MidwestMan

OK, I'm chuckling, and with the current state of affairs, I need one. Always curious about what's coming next.

It will also be interesting to see where Moore will fit in with all the competition in the room. Mauger looks to be a career 125. Moore is a "head scratcher". His style is dangerous and unpredictable. Fun to watch, but can go south pretty quick. I wonder how much weight is an issue? Arizona State is kinda going through the same kind of year as Mizzou is, except they got 2 wrestlers bought by Iowa. It's the times we live in.

Exactly. Which program will have the deepest pockets to buy wrestlers going forward? Deep pockets of farmers vs deep pockets of energy sector. Gotta wonder what would happen if Walton family were U of Ark Little Rock fans. Sure glad the grandsons are mountain bike enthusiasts.

What? Mizzou doesn't get an invite? Tongue firmly in cheek.

Like we didn't see this coming? Bastida isn't seeing a whiff of that top Hwt step this year with the current "Hammers" at the top. I certainly don't want to see "INJURED" wrestlers doing more harm to their bodies, but please don't tell me that the injury exemption isn't getting gamed to the absolute max to put athletes in more advantageous scenarios to find the podium. Please bring back a 5 yr window of eligibility, regardless of your circumstances. Now that money incentives are on the table, along with a "toothless" NCAA because of the current state of ongoing litigation, the system just encourages programs mailing in one season to prepare for the next. Hard to be a loyal fan, and travel to home matches, etc... when you know this is what is going on. Injuries happen, and maybe it's just me, but seems like we are seeing waaaay too many season ending injuries.

Thanks to everyone that has chimed in. I enjoy reading your perspectives. I too have thought about how nice it would be to have a "lighter weight" coach in the room, and Waters would be a good one. There is just something about the "eye test" of watching the Mizzou duals, that something is missing with this team. Watch the dual replays and notice the lack of fire in the coaches sitting on the side, or even the other Tigers on the team bench/area. Just seems like zero emotion to me. And a little fire might help in those "close" matches the Tigers are losing. And I've stated it before, some of the Tigers just continue to do the same things over and over, losing close matches (Edmond now, Jacques past) and there doesn't seem to be any constructive corrective coaching to improve the strategy or technique. That's the kind of things I look for when grading the success of a coaching staff. When I coached, if I worked directly with a wrestler to make adjustments, do reps, etc... and then they continued to make the same choices on the mat, they found the bench until the "light turned on!" Call it tough love.

No, I don't think so. According to Smith, KO is dealing with some kind of ding and will be out of the lineup during January. Seems to be an on going theme in Tiger land.

Today was Alumni day in CoMo as the Tigers hosted Stanford. I'd sure like to be able to read their minds (alumnus) concerning the current state of the program. Is it "all" about injuries?

Congrats to Coach Clemson and the Maryland wrestlers. Alex was a good hire to get that program turned around and pointed in the right direction. Would love to have him back at Mizzou.

My pick. The N Iowa program optimizes gritty tough wrestling and Schwab, and staff, take good wrestlers and make them better. I just like their style and culture. Lot's of deserving mentions in the replies. It's always easier to win with the hosses, but give me those "Lunatic Fringe" programs that grind and believe themselves to wins. It's folktale wrestling to the core.

This! I thought this from the time I saw the possibility of a O'toole-Hanes match up in the duals. I've already stated how I think that match is going to go in another post. O'tool trains in Mizzou's room, Hanes trains in P.States.

As a cyclist, I've used all of the above, including pickle and beet juice, and chocolate milk/chocolate Yahoo. Fizzed out coke for a finish kick. A source of potassium certainly will help with cramping. I use bottles for road and gravel, which are easy to clean for mixes. Not so for long mtb races and using a bladder, or bottle combo. Some of the best cycling racers I know are former wrestlers. Grinding is grinding!

Thanks for bringing that point out. Purlers wrestled right down the road at Wentzville. This area was once a pretty big hotbed of wrestling in Mo. St Charles West wasn't too shabby. Still an occasional stud pops up from this area.

Like I said, I will be tickled if the Tigers finish top 10. Haven't seen Elam or Surtin on the mat yet and no clue about their health, or motivation. How hurt is Steed? Love his fire on the mat, but how bad is the knee, and if he does get back, he is injury plagued. Almost all Americans last year doesn't mean diddly this year. Some guys wrestle just enough to win or lose by the smallest margins, and it catches up to them. Several MU wrestlers regressed last year and whether it be injury, sickness, or HEW, MU crapped the bed at the end of the season and fell short at Nats. Kegan Otoole is a great kid, technician, strategic wrestler, but he won't win it this year because he lacks the "dog fight toughness" that will be needed to beat Hanes. The best have a little nasty in them when the "haymakers" start flying. I personally hope my predictions are totally wrong and the "Tiger Style" gets it done. My gut says something else.

Not to get totally off topic, but Minnesota needs to be included in that top 5 conversation. I'll be tickled pink if Mizzou scratches the top 10.

As an old pragmatic man that has been involved in, and followed Missouri wrestling 50+years, here are my thoughts on the current status of Mizzou wrestling, and many of the factors that determine a programs success overlap. NIL/Tradition: Everyone loves a winner. Everyday Joe, or Jan, wants to hitch their horse to the winning wagon. Winning hits those endorphins buttons and makes their daily grind a little easier to tolerate. It's fun to be a "we" or a "our" when winning is involved. Winning tradition and carrying a "blue blood" label doesn't happen overnight. Also, programs that have a storied history and "got there first", have a huge advantage. True wrestling enthusiasts are aware of the history of programs with legendary coaches that have arenas named after them. Unfortunately, with all sports, many of these winning blue bloods also flourished when there was less oversight and some very gray boundaries concerning "athlete compensation/benefits." Let's call it what it was, cheating. I'm not sure fans cared as long as they were winning. Winning fills the seats and opens wallets, whether it was buying athletes back then, or now with NIL. Much like a country where the rich just continue to get richer, because have the wealth and power to buy the resources, and winning is all that matters, programs can now buy athletes and coaches at every level, HS, college, etc... If you can't develop them in your room, just got out and buy a finished product. And I don't even want to get started about college training centers and those enticements. I want to gag myself. If your program has the bucks, you can buy depth. The more talent you have in a room, the more exposure to great technique and development. "Eagles fly with Eagles and lesser birds are the prey!" A rooms culture is generally a reflection of the head coach and the culture he wrestled in, and that goes for assistants also. So how does this relate to Mizzou wrestling? Mizzou is no where close to being a wrestling blue blood, and as much as I appreciate the job coach Smith has done in elevating the program to a consistent top 10 level of respect, Tiger wrestling fans have to be realistic with what the ceiling can be when weighing all the factors I described earlier. On top of that, I personally don't think Smith and staff develop talent as well as some have stated. It may be HEW from the extra year from covid, the culture in the room, and I've openly called out Tiger wrestlers as lacking toughness come "nut cutting" time. Tiger Style wrestling culture is great for a consistent top 10 program that develops great young men that will succeed well in life, regardless if they ever see a NCAA podium. If Tiger fans want more, get your wallets out and join the "arms race!"

So, who you got? Predictions? The road has been pretty tough for the Tigers, thus far. Having Steed out of the lineup sure won't help. Do we finally see Surtain, or is Walker staying the course at 125? Hawks? Elam? Just seems like some team lineups are so tactical these days. I want to support the Tigers but not sure if I want to "roll the roster dice" before jumping in the car for a long road trip.

I agree about Walker and Sinclair, but Cole (true frosh) was in the match with Ruth, down 2 with short time and had to take a couple of desperate shots. Throw these guys with Mizzous incoming recruits and could rebound fast.

Congrats to our neighbors to the east for their current "right to brag" with their win last night. Win or lose, I enjoy the spirit of the rivalry and tradition that passes with each generation. Much like how Illinois was going through a transitional year in 22/23, I think Mizzou is having one of those years in 23/24. Lots of room for growth and fairly young roster. Crossing my fingers Cam Sneed's injury is not a "season ender!" Mizzou has been a rolling ambulance since towards the end of last season. Northern Iowa is coming up and is always tough as they seem to embody the "Schwab ethos." If the Tigers don't get their lineup in tack and everyone healthy, they could very easy fall to 1-3. I know it's early in the season, but I also said that last year, and last year just got worse. Division 1 wrestling is "Tough Stuff!"

My only concern for Sinclair is being in a program that, in my opinion, may do a decent job of recruiting, but I'm leery of how well it further develops wrestlers. Do they totally reach their potential under this staff, or do they come in with talent developed in a great HS or club and become stagnant? Look at the track record the past 5 years, especially last year. JMHO.

What are the Japanese doing? One training center? Multi? One set of national coaches with a developmental system? Incentives? So who is responsible for correcting the ship and getting it back on target? Should fingers be pointing at training centers or USA Wrestling? Take a lesson FROM USA track. USA may have some of the fastest individual 100 meter sprinters in the world, but can't seem to take home gold in a "Team 400" relay because of handoffs. Some country's have less talent, but more discipline, and work on the details that put them in position to win.

Will there be primaries? Which state leads off? A 17 minute platform? Banana Republic? Sounds like a "slippery slope" to me.

Plus Arizona State and South Dakota State in Big 12.

My, my! Wouldn't that make too much damn sense. Would love to see ULRA in Big 12 just because of geography, but what gives them the best path to success and continual growth of their program? Would SoCon make better sense, or hang with the Pac 12 if those other teams bolt? I just can't get my head around all the travel that goes on for student/athletes with some of these ridiculous alignments. I was a really big fan of the "Big 8". Guess it's like listening to classic rock these days.

This was a great read and brought back memories of a high school teammate that was one of our team captains and totally blind. Regardless of his handicap, he was just one of the boys on the team and one hell of a sense of humor. I can remember one particular incident when one of my teammates came into the locker room and asked if anyone had seen "so and so?" This voice pipes up from the row over, "I saw him walk by just a minute ago!" Recognizing the voice, I broke out in a big belly laugh. Mike had been a source of motivation to me when I started wrestling as he accomplished so much regardless of his handicap and always positive and encouraging. After HS, Mike enrolled at the University of Missouri where he completed his undergraduate degree and then Law degree and then went home to the Raytown area and opened a law practice. He has continued to practice law over 40 years and has served as a municipal judge. He has also been active holding various leadership positions on local charities and civic organizations. I couldn't tell you what his win and loss record was while he was a HS wrestler, but as a contributing member of our society, he was 100-0. He too, was one of my life heroes.