Mascot Mania

Keggy, the unofficial mascot created by Dartmouth students, gets a little love and a picture in this entertaining (and tremendously taste-challenged) list of The Worst NCAA D-I College Mascots. According to the site, the mascots were "judged on a variety of criteria, such as ugliness, randomness of mascot choice, cheapness of costume, and the all-important creepiness factor."

A Harvard mascot I have to admit I've never noticed ranks as the third-worst in the nation according to this poll. Also, take a good look at the Stanford tree that is called the worst in the nation. True story: For a short time Dartmouth dressed someone up in a not altogether dissimilar costume. I don't remember it having eyes (it may have) but I've seen the costume.

I'm thinking if someone had sent this site a picture of the inflatable Dartmouth Moose that got banned after too many complaints a few years ago it might have made this list. ...

I'm with the folks who nominated Meackie, the MEAC creation, as the worst mascot. (Scroll down the left side of the page linked above to see it.)

Speaking of the MEAC, did you ever wonder what happened to Charles Harris, the onetime MEAC commissioner whose resume issues cost him the job as Dartmouth athletic director? (Josie Harper was introduced after Harris' introductory press conference was called off.) A subscriber emailed that he's now the athletic director at Averett College in Danville, Va. You can find his bio here.

The Dartmouth men's ice hockey team dropped the consolation game of the ECACHL playoffs in Albany to St. Lawrence, 5-3. ... The men's lacrosse team, meanwhile, had the luck of the Irish on its side as it defeated No. 16 Notre Dame at home in a game delayed three hours while snow was being removed from the field. I remember covering a Dartmouth-Notre Dame lacrosse game back when the lax team used to play on Memorial Field and wrote a lede about the Big Green claiming a victory over the Irish on the gridiron.

We're headed to the Barre Aud today to see the Vermont Frost Heaves play in the ABA playoffs. The Frost Heaves are owned by Sports Illustrated writer Alex Wolff, an old friend. Several things you might find interesting:

• A frost heave is a bump in the road that swells up every year in the same place. Bright orange signs are erected to warn drivers about the bumps. Many flatlanders have been heard to ask, "What's a frost heave?" shortly before their cars go airborne.
• The Aud is the Barre Auditorium, a legendary hole-in-the-wall (capacity around 1,300) where the Vermont state high school basketball championships are played for all but the largest schools. It's the goal of every Vermont high school player in these parts to one day play in the Aud. It's a pretty cheesey place and I love it.
  
• Alex Wolff and I were on the Today Show together back in the day. I still have the tape of me out there with Bryant Gumbel. (Ask me about it sometime.)

And finally, welcome to spring on Moose Mountain where a game of 21 yesterday between a certain couple of kids might have heated up ... but it certainly didn't heat up the blacktop ...