Monday, March 18, 2024

A&I - TxBT

 


Former Dartmouth defensive lineman Alex Schmidt '22 is spearheading an effort to honor the impact Buddy Teevens had on so many with the sale of special T-shirts to raise money in the former coach's name for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. From the text on the site offering the shirts for sale:

Coach Buddy Teevens was an inspiration, role model, and leader to so many people throughout his life. Everyone who had the privilege to meet and get to know him are better for it and his impact is felt every single day. His trademark “TxBT” sign off on texts and emails is displayed on the front and back; his signature sign off stands out and continues to be a symbol for such a highly-appreciated and loved man. The “A&I” phrase displayed on the back of the shirt refers to the saying “Adjust & Improvise," which represents the message that he encouraged his players, coaches, and countless others to follow and believe in throughout life.

Please spread the word of this shirt and its link. The hope is to have as many people as possible get a shirt to help raise as much money as we can and have all or most people who attend Coach Teevens’ memorial in the spring when the date is set wear the shirt in support. Thank you for supporting such a great cause in honor of such a magnificent man.

Rest in peace Coach Teevens. We love you.

“A&I” 

“TxBT”

For more information or to order a shirt, CLICK HERE


Here's a personal note Schmidt shares about the effort:

After the passing of Coach Teevens I decided that there needs to be something done to help continue his legacy forever and to make sure that as many people as possible can understand the impact that he had on all of us and continues to have on us! I designed this shirt and the graphics with my brother and the hope is to have as many people as possible purchase a shirt! Proceeds will go towards raising money that will be gathered and presented to Mrs. Teevens and the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth during the memorial that will take place May 18! Since Coach T was such a huge advocate for supporting CHaD through the help of Dartmouth Football and more I wanted to continue that support in Coach's honor! It would be amazing to have just about everyone wear the shirt to the memorial in honor and celebration of Coach's never-ending impact on all of us!

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The New York Times has a piece headlined, How Is a College Football Team Different From Its Marching Band? The National Labor Relations Board is considering this question as it tries to determine whether some athletes at U.S.C. and Dartmouth should be deemed employees. From the story (LINK):

There are also distinctions between the athletes at the two schools: U.S.C. athletes can be on scholarships worth close to $100,000 per year while Dartmouth, like other Ivy League schools, does not award athletic scholarships — only aid based on need, which leaves about half the basketball team working jobs during the school year to help pay for their education.

And this from Matt Bodie, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and a former N.L.R.B. field attorney:

“The U.S.C. case is the more traditional case. Dartmouth is kind of surprising. The economic relationship there is a little hard to see. If the basketball players are employees, why not the orchestra? Why not the people on the squash team?” 

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17022

While most of the country was focused on the NCAA men's basketball draw and setting up pools, Dartmouth men's hockey was celebrating advancing to the ECAC semifinals at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. The Big Green (13-9-9) moved on with a weekend sweep of Union (16-18-3) at Thompson Arena.

The fourth-seeded Big Green will now face second-seed Cornell Friday at 7:30 p.m., in the nightcap after No. 1 Quinnipiac plays No. 7 St. Lawrence at 4 p.m.. The winners will face off Saturday at 5 p.m..

For ticket information, click HERE.

The Dartmouth-Cornell game will be streamed on ESPN+ and Stretch Internet .

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Speaking of the postseason, Yale's remarkable last-seconds win over Brown in the Ivy League men's basketball tournament earned the Bulldogs a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament and they will play fourth-seeded Auburn in Spokane on Friday at 4:15 p.m..

The Princeton men's team, which was surprised by Brown in the first semifinal, will host UNLV Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the NIT. Cornell, which lost to Yale in the semis, also earned an NIT bid and will travel to Ohio State for a 7 p.m. game tomorrow.

On the women's side, the Ivy League received two NCAA bids with Princeton gaining the automatic qualifier and Columbia earning an at-large berth. The ninth-seeded Tigers play eight-seed West Virginia at Iowa City Saturday at 5:30 p.m. with the winner likely getting Caitlin Clark and one-seed Iowa. The Hawkeyes open with the winner of the play-in game featuring 16-seed Holy Cross or UT Martin.

Columbia earned a play-in game against Vanderbilt in Blacksburg, Va., with the winner carrying a 12th seed into the first round against fifth-seeded Baylor.

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EXTRA POINT
For Christmas my sister gave us a bird feeder with a camera that not only streams video of visitors but has an AI component that identifies birds. We've had about two-dozen different birds stop by and the AI has come in handy identifying some of them. We didn't need any help with this recent visitor:


The Eastern Bluebird has always been on of my favorites. In the right light, it's blue plumage is almost identical to that of a bright blue popsicle and each time I see one it makes me smile. ;-)

Sunday, March 17, 2024

A Fast Start

Former Dartmouth linebacker/rush end Marques White had a pretty fair start in the first spring scrimmage at McNeese State, posting three sacks and four tackles for loss in live action with the Cowboys. Here he is talking with the media after the scrimmage. The grad transfer was first asked about Dartmouth about 50 seconds into the video.


Here are a few excerpts from White's answers, gently edited for clarity:

(Dartmouth is) in New Hampshire, if you don't know where that's at. And it's way different than down here in the south. You know, "it's different" doesn't always mean bad. So it's been a great experience so far. And I'm, I'm excited to see what the rest has to unfold. 

On his style of play:

I'd say down here the athletes are definitely a little better as far as speed on the explosiveness, and the line is definitely a little bigger. But  that's not to say that Dartmouth was worse, at all. We were a great team out there, but it's definitely a different type of speed and athleticism down here. 

 On coming from the Ivy League:

Yeah, I'd say I got a little chip on my shoulder. But you know, being an older guy on this team specifically, I just want to carry that, blue collar  type of attitude down here. Because up at Dartmouth, we were very technical in everything we did. And I think that's the difference that that goes a long way coming down here. 

On improvements he's looking for in his game:

First off, I want to stay healthy. I feel like my career has been riddled with injuries the past couple of years, unfortunately. So that's my main goal, to stay injury-free. And I just want to be more powerful and aggressive when it comes to the line, just because these are bigger boys down here. There's a lot of size. So I've got to be able to counteract that. 

On what he's looking forward to coming to a team whose only win a year ago was by forfeit:

 I'm looking forward to seeing the fans out here. I heard that there's a great college game-day atmosphere down here. That was kind of one of the reasons that drew me out here. I just want to see how this team responds from last year. I wasn't here last year's offseason, but based off of what we're doing now, it's turning in the right direction. So I think I believe in all these boys, and I hope they believe in me. So, you know, I'm just excited, excited for kickoff. 

McNeese State's biggest challenge coming off a 10-loss season will be Sept. 7 when the Cowboys play at Texas A&M.

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Former Dartmouth longsnapper Josh Greene, like Marques White a fifth-year senior last fall, has won a spot in the NFL Rotational Program. Greene spent last summer as an intern in the league's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department. The program he'll be joining this year is described on the NFL website this way (LINK):

The Rotational Program is a highly selective, high-potential program in which participants complete up to four rotations over a two-year period across a variety of departments and office locations within the U.S. If you are an undergraduate senior (including students completing their 5th consecutive year) looking to enhance your business exposure and management skills, this program will offer you an unparalleled opportunity to immerse yourself into the world of professional football through a series of challenging work assignments, League events, and networking opportunities.

Former Dartmouth tight end Cole Marcoux '14, was in the league's junior rotational program for two years after graduation and today is director of football administration for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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EXTRA POINT
History could be made this month, but not good history.

A popular contest in the wonderfully named "Joe's Pond" in West Danville, Vt., began in 1988 when a couple of buddies were wondering when the ice would go out. The origin of the contest, which has now gone national, is explained this way on its website (LINK):

After considerable discussion, they settled on a simple, low-tech control system: they placed a well-used electric clock on Homer Fitts's deck and tethered it to a cinder block wired to a wooden pallet placed about 100 feet out on the ice. That was it. The clock was checked twice daily in the morning and evening. When the block went down, the clock was disconnected, stopping at the "official" ice-out time. Whoever guessed closest to the date and time the clock stopped won the contest.

The latest the ice has gone out since the contest began was May 6 in 1992. The earliest: April 5 of 2010. Last year it went out April 17.

Here's the unfortunate history piece from the website:

Due to the unusually warm winter weather, the committee realizes there is a possibility the ice will go out before the April 1 deadline.  In that case the contest will immediately stop, outlets will be notified to stop collecting tickets, and all tickets will be picked up by committee members.   Post marks will be accepted up to and including the day before.

Oh, and if you would like to buy the $1 tickets, there's info HERE

Saturday, March 16, 2024

A Lasting Impact

Troy Media, "an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada," has a story headlined:

How Buddy Teevens revolutionized football: Buddy Teeven’s legacy includes advocating for player safety and promoting gender diversity in football coaching. (LINK):

Green Alert Take: The story doesn't break any new ground but is a reminder that Teevens broke new ground – and that his influence in the world of athletics was not limited by national borders.

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Speaking of Buddy Teevens' influence, he played a big role in helping Chicago Bears assistant coach Jennifer King's football career gain traction. From a TV report headlined NC native makes history as first woman on Chicago Bears coaching staff: 'Bet on yourself'. Find the story and a video interview with King HERE.

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Kevin Demoff '99 was seen as the bad guy in the Rams' move from St. Louis to Los Angeles, but the onetime writer for The Dartmouth who covered Big Green football for the school paper and radio station will be a hero in Colorado if he can find a way to get the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche broadcasts back on the state's largest cable provider. The president of the Los Angeles Rams, Demoff recently took over as president of team and media operations for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. Find a story HERE.

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I missed this line at the bottom of a recap of a recent Dartmouth baseball game until it was pointed out to me (LINK):

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.

Two things. First, it will be incredibly disappointing if Dartmouth goes in that direction after moving on from a veteran sports information director who wrote truly excellent stories about Big Green baseball and football games.

And second, the Sports Illustrated AI mess should have taught everyone that under absolutely no circumstances should there be the byline of a person – real or fictional in SI's case – anywhere near AI generated content.

Green Alert Take: I shudder to think the once-proud Dartmouth sports information office is going to move in the direction of AI and produce hollow, bullet-point summaries for ephemeral social media instead of work that will stand the test of time.

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EXTRA POINT
I was listening to the podcast Two Writers Slinging Yang on my hike the other day and host Jeff Pearlman mentioned that his wife sometimes warns him before they are in social situations not to "interview" people. I have to admit to feeling a little sheepish hearing that because I've been known to unintentionally go into interview mode myself when I meet new people.

One of the questions I often asked Dartmouth athletes during interviews was where they could see themselves in 20 years. That question was fine in those situations but as I realized a little late one time it can be a little forward when you let if fly upon first meeting your kids' significant other. Oops.

Friday, March 15, 2024

A Dip Into The Record Book

Scrolling through the record book on a slow day I wondered where Nick Howard ranked among all-time Ivy League players in terms of rushing touchdowns. Slipping him into the list, here's what I found:


No.

Name, School

Years

1

60

Clifton Dawson, Harvard

2003-06

2

54

Mike McLeod, Yale

2005-08

3

52

Nick Hartigan, Brown

2002-05

4

50

Ed Marinaro, Cornell

1969-71

5

49

Keith Elias, Princeton

1991-93

6

44

Chad Levitt, Cornell

1993-96

7

42

John Lovett, Princeton

2015-18

8

39

Michael Malan, Brown

1999-01

9

38

Quinn Epperly, Princeton

2011-14

10

34

NICK HOWARD, DARTMOUTH

2019-23

10

34

John Pagliaro, Yale

1975-77

10

34

Bryan Keys, Penn

1987-89

13

33

Kris Ryan, Penn

1998-01

14

32

Judd Garrett, Princeton

1987-89

14

32

Johnathan Reese, Columbia

1998-01

16

31

Tyler Varga, Yale

2012-14

17

30

Cosmo Iacavazzi, Princeton

1962-64

17

30

Adolph Bellizeare, Penn

1972-74

17

30

Robert Carr, Yale

2001-04

17

30

Dominick Pierre, Dartmouth

2010-13


Howard ran for 15 touchdowns in 2021, nine in 2022 and 10 in 2023.

Dominick Pierre '14 ran for four touchdowns as a freshman, four as a sophomore, nine as a junior and 13 as a senior to reach 30.

All-time Dartmouth rushing leader Nick Schwieger '12 did not have a rushing touchdown as a freshman, ran for two scores as a sophomore and then had 14 and 10 over his final two seasons to finish his career with 26 TDs on the ground.

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HERO Sports has updated its ranking of potential NFL Draft picks with two players Dartmouth faced landing in the top-10, including at No. 1 (LINK):

Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie 
Ranked: 1st overall among FCS prospects
Ranked: 10th overall at tackle
Ranked: 82nd overall
Projected Round: 2nd-3rd
New Hampshire running back Dylan Laube
Ranked: 9th overall among FCS prospects
Ranked: 16th overall at running back
Ranked: 229th overall
Projected Round: 6th-7th
Holy Cross product Jalen Coker was ranked fifth overall and 31st among wide receivers, and teammate CJ Hanson was ranked seventh overall and 13th among offensive guards.

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Per the New York Times: Sports Illustrated’s Employees Are Told Print Edition Will Close in May. (LINK)

Green Alert Take: It's a sign of how far the magazine has fallen. There was a time when it could be argued it offered the best magazine writing in the world, sports or otherwise.

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FootballScoop has a piece highlighting the different approach Deion Sanders takes to recruiting than more traditional coaches. Here's all you need to know (LINK):

Off-campus recruiting visits by Jim Harbaugh as Michigan coach: 145
Off-campus recruiting visits by Texas coach Steve Sarkisian: 128
Off-campus recruiting visits by Deion Sanders: 0

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Headline from AP story: NLRB certifies union to represent Dartmouth basketball players. (LINK)

Green Alert Take: Wake me when it's over.

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EXTRA POINT
Gearing up (literally) for our month-long rail excursion around the country Mrs. BGA and I are thinking about ways to pass the time. I've downloaded a handful of old movies and have a few books queued up to borrow from the library on my Kindle.

During our late-winter escapes camping on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean we'd usually play a lot of Scrabble but the tiles on the board we brought to use in the tent would slide around on the train. And the deluxe version with insets to hold the tiles that we bring with us in our VW bus would be a bit much to cart from train to train. After a little digging around in the basement, I found a travel Scrabble game a little smaller than a folded road map and no thicker. The little tiles are like Colorforms and stick nicely to the trifold board. Perfect!

Now, if we could just use the names of all the prescriptions advertised during the evening news! Of course if we could we would need more Q's and Z's and X's and J's. ;-)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

In The News

Lehigh coach Kevin Cahill, the longtime Yale assistant, makes the hiring of Keeon Shaw as corners coach official in a press release HERE. Shaw spent the past two seasons as the offensive quality control assistant at Dartmouth.

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Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris to ffers some thoughts in a Collegiate Sports Connect interview about student-athletes becoming employees prior to the Dartmouth men's basketball union vote. The recording is behind a paywall but this excerpt is revealing (LINK):

 “I can’t even envision how that would work because what we are providing is an opportunity for student-athletes to truly pursue the sport that they've been playing and that they love to play and to provide them all the benefits that come through college sports: the leadership skills, the learning, how to bounce back from failure and losing, team building and setting a goal, working hard and achieving that goal or surpassing that goal – maybe not meeting that goal and what do you do to adjust. So, for us it really is about the student-athlete experience. It’s not an employer-employee relationship in any way, so I don't even know what that would look like.”

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How is the idea of college athletes unionizing playing out in the court of public opinion? It depends, to an extent on your age and your party affiliation. But on the whole, the reaction is not favorable. Find the results of a survey and an Associated Press story HERE.

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Following up on yesterday's listing of Dartmouth's Ivy League football rookies of the year, here are the Big Green's Ivy League Players of the Year:

1970 – Quarterback Jim Chasey
1978 – Quarterback Buddy Teevens
1990 – Running back Shon Page
1991 – Running back Al Rosier
1992 – Quarterback Jay Fiedler
2010 – Running back Nick Schwieger*
2016 – Linebacker Flo Orimolade
2018 – Defensive back Isiah Swann
2019 – Linebacker Jack Traynor
* Shared with Harvard running back Gino Gordon

Winners by School (Last)

Princeton 14 (Linebacker Liam Johnson 2022)
Harvard 13 (Defensive lineman Truman Jones 2022)
Yale 12 (Quarterback Nolan Grooms 2023)
Penn 10 (Defensive lineman Joey Slackman 2023)
Dartmouth 9 (Linebacker Jack Traynor 2019)
Cornell 5 (Quarterback Jeff Mathews 2011)
Brown 5 (Quarterback EJ Perry 2021)
Columbia 2 (Quarterback John Witkowski 1982)

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EXTRA POINT
The '84 VW poptop camper came out of the garage yesterday after its long winter sleep. Once again, German engineering came through as the 40-year-old bus started up on the first turn of the key.

Speaking of turns, if you have been a regular visitor to this space you've read before about all the back-and-forth jockeying it takes to get the VW cross-wise in the back of our deep garage. I'm here to tell you that's not much fun in a four-speed without power steering.

I managed to minimize the number of turns getting it into place last fall but I was reminded again yesterday that it doesn't have to be that hard. All it took was one back-up, one forward and one back-up and I could then turn it enough to get out the door. If only I could exactly replicate those turns in reverse order it would be so, so, so much easier putting the bus away for the winter.

Or course, instead of reversing the turns we could just buy the new ID. Buzz VW bus with Memory Function Park Assist . . . although probably not until they bring out a pop-top camper version. ;-)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Looking Ahead

Dartmouth used to include future schedules in its media guide and online. Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore.

While you don't need an Ivy League degree to figure out the Ancient Eight portion of future schedules – just work back 10 weeks from Thanksgiving and insert the Ivy games in the usual order – working up the teams for the out-of-conference portion is trickier. Here's what we know so far about who the Big Green will be playing in nonconference games in coming seasons:

2024
Fordham
at Merrimack
Central Connecticut 

2025
at Fordham
New Hampshire
TBA

2026
TBA across the board

2027
at New Hampshire
at Central Connecticut 
TBA

2028
New Hampshire 
TBA
TBA

Expect a return game to Lehigh somewhere along the way. Apart from that,  your guess is as good as mine although I hope there are more Patriot League games.

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Speaking of Lehigh and Fordham, while we weren't looking the Patriot League made a subtle change in its scholarship rules. Starting this year, the league will allow a full 63 schollies for the first time. Also, the 90-player roster limit has been eliminated.

Green Alert Take: Colgate's win over Dartmouth last fall, Lafayette's emergence in 2023 and the continued excellence of Holy Cross suggest the Patriot League may finally be turning the corner it couldn't even see in the first years since introducing football scholarships everywhere but at Georgetown a decade ago. 

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And now for today's visit to the record books . . .

The Ivy League Rookie of the Year award was introduced in 1981. Since then, Dartmouth has had eight players so honored.:

1981 – Quarterback Mike Caraviello
1986 – Wide receiver Craig Morton
1990 – Quarterback Matt Brzica
1991 – Quarterback Jay Fiedler
2001 – Kick returner/corner Steve Jensen
2002 – Linebacker Josh Dooley
2012 – Quarterback Dalyn Williams
2016 – Wide receiver Hunter Hagdorn

Rookies of the Year By School

8 – Dartmouth
7 – Harvard
6 – Penn
6 – Yale
5 – Columbia
5 – Cornell
3 – Brown
2 – Princeton  
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EXTRA POINT
When I picked up the mail a couple of days ago there was a returned letter in our box. It was a Christmas card we'd sent to an old friend on Dec. 12. In case you are counting, the card took 91 days to make it back to our box.

In addition to the familiar yellow "return to sender" sticker on the envelope someone had printed vertically along the left side of the envelope, "MOVED." Scribbled hastily above that, also in pink in larger print were the letters, "WTF."

Seriously?

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

From Big Green To Blue Hen He's Still A Leader


As a true senior at Dartmouth, Tyron Herring won the Reggie Williams Award, presented to the player who, "Through leadership in action and word has made Dartmouth a better place."

Instead of taking his fifth year in Hanover, Herring grad transferred to Delaware where he had a standout season on the gridiron, and picked up where he left off as a leader. From a story in the Cape Gazette about Herring, who has another year of eligibility with the Blue Hens (LINK):

University of Delaware football defensive back Tyron Herring became known throughout the CAA as a shutdown corner as he earned all-conference honors in his first year with the Blue Hens in 2023. The graduate transfer from Dartmouth College certainly has made himself known for his impressive abilities on the field, but UD fans will likely be hearing his name a long time after he stops wearing the Blue & Gold. Whenever his days in football pads are over, Herring will trade his cleats and helmet to serve his community.

And . . .

“Delaware was interested in me very early on, so it was definitely a football move, but also the MPA program that I am a part of now was another big decision that went into it. My mom was always telling me ‘use your athletic gift to pursue your education,’ and they had opportunities, so I wanted to make sure I got into a good master’s program and when looking at the schools that were recruiting me. The Biden School helps me get a lot of opportunities to learn public service.”

Herring met John Carney '78, the former Dartmouth player  and current Delaware governor, by happenstance at Memorial Field and has stayed in touch. From the story:

His relationship with Carney and his spot in the Biden School helped Herring secure an important internship this semester. Three times per week, he commutes to Dover, where he serves as a Legislative Fellow at the state capital. There, he can observe and participate in government functions that apply what he has learned at Dartmouth and Delaware.

“The MPA program and legislative fellows play a big part in demystifying the political law-making process. Dartmouth provided that foundation and that interest through the amount of papers and classes and professors. I took an American inequality class and it was one of my favorite classes, and I can now support that with the practicality that the MPA provides with experience.”

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Roster projections can be notoriously inaccurate but better to be expected to make a team than to be cut.

Former Dartmouth offensive tackle Matt Kaskey '19, is projected to earn a spot on the UFL's Birmingham Stallions for the second season. (LINK)

Defensive end Niko Lalos '20 played spring football a year ago but after spending last fall on the New Orleans Saints' practice squad he re-signed with the team and is under contract for 2024. He's listed on a team depth chart HERE.

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From FootballScoop:

Dartmouth (FCS): Dartmouth Football has an immediate opening for an offensive quality control assistant. This is a full-time opportunity with the league leading Ivy League Champs. Interested candidates should e-mail their resumes . . .

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The Boston Globe has a story about Dartmouth basketball players touching base with Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark in advance of their vote on unionization. There's new (to me, at least) information in this quote by Clark from the story (LINK):

“We believe that a lot of the challenges that currently exist in the college landscape can be remedied by guys having a formal seat at the table. So that call that we got from the Dartmouth men’s and women’s team at the time, I tip my hat to those guys and gals. The guys moving forward in the fashion that you’ve seen them and being able to come alongside them in whatever fashion that we can has been great. We’re hopeful that there are additional conversations that are had beyond the Dartmouth men’s basketball team.”

Did you catch it? Clark says they call came from the "Dartmouth men’s and women’s team(s)."

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Opinion writes gonna opine, and a freelance writer took advantage of the Dartmouth basketball situation to offer up the nuclear option in a piece published in Vermont's Barre Montpelier Times Argus (LINK):

So, what am I suggesting Dartmouth do? I’m suggesting it do the same thing it did as it studied the impact on low-income students of having eliminated standardized tests.

I’m suggesting Dartmouth ask itself questions like the ones I’m posing, questions about education, about admissions, about costs and benefits — about the business of college.

And I’m hoping if Dartmouth does this, it’ll find that, as sexy as successful college athletic programs may be, they really don’t belong in an academic setting.

And . . .

Intramural programs certainly make sense. Spending some money on such programs also makes sense.

But the distraction from the central job of colleges and universities — to educate young Americans — seems to have been lost in some shuffle.

It’s time that Dartmouth — as fine a college as it is — become a trendsetter, and help America’s colleges and universities take a close look at the business they’re supposed to be in. 

Green Alert Take: This is just a guess, but I'm not sure the writer, who lives in Chester, Vt., would be a Dartmouth season-ticket holder. ;-)

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Thank you for your kind words regarding yesterday's posting about the decision to shut down BGA Premium. You are the reason it lasted as long as it did.

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EXTRA POINT
It's always special when we "spring ahead" and it stays light later into the evening. While it was noticeable Sunday and Monday nights, heavy cloud cover made the change feel less dramatic than usual. As I look out the window here at the BGA World Headquarters this morning, there isn't a cloud in the sky. If it stays that way and we can actually see the sun set over Wright's Mountain at 6:52(ish), it will finally feel as if spring is truly on the way.

Monday, March 11, 2024

End Game

This is a tough one to write so I might as well get straight to the point. After 18 seasons Big Green Alert Premium is shutting down. There will be some coverage of spring practice next month and I have thoughts about doing a little something in the fall, but the days of attending every single practice and writing full-length stories seven days a week from mid-August until the Monday of Thanksgiving Week after the final game have come to an end.

This wasn't an easy decision. Like Buddy Teevens before him, head coach Sammy McCorkle could not have been more welcoming and helpful in his first season. Stopping by the football offices in Floren Varsity House some time back to tell "Coach Mac" I was probably shutting BGA down was difficult because of how unbelievably accommodating he was last year, as he has been ever since he arrived as a young coach during my first year of BGA. I will miss my daily interactions with him, with the terrific group of assistant coaches and with ops director Dino Cauteruccio, who to a man have always been obliging with their time and thoughts, and who have become friends over the years.

I will miss my interaction with the players, who have been unfailingly helpful and always – that's always – said the right things. At a difficult time last fall Coach McCorkle said to me that he trusted his players to a man in their interactions with me, and I'm here to tell you after 18 seasons of talking to the kind of young people he and Buddy and the others brought to campus, his faith in his student-athletes was well-placed.

Finally, I will miss all of you. I have had subscribers who stuck with me every year since I came up with the idea of BGA in 2005. There are parents of players who graduated years ago who continued to sign up for the service when I knew their only reason for coming back was to help me out. With subscriptions falling, the last couple of years I invited you to send along a little extra and you were wonderfully generous. I can't begin to tell you how much that has meant to me.

I had thought I would keep this thing going for 20 years and I almost made it, but after covering 180 games – all but the 2021 Valpo contest in person (because, as local Noah Kahan sings in Stick Season, there was "COVID on the planes") – the time has come to step aside.

This spring Mrs. BGA and I are going to spend a full month seeing the country by train. Come early September, when schoolchildren are back in class, we'll load the '84 VW camper up and check out a lakeside campground or two while the weather is still warm, something I haven't been able to do since finishing graduate school all those years ago. I expect to be in the Memorial Field stands for all of the home games this season, but when the Big Green is on the road there just might be a Saturday afternoon or two spent in Happy Valley instead of the Upper Valley.

Alert eyes may have noticed BGA Daily transitioned to BGA a couple of months ago. That wasn't an accident. The blog – not a term I care for because I consider myself a journalist and not a blogger – will continue, but it won't always be seven days a week. When Mrs. BGA and I vacationed in the past BGA Daily continued every day, but that won't be the case when we ride the rails this spring, nor will I continue to bow to the need to find something – anything – to keep a streak going after we return.

I will miss the coaches, the players and all of you, but I'm at peace with the decision to step aside. Please continue to visit the BGA blog (argh) and keep those emails and notes coming. As I've said before, I answer 'em all . . . eventually.

Cheers,
BW

BGA By the Numbers: Most of these are estimates but I'm sure they are in the ballpark.

• 1,890: BGA Premium stories posted behind the paywall over 18 seasons.

• 2 million plus: Words, give or take a hundred thousand or two, appearing on the Premium site over the years. ;-)

• 500: Different Dartmouth players appearing on the site during the BGA Premium run.

• 5,000: Miles driven back-and-forth to Memorial Field for football practices and home games.

• 45,000: Miles driven to away games.

• 120,000: Total miles driven for BGA Premium, give or take.

• 8,206: As of this one, the number of blog entries on this platform (and counting the first blogging platform I used, 8,500 entries or so total). 

• Unknown: Number of days since the last time the daily site was not updated – vacations, broken ribs, illness or worse, holidays and everything in between notwithstanding.

• 150: Average dollars brought in each year by those annoying ads on the blog.

• 915: Hours spent annually on the blog.

• 16.4: Cents ad revenue earned per hour working on the blog – so it must be a labor of love, as many of you have told me. Or I must be crazy. Or more likely both. ;-) 

• 1: Person I have to thank more than anyone else for allowing me to do this. That would be the ever-patient, ever-tolerant Mrs. BGA, who I suppose will have go by Mary Ellen after this.

• 0: Regrets about leaving daily journalism to do BGA.

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EXTRA POINT
If you are an out-of-towner and are considering coming to Hanover to watch a spring practice or two, the May 4 Green-White game would probably be your first choice (even if they don't tackle). But if you are in town to double up the Saturday, Apr. 6 and Tuesday, Apr. 9 practices, you are in for a treat. You can also catch the total eclipse on April 8.

Hanover will be a little south of the line of totality, but it should be a pretty good show. Per ChatGPT 96 percent of the sun will be blocked in Hanover. If you drive a little over an hour north on I-91, the eclipse will be total for upwards of 3½ minutes.