FB: Empire 8

[lumpy]

Friday night at Uncle Joes 8PM bring your beard

[Tags]

Wow a Fisher-Mount Union rumor?  If it is true, I will give a lot of credit to Coach Vosburgh for taking that walk.  Sure they will probably get their head kicked in but, that is how you make the national scene.  I'd like to see IC add to the budget for more inter-regional trips like that.  The Huntingdon matchup was fun this year.  Even the matchups with the PAC teams were great.  ( I wish they would have kept Wilkes or Lyco ).  Keep us posted boys.

Realistic- I'm open to the fact that it's a tough offense to stop. In fact, I believe Fisher will probably have their hands full... I just cannot make myself fathom how at the college level a pure option offense will be able to produce enough against a good defense to win without the threat of throwing to spread the defense out.

See University of Nebraska circa 1994, 1995, and 1997 (man, Gator Nation is going to have my neck for bringing up 1995).  They were so good they got their head coach into Congress! 

I am glad you are keeping an open mind about it.  This has been the best football-related discussion in here in weeks.  +k for that.


By the way, is Tampa Western New York?

They didn't throw much so that's a good point, but Frazier had Cory Schlesinger & Lawrence Phillips - Not clear as to how good Sharpe's supporting cast is.

[bombsaway]

Budcrew, I didn't say that Utica was not going in the right direction.  What I said was I think it's meaningless to debate Alfred and Utica's significance in the E8 right now because they're not at the level of some of the other teams.  All I hear is that they shouldn't be overlooked or they could catch someone off gaurd.  Well they're not going to catch anyone off gaurd and no one is going to overlook them.  It's retorical nonsense, they will continue to be bottom feeders for at least the next few seasons.  I hope they do become powerhouses because it will make for a better conference, but right now they're not front page news.

Max I agree with some of what you say regarding A-rod, however I think baseball is a team sport, I think the lockeroom environment is extremely important to a team.  That is why managers who aren't liked by the players can destroy good teams because of what happens behind the scenes.  Everything in baseball is contagious, from fielding, pitching to hitting.  The players know A-rod's salary (not that any of them should be frustrated by what they make) and they know he doesn't hit big when he needs too and that's going to cause tension whether they speak of it or not.

I also think the '86 mets had great chemistry even though they were a bunch of drunks and brawlers.  I read the book "The Bad Guys Won" and I think it showed they had a lot of destructive personalities but they were also close to one another and some of the players that may have rubbed guys the wrong way (carter) were still respected.

[fisheralum91]

there was a debate on Utica eateries...

I missed that..

I do have a bunch to reccomend!

[fisheralum91]

spell much......

[tecmobowler]

Utica is going in the wrong direction.

[fisheralum91]

UC maybe, but at least the food isnt!!

[bombsaway]

so are the cubbies....

[dewcrew88]

Utica is going in the wrong direction.

They've struggled this year, sure, but they can be a good team. They're not in the echelon of a Fisher, Springfield or Ithaca, but they are still new. The team is heading in the right direction because they are recruiting well every year, they are competitive in most of the games they play... (For example, they were only down 10-3 late in the game against Alfred.)

Another good thing about Utica (I don't know about other schools) is that they are able to retain players. Guys get a chance to come in as freshmen and contribute right away, and they'll stay on for their full time at the school. (Guys like quarterback Nick Martin fits this exactly.)

[AUKaz00]

Budcrew, I didn't say that Utica was not going in the right direction.  What I said was I think it's meaningless to debate Alfred and Utica's significance in the E8 right now because they're not at the level of some of the other teams. 

I think this weekend will start to flesh out how significant Alfred is this year.  How substantial was that 7 point loss up in Springfield?  How do the top four teams really stack up?  Comparing the Hartwick and Norwich games between IC, SJF & AU they all seem like convincing wins.  And IC, SJF and SC all beat Brockport by similar amounts (aside from the late rally against SJF).

I'm not claiming Alfred is the best in the E8, but they played Springfield as close at Union (who has the 26th most votes in the d3 poll).  So, I think Alfred's program does carry some significance in the E8, I just wish we'd get a couple pity votes in the poll.  I guess we'll have to wait until we face Hobart next weekend for a chance to garner some votes.

[dewcrew88]

Budcrew, I didn't say that Utica was not going in the right direction.  What I said was I think it's meaningless to debate Alfred and Utica's significance in the E8 right now because they're not at the level of some of the other teams.  All I hear is that they shouldn't be overlooked or they could catch someone off gaurd.  Well they're not going to catch anyone off gaurd and no one is going to overlook them.  It's retorical nonsense, they will continue to be bottom feeders for at least the next few seasons.  I hope they do become powerhouses because it will make for a better conference, but right now they're not front page news.

Just because some of those teams like Utica and Norwich aren't at the top levels of the conference doesn't mean those teams aren't significant. And if you don't remember, they caught Springfield off guard last year with their one-point win at a game I watched live, one of the best I've ever seen. And I'm not sure what team you root for (I think it's Ithaca, I don't feel like searching to find out), Utica has almost caught other teams off guard too, including RPI (a 9-7 win in 2004, which was the year after the Engineers' run to the national semifinal), and only losing 10-0 to Alfred and 13-0 to Ithaca in 2002 in back-to-back weeks. I bet those teams were caught off guard to know they were in a dogfight with a second-year varsity team.

[cstate19]

its sad that my comments cant draw budcrew and flash out........im not feeling the love.....i will prolly keep the info i have on smith to myself now

[maninyellowhat]

I love working in middle school and having the ability to stop by home ec and get some free food a couple times a week.  Today was eggs, sausage and cheese, and chicken pot pie for lunch.


Don't really care too much about the "who is better at shortstop" debate because only one of them is currently playing . 

[maninyellowhat]

High Life, Iceman (who seems to have disappeared), max, and other current FDC students,

Can I get one of you to buy me a Cortaca ticket?  I will gladly pay you back that weekend, but I won't be able to stand in line and pick one up 

[dewcrew88]

Two Empire 8 players are semifinalists for the Draddy trophy. The award is similar to the Gagliardi award (Division III's Heisman) but also takes grades, community service, and off-the-field accomplishments into account.

The players are Ithaca's Justin Brunell and Utica's Michael Sanchez.
Kudos to those two guys and their programs.