FB: Liberty League

[labart96]

Of course.  He is short tempered and likes to hit things so I see him as a defensive middie or perhaps FOGO in lax.  For fb, likely a LB or SS.  If he plays offense it would likely be as FB so he can hit people.

[dlippiel]

Gents:

Feel compelled to tell you a short story..

As only a few of you may know my son was a player up until Sat.. I have tried to be impartial on this board and while i certainly wore the red glasses it's a bit dangerous to comment while your son is still playing.  In any case I enjoyed the banter and tried to be careful about what I said and how it came across.

His experience at RPI has been great.  They had a tough season this year but they have won a ton of games, won the LL, made the NCAA's and the experience for him as a player has been great.  He made 1st team all conference last year and has started every game since his So. year.  Deans list every semester and LL all academic.  If I sound proud I am.

I personally have met some great coaches, alumni, and parents.  But it all has to come to an end and it has been a great ride.

He has played for 12 years.. from pop warner through college.  So Sat. was pretty emotional.  Thinking back on 12 years and all those games ....  from throwing the ball in the back yard to now has been something I will always cherish.

I tried to prepare myself for the "senior ceremony" where they announce the player and the parents meet him on the field.  Everything was great.... I held back the emotions and told him to have fun today.  Then I looked down at his cleats.  He had #10 on both cleats..  I asked him what that was for...?  He said "that's for you pops..."

# 10 was my number in college and high school.

At that point I had to look away...Kinda lost it.

So for all you young guys with boys that may eventually play the sport we love.  Enjoy it.  It goes fast.

Stim thanks for sharing and you should be proud as **** of your son. dlip's wife and him are less than a month away from the arrival of our first, a girl. Your post really gave dlip some perspective and added excitement regarding being a father. Congrats to your son and his excellent career and tons of luck to him regarding his future whatever he decides to do. +k

[Doid23]

Then I looked down at his cleats.  He had #10 on both cleats..  I asked him what that was for...?  He said "that's for you pops..."

# 10 was my number in college and high school.

At that point I had to look away...Kinda lost it.

So for all you young guys with boys that may eventually play the sport we love.  Enjoy it.  It goes fast.

Stim, Great note on DIII football and parenting. Helps to keep it all in perspective, and how quick it really goes. Sounds like you've raised a great kid, thanks for sharing the story.

[Doid23]

By the way, looks like only ****in five East Region teams will be in the NCAA's here in 09....****! Not to be a downer, but to dlip, none but Del Val will most likely even make a minimal amount of noise. Hopefully dlip is wrong. Well congrats to the East teams who will be in the field and best of luck. Mother****er we need a ****in east team to step up and make some noise soon.

Amen, brother Dlip.

[Ralph Turner]

Great questions of the LL Commissioner on this week's IntheHuddLLe!

Thanks for asking him the questions on Ithaca, the expansion with RIT and Bard, and the nature of an expansion to maintain an AQ.

[pumkinattack]

Sounded like something was/is brewing in the LL.

Obviously WPI and MMA are tenative members at this point, so a proactive approach would be a good idea. 

Bard kind of makes sense as a fit with Vassar and Skidmore, and to a secondary degree Hobart and SLU, but RIT I found interesting.  Obviously it appeals geographically for UofR and from a specialization perspective to RPI, but I've often wondered if Hobart's decision to drop down to DIII and then recant at the end of the 2008 lacrosse season had anything to do with the RIT pick.  RIT's been pretty good at lax over the years, the LL has been a little weaker, but obviously bringing Hobart in would've changed that.  I suspect that in some ways, the LL schools would value lax higher than the E8 schools, even though the E8 has been a better conference in lax. 

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for the interview with AD Joy Solomen.

There is much quality information in it.

[labart96]

Thanks for the interview with AD Joy Solomen.

There is much quality information in it.

Thx Ralph.  It was our pleasure to bring the interview to the LL fans and the broader D3 community.  Dr. Solomen certainly was very forthright on the committee's process and decisions.  I know I found it illuminating. 

We certainly were grateful for her to call us on 2 hrs sleep waiting at the airport to get home.  Definitley a highlight for "Best of 2009" for this year's ITH show.

[labart96]

Great questions of the LL Commissioner on this week's IntheHuddLLe!

Thanks for asking him the questions on Ithaca, the expansion with RIT and Bard, and the nature of an expansion to maintain an AQ.

thx and k+

[Ralph Turner]

Great questions of the LL Commissioner on this week's IntheHuddLLe!

Thanks for asking him the questions on Ithaca, the expansion with RIT and Bard, and the nature of an expansion to maintain an AQ.

thx and k+

+1 back at you.

The OWP/OOWP is a sore point for us in the ASC, because we have very few options for us to build a good OWP/OOWP.

AD Solomen alluded to the challenges of 9- and 10-team conferences.  I don't think that a 7-team conference in an opponent-rich area such NY/PA/New England (or IA,WI,IL,MN in the case of the MWC where they can cherry-pick the UMAC, NATHC, CCIW, IIAC, MIAC, and WIAC) and the isolated 9-team ASC are statistically comparable.

The challenge for the ASC is that we need to find 18 non-conference games to cram into 3 weeks plus the rare in-season open date.  Within driving distance (4 hours), the ASC good only find 4 in-region non-conference games.  Everyone else was D-II, NAIA, or "plane flight" or 6-hour bus ride D-III foes. (Some of the plane flights were in-reigon foes.)

[Ralph Turner]

Back to the show,

I think that the gamble on the non-conference SOS calculation is to boost your resume when trying to get a better seed in the bracket by winning those games, once you have the Pool A bid.  I stated elsewhere that the second ONU loss was what knocked them from a strong #2-#3 Pool C bid to being left somewhere on the table.  I think that the OAC can get their one-loss runner-up Pool A bid in most seasons, but a log-jam among 2-loss OAC teams does not allow enough separation of quality to keep several other teams from sneaking past them onto the table.

Respectfully, part of the "baggage" for you in the east is that the "Upstate" teams were racking up numerous Pool B bids back around 1999-2001.  That sets high expectations for something that is "no more".

Thanks for the podcast.  I hope that you can excerpt the Solomen interview and put its link somewhere easy to find.

[Pat Coleman]

Frank sent me a copy and I posted it on the Daily Dose.

[PBR...]

Sorry PBR, but let's go Crusaders. 

no problem...actually its pbr who is sorry...another short run in the playoffs for LL.   

[pumkinattack]

It's on LL v. MAC.  Although I have to wonder if this is some plot by the MAC to send one of their own, particularly one who has bad blood with DelVal as some sort of Dr. Evil ingenious plan. 

Interesting to me that Dr. Joy stated that an undefeated east team would probably get a #1.  I wonder if that extends to the NEFC or, in the future, ECFC.  Could we see a year where an everyone has to go up to New England for the playoffs? 

[PBR...]

It's on LL v. MAC.  Although I have to wonder if this is some plot by the MAC to send one of their own, particularly one who has bad blood with DelVal as some sort of Dr. Evil ingenious plan.  

Interesting to me that Dr. Joy stated that an undefeated east team would probably get a #1.  I wonder if that extends to the NEFC or, in the future, ECFC.  Could we see a year where an everyone has to go up to New England for the playoffs?  

re: DVC you are right these seniors have a score to settle w/ susquatch.... that point raised pbr's eyebrows as well re: dr. joy....one has to think the nefc would really have to step up and play top competition and do very well before they would get a #1 seed....but who knows what goes on behind those closed doors