peanut

Last I heard he was redshirting.

In 1978, Lee Kemp was an undefeated NCAA champ and world champ. In 1999, Stephen Neal was an NCAA champ, Hodge winner, world champ, and FILA Outstanding Wrestler Award winner. In 2011, JB was an NCAA champ, Hodge winner, and world champ.

Poll closes on 1/19 at noon. I was only allowed 20 options. Winners get the satisfaction of being correct.

I’m simply posting recommendations based on postings from law enforcement and politicians in the area. I think there’s a tiny chance any particular person will experience or see crime during a visit, but crime is indeed a problem in the DMV. Just this past November the DC mayor declared youth crime a public emergency. Further, carjackings in DC are up nearly 100% and the “overwhelming majority” of those arrested for it are juveniles.

I thought Arnold was redshirting.

Just added him.

Which freshman is most likely to win a title?

Because I'm guessing Brooks's COVID year competition (including the Big 10 tournament) was tougher than Starocci's RS year competition. If we're comparing the two, it seems most fair to disregard Brooks's COVID year and Starocci's RS year.

Yeah, they're super close. Some interesting stats though, when you remove Starocci's RS year results and Brooks's COVID year results: Starocci: 65-2; '21 bonus: 25%; '22 bonus: 59.09%; '23 bonus 66.67% Brooks: 57-2; '21 bonus: 50%; '22 bonus: 63.64%; '23 bonus 66.67% Under these parameters, Starocci has a slightly better win percentage, and Brooks was more dominant out of the gate -- but Starocci quickly caught up.

Starocci hasn't lost since his freshman year, and he's been slightly more dominant than Brooks (I believe), so he probably has the edge.

For those of you visiting the DC area from out of town, please note that there is currently a crime problem in DC and the surrounding area. It’s sad because crime is down in most cities. As far as I know, College Park is safe. But if you venture out into the DC area, you should do your homework and be careful. Tips: Stay away from anybody who has a ski mask on. Whenever you’re in your car, have a plan to speed away from attempted carjackers. Carjacking is a huge problem in DC right now. Also, do not stop for someone asking for help when you’re in your car. It may be a trick. Stay away from unsupervised juveniles. They do not look intimidating, and 99.9% of them are good kids, but local lawmakers have said that juvenile crime is a particular problem right now.

Unless I'm missing something, the Xfinity Center does in fact sell tickets for the BIG wrestling tournament directly.

Where would you like to see the Ferraris (if not Iowa)? Personally, I have no opinion.

Maybe Chael Sonnen could provide mentorship services. It would be interesting if the Ferraris are looking at Northern Colorado. Perhaps relative proximity to the Olympic training center is plus?

Does AJ still have three years of eligibility left (including this year)? Is it even possible to enroll in a university for the spring at this point? If we're looking at AJ joining a team next year, which programs might be the best fits?

I get that. But they nevertheless could added a qualifier like "Athletes are limited to four postseasons."

I don’t understand why the COVID rule allows athletes to compete in five postseasons. I think it would have been reasonable to cap the college experience at four postseasons.

Fix has already had an impressive career. He’s a 4x AA, going for his fifth. He’s also a world silver medalist. 2018- RS 2019- RS Fr (NCAA 2nd, world 12th) 2020- ORS 2021- RS So (NCAA 2nd, world silver) 2022- RS Covid So (NCAA 2nd) 2023- RS Covid Ju (NCAA 4th) 2024- RS Covid Sr

Who do you think will win the Hodge this year?

165 is insane. You have KOT (3, 1, 1, U23 gold); Carr (1, 3, 2, U20 gold); Amine (7, 4, 4); Hamiti (6, 6); Caliendo (7); Olejnik (8); and Hall (8). Plus a number of returning R12 and R16 guys. Then you throw Mesenbrink (U20 gold) into the mix. As of now, only KOT, Olejnik, and Mesenbrink are undefeated. NCAAs will be fun to watch.

Stanford is a behemoth. Last year it's total operating budget was $7.2 billion. The costs of its sports program are pretty small in comparison: $157 million in 2022. With the SEC and Big Ten being out of reach, the most prestigious remaining conference was the ACC -- and Stanford apparently was willing to pay the price to join.

Is 2023 Ferrari the most anti-heroic wrestler known to D1 college wrestling?

What should AJ Ferrari's next move be?

Nobody cared about the Soldier Salute until an athlete appeared to give the crowd the soldier salute. Now the tournament is all the rage on social media. So as far as I can tell, juvenile antics are effective at drawing attention to the sport. However, it would not be a good look to have a sport that is full of misfits and heels. It would be a bad look. All that being so, it seems to me that the most effective way to harness the power of juvenile antics would be for a single team to specialize in collecting misfits and heels. That way, we'd have an engine for social media engagement; we'd have something interesting to watch; and we'd have a single program to halfheartedly condemn as being ruinous to the sport. So the next natural question is, which team would be the best villainous team? For me, the answer is obviously Iowa -- for a few reasons. First, the Brands brothers are hardly meek individuals. Second, the Brands brothers have some experience with managing apparently hotheaded athletes. Third, Iowa is Trump country, which means it is already full of people who worship a vulgarian. A team of misfits and heels should suit the state well. What do you think?

The Ferraris are good for fan interest. I say let them cook. If Iowa doesn’t want them maybe they can go to Rutgers or something.