dragit

While I agree with everything in here, based on Starocci's results in his career against terrific elite opponents, through Keckheisen (it happened regardless of whether official), I don't see a rematch with Ferrari making any difference. (Does anyone think Ferrari is better than Keckheisen right now?)

I think you nailed it. The bother seems to be directly related to his low L4P (likeability for pound) rating.

Alrhough to be precise if that happens he will be the ONLY 4xer to lose his final collegiate match.

That would be awesome. You and I will be rooting for the same outcome.

I agree, it's a bummer. If I had that talent I'd want to ring the bell. And as a fan I dont enjoy his matches at all. But he has a different approach which seems to have worked reasonably well in a very strong weight class by being able to know he can't be taken down and can't be beaten on the mat.

Good point. Classic sign of iffy coaching. He's allowed a spectrum of personalities and styles to develop on his team. He's got a guy with 4 national titles who wrestles very carefully with zero interest in making things exciting for fans and then he's also got a guy who wrestles like his hair is on fire. And another national finalist who keeps it very close and another national champ who let's it rip. And guys in between! Lack of Institutional control for sure. The last thing a coach should ever do is try to put each of his athletes in a position to exploit their individual strengths to the utmost.

Couldn't, or didn't? Answer: Didn't need to. He doesn't make the rules. If you know you have a riding time point in your pocket and you can control the mat on your feet, you just work backwards and are aware that at worst you win 2-1. He has won a lot of huge matches in March with low scores and my read is that he looks at a match against a top competitor as an opportunity to hone that skill. Boring, disappointing, add your similar adjective and you'd be right. And even though I'm defending him I won't be rooting for him. But I'm not going to disrespect him or argue that somehow he really lost a match that he totally controlled.

Correct

He's a beast. One huge brain cramp away from potentially the best career ever.

MM probably only one who could beat out Steveson.

As many as he needed to to win, which appeared to be all he was interested in. Just as would be the outcome if they wrestled ten more times -- if he needed a takedown, which he wouldn't, because he wouldn't be taken down and would win on the mat, then he'd get one.

As a fan it's a bummer that Starocci wrestled such a careful match. But he wrestles only to win and that's his prerogative amd the results certainly speak volumes for themselves. Yesterday was a good example. Ferrari is really really good and wrestles a very cautious, very good defensive style. Starocci decided to make sure he exploited his advantages which he knew would give him a win, which he knew would be by that 3-1 score or maybe 6-1 if he could get past that defense. It was smart and professional and effective. Hard for me to be sympathetic on the stall calls. Throughout Starocci was controlling the mat and Ferrari was trying to use the edge to protect against takedowns. The two calls seemed within the letter and spirit of the rules.

Then looked upset bordering on distraught after the match. Gotta feel for him.

Hello haters. Two championship football games and a major tennis final today but the best part of the sports day was watching Gable Steveson wrestle for 111 seconds and sign autographs and patiently pose for selfies for at least a couple of thousand seconds with hundreds of kids. How anyone can think that him coming back is anything but amazing and a blessing for wrestling is beyond me. I so hope he sticks with it for worlds. He lit up the arena with his presence.

Tough to watch. He looked so beat up.

Although this trend has been covered a fair amount in threads over the years it's a good new topic here for a lot of reasons. And introducing yourself by complaining means you are in the right place. My two cents would be that the death of the in season tournament is the most prominent symptom of the larger point that only one thing matters at all in the sport anymore -- the three days where there is a sold out 20,000 seat arena and wall to wall national TV coverage. It's so bad that even the conference tournaments aren't taken seriously for any purpose other than as a qualifier - MFFs galore. Not sure how many times I've gone to or tuned into a dual mainly to see a particular guy and he is in street clothes. It's just incentives. All the incentives are for the NCAA. Sports are all like this now. Basketball is unwatchable because of the incentives created by the 3 point shot. Baseball is heading that way because of the incentives created by high velocity pitches and the inability to get batters out more than twice. All the money for coaches and wrestlers is the NCAA finish. So they don't Wrestle much and don't seek out risks. Wake me up in March.

. . . without REPORTED incident

1. Love everything you wrote. 2. I have no problem with Starocci starting season as #1 on any P4P list, he's totally earned that based on a record that includes beating a number of champs including while injured. 3. But I strongly believe that, if Steveson is serious and trains properly, no one is close to as good as he is in college. All respect to Kerkvliet, but he isn't close. That's really a statement about Steveson, not Kerk.

Let me first say I think Starocci is a beast. I was just s flippant in a previous thread that Ferrari wouldn't have a chance against Starocci. And I think Starocci will finish with a better college career than Steveson. Five titles trumps all and he'll probably get them. But Starocci ain't as good a Wrestler as Steveson, nowhere near. Since you brought up freestyle, Steveson has an Olympic gold medal and hasn't been in danger of losing a domestic match in I can't remember how long. I didn't make any argument about Starocci not making the team but the fact is that up to now he never would have been a favorite to do so, whereas Steveson uses world team qualifiers as takedown clinics. And with respect to college Steveson has two Hodges to Starocci's zero. And same thing, never in danger of losing since his double brain farts as a freshman. How many people think Steveson won't win in March if he is training seriously? ANYONE?

At wrestling?

Thank you. This is quite a strange situation. There is zero evidence that Flo passed along something given to them on the condition that it was off the record. Instead they specifically said they didn't get it from the principles. Yet it is being labeled by them and the vast majority of posters as a "mistake" to have reported news that was of interest to wrestling fans. The criticism one would expect would be for trying to restrict news, not for disseminating news.

Putting aside the wishy washy nature of his stayenent, I really don't understand the point of it. He says they had the story and made a mistake by publishing it. He also says they didn't have the intel from the wrestler or his family or his program or the college, or that anyone had told them this information off the record on the condition that they not use it. So why was it a mistake for a wrestling news website to alert its readers what it had learned?

Exactly. And he makes good money doing it which he is totally entitled to do. And we get to see him wrestle a lot of televised matches. And hopefully he gets in the groove with the sport and does at least one full quad of freestyle. Or does everyone who is bored by this think our freestyle team was so good this year that we couldn't use the help?

Totally agree. Would have gone with a HALLELUJAH response emoji if there was one.

100%. As has been obvious for quite some time. This is what he is good (not good, incredible) at, and the only rational financial move. Reminds me a little of Michael Jordan. He is the transcendent best at one thing and isn't good at anything else but insists at trying them. Although he isn't a jackass like Jordan about it. He left a lot of money on the table with the Olympics, but he is still young and apparently needed to work through a process -- but he finally got to where he inevitably had to get. Thankfully so!!! If he can find and hold his motivation he can accumulate some real wealth while accomplishing true greatness.