swoopdown

Your posts regarding this are thoghtful. looking forward to additional breakdown - it's hard to cut though the what-about-ism, biases and the chronic brain-worm damaged to examine the actual event in the middle of a tournament. It's a difficult balance for the rules and refs to negotiate.

Traux joins the all-tournament one-legged team

Cael's durablity over his college career was, I believe, atypical. And Cael recognizing that or perhaps even believing that his load was too much for most others could be a factor driving his position today. Good line of questioning for a sports jounalist to put to him.

Shockingly, Carter and his 15 matches did manage to keep my interest. Go over to the freestyle forum and you hear complaints that wrestlers' bodies are being worn down and wrecked because of the grind of college wrestling seasons. What is the right number of matches during a season (dual + tourney)? How long should a college season be? As a greedly wrestling fan I'd love to see a ton more matches with only the best, but I'm beginning to think that Cael may know more about his athlete's welfare, wrestling in general and getting his team to peak performance than me. Cael seems to have landed on a number that is more focused on the athlete than the fan. Not sure that sacrificing the bodies of athletes on the alter of "growing the sport" is the right direction.

Nagao adopted the PSU mentality of never letting off the gas and go for bonus points .... Unfortuntely for him his TD skills have not developed fast enough and his neutral defense has lapses when he adopts that mind set. Not a good development for him in the 3 point era. I look for him to go to a three point stance often and be more conservative at NCAAs, so he may top my list again, but for now Fix and his better neutral defense and counter skills wins the 133 spot.

Brooks and Beard? Is there such a thing as a mercy duck? For old times sake?

The guy is highly emotional and super competitive. Maybe he couldn't handle it? He's got to be depressed after the gambling thing handed him a bad hand, his one guy in the finals gets blown out and the team result was not up to Iowa expectations. Or doesn't he like Brooks? I not dumping on Brands - I think he's a good coach whose fortunes will turn - could just be a one off with no malice intended but especially because it was a final I gotta wonder why he ignored tradition.

Does DeAug know what year it is?

Yes. Tremedous insights can emerge from curiosity about small things.

The great mistery for me from the tournaments was that Brands ran off the mat without doing the traditional post-match handshake with Brooks. Why? Forgot? Didn't want to? Embarassed? Had a pressing engagement? Wanted to comfort his wrestler right away? Delegated to an assistant? Does this happen often? Curious if anyone else at the tournament noticed this.

Rank# 1 Lewan. Lew one-to-one (as someone called him) or Will Lewan "take a shot?" has come to epitomize this year's edition of the low score model with five or six low scoring OT bouts. A really tough out for most. Lewan vs Haines is the Ying and Yang of wrestling strengths and styles which makes it boring to many. As for me, it makes stressful not boring. Rank #2 - Bartlett. Beau probably scores more that Lewan because unlike Lewan (who is an immoble, inpenetratable rock) he is mobile. So Beau scores with go behinds on bad technique shots against him and he does typically shoot a few times during the course of a match. However, not getting the first TD usually is an insurmountable deficit against the better wresters. His hips may rank second only to Lewan in opponents who have bounced off them for the year. Rank #3 - Rocco Welsh. Only a freshman, he may develop great offense against the best. However, he must be on my list based on his match with Starocci. He fought great head and hands and kept a wrestler of Starocci's neutral talents from firing many shots. He didn't show any offensive firepower against Carter, and if he can slow it down again (Roc'n'Stall Welch) you have to give him a chance against the top offensive talents. Question is does he develop additional fire power in future seasons or does he settle into a Bartlett type mode. Who did I miss? .

Do HWs have to weigh-in? Could be a good move.

Iowa will not be the team to beat PSU. Tom and Terry are too short.

Waiting for Patrick Rothfuss and George R. R. Martin is killing me. Best to read books by deceased authors only and avoid the trama.

Audio books count for me! I've been known to check out the audio and printed version of a book at the same time. The most recent time for Stalin's War by Sean McMeekin. Sometimes read, sometimes listen, some times both at once (true that it is slow compared to pure reading even at 1.25X or 1.5X speed, but better slow then nothing) - My old eyes fade before my brain and the only way I can keep momentum is with audio. An aside, I read Hamilton before I started doing audio books - and I'd rank it as one of the best bios ever. What was your verdict?

The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes Interesting cast of characters in the world of 20th century physicists. Most of them warrant their own books.

this. Watching Lovett vs Gomez leaves you with the feeling that the road to AA may be too long this year. Rathjen may have the better path if he can avoid the 3rd period fatigue that showed up against Kasak.

When I see Ayala take down a good wrestler from his three point stance I may concede that his three point stance is not stalling. Does anyone have film of Ayala taking anyone down from 3 point position??????? This match or any other? Maybe he is quick enough to do it but I just have not seen it? I really hate 3 point stance. Have you noticed? That said, as long as it is legal, I think Nagao and Davis should use it in certain situations. But wrestling would be a better product without it. As far as the equivalency fantasy that exists between refusal to tie and three point stance ......I disagree that a right hand only tie or no ties leave a wrestler in a stalling only position. For example - At around 2:32 of this match you see RBY with his arm back. At 2:35 you see RBY on top of DeSanto. Hmmm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvemcMG_-Gc&t=192s

Good point. That was a good day at the office.

I've got more hope for Kasak, less for Davis this season. If Davis holds weight he may pass Ayala but not this year. Hope I'm wrong. Bartlett and Woods looks like it's still a toss up. Not giving up TDs to Real is very impressive, but one night does not show that Beau has jumped levels. hints that 1st TD wins.

I expected Ayala to win by more than he did. The few times I've seen him he seemed quicker then Davis and I thought he could leverage that. Very surprised at his strategy. It worked ok but I think he would widen the margin if he opened up on Davis. I need to see the match as I actually had to listen to the first couple of bouts vs seeing them. Not sure that Davis will do better in a rematch this season. '

RBY was quick enough to shoot a low single from an arm back, no tie position. If he never did it I'd be surprised. Regardless it was within the rules and the smart thing to do.

Stalling on Vak - we are discussing the equivalency of the three point stance not Davis's lack of shots or clubbing. Deflection is a good tool for a lawyer though. maybe there would have been more shots by Ayala and Davis without the three point? It was a winning strategy. I don't fault Ayala for using it. It was smart. Not a personal preference but smart.

how many from three point stance? Seriously, I listened to this match on the radio and haven't seen it yet. If he got one I'll concede equivalency (this match only)

In a way - except RBY could get TDs with his arm behind his back. There is that inconvenient truth thing that is problematic for equivalency.