Quote from: ExTartanPlayer on November 18, 2014, 07:56:16 AM
I've relayed this anecdote previously: I was a senior on a 6-4 team that played in the ECACs after making the playoffs the season before.  Coming down the stretch I wasn't really sure how I (or any of the seniors) would react at the prospect of an ECAC game - would some guys just want the season over with?  Once we got word we had a game...unanimous excitement amongst the upperclassmen. We got a one week reprieve from being done with football for good. We got one more chance to suit up and play with our buddies. It was the most fun week of the season, really.  Maybe one or two of the teams in this year's field share the Fisher apathy, but for Albright, Stevenson, Bethany, Waynesburg, Buffalo State, etc...I bet all those dudes are pretty excited to have one more game.

I agree - I can't imagine any senior not being excited for one more game. I could see underclassmen just wanting the season to be over with, but I think it would be really hard to find any senior that just wants their *career* to be over with. Football is unique in that once you're done at the collegiate level, you're pretty much done playing the sport. Basketball, soccer, lacrosse, etc. all can be pretty closely replicated in rec leagues or pickup games of all shapes and sizes, but there's really no equivalent for football. Flag football leagues just make one miss the real game even more (especially linemen...). Making that last game a "bowl game" honestly might the best way to end a career at the DIII level.

Quote from: jmcozenlaw on November 17, 2014, 09:12:51 PM

Quote from: rlk on November 17, 2014, 08:02:58 PM

Quote from: GoTech73 on November 17, 2014, 04:43:48 PM
As rlk mentioned, giving any appearance of preferential treatment to football would cause issues at MIT from a culture standpoint (and I don't even think that's a bad thing), and the current stadium appears to be suitable for other sports - the 1st round of the Women's Soccer tournament was hosted there just this past weekend.

All in all, MIT's endowment goes to academics and research, and DAPER's small budget is (rightfully) evenly distributed. Thus, fundraising is the only answer (Bob and Eveline Roberts donated the large sum to build the turf field in the summer of '08), and while this is a priority, it hasn't made it to the top yet. To be honest, I hope the correct word gets out, as I think this reality, combined with the exciting season, could in fact prompt some gifts.

And thanks to all the forum vets here for putting up with us super- (over-?) excited playoff first-timers. We're just having a whole lot of fun right now and it can be hard to hold those emotions in sometimes

(I've been around here, and more so on the NEWMAC men's basketball board, for a while, so welcome fellow Engineers!)

I don't know offhand what DAPER's (Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation) budget is, but I'm sure it's not terribly large -- surely not in proportion to the demands on the department. Ultimately, DAPER's goal is to serve the MIT community as a whole, including *all* of the varsity programs and intramurals.

I was basketball team manager in my day (let's just say I'm slow and can't jump -- 6'5" but could never dunk more than a volleyball, and more usually a tennis ball) and I've been enjoying the success of the program lately.  I made the trip to Salem for the basketball Final Four two years ago, and what an experience it was.  Ran into a few friends from my day, and met Jimmy Bartolotta (who was D3 National Player of the Year among other things, not least of which being a really good guy).  I branched out to photographing football this year (I hoped to make some home games last year, but schedules clashed), and it's the same kind of experience.

But I agree with GoTech73 that giving preferential treatment of the kind suggested to any sport would be completely out of character for MIT.  MIT's remarkably egalitarian in a lot of ways inside -- meritocratic, yes, but you don't get any preference because of who you are.  It doesn't matter if you're an Institute Professor (what might be called distinguished professor elsewhere) with 2 Nobels to your name, an undergrad, team coach, janitor, or campus police officer, you're part of the MIT community (the outpouring of support for Officer Sean Collier, who was murdered by those #1 and #2 unprintables who bombed the Boston Marathon, is a testament to that -- they've established an award in his memory for the person or group exemplifiying service, and named a square for him).  That doesn't mean that you can't distinguish yourself by your accomplishments, and Coach Martinovich certainly has (as has, of course, Coach Anderson).  We take care of our own, but part of that is that nobody jumps the line by dint of public acclaim.  I don't think Justin Wallace gets any particular recognition for his football prowess in his electrical engineering and computer science (or Course VI, as we know it) classes, and I would be quite surprised indeed if he expects any.  Recognition from MIT as a whole, sure, but in context.  MIT doesn't have class rank or graduation honors, nor does it give out honorary degrees.

So maybe our football facilities aren't the spiffiest in the land.  The team, like everyone else, makes silk purses from sow's ears.  The difference is that they extract the collagen, invent a process to produce a stronger yet softer fiber than anything that came before from it from that collagen, and then design and build the equipment to turn them out in quantity -- and quality.  And then go out and buy an NFL franchise.

rlk - Serious question from a shlub with an undergrad degree from Swarthmore. How many of the 32 NFL owners are MIT graduates?

John Thain (MIT '77) could have bought a team.............with the money he stole from Merrill Lynch. A $66,000 commode with pure gold legs and a $132,000 rug for his office.

Thank God he is the exception........and not the rule!! My buddies from MIT are super smart AND super people.

Just went through the list - there actually aren't any. Though, I suppose there could be an MIT grad or two holding shares in the Packers' public ownership... :-P

Quote from: rlk on November 17, 2014, 08:02:58 PM

Quote from: GoTech73 on November 17, 2014, 04:43:48 PM
As rlk mentioned, giving any appearance of preferential treatment to football would cause issues at MIT from a culture standpoint (and I don't even think that's a bad thing), and the current stadium appears to be suitable for other sports - the 1st round of the Women's Soccer tournament was hosted there just this past weekend.

All in all, MIT's endowment goes to academics and research, and DAPER's small budget is (rightfully) evenly distributed. Thus, fundraising is the only answer (Bob and Eveline Roberts donated the large sum to build the turf field in the summer of '08), and while this is a priority, it hasn't made it to the top yet. To be honest, I hope the correct word gets out, as I think this reality, combined with the exciting season, could in fact prompt some gifts.

And thanks to all the forum vets here for putting up with us super- (over-?) excited playoff first-timers. We're just having a whole lot of fun right now and it can be hard to hold those emotions in sometimes

(I've been around here, and more so on the NEWMAC men's basketball board, for a while, so welcome fellow Engineers!)

...

I was basketball team manager in my day (let's just say I'm slow and can't jump -- 6'5" but could never dunk more than a volleyball, and more usually a tennis ball) and I've been enjoying the success of the program lately.  I made the trip to Salem for the basketball Final Four two years ago, and what an experience it was.  Ran into a few friends from my day, and met Jimmy Bartolotta (who was D3 National Player of the Year among other things, not least of which being a really good guy).  I branched out to photographing football this year (I hoped to make some home games last year, but schedules clashed), and it's the same kind of experience.

I've been around too, including on the NEWMAC boards...I just usually am a lurker and leave the talking there to you and HN Can't hold in my excitement this season though, especially here. I've also enjoyed observing the bball success as well - Coach Anderson was my freshman adviser and then I worked with him as an associate adviser my sophomore year. Incredible man, and I hope Coach Chad is able to build the same sustainability that Coach Anderson has manage to establish on the hardwood. My other random connection to the bball team is that when visiting the 'Tute my senior year of HS, I actually stayed with Billy Johnson and Jimmy Bartolotta. Was pretty excited to then watch him take the world by storm the next few years!

To bring it back to football - has anyone here seen Husson play this year? I'm curious how we'll match up. General consensus seems to give MIT the edge, but I haven't heard much more detail.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 17, 2014, 05:17:04 PM

Quote from: GoTech73 on November 17, 2014, 04:43:48 PM

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 17, 2014, 03:37:33 PM

Quote from: wcrosby on November 17, 2014, 12:23:12 PM

Quote from: ITH radio on November 17, 2014, 10:22:13 AM
We confirmed with Duey Naatz that MIT didn't file to host, hence they are on the road and they matched up these teams b/c of geo proximity.

www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2014/11/17/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show

FF to 30 mins and you'll hear this ? answered

Well, I talked to the Athletic Director, and they did file.  But Husson's facilities were considered superior.

Not that Husson's facilities were considered superior, but that MIT's were considered inadequate. The NCAA doesn't give a lower seed a home game unless the higher seed's field cannot host.

Who would make the call on whether a facility is adequate? Since the committee chairman had the wrong information, I'm assuming it's not him? Just seems really weird that he would think MIT didn't apply, and not know that they were ruled inadequate.

I would guess it is determined by the paperwork at the NCAA office, perhaps with the input of coaches on the regional committee. They may have conferred with the soccer committee as well. I don't have a lot of visibility into that process but we've only had a few instances where a facility has been deemed inadequate and the ones that I have seen, I agreed with. For example, Carthage had a beautiful stadium but hadn't yet improved its press box and they were then sent on the road for three rounds about a decade ago.

Honestly, it doesn't necessarily matter to the chair why the school can't host. He just needs to know when constructing the bracket that a specific school can't be at home; whether it's a lack of paperwork or an insufficient facility, it's the same box that gets checked for the committee.

I haven't been to a soccer playoff game in more than a decade but football has some pretty specific requirements in terms of minimum seating because of the number of game day personnel required, plus media, an NCAA observer, game official, etc. If you can't seat everyone needed, then you're not going to host. Mass-Dartmouth didn't host in 2002 because of that either, and we understand Framingham State was supposed to host in 2012 but couldn't.

Do please enjoy the playoffs and don't assume the NCAA has it out for MIT. I can't imagine the NCAA knowing enough about specific schools to have a vendetta.

Oh I definitely don't think the NCAA has it out for us - just looking to understand the process, and I know this is the best place to have a shot doing so. Thanks for sharing your insights, Pat!

Interesting that you brought up Carthage as well - I was with one of my MIT teammates' this weekend whose brother played on that Carthage team, and he was pretty sure MIT *wouldn't* be able to host because of that, so I wasn't terribly surprised yesterday. We'll just take the show on the road and get to see the sights in Bangor!

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 17, 2014, 03:37:33 PM

Quote from: wcrosby on November 17, 2014, 12:23:12 PM

Quote from: ITH radio on November 17, 2014, 10:22:13 AM
We confirmed with Duey Naatz that MIT didn't file to host, hence they are on the road and they matched up these teams b/c of geo proximity.

www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2014/11/17/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show

FF to 30 mins and you'll hear this ? answered

Well, I talked to the Athletic Director, and they did file.  But Husson's facilities were considered superior.

Not that Husson's facilities were considered superior, but that MIT's were considered inadequate. The NCAA doesn't give a lower seed a home game unless the higher seed's field cannot host.

Who would make the call on whether a facility is adequate? Since the committee chairman had the wrong information, I'm assuming it's not him? Just seems really weird that he would think MIT didn't apply, and not know that they were ruled inadequate.

In terms of improvements, it is something that has been in the works for years. When I was still a player (pre-2010) I remember seeing project renderings on the same footprint. Wcrosby can confirm, there are still ongoing plans. However, as Ms. Soriero mentioned to ITHradio, the facility has been grandfathered in on ADA compliance and no bathrooms. Touching the stadium at all invalidates that grandfathering, which drove the cost of the project larger than the budget. Fundraising efforts have been directed toward endowing a full time Assistant Coach, as right now Coach Chad is the only full time coach in the program.

As rlk mentioned, giving any appearance of preferential treatment to football would cause issues at MIT from a culture standpoint (and I don't even think that's a bad thing), and the current stadium appears to be suitable for other sports - the 1st round of the Women's Soccer tournament was hosted there just this past weekend.

All in all, MIT's endowment goes to academics and research, and DAPER's small budget is (rightfully) evenly distributed. Thus, fundraising is the only answer (Bob and Eveline Roberts donated the large sum to build the turf field in the summer of '08), and while this is a priority, it hasn't made it to the top yet. To be honest, I hope the correct word gets out, as I think this reality, combined with the exciting season, could in fact prompt some gifts.

And thanks to all the forum vets here for putting up with us super- (over-?) excited playoff first-timers. We're just having a whole lot of fun right now and it can be hard to hold those emotions in sometimes

MIT with the win over Endicott tonight in a terrific game!  MIT got off to a hot start again, but Frenette figured things out in the second half and went up 29-28 early in the 4th before MIT reestablished their running game, responded with a score followed by a pick and then a dominant run attack to run out the final 4 minutes.

Quote from: ECoastFootball on October 29, 2014, 11:55:28 AM

Quote from: D3MAFAN-MG on October 29, 2014, 11:07:29 AM
It is always good to see new teams emerge, but I think I would rather see a team that schedules strong and plays well regardless if they win or lose represent the conference. In addition, if MIT does win out, they are essentially knocking off another good team in that of Framingham State, which would continue to hurt the North East region in trying to improve itself. Nevertheless, if MIT wins out and wins a game or two (unlikely), that would be great for the region and DIII.

Agreed. I'll definitely be pulling for Endicott. 1, I think they should be rewarded for scheduling tough teams OOC, and 2. I obvioulsy would like to see Framingham in the playoffs at 9-1. If MIT knocks Endicott down to 7-3 (6-4 maybe with WNEU looming) and Rowan takes another L, Fram will be in trouble.

That being said, I'm not worried because I think Endicott is the best team of the bunch.

FWIW, MIT is working to line up WPI and possibly RPI next year. OOC the past few years has indeed been poor, but Coach Chad was still getting his feet under him.

Regardless of OOC, this weekend will say a lot about who deserves to be where. Looking to be a cold and rainy mess, but should be a great game nonetheless.

Just saw the score/press release from the MIT/Clark game tonight - Final was 63-36, MIT held Clark to just 19% from the floor! Did anyone happen to watch any of the game? Curious if MIT's defense is really that good, or if Clark just had a really bad day?

Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 09:53:15 AM
Have not seen nearly enough to comment on all NEWMAC teams.

Most every projection I have seen has all 3 in - however, a cautionary tale - most every projection had WPI in last year!

No worries this year! All 3 projected teams punched their ticket this year:

WPI will host SUNY Purchase
Springfield will host Ithaca
MIT will travel to St. Mary's (Md.)

After leading for about 80% of the game, MIT simply could not get the ball in the hoop late in the second half, and Springfield made their clutch shots to win 68-60.

Pretty nice win for MIT today at Babson. MIT led wire to wire, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and never looking back. Early in the 2nd half the lead stretched to 26. Babson got within 11 at one point, but no closer down the stretch. Hot 3 point shooting really helped, with the Engineers ultimately hitting 44% from deep. Also, one of Babson's bigs, Wickey, got two very quick fouls early on, and that allowed MIT's frontcourt to do some damage.

Glad to see Tech gaining speed as opposed to slowing down during the home stretch.

Quote from: continental on November 24, 2012, 07:36:50 AM
2013 NEFC schedule posted...some interesting games ooc including MIT going to Cali

http://www.newenglandfootballconference.com/seasons/2013/2013_NEFC_Schedule.pdf

Yeah that trip to Pomona Pitzer is part of a program at MIT that a big donor put in place a few years ago. Basically, the donor gave a large sum of money to fund a big road trip game for most or all of the varsity programs at MIT. That trip is the one for the football team. Those that follow Men's Basketball in the region might have noticed MIT MBB has a trip to LaVerne out in Cali this winter - that's funded by the same program.

Quote from: rlk on December 05, 2012, 06:48:52 PM
Game admission is free.

Interesting. I based that statement off the fact that football games are $5 for non students, surprised they differ, but cool!

Quote from: WPI89 on December 05, 2012, 05:04:11 PM
I love your standards MASSD3 and we may be splitting hairs on word usage but Salem has always been a very tough place to go into and come out with a win - they basically lose about 1 home game a year - it was over a year ago that they lost their last home game (to Tufts).

Here's to hoping it's nerd power week and the other Engineers make it 2 in a row tomorrow!

Quote from: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 02:36:31 PM

Quote from: amh63 on December 05, 2012, 12:47:45 PM
Agree on the charge for a video feed.....one of last few schools in NE.  MIT had a relative "good" year on its investments....so a free website feed should be well within their budget.  Maybe I will make a remark on the matter when I make my annual gift!

I dont think the athletics department budget is directly proportional to the growth of the Institute's endowment.  Don't forget MIT had to cut 8 sports not so long ago for budgeting reasons, so it may be a case where the service would not be offered at all if it was not self-sustaining.

I definitely remember the cuts (was actually on the undergrad gov't athletics committee when they happened), but it's not like streaming video is on that scale in terms of cost. A couple students or a sports info staffer per game + an mediocre HD Camera + Ustream simply doesnt add up to a whole lot. With AmericaOne it's $7/game (more than the price of physical admission, i believe), and at least when I've used it for football it hasn't been HD, and has had problems cutting out as well.

There is the possibility of course that they are locked into some form of long term contract with AmericaOne, and they don't have the freedom to improve upon any of this.

Anyway, sorry about the rant, but it's been a pet peeve of mine for a couple years now... Thanks for the rundown of the big men, HN.