Around the Nation board

[Pat Coleman]

Pat:  Your thoughts?  Should Franklin have been left out of the playoffs last year?  You saw the classic that the rematch with Wabash turned out to be the first weeknd of this season.  Who do you like in the rematch with Mt. St. Joseph on October 13th?  This is as exciting an offensive football team as there is in all of Div. III.  If Chad Rupp isn't in the mix as a first team Div. III All American I can't imagine why!

Go get out and see Greg Micheli before you anoint your QB the best in the nation. There are 238 starting quarterbacks in Division III.

Not sure rehashing 2006 is worthwhile when we're halfway through the 2007 season.

Is that a team site or a fan site or what?

[K-Mack]

Of courese "Senor" Arruza learned everything he knows as an all american at Wheaton College!!

Good stuff for the RMC. I am glad they are having success under Pedro.

Mike Swider spoke very highly of Coach Arruza and I am glad to see him finally have some success.

I only wish I had contacted him when they were down so I don't look like a bandwagon-hopper whenever we do meet.

Then again, I've been down with R-MC for almost 15 years now, so maybe I'll get a pass.

[K-Mack]

Well, I'll talk Texas trip in a day or so, but just working back through some old e-mail and found this suggestion from Eugene McGivern at St. Thomas. We weren't able to do it, but he put too much work into the e-mail to let it sit there and go to waste.

Keith/Pat/Ryan:

Just wanted to pass along for either a column note or an actual trip idea
for an interesting day of d3football in the Twin Cities area on Sept. 15.

The games certainly aren't great top-10 showdowns, but there's some
interesting flavor with enrollments ranging from St. Thomas 5,400 undergrads
to Crown and Rockford's 700 students. (other quick notes below)

It looks like the one day this fall where a person could attend parts of 5-6
college games in one day (a couple of more if you charter a helicopter --
that's in the budget, right?). I don't know if other Metro areas can offer
this many games within about a 25-mile radius.

Option 1 Twin Cities only -- Sat. Sept. 15:

Noon--Maranatha Bible at Crown (20 miles west of Mpls.)
Maranatha, founded in 1968, probably among smaller teams in U.S. (Last year
50 players started season, four under 150 pounds, four home schooled in high
school)... Crown had 47 players last season

1 p.m.: Gustavus at St. Thomas (25 minutes from Crown campus)
76th all-time meeting, teams have played every season since 1952... UST
leads series 38-35-2... six of last 10 meetings decided by three or less
points... St. Thomas' home opener after two road games in Iowa... UST has
just four home games for first time since 1966... Toms expect more than 150
to report for fall camp, Gusties over 100... Gusties have new stadium...
teams are combined 0-18 vs. St. John's over last nine seasons

1 p.m.: St. Olaf at Hamline (3 miles from St. Thomas)
Hamline founded in 1854 (oldest college/university in Minnesota), starting
115th season of football... stadium renovated in 2005... Pipers have new
head coach Jim Good who's football resume has asst. coaching stops at
Linfield, Illinois College and Texas Lutheran... Hamline D-Coordinator is
ex-Stout head coach Todd Strop... St. Olaf is 23-7 in last three seasons and
on paper could easily be 5-0 when it visits St. John's Oct. 6

1 p.m.: Rockford at Northwestern (5 miles from Hamline)
Northwestern's coaching staff includes asst. Scott Hvistendahl (40 TDs,
4,693 yards, 285 catches), D3 record holder in receiving from Augsburg

6 p.m.: Carleton at Macalester (8 miles from Roseville)

Carleton, in 111th season of varsity football, went winless at recently as
2001 and 2002, but was a deceiving 4-6 last season under first-year coach
Kurt Ramler with an upset win over Bethel, four defeats by five or less
points, and a 10-point loss at St. John's... Macalester, starting 112th
season of varsity football, was winless in 2005 but Scots are looking to
climb under second-year coach Glenn Caruso... Actually is a non-conference
game since Macalester starts season six as independent... These are the two
most elite academic schools in the MIAC so it's sometimes called the Brain
Bowl.. both rosters filled with out-of-state players

Option 2

Same as above but could try to work in 45-minute trip across border for Pac
Lutheran at UW-River Falls with a 1:30 p.m. start (your website says 4:30
p.m. start but both schools' websites say 1:30)

Option 3
Some combination of above and a fast car/plane ride to St. Cloud to catch
end of 1 p.m. Augsburg at St. John's and start of 6 p.m. game between
Whitewater and D-II St. Cloud State

Option 4
Could cheat and mix in some videocasts (Hamline, possibly
Concordia-Moorhead)

Option 5
Delay extraganza until Oct. 20 and get the helicopter
1 p.m.: UW-River Falls at UW-Stout
1 p.m.: Trinity Bible at Northwestern
1 p.m.: Upper Iowa at Concordia-St. Paul (this is D-II game between ex-D-III
members but wanted to check to see if you are still reading)
TBA start: North Dakota State at Minnesota Gophers (in case you want to hear
really good marching band)
1 p.m.: Concordia-Moorhead at St. Thomas (Homecoming)
1 p.m. St. John's at Hamline
Head south 40 minutes:
1 p.m.: Bethel at St. Olaf (St. Olaf coach Chris Meidt vs. his alma mater)
Crosstown in Northfield:
1 p.m.: Augsburg at Carleton
Head west 30 minutes to St. Peter:
1 p.m.: Macalester at Gustavus (Gusties in first season of new stadium)

Let me know if you want me to provide any more background

Thanks

Gene

[K-Mack]

For anyone who has followed my longstanding dislike for Gregg Easterbrook and his penchant for talking out of his hindquarters about Division III football -- mostly Mount Union -- please make your way over to the Running Up The Score thread for an update.

Dude is a real dumb ass for a smart guy.

[smedindy]

K-Mack - need to chill. In my reading, he lambastes Pittsburg State more than anything.

[Ralph Turner]

K-Mack - need to chill. In my reading, he lambastes Pittsburg State more than anything.

Respectfully, smed.

Keith is out there for us D-3'ers.  I want him pushing high quality journalistic standards.  And, I want ESPN hearing it about his quality of journalism.

He said it best about Easterbrook.

Dude is a real dumb ass for a smart guy.

[K-Mack]

K-Mack - need to chill. In my reading, he lambastes Pittsburg State more than anything.

Well, it's not so much that it's Mount Union, in that more bashing of D2 would change my mind.

It's the overall arrogance on this topic, apparently that he knows so much about sportsmanship that he can rail against these programs without ever getting to know them. And, absent that, since I know he doesn't really "cover" football, he could at least consider basic logic, like perhaps Team X (be it Pittsburg or Mount Union or whoever) is that much better than the most of the teams it's required to play, due to conference affiliation. The notion that losing in the playoffs is just desserts for their evil deed of being really good shows at least a basic misunderstanding of how games are scheduled and what these final scores really mean.

When you say crap like Mount Union purposely schedules Heidelberg so they can beat on them, or that they scheduled six home games to gain an advantage without simply checking to see if they had six road games the year before, it demonstrates an overall crappiness that I can't tolerate.

This has gone on for a long time, this is not the first time. Ralph, you might be on to something. Maybe it's his editors who need to know. Not that they would ever censor a columnist, but the notes would have more effect there than they do getting lost in his inbox.

'Chill' works well for some other people; not me so much. It's why I stay off most of the boards. I do a fine job ignoring him (and other fools) when I can truly ignore them. Once I know, it's hard for me not to respond. 

I probably wouldn't care if it weren't a column that has an audience, mostly made up of people who will never take the time to learn enough about the topics to know how off-base this guy is. At least when he talks about the NFL, people have watched games or followed teams to the point where they can choose to agree or disagree.

In the former situation, I think you have a responsibility to be something other than a know-nothing blowhard. But that seems to work for a lot of people in my line of work, so I can't say I'm stunned.

I guess he thinks because very few of his readers can check him on the details that he can get away without doing basic background. It's stuff that could get you reprimanded or removed were it happening repeatedly about a level of football the masses (and bosses) follow.

He is to column writing what he thinks Mount Union is to college football.

[smedindy]

I understand, but I want to see his response to my email (and others) in his follow up today. However, his insights are valued in many other aspects of football so I give him a little pass and a lot more leeway than some total eediot like Simmons - or some toady like Buster Olney.

He's moved from Slate to ESPN to NFL.com and now back to ESPN under a new Page 2 regime. So you may be right about the editors.

Anyway, he really should be lambasting Texas Tech and he does.

[Ralph Turner]

I understand, but I want to see his response to my email (and others) in his follow up today. However, his insights are valued in many other aspects of football so I give him a little pass and a lot more leeway than some total eediot like Simmons - or some toady like Buster Olney.

Thanks smed for your thoughts...   

I use the assessment of how he treats subjects over which I have a good understanding as a barometer of how he treats all topics, including those over which I have less knowledge.

How do I know that he is more of an authority on those topics?  He might be just as careless on those topics.

In the age of internet news, it makes every intelligent reader his/her own news editor, seeking divers sources and opinions and thinking thru them for one's self.  The effect of that is to raise the level of serious discourse among those who discuss these issues.

Humbly, I will take my chances...

[DutchFan2004]

One thing from other posts that Pat has called me on is that I now believe it is the editor's fault more than anything.  I think that the editor's don't do and feet holding to the fire.  Check sources or even read things any more.  I did not rail on an article in the Des Moines Register I believe it was week #2.  The Central little paragragh was a paragraph about the Simpson game with Bethel.  Now you can't tell me the editor read it and proofed it.  I know mistakes happen but when they are made I think it hurts you guys that work hard to get it right.  I have been trying to watch what negative comments I make about the media (since Pat informed me you guys are the media).  I have never seen a time when you guys have gotten things flat out wrong and I commend D3 for that.  Typos and mistakes will happen I am sure but like you said K-Mack to not research and assume things are not in anyones best interests. 

[PA_wesleyfan]

  Just a thought.... Maybe someone should invite Mr. Easterbrook here to the
Posts  Patterns to read about Mt. Union and the rest of DIII football. Then maybe he would have something better to write about. Like the number of people here with a passion for DIII. Or the knowledge of those people. How many DI fans know anything about the fans of there opponents? How many DI gurus go out of there way to meet fans at every game they attend? Or for that matter exchange ideas with those fans. And have a full time job to boot??? Not many places where so many people from so many places can intermingle and agree to disagree.

[smedindy]

I did that in my email PA_wesleyfan. Maybe I should tell him I also bought his book, too.

[K-Mack]

Yeah,
I mean, I guess I'm hard on him because I've twice gone out of my way to send detailed e-mails explaining why he should reconsider his Mount Union stance. Clearly he hasn't taken them to heart and is instead obsessed with the scores and scores only, which is obviously annoying to me, having wasted my time e-mailing him.

I mean, it's cool to agree to disagree like people did over Hardin-Simmons being ranked when they were 0-2.

But you can tell by Gregg's work that he is too smart to be making such JV mistakes.

I try hard not to come off as D3 fanatic, as I am a fan of all kinds of football, but I'm afraid sometimes that's all we're seen as. Whenever I wonder, I think about how I perceive(d) D2 or NAIA, and then try to project that on what a I-A only fan would say/think about D3.

In this sense, it does sometimes make me wonder if people are sloppy about D3 facts because they don't know or don't care to know, in that they know they can say whatever and get away with it because 97% of the readership can't check them on it.

Also, it goes back too to Pat's Daily Dose post. Chris Allman actually put it best when he said people look at D3 as sort of News of the Weird.

Anyway, it's an interesting topic.

Do you think if you made an offhand comment about NAIA, let's say, and some NAIA fanatic challenged you to come over to their turf and take the time to get to know them, would you really go?

I mean, I think that's a nice idea PA, and I shouldn't make someone else's decision for them by refusing to extend the invite, but I'm pretty sure that's a blow-off waiting to happen. Besides, the boards have always been open to anyone who cared to seek us out and follow along.

You never know who's lurking anyway. I was once told Rece Davis was like 'that guy knows everything about D3' from an insider D3 alum (not Mark) at ESPN. Don't know if that's true, but could be an example ...

I always liked that guy on-air anyway

[K-Mack]

Smed, definitely lead with that you're a fan of the column and you bought the book. As a receiver of what we'll call 'fan e-mail' as well as an occasional sender, I always try to frame my remarks in the way that I would want them framed.

In other words, don't sound like a nutbag with an axe to grind, don't just slander without coherently explaining your point, and be organized and well-thought out. Also, previous Easterbrook e-mail aside, any of my digs are subtle and backed with some kind of evidence that's it's not a personal vendetta I have, just a concern with the actual final work.

(guilty of sending one of those to a painfully unfunny Yahoo! fantasy columnist recently who was running mailbag mail praising himself for being so funny ... Love Yahoo!, and like that guy's fantasy stuff, but please don't be not funny and then pat yourself on the back for being funny )

[K-Mack]

OK, meant to show up and post that an afternoon's worth of updates to ATN have been posted. I think I updated (or posted new) five sections.

Two other random things:

Let's get this guy an I'm Pat Coleman T-Shirt.

Also, anyone else getting the Real Jock banner ad?