University Athletic Association

[aueagle]

Congrats to CWRU for an outstanding season and win versus Ohio Wesleyan.
Major Spartan/CWRU70: We're you at the game?
Rematch at Selby Oct 18, 2008
Good Luck in the playoffs

[DagarmanSpartan]

aueagle,

No, I wasn't at the game.

I'm stationed in TX.

[WUDLINE]

cwru 70 -
Thanks for the info. It is much appreciated. sorry to hear about your WR and QB. I hope Whalen can play. It would be a shame to work so hard to get to this point and not be able to play. From your analysis it appears as if both teams have a strong D that specializes in turnovers, pressure, and speed. It should be quite an interesting afternoon for those of us that like to watch good D. It will be interesting to see how the level of competition from the two conferences match up. It is my understanding from certain posters on your board that CWRU is not as respected as they should be after a 10-0 season. I know that WU is experiencing the same thing after a down year for some of their MAC competitors.

[DagarmanSpartan]

WUDLINE,

For one thing, our schedule this year was not the toughest.  For another, the UAA isn't generally known as a football conference (it only has four football playing members; Rochester plays football in another conference).  And finally, Case has never made the Division III playoffs before, was only 5-5 last year, and the so-called "experts" did not forecast Case to be a playoff caliber team during the pre-season.

For all those reasons, our 10-0 finish may seem flukish to outsiders, and not get the level of respect that it deserves.

Hopefully, our starting QB will be back this Saturday, and we'll earn the respect that we deserve by advancing past the first round.

[bman]

There you are WUDline...I was wondering where you went...

I have to say, that although I have been on these boards since (almost) the beginning...I have never been on this one.   An odd and improbable match-up, but I think a fun one nonetheless...

Good luck to the Spartans this weekend, and safe travels to you DLine....

[WUDLINE]

Bman -
I decided to stay off the east boards as much as possible in a silent protest to our removal from the east (mount union) bracket. Just kidding. I figured I would find out a little about the competition and fan base that we have the pleasure of celebrating our return to the post season with. Seems to be a pretty nice bunch, and Case appears to be a program much like our own. A Strong D,  good special teams.They have quality skilled kids on O, and good coaching it should be a nice game to watch. Have fun at Dutch Wonderland, divorce is to expensive, I will have a cold one for you in Cleveland.

[formerwu]

WUDline - When in Cleveland head down to "The Flats."  Lots of things to do, and easy to get to.  Not sure how far it is away from CWR campus.  A little help here.

Bman - I'll be in Camden for our final reg season midget game.  Gametime is 12noon.  Will get home as quick as possible to catch what I can on the live stream.  Dude, didn't you already go to DW once this year?  BTW - I did get the Wii and won $180 later that night.  Woohoo.

[bman]

FormerWu

I'll come early to the next poolhouse excursion to check it out (unless it's a Christmas thing...)

WUDLine  I'll take that beer (in spirit)

CWRU folks, I went to a Widener/Christopher Newport U game, when CNU was a new program, and made the playoffs for the first time(I'm sure WUDline remembers very well , and talked with tons of CNU parents and fans prior to the game.  They were so excited to be part of the playoffs, and even after when it wasn't a good outcome for them, they had a great time with it.

It was a great lesson for me(and should be for everyone)...   I for one am going to enjoy this, regardless of the outcome...

[PoppaN]

WUDline - When in Cleveland head down to "The Flats."  Lots of things to do, and easy to get to.  Not sure how far it is away from CWR campus.  A little help here

Depends on which side of town you stay on . From the Campus area it is 5 minutes away.
I would suggest a stop to the Rock Hall of Fame also.

Should you care for Italian Cuisine it is a walk away from the campus. Located in " Little Italy" . My favorite is Mama Santo's .

The Coventry area has Restaurants and shops which is located 5 minutes from the Campus also(by vehicle). I enjoy the Mongolian Barbecue at Coventry or Cosmic Daves Subs for lunch. They have some neat shops to browse. 8)

While on Campus you may want to stop by the Thwing Center and visit Whackadoo's for a light meal and beverages.
Now that the tour is over please exit the bus in an orderly fashion.

Just thought I could add a few extra options for your stay.

Congratulations Spartans and Good Luck to all participants in D3 Playoffs.

GO CASE !!!! GO SPARTANS !!!! GO BLUE !!!!

[ADL70]

I'd second (and third) the recommendation of Mama Santa's.  It's upMayfield Rd, but parking is tough in Little Italy, so you may want to walk from campus-just a few blocks.  It's been there since the 60s

[Maybe Frank knows if Warren Lahr and his Deke brothers ate there.]

Don't go if you're in a hurry though.  And it isn't very large.  Last fall I had a 45 min wait for pizza.  Pizza is great, not too thin not to thick.  Homemade pasta to die for.

The Flats is a down from what it once was IMHO.  The new, hotter area is Warehouse Dist. W 3rd & 4th.  Walking distance from Sheraton on Public Sq.

Wackadoos is named for the sandwich they used to sell at the now-defunct Commadore Deli. It wold be know to you Philly folks as a "grinder" I believe.  Or are they heros in Philly?

So much for the Gallavanting Gourmand...

[DagarmanSpartan]

formerwu,

When I was up in Cleveland a few months ago, the Flats had pretty much shut down.  The Improv and a few restaurants are still open in the West Flats, but the East Flats looked like one great big abandoned building with a "for lease" sign on it.

It almost broke my heart.

If you're looking for night life, the places to go are the Warehouse District, which is downtown a few blocks from the Flats, or Coventry Village.  There are some good microbreweries in the Warehouse District.  The area by Jacobs Field also has a few good pubs.

If you're out at CWRU, eat at "That Place" restaurant, or Club Isabella, both very nice high-end establishments right there in University Circle.  If you head down to Little Italy, try Mama Santos, as has been previously mentioned.

Stop for coffee on the South side of campus at the Algebra Tea House, and on the North Side at the Arabica Cafe.

cwru70,

Is there any more word on whether Whalen will start at QB?

[bman]

...
Wackadoos is named for the sandwich they used to sell at the now-defunct Commadore Deli. It wold be know to you Philly folks as a "grinder" I believe.  Or are they heros in Philly?

So much for the Gallavanting Gourmand...

In Philly, we have "subs" typically cold deli sandwiches on long rolls.  We do have "Grinders", but with the exception of a few places (and FF places like Quiznos) they are not prevalent.  Hero's are a NY sandwich (I believe)...
The hot sandwich of choice in the Philly area of course is the Cheesesteak...everyone has their own preference, but I am a fan of Jim's steaks (on South street) rather than the popular tourist destinations of Pat's and Geno's...

ok now I am hungry...

[DagarmanSpartan]

Gang,

Here is a VERY interesting article on what the emphasis is at Case.

Pat Coleman didn't want to believe me when I told him how non-seriously sports were taken back when I was at Case in the early 90s.

Well, we might be recruiting better athletes now (which I attribute to an increase in overall enrollment, that just HAPPENED to create a larger potential athlete pool, and which he attributes more to some systematic recruiting program by the coaches).  HOWEVER, that being said, certain things STILL haven't changed.

Back when I was in school, not only did most sports hold open tryouts, just like a high-school athletic program, but moreover, it was considered perfectly all right to miss sports practices for academic reasons.  In fact, you'd be amazed at how sparse athletic practices seemed in many sports.  I can personally remember walking by football practices and seeing barely enough people there for the team to conduct full-blown scrimmages.  I had a fraternity brother that received a varsity letter in fencing (which has since been demoted to club sport status) that rarely showed up except for the meets/tournaments.

Not sure if more people attend practices now, but the part about it being perfectly OK to miss practice for academic reasons has definitely NOT changed.

This week, a couple of starters missed practice to study organic chemistry.  And we've got a PLAYOFF game this week.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Read on.

FOOTBALL READY FOR FIRST ROUND OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP...
Past Text" to place, then use Bold and Italic for Subheads --
CLEVELAND, OH - It's hard to describe in words what this Saturday's football game at Case Western Reserve University Field means.  Maybe it's that the ivory walls of academia can co-exist with the green grass of the gridiron or simply that hard work pays off. For Spartans Head Coach Greg Debeljak it could mean good things come to those who wait.
"We had a practice last night without a couple starters on defense because they had a review session for organic chemistry," Debeljak explained.  "My new coaches were commenting 'don't they know it's the playoffs' and I told them 'it doesn't matter – it's just part of being an athlete here.'"
No. 15 ranked Case Western Reserve will only be missing players to injury when it makes its first NCAA Division III playoff appearance Saturday at 12:00 p.m. for a first round game against visiting Widener University (8-2), which has won two national championships (1977 & 1988) and made 12 NCAA postseason appearances (Game Notes: Case -- Widener).
Debeljak, a 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year candidate (VOTE HERE!), has been patient.  He served 15 years as an assistant before getting his shot.  The Mentor, Ohio native spent 12 years as an assistant at his alma mater, John Carroll University, and three seasons as an associate head coach at Case Western Reserve before being named the Spartans skipper in 2004.
"A lot of people are patting me on the back for this year," Debeljak said.  "I'm grateful the team is getting recognition, but I am the same guy I was four years ago when I took the job.  I haven't changed and the reason I'm doing it hasn't.  I enjoy the type of student-athlete I get to work with at this level.
Case Western Reserve finished 5-5 twice (2004 & 2006) and 3-7 (2005) during Debeljak's first three seasons.  Considering the Spartans had only posted one winning record in 15 years prior to this season, this year's 10-0 regular season mark, first outright University Athletic Association championship and first NCAA playoff berth is quite a leap.
"It took awhile, but we stayed the course," Debeljak explained.  "We believed in what we were doing and built it the right way.  We got the right kids in here by recruiting hard and (assistant coaches) Marcus [Macalla], Derek [Slesh] and Tom [Kauffman] did a good job with that."
Having coached in the NCAA playoffs twice before at John Carroll, Debeljak knows exactly what's at stake - if you lose, you're out.  But the Spartans will not do anything different on the field and why should they?  They enter Saturday ranked 24th in the country in scoring offense (36.5 avg.), 14th in scoring defense (14.1 avg.) and 10th in turnover margin (1.6 avg.).
"Will there be a little more intensity?  Maybe," Debeljak said.  "But I thought the Carnegie Mellon game was pretty intense, the Washington University game was pretty intense and the Ohio Wesleyan game was very intense because we knew we had to win to make it to this point."
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ... Saturday's game is an NCAA event and they dictate the ticket prices (no presale) and game day procedures.  General admission is $8.00 and college students will be charged $4.00.  A generous contribution from Case Western Reserve's Office of Student Affairs has lowered Case student ticket prices to $2.00 at the gate and if you are one of the first 500 students at the gate, USG has provided $1,000 in funding to make your ticket free!  The game will be simulcast (audio & video) live at www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/broadcast.  There will be no local radio due to previous scheduled programming.
WIN FREE FOOD AT THE GAME ... The University revealed its new Spartan mascot uniform this fall and boy is it a beauty.  Do you think you can still do better with a white sheet, a broom and some aluminum foil?  Put your creativity to the test Saturday at the game.  The Athletic Department will bring the top five Spartan costumes down from the stands on to the track at halftime and allow the crowd [by its applause] to pick the winner.  That person will received a food and drink party for 10 courtesy of one of the Spartans' corporate partners.

[Pat Coleman]

Gang,

Here is a VERY interesting article on what the emphasis is at Case.

Pat Coleman didn't want to believe me when I told him how non-seriously sports were taken back when I was at Case in the early 90s.

Well, we might be recruiting better athletes now (which I attribute to an increase in overall enrollment, that just HAPPENED to create a larger potential athlete pool, and which he attributes more to some systematic recruiting program by the coaches).  HOWEVER, that being said, certain things STILL haven't changed.

What's interesting is that the coaches themselves agreed with me and asked you to stop posting about it.

The item you highlighted in the story is not unusual in Division III, hate to tell you.

[ADL70]

No one has disagreed with your perception of the bad old days.  But your experience compared to what is happening now represents how things have changed on a paradigm.  The Observer article from last year reported on recruiting efforts. 

CWRU is a more attractive place now and is attracting more students, but quality student athletes aren't just showing up.  They are being recruited.  Look at basketball.  The men's team has twelve recruits (a huge increase over past years), but the women's team which hired its new coach very late in the recruiting process only attracted three.  The coaches had to recruit from the student body.  http://observer.case.edu/Archives/Volume_40/Issue_11/Story_2208/

This next article states that four years ago was the first time CWRU recruited for soccer.

http://blog.case.edu/varsity/

Lots of things are looking up at CWRU, but the teams haven't achieved with just who showed up...recruiting is responsible.  And all evidence points to that fact.  That you choose to ignore the facts diminishes the efforts that coaches have made to build the teams.  Why you choose to ignore the facts is a mystery.  You can recruit and still keep academics first.  In fact that would be a recruiting point. 

Let it go.