FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Ephmen1991]

I agree Capt.  I saw Westfield State's first game on their new turf and it looked terrible lined for all the different sports.

[mrmike88]

I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of the turf fields could be used for non-varsity sports.  At least here at Amherst, what happens is IM and club sports aren't allowed on the fields if they're wet, but varsity teams are.  There's been (not as big of) a stink about that from certain club teams about that here.

If Amherst-Williams were played on paper this year, Williams would cruise to victory.  But with the game being played at Amherst, the Ephs' perfect season on the line, and the game on TV, you never know.  All I know if that Nick Kehoe is going to need to play a near-perfect final game and the defensive front is going to need to stand up to a much bigger Williams O-line in order to have a shot.

[Ephmen1991]

MrMike,

I had some great friends at Amherst and it always seemed, maybe since I was an outsider, that there was a lot more camaraderie among the school in general than we had at Williams.

On the game this weekend there have been plenty of games that shouldn't have gone they way they should have on paper, that's what the fun part is.

I'm thinking 2002, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1989, 1987 to name a few.

By the way do Amherst alums hit Bub's BBQ after the game or is that just a Williams thing?

[bant551]

Something about ultimate frisbee kids having an effect on school policy bothers me deeply.  Shouldn't they be against field turf to begin with?   

[frank uible]

My experience is that a tendency exists to the effect that when a new facility is built or otherwise established, all campus organizations want to try to get their pound of flesh out of it even though they are well (or even very well) situated without doing so.

[bant551]

Wanna go toss the B around broseph?

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!

[Col. Partridge]

Something about ultimate frisbee kids having an effect on school policy bothers me deeply.  Shouldn't they be against field turf to begin with?   

Really...I mean, you can't smoke field turf.

[Col. Partridge]

And why do ultimate frisbee teams not use the name of their school, but instead use name like Jerrytown ?

(Thanks to LLPP, Inc. for asking/answering the hyperlink question I was too ashamed to ask).

[frank uible]

Because  frisbee teams like other club teams (e.g. rugby teams) receive little or no funding from their colleges, in which case why not exercise some independence in what one calls himself?

[mrmike88]

Can they even use the "official" school team names?

[bant551]

MrMike, I'm sure that they can be the "Bantams" or "Ephs" if they really wanted to name their Ultimate Frisbee team after their school mascot.  But I don't think they want to be called that when they are tossing the B around.

Laaame Laaame LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!

[bocephus]

actually i remember at williams the rugby team wore dark red jerseys and called themselves something else, can't remember exactly what.   i think amherst wore white with yellow and brown or orange, don't remember too clearly, but the purple was definitely absent on both sides.  when one team won they took the other team's jerseys and wore them around without washing them.. 

[Ephmen1991]

Bocehpus,  Wasn't the Williams rugby team the White Dogs or something like that?

I hated when the visiting frisbee "teams" would try to use our fieldhouse to change - not just the football team but soccer and field hockey as well.

[Col. Partridge]

The Captain's Week 8 picks.  Home team in CAPS. 

Williams-AMHERST

Williams -12.5   Public service announcement:  If one finds oneself in New York with a hankering to watch NESCAC-Little Three football on TV, drink $3 beers all afternoon and treat yourself to an all-you-can eat buffet for a Big Apple bargain $15, head on over to the Williams Club.  Tell 'em the Captain sent you--it's like the Player's Club, with the free one-week gym memberships and all.   I'd go myself if I wasn't banned from the premises after that wedding...

Bowdoin-COLBY

Colby -3  I just threw a dart.   It missed the board completely.  Colby it is.

Hamilton-BATES

Bates -6

I have no horse in this race, but chessdoc should see at least one win this season after using 300,000 frequent flier miles to see his son play every week.

Tufts-MIDDLEBURY

Middlebury -10  I expect to hear that Midd's kicker kicks one over the summit of the Middlebury Ski Bowl.

Trinity-WESLEYAN

Trinity -14  I'm probably being overly hopeful about the ability of Wes to keep this close, but you never know. 

[Trinity 8(5)0]

ARRRRGHHH. This is always the weekend that eveybody in the NESCAC-- except Amherst and Williams-- feels left out of the biggest party of the year. It's a time of self-assessment for many of us: why wasn't I good enough to be accepted myself, maybe I should have worked harder or simply had better genes, etc. It's The Biggest Little Game ( Party ) and although we're dressed up, we've really got no where to go, do we?  Anyway for many of us in NESACAC   this week is the week that hurts as the curtain of exclusivity is drawn around either Amherst or Williams and the rest of us are left to ponder enviously, what if or why not me?  Ah, so much for our collective self-loathing, my Trin brothers. At least we're in it together!

One solution just might be trying to raise the academic standards of our own schools in order to  enrich our own "rivalries." Me , I look at Trin and don't see much hope for the moment anyway -- as we free-fall in national rankings and maintain our perpetual league academic cellar dweller status. It would be great if Trin could aspire to a higher standard-- Williams and Amherst status would never be even close to attainable ( I'm actually laughing to myself at even the mere mention of it ) but maybe something along the lines of Bates' standing might be possible with a concerted, long-term effort. The Hartford ghetto and the attendent crime will always scare a lot of people away but some things are within our grasp to change, such as raising the academic bar.

As for spicing up the NESCAC and giving more teams something to look forward to, I don't see why an intra-league playoff format couldn't be served up -- in lieu of NCAA participation. It could involve the top four teams and be finished by reading period. The main objection to NCAA playoff participation has generally been that the playoffs could potentially last too long-- a valid point, although one NESCAC teams probably wouldn't have to worry much about given their level of play. League playoffs would address the time concern while giving league schools something extre to look forward to. We probably wouldn't have strong rivals like Amherst and Williams on board for this but other schools might embrace the idea.

Finally, and in that vein, I submit that folks here shouldn't be looking down their noses at club sports --at least not the NESCAC football crowd. NESCAC football is at the far tail end of league varsity sports that can compete on a national level. And at Trin our best sport is a de facto club sport, squash! In the talent pecking order of all NESCAC sports,  football is about as low as you can go, trailing such "major" sports as tennis, wrestling, golf and softball!  In that light, and given the fact that we don't participate in NCAA playoffs, NESCAC  football is essentially a club sport. BTW, I knew of more than a few ultimate frisbee kids who were better athletes --stoned or not-- than some that played on the football team.

Good luck to all teams this weekend. Let's get out and support them!


Aaron: Go to class!!