olddog71

GoDanesGo, Great! I'm glad the sign helped. Yeah, Kirsten comes from the northern part of Germany, and the people up there tend to hide their emotions more. If you ever need more help, feel free . . .

Thanks, Patch, I needed that! (Do note, however, that I said I almost feel sorry for them.

It's also a sign of improvement when we are discussing whether we have a good chance to win the league in men's basketball in 2005-06. Statefan, yes, it's the "gift that keeps on giving," as you stated back in November. I almost feel some pity with the prospect that the area's other DI team has a chance of having a similar record to ours last season. The major difference, of course, was that we knew last year that the next season would be much better.

RACC Rowdies, Thanks for the great spirit and enthusiasm you provided for the Maine game. Your attitude has increased other fans' enthusiasm and probably increased awareness for the whole program through comments made by players and coaches. Congratulations! Thanks also for using my suggestions for the Zoellner sign. I tried to thank the holder(s) of the sign after the game, but I did not get over to the right spot. I hope your efforts on behalf of Kirsten made him feel good about his role on the team.

Patch, You are being intentionally conservative with your estimates. Good, safe way to proceed. If between 1600 and 1800 Albany area non-students are coming as of now, and 700 additional Vermonters make the trip, we should be able to attract a considerable number of students. This game is not on a weekend when many students go home, so I am looking for a sizeable crowd on their part. I think it is very reasonable to believe that we can exceed the number of attendees present for this year's BPG. I would like to see the attendance surpass the all-time RACC record tomorrow.

UAalum72, Thanks for the info you provided. I do not easily have access to the sources you cite, so I appreciate your input.

Anyone have any updated info on attendance at the game tomorrow night?

The women's tennis team won again today. The victory raises the team's record to 2-1. What a drastic improvement over the previous season when the team lost all 17 matches. Congratulations! The freshwomen must be contributing significantly to this turnaround. Also, congratulations to both indoor track teams for their achievements. The men took first place and the women took a close second at Binghamton.

Godanesgo, Cool! On every bit of news you shared with us. Hopefully your movement will become even more contagious, and you will develop a following you cannot imagine. Thanks for your efforts. Whatever you do makes the experience in the RACC even more entertaining for us.

And I am hoping that the team is not looking too far forward to the game on Wednesday. I am very glad that UAlbany is playing home today and not playing Maine away. I know that we have already beat Maine and that their team will be without the services of two of their good players, but I am a little concerned. I am glad, however, that Vermont will be confronting Boston U today. Perhaps the potential of that tough game and the prospect of an easy win against us on Wednesday will make it really that much tougher to beat us. Other teams can suffer from the letdown from emotional highs, too. The next two games should be very interesting.

Ruler, Thank you very much for all your information. Some of us find it difficult to attend the meetings, so we really appreciate the plan details you can provide. UAlbany is definitely building up its facilities. What a different campus it is already with all the changes that have occurred. The appearance will be very different in five years from the current look. Did anyone mention whether the university will change the entrance to the campus from Western Avenue? I cannot imagine the differences in traffic when ten thousand or more arrive to see UAlbany football games. It was also great to read your impressions of the coaches who will be leading the teams up to the next level of competition. I feel fortunate with the staff, including the AD, who will be leading the charge. Once again, thanks.

Thanks for your info on how good this guy really is! And as someone who does not know much about the sport, thanks for the comparative statistics.

Interesting comment about Stony Brook.

I'm glad experts like Brennan and Everhard predict a glowing season for UAlbany next year. I wish I could share their enthusiasm. And I don't like being in the position of lead dog right now on the Idiotrod (pun intended). The game against Binghamton brought reality back to me. We were lucky to win the home game against them, and Bing dominated the second game almost to the point of shame. I know we can say that Albany had a down night, particularly after the emotional Saturday night game, but we cannot have those off nights when we are seeking to stay on top of the league. Everybody will be after us. Personally, I think Binghamton will win the league next year. They are losing players who have been on the margins of the team this year. Their freshmen are outstanding, and now they have adjusted to the type of physical play that Walker wants. How I hate to lose to this team, and particularly to that coach. UAlbany will be a very known quantity next year. Every coach will know how to play us. While I can say that Iati's return will definitely help us by restoring the options his play gives us, I am not sure that he will make that much difference. (BTW, if he's reading this, I miss his play very much. Good luck on your rehab!) I know we are getting super players from IL and NJ next year, but will they be effective at the beginning of the season? Let's hope we can get our bearings and confidence back for Maine. We really need this win. I think we will do it convincingly.

Sorry, make that 6-16.

Godanesgo, Yes, you're right. Three of Bingo's guys have two fouls each already, and eight minutes have not elapsed. Meanwhile, UAlbany is not doing too well. Behind: 8 - 16.

My wife and I (well, at least, I) was planning to attend the Bingo game tonight, but we would have been greatly hampered by the weather. Any routes north or east of Binghamton would be really treacherous tonight by the end of the game. I am just hoping, however, that my disadvantage will turn into a disadvantage for the hosts tonight. Perhaps the attendance will be negatively affected. I hate to put any more pressure on the team tonight, but a win is really important. 1) A "W" would sustain the momentum, and it would cut Bingo's progress going into the last part of the conference schedule. 2) A victory would break the hex on us in that town the last few years and show that we can win at the tourney's host site. 3) We need to continue our lock on 4th place and place ourselves in the upper echelon of the conference. 4) Our team needs to know that it can win close games. We have accomplished that lately, but we need to sustain that trend. 5) We need a boost going into the Maine and Vermont games. 6) A win tonight would greatly insure our chances of a winning season, a first in our Division I history. Some of you have already mentioned these factors, perhaps all of them. Sorry if I am repeating this litany too much.

Great Dames, LOL. That's funny. Dane Pound, I also like the picture you presented. Thanks, all. for adding a little humor to our lives.

Good words about the track team's recent accomplishments published this afternoon on the school's website: http://www.albany.edu/sports/stories.htm#b...burnslotmorePOW Congratulations to the two athletes, Burns and Lotmore! Great news for the school.

BTW, I forgot to add this comment about the u-umlaut (two dots over the "u"). When typing, you can reproduce the character often by holding down the alt-key at the same time you press the 1, then 2, then 9 keys on the numeric keypad. I don't think the numbers above the regular alphabetic keys will work. Good luck!

There are probably some better translations for what you have proposed. I would exchange the "Sie" in the first version to "dich." It sounds less formal. Your line would then read: "Wir lieben dich, Kirsten!" I would really change the second version around quite a bit. My version would read something more like: "Man kann Zo nicht zurückhalten." Literally, that says, "One cannot hold Z. back." Since you don't have anyone personal in mind for keeping him away from the basket, it's better to use the impersonl "man" in place of "Sie." I am quite sure there are superior ways of rendering each of your two suggestions. Whatever you choose, I am sure Z. will appreciate your efforts, and he should be able to understand your original translations. Best of luck. Before you made your translation proposals, I was glad to read this morning about what Kirsten's friends at UAlbany call him. I am just very happy to hear that he seems to have made some good friends and feels comfortable at the school. It is not always easy for someone outside the country to adjust. Great job!

Purpledawg, First of all, congratulations on going to the match. Great move on your part. And, congratulations on the team. I know this match was only the first event of this season, but I am curious why there is so much difference in achievement. If this trend continues, it sounds like the makings of a great story for broader circulation than this board.

Three thousand might not be an unrealistic turnout for the Vermont game. Considering we saw over 1,700 for the Stony Brook game, and Stony Brook ain't any Vermont. There were few Stony students at the game, but I will bet more than 750 Vermont fans will show. We need to have the enthusiasm in our own building favoring us!

You guys today all hit it on the head. Let me add my two cents, for what little it's worth. Every generation supposedly wants to make things better for the next generation. I lived during the First Golden Age of Albany basketball. An example of this occurred during the 25-game home win streak to which I already alluded earlier this week. I was caught up in that wave back then, though I had felt little interest in basketball until then. I want the school to experience a second Renaissance, and what we do for the rest of this season may have its roots tonight. This time around we will do it in a larger gym from the first time, and we are doing it at a higher level. The next generation can bring us to this higher plane. Good luck tonight, Danes!

It's a very good sign that 2,400 tickets for the game have been sold already. Since students do not have any great incentive to buy tickets before the game, does this mean that most of the 2,400 tickets have been sold to adults and members of the community? If that's the case, we could see UAlbany's biggest crowd ever at the RACC.