FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[AlDavis]

Mr. Al Davis:

Look forward to meeting you Saturday. I am easy to find. End zone at Feed The Bears tailgater. Find the car with the grill attached to the back. Ask for the owner of the car. Then enjoy the conversation. Before the game. Halftime. After the game. Or all three. But not during the game, I like to watch.

ok...excellent , thank you , as I will be there very early then and might be your first customer of the day as no lie I will be one with the woods for a couple of hours as I fly into Hartford late Friday Nite and then drive up , so I won't be looking my best this particular Saturday Morning ......I am anxiously awaiting the NESCACMan report , he must be busy this week making his High Stacks of Society.

[All NESCAC]

What has happened to the Ephs in the purple valley this year....did they forget how to win a game?  I have heard much grumbling from some Williams alumni.

[AlDavis]

What has happened to the Ephs in the purple valley this year....did they forget how to win a game?  I have heard much grumbling from some Williams alumni.

...the Effing Eff's remembered last week and will remember this week , but next week will be Strait Concussion / Coma Time as they will forget their Great History's Past to the 5th or 6th level of that Leonardo DiCaprio movie Inception to the point that remembering how to remember is not even reality , that is how bad they will forget.

[Trin9-0]

looking to get a bet set between some Midd and Trinity parents.  What is the feeling on the spread between these teams?  My thought is Trinity as a 10-14 point favorite.  Thoughts?

I think 10-14 seems about right, if not a little low. The Bantams have manhandled the Panthers in recent years, winning by an average of 29 points over the past three meetings. Trin matches up well defensively, leading the league in pass defense. The combination of an opportunistic secondary (10 interceptions) with Foote's pension for turnovers (9 interceptions) could make for another one-sided affair.

Even the Bantams mediocre run defense should excel against Middlebury's inept rushing attack. The Panthers may have the best defense that Trinity has faced so far this season, however after scoring 40 or more points in three consecutive weeks I think they'll put up enough to cover at least a two touchdown spread.

What has happened to the Ephs in the purple valley this year....did they forget how to win a game?  I have heard much grumbling from some Williams alumni.

I was surprised to read Frank's strong statement concerning Kelton's job security. I do believe he speaks from a position of knowledge but find it odd that such a consistent decline in the program would be tolerated at Williams, especially as they prepare to break ground on the new facility at Weston.

[All NESCAC]

Can't imagine the losing will be tolerated for much longer in Ephville----too much recent positive/winning (although not in the last 2.5 years) history and the Weston Field renovations will get the alumni out and questioning what is going on in the Football Offices---yikes likely losses to Wesleyan and god forbid Amherst will raise the noise level dramatically. 

[frank uible]

Williams football will be as good as the Williams Admission Office as an extension of the Trustees has permitted it to become. Firing a qualified HFC accomplishes nothing. Complaining alums have no clue.

[Trin9-0]

Frank, are you implying that the Board of Trustees at Williams are actively limiting the role of athletics in the admission process? Do you think this is a contributing factor in the Ephs not winning their beloved Director's Cup last year?

If true, this would be quite a departure from the traditional Williams ethos of putting a strong emphasis on athletic success.

[frank uible]

I speak of Williams football and only Williams football.

[AlDavis]

I speak of Williams football and only Williams football.

Very Well then....as you were then....Strait to 2 -6 For You then.....Strait Pain and Suffering For You Next Week and at least the very near future......but I will say by my Football Index's that Pound for Pound Williams is the best 1 and 4 Team in the Country and I sincerely mean that....And a couple months ago I was being severely questioned on my 4 -4 prognostication for thy Williams  , so I do need to tighten up my prognostications moving forward , my bad bro , my bad on that.

[Trin9-0]

I speak of Williams football and only Williams football.

Ah, so the Trustees are focusing on increasing the academic standards of only the football applicant pool? Seems strange that they would single out a single sport to scrutinize in the admissions process unless it was drastically out of line with the other teams.

[Go Continentals!]

If Hamilton comes out passing, Williams doesn't have a chance! It's that simple.

[quicksilver]

Historically speaking (and speaking about the NESCAC in general rather than Williams), the men's "helmet" sports have required the most help through the admissions process. Football, with its large roster and need for specialized players, likely requires more assistance/"flexibility" on the part of the admissions dep't than the other 2 helmet sports (lacrosse and hockey).  And of course, there is always the push-pull between the faculty and the alums at some NESCACs, with the faculty not exactly enthusiastic about large numbers of recruited athletes on campus. If you want to quiet (well. they probably will never go quiet on this issue) the faculty complainers, football is an inviting target.

[AlDavis]

Maaaaaan , where the hell is the NESCACMan at , I need my info fix........while I am still waiting and also waiting for this Stupid Red Sox game again , then let me Rag on Williams one more time while I am at it.......what is the specific Math word or Definition for this kind of rhythm and sequence for numbers like this pattern-----------------> 8 - 0 ;  6 - 2 ; 4 - 4 ;  2- 6 .

[NESCAC JACK]

Maaaaaan , where the hell is the NESCACMan at , I need my info fix........while I am still waiting and also waiting for this Stupid Red Sox game again , then let me Rag on Williams one more time while I am at it.......what is the specific Math word or Definition for this kind of rhythm and sequence for numbers like this pattern-----------------> 8 - 0 ;  6 - 2 ; 4 - 4 ;  2- 6 .

What you're describing, Al, is an arithmetic sequence, with the numbers of wins (or the numbers of losses) changing by the same amount each step. The expression for the nth term of the wins sequence (assuming 2010 is n = 1) would be a_n = -2n + 10, while the nth term of the losses sequence would be a_n = 2n - 2.* Of course, that would suggest that in two years Williams will win -2 games. Perhaps that will make the anti-football faculty happy?

As for Frank's assertions, I see no reason to doubt him. Football is the most popular (by population, and by the other sense of the word) and visible of college sports, so it would make sense that a board looking to change an athletic department's reputation would start their energies there. I also suspect, because of the depth necessary to form a strong team, football might feel the effects of tightening sooner than, say, a basketball team that only needs two or three admits a year to remain competitive.

Also looking forward to NESCACMan's thoughts...

*For the record (get it?), Williams went 5-3 in 2011, not 6-2, so this whole exercise kind of falls apart.

[46Hawk]

Are you guys flippin kidding me... Blaming Williams spiral to the bottom of the NESCAC on Admissions??? Seriously??? It's freakin Williams!!! Their 2nd level recruits should Always be good enough to go 5-3 at the worst every year! The lower level teams in the NESCAC need admissions help to be able to compete, but not Williams.... They have simply been out coached and outplayed by the majority of the league since the change at the top. They lost to 2 of the Maine schools in the same year...... And tufts had them on the ropes..... Unacceptable at a school that should win a minimum of 5 games a year on a bad year. Williams has far superior talent this year than 3 of the teams they have lost to.... What do you blame that on??? Admissions??