CHROMEBIRD

If it ain't broke don't fix it. People used to say Kyle Dake was boring too.

I thought it was a slam.

Sometime between JO's discipline issues and Chance Marsteller making the local paper for all the wrong reasons.

Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Uh-oh....

After rewatching the dual, I am convinced that the match time drama was separate from what was said on Twitter. Starocci was just flexing on social media, nothing more. During introductions, he and DJW shook hands like normal. Same when they shook hands before the match, nothing special. It looked like Starocci got frustrated in-match when DJW took him down and tried to slow down the action. Can't let an opponent get into your head like that.

I actually think a junior year Jordan Oliver would match up better with RBY stylistically. Remember also that a lot of people thought JO should have won with that end of match takedown of Stieber in the finals that year.

Nerds!!!

That chip on Starocci's shoulder is probably what motivates him. It's not a good look, but more power to him I guess if the crazy talk and wild thoughts work. He's a good wrestler.

The worst thing about DDM is @Jimmy Cinnabon asking dumb offseason questions like this... and us responding. (insert @ionel's shrug emoticon here)

Compare that with the stall call from Kolat vs. Ironside in the 1996 All-Star Classic, at around 5:52. Can you imagine a ref making that call today? With :01 left in the period?

Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer

Because there's also Greco and they have their own weight classes? Not that I would mind if the NCAA weights matched UWW Senior FS, but as it stands the NCAA weight classes are more equitably distributed along the light and middle weights (+8 lb difference between 125 - 165, +9 to 174, +10 to 184) which might be more fitting for growing college students in the 18-23ish year old age range. The UWW weights have larger gaps and are more tiered at the upper end but then again we are talking about fully grown ass men.

RDM is the new DDM.

Here's another Just embarrassing for Starocci... Imagine getting so worked up over a guy who upset you two years ago and poses no threat to you. Didn't DJW get pinned by an NAIA guy earlier this season? No disrespect to the NAIA but this is NCAA Division 1 wrestling.

Looks good, I'll take Parris by at least a major. If you're Brands, do you throw in Warner and build his confidence or give him the evening off to heal up and get his head back on straight? What's the story with Assad?

There's no doubt that Spencer has the higher ceiling. The big question is how many more miles he's got left on his body. He'll be almost 30 when the 2028 Olympics rolls around. Dake and Taylor are in their early 30s (Gilman is almost 29) but I don't know if they've wrestled through the types of injuries Lee has.

A lot of fans believed Spencer would bump up to wrestle RBY a couple of weeks ago. That didn't make it likely or true.

tommyshoe.mp4

Parris is my Hodge dark horse. The rankings are meaningless, but I feel like he's a little low on the list.

Where have you been seeing or hearing this? I thought you were trolling the several times you've mentioned it in the past, but you repeat it as though it was a fact. Who speficically said that spencer is the next head coach or athletic director? DeSanto was fun to watch wrestle in college but have doubts that his style will translate well at the highest levels internationally. We will see. A healthy Spencer has world and Olympic medal talent for sure but right now I don't see him taking out Gilman? He's pretty banged up and isn't as dominant on his feet as he once was. He can get away with going through the motions, getting on top, and racking up cheap tilts in folkstyle but that won't work at the senior level in freestyle.

He's quoting 2Pac lyrics

Don't like the idea of a pushout rule in folkstyle? Fine, how about we put the wrestlers in a cage where there's no OOB?

Starocci lost to Washington in the first dual of his freshman year and it was the only loss he's never avenged. He took it too far with the extracurriculars and I don't blame DJW for getting pissed but he also has to love that he's been living rent-free in Starocci's head all this time.

RBY vs. John Smith Jesse Delgado vs. Travis Lee Jordan Oliver vs. Andre Metzger Ed Ruth vs. Bo Nickal Lincoln Mac vs. Kyle Dake vs. Brent Metcalf vs. Zain Retherford (round robin) Henry Cejudo vs. Spencer Lee (freestyle)