KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

......time for some love......he has been there through the tuff times......doing a job and placing himself out there in a role I know I could not do......through the lean years trying to get the less than filled RC engaged beyond sitting on our hands.....imploring the students to up their games to build a real home court advantage......managing the time out silly sessions(remember the cases?)....for us in section 105 would try to make sure we getting some of the give a-ways from time to time......Along with Roady Jay(miss the signs )making the north end zone sections part of the RC experience.....glad he was able to enjoy the recent success of the program.....to the next guy/gal only the best, big shoes to fill.....for me the best part of the Buckets was that the experience added to my enjoyment of home games, not a distraction......Buckets, well done, thanks.....

HEAR HEAR !

thanks EZ for all the work you have done for us RHODY fans !

EZ/JV is one of a kind! We were so lucky to have you as our first hype-man (in the best sense of the word). I've been to plenty of other arenas and your delivery and talents enhanced the fan experience as well as helping to grow the team's revenues without annoying me. Thank you!!

Hurley always likes to thank the fans. Well it goes beyond that. It goes to their leader EZ. Buckets gets the arena motivated. Buckets makes the arena come alive. On senior night they honor players, managers, band members, cheerleaders and rammettes. For the powers who run the show, there should be a standing ovation for one more. Make it happen!

in total agreement with everyone above. the only other venues I've been to are the dunk and Amherst and neither compares to EZ. he has big shoes to fill. Sorry to see him go...

I don't know why we don't do this every night, but how about at least for the final home game an arena wide "Rhody Rhody Rhody Rams Rams Rams" chant?

Nothing's stopping people from joining in on the Rhody Rhody Rhody chant. They should already be joining in.

RhowdyRam02 wrote:Nothing's stopping people from joining in on the Rhody Rhody Rhody chant. They should already be joining in.

.......exactly.....there nothing holding anyone back from joining in but air.......take it in then let it out......

Dilly dilly!

Fantastic topic and well deserved praise all around. EZ you have been fantastic at your job since day 1. Always done everything in your power to get the crowd engaged and LOUD.

Quick trip down memory lane. My favorite random EZ buckets moment was during a TV timeout game of "musical chairs". I forget the exact details but one of the guys was trying WAYYY too hard. At one point he cut a girl off for her seat by pushing her aside. Well during the next round this same kid got the ball and went in for his layup but landed awkwardly and blew out his knee.

Without missing a beat, EZ got on the Mic and said (paraphrasing this) "well that's what you get for being a jerk buddy" which brought the house down.

Nobody was aware how bad the kid was hurt yet, and it sucked seeing him get taken off the court in a wheelchair but the play by play was spot on!!!

Enjoy these last two games. You get to see all that hard work pay off with these sold out rowdy crowds!!!

Agree with all of this.

Aw shucks guys.

Thank you very much for all the kind words. I love this school and team more than I could ever put into words & it’s been one helluva ride these past 10 years.

Thank you to the whole KB community for being such passionate, dedicated fans & supporting this program through all the good & bad times. I’m a proud member of this community and have appreciated all the positive (and negative) feedback over the years along with the lively discussion. It’s been awesome having at least a dozen of you introduce yourselves and quietly whisper your KB handle in my ear like a state secret.

I’m honestly still having a tough time coming to terms with walking away from the most rewarding job I’ve ever had but am going to soak up every single second of these last 2 games and the rest of this magical season.

Phelps - that is one of my favorite game moments ever...along with the infamous “mascot musical chairs” game where Rhody, The Dunkin Donuts Cups, Paws, The RI Lottery Ball & others played and bodies & masks were falling everywhere. It was a glorious train wreck that I’ll remember forever.

See everyone tomorrow!

Back at ya EZ thanks for all of your efforts over the years . It is appreciated .

You're the man Buckets. Very sad to see you go. Do you have a replacement?

Good luck EZ, you've been great.....as for a replacement...how about Blue Man? Minus the F bombs of course lol!

That guy could fire up a corpse with one of his rants! Although we haven't heard much of that this season.....

Thanks for eveything EZ. Looking forward to your last two games.
Look forward to a beer in DC and/or the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Was telling a friend that came to the game with me the other day, who has little knowledge of the program, that it's cool he's going out during a season where we have made such a splash. Congrats and thank you to EZ.

I think we all, he included, know there were cringeworthy times during his tenure (not necessarily his fault) but as time went on the organization and application of a real student section has clearly made a difference in the environment at the Ryan Center. Sure, the winning may be what started to fill the seats but the coordination and encouragement for students to participate has clearly influenced a lot of them to keep returning. Even after graduation.

Cheers, man, and I hope that you're passing the torch to the dude that has occupied the front row of the student section for every game the last X amount of years. He looks like a natural.

......EZ Buckets last game brings another aspect of the passing of an era.......you have done an amazing job, again thanks.....

EZ deserves double time pay for his efforts tonight. True professional with the way he went about his job on an otherwise miserable night.

Curious about his exchange with Martelli after he addressed the crowd inside the 3 minute mark. Martelli said something and EZ just gave him a disgusted look. What did he have to say EZ?

Thank you EZ for your efforts over the years. Your energy will be hard to replace.

The video tribute to EZ was a nice touch as were his heartfelt words to the crowd.

RhodyRam86 wrote:EZ deserves double time pay for his efforts tonight. True professional with the way he went about his job on an otherwise miserable night.

Curious about his exchange with Martelli after he addressed the crowd inside the 3 minute mark. Martelli said something and EZ just gave him a disgusted look. What did he have to say EZ?

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Was not the ideal final game, but not everything has a perfect ending.

Martelli yelled “Ok, time to drop the mic, Eminem” as I walked off the court. I was so flabbergasted and taken aback that I said some unkind words in response.

Joe Lunardi pulled me aside after the game, shared some kind words about me being the best at what I do in any arena he’s been to (high praise) and then assured me that Phil was just messing around and offered to bring him by to smooth things over, which I politely declined.

Regardless of whether it was in jest or not, I found it in extremely poor taste and totally unnecessary after sharing a final moment with the fans.

The night was far from perfect, but it is what it is. Time to rebound quickly and keep moving forward.

Thanks again everyone for 10 great years! Go Rhody!

What a bag of dicks (Martelli)!

EZBuckets wrote:

RhodyRam86 wrote:EZ deserves double time pay for his efforts tonight. True professional with the way he went about his job on an otherwise miserable night.

Curious about his exchange with Martelli after he addressed the crowd inside the 3 minute mark. Martelli said something and EZ just gave him a disgusted look. What did he have to say EZ?

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Was not the ideal final game, but not everything has a perfect ending.

Martelli yelled “Ok, time to drop the mic, Eminem” as I walked off the court. I was so flabbergasted and taken aback that I said some unkind words in response.

Joe Lunardi pulled me aside after the game, shared some kind words about me being the best at what I do in any arena he’s been to (high praise) and then assured me that Phil was just messing around and offered to bring him by to smooth things over, which I politely declined.

Regardless of whether it was in jest or not, I found it in extremely poor taste and totally unnecessary after sharing a final moment with the fans.

The night was far from perfect, but it is what it is. Time to rebound quickly and keep moving forward.

Thanks again everyone for 10 great years! Go Rhody!

I agree...kind of a prickish move on his part. I've never heard you have a bad word about an opponent and you certainly didn't deserve that in your final moments. for what it's worth, from high up in section 205, it looked like he said something classless and like you just took the high road...but glad you got a final word in!

I just started going to games this year and I commend you on your professionalism, passion and ability to fire up the crowd.

Just curious - what's your next move? Not to PC I trust.

I forgot we laid this egg in front of Lunardi also that sucks too

EZBuckets wrote:

RhodyRam86 wrote:EZ deserves double time pay for his efforts tonight. True professional with the way he went about his job on an otherwise miserable night.

Curious about his exchange with Martelli after he addressed the crowd inside the 3 minute mark. Martelli said something and EZ just gave him a disgusted look. What did he have to say EZ?

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Was not the ideal final game, but not everything has a perfect ending.

Martelli yelled “Ok, time to drop the mic, Eminem” as I walked off the court. I was so flabbergasted and taken aback that I said some unkind words in response.

Joe Lunardi pulled me aside after the game, shared some kind words about me being the best at what I do in any arena he’s been to (high praise) and then assured me that Phil was just messing around and offered to bring him by to smooth things over, which I politely declined.

Regardless of whether it was in jest or not, I found it in extremely poor taste and totally unnecessary after sharing a final moment with the fans.

The night was far from perfect, but it is what it is. Time to rebound quickly and keep moving forward.

Thanks again everyone for 10 great years! Go Rhody!

EZ thanks for all you did over 10 years and for your extra tough task last night. Sorry to hear that Martelli was the ever classless act. I didn't know it was possible for me to dislike that man even more than I previously did, but glad to hear Lunardi came over to you to say the things he did. Makes me like him even more.

.......I am shocked he knows Eminem is.......

PeteRI wrote:I just started going to games this year and I commend you on your professionalism, passion and ability to fire up the crowd.

Just curious - what's your next move? Not to PC I trust.

Thanks, Pete!

There's no real "next move". I'll still be doing PA for various other Rhody teams (men's & women's soccer, women's basketball, softball & baseball) and plan on being in attendance at every home basketball game until I either move away or pass away .

I'm looking forward to wearing jeans, enjoying a beer (or three), and yelling in the stands with all of you!

I'm not defending Martelli, but I'm sure his point was you're down by 30, it's probably a bit late for the rallying cry. He was likely just trash talking. In any case, he should have kept his mouth shut. I wonder if he knew that it was EZ's last game? I would like to think not.

Martelli likes to bust balls.....that's what he was doing imo......he was full of himself due to the beatdown they were giving us....

Martelli is an ass. Not at all surprised by his lack of class. I have come to expect it given his long history of inappropriate interactions with people over the years.

Lunardi made it a point to seek me out immediately after the game and assure me that Phil was just messing around and had no idea who I was nor the context of the situation and I have no reason not to believe him.

I don't hold any ill will toward Martelli whatsoever and agree with most of you above that he was truly just busting balls and it was just bad timing.

It was the perfect cherry on top of such a bizarre final game in every single way imaginable.

.....sure, I’ll be that guy.......EZ Buckets for the RC PA, men’s hoops too!!

EZBuckets wrote:Lunardi made it a point to seek me out immediately after the game and assure me that Phil was just messing around and had no idea who I was nor the context of the situation and I have no reason not to believe him.

I don't hold any ill will toward Martelli whatsoever and agree with most of you above that he was truly just busting balls and it was just bad timing.

It was the perfect cherry on top of such a bizarre final game in every single way imaginable.

If something is going to be final...might as well be 'memorable', right?
Admire the way you handled it, and maybe over a cold one you can share what you said to Martelli...for fun...

Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

RAM67 wrote:Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

I didn't really have an issue with that. He did eventually pull them. I actually give him and his team some crediting for not overly celebrating such a big lopsided win on their opponent's court. They basically did the handshake line and walked off the court through the tunnel not showing much emotion. Very business like. I however cannot be sure Martelli didn't say something stupid along the way down on the court as would befit his persona.

Too bad he rained on our parade. Just right across the board.

Happy nobody was knocked out. That is a plus.

We have more games. See what happens.

EZ Buckets was good. Welcome to 203.

RF1 wrote:

RAM67 wrote:Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

I didn't really have an issue with that. He did eventually pull them. I actually give him and his team some crediting for not overly celebrating such a big lopsided win on their opponent's court. They basically did the handshake line and walked off the court through the tunnel not showing much emotion. Very business like. I however cannot be sure Martelli didn't say something stupid along the way down on the court as would befit his persona.[/q

Martelli will never change. It's all about him and never about the league. I also don't give him credit for pulling his team at 1:48.

section(105) wrote:.....sure, I’ll be that guy.......EZ Buckets for the RC PA, men’s hoops too!!

It can't be much worse than the current guy. Speaking of, whatever happened to Mike Mancuso? That guy was terrific.

Martelli has no self control. He just can't stop himself from making wise ass remarks. He has done it on many occasions over the years. He has even engaged fans getting into conflicts at league venues such as SBU and GW.

The fact that Joe Lunardi has to clean up his mess for him says a lot. Lunardi may be right that PM was only kidding as he knows him well. How though is a person unfamiliar with PM supposed to take such remarks? That is why they should not be said, even if he was truly just kidding. It just shows you once again that Martelli really has little class.

RAM67 wrote:Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

I have no issue with that. The best way to avoid that scenario is to not get your ass kicked by 30 at home.

adam914 wrote:

RAM67 wrote:Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

I have no issue with that. The best way to avoid that scenario is to not get your ass kicked by 30 at home.

That may be true, but the man always appears to be on the wrong side. Sorry Adam, he's still a scumbag.

RAM67 wrote:

adam914 wrote:

RAM67 wrote:Martelli always was and always will be a scumbag. Up 30 and wait until the 1:48 mark to pull starters. Always trying to make the rest of the league look bad, especially URI.

I have no issue with that. The best way to avoid that scenario is to not get your ass kicked by 30 at home.

That may be true, but the man always appears to be on the wrong side. Sorry Adam, he's still a scumbag.

Oh don't get me wrong, I think he is a scumbag 100%. I just don't think that is one of the reasons why.

scine20 wrote:I'm not defending Martelli, but I'm sure his point was you're down by 30, it's probably a bit late for the rallying cry. He was likely just trash talking. In any case, he should have kept his mouth shut. I wonder if he knew that it was EZ's last game? I would like to think not.

Thing about it was that EZ wasn't rallying the fans during the last timeout. He took the time to thank everyone in attendance for their support over the years and asked for one last "Rhody Rhody Rhody" chant. Martelli can shove it.

Micheal_Phelps_22 wrote:

scine20 wrote:I'm not defending Martelli, but I'm sure his point was you're down by 30, it's probably a bit late for the rallying cry. He was likely just trash talking. In any case, he should have kept his mouth shut. I wonder if he knew that it was EZ's last game? I would like to think not.

Thing about it was that EZ wasn't rallying the fans during the last timeout. He took the time to thank everyone in attendance for their support over the years and asked for one last "Rhody Rhody Rhody" chant. Martelli can shove it.

I didn't hear anything other than the "Rhody" chant as I watched on TV. If that's what he said and Martelli had that reaction then yes he definitely in the wrong.

The more I think of Martelli's remarks, the more pissed off I get. He trashes our game traditions on OUR home court yet we are expected to honor the traditions of St Joe's (namely that annoying Hawk that gets preferential treatment from the league) on the road in OUR building.

URI should tell the league that since our mascot is not allowed to travel to away games, we will not allow the Hawk on our court. If the Hawk attempts to get onto the court, he/she should be treated as any other person that goes out there without permission and get shown the door by security. If the Hawk resists, get the police involved and press charges.

But is the Hawk willing to take a charge?

The chicken flapping during the National Anthem is as classless as it gets

I called for the inner tube

I was dead serious

Martellil takes the Philly wise guy routine to an extreme and it's classless.