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BTN “On The Mat” Episode 1 (2022)

slushhead

slushhead

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Mar 10, 2014
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Interesting segment tonight, with one topic focusing on the decision to return by Iowa’s “Big 3” seniors (Eierman, Marinelli, Kemerer . . . no love for Young, but maybe his reasoning was too simple). Listening to each guy describe his own situation (and Spencer providing his thoughts on Kemerer) was rather revealing with respect to psychology.

Stated motivations were kind of depressing, in my opinion. A lot of focus on avoiding possible regrets later in life, avoiding bad feelings coming out of last season’s final matches, honoring past promises to oneself. Maybe the guys were just camera shy and/or humble, but passion seemed lacking.

Maybe my read was wrong . . . but if not, I think it is a big deal for March.
 
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slushhead said:
Interesting segment tonight, with one topic focusing on the decision to return by Iowa’s “Big 3” seniors (Eierman, Marinelli, Kemerer . . . no love for Young, but maybe his reasoning was too simple). Listening to each guy describe his own situation (and Spencer providing his thoughts on Kemerer) was rather revealing with respect to psychology.

Stated motivations were kind of depressing, in my opinion. A lot of focus on avoiding possible regrets later in life, avoiding bad feelings coming out of last season’s final matches, honoring past promises to oneself. Maybe the guys were just camera shy and/or humble, but passion seemed lacking.

Maybe my read was wrong . . . but if not, I think it is a big deal for March.
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Oh I could say so much about all this…

Wonder if JS still believes I was bullshitting him when I said back in August that Kem didn’t really want to come back. Did you hear what Spencer said? Spencer said Kem didn’t want to come back. Lol
 
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johnstownsteel said:
Oh and this part you probably should keep to yourself. The Iowa fans that visit here and quite a few PSU fans as well scoffed when I said bringing back all these old guys may not necessarily be a good thing.
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Don’t worry, man — I’m sure many of us saw merit in your thoughts (and shared many of them). Despite some of my buffoonery, I’m kind of a cautious type and am slow to put some things in print until I’ve seen enough evidence for myself. I was surprised last spring when Young and Kemerer said they’d be coming back. In fact, I thought they wouldn’t follow through.

Spencer’s quote obviously confirmed Kem’s reservations (and I know you have your own sources). Eierman’s lock-screen image as a motivational reminder of pain is ass-backwards and the epitome of the difference between the hate-to-lose and love-to-win philosophies. Marinelli is a tough read. Part of me thinks he has just been through an emotional wringer too many consecutive years and could really benefit from some time away, but he has injury history, too, and so there could just be another undisclosed medical thing going on with him.

Whatever the issues may be, I don’t think my eyes are lying about the lack of fire on the mat from these guys. Tonight might be an outlier, though, because almost the entire team looked exhausted and/or unmotivated.

And holy hell are they beaten up.
- Lee, no ACLs, done.
- DeSanto, the fingers again.
- Murin, elbow.
- Young, malnourished, cheekbone eruption.
- Marinelli, knee history, rib history.
- Kemerer, shoulder; Brands, elbow, done.
- Assad, knee.
- Warner, knee.

And the B1G schedule now underway — not a period of the season conducive to healing up.
 
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slushhead said:
Interesting segment tonight, with one topic focusing on the decision to return by Iowa’s “Big 3” seniors (Eierman, Marinelli, Kemerer . . . no love for Young, but maybe his reasoning was too simple). Listening to each guy describe his own situation (and Spencer providing his thoughts on Kemerer) was rather revealing with respect to psychology.

Stated motivations were kind of depressing, in my opinion. A lot of focus on avoiding possible regrets later in life, avoiding bad feelings coming out of last season’s final matches, honoring past promises to oneself. Maybe the guys were just camera shy and/or humble, but passion seemed lacking.

Maybe my read was wrong . . . but if not, I think it is a big deal for March.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the makings of an article. Maybe you should search the internet for one. :cool:
giphy.gif
 
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slushhead said:
Don’t worry, man — I’m sure many of us saw merit in your thoughts (and shared many of them). Despite some of my buffoonery, I’m kind of a cautious type and am slow to put some things in print until I’ve seen enough evidence for myself. I was surprised last spring when Young and Kemerer said they’d be coming back. In fact, I thought they wouldn’t follow through.

Spencer’s quote obviously confirmed Kem’s reservations (and I know you have your own sources). Eierman’s lock-screen image as a motivational reminder of pain is ass-backwards and the epitome of the difference between the hate-to-lose and love-to-win philosophies. Marinelli is a tough read. Part of me thinks he has just been through an emotional wringer too many consecutive years and could really benefit from some time away, but he has injury history, too, and so there could just be another undisclosed medical thing going on with him.

Whatever the issues may be, I don’t think my eyes are lying about the lack of fire on the mat from these guys. Tonight might be an outlier, though, because almost the entire team looked exhausted and/or unmotivated.

And holy hell are they beaten up.
- Lee, no ACLs, done.
- DeSanto, the fingers again.
- Murin, elbow.
- Young, malnourished, cheekbone eruption.
- Marinelli, knee history, rib history.
- Kemerer, shoulder; Brands, elbow, done.
- Assad, knee.
- Warner, knee.

And the B1G schedule now underway — not a period of the season conducive to healing up.
Click to expand...
I’m seeing the same things you are. And with Kem, I’m not changing my mind that the plan was never for him to return before the New Year if at all.

Conversely, what do you think about Ridge Lovett? That was a great segment as well. Love his attitude and one kid we’ve all witnessed just get better and better and love to watch his matches. I really like him.
 
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johnstownsteel said:
I’m seeing the same things you are. And with Kem, I’m not changing my mind that the plan was never for him to return before the New Year if at all.

Conversely, what do you think about Ridge Lovett? That was a great segment as well. Love his attitude and one kid we’ve all witnessed just get better and better and love to watch his matches. I really like him.
Click to expand...
Yeah, he’s an easy one to get behind. Seems fearless out there.
 
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slushhead said:
Don’t worry, man — I’m sure many of us saw merit in your thoughts (and shared many of them). Despite some of my buffoonery, I’m kind of a cautious type and am slow to put some things in print until I’ve seen enough evidence for myself. I was surprised last spring when Young and Kemerer said they’d be coming back. In fact, I thought they wouldn’t follow through.

Spencer’s quote obviously confirmed Kem’s reservations (and I know you have your own sources). Eierman’s lock-screen image as a motivational reminder of pain is ass-backwards and the epitome of the difference between the hate-to-lose and love-to-win philosophies. Marinelli is a tough read. Part of me thinks he has just been through an emotional wringer too many consecutive years and could really benefit from some time away, but he has injury history, too, and so there could just be another undisclosed medical thing going on with him.

Whatever the issues may be, I don’t think my eyes are lying about the lack of fire on the mat from these guys. Tonight might be an outlier, though, because almost the entire team looked exhausted and/or unmotivated.

And holy hell are they beaten up.
- Lee, no ACLs, done.
- DeSanto, the fingers again.
- Murin, elbow.
- Young, malnourished, cheekbone eruption.
- Marinelli, knee history, rib history.
- Kemerer, shoulder; Brands, elbow, done.
- Assad, knee.
- Warner, knee.

And the B1G schedule now underway — not a period of the season conducive to healing up.
Click to expand...

Didn't think Marinelli looked good at all last night. The UR Minny guy gave him everything he wanted and more. Desanto also looked very mediocre and flat.
 
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CJFisJoePaII said:
Didn't think Marinelli looked good at all last night. The UR Minny guy gave him everything he wanted and more. Desanto also looked very mediocre and flat.
Click to expand...

He's probably on his meds right now. TnT will hide them a week before we come to town.
 
Watching the segment on Iowa, one thing stood out. When Marinelli talked about the returnees being "24 or 25".

It seems to me these guys are in some sort of suspended animation, hoping that at 24 or 25 they can beat younger guys. If they postpone the rest of their lives and end up beating mostly 18-23 year olds-so what? And if they fail, are they left like Bluto?



I don't get a guy getting married and postponing getting a paying career, buying a house, having kids, grasping adulthood.

Full disclosure: After a couple major changes, I ended up on "the five year plan". I graduated six weeks before my 23rd birthday and spent most of that last semester thinking I didn't belong in college any more. It might have been different if I was in grad school, but I ended up enrolling in an MBA program at 28, back in the days when employers paid for such things.
 
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Not going to predict burnouts or lack of motivation. They returned everyone from a team that handily won without Marinelli’s points. Don’t care about their motivation, ours needs to be at a max and I know the coaches will have them ready.
 
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Though I will say kind of messed up not to include Young. He was the first committed to Iowa, in fact they ran a story about how he was the pipeline. The dude probably makes the most sacrifices considering I do think he grew fond of eating in his life.
 
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johnstownsteel said:
I’m seeing the same things you are. And with Kem, I’m not changing my mind that the plan was never for him to return before the New Year if at all.

Conversely, what do you think about Ridge Lovett? That was a great segment as well. Love his attitude and one kid we’ve all witnessed just get better and better and love to watch his matches. I really like him.
Click to expand...
Do you think that they let Kemdawg wrestle one last meet at Carver and now he might retire??
My friends who saw the match stated that he hardly used his injured arm.
 
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slushhead said:
Interesting segment tonight, with one topic focusing on the decision to return by Iowa’s “Big 3” seniors (Eierman, Marinelli, Kemerer . . . no love for Young, but maybe his reasoning was too simple). Listening to each guy describe his own situation (and Spencer providing his thoughts on Kemerer) was rather revealing with respect to psychology.

Stated motivations were kind of depressing, in my opinion. A lot of focus on avoiding possible regrets later in life, avoiding bad feelings coming out of last season’s final matches, honoring past promises to oneself. Maybe the guys were just camera shy and/or humble, but passion seemed lacking.

Maybe my read was wrong . . . but if not, I think it is a big deal for March.
Click to expand...

I didn’t really get that impression for Marinelli and Eierman. They were disappointed in how their season ended last year, but still want to wrestle - Marinelli literally said it was the easiest decision he made in his life. Kemerer I agree with you. But the music definitely gave it a bit of a depressing tone. Video for those that haven’t seen -

 
Similar story on Devin Schroder btw -



Beginning is similar to the Iowa video, but I guess you could argue by the end he was smiling and talking about how he loved the sport.

If I had to put money on anyone finishing 4th behind Vito/Glory/Suriano, it’d be him.
 
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Pitchfork Rebel said:
Watching the segment on Iowa, one thing stood out. When Marinelli talked about the returnees being "24 or 25".

It seems to me these guys are in some sort of suspended animation, hoping that at 24 or 25 they can beat younger guys. If they postpone the rest of their lives and end up beating mostly 18-23 year olds-so what? And if they fail, are they left like Bluto?

View embedded media


I don't get a guy getting married and postponing getting a paying career, buying a house, having kids, grasping adulthood.

Full disclosure: After a couple major changes, I ended up on "the five year plan". I graduated six weeks before my 23rd birthday and spent most of that last semester thinking I didn't belong in college any more. It might have been different if I was in grad school, but I ended up enrolling in an MBA program at 28, back in the days when employers paid for such things.
Click to expand...
I spent 6 years in the military after HS, then went to college on the GI Bill. Finished undergrad in 2.5 years and Masters the next year. Yes, I was the old man, but college was my job until I finished. Life is a marathon…lots of time for these dedicated wrestlers to achieve their other life goals. However, this is their last shot to win an NCAA title.
 
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bwfight said:
I spent 6 years in the military after HS, then went to college on the GI Bill. Finished undergrad in 2.5 years and Masters the next year. Yes, I was the old man, but college was my job until I finished. Life is a marathon…lots of time for these dedicated wrestlers to achieve their other life goals. However, this is their last shot to win an NCAA title.
Click to expand...

Ah, a fellow “six-year sucker”! The only time I felt old was when a professor would make a joke and I would be the only one laughing, haha!

I also agree that life is a marathon, and you gotta run your own race.
 
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"I spent 6 years in the military after HS"

That's not the same thing. You had a real job in those six years, responsibilities and matured.

I was 28 when I enrolled in an MBA program and completed it while maintaining full time employment. The school I went to catering to working adults and I had classmates in their 30's and 40's.

While I'm sure working for an insurance company isn't nowhere as maturing as the military, I still was moving on with life.

Sticking around to have the physical advantage conferred by reaching your prime over athletes that are still developing, I don't get.
 
Pitchfork Rebel said:
"I spent 6 years in the military after HS"

That's not the same thing. You had a real job in those six years, responsibilities and matured.

I was 28 when I enrolled in an MBA program and completed it while maintaining full time employment. The school I went to catering to working adults and I had classmates in their 30's and 40's.

While I'm sure working for an insurance company isn't nowhere as maturing as the military, I still was moving on with life.

Sticking around to have the physical advantage conferred by reaching your prime over athletes that are still developing, I don't get.
Click to expand...
There are lots of ways to do life. My guess is that if Kemdawg or Marinelli win a title this year it will be a high point of their life. If not, they gave it their all trying. I respect that.
 
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bwfight said:
Actually my 6 years in the Army were some of the best years of my life. I grew up, figured out what I wanted to do, and got all of my college paid for. On top of that I made some friends for life. Grateful for the opportunity to serve.
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Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast (honestly, too much of a blast!) and my best friends to this day are guys I served with. I agree with a lot of guys I’ve met that it’s actually tough getting out bc you’re leaving your best friends and a big part of your identity behind to strike out on your own, so I can see why some guys would want to stay another year. And this is coming from a dude who totally chaffed under all those rules.
 
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1032004 said:
Similar story on Devin Schroder btw -

View embedded media


Beginning is similar to the Iowa video, but I guess you could argue by the end he was smiling and talking about how he loved the sport.

If I had to put money on anyone finishing 4th behind Vito/Glory/Suriano, it’d be him.
Click to expand...
Did you watch the Iowa match? AYALA dominted SCHRODER (over 3 minutes in riding time)
 
vjk said:
Did you watch the Iowa match? AYALA dominted SCHRODER (over 3 minutes in riding time)
Click to expand...

Yes. I posted that before the match. I wouldn’t bet as much anymore, but I still think he’d be my pick. Will be interesting to see if Schroder takes top next time (although Ayala was able to get out quickly from McKee last match).
 
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