FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

A sure sign of a troll is someone who registers from the same computer with three e-mail addresses before finally picking one to post with.

[fells]

In talking about the NESCAC playing out of conference games, I really believe the Norwich/Middlebury rivalry should be allowed to continue. These are the only two schools in the state that play college football, and it was something the entire state used to look forward to. Just let them play one game outside of the conference so rivalries like this can continue.

Fells

[Trinity 8(5)0]

Sweet Mary, it's good to hear from some of you again!!  Anyway, it's like this: I feel that the football players of present and recent years past at Trinity really have really abused their priviledge to play. As a deeply concerned alum, I'm disgusted with the fact that as a group they rank at or near the bottom of all NESCAC students. These guys are clearly intellectual inferiors and yet they're not merely content with squandering the chance to educate themselves. No, they have to go about the business of drunken, rude, homophobic behavior on campus, pulling fire alarms and threatening fellow students. So after all this collateral damage what's the upside, the glory and acclaim they finally yield the school?  Well, as a group of athletes they are far behind other NESCAC sports in terms of national rankings. Is any NESCAC sport further from the top D3 national ranking than our little league's brand of lame football? Maybe but I'm hard pressed to think of even one. When compare to their their league peers, Trinity football is the lowest of the low, both in and out of the classroom. Heap on the academic baggage and poor attitude/behavior many of these Trinity kids bring to the table and--- again, as a group--- and they are very much worthy of being looked down upon. My point is that Trinity should take some hard measures to insure that the future quality of Trinity football players is of a higher academic, moral and ethical level than it's been in the recent past. How that's achieved is a matter worth discussing, for the Trinity communinty at least. Time to eat.

Go, Mets!! Oh, go, you, Mets!!!

[fells]

Trinity,

That is part of why I have so much fun covering Middlebury football. Guys like Tiger Lyon, Mac Conn, Jamie Staples and a ton of others, are polite, articulate, and pleasant guys. They know they have a responsibility to their school, and the conference, to be good citizens off the field.

As far as Trinity goes, I guess I don't hear much here in the north woods of Vermont....Ayup.

I'll be down there in two weeks for the Trinity/Middlebury game. What is the stadium like? Do you guys get good crowds?

[bant551]

Trinity usually gets decent crowds.  The field is amazing.  Field turf... great surface to play on (and practice as well, never having to worry about a "dust bowl" on a beat-up practice field).

Trinity 8(5)0, and what might you do for a living?  I keep in touch with a bunch of the guys from the team (my year, older and younger), and I'd be thrilled to hear what you do with your life and compare it to what they do.  If you are doing more with your life than the average football player I keep in touch with (and I still talk to alot of the guys), then you are in great shape my friend.

But then again, you kind of like staying in your ivory tower and probably don't appreciate success in the real world.  What would a successful career or career path or graduate school resume compare to your SAT scores?

Come on, impress us little man.

[bant551]

As for behavior, I'm willing to bet a pretty penny that -- to a man/woman -- the average non-football player on Trinity's campus consumes more alcohol, uses more drugs, commits more crimes, and causes more property damage than the average football player.

The reason?  Trinity is a rich kid's school.  There are exceptions to this rule, sure, but the football team represents a larger proportion of those exceptions.

Rich kids use drugs.  They like them and can afford them.  They cause property damage because they don't respect other people's property.  The frats are an underage drinking and drug scene.  If you had a social life at Trinity, you'd know that.

You aren't fooling anyone.  The only thing you have is that the football players didn't do as well on the SATs as you did.  Nice work, super-sleuth!

[fells]

With the current weather in Central Vermont, I am expecting a sloppy field at Middlebury tomorrow. We are getting pounded with rain and wind, and it isn't supposed to get better until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. It is days like this I wish Middlebury had turf like Trinity does.

Chris

[bant551]

The field turf came up huge my senior year because we had awful weather for a few straight Saturdays.  Would've become an absolute mud bowl but/for the field turf.

I also heard that over a relatively long period (8 years or so), it pays for itself because there is less upkeep needed (landscaping, putting down lines, etc.).

[frank uible]

Does Trinity practice on grass during the week before a game on grass?

[bant551]

Nope.  Always on the field turf.  Doesn't really have any effect on preparation.  One thing practicing on that turf does do is it allows you to practice comfortably in high-top sneakers all week.  Takes much less of a toll on your feet during the season to be able to do that.

The only adjustment -- at least for me -- was that I used different cleats for grass and for the field turf.  For the field turf, I used little kids' cleats -- old school molded ones.  I rocked the replacement spike newer style for grass.*
*Had to break 'em in during the preseason, of course.

I can't speak for everyone else and what they thought about it, but I actually never even considered it until you asked.  If any of the posters here from other schools have played at Trinity as visitors, how did you like the turf?

[fells]

Obviously I don't know about Trinity's, but they have field turf in Plattsburgh, NY and it is awesome. It is good on the knees and ankles and much better than typical turf.

[frank uible]

When Astroturf was king about 20 years ago and was almost the only feasible brand of synthetic turf, those college teams which could manage it and pro teams had both grass and Astroturf practice fields. Of course, in many cases (usually and perhaps exclusively college ones) the Astroturf practice fields were the same as the game day fields.

[Col. Partridge]

I am from the era of an all-grass NESCAC, so no opinion on field turf.

This weeks picks, home team in CAPS.

COLBY             over   Hamilton           
Trinity              over   BOWDOIN           
MIDDLEBURY  over   Bates           
Amherst             over   WESLEYAN           
Williams             over   TUFTS           

The Cardinals have not won an outright Little Three title since 1970.   Despite the Captain's appearance at Andrus Field tomorrow, 2006 will not be the year.  Hope springs eternal.

[Trin9-0]

Colby over Hamilton
Trinity over Bowdoin
Middlebury over Bates
Amherst over Wesleyan
Williams over Tufts

[met_fan]

Two in a row for Hamilton.  When was the last time that happened?