Around the Nation board

[AUPepBand]

Loving that the ATN thread is alive and well. This has sort of become the "random tidbits for the diehards" thread, but keep it coming!

That Hamilton thing was a great one. We/I tried to streamline some this year, but last year or the year before we had Plymouth State on there for scoring 7 points the whole year.

I think they were almost .500 this year too, so big strides.

Holding Williams to 15 must've meant they were pretty good defensively.

I'd be honored to be permanently known as the guy who "takes good care of the little guys." 

This was before AUPepBand's time, but Alfred's football heritage includes a season in which the Saxons were known throughout the nation as the "Scoreless Wonders" in 1927. AU did not score a single point all season. AU had been outscored 315-0 in its first eight games, yet salvaged the season with a 0-0 tie with rival Buffalo. Actually, after a forfeit replaced AU's 21-0 loss to Amherst, the Saxons finished the season at 1-7-1 without having ever scored.

Fifty years ago this week, Coach Alex Yunevich was in Washington, D.C. to receive recognition for Alfred's second consecutive undefeated season for which the Washington Touchdown Club declared Alfred "National Small College Football Champion" for 1956. Ironically, Alex was pictured with Jack LaSalle of Sioux Falls College. LaSalle received a special award as his team lost every game and was beaten 80-0 in the last game.

Just a few Alfred oddities for your enjoyment brought, as usual, to you by AUPepBand.

On Saxon Warriors!

[K-Mack]

I'm eating up those factoids!

In response to SeanGOP on the dose:

#  SeanGOP Says:
The 24th of January, 2007 at 10:57 am

Hey Keith,

Where is part 3? I'm dying over here.

Sean,
Working on Part III as we speak. They haven't hired Pat's replacement yet, and another guy on our desk has since retired, and deadlines were recently pushed up. All of this has conspired to force me to actually work most of the time I'm at work. There were a lot of lulls during the season, which allowed me to get in the habit of writing Around the Nation at the office.

As it stands, I have to work on it in my own free time like in the old days of D3football.com, and I have definitely not used all of my free time to work on it. That's on me. It's never easy to motivate yourself when you want to come home and plop down on the couch, but as long as there are folks like yourself out there waiting on the next part, I can always get through it.

That was the long answer. Short answer is probably tomorrow sometime. I'm going to try to go until 5 a.m. and see where that gets me. A lot is done, but you know how these things are. There's always one more thing that pops into my head  ... and then there's the prospect of me correctly e-mailing it to Pat for editing. (0-for-2 so far) 

[Pat Coleman]

They haven't hired Pat's replacement yet, and another guy on our desk has since retired, and deadlines were recently pushed up.

And as a reminder, I left USA Today in mid-August.

[janesvilleflash]

They haven't hired Pat's replacement yet, and another guy on our desk has since retired, and deadlines were recently pushed up.

And as a reminder, I left USA Today in mid-August.

Is that because they can't find anyone as good as you, or they haven't noticed you're gone?

[AUPepBand]

AUPepBand doesn't know the particulars of circulation numbers for USAToday, but nationwide trend is decline of daily newspaper circulation and, the simultaneous rise in weekly newspaper circulation. Pep attributes this to more folks getting world/national news on the internet, looking to get "local" news from their "local" newspapers. I quote Michelle Rea, executive director of the New York Press Association:

I was interviewed this morning by a writer doing a story for Columbia Journalism Review, and I was asked to dig out some statistics, and I thought some of you might find them interesting:

In April, 2002, 588 weekly community newspapers were published in New York State, including 49 "culturally specific" newspapers.  Total circulation was 7.2M; free distribution was 3.9M and paid circulation was 3.3M

In January, 2007, 740 weekly community newspapers are published in New York, including 123 "culturally specific" newspapers.  Total circulation is 11.1M; free distribution is 7.2M and paid circulation is 3.9M

--Michelle Rea, Executive Director
New York Press Association

Perhaps USAToday's circulation numbers are down.... or maybe Pat is just plain irreplaceable!

[PA_wesleyfan]

They haven't hired Pat's replacement yet, and another guy on our desk has since retired, and deadlines were recently pushed up.

And as a reminder, I left USA Today in mid-August.

Is that because they can't find anyone as good as you, or they haven't noticed you're gone?

    Pat  who???

[Pat Coleman]

Or Gannett is just plain cheap.

[dewcrew88]

Or Gannett is just plain cheap.

bing bing bing! Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner!

[PA_wesleyfan]

  Keith

  Kudos on a great finish to another great DIII football season...
Hope you have time to get your batteries regenerated for next year but with those two young'uns I fear next football season may be just what the Dr. ordered. A Vacation.

[Knightstalker]

I hate that actually having to work at work garbage.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Kieth,

Great Job on part 3!!!  Excellent Piece of work!

[Ralph Turner]

 

So folks in Texas should be used to it by now, right? Being used to it doesn't mean they have to like it, but UMHB and HSU weren't screwed as badly as fans claim. If the South bracket seeds had been followed, the No. 2 Crusaders (ranked No. 5 nationally heading into the playoffs) and No. 3 Cowboys (No. 6) would have met in the second round, assuming they'd won their first-round games. -- Keith McMillan

Keith, thanks for Part 3, but we have to agree to disagree.

I believe that you failed to acknowledge the key issues of the UMHB-HSU scheduling SNAFU in your Part 3 summary.

•   The NCAA did not follow its own guidelines.  I still believe that some staffer in the Indy office did not check the mileage information before sending it to the national selection committee.  A formal and public apology to HSU and the ASC for not adhering to NCAA guidelines will be sufficent.  I do not think it was given.
•   Players anticipate getting a home playoff game if they are in the Top 4 of the last published Regional Rankings as South Region #4 HSU was, the week before #2 Trinity lost to Millsaps.
•   HSU's loss of a home playoff game (as a Pool C bid that was earned by a quality QOWI) diminished the value of scheduling hard in-region opponents.  You can give props to HSU for flying across the country to schedule UW-SP and Linfield in search of quality in-region opponents, but then, not to acknowledge and not to demand the justice due for scheduling such games as outlined in the Handbook is where I have my second disagreement with you.  Do you also give props to UMHB for scheudling 2 playoff teams, CNU and UWW, as in-region non-conference opponents?  Some good that it does in their first round opponent...
•   The benefits of winning playoff games was borne out on this message board as MUC fans and others detailed the extra experience that MUC players have gotten in playoffs alone, almost the equivalence of an extra half-season per year.  The opportunity for players #31-52 on the 52-player playoff "traveling squad" to reap quality minutes is invaluable to a program.  HSU's (the D3football.com Top 25 #6 team and 3rd in the South) going into #5 and 2nd South Region team UMHB meant that it would be a real knock-down/drag-out.  MUC makes the argument that the experience that the backups get is a key to building a dynasty.
•   Fourth, the Oxy/Whitworth example is not quite the same.  By your own Week #11 Top 25, these were the 3rd and 5th best teams in the very tough West.  The NCAA had them 4th and 6th in the Nov 8th West Regional Rankings.  We realize the regional nature of the D3, and a plane flight is a plane flight, but these were not members of the same conference, and neither had played a playoff team in the regular season.  UMHB had played 2 and HSU scheduled Linfield, recently of the playoffs.  West Region #6 Oxy should have expected to be flown somewhere.
•   The NCAA did not abide by its principle to avoid pitting conference members in the first round.   I highlighted the potential intra-conference playoff matchups earlier on the message board.  I would be extremely happy to meet in the second round, geographical constraints acknowledged.  There is a certain bravado that arises from the moniker of the "Texas Sub-bracket".

 


When the NCAA gives me guidelines that allow me to maximize my playoff opportunities, then I am counting on them to be followed.

[K-Mack]

  Keith,
  Kudos on a great finish to another great DIII football season...
Hope you have time to get your batteries regenerated for next year but with those two young'uns I fear next football season may be just what the Dr. ordered. A Vacation.

Thanks. As you can see it took me until Friday evening to finish up, and even then I leaned on Pat to edit the final 1/4 of it, as I had to scoop up my wife and drop the kids off for a Friday night away from the parents. Then we went to see The Pursuit of Happyness, which makes you want to go home and hug your kids. 

I've thought about giving it up the past couple years, since family's been in the mix, but since it's the only thing I'm good at that people seem to appreciate, it's probably going to be tough to let go. I'm sure I'll be back.

I hate that actually having to work at work garbage.

Just killing me. Wouldn't life be so much easier without the need for that?

It does make me realize that I wouldn't mind going in every day solely to work on D3 stuff though.

As far as the weekly vs. daily papers, I think the industry model is changing overall, from paid circulation to internet, mobile devices, etc. The people who give you information you want the best, whether local, regional or national, will still be in business if they can figure out how to deliver it to you.

Circulation is pretty much down everywhere, last I heard.

[K-Mack]

So folks in Texas should be used to it by now, right? Being used to it doesn't mean they have to like it, but UMHB and HSU weren't screwed as badly as fans claim. If the South bracket seeds had been followed, the No. 2 Crusaders (ranked No. 5 nationally heading into the playoffs) and No. 3 Cowboys (No. 6) would have met in the second round, assuming they'd won their first-round games. -- Keith McMillan

Keith, thanks for Part 3, but we have to agree to disagree.

I believe that you failed to acknowledge the key issues of the UMHB-HSU scheduling SNAFU in your Part 3 summary.

•   The NCAA did not follow its own guidelines.  I still believe that some staffer in the Indy office did not check the mileage information before sending it to the national selection committee.  A formal and public apology to HSU and the ASC for not adhering to NCAA guidelines will be sufficent.  I do not think it was given.
•   Players anticipate getting a home playoff game if they are in the Top 4 of the last published Regional Rankings as South Region #4 HSU was, the week before #2 Trinity lost to Millsaps.
•   HSU's loss of a home playoff game (as a Pool C bid that was earned by a quality QOWI) diminished the value of scheduling hard in-region opponents.  You can give props to HSU for flying across the country to schedule UW-SP and Linfield in search of quality in-region opponents, but then, not to acknowledge and not to demand the justice due for scheduling such games as outlined in the Handbook is where I have my second disagreement with you.  Do you also give props to UMHB for scheudling 2 playoff teams, CNU and UWW, as in-region non-conference opponents?  Some good that it does in their first round opponent...
•   The benefits of winning playoff games was borne out on this message board as MUC fans and others detailed the extra experience that MUC players have gotten in playoffs alone, almost the equivalence of an extra half-season per year.  The opportunity for players #31-52 on the 52-player playoff "traveling squad" to reap quality minutes is invaluable to a program.  HSU's (the D3football.com Top 25 #6 team and 3rd in the South) going into #5 and 2nd South Region team UMHB meant that it would be a real knock-down/drag-out.  MUC makes the argument that the experience that the backups get is a key to building a dynasty.
•   Fourth, the Oxy/Whitworth example is not quite the same.  By your own Week #11 Top 25, these were the 3rd and 5th best teams in the very tough West.  The NCAA had them 4th and 6th in the Nov 8th West Regional Rankings.  We realize the regional nature of the D3, and a plane flight is a plane flight, but these were not members of the same conference, and neither had played a playoff team in the regular season.  UMHB had played 2 and HSU scheduled Linfield, recently of the playoffs.  West Region #6 Oxy should have expected to be flown somewhere.
•   The NCAA did not abide by its principle to avoid pitting conference members in the first round.   I highlighted the potential intra-conference playoff matchups earlier on the message board.  I would be extremely happy to meet in the second round, geographical constraints acknowledged.  There is a certain bravado that arises from the moniker of the "Texas Sub-bracket".

When the NCAA gives me guidelines that allow me to maximize my playoff opportunities, then I am counting on them to be followed.

Ralph,
I knew you in particular would not be happy about that one, but folks then and now just made such a big deal out of it that the rest of us are tired of hearing it.

I don't believe those two teams should have met in the first round, but it happens. The NCAA promises you'll get into the playoffs if you do X, Y and Z, it's guidelines for matchups are explicitly not guarantees. Some of your above points are good, others are debatable, but it's time to let it rest.

Besides, the point was Occidental, undefeated for two straight years and sent on the road vs. an undefeated opponent both times, got screwed worse and complained less.

[gordonmann]

Outstanding work, Keith. 

I particularly enjoyed Frank's comments on the season and your comments about man versus zone defense in parenting.

As for the "expertest expert," a little ditty by Tom Petty comes to mind...

"Even the looooooo-sers -
Get lucky some-times.
Even the looooo-sers -
Have a little bit of pride."