Around the Nation board

[K-Mack]

All's well that ends well.

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Brian Ward" <wardb@franklin.edu>

> Hi Keith,
>
> Just wanted to thank you for writing me back, and explaining things to me. I
> apologize, because I did badger on you quite a bit. And like I mentioned
> before, I know most of you do so voluntarily. You also make good points, and I
> am sure both of us are biased toward certain teams-areas...whatever. We do the
> best we can. I want to thank you for your explination. I want to apologize if
> I came across too hard on you. Again, look at me, absolutely biased to Capital.
> I pitch a fit when I don't hear about them. Keep writing, Keith. LIke my first
> line implied, you are an excellent writer. My apologies for getting my point
> across in an angry manner. I enjoy what your webpage does, because no one else
> will. So I should not be so hard on all of you. Take care, enjoy your holiday,
> and accept my apologies. I am as biased as they come...but at heart, I try to
> be respectful. I may have missed that, so I am sorry.
>
> -Brian

Brian,
You're fine, I get e-mail from passionate fans all the time, most of it a lot worse than yours. Not a big deal, I just wanted to make sure that we were looking at the same facts before we went any further with the discussion.

--
Keith McMillan
D3football.com National Columnist
Keith@D3football.com

[ExTartanPlayer]

Pat and/or Keith,

regarding the Tight End post on the Daily Dose, I see that "kid" has done a nice job looking through all the stats - but he did miss one that would rank on one of his lists.  Derek Wisnieski of Carnegie Mellon finished the year with 13 catches for 259 yards and 3 TDs (playing in 9 games - missed 3 with a broken foot).  These statistics would rank him just above the third guy listed in the South Region.  He also is an outstanding run-blocker and a key to our run-heavy offense.  I realize that these are just statistical measures, but I didn't want him to be overlooked just because someone didn't notice his stats would rank him.  Thanks.

[K-Mack]

Gotcha. Although you probably should post that on that TE discussion if you haven't already.

Hey SeanGOP,
I just got logged out of the Dose and can't get back in, because I never log out and my password isn't what I think it is. It's been so long since I've had to log in ...

Anyway, I just got around to getting those missing all-time CCIW numbers for you:

1987 Augie 1-1 (53-0 vs. Hiram, 38-36 L to Dayton)
1988 Augie 2-1 (25-7 vs. Adrian, 28-14 vs. Wittenberg, L 23-17 in OT to Central)
1989 Milikin 1-1, Augie 0-1 (Mil beat Aug 21-12 in 1st round, Dayton won 28-16 vs. the Big Blue the next week)
1990 Augie 0-1 (L 24-14 to Dayton in 1st round)
1991 none
1992 IWU 1-1 (21-12 vs. Aurora, L 49-27 to Mount Union)

So anyway, that's what you had asked me for to fill in the blanks.

Let me know what you come up with for the CCIW's all-time playoff record.

[K-Mack]

Around the Nation has been updated with the UMHB-Wesley preview.

Thanks for your patience.

[K-Mack]

Some of the tidbits promised have ended up in/on the Looking ahead to Week 14: Quarterfinal Week Daily Dose post.

Ennnn-joy!

[K-Mack]

For those who don't take time to read through the blog:

As fans and alumni, from ex-players to jock-sniffers, it's easy to get excited about your team, and sometimes excited isn't too far from short-sighted. I'm a journalist, trained to check emotions (but not opinions) at the door. It does extend over to real life; I am so rational about some of my teams it ruins the fun. But I identify with the fans, no matter what point on the scale of fanatical, because I can be the same way about the Philadelphia Eagles.

That said, for some people, watching their team win is enough. For others, it's all about saying "I told you so." Which is fine. When you accept the responsbility of making picks, you accept the fact that you're going to be wrong a lot. That's the nature of the game, especially with regard to playoff picks. We can look at all the numbers we want, but on the field is the only thing that's proven, that's absolute. So in a way, we know nothing until the games are played.

Our picks, after going 7-1 last week, almost took a serious bath this week, as UWW and Mount Union each won 17-14. Certainly games that could've been lost. As was pointed out to me in the press box at Wesley, I don't think we've ever missed all the games before.

But the picks are not about Pat or myself. They're to give you an idea of what's expected to occur, and to generate conversation. That was definitely the case this week, which is a good thing.

It's almost flattering how much people want our respect. No matter how many times you say Wesley or St. John Fisher could win, you respect them, you could see it going their way ... all people care about is did you pick us or not.

I didn't.

If you want to rub it in, knock yourselves out. I'm distraught over it, really I am, but I can take it. 

From the Looking ahead to Week 14 thread on the Daily Dose (even though it was all hindsight by this point):

Archer Says:
The 2nd of December, 2006 at 6:52 pm
D3Keith and Pat:
So nice to see you both wrong again. Last year Wesley beat UMHB by 10 and this year by 14. Maybe someday you will pick Wesley! I looked thru the blog and everyone seemed to pick UMHB over Wesley. I wonder why? Check the stats.! I think we did about 400 to their 250. A very long trip back to Texas! Let's hope UWW is not be allowed to frezze the field again! I think you both picked Rowan over SJF-HA!

Archer Says:
The 2nd of December, 2006 at 7:08 pm
D3Keith:
Your "gut feeling" that UMHB would win must have been an empty feeling at the end of the 34-20 win of Wesley over UMHB. Maybe one of these days you might pick Wesley over UMHB, but I doubt it!

rachacha Says:
The 2nd of December, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I am not a person who likes to be a bad sport, but Ii would only like to say one thing: I told you so.

Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... Rowan: 0-1 Fisher 4-4
FIRST DOWNS................... Rowan 9 Fisher 18

dominated offense and defense.

D3Keith Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
The 2nd of December, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Archer,
I make the picks to give the people an expectation of what might happen; I don't get any particular gratification from how often I'm right or wrong. Talk all the smack you want if it makes you feel better.

You make picks, you're gonna be wrong some of the time. If there weren't some games that could go either way at this point in the playoffs, something is way wrong.

Now I was way wrong today ... on St. John Fisher. But I don't think anyone saw 31-0 coming. We all knew Rowan didn't really have the offense, but you begin to buy into teams that just find ways to win. Looks like the Cardinals didn't allow it to remain close and let the Profs bust out any late-game magic and/or gifts. Couldn't help but think Linfield '04 when I saw that final. Tough way to end, but maybe an indication they were playing above their heads the whole time.

Wesley earned their respect today. Nothing fluky about it. UMHB made it a game in the second half, and that's what worried me about them, if they ever get that running game rolling, sometimes they win going away. I think it was Warrick who said in the postgame that this year was a more fulfilling offensive performance, because if you take away those big passes from last year, there wasn't much offense. Today Wesley dictated the tempo by not being foolish and thinking they could run against UMHB. So Chip Knapp and Warrick took what they knew they could do, and made it work to their advantage.

More on that perhaps, in ATN.

So I got to meet a bunch of board regulars at the tailgate today. Archer, I take it that wasn't you who yelled to me "Hey Keith, don't pick us again next week" from the Wesley end. You did make a comment about halftime in the box, so I may have even met you, but you didn't identify yourself.

In any case, I told the guy who yelled at me (good-naturedly, I thought) in the tailgate area (I was cutting across en route to Wesley's postgame presser) that it's a good thing this isn't I-A, because we'd have had 1 vs. 2 set up a long time ago, and Wesley and SJF wouldn't even have their shots. And clearly after their performances today, they deserve a chance at getting to the championship.

The one thing that should be a hot topic for Wesley this week is how representative that 58-6 was last year at UW-W ... that was a shocker to me, I'm sure, if you go back and look at my picks this time last year.

I think the talk will be very similar to this week from St. John's, that that 34-7 score last year wasn't representative of how the two teams matchup. That proved true in a 17-14 game today.

I think that line of thinking will work for Wesley fans this week. It's not going to be easy to go into Perkins and win on grass, but another 58-6 has to be very unlikely.

D3Keith Says:
The 2nd of December, 2006 at 10:35 pm
A little disturbing, if not flattering, that a couple of you seem to be enjoying Pat and I being wrong more than you're enjoying your team winning today.

The day what I say is more interesting than what happens on the field is my last day doing this.

[K-Mack]

Sorry, another post of me blabbing (but I think it's got some worthy insight in it) that may have gotten lost because I posted it on a thread designed for last week.

Superman57,
"You're only as good as your last performance" holds up just as well in football as it must have in band. Good stuff.

That will sound sweet this week, for SJF and Wesley, I'm sure. And throwing out last year is realy the only thing Wesley can do. I give a lot of credit to Drass, when I asked him that question, he said they threw out last year this week too (i.e. not to get too overconfident about UMHB, not to read too much into the UWW loss).

Another few thoughts on Wesley ... I love Drass, and I love their guys. Articulate on their thoughts about the game, guys mentioning God in the postgame. Just good stuff all around.   I'm personally drawn to players from the Delaware Valley, and I like to see teams with some kind of mix, whether its racial, as in Wesley's case, or just from different areas/backgrounds ... in a way, that's what college is all about, realizing that even people who look and talk like you had different home lives growing up and different outlooks on the world, and anytime you see all that blend together with a grand accomplishment in mind, and see it achieved, is a really cool thing to see.

I know it's hard to believe, but the D3football.com staff tends to feel a little bit for all the teams. Rarely do we get anything but good reactions on the road, from fans and school officials, and it is nice to be appreciated, but it's nicer to know you put all that time into a service that is being well-utilized.

Where I'm going with that, though, is that I really enjoy seeing the teams who won achieve, and I feel a little bit for the guys whose seasons ended today.

Kinda stinks to be a Capital senior ... two 3-point quarterfinal losses to MUC. I mean, the flipside is not having been there at all and test yourselves, but it must also be no fun to know you were good enough to win twice, and you played well but not well enough.

St. John's too, you can hold your heads high knowing you went into Whitewater just like La Crosse did last week and gave yourselves a chance.

But losing those 17-14 games, as opposed to 31-0, means -- at least it did for me as a player -- that you go back over the game in your mind and agonize over the plays that you missed, even if you made a bunch of big ones.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Keith

The first thing I do now before thinking about some of the fly by posters is look to see how many posts they actually have made!!!!  There is also something to be said about a sore winner being worse than a sore loser...  So Keith   fugetaboutit!!!

  I haven't looked at the pics from todays game but I hope they got one of both teams in the middle of the field after the hand shakes!!! Now that's sportmanship!

  Keeps up the good work!!! Cummings already posted on the ACFC board about that 5 letter word that we would rather forget (SHOES)

[K-Mack]

Drass, and he may have just been being his classy self, said in the post-game to forget about the shoes. His team is accountable for all of that 58-6 loss last year.

The good news is they get a fresh chance this year.

Yeah, Wesley and UMHB praying at midfield together after the game was a nice sight to see.

But you almost always see the players and teams showing each other respect in D3. It's the rest of us that get out of hand sometimes.

And as far as fugeddaboutit ... I really do just like to, let's say "discuss." Maybe it's from having a brother and two sisters and us always being into some sort of disagreement.

But I believe a lot of good comes out of these so-called arguments.

How much I post in response, no matter if it's nice guys or imbeciles, really isn't indicative of it bothering me or not. I like it all. I just like to talk D3 football with anyone who'll listen, I guess. 

[K-Mack]

Now this one, folks, is just for me. You can read it if you want to, but I find myself saying this same thing so often, I figured I'd post it here so next time I need it I can find it and repurpose it instead of retyping it from scratch.

Thanks so much for your patience and patronage

Fisher57
D3 Keith... Isn't #1 your job...expert? For being experts, you guys are much to defensive.... take some critisism and move on. It's fun to see you guys carry on the way you do at times...

:roll:

My number one job is to share my knowledge about Division III football with people who want to be informed. When you come on here adding next to nothing to the discussion, my job is to add something to it.

It's no news flash that Pat and I like to mix it up on the boards. The thing is, the vast majority of people on here have earned our respect, through their attitude and their devotion to D3 football, as well as the insights they have on it. We learn something from the people who post on the boards probably every day.

The posters that draw our ire are inevitably the ones who come here spouting misinformation, an obnoxious attitude or both. You will never see Pat or myself get obnoxious with someone who hasn't been obnoxious first.

Once you cross that line, it has long been our view that you get the amount of respect you give. You can dish it out, big man, why can't you take it back?

I don't mind the criticism one bit, I just don't understand why being criticized automatically binds me to being silent. Don't agree with that and never have. Would seem to me that's the time you'd want to speak up.

The best discussions are often born out of conflict.

I'm glad it's "fun" for you. Wouldn't want you to take it any other way.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Keith

What was that site address again for the streaming of the UW-W/ Wesley  game Sat?  Man have you seen what TX20K in the ASC was up too? Wow !!!
I noticed he had about 10 posts buit i had to respond and so did Pat and a few others.

[K-Mack]

PennAtlantic.com, I think was the site.

I'll go look at the ASC now.

[Pat Coleman]

Hi, uhm, let's perhaps direct people to the video cast that we'll be involved in with the NCAA.

[K-Mack]

Hi, uhm, let's perhaps direct people to the video cast that we'll be involved in with the NCAA.

Be my guest. But since that would be news to me, you'll have to help me out here.

Same goes for you, PA ... what am I missing about the ASC board? Looked over the last few pages, didn't see anything outrageous.

[Pat Coleman]

Hi, uhm, let's perhaps direct people to the video cast that we'll be involved in with the NCAA.

Be my guest. But since that would be news to me, you'll have to help me out here.

Same goes for you, PA ... what am I missing about the ASC board? Looked over the last few pages, didn't see anything outrageous.

I was pretty sure I told you we'd be doing video this week ... but yeah. We'll have details from the producers tomorrow.

I took the guy's most questionable post off but he did continue to talk. Have to go back a few days.