Around the Nation board

[PittTBCW]

Good Job as usual!!!

[K-Mack]

Hey,
Grief is fine, as long as we're all still friends in the end / no hard feelings.

I actually really like Bridgewater, and I'd be happy to see them represent the ODAC. I think if either the Eagles or Tomcats think they've got an easy game coming up, they're kidding themselves.

When you make picks, you have to go with one or the other ... I could be wrong on the first five games on the list and not feel that bad about it. These are all good teams.

Would not suprise me in the least to see Bridgewater win ... I will stand behind my top 25 though, as the Eagles schedule was not really that great until the ODAC started improving late in the season, and the fact that they lost to McDaniel who ended up not being very good hurt their status ... but anyway, they'll be in the final top 25, as usual.

Seems like everyone in Va. is looking at next year.

OK K-mack you know I have to give you grief atleast once a year!

Good call on picking against Bridgewater once again. Lets see they have been in your Top 25-35 all year since a 1-pt loss to McDaniel in Week 1. Picked W&J last week and Thiel this week. Eventually you will get one right and it most likely would be next week against your pre-season Nat'l Champion pick in Texas. You know I'm just giving an ex-ODAC'er a hard time. The beauty of it all for BC is this post-season is just an appitizer as next year we will be even better and a legit Top 10 team!

I'll be cookin' some kick-butt barbque chicken at the Stagg Bowl this year. Make sure to stop by Stone Station and grab some before you go into the booth. See you there. It will be "The Great D3 Tailgate Party" once again this year!

[K-Mack]

And yeah, we need to revise our pregame to include a live report from the color guy at the tailgate.

"Just want the listeners out there to know that this barbecue is mm mm good!"

[Llamaguy]

Yeah I'm with ya. I told "The Kid" who I am playing in the pick'em this week I could easily go 2 and 6 with the games coming up this weekend. As you said its all in good fun. And the beauty of our Virginia team is we can look toward next year and we are still playing this year.

[K-Mack]

Well since you were keeping score, i think I counted myself at 5-3, 18-6 overall for the tournament ... and I'd guess my losses (Hobart/Cortland, both Bridgewater, etc.) were mostly either-way games, except Wesley. That was a shocker.

[K-Mack]

Time for the weekly feedback review.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Respect
Age: 64
Hometown: Wyoming, DE
Team I follow: Wesley
Notes: Maybe now that Wesley put up 46 on the team that only gave a total of 26 in quite a span, maybe you and the others at D3 will give this team some
respect.  You and others keep playing up the loss to Brockport and hardly ever
mention the fact that they waxed Salisbury 63-19 when Salisbury was ranked and Wesley was not ranked.  What is it that Mike Wilbon says on PTI, how about
giving Wesley some "dap".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was checking my D3 mail from a place which does not have a sent mail folder, so let me summarize my response:

"I don't think anyone's mentioned the Brockport loss any more than the Salibury win the next week, and the margin of both and fact they were back to back make them that much more amazing.

I admit, I thought Wesley was the weakest team left, or at least the team with the worst chance of winning this week.

Wesley definitely earned some respect in Texas ... emphasis on earned."

More later, but since that one was relevant to the above post ....

[Pat Coleman]

This week's Immediate Thoughts:

With every passing week, the Wesley 47-0 debacle loss at Brockport State gets more and more puzzling. How could this team go up to Brockport, field conditions aside, and not put up one single point? My trip to Wesley the next week to see them pound Salisbury began the puzzlement ...

Our Wesley/Salisbury game story (rewritten press release with quotes I gathered at the game):

DOVER, Del. — Wesley scored 35 points in the second quarter and rebounded from its worst defeat in 16 years to roll past No. 17 Salisbury 63-19 on Homecoming at Wolverine Stadium.
...
"We went from the worst day to the best," said Wesley coach Mike Drass, referencing last week's 47-0 loss at Brockport State. "This week was a life lesson for us."

Week 10 front page:

Wesley rebounded from a tough week as well, pasting No. 17 Salisbury 63-19 seven days after Brockport beat the Wolverines 47-0 (photo gallery).

This week's Around the Nation:

Wesley at Mary Hardin-Baylor
The Wolverines are coming off a dominating playoff win, and three in row overall, by scores of 63-19, 59-13 and 59-14.

(This doesn't even mention the loss!)

I think we're in good shape.

[K-Mack]

Yes,
not to mention it was the entire lead topic of Around the Nation a few weeks ago, when St. Olaf was also coming off a bad loss but had a chance to win and pretty much earn a playoff berth.

I didn't really think that was a big debate. Most, or many, fans perceive slights against their team as 10 times greater than the props.

I've definitely learned that over the years, but it makes you make sure you are being balanced.

"Disses" stick in people's memories, while credit given is passed off as normal, since the viewer tends to think that should have been that way.

I am like this from time to time about the Philadelphia Eagles, and it's kind of interesting to be able to step back and analyze how being a semi-rational fan is different from being trained to be rational and consider both sides.

[Ralph Turner]

Yeah K-Mack, the Iggles are the Iggles, but the Cowboys are America's Team 8)


even if Jerry Jones owns them.  He needs to let real  football people run the show, just like Clint Murchison did!

[Warren Thompson]

. . . the Cowboys are America's Team.

Yes, they are are ... but only in Dallas. The rest of the country mostly ignores them and their arrogance. 

[K-Mack]

Well, here in D.C., everyone that doesn't like the Redskins seems to like the Cowboys, perhaps just to annoy each other. Followed closely by the Ravens, Steelers and Eagles/Giants, they're all pretty numerous here, but it's 95% Skins fans.

Although at FedEx last weekend, there were a ton of Raiders fans out. I would say all of the teams that came up in the 70s and 80s have fan bases that out-reach their regional areas.

As soon as I see a Cortland window sticker on my drive to work, I'll believe D3 has the same reach as the NFL ... Wait, that happened today.

[smedindy]

The Cowboys were America's team when CBS broadcast their games every week to most of the nation. It seemed that Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier were their house announcers.

You will find Raiders, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Bears, Dolphins, and Steelers fans everywhere, it seems.

Do we have a topic?

[K-Mack]

Here's a new topic, from the mailbox, and my response:

-------------- Original message --------------

> When you list Trinity's (Conn.) winning streak of 30 games ahead of
> Linfield's at 22 you are comparing apples and oranges because Trinity does
> compete post-season. By definition every team but one that competes in D3
> post-season play will have one loss in the season. For the losers, a chance
> at a new streak begins with zero wins while each year's national champ's
> streak begins with accumulated wins from the previous season(s).
>
> A more equitable measure would be a regular-season games streak. Probably
> hurts Linfield, but so be it.
>
> Brad Thompson, Ph.D.

Brad (Or Dr. Thompson?),
I'm well aware that Trinity is an exception to the rule, and I believe most readers know that longest active winning is comparing apples and oranges in that sense. I'm almost certain I've mentioned that in the lead-in to the Streak Watch statistic at least once this season, using almost the exact words you used (Yeah, I found it here, in the Week 1 column ... http://www.d3football.com/atn.php?id=73), and there was a whole Around the Nation about Trinity and the streak/no playoffs thing late in the season. I believe it gets a little repetitive if I keep mentioning that each week, so I try to find something new -- hopefully that most readers don't already know -- under that Streak Watch header each time.

That said, as-is, it is not inaccurate. It is the statistic I'm presenting. What you're asking is an entirely different stat, which as you acknowledge, may bring several other teams into the mix. I would basically have to go back to square one to nail that all down, and while it can be done and probably would be worth my time and yours to look into it, I don't know if I'll be able to get to it any time in the near future. Maybe in the year-in-review.

Thanks for your interest in the column and the site.

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

[K-Mack]

Hmm. Can't tell if this response was smarmy and sarcastic or serious, but no big either way.

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 00:25:44 -0500 (EST)

I see your point, but because I'm not a regular reader of your column or
D3football.com, I guess you are expecting me to go back to the beginning.
Not something I'm ready to commit the time to do, I'm afraid. I'll look
for the year-end wrap-up.

Well,
I'm not expecting you to go back to day one, but I did provide that link specifically for your enjoyment, since what we said was so similar. If you scroll down to the Streak Watch in the Week 1 column, I think you'd find it interesting.

And I'm not asking you to do my work for me, just to understand that there are regular readers who see the statistic every week, updated, and that I have to keep them, as well as first-time readers, in mind.

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

FYI,
what ATN said in Week 1:

Streak watch
Given the playoff system we have, only one team can end the season with a win streak worth caring about, and the national champion is not guaranteed an undefeated season. But Linfield does enter on a 13-game roll. The only streak longer is that of Trinity (Conn.), which is part of a conference that does not participate in the football playoffs and is riding a 22-game win streak. With just seven starters back, however, the Bantams should find it difficult to finish the season with the streak at 30 games, still intact.

Yeah, um, ignore that last part.

[redswarm81]

Well, here in D.C., . . . it's 95% Skins fans.

Since 95% of the local population is not "from" D.C., the Redskins are just about the only thing that brings the area together.