MBB: NESCAC

[VigoTheCarpathian]

First...Pat Coleman...I dont think I insulted the kid personally. 


Now...Bill...the fact that you would go through my facebook pictures and found one to your liking from over a year ago is both flattering and troubling.  But if what I said got under your skin that much...then perhaps this is a wake up call for you.  I'm not even sure what to say besides the fact that you seem like a sad person.  I gave you the option in my post...its ok if you are so worried by what the likes of Pat Coleman think about your radio broadcast that you become overly negative.  I understand that...but at the same time everyone else just seems not to like you because of it.  It's the choice you made...God knows I won't deny you of that choice.  All I did was point out the way you are perceived by the people who read what you say here who are from Amherst.

Now that that is out of the way...coming at me for how I look, my relationship with some of my closest friends at Amherst.  I am not even sure how to react.  I dont know why you decided that the kids that I live with happen to be friends with me because I suck up to them...but if you could offer me any insight into my personal life I would greatly appreciate it.  Perhaps you could also adress the other kids who go to all the basketball games and went down to Salem to support their friends.  Feel free to judge them based on the way they look and let them know personally if their friends allow them to hang out with them because they "suck up to them."

I wouldn't say my social life depends on them.  But rather our social life depends on my speakers, our bar, and grinding butts.  It's a beatiful relationship really.

In closing if you think I'm an "asshole" and went through my pictures...googled images based on the meaningless garbage I post here done so only to get a rise out of you and people like you in order to subsequently laugh at you along with my friends.  Then thank you...you really have made it all worth while.

feces monkey....nerds, nerds, nerds, nerds, nerds...

[Gregory Sager]

Gregory Sager:  With due respect, what you "get" is very different from what I gave.  I have attended two large public universities (and taught at one), and I would never be so foolish as to endorse the sniveling point of view which you apparently believe I hold.

If I'm not mistaken, the average WIAC member's enrollment exceeds the average NESCAC and SCIAC member's enrollment by three or four times.  Also, every WIAC member is public, whereas every SCIAC and NESCAC member is private.  This is the entirety of what I meant in my previous post.

Well, you didn't mention school size in your original post. All you said was that the NESCAC and SCIAC bore "stark differences" to the WIAC, so what you "gave" left an enormous amount of room for interpretation.

As to the differences between public and private education, you apparently read into my posts sentiments which I did not write and do not believe.  I'm sorry if I was vague, but I don't believe I wrote anything to support the assertion that I have a snobblish view of public education.  To be clear, I absolutely do not believe that private higher education is inherently superior to public higher education.

Duly noted, and to be fair to you I saw that you included the qualifier "fairly or not" when assessing the academic aspirations of the NESCAC and SCIAC. The reason why your original post read as snobbish was because you wrote that the two private conferences "fancy themselves to represent what is best about college athletics and higher education in general," and followed it with the comment, "These conferences bear stark differences from a conference like the WIAC," immediately thereafter. Since you did not spell out those "stark differences", the logical inference is to contextually link that sentence to the prior one -- leading the reader to draw the conclusion that those "stark differences" involve the self-generated idea of the NESCAC and SCIAC that they represent what is best about college athletics and higher education in general.

Since that's not what you meant, I retract with due apology my comment about your snobbery. But please note that I didn't just dream up that reading of your post. Your vagueness invited it.

As to the differences between educational ideologies, I randomly chose two schools to make my point.  Here is the stated vision of Calvin College:

Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college in the Reformed tradition of historic Christianity. Through our learning, we seek to be agents of renewal in the academy, church, and society. We pledge fidelity to Jesus Christ, offering our hearts and lives to do God's work in God's world.

And here is an excerpt from the mission statement of Bates College:

Bates is a college of the liberal arts and sciences, nationally recognized for the qualities of the educational experience it provides. It is a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor, and to assuring in all of its efforts the dignity of each individual, and access to its programs and opportunities by qualified learners.

Again, I am not endorsing either view.  But I submit that these institutions have chosen for themselves distinctly different educational philosophies, with the key words being "Christian" and "nonsectarian".

That's what I thought you meant. It's not 100% accurate; although most NESCAC and SCIAC schools have long abandoned their connections to faith communities (e.g., Occidental was once Presbyterian, Redlands was once American Baptist, LaVerne was once Brethren, Wesleyan was once Methodist, etc.), California Lutheran still has an active connection with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and maintains a Lutheran identity within its institutional mission. But for the most part, the NESCAC and SCIAC do indeed consist of nonsectarian schools.

However, I would counsel caution in interpreting a difference in institutional philosophies to mean a difference in educational philosophies. The latter can be construed in a lot of ways that I don't think are true: Pedagogical differences, a contrast in commitment to open academic inquiry, a variation in fidelity to academic rigor, etc. It's instructive that you picked Calvin for your example, since Calvin College enjoys an outstanding academic reputation quite apart from its Christian Reformed Church ties and its Reformed missional distinctives.

I realize that you're probably not casting any aspersions whatsoever upon the academic quality of Calvin or similar D3 midwestern institutions. But I think that using the term "educational philosophy" rather than "institutional philosophy" can open up Pandora's box in that regard.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

alsooooooooooo...while clearly that cartoon looks exactly like me you could have at least given me a goatee via mspaint.  Spraypaint would have done...you might as well show how little a life you have while maintaing the ethical journalism you strive for.

So if it wasnt you who called me Egon/vigo in passing (and after someone could actually identify you as the other guy who calls the game on the radio) I really have no idea who you are...neat, neat, neat, neat.  In that case you may continue to call me ugly while hiding behind your computer screen. HOORAY FOR YOU! 

p.s. me pointing out that you sound like a jerk...doesnt make me think I am better than you in a social sense here at Amherst, but just moraly.  Clearly a profound difference worth noting.  The fact that you have gone on and on judging me by the way way I look clearly, in no way reinforces that notion.

Also...I'm really interested in seeing the quotes from the team you use in your next article.  I am sure there will be a lot of them.

[nescac1]

I think someone needs to arrange a one-on-one showdown between Spengler and JeffRookie to settle this once and for all -- hash this out on the court, ladies.  Although I must say I do find Spengler/Carpathian's constant assaults on the social skills (and I believe physical appearance, although that may have been yet another classy Amherst fan) of the Williams players ironic in light of the recent back-and-forth. 

[JeffRookie2]

Vigo...

1. I gave you my name, you have facebook, look me up. I thought I was doing the opposite of hiding. It wouldnt be fair if I got to pick out which picture to show. Do your worst.

2. Thanks for telling me how I am perceived by people who read the forum. I am telling you how you are perceived by people who see you at the games and around campus. Just thought you should know.

3. Good tactic. Get your buddies to withhold quotes! I don't know if you've noticed, but they've answered about a million questions in the last couple of weeks, I don't think I'm going to need to email them for this one.

4. As nescac1 pointed out, you have insulted the appearance/social skills of just about everyone who posts on this forum, so I'm not sure how you justify taking the high ground. I just couldnt help thinking how ironic that was once I found out who you were. Seems like you've been the one 'hiding behind the screen' this whole time.

5. Sorry about the lack of the goatee on the cartoon. I was going by the older picture. You're right though, the facial hair makes a world of difference, you look like a real stud now.

[Trin9-0]

JeffRookie: I applaud your research though I'm sure the visual of Spengler/Vigo was no shock to anyone who has read any of his posts.

As far as me being an asshole...you may be right.

Finally he got something right.

[Friar T]

Frankly, I'm embarrassed to be associated with Amherst right now. Take this useless ‎drivel some place else. ‎

Vigo, you're better than this. I'll leave it at that.‎

JeffRookie, way to live up to your name. ROOKIE! Why would you take anything Vigo ‎says personally? You know he's just blowing smoke trying to get a rise out of people. ‎Also, if you know him at all you'd know that he's a) great friends with most of the ‎Amherst men's hoop team, who are the reason we're here in the first place and b) ‎arguably the biggest Amherst hoop fan on campus. We'd be lucky to have 1,000 more ‎just like him. You think because you sit in front of a mic and pretend to know anything ‎about basketball to the 136 listeners who tune it that it gives you the right to not only rip ‎him, but post his picture?!?!? One of the greatest things about this forum is everyone's ‎ability to remain somewhat anonymous and support their teams. Well, you kinda screwed ‎that one up for both of you. This hasn't even been a JV move, plain old ROOKIE.‎

Pat, thanks for trying to moderate this, but I had to take a more aggressive approach, ‎sorry. ‎

Latest rumors out of Amherst: ‎

Since the championships, Dan Wheeler has already performed 6 open-heart surgeries. All ‎successful. ‎

Dan O'Shea has been contacted directly by Heidi Fleiss about working at her all-male ‎brothel.‎

Because of his incredible success and skill as a sports captain, Mike Salerno has been ‎asked to be a captain of every spring sports team in the 'Herst.‎

Timmy McLaughlin was asked by Gozer if he's a god.‎

Andrew Olson will be forgoing his senior year for the draft.‎

With crazy hops and massive wingspans, Adoplhe Coulibaly and Fletcher Walters will ‎forgo their senior year to open the "Couliwalters Flight School." Lessons start at $99.99.‎

Kevin Hopkins will forgo his final season to write a book. The early title has been ‎announced as, "How To Finish Sick Alley-Oops." It has been reported that there will be a ‎small forward written by Olson regarding delivery.‎

Brandon Jones will stay in school, but is scheduled to open his own headband fashion ‎line. The slogan will be, "I've got you Jonesin..."‎

Matt Goldsmith is trying to network through O'Shea to get in touch with Ms. Fleiss.‎

Brian Baskauskas is going to change his name due to frequent mispronunciation. Word is ‎he will be announced next season as Brian Imgoodatbasketball.‎

Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled at the rumor mill folks...‎

[The Historian]

Well put, Friar T.  Well put.

While we're on the topic of serving up props (not personal attacks - except perhaps at my favorite whipping-boy, Paulsen  ), you deserve a special thank you for your years of service to the team and to Amherst athletics in general.

You were missed last weekend at Salem.  And missed every day in the ol' SID office...

[diehardfan]

Since the championships, Dan Wheeler has already performed 6 open-heart surgeries. All ‎successful. ‎

Andrew Olson will be forgoing his senior year for the draft.

Kevin Hopkins will forgo his final season to write a book. The early title has been ‎announced as, "How To Finish Sick Alley-Oops." It has been reported that there will be a ‎small forward written by Olson regarding delivery.‎

Brian Baskauskas is going to change his name due to frequent mispronunciation. Word is ‎he will be announced next season as Brian Imgoodatbasketball.‎‎

K+ for you. Welcome to neutral karma.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Dan O'Shea has been contacted directly by Heidi Fleiss about working at her all-male ‎brothel.‎‎

Obviously Andrew Olson would have been the better name to slot in here, but well done nonetheless.  I especially enjoyed the open heart surgeries, although I could not come up with a response funny enough to warrant posting.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

Your holiness...while I may be better than this I didnt expect an outright attack on the way I look based on the fact that I criticized the way he calls games, writes articles, talks about the team.

My attacks on williams are the most general and outlandish statements known to man.  Everyone on this board needs to realize that everything that I post is one joke after another.

Jeffrookie...thanks for the advice.  To quote diehardfan  8)

[Friar T]

You're still the man Vigo, still the man...

[Amherst95]

Gregory Sager:  In using the WIAC as an example, I omitted details of which I was certain you were aware.  Also, I don't believe my meanings were so vague as you assert.  I said the conferences "fancy themselves to represent" something, literally meaning they form that conception based on incomplete evidence.  The contextual link you made seems to assume a different meanining.

Re the "academic quality of Calvin [and] similar D3 midwestern institutions", to be clear I am not casting any aspersions on their academic quality.  Arguably "educational" was the wrong choice of words, but the difference is significant.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

A95, I too thought you were inferring some inferiority on the WIAC, but I was ok with it because I've often thought the WIAC academically inferior to some of the other d3 schools.

[diehardfan]

To quote diehardfan  8)

Ha... too true. Being female I'm a little more comfortable with all the cute smilies than my male counterparts and I use them liberally. Your quote is totally going to have to go into my signature tag at some point.