While it took about 20 hours for Cornell's NCAA basketball and hockey tournaments to be over, it seemed to happen faster than that. That was why throughout this run, I've tried to savor it, and not take it for granted, because I knew it could end quickly, and it did. Certainly it's disappointing, in some ways more so for the hockey team, which entered the tourney as a serious contender for the national championship. I feel lucky to have been at both games, as the Big Red took on the Wildcats x 2(Kentucky and University of New Hampshire), so here are the recaps.
Cornell vs. Wildcats, part 1
During the week, there was a lot of chatter about the plans for Syracuse. It seemed all kinds of Cornellians were coming out of the woodwork to cheer on the Big Red at the Carrier Dome. While there were points during the week when it looked like tickets would be hard to come by, the day of the game, I found they were still available on ticketmaster and passed the tip on to my colleague Calto, who made a game time decision to go. His seats were actually better than mine and though I toyed with the idea of buying better ones and then selling mine, I think I made the right call.
On Thursday I left the office midday and scooped up my brother Michael in Clinton. Once he'd gotten things squared away at the farm and after handing off a ticket to my buddy Howie at the Westmoreland toll booth, we were on our way. We parked at the Skytop lot, and while remote, it's actually fairly user friendly. We didn't tailgate for long as we still had one ticket to deliver, to my pal Joe Moran, and I wanted to get to Big Redpalooza. (I'd prepared an elaborate tailgate which consisted of a 12-pack of Utica Club, or as I dubbed it, "tailgate in a box")
After the shuttles dropped us on campus, we scurried through the cold rain, triangulating our way to Cornell headquarters at the Sheraton just off campus a couple blocks from the Dome. We were running late enough that many of the Cornell fans were already heading toward the Dome to catch the undercard, West Virginia vs. Washington.
We located Joe who was with Lee Winters, a former roommate of mine, and it was great to see him as it had been several years. We went into the Cornell party, which while technically over, still had a cash bar and food on the buffet line. Undoubtedly the crowd had thinned, but there was still a strong Red-clad contingent in a large hotel ball room and foyer, noshing and drinking under a large Cornell banner. I heard the AD had warmed up the crowd and figured this must be what it would be like to be at a big time sports school, with a pre-game reception before all the big games. Not sure if it was a who's who of Cornelldom, but I think it might have been as I didn't know anyone. Michael ran into one of his best buddies from his undergrad days, Buck Briggs, who teaches at Cornell and well known in the community.
Many folks at the Sheraton were watching the Syracuse game, who got off to a poor start against Butler, and eventually lost (note foreshadowing). I found it difficult to focus on that game just as I found it difficult to focus on West Virginia-Washington once we got to our seats. Before we left, I bought the gratuitious East Regional t-shirt (to go with the gratuitous souvenir program I would obtain later), and headed over to the Dome.
We got there at halftime of the first game, found our seats way up in section 316, right behind one of the baskets. Not the worst, not the best. As the Dome filled you could see more than half of the crowd was wearing Red. While it was a good crowd, it looked like there were seats available, so I'm glad I didn't try to trade up (actaully down) in the ticket department.
Before the game a Kentucky fan asked me if I wanted to do a ticket swap wager -- if Cornell won, he'd give me his tickets and if Kentucky won, I'd give him mine. I suppose this is the type of thing that happens at Regional finals, but I begged off.
Before the game I caught up with Calto, and later Howie arrived, followed by Jim Ward, another classmate of mine. Joe had craftily swapped tickets with him when they were passing them out so he could sit on the lower level.
And then there was the game -- yes there was a game, but as you probably gather from this post, this trip was about more than the game. It was about whole experience, connecting with old friends and swimming in the Big Red sea of fans. Yes, we were excited for the game, and while expectations were in check we all thought we had a chance.
We got off to a great start, and the Dome was rocking when we opened up a 10-2 lead, but you could tell our opponent was a notch above Wisconsin or Temple. As the half wore on, Kentucky figured out how to stop us, though our underrated defense kept it close for most of the half until Kenucky built a double digit lead in the last few minutes. Kentucky finished the half on a 30-6 run over about the last 15 minutes and even ran some fast break against us, which I hadn't seen all year.
We were down 32-16 at the half, though the deficit seemed larger than that. I was disappointed I missed singing the alma mater with Howie, which I recall belting out with him at hockey games 20 years ago.
I told everyone within earshot we would make a run late in the second half and we did, getting to within 6, at 40-34, after Dale hit one from behind the arc and again within 9 at 46-37 after Wittman buried a three for one of his few highlights. For a few minutes we kept it around 10 before Kentucky pulled away in the final minute. In some ways, it was closer than the 62-45 score indicated, but we'd struggled so much on offense, that just getting close seemed like a major feat. As the game ended I sold two of our group's tickets to the Kentucky fan I spoke to before the game and two to an older man wearing an autographed Jerry West jersey, so hopefully all the Kentucky and West Virginia fans can nicely in the sandbox together.
Wittman really struggled finding his shot. Dale looked very good. He turned the ball over a few times, but he generally got us into our offense and was one of our few scoring threats. Foote had some success early in the game before they shut him down, but he held his own defensively throughout. In the second half I kept thinking that if Foote could have fed Wittman or Dale from the post, it might open them up for a three, but the truth is we got a few more looks in the second half and we just didn't hit them. Say what you want about Kentucky, as many people did during the week, contrasting the Cornell student athletes, with Kentucky's one and done future NBAers and coach Calipari who left Memphis under a cloud of controversy. The bottom line is they played hard, tough defense and with their superior athleticism, stifled Cornell's offense.
It was disappointing, but hearing the Dome erupt at the Cornell introductions, early in the game and when we made our run in the second half and being there with Michael, Howie and some of the boys was worth the trip. We got home about 1:45 am and I was so wired I read my program for a while before drifting off.
Cornell vs. Wildcats, part 2
I feel for my brother who had to get up at 6 to milk the cows. He caught a little nap on the ride home, but I felt beat down just getting up at 8.
I slogged into our Sangerfield office to bang out some work before heading to Albany. I could feel that the wind had left my sails.
I got to Albany about 4:30 and my wing man Joe and I met up my brother Peter and has pal Mason at Broadway Joes, just under the Times Union Center. Pete's end of the work week enthusiasm lifted my spirits for a while. Joe wouldn't be able to find better seats tonight, as we had tickets in the First Niagara box and we headed upstairs to watch the end of RIT's upset of number one seed Denver.
Even before the Cornell-UNH game started I thought something was off. For one thing, I was beat, and could sense many others in the Cornell crowd felt the same. The Cornell crowd was significantly smaller than for the ECAC championship, with a much smaller student section. The attitude and edge seemed to be lacking too.
The game started well enough and the two teams skated evenly throughout the first. Scrivens played well, and the Big Red got a lift by scoring late in the first stanza. The second was evenly matched as well, but toward the end of the second, things got off track. After a turnover in the Cornell zone, UNH appeared to score, but play continued as the puck went into the corner. As it turned out, the puck had actually gone through the net, and at the first stoppage of play, the officials reviewed the play and confirmed the goal. I don't know if it was the long wait while the play was reviewed, but Cornell seemed to lose its legs and within 30 seconds after play resumed, UNH scored again, taking a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Peter's friend Ken and his Dad, Herb were there. In an effort to rouse the Cornellians, he gave us 4:1 odds against Cornell coming back, and badgered us into the bet. Peter, my brother Jerry who was also there, Joe and I begrudgingly accepted, and no sooner than we did, it seemed, UNH scored to make it 3-1, a lead that grew to 5-1 until Cornell scored late in the game. An empty net goal made the final score 6-2. It usually takes about 4 games for Cornell to give up 6 goals, and while Scrivens might have made some of the stops, as Coach Schafter put it, "we hung our goalie out to dry" with bad turnovers in the zone and one breakaway.
This one hurt, because I think Cornell had a solid team that could have made a run to the Frozen Four, especially with Denver out of the way. I felt like we let the team down a bit with our lackluster support during the game, though I guess they just got outplayed. UNH just seems to have our number in the NCAAs.
Conclusion
And so like that, it was over in the blink of an eye. A good run, and great to be able to share it with some old buddies and my brothers. I'm thankful to Jen for holding down the fort with Will while I trapsed around New York following the Big Red. And while disappointed there was no return trip to Albany to see Cornell play for a Frozen Four berth, it was awfully nice to get home today and do pine cone patrol with Jen and Will this afternoon in Forest Park.
I know the hockey team will be back. Schafer has a great program and while Scrivens and several others are departing, the Big Red hockey program seems to be in a mode where it simply reloads each year.
The basketball team was probably a once in a generation team for Cornell, especially having players like Wittman and Dale and given his improvement over the years, you might put Foote in that category too. I'm not sure if he'll get offers, but this might be coach Donahue's chance to leave for a bigger school -- hopefully he and his family like Ithaca. I do think they'll be competitive in the Ivies next year. Wrobleski is the only starter who will be back but he'll be joined by scapper Adam Wire who played quite bit, along with UMass transfer Max Groebe and Errick Peck is an athletic freshman who played sparingly late in the season but did get some quality minutes vs Kentucky for that very reason. I understand they've got a couple of good recruits coming too, and I'm sure the notariety Cornell got this year will help on that front.
I'm going to miss this 2009-10 team. I enjoyed their success, but more than anything I enjoyed watching them play. Toward the end of the season, I often thought, this is how basketball should be played, with unselfish precision, pinpoint passing and fearless shooting.
So there may be some radio silence from the 20th hole for a while. Not quite ready to dive into lacrosse season, though the Big Red are in the top 10. The 20th hole may get back to its golfing roots as I noticed today that Ernie Els, Davis Love, Phil Mickelson are all in contention at Arnie's Bay Hill tournament and Augusta is right around the corner. I'm working on an entry for a golf design contest, which I'll post when I'm finished, and spring appears to have arrived in Western Mass, so I may even play a little golf too, some of which may end up here at the 20th hole.
So stay tuned, and thanks for a great season -- Go Big Red!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
What a Weekend
Wow, what a weekend of Cornell hockey and hoops.
Saturday night I got to see the Cornell Big Red win the ECAC hockey championship, which was a first for me. They scored in the first and second periods to take a 2-0 lead over Union, and to their credit the Dutchmen didn't fold. They helped Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens earn the tourney MVP award by keeping pressure on throughout the third.
As the Red enjoyed a two-goal lead, it never really had a nail biter feel, but in the midst of a Union flurry after pulling the goalie late in the third, Cornell iced the game with a 185 shot to the empty net, to which the Lynah faithful still yelled, "Sieve, sieve, sieve." (I also enjoyed when with two minutes to go the students chanted matter of factly, "Townies up!" and the non-student fans obediently rose, stood and cheered for the remainder of the game.) My brother Jerry, and nephew Patrick and I were among the red-clad faithful who were out in force and we all roared as the clock ticked to zero. The players went yard sale as they scrambled over the bench, flinging their equipment all over the ice, and piled around Ben Scrivens.
Later they paraded the tournament trophy to our corner of the rink, and the crowd chanted "Hobey Baker" when they handed it to Ben Scrivens, who's a finalist for hockey's version of the Heisman. He's a bright lad, and he showed quick thinking turning the photographers around so that the candid team championship photo had the Cornell fans in the background.
The Cornell team got good news Sunday morning when the NCAA 16-team tournament was announced and learned they would be travelling again to Albany to play in the East Regional. They'll be playing UNH who they beat in January and if they can get past the Wildcats, will face the winner of the game between # 1 seeded Denver and RIT, a relative newcomer to Division I hockey. While Cornell beat UNH this year, they've lost a couple of tough ones to them in NCAA tourneys past like 2002 when UNH stopped the Big Red from making the final four and 2003, when Cornell's dominating 27-2-1 team lost to UNH in the national semifinals -- Cornell was on the wrong end of a tough (translation: lousy) call early in that one but fortunately, I've forgotten all about it.
So the hockey team had made the final 16, and so the question Sunday afternoon was whether the Big Red could make basketball's final 16.
Coming into the tournament, I knew the hoop team was good. I knew they could beat Temple, and I knew they were good enough to beat Wisconsin, but I wondered if they would execute well enough to pull off another upset. I didn't have to wonder for long.
Jumping out to leads of 11-1 and 16-4, Cornell looked awesome, right out of the gate. I didn't know much about Wisconsin, but as one of the top teams in the Big Ten, I figured they would make a run and reel Cornell in. They did, sort of, but 24-21 was as close as they got. They steadily pulled away in the second half, and you knew it was a good day for Cornell when the coverage swicthed away to another game with about 10 minutes to go. (Note to Buffalo Wild Wings, food was great, and always happy to support a Cornell-owned business, but no it wasn't CBS' fault, you do have direct feeds of all the games -- it's why sports bars exist. Wish we hadn't missed five minutes of the second half while the staff figured that out.)
As impressive as their offense was (and it was, putting up 87 points on one of the top defensive teams in the country), the thing that stuck out to me again was their defense. I wasn't sure Cornell was big and athletic enough to stop big, tough teams like Temple and Wisconsin, but they answered that question too. Kentucky will raise that bar yet again, but let's worry about that one in a few days.
I'll get to find out in person if Cornell can rise to the occasion against the Wildcats Thursday night at the Syracuse Carrier Dome, Cornell's seniors have played there four times, and given Syracuse a bit of a scare the at least a couple of times in their careers. Hopefully they can parlay that experience and the Central New York crowd to an improbable victory. From there, I'll move on to the hockey game Friday vs. the Wildcats from New Hampshire in the hockey tourney. The ride could be over by then, or I may have the kind of tough decision a sports fan can only dream of, which Cornell team do I root on to its final four on Saturday.
I should note the weekend wasn't a clean sweep as the Big Red women's hockey team lost in triple overtime in the national championship game. Doug Derraugh '91 who I got to watch when I was an undergrad has done a great job rejuvenating that program, so I have no doubt they'll get another shot it, though I'm sure that's little consolation for the 2010 squad. They should hold their heads high as they fought valiantly just to get to overtime, tying the game on a late third period goal after falling behind a few minutes earlier.
Hockey excellence isn't new to Cornell, but to have similar success in basketball on a much larger national stage is a new feeling. Normally, my Cornell pride in hockey is private, the kind shared among the select cadre of die hard college hockey fans. My advice to showboating sports stars is to act like you've been there before. I'd say the same to fans, but the truth is we haven't, not like this.
So hopefully we'll figure out how to enjoy the ride without too much woofin', but then again, no telling when we'll have this chance again. Go Big Red!
Saturday night I got to see the Cornell Big Red win the ECAC hockey championship, which was a first for me. They scored in the first and second periods to take a 2-0 lead over Union, and to their credit the Dutchmen didn't fold. They helped Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens earn the tourney MVP award by keeping pressure on throughout the third.
As the Red enjoyed a two-goal lead, it never really had a nail biter feel, but in the midst of a Union flurry after pulling the goalie late in the third, Cornell iced the game with a 185 shot to the empty net, to which the Lynah faithful still yelled, "Sieve, sieve, sieve." (I also enjoyed when with two minutes to go the students chanted matter of factly, "Townies up!" and the non-student fans obediently rose, stood and cheered for the remainder of the game.) My brother Jerry, and nephew Patrick and I were among the red-clad faithful who were out in force and we all roared as the clock ticked to zero. The players went yard sale as they scrambled over the bench, flinging their equipment all over the ice, and piled around Ben Scrivens.
Later they paraded the tournament trophy to our corner of the rink, and the crowd chanted "Hobey Baker" when they handed it to Ben Scrivens, who's a finalist for hockey's version of the Heisman. He's a bright lad, and he showed quick thinking turning the photographers around so that the candid team championship photo had the Cornell fans in the background.
The Cornell team got good news Sunday morning when the NCAA 16-team tournament was announced and learned they would be travelling again to Albany to play in the East Regional. They'll be playing UNH who they beat in January and if they can get past the Wildcats, will face the winner of the game between # 1 seeded Denver and RIT, a relative newcomer to Division I hockey. While Cornell beat UNH this year, they've lost a couple of tough ones to them in NCAA tourneys past like 2002 when UNH stopped the Big Red from making the final four and 2003, when Cornell's dominating 27-2-1 team lost to UNH in the national semifinals -- Cornell was on the wrong end of a tough (translation: lousy) call early in that one but fortunately, I've forgotten all about it.
So the hockey team had made the final 16, and so the question Sunday afternoon was whether the Big Red could make basketball's final 16.
Coming into the tournament, I knew the hoop team was good. I knew they could beat Temple, and I knew they were good enough to beat Wisconsin, but I wondered if they would execute well enough to pull off another upset. I didn't have to wonder for long.
Jumping out to leads of 11-1 and 16-4, Cornell looked awesome, right out of the gate. I didn't know much about Wisconsin, but as one of the top teams in the Big Ten, I figured they would make a run and reel Cornell in. They did, sort of, but 24-21 was as close as they got. They steadily pulled away in the second half, and you knew it was a good day for Cornell when the coverage swicthed away to another game with about 10 minutes to go. (Note to Buffalo Wild Wings, food was great, and always happy to support a Cornell-owned business, but no it wasn't CBS' fault, you do have direct feeds of all the games -- it's why sports bars exist. Wish we hadn't missed five minutes of the second half while the staff figured that out.)
As impressive as their offense was (and it was, putting up 87 points on one of the top defensive teams in the country), the thing that stuck out to me again was their defense. I wasn't sure Cornell was big and athletic enough to stop big, tough teams like Temple and Wisconsin, but they answered that question too. Kentucky will raise that bar yet again, but let's worry about that one in a few days.
I'll get to find out in person if Cornell can rise to the occasion against the Wildcats Thursday night at the Syracuse Carrier Dome, Cornell's seniors have played there four times, and given Syracuse a bit of a scare the at least a couple of times in their careers. Hopefully they can parlay that experience and the Central New York crowd to an improbable victory. From there, I'll move on to the hockey game Friday vs. the Wildcats from New Hampshire in the hockey tourney. The ride could be over by then, or I may have the kind of tough decision a sports fan can only dream of, which Cornell team do I root on to its final four on Saturday.
I should note the weekend wasn't a clean sweep as the Big Red women's hockey team lost in triple overtime in the national championship game. Doug Derraugh '91 who I got to watch when I was an undergrad has done a great job rejuvenating that program, so I have no doubt they'll get another shot it, though I'm sure that's little consolation for the 2010 squad. They should hold their heads high as they fought valiantly just to get to overtime, tying the game on a late third period goal after falling behind a few minutes earlier.
Hockey excellence isn't new to Cornell, but to have similar success in basketball on a much larger national stage is a new feeling. Normally, my Cornell pride in hockey is private, the kind shared among the select cadre of die hard college hockey fans. My advice to showboating sports stars is to act like you've been there before. I'd say the same to fans, but the truth is we haven't, not like this.
So hopefully we'll figure out how to enjoy the ride without too much woofin', but then again, no telling when we'll have this chance again. Go Big Red!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Big Day for the Big Red
Well, March 19th, 2010, will be tough day to top in the history of Big Red sports. Topping the list was Cornell's win over Temple in the NCAA basketball tourney, the first NCAA win for Cornell and first Ivy league school to win a tourney game since 1998. Add to it a solid win in the ECAC hockey semis against Brown and the women's hockey team's victory in the national semifinals, and it adds up to a trifecta for Cornell sports.
Against Temple the Big Red looked solid throughout, and while everyone talks about Cornell's outstanding three point shooting, it was their defense that gave them a lift early against the Owls. I couldn't tell if it was Cornell's stifling D or Temple's offense wasn't executing well, or some combination of both, but Cornell was able to build its lead in the first half even while missing some open looks from the three point line.
Both offenses played well coming out of the break, as Cornell, particularly Wittman, started draining some threes. Temple hit a few outside shots as well and narrowed the eight point halftime lead to six a couple of times. But as I've seen throughout the season, especially down the stretch in the Ivies, Cornell always has an answer when its opponent starts getting close, often with one of its big three, Wittman, Dale and Foote, stepping up to make a key play. As Cornell continued to hit from long-range and Temple cooled off, the Red were able to pull away. I'm the type of fan who doesn't celebrate until the clock reads all zeroes, but it was nice to bask in the moment as the Big Red built a double digit lead in the last couple of minutes, versus having to sweat out a close one.
I'd watched the game with my brother Jerry at Cornell headquarters in downtown Albany, and then strolled over to the Times Union Center for the ECAC hockey game, savoring the victory and the bright spring weather. At the TU, Big Red fans were still buzzing from the hoop team's victory when when the puck dropped for the Cornell Brown game a couple of hours later.
After a sleepy first period, the Big Red hockey team asserted itself in the second, building a 1-0 lead after two and put the game away with two more in the third. They'll face Union in the finals as the Dutchmen beat St. Lawrence 3-1, breaking a 1-1 tie late in the third. Though indifferent to Cornell's opponent in the finals, I was disappointed for my brother Peter, our host at the TU, and a St. Lawrence alum.
One of the lighter moments during the game was when the PA announcer came on to promote the ECAC tourney's move to Atlantic City in 2011, an annoucement which was met with a chorus of boos.
My brothers Jerry and Michael, also Cornell alums, and my nephew Patrick a Cornell sophomore, were also in attendance and without jinxing ourselves, we were noodling a trip to Syracuse for the regional basketball final should Cornell be able to get past Wisconsin on Sunday. Given the way the field is selected, Cornell is assured of an NCAA hockey bid, so there's also a chance they could play in Albany or Worcester in an NCAA hockey regional next weekend, so there could more Cornell sports on tap for next weekend.
Though I've not followed the women's hockey team closely, I was pleased to see they beat top-ranked Mercyhurst in the Women's Frozen Four for a shot at the national title on Sunday. The women's coach is Doug Derraugh '91, who I knew personally when he played at Cornell while I was there, so I'm certain happy for Doug and his team and hope they can take home the NCAA title. I'm assuming it would be Cornell's first in any team sport since probably the 1977 lacrosse team.
But as Jen and I always say, we're not complacent about any of it nor taking any of this success for granted -- just enjoying the ride. Looking forward to the Cornell Union hockey game tonight and then watching the Cornell hoop game tomorrow. Go Big Red!
Against Temple the Big Red looked solid throughout, and while everyone talks about Cornell's outstanding three point shooting, it was their defense that gave them a lift early against the Owls. I couldn't tell if it was Cornell's stifling D or Temple's offense wasn't executing well, or some combination of both, but Cornell was able to build its lead in the first half even while missing some open looks from the three point line.
Both offenses played well coming out of the break, as Cornell, particularly Wittman, started draining some threes. Temple hit a few outside shots as well and narrowed the eight point halftime lead to six a couple of times. But as I've seen throughout the season, especially down the stretch in the Ivies, Cornell always has an answer when its opponent starts getting close, often with one of its big three, Wittman, Dale and Foote, stepping up to make a key play. As Cornell continued to hit from long-range and Temple cooled off, the Red were able to pull away. I'm the type of fan who doesn't celebrate until the clock reads all zeroes, but it was nice to bask in the moment as the Big Red built a double digit lead in the last couple of minutes, versus having to sweat out a close one.
I'd watched the game with my brother Jerry at Cornell headquarters in downtown Albany, and then strolled over to the Times Union Center for the ECAC hockey game, savoring the victory and the bright spring weather. At the TU, Big Red fans were still buzzing from the hoop team's victory when when the puck dropped for the Cornell Brown game a couple of hours later.
After a sleepy first period, the Big Red hockey team asserted itself in the second, building a 1-0 lead after two and put the game away with two more in the third. They'll face Union in the finals as the Dutchmen beat St. Lawrence 3-1, breaking a 1-1 tie late in the third. Though indifferent to Cornell's opponent in the finals, I was disappointed for my brother Peter, our host at the TU, and a St. Lawrence alum.
One of the lighter moments during the game was when the PA announcer came on to promote the ECAC tourney's move to Atlantic City in 2011, an annoucement which was met with a chorus of boos.
My brothers Jerry and Michael, also Cornell alums, and my nephew Patrick a Cornell sophomore, were also in attendance and without jinxing ourselves, we were noodling a trip to Syracuse for the regional basketball final should Cornell be able to get past Wisconsin on Sunday. Given the way the field is selected, Cornell is assured of an NCAA hockey bid, so there's also a chance they could play in Albany or Worcester in an NCAA hockey regional next weekend, so there could more Cornell sports on tap for next weekend.
Though I've not followed the women's hockey team closely, I was pleased to see they beat top-ranked Mercyhurst in the Women's Frozen Four for a shot at the national title on Sunday. The women's coach is Doug Derraugh '91, who I knew personally when he played at Cornell while I was there, so I'm certain happy for Doug and his team and hope they can take home the NCAA title. I'm assuming it would be Cornell's first in any team sport since probably the 1977 lacrosse team.
But as Jen and I always say, we're not complacent about any of it nor taking any of this success for granted -- just enjoying the ride. Looking forward to the Cornell Union hockey game tonight and then watching the Cornell hoop game tomorrow. Go Big Red!
Monday, March 15, 2010
12 seed
So the Cornell hoop team ended up with a 12 seed, and plays its first round game in Florida. I'm glad they're on the East Coast, but not so close I'm compelled to try and get there. Am OK, or at least not surprised with the seed, but a little disappointed to be playing a tough team like Temple, who could have been higher than a 5 seed. Seems like the 11 seed in Providence playing Tennessee would have been a good spot for them though it would have caused me to rethink my priorities and my week's schedule.
Cornell and Temple played a number of common opponents with similar results. Temple gets the edge in those games with a 7-2 mark vs. Cornell at 5-3. They both played Seton Hall and St. Johns, with Cornell losing to Seton Hall and beating St. John's and Temple doing just the reverse. They both lost to Kansas, with Cornell almost beating them on the road, while Temple got drubbed at home. Cornell split with Penn, while Temple beat the Quakers and Cornell beat three of Temple's A-10 foes, UMass, St. Joes and LaSalle, teams Temple was 5-0 against as it only played UMass once.
As usual the NCAA committee played it's little mind games pitting Cornell coach Steve Donahue vs. Temple coach Fran Dunphy, who was his mentor when they both coached at Penn. I rate this game a toss up, but I think the Big Red will do it. I'm getting a little nervous with all the love the Red are getting on ESPN -- Jay Bilas has them beating Kentucky to go to the Elite 8 and as I write this, the Experts on ESPNU have them in the Sweet 16 as they collectively fill out their bracket. So much for flying under the radar -- probably too many proud alums like me out there talking them up.
The timing of the game @ 12:30 pm works out pretty well. I was figuring out how to rearrange a meeting so I could watch the game when the customer called to say they would have to reschedule -- problem solved. The current plan is to get to Albany for the Cornell hoop tip off, which puts me in position to watch the Cornell hockey team in the semis of the ECAC tourney at 4. The hockey game will be a lot more fun to watch if Cornell can beat Temple.
Cornell's road to the ECAC hockey title got easier with Brown's upset of Yale, who Cornell has struggled to beat the last two years. It should be noted Yale just lost one of its best players to injury, but it was still a surprising result as Brown was the 11 seed (of 12) in the tourney. So the good news is, no Yale, but the bad news is that Cornell gets to play the team that just beat them in New Haven. Beware the hot goalie, and Brown's netminder chalked up 44 saves in Brown's 1-0 series clinching win.
St. Lawrence plays Union in the other semi and I was glad to see the Saints make it as my brother Peter, who's our host Friday is an SLU alum, as in my cousin Jim. Also glad to see Union there as I believe it's the first time since the ECAC final four has been in Albany that a Capital District team has made the semifinals. It will probably double the size of the crowd and though they won't come close to filling the 15,000 seat Times Union center, I predict it will be half filled. That will be 7,000 more than next year when they move the tournament to Atlantic City.
While this is my favorite week of the year, it's going to be a long one so time to sign off and get some rest. Can't wait for the games to begin!
Cornell and Temple played a number of common opponents with similar results. Temple gets the edge in those games with a 7-2 mark vs. Cornell at 5-3. They both played Seton Hall and St. Johns, with Cornell losing to Seton Hall and beating St. John's and Temple doing just the reverse. They both lost to Kansas, with Cornell almost beating them on the road, while Temple got drubbed at home. Cornell split with Penn, while Temple beat the Quakers and Cornell beat three of Temple's A-10 foes, UMass, St. Joes and LaSalle, teams Temple was 5-0 against as it only played UMass once.
As usual the NCAA committee played it's little mind games pitting Cornell coach Steve Donahue vs. Temple coach Fran Dunphy, who was his mentor when they both coached at Penn. I rate this game a toss up, but I think the Big Red will do it. I'm getting a little nervous with all the love the Red are getting on ESPN -- Jay Bilas has them beating Kentucky to go to the Elite 8 and as I write this, the Experts on ESPNU have them in the Sweet 16 as they collectively fill out their bracket. So much for flying under the radar -- probably too many proud alums like me out there talking them up.
The timing of the game @ 12:30 pm works out pretty well. I was figuring out how to rearrange a meeting so I could watch the game when the customer called to say they would have to reschedule -- problem solved. The current plan is to get to Albany for the Cornell hoop tip off, which puts me in position to watch the Cornell hockey team in the semis of the ECAC tourney at 4. The hockey game will be a lot more fun to watch if Cornell can beat Temple.
Cornell's road to the ECAC hockey title got easier with Brown's upset of Yale, who Cornell has struggled to beat the last two years. It should be noted Yale just lost one of its best players to injury, but it was still a surprising result as Brown was the 11 seed (of 12) in the tourney. So the good news is, no Yale, but the bad news is that Cornell gets to play the team that just beat them in New Haven. Beware the hot goalie, and Brown's netminder chalked up 44 saves in Brown's 1-0 series clinching win.
St. Lawrence plays Union in the other semi and I was glad to see the Saints make it as my brother Peter, who's our host Friday is an SLU alum, as in my cousin Jim. Also glad to see Union there as I believe it's the first time since the ECAC final four has been in Albany that a Capital District team has made the semifinals. It will probably double the size of the crowd and though they won't come close to filling the 15,000 seat Times Union center, I predict it will be half filled. That will be 7,000 more than next year when they move the tournament to Atlantic City.
While this is my favorite week of the year, it's going to be a long one so time to sign off and get some rest. Can't wait for the games to begin!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Fringe Sports Fan
The term "fringe" sports fan was given to me by the crew I went to lunch with when I was banking in Denver (insert obligatory shout out to AD, CJ, Brant and the Lukkei).
They got a kick out of my interest in sports that seldomly garner widespread media attention (one can debate if "fringe" is the appropriate label). In particular, they were amused with my interest in college hockey and lacrosse, and horse racing. I think they lumped my dogged interest in the PGA tour under that heading along with my uncanny knowledge of college team nicknames. And while I'm not sure how either adds to my fringe sport mystique, it just does. What really confirmed their assessment, however, was when my father and I attended a PBA (yes, as in Pro Bowlers Assn.) event in Denver. I'll add as non-defensively as I can muster it was December and we couldn't golf.
I'd intended to write on this topic during the Winter Olympics, which is really fringe sports heaven. Most sports fans, even a fringe sports fan like me, forget some of these sports even exist until the Winter games come around to remind us every four years. I enjoy all the sliding sports (luge and bobsled, in particular, as I'm not sure I've bought into the skeleton concept just yet), speed skating (especially short track), downhill and cross country skiing, and of course, the biathalon.
Then there's curling. I don't consider myself a big curling fan, but as I think back, I probably watched more curling than any other sport during the Olympics. For one, it was on almost all the time. I'd flip to CNBC or MSNBC to see what was on and think dispassionately, "Oh, more curling" and start to change the channel. But somehow, I wouldn't, and 20 minutes later, I'd still be watching, and telling myself, I'll just watch until the end was finished, to see how many points USA or Canada could get when they had the hammer. I must have enjoyed watching curling, though that's not how I remember it. I suppose I'll be reminded in four years.
Overall, I was glad to see Team USA win so many medals, and frankly was also glad for Canada to have a good showing on their home turf. I was pleased the USA pushed Canada to overtime in the gold medal hockey game, and while it would have been great to see the USA win, the gold probably meant more to Canada than it would have to us.
But all this talk of sports on the fringe doesn't mean I'm not also a mainstream sports fan. I have more than a passing interest in the NFL, as every year I try to remain uninterested in the Minnesota Vikings, the team I've followed since I was a boy, who inevitably suck me in and break my heart as they did again this year. And I enjoy college football and basketball, following the UNC Tar Heels with great interest in both sports.
This year there's been fierce competition for my attention between my fringe and non-fringe sporting interests. My interest in college hockey and lacrosse stems from my dedication to following my alma mater, the Cornell Big Red. My interest in "mainstream" college sports, football and basketball, tends to focus on North Carolina, where I got my graduate degree. And while over the years my support for them has tempered, I also cheer for Syracuse, since the Orange are as close as we got to professional sports in Central NY where I grew up.
This year, however, Cornell has a once in a generation hoop team which I've been following closely and even got to see them play in person twice. North Carolina has struggled mightily in hoops this year, so it's an odd situation where Cornell will be in the NCAA hoop tourney and UNC will not.
So as I plot out my annual visit to the ECAC hockey finals in Albany next weekend to watch Cornell, I'm waiting impatiently to find out where and when the Cornell basketball team will play its first round game. I want to make sure I can watch it, and if by some chance they end up playing in Providence or Buffalo (two of the first round sites), I'm already plotting how I bail out of my work-related obligations to see if I can get to the game in person, while still making it to Albany to meet up with my brothers and nephew for the ECACs.
(Note to the NCAA selection committee: while it would simplify my travel logistics, please don't banish the Big Red to the West, as you've done each of the last two years. Regardless of where you seed them (11), it seems like it would be a fitting reward for a (11) senior dominated 27-4 team to be able (11) to play in front of a few of their fans (11). I'm not going to tell you where you should seed them, but if it's any lower than 12th, I will be disappointed.)
That's not to give Cornell's fringe teams short shrift, as the top 10 hockey team is on track for an NCAA berth and the lacross team is 4-0, hosting number 1 Virginia tomorrow, after coming so, so, so painfully close to winning the national championship against Syracuse last year (lacrosse is the one sport I don't root for the Orange).
So it's a great time of year to be a sports fan, fringe or not. That's also why this is a very long way of saying that I'll probably be writing about some of these topics (in addition to golf) going forward. It may mean a name change for the blog (plus I found out someone else already had a 20th hole blog). And this may come as a shock, but my new blog title may have something to do with fringe sports -- stay tuned.
They got a kick out of my interest in sports that seldomly garner widespread media attention (one can debate if "fringe" is the appropriate label). In particular, they were amused with my interest in college hockey and lacrosse, and horse racing. I think they lumped my dogged interest in the PGA tour under that heading along with my uncanny knowledge of college team nicknames. And while I'm not sure how either adds to my fringe sport mystique, it just does. What really confirmed their assessment, however, was when my father and I attended a PBA (yes, as in Pro Bowlers Assn.) event in Denver. I'll add as non-defensively as I can muster it was December and we couldn't golf.
I'd intended to write on this topic during the Winter Olympics, which is really fringe sports heaven. Most sports fans, even a fringe sports fan like me, forget some of these sports even exist until the Winter games come around to remind us every four years. I enjoy all the sliding sports (luge and bobsled, in particular, as I'm not sure I've bought into the skeleton concept just yet), speed skating (especially short track), downhill and cross country skiing, and of course, the biathalon.
Then there's curling. I don't consider myself a big curling fan, but as I think back, I probably watched more curling than any other sport during the Olympics. For one, it was on almost all the time. I'd flip to CNBC or MSNBC to see what was on and think dispassionately, "Oh, more curling" and start to change the channel. But somehow, I wouldn't, and 20 minutes later, I'd still be watching, and telling myself, I'll just watch until the end was finished, to see how many points USA or Canada could get when they had the hammer. I must have enjoyed watching curling, though that's not how I remember it. I suppose I'll be reminded in four years.
Overall, I was glad to see Team USA win so many medals, and frankly was also glad for Canada to have a good showing on their home turf. I was pleased the USA pushed Canada to overtime in the gold medal hockey game, and while it would have been great to see the USA win, the gold probably meant more to Canada than it would have to us.
But all this talk of sports on the fringe doesn't mean I'm not also a mainstream sports fan. I have more than a passing interest in the NFL, as every year I try to remain uninterested in the Minnesota Vikings, the team I've followed since I was a boy, who inevitably suck me in and break my heart as they did again this year. And I enjoy college football and basketball, following the UNC Tar Heels with great interest in both sports.
This year there's been fierce competition for my attention between my fringe and non-fringe sporting interests. My interest in college hockey and lacrosse stems from my dedication to following my alma mater, the Cornell Big Red. My interest in "mainstream" college sports, football and basketball, tends to focus on North Carolina, where I got my graduate degree. And while over the years my support for them has tempered, I also cheer for Syracuse, since the Orange are as close as we got to professional sports in Central NY where I grew up.
This year, however, Cornell has a once in a generation hoop team which I've been following closely and even got to see them play in person twice. North Carolina has struggled mightily in hoops this year, so it's an odd situation where Cornell will be in the NCAA hoop tourney and UNC will not.
So as I plot out my annual visit to the ECAC hockey finals in Albany next weekend to watch Cornell, I'm waiting impatiently to find out where and when the Cornell basketball team will play its first round game. I want to make sure I can watch it, and if by some chance they end up playing in Providence or Buffalo (two of the first round sites), I'm already plotting how I bail out of my work-related obligations to see if I can get to the game in person, while still making it to Albany to meet up with my brothers and nephew for the ECACs.
(Note to the NCAA selection committee: while it would simplify my travel logistics, please don't banish the Big Red to the West, as you've done each of the last two years. Regardless of where you seed them (11), it seems like it would be a fitting reward for a (11) senior dominated 27-4 team to be able (11) to play in front of a few of their fans (11). I'm not going to tell you where you should seed them, but if it's any lower than 12th, I will be disappointed.)
That's not to give Cornell's fringe teams short shrift, as the top 10 hockey team is on track for an NCAA berth and the lacross team is 4-0, hosting number 1 Virginia tomorrow, after coming so, so, so painfully close to winning the national championship against Syracuse last year (lacrosse is the one sport I don't root for the Orange).
So it's a great time of year to be a sports fan, fringe or not. That's also why this is a very long way of saying that I'll probably be writing about some of these topics (in addition to golf) going forward. It may mean a name change for the blog (plus I found out someone else already had a 20th hole blog). And this may come as a shock, but my new blog title may have something to do with fringe sports -- stay tuned.
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