pipedreams

  • we survived but we’re dead – lindenwood postmortem

    No one saw this coming. If you see that sentence and say, “No, I did,” you’re a liar. Lindenwood was supposed to be a routine rout of an FCS team. But for the third straight season, App State was in a competitive game with an FCS team in the third quarter. And the video and…

    TK

  • 0.49 percent chance of losing – charlotte postmortem

    I got to Bank of America Stadium an hour before Friday’s game as I wanted to see who looked like they were starting. When the offense came out, it was A.J. Swann leading J.J. Kohl, Noah Gillon and Billy Wiles and leading the cadences. Last we heard, there were “two and a half to three”…

    TK

  • hey nfl man, can you win the apps some games? a 2025 season preview (when you know nothing)

    When listening to the Sun Belt Media Day pressers, it gets a bit monotonous. A bunch of long-time football coaches are trying to build excitement but not reveal their hands. And for 13 of the coaches, there was a common thread in that they indulged the annoyance over NIL, paying players, the transfer portal, unlimited…

    TK

  • how to deftly say nothing – gillin and the house settlement

    Why is Doug Gillin? It’s a good question, despite it making little sense. The decade-long Appalachian State University Athletics Director is currently in a position of great power. Despite looking ornery in the above picture (second row, fourth from the left, striped tie), he’s in an advantageous position. All but one of the head coaches…

    TK

  • you’ve only had this blog for like five months, why aren’t you posting more?

    Has a lot happened? Depends on what you mean. If you want to know about Appalachian State University sports, then kinda. What about my life? Well, duh, I moved to a different state without telling much of anyone to take a new job and new responsibilities. I got someone who directly reports to me now!…

    TK

  • “roll neers” needs to die a death and i will argue this forever

    I was at the new softball stadium this past Saturday for the doubleheader. Both games were really good and the Apps ended the series with a walk-off grand slam. Yay! During the series, someone in the temp bleachers would often start an “App….State” chant. Rad. Never goes out of style and there’s a fun origin…

    TK

  • it’s time to renovate the holmes center, here’s my ideas

    When you drive into Boone, whether it be from 421, 321, 105 (via 221) or some combo of back roads you want to keep secret from Florida drivers, the most recognizable Appalachian State Athletics facility is the Holmes Center. On the corner of Rivers Street and Blowing Rock Road, the building towers over those adjacent…

    TK

  • gillin wants to increase the athletics budget by $50 million, miller hill is getting gentrified and like 30-50 other board of trustee march meeting highlights

    Yeah, this is a long blog. Basically, I watched the committee meetings and main meeting from the March 13-14 Appalachian State Board of Trustees extravaganza. The committees are where the detailed presentations happen. The main meeting, the main event of the early weekend, is where everything gets stamped, but if you just watch that, you…

    TK

  • i’m on a six app state game/dual in-person losing streak – travels over the last few weeks

    When I’m in Boone, I still get asked if I work for the newspaper in Boone. I left that job five years ago next month, right when the pandemic started. I try to get up to games as much as I can. But being three hours away, it’s not like I can get off work…

    TK

  • coach dowell talked to the media for 33 minutes so here’s a recap

    Kind of an out-of-nowhere press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Been 13 days since late National Signing Day, Spring Practice ain’t starting for a little bit longer and President’s Day was Monday. But it’s also Dowell’s first non-introductory press conference, aka his first one without a suit. When I saw the video pop up on…

    TK