrestle-off between Burroughs and Howe, ball grab (circa the Metcalf era of freestyle), Trade Burwick for Boo, a bushel of corn, and a walk-on to be named later, get pissed off about being showed up online and not sign anything ever, sign the dang thing. 

3 hours ago, Dark Energy said:

[snip]

My expectation for our wrestlers,...

[snip]

Your wrestlers? That explains a lot.

What is unexplainable is one person, I believe it was @nhs67, mentioned the great matches wrestled by Zane in teching a World Bronze and then beating the Iranian World Team member. That is sad.

I wrote that so you could see what you've written. 

My dudes, Zane Richards is a quiet hard-working fellow who has put in upwards of 10,000 hours to be able to beat Iran in the Finals of the World Cup. He's traveled to intensive weeks-long camps in Russia and Azerbaijan to understand freestyle in his bones. He has invested his life as a young man and now young adult in the sport.

Zane didn't punch anybody. He didn't flip the bird or pull down his pants.

He was also under a lot of pressure, probably more than anybody else on the team, I would guess. For example:

1. For at least a week, maybe longer, he knew that he'd be the first American to wrestle in the 2022 World Cup.

2. He knew that his first match would be against the World Bronze medalist from Mongolia. 

3. If the USA made it to the World Cup Finals, he would likely wrestle the Iranian Senior World Team member.

4. Iran beat America in the last two World Cup Finals where the teams met. 

5. If not for a beautiful arm post on the mat to avoid exposure and then an instantaneous chain-wrestled crotch lift for his own exposure, that Iranian heavyweight could've been celebrating an individual and team victory. 

So, letting off a little steam having accomplished the monumental tasks set out before him doesn't seem so out of the ordinary, right? In conclusion, please let me welcome a whole new crew of panty-waist jackovasaurs to my enemies list. 

OMG! He stuck out his naked tongue!

On 12/2/2022 at 12:29 AM, BAC said:

[snip]

I guess there was a little dust-up last year about some Iranian staff members being denied their visas and then refusing to send their team to a dual in the US, but I think the Iranians understood that was the Department of State, not USA Wrestling.  

I wrote a story about the USA-Iranian relationship, especially as it has been affected by wrestling on my site here.

That dust-up was actually pretty spectacular. America sent a missile to assassinate the second-most powerful person in Iran, their venerated Republican Guard General. 

In response, Alireza Dabir, the former World and Olympic champion and head of Iran's wrestling federation was quoted to say, "Death to America." 

He then went on to a indicate that any response shouldn't be with words but with actions. To complete the tic-tac-toe, the US denied Visas to him and five others.

(I think there was a generous amount of fault attributable to both parties. Hopefully, though, we can return to "Wrestling Diplomacy" with Iran. Did you know that, for the first time, Iran sent a Women's team to the 2015 World Grappling Championships--but not since then?).

8 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

[snip]

Its the upper level. Some people are better technicians, others have supreme cardio, others are significantly stronger. It’s all about who can exploit their strengths + mitigate their weaknesses + exploit their opponents. It’s almost like styles make matchups.

It's like Robot Wars or BattleBots. Will the hammer beat the saw.

I just got the monthly pass for ILLINOIS for $5.38 using the coupon code "MONDAY." Apparently, it expires today. Note that I had to type in the code and hit "Apply" twice. It didn't work the first time.

So, if you are a Moc or Panther fan, you can try that. You'll have to set up an account, but that's simple. Just in case, cancel after you've watched all the replays you can stomach.

I thought about the year-long single-sport pass, but I couldn't find a code, and really, my dudes, I don't want to watch PSU, Iowa or an Ohio State team. I hate those guys. Cheers!

3 hours ago, Pish said:

[snip]

If you’re looking to watch all the BIG+ matches, wait till tomorrow and sign up for the wrestling package and it will only cost $35 

This is good info. That's what I'll do. Cheers!

16 minutes ago, ionel said:

Because if you select Michigan State your screen will turn into a permanent blank orange screen saver.  Come on man be careful and make the right decision. 

Yeah. Plus Red Grange will come to haunt you every year on Midland's Eve. 

In actuality, my advice was directed expressly to Pitt and Chattanooga fans who might want to watch the triangular but not pay so much money. 

If you select the ILLINOIS monthly pass, you will get to see the duals because they involve ILLINOIS. If you select a Michigan State monthly pass, for example, you won't get to see it because MSU is not involved.

(As a side benefit, you'll get a month's coverage of a girdle-less Bret Bilema). Cheers!

I've done a preview of the ILLINI/Pitt portion of the triangular here. Andre at wrestlestat.com predicts a 15-15 tie, so it should be a good one. The marque matchups will be Lucas Byrd wrestling Micky Phillippi for the third time, while Zac Braunagel gets his first crack at Nino Bonaccorsi. This dual could come down to heavyweight. 

For those Pitt and Chattanooga fans wondering how to watch the match, it will be on BTN+, which is a subscription service. Here is some good advice for you: If you are willing to pay $9.95 to watch it, you can go to the website and select a "school pass" for ILLINOIS that is only that amount for one month. If you select a "sport pass" and select "wrestling," it is $69.95 for a year. You get a full year of B1G wrestling, but that's a lot of money. The steps:

1. Go to the website here. 

2. You will have a choice between conference pass, school pass and sport pass. Pick "school pass."

3. Underneath that, you will see the logos for various B1G schools. Choose the big Orange "I" for the ILLINI. The first on the left. 

4. Beneath that, select the "monthly pass" for $9.95 and follow the payment instructions.

The good news is that I do this every year, and you can terminate the agreement online without having to talk to somebody in sales. Since this is only a monthly pass, you shouldn't even have to do that. I don't think they'll pro-rate your school pass, as the Big Ten Network sucks *****, so be ready to fork over the entire $9.95. I am not associated with the University of ILLINOIS or the BTN. 

7 hours ago, Formally140 said:

Are they out for the season?

I don't know. My guesses based on watching the MSU Open matches where they were injured is that they'll be back shortly. (Maximo Renteria, ankle sprain?; Pucino & Sammie Hayes, concussion protocol?). The ILLINI have duals with Buffalo and NC State on Friday, so it makes sense to be careful.

As for Cardani, who didn't wrestle at the MSU Open, Coach Poeta said he'll be ready later in the year.

Love these kinds of tournaments because I watched nonstop ILLINI Wrestling all day. You get to see the whole lineup.

A couple of responses to some of y'all's earlier posts:

Keegan O'Toole seems to have a lot of tough matches until they aren't. I think he did a look-away ankle pick yesterday. Kind of like an NBA point guard.

The Braunagels have a nice wrestling family, but they're no Mattins or Lamerses. I still get them mixed up.

The ILLINI were without wrestlers at 125 and 141 with injuries to Maximo Renteria, Justin Cardani and Danny Pucino. The fellow who won the 125 bracket at Tiger Style finished fourth in the Cali state championships as a 120 pound Senior. Maximo won that bracket as a 120 pound Sophomore. Injuries suck.

Edmond Ruth did all that. Two tournaments and one 1-3 loss to Ethan Smith. 

Missouri was impressive. Fun tournament! More of these, please.

14 minutes ago, jross said:

What matches are people looking forward to?  

I'm looking forward to the 197 bracket with Rocky Elam, Bernie Truax and Zac Braunagel. Michael O'Malley, Peyton Mocco and Edmond Ruth at 174. Lucas Byrd ragdolling everyone at 133 because he's pissed off, the 165 semis, and Brock Mauller versus Kevin Davenport. Cheers!

26 minutes ago, FD1W said:

Cardani also absent from entries and wasn’t at MSU Open last weekend.

usual explanation of weight and/or injury?

Recovering from surgery. Should be available later in the season. I've seen him at practice (don't know how much the doctors are still limiting him), but hopefully he'll be back soon. Cheers!

13 minutes ago, ionel said:

Link to brackets?

No brackets, just a list of entrants from Flo. Cheers!

Wanted to see what folks have to say about tomorrow's event, what people think of the Maryland wrestling wear, and provide some ILLINI info.

First, ILLINI starters Maximo Renteria (125) and Danny Pucino are out. They suffered injuries at the MSU Open. 

Second, Maryland? Are they still wearing those outfits that look like something you'd see the sorority sisters wearing at a ΚΔ slumber party?

Third, looks like the 165, 174, 149 and 197 brackets will be super solid. Cal Poly is pretty solid. Are there as many Lamers as there are Mattins? I hate Mizzou, but they're super solid. 

Clear the mats!

Brawlnagel beating Hoffman. Zac was dwarfed by some of his opponents on Saturday, but he's quick and a great scrambler. 

Byrd losing to Mendez. Lucas had a worse loss at last year's MSU Open. He'll study it, science it, and get better. Kudos to Mendez.

Kannon Webster over Cayden Rooks. ILLINI recruit Webster beat National Qualifier and four-year starter to win the Maryville Open.