Apr 14, 2010

Fed up...

...of scrolling to the bottom of the MissNOut post so I'd like to mention in a fresh post that

- Cutters lap the field in the practice race
- Pi Phi win both practice races.

What insight can be found in these occurences without taking shots at any individuals? I'd say the Cutters love putting the pressure on the other teams and that for Pi Phi it's a indication that they might be competitive. I believe that if Pi Phi can finish on the lead lap it would be a remarkable achievement. However Wing-it couldn't do it last year so it's gonna be a big ask but I would love to see it happen.

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cutters did a great job but note that there was a huge wreck early on that took out a bunch of teams and some good riders. Phi Delt and Phi Psi didn't seem to be trying to much with not having their best out there but a few laps.

gerber said...

holy shit i cannot wait till the fireworks next weekend, when all these haters have to shut up and let their legs do all the talking!

Anonymous said...

it's a practice race, who cares? no one takes them seriously. the only point is to figure out the first few laps.

Anonymous said...

i hear that bkb is making a run for it this weekend after they swim and bike. good luck. in other news 2 practice races are done, with just 4 wrecks total in the books. what was that 20 riders in the first one today? outstanding.

looking forward to watching pi phi on race day.

Anonymous said...

I don't think BKB will be a threat this year as per usual.

Todd said...

"Cutters did a great job but note that there was a huge wreck early on that took out a bunch of teams and some good riders. Phi Delt and Phi Psi didn't seem to be trying to much with not having their best out there but a few laps."

A harbinger for excuses on April 25.

Anonymous said...

the race is on April 24th todd...

Anonymous said...

Todd, where do you live? Where do you get your facts from and when is the last time you actually saw the track? For someone who probably doesn't live in Bloomington, you seem to have an opinion on everything. Are you the all powerful? Is there a magic crystal ball in your bedroom? What do you base any of your comments on other than what you are fed from locals or your imagination? Please enlighten us on these amazing skills you have acquired through reaching your wise old age.

Anonymous said...

Someone just lobbed a softball your way Todd. Can you hit it?

Woj

Anonymous said...

Yes! This is what I'm talking about. Looking forward to Todd's response. Don't know who he is either but anytime a so-called softball is lobbed you are supposed to actually try to hit the ball right back up the middle at the person who delivered it. Can't wait.

My race predictions getting caught up on all the posts here:

Women's Race will be won by Teter so long as their coach's ego doesn't get the best of him and he lets Theta's coach once again pull the "let's try to go sole and get a 1/2 lap lead 40 laps into the race" move. (You don't comment on your team Woj so I know you won't respond) Three team sprint between Teter, DG and Kappa finishing in that order.

Theta crosses the line in 4th with a look of exhaustion from their soloing and I think Brown is on their tales and might just give a big middle finger to Pam and the few others who comment on this blog and just ride 100 laps on her own taking the DQ for not completing enough exchanges. If she exchanges, they would likely lose a lap for every exchange to another rider as the TWO (still makes no sense to me) other Pi Phis don't look good based on ITT times but maybe they are just training through the series events?

Men's Race, just wake me up at lap 184 when there is a pack of 48 teams still together. Then, Phi Psi and Phi Delt or BKB go in for exchanges, Cutters sit on their wheels and fake an exchange and then has their riders do an ITT for another 1/2 lap victory.

- Some Random @sshole

Anonymous said...

Todd is fully aware that the race is on the 24th. Read his post again.

-Vargo

Todd said...

Woj - too easy, so I'll just respond to the date checker who has a comprehension problem. I said "harbinger for excuses," which will be made on the 25th after teams wake from their drunkeness.

The only reason it seems like Woj and I post a lot is that we have the balls to always post under our real names.

Anonymous said...

Loving how this guy is just dying to bait me into talking about my team because he thinks I can't help but respond. Just for that, you get nothing. : )

Todd, I got the Apr 25th comment right away, only that is actually the day that no one says a word after the Cutters win. I always look forward to the excuses, and get sad because it's dead silence.

Woj

Anonymous said...

Who wants to hang out at the bakehouse later?

Anonymous said...

April 25th will also have another special meaning, at that point we all will have witnessed the illustrious peak of one Patches Schroeder and Mr Kent! It will have reigned glory over all of our faces!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"April 25th will also have another special meaning, at that point we all will have witnessed the illustrious peak of one Patches Schroeder and Mr Kent! It will have reigned glory over all of our faces!"


??? They're gonna wee on you?!

Anonymous said...

I'll meet you there...Lets do that for the rest of our lives while we're at it. Only I hope they provide free wireless so we can get on BVN and ps.4 non-stop. Oh, and there has to be plenty of lotion and the employees must continue to wear Cutters shirts so I can be surrounded by greatness at all times.

Anonymous said...

Wait, is Lusk really taking Kent's last name when they get married this summer?

Todd said...

You guys need to come up with aliases so we can at least have an idea to whom we are talking.

Anonymous said...

Actually Woj, I know you won't respond and was throwing that out there for yourself and others who read that and might be looking for a response from you. It has been documented that you don't comment on your team and I was restating that on your behalf. I called out your ego (which I'm not saying is bad at all) but I think you played on your strenghts and not your riders strenghts in some races and didn't fare as you should have. Just my opinion. That might, MIGHT have provoked comment from you but wasn't my goal.

I'm not dying to have you comment on your team and had previously only been looking for comments about how your riders embrace the Spirit of Little 500 since you know them well. That is Part 2 of the HOF requirement so was looking for insight there and you provided it on a former rider which I appreciated.

I'm disappointed in Todd but I too got his comment and see it coming true based on my predictions. I don't like his posting under your real name comment as I actually think it's better for you and your brethren that about 7 total nameless people like myself say something. Being unknown means we can be anyone and then you can channel your energy and 'I'll show you' mentality to the entire field and not just select individuals or teams. I think some of the people are doing you all a favor being nameless.

Some Random @sshole

Anonymous said...

"I'll meet you there...Lets do that for the rest of our lives while we're at it. Only I hope they provide free wireless so we can get on BVN and ps.4 non-stop. Oh, and there has to be plenty of lotion and the employees must continue to wear Cutters shirts so I can be surrounded by greatness at all times."

Now that's funny and a personal attack!!

Some Random @sshole

Anonymous said...

Shoot this is tempting since it was a former team with no existing riders. a) I was blamed for being too conservative the year before even though we simply couldn't catch the winning team. B)Itt record holder + 2nd place in Itt's + 4th palce in Itt's, + 12th place in ITT's. That was the team we had when we were off the front. Even so, we only went for it because there was a crash and we had a big gap already. We also felt confident in winning any sprint scenario if it didn't work. Those girls were fast. If Hamilton were coaching Theta then it might have worked.

You got me!
Woj

Zack Kent said...

whenever the poster of mr. kent wants to come face me man to man about it i'll be free to listen. Takes a big man to talk shit behind a fake name. Just keep fueling the fire. I'm taking donations for an engagment ring and i vow that if i raise 4,000 dollars i'll change my last name. maybe i could just skip the donations and give her one of my little 5 rings instead...

Anonymous said...

Oh snap! You're gonna get in trouble for that. It's probably not even the real Zach though.

Hank (The real one) said...

wow glad to see people blogging under my name when i get home from class. haha touche to whomever

Anonymous said...

Lets get back to the real question...how can I get one of those hot tub time machines?

A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men.

Anonymous said...

Serious question for "The Dean of L5"...if you had your pick to coach any men's team in this years race (other than the cutters)...are you confident you would win?

Let's see one of your ol'fashion PS2esq responses. I'll be disappointed if it isn't at least 5 paragraphs.

Ready? Go!

Anonymous said...

I wrote this long 4 paragraph journal but I'm not going to give away possible strategy against them. I would take Phi Delt and I would be scared of Young in a sprint if that tells you anything. he's not beatable unless he wipes or loses his chain or has something physically wrong with him. He's better than me because he can time trial fast and is a guarantee in a sprint. I was nervous sprinting against good sprinters. Good luck.

Todd said...

The work is done; there's not much a coach can change in the last week.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it was obvious Phi Delt or Sigman new circa 1996 and 1990 thought that came to mind.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

I wrote this long 4 paragraph journal but I'm not going to give away possible strategy against them. I would take Phi Delt and I would be scared of Young in a sprint if that tells you anything. he's not beatable unless he wipes or loses his chain or has something physically wrong with him. He's better than me because he can time trial fast and is a guarantee in a sprint. I was nervous sprinting against good sprinters. Good luck."

You aren't "The Dean" (fyi...The Dean never road in L5) - come on Dean of L5...let us know your pick!! ...or are the Cutters a lock?

Anonymous said...

I just downloaded a new App on my iPhone that allows me to see the IP and email address of each anonymous poster! It was $5.99, but well worth the money! I am just waiting for the appropriate time to share my knowledge!

Anonymous said...

My mistake. Tom are you there? He said Cutters so I thought someone was referring to me since I'm a post whore. : )

I just hope you guys know that this is all in good fun, unless someone is getting personally attacked. Even them when i say fired up, I don't mean that I'm angry. It's just that my fingers start working a little harder and I get excited to type!

Geraint Parry said...

> The work is done; there's not much a coach can change in the last week.

In recent times the most significant impact a coach seems to have during the race is to screw things up, particularly with the good teams. Being an ace rider does not necessarily make a good race day coach. I'm intrigued to see how Hamilton and Neff work out this year. Both their teams (Theta, BKB) are likely going to need to be solo to win and that is much more difficult than just staying with the pack.

Tom said...

There are many things I greatly admire about the Cutters, and there are things I hate about them, down to the cellular level. In roughly 16 outings as Acacia coach, I beat the Cutters 7 times, I am fairly sure that no other single coach has fared better, so while I am sure the masses will rise up saying that I lost the other ten times, I do have some understanding of the task of beating what is clearly the best team in Little 500. And a great deal of that comes from being at the track watching them and the other teams. I believe that long-distance assessment is not everything some people think it is.

I believe there is only one team that can keep the Cutters from winning next Saturday. And it is only a very small possibility that it will happen. For the others, there is a fundamental problem. I believe you need two critical components to win. You have to have a team who is singular in purpose. They must have complete and year-round devotion to being as good as the Cutters, which is a sizable challenge. Additionally you must have a coach that doesn’t simply want to beat the Cutters. That coach’s purpose in life is to beat the Cutters so badly that it forces the Cutters to reevaluate their entire concept of Little 500. There is no team in 2010 that embodies those two critical elements.

There are several teams who have the physical ability to challenge the Cutters, however their coach(es) lack the talent to inspire their teams to true greatness. There is one coach who does have this ability, but his team lacks the year-round devotion that competing on the same level is the Cutters demands. I have asked several contending teams why they chose the coach they have and the responses were interesting. One commented that their coach was the cockiest guy they knew. Another commented that their coach has made them stronger through nutrition and the like. But no one said: “Because our coach knows how to beat the Cutters and has inspired us to do just that”. Sure many teams and coaches know what they have to do, but they come up a bit short in the “how we will do it” department.

So while it is never a done deal, the smart money in on the Cutters. However, I can assure you that no one will be happier than I, if I am proven wrong. Not because I dislike the Cutters, but because they deserve to be consistently and constantly challenged every year.

Additionally, if the Cutters win in the manner they did last year, and I was on the HoF nominating committee, Clayton would have my enthusiastic vote for being on the HoF ballot. He would also get my vote at the banquet.

Tom

Anonymous said...

Well, Tom. It sounds like you are the only man for the job. So why aren't you coaching in the men's race?

Tom said...

Correction, I lost to the Cutters 11 not 10 other times.

Tom said...

I made inquiries to 3 different contending teams and got 2 polite "No's" and one non-reply. (None were Acacia)

Tom

Tom said...

And just to be clear, I am not saying that I would beat the Cutters if I were coaching any of those teams. But I think they would have a better chance with me in the pit.

Tom

Anonymous said...

Who's the coach that has the drive but not the team to beat the cutters?

Anonymous said...

That was a good post Tom. Your biggest asset is your inspiration and dedication and it is almost impossible to match except with Cutters. And that was nice to say about Clayton even though you probably hate him at the cellular level : )

Woj

Tom said...

I don't hate Clayton.

Anonymous said...

I'm kidding. No worries.

Todd said...

I don't always agree with him, but Tom gets it!

Gerber said...

Tom out of curiosity would you like to share with us which team has the "small" chance of winning. Unless you reveal a team I am going to assume you are referring to my fellow Sammies ;-) Can't wait to see you all next weekend in Bloomington!!!

RajMahall said...

It's all good if you keep quiet Tom! Always leave 'em wanting more, P.T. Barnum style. Or Walt Disney. I haven't been able to figure out the correct source yet.

Tom said...

Woj said:

"Your biggest asset is your inspiration and dedication and it is almost impossible to match except with Cutters."

The Cutters' biggest asset is momentum. In Little 500, momentum is infinitely more valuable.

Tom

Anonymous said...

is it true that delta chi won team pursuit today?

Anonymous said...

Phi Delts

Anonymous said...

Anybody else notice Phi Delt wearing the Black race day jerseys for the finals last night? I know they locked down the white jersey after there prelim run. But what a cocky thing to do with wearing those Jerseys!!

Anonymous said...

any way someone can post the video that was taped from Youngs head?

Anonymous said...

All it would show would be Patches getting dropped quick and Lusk having to be pushed around the track like he was in a stroller!

Anonymous said...

Yea after seeing that, I'm not even sure if the Cutters will be able to get to the final lap!! My prediction:
Phi Delt
FIJI
BKB
Grey Goat
Phi Psi

Anonymous said...

Cutters will be fine. They have 2 riders that will be able to manipulate the field. Dont worry about them. Prediction: Clayton 100 laps, Eric 85, Patches and Lusk 15

Anonymous said...

Patches and Lusk can handle more than that I assure you. Phi Delt is super deep but it will still be Clayton and Young that will dictate what happens.

Woj

Anonymous said...

hahaha look at all these gay nerds.....

Anonymous said...

who are the gay nerds?

Gerber said...

For those of us that weren't in Bloomington, yet care enough about Little 500 to hear a recap about team pursuit be so kind as to give an UNBIASED synopsis of what went down???? Men & Women would be nice ;-)

Anonymous said...

Here ya go Gerber:
http://www.idsnews.com/blogs/hoosierhype/?cat=25