jackwebster

Agreed. I wonder if we (strangers) have any moral responsibility to stop following and commenting.

It took me a while to figure this out, but I couldn't coach hard. I'm not an emotional extrovert which gets read as indifferent or laid back. So, every time I intentionally got in a kid's face to fire them up, it rang false. Then my AD told me something I never forgot: You cant lie to a kid. They always know when you're faking it. From that point on dropped the "get fired up" charade and leaned into technical reminders, calm reassurances, and mantras. I delegated the hard coaching and jokes to my assistants. Worked. Kids began to trust me, and I didn't get embarrassed of myself.

I don't get how the influencer economy works, but I assume that this guy has a lot of followers and that his content drives significant engagement. So, my question: In the competition for followers and engagement, does it matter if he's a liar, a clown, or a moron? What's the downside to making false accusations and later sorry-no-sorrying in gibberish? I can't see one. It has extended his relevance waaay more than the NC and a couple AAs.

I think the last one was legit, but that was about the only thing he got right.

Might be obnoxiously weird, but since he does it win or lose I'm not sure how it could be unsportsmanlike.

MC was in a no win situation. If he shakes he might feel like a punk. If he doesn't he's a jerk. Re punk: I could see the handshake as s gesture of respect if the match were close; but, he just got teched. I assume he would want to be anywhere else except standing next to the guy.

It would be a better story if he were quoting St. Francis of Assisi.

Re # of shots: If you say so. Re tactic: Of course it is, but your argument reminds me of . . .

Yes, it's procedural.

Vega makes YD look like Charles Atlas.

If you did this, it would quickly lose its shine, a la the All-Star Classic. Re tOSU: I might be completely misreading your tone, but is this mockery? If so, that's too bad. tOSU had an impressive dual team vs everybody but PSU, and the event gave them a place to showcase this. I will just repeat the cliches about the fan-friendly nature of duals. Imagine you dont know much about wrestling: Wouldnt the OSU vs Iowa dual be more exciting than last night's finals? To overexplain, duals almost always have mismatches and beat-downs -- even pins! -- as a result. The marquee matches will intro new fans to the stuff most of us like When you add in personal narratives, school rivalries, and fan engagement, you have an attractive product. . . even stall calls get a roar from the crowd (Ryder / Arnold . . . or any match in CHA ever). I imagine most of the students at the OSU / Iowa dual did not tune in this weekend. But, what's the likelihood that they'll hit a dual next year?

This. Picking-up his boy after a disappointing finish tells us a lot about the team (BTW we -- fans-- know exactly what Vega is talking about bc of our access to the team. This one comment makes the OSU narrative and the fans' investment in it richer )

Shot tally: ~7 for Vega; ~3 for Mendez. Granted, Vega's shots were immediately and fully defended (in fact, one of Mendez's shots -- the one that proved disastrous -- was a reshot off Vega's). But, how is having his shots fully defended evidence of Vega stalling?

No doubt, but PSU is uncatchable if OSU )or anybody else) doesn't win the recruiting war. The headlines will help bc it's more about follows and likes than about moves. How much more more remains to be seen.

The decision to give fans all-access to the program is looking like stroke of genius. . . for now.

Idk. I think he just needs to get close enough to use "all four hands," i.e. latch-on with both arms/hands and legs/feet. Doesn't seem to matter how. He'll take a terrible shot (BTW 7 shots to Mendez's 2/3 last night) just to get give THE OTHER GUY a chance to work short offense. He just needs a chance to latch on. That dude is doing all sorts of weird gripping and readjustments the entire time he's attached. E.g. did you see the weird grip he had on the inside of Mendez's knee? (His thumb was down.)

Haha. At least he didn't call him "well-spoken."

The broadcast team mentioned his club coaching status several times. I got the feeling that he was fishing. Too obvious?

Yeah (at least not yet). Again, Eche presents the worst match-up for him bc he's super strong and doesn't really go to his knees when he shoots. If Eche had that same attack to the other side, it would take away Vega's whizzer and cradle. Idk.

You know what? Youre right. I was thinking like a old dude who believes in clutch hitters and such. Today -- and Im being totally serious -- 1 win with massive exposure might prove better for recruiting than 2 or 3 with little.

Youre a strange person.

Maybe.

Hot take: Alvan's low-profile is why Lockett fell apart on the backside. He thought that he lost to a nobody, and this cranked his imposter syndrome to 11. (I know. I know... he had a win. Still, I'm pretty convinced)

I disagree: They did Vega dirty.