Good to see so many of the Old Guard back in the 'hood, and Lumber still keeping the youngsters in line.

What did I miss!  Any brewing controversies over Administrations?  New PC mascots?  Snazzy uniforms?  Pronoun confusion?  And what the heck is legendary HCOF Kelton up to these days?

Humblest as well.

Perhaps they decided to spend the season atoning for the smallpox blankets?

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day to all.

Quote from: maineman on November 15, 2021, 10:28:53 AM
So is anyone willing to hazard a guess as to what the pecking order will be in 2022?

The 2022 Bobcats with their QB with the golden arm steal a page from the ca. 2016 Jumbos and surprise a bunch of regulars here.  5-4 maybe even 6-3, knocking off Bowdoin in OT, Hamilton, Midd, Tufts and either Amherst or Colby.  One star waning, the other waxing.

Williams repeats as CAC champs with Wes in 2nd.  Amherst has an even more Biddy-ful season (see what I did there?)

For the first time in ages, parents of Conts and Panther players find this board.  At least one NESCAC school replaces its visitor tailgate area with an EV charging facility.

NESCAC sees its first female and nin-binary football players.  My Crystal ball is unsure whether Wes or Amherst leads the charge here.

And the game day broadcasts still suck.  You read it here first.

Congratulations to the Ephs, and to the Maimaron family after a challenging year.  Richly deserved, and a stellar comeback for the program after the Kelton Dark Years. 

For me, this tweet of the final play in the Hamilton Bates game captures the essence of everything that is good about D3 football.  Tied up, 13 seconds on the clock, ball at midfield, FY QB standing in for the team leader, and OMG what a dime.  I hope that the Bobcats can turn this "Juice" into some good recruiting classes and follow the Raymond template.  God knows they need depth - Special Teams allowed the opening kickoff to be run back, and the kicking team missed yet another PAT - but maybe the administration will wake up and realize this sort of jubilation is good for the school.

Thanks to my fellow posters for an entertaining year - a much needed bit of normalcy in some peculiar times.  Happy Holidays to all, stay well, and I look forward to reconvening next year.

I can't figure out how to link directly to the video on this board, but click on the link, and watch the second video "My view":

https://twitter.com/i/status/1459650803912916994

Quote from: JEFFFAN on November 07, 2021, 05:42:32 PM
Love it - only in the NESCAC could 25 be achieved that way, with three missed extra points!!

6 x 4 = 24. 24 + 1 Extra Point = 25

Hey mea culpa.  My kids been out of the CAC for 4 years and I've been watching enough non-CAC games that I forgot that in The League Where They Pay to Underachieve you can, in fact, score 4 TD's with only one PAT.

Of course I remember when the CBB kickers (plus the K's from Midd, Tufts and Wes) had a mutual admiration society and were buds off the field as well.  So I guess I have an excuse for what was, in retrospect, a stupid question.

With this dearth of talent how long before we see our first female K in the conference?

It's apparently not just the NESCAC Scoreboard; there appears to be a pandemic of stupid in SIO's across the CAC.

Can anyone explain this math to me?  I mean, I love Costa but how do you score 25 points on 4 TD's?

From the Bates Football website:

BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Senior Brendan Costa threw for four touchdowns in the second half and the Bates football team twice erased a 10-point deficit to win 25-24 at Bowdoin Saturday night at Whittier Field, in the 123rd meeting between the rivals.

Quote from: lumbercat on October 31, 2021, 06:59:16 PM
In a very commendable show of total class following the handshake line most of the Colby players walked over to QB Costa who was immobilized on the sidelines and individually shook hands and offered their respect. They knew if the kid was around the second half the result may very well have been different.

Good luck to the Mules against the Black and White but they've got a problem to deal with in between in the person of a re emergent Tufts team.

That's a classy post lumber.  +K

As classy as the Mules were, I have boundless respect for the Cats this year.  They were handed the ultimate sh*t sandwich in 2021.  Lost their HCOF right before the start of the season, small roster, horribly lackluster recruiting class.  Yet they fought hard in every game, punched above their weight, and never, ever gave in.

Perhaps their biggest obstacle is the sheer indifference of the Bates Administration and student body, past and present.

Saturday was Senior Day, and the Bob Cub went to the game to pay his respects to the members of the Class of 2021, who were FY's his senior year.  He did not see a single other teammate from the classes of 2015 through 2020 at Garcellon.  And he estimates the total student attendance at the game as +/- 75.

Under the circumstances, it would be easy for the boys to give up on the season, their new coach, and their teammates.  But they didn't.  20 seconds left and they were still fighting for the win, with their star player knocked out of the game and a FY at the helm.

I have respect for the Devanneys, Raymonds and EJ's of this world who can build a winning program. But I have more respect for the scrappy underdogs who keep fighting despite adversity on all sides.

Too bad Clayton Spencer doesn't realize she has something remarkable there.  Those kids may not win the CBB, but they are winners in my book.

To resurrect the perennial argument:  You can debate whether K's are "football players" but it's hard to win without one.  Bates has put up a good battle against the Mules today, even though the Colby sideline feels like it has twice as many players as the home sideline.  But twice the Bobcats went for it on 4th and short in the red zone instead of trying a FG.  Both times they got stopped.  Pretty clear the Bates HCOF has zero confidence in their K.

It's a shame because Costa has been stellar and the D has been solid, except for one blown coverage resulting in the Colby TD.  That safety was pretty sweet.  And when the long snapper sailed one over the P's head, the D held the Mules to a three and out (with a pooch punt no less)

I remember years when Bates Special Teams were really strong, and could complain that the O didn't give them enough opportunities to put points on the board.  The tables have really turned.  I'm betting that pillow fight or not, the CBB may be decided by the K's and P's this year.

Totally bush league.  I'm guessing Sour grapes?  Like you really wanted to go to Trin but didn't get an offer?  Keep it classy D3FLETCH

While I'm with you in theory, I've been to games where there weren't enough students - musical or otherwise - in the stands to form a trio let alone a Band.

Whatever happened to AUPep?  His brainchild (The Alfred University Kazoo Band) would be workable in the CAC, and you wouldn't have to be a tuition paying student to join in the fun.

Quote from: lumbercat on October 26, 2021, 08:10:22 PM
Where is Polarcat on this conversation- he'd make a satirical killing with this. As he approaches last call I think we might hear from him.

Actually feeling pretty blase about the whole thing.  I spent Sunday at Gillette with Polar Kitten and the Bob Cub watching to see if a certain illustrious NESCAC scion (Mullet Boy) would make any intriguing facial contortions.  Much more interesting to me than the question of where the stripes belong on the uniform, or what cheers were popular with slutty townie girls who were pressed into service as NESCAC cheerleaders in the 19th century.

(Speaking of cheerleaders, the Pats have two male cheerleaders this season.  Hmmmm....  My apologies in advance if any of your sons - or any of you - dream of waving pom poms with glitter in your hair, but to this dinosaur it just felt odd).

Regarding the Bowdoin uniform suggestions: Binary color combinations - like binary student bodies - are so last century.  Forget what some troglodyte in the SIO says; Bowdoin's official colors are white ... and black ... and brown ... and yellow ... .and purple ... and pink ... and whatever color Megan Rapinoe's hair is this week.  Does anyone who has met Clayton Rose think he would ever allow the team to be called the Bowdoin White Privilege?  I think we're more likely to see the Rainbow Warriors instead.

Sorry.  That's all I got.

Stop.  Just stop.  That's like saying why not expand the week to 8 days or the periodic table of elements to 150.  It's never going to happen in our lifetimes so let's stop derailing the board.

Thank you.

What is the current state of tailgating at Whitter?  Has the old arrangement adjacent to the field been restored?  Or. do you need to take a moped or Uber from your spot to the field?

We used to love visiting with Barry Mills when he strolled the rough the tailgate.  I'm not sure Clayton Rose even knows what a tailgate is (other than an elitist superspreader event).

Quote from: lumbercat on October 13, 2021, 10:17:00 PM
The best one to me is Daddy Warbucks saying the Colby football program has disrupted sonny boys sleep schedule. I can't stop laughing at that one.

It makes our day when Lumber gets feisty (or should I say "when Lumber gets wood?")  Da Board is coming to LIFE!

Quote from: PolarCat on September 22, 2021, 08:35:40 PM
SPOILER ALERT You're new here, so sorry to burst your bubble, but this is what we do.  We haven't really gotten into coach bashing yet, but it's only a matter of time.  We'll have a drive by shooting by guys from the Liberty League or Empire 8 Board, the traditional debate about uniforms, mascots, and who has the worst President in the 'CAC.  Almost certainly a debate about whether punters and kickers are indeed football players.  Someone will bring up the list of former CAC players who went on to play in the NFL or CFL (it's a short list) and we will take sides.

Johnny Utes will come up with a sly observation that will make us all smile and go "Whoa! Johnny can still bring it!"  If we are lucky, an ex coach will stop by, take exception to something one of us said, and wave his penis in our collective faces.  Homage will be paid to Darp, and we will keep track of HCOF Kelton's progress in D1.

In mid-November the ritual lamenting about playoffs and post-season play will ensue.  We may no longer marvel at the novelty of night games, but I hope not.  Tweaking the nose of Trin 7-2 and sh*tting on the Obnoxious New Guy (the name and persona change each year, but he appears every year in some new guise, often a parent from Joisey who is not-so-subtly boasting about his kid, and upset that the coach can't see he's the best player in the history of the conference), and some older guy who tries to match the venom (often Jumpshot but not always).  We love to see that amh63 is still walking this earth, and more sprightly and coherent than our POTUS.   (If you didn't know, amh was one of Lord Jeffrey's original crew, who handed out the blankets to the Indigenous Peoples). 

This board is like that sofa in your mom's house where you watched the Macy's parade before the big feast every Turkey Day.  A little thread bare, a little stained, with who-knows-what prizes lurking in the cushions, but comfortable and homey AF.

This is us.  It's what we do.  Welcome.

Quote from: Charlie on October 13, 2021, 08:25:05 PM
Question off topic why does the NESCAC not expand football for playoffs or allow the teams to go into Division 3 playoffs. Seems odd that they play nine games and thats it. I know they are trying to follow the Ivy league model. But as times change in this crazy world so should these football rules. You know Coaches and players would be for it. I mean D2 schools even play 10 games for regular season. I just think 9 is way to small a season versus what other leagues play collegiately. This small amount of play has to change or playoffs should be the NESCAC needs more games

Can I call 'em or what?  True, the post season discussion started a month earlier than I predicted, but still.