Saturday night, Nolan Reimold hit his ninth home run of the season, a 3-run shot in Baltimore’s 6-3 win over Washington. The 9 homers pulls him within two of Andy Tracy’s record for home runs by a BG alum in a major league season and within four of Tracy’s career mark.

What’s more, his 20 RBI on the season put him just 12 shy of Tracy’s single season mark for a Falcon in the majors!

What started as a fast track to the bigs as an injury replacement has turned into a possible Rookie of the Year run, as Reimold is now hitting .293 in 39 games since his mid-May call-up. He has also smacked five doubles in his brief stint with the Orioles.

Trivia Time!

Who was the first BG Falcon to homer in a major league game?

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“Every player that comes through the program will leave with a diploma and a championship ring.”

That’s a paraphrase from Dave Clawson’s press conference today (right now), the 17th head coach at Bowling Green. The cool thing about Bowling Green and it’s students, alumni, fans and administration, there’s equal importance placed on both items Clawson mentioned. Even when the latter hasn’t come easy (16 years and counting), Falcon fans have put a ton of pride in the former.

I’ve only read what’s popped up online in the last three or four days, and listened to him for about eight minutes, but I like the hire. Just like hiring Louis Orr to run the basketball team, I get a good feel off Dave Clawson. I think I even felt that way when Gregg Brandon was hired on as coach (though he had a two-year headstart with the program). Even in the cut-throat world of college coaching, BG has seemed to do well hiring men and women that fit what the campus and community of Bowling Green is all about.

“I don’t like to be married to a system.”

I like it. We’ve had a lot of players that seem to have been under-utilized in the last few years, between RB’s and receivers. It’s good to know that if we have two stud backs, we’ll line up that way. And if we have six stud WR’s, we’ll line up that way, too.

Dave Clawson press conference audio

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Let’s see… looking back through this blog, I last vented about 18 months ago, so I guess that’s pretty good.

Ay-ziggy-zoomba.com is annoying me again. Why? Same as always… bickering, infighting, general negativity… etc. I know it comes with the territory, but I guess I kind of hoped more people saw things like I do. BG Athletics is great! I love going to games, following teams, players, coaches… trying to learn as much as I can and be an “insider.” From recruiting to what former student/athletes are doing after graduation, it’s great to follow my favorites. But… it’s just a fun hobby. It’s not that big a deal to me.

This gets into the whole “Well, you’re not a real fan if you don’t go to every game no matter what” discussion. Or… “You should support your team always, no matter what” or “You don’t think like I do, so you’re a tool.” You know what? Everyone can be a fan in their own way. And that’s OK! It’s almost like fan racism takes place: i.e. “You’re different than me, therefore you suck!” Come on people, lighten up.

Some people go to every game no matter what. They go on road trips, through thick and thin… they hang out in hotel lobbies and hope to talk to coaches and players… they wear nothing but orange and brown, etc. That’s fantastic! But you know, what makes them better than the guy who loves the Falcons, but only makes it to a couple of games a year? Why are they more important, or why is their opinion more valuable than the more casual observer? And might not that casual observer’s viewpoint be a little more clear sometimes looking from the outside in?

So… I guess what I’m saying is, we’re ALL Falcon fans. Everyone can be a fan in their own way, and we need all the fans we can get, so, “fan elitism” is actually non-productive. You might think you’re being a bigger supporter of your school than someone else, but in reality, when you tell them this, you’re pushing them away and making the fanbase smaller. That is NOT what Bowling Green Athletics needs.

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So it’s been awhile since that last post. My bad.

But I’m back with an idea that can help Falcon fans everywhere. Since even the most die-hard BG fans have to miss a game now and again and scores aren’t all that easy to come by, I think I’ve found a solution.
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This afternoon in my e-mail, I received the Alumni Association’s “E-Ziggy-Zoomba” newsletter. Normally, I give it a quick glance, realize that most of the headlines are either sports or donaton related and move along. Today’s was different. Included was a story about the passing of former university president William T. Jerome III on March 10. He was 88.

Certainly a sad day for the Falcon community and one that I hope gets a good bit of attention from the university and local media. The obituary posted by the alumni association (which I can’t find an outside link to anywhere and therefore should be step one of “good bit of attention”) is quite impressive.

The BG News has a story posted, I hope someone takes the opportunity to write a deeper piece. I don’t know if it’s the kind of thing college papers go for, but the resources are right there, many in the building which bears his name.

The Sentinel-Tribune also has an obituary posted.

The Blade wrote a nice piece about Dr. Jerome on Thursday.

A few of the highlights of his pre-BG career:

-Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Colgate
-Attended Yale Law School
-Served military intelligence during WWII
-Attended Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration for his Master’s Degree
-Received Doctorate from Harvard

In 1963, he was named the sixth president at Bowling Green State University, at the age of 43 (maybe 44). The size of the student body and faculty both doubled during his tenure, and nine Masters programs were created. In an indirect connection to BGSU, in 1970, Jerome became a consultant and vice president at Florida International University, which was formed by BG alumnus Charles E. Perry, and saw legendary coach Doyt Perry serve as athletic director and golf coach in the 1970’s. Of course, Jerome also had the library named in his honor in 1982. (See top right corner of this site.)

Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, his life gets much more interesting.

Jerome’s father was a second cousin of Winston Churchill. Yes, that Winston Churchill. He was a nationally-known attorney, serving as District Attorney in New York City for a time. (Insert Law & Order sound effect here.)

There’s also a likely link between Jerome’s mother, Hope Colgate Jerome, and the man for whom Colgate University and the toothpaste are named.

Don’t think I’ll be letting the research stop here.

Roll along, you BG warrior…

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Yesterday was one of those days in BGSU history, and more specifically BGSU Basketball history, that I’m happy to have been around for. Unfortunately, I missed the games yesterday, wasn’t even in BG at all because of house hunting… but I FELT yesterday and the importance of it.

The gift from the Stroh family is insanely generous. $8M to BGSU… the majority of that earmarked for the new convocation center which will serve as the new home court for our basketball and volleyball programs. The next House that Roars. Kerm Stroh and his wife, Mary Lou and their entire family are great people. I’ve met many of them, consider some of them friends… and I have to say, I’m not at all surprised by this gift.

A few years ago, I was up in the press box area of Anderson Arena talking to Todd Walker before a basketball game. Kerm was up there and knew who I was. He started asking questions about what it costs to run ay-ziggy-zoomba.com and if there was any way he could help. He hinted at buying me a server if I wanted/needed it… I turned him down, but what a generous offer from a man I’d never met.

I started thinking yesterday, if I had $8 million dollars I could give away, what would I do with it? I’d do exactly what Kerm and the Stroh family have done. That’s what makes this so amazing… they’re US… They’re Falcon die-hards! I see them at all the games, home and away, that I get to. I’ve seen them there forever. They’re Falcon fans…

I truly think this gift came at the most opportune time. I think we’re on the cusp of something big here at BGSU with our mens basketball program. I don’t think this gift would have had the same impact had it been made a year ago. I think the program is in a completely different spot and moving in a completely different direction than it was 12 months ago. The status quo wasn’t working. Change brings more change and the snowball is now rolling down the hill at the golf course.
Something big is happening. Maybe not this season, but we’re on the verge. I’ve never been more excited to be a Falcon… I’ve been living and breathing BGSU Men’s Basketball for over 30 years now and I’ve never been more excited.

Thank you to the whole Stroh family and everyone in the administration at BGSU who worked to make this happen. Things are happening. I can feel it.

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Giving a break for the Presidents Day holiday - if they can’t deliver mail because of George Washington’s alleged birthday, I can’t hardly expect them to fly a flag. Although I suppose that might have been part of Carty’s plan… fly it on Saturday-Friday this week, and get 3 days with no one seeing it grace the Toledo “skyline”.

Meanwhile, BG’s hoops team is now 0-2 while Flag Watch continues. Clearly, this issue is affecting the team’s play on the court. Also possibly one of Fink(beiner)’s evil plots. Who could expect a team to not foul the short white kid shooting a 3 pointer in the waning moments of a one point game? Or get off the bus in Athens?

This cannot continue! Call your congressman! Call your mayor!* Call your town sheriff! We want the flag raised! We NEED the flag raised!

(*-If you’re a Toledo resident, you may skip the mayor and continue to the town sheriff.)

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Welcome to day three. Still no flag at Government Center in Toledo. While the lucky undercover operative will be away from downtown Toledo on Thursday, I have no doubt that others will step up to monitor the situation as we enter the fourth day of flag-free City Hall.

(One thing is for sure, I won’t be contacting Carty Finkbeiner’s spokesman to ask about the flag.)

Also, as a bonus, the informant sent along this link to an editorial about Carty’s latest woes. (Most likely regarding the Marines training deal, but we all know the absence of the BG flag is the real issue here.)

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From the undercover operative, who is apparently all about leaking his information to other outlets:

Still no picture of the BGSU flag. No, I’m not going up to Carty’s office to find it.

I believe we’re within 24 hours of hostile activity. “A stink”, if you will. And apparently, an inside operation into the mayor’s office is out of the question. (See above.)

So here’s the proposal. Every day the flag goes unflown on it’s 7-day excursion into the bowels of Northwest Ohio, we tack on a week. If it’s not flying by noon Monday, Carty’s dog gets a BGSU collar to parade around Government Center.

Mayor Quinn, make it happen.

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Thanks to a 4-3 loss to Bowling Green Mayor John Quinn in a free throw shooting contest during halftime of BG’s **WIN** Sunday over rival Toledo, there is supposed to be a BGSU flag flying in front of One Government Center in downtown Toledo, home of Toledo’s City Hall and Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (also known as “How To Run A City Like A Circus…And Get Re-elected”).

However, thanks to an e-mail from an operative close to the situation, Monday passed with no flag:

I will gladly send you a picture of the BGSU flag flying over Government Center as soon as it happens. As of this afternoon at 4:15, NO flag.

Technically, I don’t know if anyone knows the terms of the deal, other than the flag was to fly “for one week”. But what we do know is that the flag exchanged hands on Sunday, and it’s not in place as of yet.

We’ll keep you posted.

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