Akron play-by-play shill Steve French has a TV program on local access cable every Monday night.  Last night he made a point of badmouthing the Bobcats' Top 25 ranking and was called on it by an irate Ohio fan.  French then went into this weird story about how everyone in the league knows that John Groce had an obsession with Keith Dambrot and that Groce was badmouthing Dambrot to anyone who would listen, including high school coaches and parents of potential recruits.  Strangely, when he was asked how he knew this to be the case he said that the Ohio radio broadcaster told him - in fact, said the broadcaster informed him on more than one occasion that Groce was belittling Dambrot to players and staff.  Interesting and, if true, wonder if there was no love lost between one of our broadcasters and our former coach?

stirring the pot and saying things with very little background is par for the course when you are dealing with all things Akron. I know because one of the big donors there told me so  the 3 times I was in the JAR. (see what I did there) 

I don;t know what was said between on air personalities and even being as close to the program as I was, I never thought Groce had a particular hard on for the little elf ( my words and feelings based on dealings) but even if he did ......what does it matter? If you had the privilege to sit and talk to coaches you would find that many of them have a particular adversary that they do not like and says things that are rather unbecoming. I have never felt compelled to repeat the things that have come out of their mouths in my presence but even if I did what does it matter?

Bobby Knight called Joe Hall and Adolph Rupp everything but a white man on several occassions. What does it matter?

OTOH what happens amongst broadcasters should stay in the booth in my eyes. I think that is a point of understanding in most things that we do. If Russ or Rob or anyone else who may have been there said anything it should have stayed there ... and even if they did say anything so what? JG may have had an ace to grind based on things that little prick does behind the scenes and said something about it ......so what? Big news! the opposing radio announcer thinks he has inside info and wants to stip the pot on a ship that has already sailed.

 

+1
 

(I know some get mad when people say +1 without adding further thoughts, but I thought comparing Dambrot's son's demeanor when competing to that of Alex Abreu would be bad form.)
 

It's been true in basketball since Andy Hipsher ran through the OZone grabbing his crotch. We'll also get special satisfaction in beating Miami, so I wouldn't necessarily say they've been replaced as our #1 rival, and in fact in football I'd argue it's still heavily Miami.

It's funny, there's a sense of mutual respect with Miami. With Akron, we plain just don't like each other. Then of course there's Buffalo who thinks they're a #1 rival in basketball... 

"My coach hates your coach."

I've said this before. As Ralph Wiley would say, Ohio and Miami is a rivalry, but Ohio and Akron is a feud.

Without John Groce, Dambrot could have four straight NCAA appearances under his belt which might have yielded a better job offer than Duquesne. Groce may have cost him millions of dollars.

Of course, if Dambrot had Groce's personality he could also have a job worth millions. But that's on him. 

I understand what you're saying, Ted, but Dambrot's past issue at CMU makes him untouchable for most higher-profile programs. Duquesne is about as good as it's gonna get.

Yeah, "personality" was my subtle attempt at that.

Boggles the mind Dambrot got a job after the incident at Central. I'm sure no other coach, MAC or otherwise, brings that up to potential recruits ...

I posted this on the Football Board since it happened during a football game, but seems appropriate here now.

I was listening to Can't State's football game broadcast against Western and the announcer said in reference to WMU's coach reacting to a call, "He did his best John Groce imitation, and that's not a compliment."  Time to get over it, isn't it?

Pete C. put it best at the Homecoming game:

"I hate Akron."

Others probably heard him. Including the O Zone.

I personally have an ill-liking towards them after transferring from there to Ohio. Still say it was the best decision ever in my lifetime. I can't wait till we beat them in their house or in the MAC Tourney AGAIN and Keith does his little losing dosie-doe on the sidelines.

Just seeing the words "Dambrot" and "Akron" so much in this thread makes my blood boil.  I can tolerate Miami, because they're not a bunch of thugs.  But I can't stand Akron.  There is not a fiber in my body that will ever respect or appreciate anything Akron does, ever.  One of my favorite memories at OU in my five years there was absolutely dismantling Akron at home last year.  That picture of Stevie wagging his finger at the bench was my wallpaper for a good six months after that game.  

I hope we wipe the floor with them this year.