MBB: MAC Freedom League

[Gregory Sager]

Ditto on Warren, hope he's OK or moved to Florida like most people his age (Sorry Gramps, couldn't resist  )

Warren sent me an e-mail on Thursday. He's fine. He's just taking a brief posting sabbatical. I suspect that we'll see him back on Posting Up before too long.

[NEPAFAN]

I had a chance to speak briefly with a Freedom League coach a couple of weeks back (no, it wasn't a local coach), and he told me that Scranton really stuck it to the rest of the league.
Enough said!

I think we need to remember that there are more sports than basketball, which factored in the decision. I know that they (scranton) are trying to build a successful lacrosse program after years of losing. This allows them to recruit further on long island, VA, DC and Maryland. It also gives them more of a presence in these areas...with prospective students, and alumni.   I saw an interview with a scranton coach that echoed these sentiments. ...

[The Authority]

ColonelJohn,

DeSales actually has many fans.  But unlike many (on this board) we don't make a habit of shooting our mouths about a really nice conference win that happens in December.  Last time I checked trophies were handed out in February.

In the meantime we'll sit on top of the standings over the Christmas holidays and hope that when the New Year hits, the Bulldogs can continue its strong play and reverse the theory that we can't get it done in February.  I certainly can't argue about that fact, but we'll continue to work hard at raising a banner in Billera.

And one more thing...Solitaire is what Wilkes students play, we at DeSales have upgraded to the more challenging Spider Solitaire offered on most Windows XP computers.

Happy Holidays to all!

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Authority,

Congratulations on being the first DeSales fan to post up in recent memory.  (Ever?)  Provided I make it up for the DeSales game on January 13th, a ColonelDog and beverage of your choice are on me.  Only trepidation I have about that one - York Catholic plays at Trinity that night.

I'd make a joke about the banners in Billera Hall (dump), but this isn't that moment.  As you said, it's December.  Just this once, I won't even make a joke about the seating capacity.  I'm still just stunned that a legitimate DeSales fan has entered the building.  Quick bit of advice, just beware the Curse of Greg Riley.

I should be mad.  But I'm not.  I'm just impressed, Baxter.
-Ron Burgundy

[susquejamma]

It just makes more sense for Scranton to join the Landmark Conference from an academic standpoint. Princeton Review's Best 361 Schools list -- which I consider to be the most viable rankings for colleges, given that USAToday's tiered system is skewed -- features Landmark-bound Drew, Catholic, Goucher, Juniata, Merchant Marine, Moravian, Susquehanna and The University of Scranton. It only makes sense that Scranton join the ranks of those other schools to create Division III's version of the Patriot League, and it is logical for the Landmark to seek Scranton rather than the doltish Elizabethtown. The Freedom and Commonwealth are now left without any schools on those lists, and generally consist of schools that aren't academically-strong, such as Albright and Delaware Valley.

The Landmark will feature top-notch teams from Juniata's women's volleyball, Mercant Marine and Catholic's swimming teams, Susquehanna's men's golf, Scranton's women's basketball.

I agree the rivalry between Wilkes and Scranton has dwindled. I remember back in the Januzzi-era when you had to show up 3-40 minutes before gametime to get a seat. And when Wilkes fans would taunt Scranton's SID's misspelling of players' names by chanting "Hooked-on-Phonics." The Freedom in other sports is considerably weaker than the Commonwealth, so it isn't much in the first place. Maybe if Scranton was in the Commonwealth one could say it was dodging Messiah or Elizabethtown, but I don't think Royal fans will be missing any outstanding competition from Delaware Valley or DeSales.

[Warren Thompson]

" ... the doltish Elizabethtown"? 

[adam]

Welcome back Warren!!!!!!  Hope all is well.

Susquejamma, we used to chant hooked on phonics in a negative way towards the less than stellar academic background of Al Callejas.  But I miss those days as well.  I still remember a year at Scranton where they closed the doors at 7:00 because the gym had already reached capacity.

[Warren Thompson]

Adam, check your e-mail. I sent you a couple of messages ....

[susquejamma]

Susquejamma, we used to chant hooked on phonics in a negative way towards the less than stellar academic background of Al Callejas.  But I miss those days as well. 

Fair enough, I was only a young Colonel fan back then and had just assumed it was because Brian Gryboski's name was spelled G-R-Y-B-O-W-S-K-I in the program.

[ljk]

Grybo, what a crowd pleaser!!

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Warren,
Welcome home.  Unless you consider the Commonwealth board your home.  Then, we're all just glad to see you're alright.

...and hey, what's wrong with E-town??  It's a fine little school, in a finer little town, in my humble opinion.

'Jamma,
First off, I love the PMZ blog.  Named for Waylon Smithers's favorite TV show?  For you to have been a young Colonel when Gryboski was in his prime, and to have opinions like that about W-B politics... how do I not know you already?!  All that aside, you're the first person to give me stats behind Scranton's move.  Merely serves as an excuse for me to weave the words "Scranton still sucks" into another message.

Best typo in the Scranton / Wilkes rivalry:  99-00 season, Wilkes at Scranton.  Programs read "Wilkes COLONIALS".  The irony?  They nailed "Lady Colonels" for the first game of the doubleheader.

[cold_case]

Hey, CorporalJohn,
Peyton was checking some scores recently and asked if the Clarkson team that throttled Wilkes on Friday night is the same tired unit that got buried at Scranton just 24 hours earlier?

Also, I can't wait to read tanasoga's followup post regarding Scranton. This should be fun.

[susquejamma]

...and hey, what's wrong with E-town??  It's a fine little school, in a finer little town, in my humble opinion.

'Jamma,
First off, I love the PMZ blog.  Named for Waylon Smithers's favorite TV show? 

I'm impressed that you reckonized The Simpsons' reference. It was Waylan's excuse as to how he couldn't have murdered Mr. Burns. I've been a Wilkes fan since the 1995-96 when Jay Williams threw up something like 12 points in less than a minute against Cabrini in the playoffs. It still stands as the greatest thing I've ever seen in sports. There were a few seasons where my father and I would attend every away game, including that heartbreaker to Richard Stockton at William Paterson. However, I've had to put my Colonel alliances aside a few years ago to support the Orange and Maroon.

(At least I have something to cheer about now).

And everyone in the Commonwealth knows Elizabethtown is a clown college.

[Warren Thompson]

There you go again, jamma. E-town's not only "doltish," now you claim it's a "clown college."

(You're rapidly earning yourself a reputation for not knowing the official unofficial [and thus unspoken] rules: in the MAC rooms, only Wilkes and Scranton fans are allowed to insult and abuse each other and their institutions. By common consent, every other MAC venue is untouchable.)

[saratoga]

CaseCold: You've got that right...after Wilkes back-to-back losses to DVC & Clarkson it sure got quiet. I think we need to fire old Wilburt up & get the action going. Maybe the MAC can convince the powers to be at Fisk to take the spot of Scranton, Drew, Juniata, Susquehanna or Moravian. That way the Wilkes crowd can deal with Wilburt all season. It really is a crazy game that can be pretty darn unpredictable at times. I mean Wilkes gets a Clarkson team that plays Scranton on Thurs. and loses real big...has to play the next night AT Wilkes and against a fresh team & they blast Wilkes out of their cubby. CC, I can only assume what you've stated about assurances from the UofS being thrown out the window is accurate. I've personally not heard it that way. With 5 schools leaving & only 2(Arcadia & Manhattenville) coming in...what options does the ol MAC have??? Alfred E. Neuman, Marywood, Alvernia...how pathetic. I did get a chance to personally speak to a few Scranton coaches in sports besides b-ball & they are really looking forward to the move. Even one of the b-ball coaches stated how nice it's going to be playing Goucher for instance on a Fri. evening, having all day Sat. to take the team into DC. to visit various sights & then play at Catholic on Sun. Lastly, I think the Desales pummeling of Kings was really a shocker...not so much that they(Desales) won in their hell-hole, rather the convincing manner in which they did it. Just remember though, Desales is like a great pair of jeans you've had awhile...they tend to fade.