Around the Nation board

[K-Mack]

Sounds like somebody got up on the wrong side of the rock.

?

[Pat Coleman]

C'mon, man, you have to be down with the Geico caveman commercials. Did they take the TV off your desk? You should've taken mine when I left, it was newer.

[Knightstalker]

Idda Otna!

[K-Mack]

C'mon, man, you have to be down with the Geico caveman commercials. Did they take the TV off your desk? You should've taken mine when I left, it was newer.

I did take your TV, I thought you were there the day I took it. Mine used to randomly shut off and blurt out cell phone interference in an ultra-loud manner. If they ever hire a new guy, I'll be sure to warn him.

You would have had me with "Roast duck with mango salsa ... Oh, no thanks, I don't have much of an appetite." or the song that plays in the airport when cavedude is on the moving walkway. I woulda recognized those lyrics!

The cavemen remind me of Ryan for some reason.

In a good way though! (wonders how that can be good, but whatevs)

When do you get to Salem?

[Pat Coleman]

I'll be rolling in around noon tomorrow. I leave here after work tonight.

[K-Mack]

I'll be rolling in around noon tomorrow. I leave here after work tonight.

Looking like Friday for me. If we can get family to watch the kids (I've cashed that one in a bunch recently, though) I can leave early. Otherwise, I might even miss the Corned Beef bash.

I'll be ready for game day either way.

[K-Mack]

This might read better here than on the blog. Another fan mail that I like to share with the die-hards who actually care to read this board.

It does sound like some MUC fans are fabricating a 'no respect' theme ... I guess because they're bored.

Granted, as I mentioned in the column, every year a team comes into the Stagg Bowl on high, and every year just about Mount sends them home.

But these teams have mutual respect for each other, and I think they've both earned it. Nobody with a clue is predicting a blowout, and I haven't heard anyone from either team even hint at a lack of respect ... and it sounds genuine, not like 'well my coach told me don't give them any bulletin board material.'

I have an e-mail in my inbox right now that takes issue with me calling Mount Union 'goliath' (as if that's absurd) and claims that general opinion ...

Well here, just read our exchange yourselves ... (name omitted, in case the fella didn't intend for this to go public)

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Xxxx Xxxxxx" <xxxxxxxx@co.xxxxx.oh.us>

It's ironic that you characterize Mount Union as the mighty Goliath and the University of Wisconsin Whitewater as the poor little David, representing all of the overachievers in the world as they try to pull off the uimaginable upset.  Last year, virtually everyone, including the official pundits, opined that Whitewater's trip to Virginia was only to make it official by claiming the trophy after overwhelming the hopelessly overmatched Purple Raiders.  This year, altjhough experience seems to have resulted in toned down rhetoric, the general buzz appears to be that Whitewater is just too strong, too fast, too well coached, and too motivated to brook much interference from Mount on their way to inevitable victory.  But that's why they play the game, isn't it.  We can all be thankful that the babbling will soon stop and the fine players of these two excellent college football teams will get their chance to be heard.  May the better team win! 

Xxxx,
I appreciate the e-mail and your patronage of the site. On some of the points you make, though, I respectfully disagree.

I understand that man-for-man, Mount's players are hardly Goliath compared to UW-W. But as a program, it is most definitely Goliath, and every other team that goes up against them represents the hope that they can be beaten and a title can be won. At least that's how I see it. It's a sign of respect, that onlookers almost assume a Purple Raiders title is a given and the road to a championship goes through Alliance, even though I know they're never taken for granted in the MUC locker room.

If you can't see how the program is Goliath, I'm not sure what to tell you. I also don't really see any irony in what I said.

Second, I would advise you to consider your sources. I don't think the general opinion last year or this year is that Whitewater is too big, fast or strong for Mount Union. Most anybody with a clue knows the Purple Raiders are to be respected and don't bow easily, even on the rare occasions when they do lose. People who are taking or who took that "Whitewater is too good" view are and were almost exclusively Whitewater backers.

The general consensus is more like "good game that can go either way" at least from all the people I've talked to who are affiliated with or fans of neither school.

Last year, the official pundits were 4-3 in favor of Mount Union. Only one "pundit" predicted a margin of more than 6 points in either direction, and that was 10. We keep our predictions, you can go back and read them here: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?p=167

Either your memory has let you down or time has allowed it to be selective. There was no "virtually everyone" thinking Mount Union was "hopelessly overmatched," at least not among the official predictions, but if that's how you guys have to play it to keep it interesting on the 10th trip to Salem, I completely understand.

We can definitely agree on one thing: The talk is just talk. The game is what matters. See you Saturday.
--
Keith McMillan
D3football.com National Columnist
Keith@D3football.com

[ADL70]

Enrollment:  WW-8,752   MtU-2,095

Who's Goliath?

[K-Mack]

Enrollment:  WW-8,752   MtU-2,095

Who's Goliath?

This isn't high school though, so unless we're talking attendance figures, the size of the school doesn't much matter.

I'll bet you what you pay each year to go to Case Western Reserve that Mount Union starts the season with more football players "in the program."

Not to mention I clearly said "as a program, it is most definitely Goliath."

[Pat Coleman]

(paid)

[K-Mack]

(paid)

I did notice that.

However, I still want to bet this year's Case tuition, as opposed to 1970s.

[ADL70]

(1960s) I get your point, but think the Yankees analogy that has been used fits better than Goliath (even that isn't totally apt since the Yankees are usually considered to have a financial advantage, which does not apply to MtU).  And whatever decade's tuition we use, I wouldn't take the bet.  For one, as I recall, the WIAC has roster limits.  Still it seems to me that it's easier to get your football recruits admitted if there are four times as many admission slots.

['gro]

great article from the Albany Times Union about college football playoffs... thanks to 57Johnnie for posting this on the LL board.

Divisions of Playoff Success

[K-Mack]

great article from the Albany Times Union about college football playoffs... thanks to 57Johnnie for posting this on the LL board.

Divisions of Playoff Success

Yeah, nice column.

[K-Mack]

For those of you who can't get enough, Google "Mount Union"

I got the first two results with 181 articles and 97 articles. I'm sure a bunch of them were picked up from AP and are just blurbs, but there's a significant amount of coverage out there.

Not that we want you leaving here, of course

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-08,GGLD:en&q=Mount%20Union&btnG=Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn