Photo Day Cont'd

A few photos from the Ivy Football Association dinner (courtesy of Dartmouth Sports Publicity)Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens with Athletic Director Josie Harper

Dartmouth President James Wright with Dartmouth honoree Reggie Williams
Former running back and coach Jake Crouthamel with Reggie Williams

G'day Mates

Dunedin-ites - and I know you are out there - if you send me a photo or two it would be fun to post it/them here.

I got several emails from readers wondering about the cryptic posting (above) yesterday. Dunedin, if you didn't know, is in New Zealand where a dozen or so very lucky Dartmouth football players are spending their winter term. Thanks to sophomore lineman Rich Cummings for the pictures below.

If I'm designing the Dartmouth football media/recruiting guide for next year, I'm using this picture with the Sydney Opera House in the background.
Queenstown, on New Zealand's South Island, is well-known for its adventure tourism.

Rich Cummings and Alex Rapp at Nevis bungie jump. (There's someone jumping in the background.)
The gang at Stewart Island, 30 kilometers south of New Zealand's South Island.
At famed Bondi Beach in New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

...

A link to the inflation of the Harvard bubble was posted here last week. Now check out how the bubble looks inside by clicking here. Three letters will suffice: WOW

The Philadelphia Daily News has a story about talks to start an Ivy League postseason basketball tournament. The story would have benefited greatly if the writer had gotten at least a little perspective from coaches or players from other schools in the league. Again, if you are an Ivy football follower, you might want to watch what happens with this issue because it is, in some ways, a telltale as to which way the athletic winds are blowing. From the story:

Starting tomorrow, the athletic directors from the eight member institutions will get together for another round of regularly scheduled meetings. Part of their agenda will be a discussion as to whether the league should break with tradition and start doing things like everyone else.

The recent article in the Daily Dartmouth about the swim teams making a same-day trip to Philadelphia to compete with Penn has brought a program that is largely out of sight into the light. The Dartmouth last week ran an opinion piece that said:

The fact that the team arrived at the Philadelphia airport two hours before competition so that the athletes did not miss Friday classes is indicative of a problem with the program's leadership and philosophy. Division I athletics are not when-you-feel-like-it commitments. The athletic department's reputation is diluted by a program that has performed so poorly for so long.

That brought this response from a parent:

The College has made it impossible for the program to succeed.

And also this response from a 2002 alum:

There's only so much the coaches can do when they get absolutely zero help from the rest of the administration.

Former D Coordinator Joining Terps

Kevin Lempa, Dartmouth's defensive coordinator from 1991-96 and for the last four years the secondary coach at Boston College, is joining the staff at Maryland. For the Baltimore Sun story click here. ...

Fritz Pollard, the Brown grad who in the 1920s became the first black to coach a professional football team, was the great-grandson of a Dartmouth alum who was one of the first black doctors in the United States. The story about Fritz Pollard that mentions his Dartmouth connection can be found here.

Dartmouth alum Dr. Dean Richardson, the vet who worked so hard to try to save Barbaro, is the subject of this story.

There's nothing new in this Daily Pennsylvanian story regarding December discussions about whether or not to start an Ivy League postseason basketball tournament. Those hoping the Ivies will either add an 11th football game or go to the football postseason might want to keep an eye on the basketball situation because in some ways it is an indication of whether or not the Ivy presidents might ever deign to allow football to join the real world.

The Daily Dartmouth takes a look at Hanover High School's 40 percent admission rate at Dartmouth and the fact that 36 Hanover grads have been admitted to Dartmouth since 2003. As the parent of a Hanover High freshman who has some interest in crossing the street in several years, I spent some time reading this one ;-).

Dunedin-ites - and I know you are out there - if you send me a photo or two it would be fun to post it/them here. Go to the regular web site and find my email in the left column (I pulled it off here because of spamming.)

Missed a little history yesterday. The afternoon post was the 600th since moving the blog to Blogger. It was also the 198th consecutive day when I've been able to find something -- even if it's bit of a stretch -- that I hope you found interesting. Gotta admit, there are days when I don't exactly feel like digging, but I'm a big Cal Ripken fan if you catch my drift. (The streak would been much longer if not for our cross country vacation last summer; apart from that the run of consecutive days with a post would date to July 2005.)

And now for some photos shot yesterday ...
The brick face on Floren Varsity House is partially explosed. (Click photos to supersize)
The FieldTurf allows conditioning drills to take place on the same real estate where they will hopefully pay dividends.
The sign on the side of the snow sculpture form says, "Free Shoveling Lessons."
And finally a shot of Cooper, who will turn 3 this spring and runs faster than anyone in the family.

New Interview With Coach Teevens On Green Alert

In a wide-ranging interview on the subscription Green Alert site, Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens discusses ...

• The physical development of Dartmouth players
• Attempts at changing up the schedule
• The stability of his coaching staff
• The process and progress of upgrading Memorial Field
• Outside help received by the program
• Whether Dartmouth coaches, players and fans should take hope out of Princeton's surprising championship last fall
• The rules changes that significantly shortened games last year and made comebacks harder when the ball changed hands in the final two minutes
• The advantage this year of having FieldTurf on Memorial Field when the snow falls
  
• The offseason program for the 50 or so players on campus

Visit the Green Alert site to read the piece.

Another 2006 Ranking

The final Gridiron Power Index numbers from the 2006 season have been posted by College Sporting News and the Ivy League was ranked sixth of 16 conferences in the former I-AA. The news wasn't as good for Dartmouth. (Think of the GPI as a BCS-type gauge of teams and conferences in the old I-AA.) The numbers:

Conference
1. Great West Football Conference (21.64)
2. Atlantic 10 Conference (25.62)
3. Gateway Football Conference (29.64)
4. Big Sky Conference (33.90)
5. Southern Conference (35.24)
6. Ivy League (42.19)
7. Big South Conference (46.87)
8. Southland Conference (50.25)
9. Ohio Valley Conference (50.98)
10. Patriot League (57.52)
11. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (58.16)
12. Southwestern Athletic Conference (64.12)
13. Northeast Conference (65.49)
14. Independents (66.75)
15. Pioneer Football League (69.46)
16. Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference (83.84)


Ivy League (42.19)
15. Princeton (18.11)
21-T. Yale (21.78)
32. Harvard (28.44)
39. Penn (36.33)
59. Cornell (48.11)
72. Columbia (58.33)
77. Brown (60.44)
87-T. Dartmouth (66.00)

Other Dartmouth Opponents
7. New Hampshire (7.33)
55. Holy Cross (45.11)
73.-T Colgate (58.67)

In case you are wondering, Dartmouth tied with Southern University. Oh, and Montana was fourth with 3.78 points.

Big Game Hunting?

While updating the schedule on the home page for the subscription Green Alert web site, I got a little curious about the whispers regarding a possible matchup at Montana. Those whispers, by the way, got a lot louder after the Ivy Football Association dinner in New York this week.

For what it's worth, I found a story in the Missoulian headlined, "Grizzly gridders still looking for game to fill gap in schedule." The gap, I was surprised to find, is this fall!

The story says buyouts of a couple of previously scheduled games ...

"... could mean a home-and-home with an Ivy League team, or one of the Dakota schools ..."

Hmm. Montana's open dates are Sept. 15 and Sept. 22. The Big Green is scheduled to face Colgate on the 15th and New Hampshire on the 22nd. With Colgate at home, the contest at UNH might be the logical one to beg off if a trip to Bozeman is in the offing. Could it happen? Would you even want to make that kind of a trip one week before the Ivy League opener against Penn? Stay tuned.

(And on a personal note, keeping in mind the shoestring Green Alert budget, I wonder if they have wi-fi in Greyhound terminals these days? And how long does the hound take to get to Montana? Just kidding. Sort of ;-)

The Sports Network takes a look at the "five biggest current pieces of interest for FCS fans to know or follow as the offseason progresses." In case you forgot, FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) is the unwieldy new moniker for the division formerly known as I-AA.

For the past few days Green Alert has posted lists of early decision recruits drawn from published/official sources. The next in the series ...

Soccer
Men
Aaron Gaide, M, Avon H.S., Avon, Ohio
Bryan Giudicelli, D, St. Francis H.S., Emerald Hills, Calif.
J.R. Keeve, M, Rockwood Summit H.S., Fenton, Mo.
Walker Linares, D, Bellarmine Prep, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Morgan Livermore, G, The Branson School, Ross, Calif.
Lyman Missimer, G, The Woodlands H.S., The Woodlands, Texas
Andrew Olsen, M, Thayer Academy, Norwell, Mass.

Women
Melisa Krnjaic, M, National Cathedral School, Washington, D.C.
Sarah Bromley, The Bishop's School, Orange County, Calif.
Sara Feldemann, M, Colorado Academy, Columbine Valley, Colo.
Katie Davis, M, San Marino, Calif.
Alexis Euwema, M, Westridge School, Oak Brook, Ill.
Megan Tibbo, Merrivale H.S., Ottawa, Ontario

And for those of you keeping score, that certain Hanover High School freshman completed her hat trick yesterday at UNH, qualifying for states in the 1000 meters. She had already qualified in the 1500 and 3000. She will likely run the 3000 this Friday night at the start of the state meet and double in the 1500 if she feels fresh enough when that race comes up.

BALCO Prosecutor's Football Background

A little more background on 1980 Dartmouth alum Kevin Ryan, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California who has been the lead prosecutor in the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) case and the subject of this USA Today story. Ryan was the second-leading rusher for his Dartmouth Pea Green freshman football team with 38 carries for 160 yards. He also was the second-leading receiver with 13 grabs for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He is not listed as having won a varsity letter.

The fourth Ivy Football Association Dinner was held Thursday night in New York City. Honored from Dartmouth was linebacker Reggie Williams. Click here for a capsule of the event. For information about honorees from this year and the previous dinners, click here and then on that page click on the word Honoring in the right-hand column. Among those present was former quarterback Jay Fielder, who made it clear he is intending to try to return to the NFL next year after missing most of last year and all of this year with a shoulder problem.

Today's early decision recruit list, again drawn from published sources:

Lacrosse
Men
Adam Boardman, M, Deerfield Academy, Mass.
Joey Coleman, D, Poway High School, San Diego
Josh Etzion, A/M, St. Andrews H.S., Fla.
Andrew Leonhard, D, Summit H.S., Summit, N.J.
Jordan Nesmith, M, Montclair H.S., Montclair, N.J.
Miles Suter, A/M, St. Ignatius Prep, San Francisco
Mike Wilmot, M, Hanover H.S., Hanover, N.H.

Women
Kat Collins, M, Darien H.S., Darien, Conn.
Broghan Cully, A, Nobles and Greenough, Duxbury, Mass.
Abigail Holden, M, St. Stephens & St. Agnes, Alexandria, Va.
Kelly Hopley, D, Kent Denver School, Denver
Shannie MacKenzie, M, Greenwich H.S., Riverside, Conn.
Hope McIntyre, D, Dulaney H.S., Cockeysville, Md.
Greta Meyer, M, Kent Denver School, Denver
Kathleen Wallace, A, Shoreham Wading River H.S., Shoreham, N.Y.

Field Hockey
Clair Byrne, M, Rye H.S., Rye, N.Y.
Kelly McHenry, M, Lafayette H.S., Williamsburg, Va.
Virginia Peisch, D, Koenigstein, Germany
Rebecca Sobel, D, Mamaroneck H.S., Larchmont, N.Y.

Green Loses One To The Wild Blue Yonder

The Air Force Academy wins a recruiting battle with Dartmouth and Georgetown for a Georgia quarterback/defensive back named Andre Morris according to this story. ...

From today's Daily Dartmouth:

"College President James Wright has appointed a task force to consider policy changes for scheduling colleges and universities with Native American mascots."

Green Alert Take: Um, that cow left the barn some time ago and I could be wrong, but I don't think it's coming back.

Former Princeton quarterback Jason Garrett will be the: a) offensive coordinator; or b) head coach of the Dallas Cowboys according to this story in the San Antonio Express News. For a closer look at Garrett and some reaction, check out this Express News story.

A subscriber asked about listing all of Dartmouth's early decision recruits here so check back over the next few days and those names that have been released or appeared in the local daily will be posted.

Today: Basketball and Baseball

Basketball
Men
John Marciano, 7-1, 265, Roselle Park, N.J., Roselle Park H.S.
Clive Weeden, 6-9, 225, Stow, Mass., Northfield-Mount Hermon
Matt Chisick, 6-7, 210, Carmel, N.Y., Canterbury School

Women
Cassie Cooper, 6-1, Chelsea, Maine, Cony H.S.
Brittney Smith, 6-1, Fort Worth, Texas, All Saints Episcopal H.S.
Louise Vandenbosch, 5-8, Kettering, Ohio, Alter H.S.
Meghan McFee, 5-9, Manchester, Conn., East Catholic H.S.

Baseball
Sam Bean, OF, Needham, Mass., Buckingham Brown and Nichols
Colin Britton, LHP, Poughquag, N.Y., Arlington H.S.
Jason Brooks, INF, Westlake Village, Calif., Oak Christian H.S.
Jeff Onstott, INF, Houston, Langham Creek H.S.
Brendon Parks, C, Mission Viejo, Calif., Capistrano Valley H.S.
Jake Pruner, RHP, Woodbridge, Va., Forest Park H.S.


And finally, for those of you keeping score, the temperature here on the mountain last night got down to 12.2 degrees below zero. If you haven't spent much time in weather like that, here's something you may not know: If you turn on your car radio and scan stations, the scanning goes v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-ly. Cracks me up every time.

We used to have an outdoor digital thermometer that radioed the temperature inside. I was amazed several years ago at how often it bottomed out at 24.9 below zero. Eventually, I got suspicious and emailed the manufacturer. According to the response I received, the problem was with the batteries in the outdoor monitor and wouldn't matter what batteries we tried, it would never register colder than 24.9 below.

I hope we can get temperatures that cold again with this wired digital thermometer to see if we can finally hit that elusive 25 below. I mean, there's bragging rights at stake.

Early Decision Background

Here are a few details on the early decision class. A lot of this has been posted here before while some of the details have been shamelessly purloined from other sources:

Michael Cummings (Deerfield Academy, Mass.) 6-5, 240, defensive end/tight end

• All-New England
• 21 catches, 300 yards, 4 TD's last fall

Will Deevy (Kent Denver, Colo.) 6-5, 210 quarterback

• Slowed by hamstring last fall
• Opened eyes at Colorado camp and Manning Passing Academy
• High school teammate of Dartmouth WR Ian Ferrell
• Father is a Dartmouth alum
  

Tyler Green (Middlesex School, Mass.) 6-4, 255 linebacker

• 4.7 in the 40
• Was on Duke's radar

Spencer Hood (Carlsbad, Calif.), 6-3, 230 linebacker

• Helped team win two league titles
• Twin will play water polo at Brown

Matthew Kelly (Tampa Catholic, Fla.), 6-2, 180, punter/kicker

• Three field goals last year
• Long of 39

Steve Morris (Hinsdale Central, Ill.) , 6-0, 175, running back/defensive back

• Ran for five scores
• 232 yards receiving
• High school teammate of Dartmouth's James Lill

Carter Scott (Hammond, S.C.), , 6-1, 210 linebacker

• More than 100 tackles each of last year years
• AAA SC Independent School Defensive Player of the Year

Joseph Zimring (Mary-Institute Country Day, St. Louis) 6-0, 215, running back

• 894 yards as a junior
• Second-team all-league fullback

Committed to Dartmouth in the regular decision process are Alex Wodka (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) 6-3, 285 offensive guard and linebacker Chase Jensen of Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif.. Jensen is also a long snapper.

USA Today has a story about 1980 Dartmouth alum Kevin Ryan, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California who has been the lead prosecutor in the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) case. From the story:

This is where he was a star high school running back three decades ago, hurling his body into the line 25 times a game. There was nothing fancy about his style, leading the West Catholic Athletic League in rushing. Oh, he was fast, captain of the track team, but at 5-11, 175, it was Ivy League Dartmouth recruiting him to play football. (Editor's note: He did not letter for the Big Green.)

The Brown Daily Herald talks with Zak DeOssie and coach Phil Estes about the linebacker's showing at the East-West Shrine Game.

Outside of football, today's Daily Dartmouth has a story about the Dartmouth swim teams leaving Hanover at 4:15 a.m., last Saturday to bus to Manchester, fly to Philadelphia and compete against Penn starting at 10:30 a.m., the same day. That's hardly an ideal way to go about things, but it kept costs down and allowed the student-athletes to make their Friday classes, which is particularly important to this group. From the story:

"(Coach Jim) Wilson requires a 3.0 GPA for all of his athletes. This standard is independent of the athletic department and the Ivy League. Last year, the men's swim team had the highest GPA of any D-I men's swimming program. The women's team also boasts a top-ten academic ranking among D-I women's swimming programs."

Wow. ...

Don't miss this ESPN story about Cornell basketball player Khaliq Gant, who had a 50 percent dislocation of the C-4 and C-5 vertebrae as a result of a practice injury. Don't cheat and read ahead, but make sure you make it to the end. You'll be glad you did.

Floren Varsity House Progressing

We'll start out the day with a couple of facilities links: one for Dartmouth and one for those folks down in the Cambridge area.

A headline in today's Daily Dartmouth: "Varsity House nears completion." That's a bit of a hyperbole given the recent photos of the interior of the Floren Varsity House, but you get the idea. From the story:

"According to project manager Mary Bourque of the Office of Planning, Design and Construction, no major setbacks have slowed Floren's construction, and the weather has cooperated unexpectedly well."

Down at Harvard, meanwhile, the bubble on the football stadium was inflated yesterday beginning at 5 in the morning. It took 2 1/2 hours to blow the big balloon up to its full dimensions of 140 yards long by 70 yards wide and 60 feet high. Lighting is yet to be installed. The bubble is slated to stay up until the middle of March. It is expected to be in place from just after Thanksgiving until March starting next year. Click here for photos.

Fully aware that the fine burghers of Hanover would likely not be enthralled with the prospect of a bubble on Memorial Field during the winter, Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens has been pushing for one of the inflatables on Chase Field. It would require the installation of another artificial surface field.

Today's local paper has a list of early decision recruits for Dartmouth sports, including football (no new names to Green Alert readers). The paper's web site posts just one story per section (always a frustration when I wrote for it) and the recruit story wasn't today's choice. (Instead it was a story about Lebanon High basketball, led by former Dartmouth coach Dave Faucher's youngest son, Scott.) Anyway, I'll give you the Cliff Notes version of the mini-capsules compiled on each of the football recruits tomorrow.

On the subject of early admissions, these numbers have probably appeared elsewhere, but I haven't seen them. A story in today's Cornell Sun notes the early decision acceptance rate at Ivy League schools this year (sans Brown and Columbia):

• Yale 19.7 percent
• Harvard 21.5 percent
• Princeton 26 percent
• Pennsylvania 29 percent
• Dartmouth 30 percent
• Cornell 36.6

Marketing efforts have picked up around Ivy League sports in recent years and the Columbia Media Guide Store is a perfect example. You, too, can purchase your very own 2006 Columbia football guide for the low, low price of $20 plus $2 shipping and handling. Men's basketball is $15 and swimming is $5. Look around and perhaps you'll find that perfect birthday gift for your significant other Lions fan. Remember, Valentine's Day is coming ;-)

The Yale sports information site has a story about Yalies in the NFL. From the story: "Chris Hetherington '96, Dick Jauron '73, Eric Johnson '01, Nate Lawrie '04, Mike McCaskey '65 and Bob Wallace '78 all played for the Bulldogs and are now employed by NFL teams." The story includes this quote from quarterback Jeff Mroz, who just signed with the Philadelphia Eagles:

"They (the Eagles) have a great organization and have been very successful recently. I'm excited to start the off-season program with the Eagles," said Mroz. "In just the short time I've been in the NFL, I have learned so much about the game from some of the great coaches and players in Dallas as well as some of the other teams I've worked out with, which will definitely help elevate my level of play."

Temperatures in the Upper Valley are supposed to hit 10 below zero tomorrow night. (It will be significantly colder up here on the mountain.) With that in mind, I was heartened to stumble across a story about the college baseball season opening up this week. (No, not here in Hanover.) I'll be eager to see how the University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcans do in their four-game home series against Oregon State beginning tomorrow.

(And in case you are wondering, the local outdoor spring sports season is set to tip off with a Feb. 17 men's lacrosse scrimmage against UMass on Scully-Fahey Field. The first regular-season contest is a Feb. 24 women's lacrosse game against Syracuse. Brrr.)

Green Wave Trumps Big Green

This one has to rankle Buddy Teevens a little bit. A 300-pound lineman who took a visit to Dartmouth and is said to run a 5-flat 40 has chosen the Green Wave over the Big Green. That's the Green Wave as in Tulane. As in the school where Teevens once coached. There's a mention here.

Ryan Fuselier, who led the Ivy League in receptions last fall as a fifth-year Dartmouth senior, drew interest from five NFL teams but after weighing his options is headed to New York and Morgan Stanley's Institutional Investment Branch as part of a two-year grooming program for financial analysts. Fuselier was named to the All-New England first team this fall and twice was chosen to the All-Ivy second team. Also an outstanding student, Fuselier won Dartmouth's Alan Hewitt '34 and Robert Hewitt '40 Award as "the player who best epitomizes athletic performance with academic achievement." He had 57 catches for 711 yards and three touchdowns last fall.

A column in today's Daily Dartmouth looks at the Ivy League's prohibition against going to the football playoffs and the absence of a postseason basketball tournament in the conference.

The Columbia Spectator has a story about a wrestler who chose between hitting the mat in New York City or the blue gridiron at Boise State. Kevin Lester was a second-team, All-State offensive lineman at Idaho's Nampa High School. From the story: " 'It was a difficult decision,' Lester said of his choice between wrestling at Columbia and playing football at hometown college Boise State."

Gotta think football coach Norries Wilson would love to see the 6-foot-5 grappler give football a go. In another era, Dartmouth linebacker Reggie Williams combined football and wrestling.

Reading about Lester reminded me of Dartmouth senior Rob Kerris, who captained Pennsylvania his high school football team to a 13-2 record and a state championship as a senior center and defensive end. He was chosen to the all-state third team before deciding to compete on the track team as a throw at Dartmouth. You just know the football people would have loved to see what he could do. I wrote about Kerris last year. Find the story here.

Lloyd Lee Feeling Super

Dartmouth will have a presence in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks with Chicago defensive assistant Lloyd Lee '98 coaching the nickel package and linebackers for Da Bears. To see his full bio, click here.

Lloyd set the Dartmouth single-season interception record with seven picks in 1996 and finished his career with 13 interceptions, tied for the school record. He then won a spot on the roster of the San Diego Chargers as a free agent safety and spent two years in the organization. He joined the Bears' staff in 2004 after serving as a scout for several years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ...

I distinctly remember the first time I saw Lloyd. It was at the preseason scrimmage against Columbia in Connecticut before his freshman year. He was impossible to miss. I recall going up to Coach John Lyons after the scrimmage and asking who "that kid" was and JL telling me I'd be writing a lot about him. Lyons often referred to Lee as a coach on the field. I guess he had that right.

While one of Lyons' former players will be in the Super Bowl, two of Buddy Teevens' proteges came up short. Teevens coached New England Patriots receivers Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney at Florida. Find a story about that here.

The Daily Dartmouth has a piece about well-regarded baseball executive Sandy Alderson '69 being nominated to run for College Board of Trustees.

More off the field ... thanks to a subscriber for passing along a link to this story about Princeton tuition holding steady at $33,000. The story notes that it is "the first time since 1967-68 that annual tuition hasn't increased." In case you are wondering, tuition and room and board at Princeton will top out at $43,980 for an undergrad next year. Gulp.

Now, I didn't go to Phillips Exeter Academy or to Yale, but a couple of people who did have pointed out the same gambit that occurred to me immediately after several Ivy League schools pledged to match Princeton's financial aid package for applicants accepted at both schools. From the Daily Princetonian:

Last week, in a speech at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., their high school alma mater, Yale senior Phoebe Rounds and recent Yale alumnus Peter Hasegawa suggested that students apply to Princeton in order to gain better financial aid awards at other colleges.

According to the two, the average increase in aid awards that resulted from this approach was between $15,000 and $20,000 for four years.

And for those of you wondering, that certain Hanover High School freshman qualified for the New Hampshire state championships in the 3000 meters yesterday by a full 1 minute, 10 seconds. She's now qualified in the 1500 and the 3000. The states will be run at Leverone Field House on Feb. 2.

A Familiar Name Resurfaces On A Different Surface

Check out the last name on the 2007 Dartmouth men's lacrosse roster. The one in black, without the hyperlink leading to his bio. Recognize it? It's Chad Gaudet, and no, he's not one of hockey coach Bob Gaudet's sons.

Gaudet is the 5-foot-11, 195-pound tailback from Burlington, Mass., who showed so much promise when he ran for 389 yards in just over five games at the end of his freshman year before suffering a horrible knee injury in the first carry of his sophomore year against Colgate. He's back running after missing the rest of the 2005 season and all of 2006.

While there's no guarantee, if the junior's knee holds up for lacrosse there's a chance he might be back on the gridiron this fall. That would be a tremendous bonus for the Big Green, even if he's not the player he once was. The courage and determination he's shown battling back from an injury that some believed meant an end to his athletic career should be nothing less than an inspiration to everyone in the program.

Gaudet, by the way, is no newcomer to the stick sport. He captained the lacrosse team (as well as football and basketball) at Middlesex School. And, judging by what he showed on Occom Pond after his freshman year, he's a pretty fair hockey player as well.

For a feature about incoming offensive lineman Alex Wodka, click here. From the piece:

Wodka carries a 5.26 weighted grade point average on a 5.0 scale and a 32 ACT. And the three-year varsity starter at BG who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 285 pounds found the perfect student-athlete combination at Dartmouth College.

We tuned in to the East-West Shrine Game last evening and both Dartmouth opponents in the game showed well. Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie was said to have led the game in special teams tackles (defensive stats are nowhere to be found this morning) and was all over the field when he was in from scrimmage. New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball led all receivers with 80 yards (one three catches) and made game's the highlight-reel reception when he adjusted in mid-air on a long ball down the right sideline, leaned back and made a "hands catch" that he held while bouncing and rolling on the ground. Both DeOssie and Ball were lauded by the announcers.

Shrine Game offensive stats can be found here. UMass tailback Steve Baylark led the overmatched East team with 32 rushing yards.

That's it for this morning. Now we're off to the University of New Hampshire to cheer on a certain Hanover High School freshman running the 3000 meters.

Saturday Etc.

This isn't football, but sports photographer Gil Talbot passed along this shot of Dartmouth sophomore Alex Barnett dunking at Harvard last week and it's just too good not to post. (Click the picture to enlarge.) Talbot shot Dartmouth's football game at Colgate last fall and is shooting more and more of the college events. Check out his portfolio and find a link to purchase his photos here.

Barnett, an obviously athletic wing, has had double-doubles scoring and rebounding the last three games. He's second on the Big Green in scoring at 11.1 ppg and the top rebounder at 6.4. Dartmouth (6-9 overall, 1-1 Ivy) returns to action next weekend with home games Friday and Saturday against Brown and Yale.


Former Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie is writing a very interesting diary for the Eagle Tribune about his experience in Houston for tonight's East-West Shrine game.

New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball is apparently winning some folks over at Shrine game practices. A couple outtakes from stories:

David Ball, a receiver for Division I-AA New Hampshire, has been getting solid reviews while matching up one-on-one against I-A cornerbacks. Click for story

And:

New Hampshire receiver David Ball - who caught seemingly every thing thrown in his direction ... Click for story

Big Green to Big Sky?

Gotta head into town to do an interview so this will be quick. ... I learned yesterday that Dartmouth has been talking to Montana about the Big Green playing in Big Sky Country in the not-too-distant future. Now that would be fun. ...

Ryan Fuselier, who rose up the Dartmouth career receiving ranks last fall, is quoted in this story about the retirement of his high school coach. The story says Fuselier could be an NFL draft pick this spring. That's probably a little stretch, but making it into an NFL camp would be within his reach if it's something he should choose to pursue. ...

For a look inside the new Floren Varsity House, click here. There's obviously a ton of work yet to be done, but it's still interesting to get a sense of the space the new building will deliver. ...

More later.

A Name To Watch

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's comprehensive recruiting page puts Dartmouth in the mix for late-developing 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end Charles Bay of Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga.. Georgia Southern, William & Mary and Elon are courting him and he is visiting Navy. Find an older story about Bay here. ...

While Dartmouth's non-league schedule continues to be set in stone, it's different for a couple of opponents who released their 2007 slates this week. Penn will be replacing Lafayette with Georgetown (that could get ugly) while Holy Cross will open with 2006 national finalist UMass (that could get uglier still). Schedules can change from year to year? Really?

A College Football News expert quoted in the Houston Chronicle offers five players from the East-West Shrine Game's East roster that should be closely watched this week and Dartmouth played against two of them last year: No. 1 is New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball and No. 5 is Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie. Of DeOssie, John Harris' comments included this: "He has good size (6'2" and 240 lbs.), but doesn't run exceptionally well..."

The Daily Dartmouth reports that the search is on to find a replacement for retiring Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg. Peter Hackett '75 of the search committee had this to say of the importance of the hire:

"(The position is) really the gatekeeper at Dartmouth.... It affects everything from athletics to the faculty to the student body."

Hmm. Maybe it's me, but I seem to recall the college trying very hard to put a different spin on Furstenberg's impact several years ago when the dean was in the news.

About the only thing I've been venting about more than the static football schedule has been the weather this winter. Too warm with too little snow. (Things were a little more normal this week with temperatures up here on the mountain hitting almost 10 below and a few inches of snow falling.) ... The D has a story about the impact of the weather on Winter Carnival. While Zamboni-created "snow" can be trucked to the Green from Thompson Arena, event organizers and the like have several other thoughts. Student event manager Elizabeth Teague '09 told the paper:

"If there's really no snow and we have an extremely warm year, there is some talk that we would make Winter Carnival into a type of Global Warming Awareness Day."

Umm, no.

More from The D:

As a potential alternative to the polar bear swim, Amy Newcomb, assistant director of the Collis center and student activities, suggested that students might roll in the snow and then jump in a 25-person hot tub placed in the middle of the Green.

Umm, the cynic would suggest that might not be greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm.

Another Recruiting List

Here's an updated recruiting list compiled with greatly appreciated help from several sources. The list is unofficial.

* Michael Cummings (Deerfield Academy, Mass.) 6-5, 240, defensive end/tight end
* Will Deevy (Kent Denver, Colo.) 6-5, 210 quarterback
* Tyler Green (Middlesex School, Mass.) 6-4, 255 linebacker
* Spencer Hood (Carlsbad, Calif.), 6-3, 230 linebacker
* Matthew Kelly (Tampa Catholic, Fla.), 6-2, 180, punter/kicker
* Steve Morris (Hinsdale Central, Ill.) , 6-0, 175, running back/defensive back
* Carter Scott (Hammond, S.C.), , 6-1, 210 linebacker
* Alex Wodka (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) 6-3, 285 offensive guard
* Joseph Zimring (Mary-Institute Country Day, St. Louis) 6-0, 215, running back

Among others reportedly heading to Hanover next fall are a linebacker-special teams player from the San Diego area and a running back from a New York suburb. More details on them as they become available.

A subscriber sent along a link to this disturbing New York Times story about whether the suicide last November of former NFL player Andre Waters might trace back to brain damage he suffered in football. Former Harvard player Chris Nowinski, whose pro wrestling career ended because of concussions -- and who has written the book Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis -- triggered the investigation.

Early Decision News Just A Trickle

Got a phone call a couple of days ago asking about Dartmouth's early decision football recruits so I figured it was time to list the names I've been able to cull from the web. There aren't many, in part because the news has been slow to break and in part because the stated emphasis this year was on regular admissions, not the early decision process. That said, here's an alphabetical list of who has been reported as heading this way in their hometown newspapers so far:

• Will Deevy, Kent Denver (Colorado) 6-5, 210 quarterback
• Alex Wodka (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) 6-3, 285 offensive guard
• Spencer Hood (Carlsbad, Calif.), 6-3, 230 linebacker
• Carter Scott (Hammond SC), , 6-1, 210 linebacker

I've been told commitments have come from a 5-11, 200-pound running back from the Northeast, a placekicker from the Southeast and a blue-chip defensive lineman, but I won't post any names until they are confirmed. (If you are reading this -- and I know some of you are -- feel free to send me an email. ;-)

Found a story about Alex Wodka that included this quote from the lineman:

"They have done a lot of good with a new football office and perhaps the biggest weight room in Division I-AA. We walked through the construction site and it shows how much the university supports football. It came at the request of Coach Teevens."

Also from the story:

Wodka will become the fifth Illinois product next season on the roster at Dartmouth, following Rockford Boylan offensive lineman Jared Dowdakin, Tuscola quarterback Jordan Kling, Hinsdale Central defensive tackle James Lill and New Trier defensive end Jack D'Angelo.

Former Dartmouth quarterback Jay Fiedler gets a mention in a Las Vegas gossip column here.

Princeton is going out on top, dropping football after all these years. At least that's what this January Fools issue says. The lede to the Daily Princetonian story:

After 138 years of storied history, the football team has decided to retire, it announced today.

Citing a desire to go out at the top of its game, the venerable program — home to 28 national champions, a Heisman winner and the 2006 Ivy champs — seemed worn out but refreshed at a the prospect of a new life in retirement as it made the decision.

A Daily Dartmouth column headlined The Rural University Paradox suggests Dartmouth's location makes it impossible for the school to be one of the truly elite research universities. I have a few quibbles with the columnist's portrayal of this area, but he does a pretty good job overall. His summation makes a point many have made in recent years:

The lesson is simple. Do not try to compete with Harvard at Harvard's game, because if you do, you will lose.

Unbelievably, the old saying that any publicity is good publicity is put into play in the lede from a story in the Daily Pennsylvanian:

The avalanche of national media coverage surrounding the murder case of Economics professor Rafael Robb likely won't detract from Penn's admissions numbers - and, in fact, it could even help, one expert says.

A quote from the same story:

"You're going to see the words University of Pennsylvania next to the word Ivy League all over the media," (College Confidential senior counselor Sally Rubenstone) said. "It's a constant reminder to prospective students that Penn is out there and is an Ivy League institution."

It was 9.9 degrees below zero when the golden retriever and I went out to get the newspaper this morning. Now if a good old-fashioned Nor'easter would drop 15-18 inches on us we'd be all set.

Looking Ahead

National Nothing Day is as good a day as any to post the next three Dartmouth football schedules, so here goes:

2007
Sept. 15 Colgate
Sept. 22 at UNH
Sept. 29 Penn
Oct. 6 at Yale
Oct. 13 at Holy Cross
Oct. 20 Columbia
Oct. 27 at Harvard
Nov. 3 Cornell
Nov. 10 at Brown
Nov. 17 Princeton

2008
Sept. 20 at Colgate
Sept. 27 UNH
Oct. 4 at Penn
Oct. 11 Yale
Oct. 18 Holy Cross
Oct. 25 at Columbia
Nov. 2 Harvard
Nov. 9 at Cornell
Nov. 16 Brown
Nov. 23 at Princeton

2009
Sept. 19 Colgate
Sept. 26 at UNH
Oct. 3 Penn
Oct. 10 at Yale
Oct. 17 at Holy Cross
Oct. 24 Columbia
Oct. 31 at Harvard
Nov. 7 Cornell
Nov. 14 at Brown
Nov. 21 Princeton

Green Alert Take: The 2007 schedule is much friendlier than the 2006 edition. In addition to the fact that there isn't a trip outside of New England (every road game was outside of the region last fall), the schedule is kinder because:

• The season opens at home
• The Ivy season opens at home
• Two of the first three Ivy games are at home
• There are four Ivy home games and three Ivy road games

There's always a chance the 2008 and '09 non-conference schedules will be tweaked, so don't etch these skeds in stone ...

The following quote appeared in Michigan's Monroe News. The school that the wide receiver/defensive back in question will be attending has been xxxx'd out. Can you guess what it is? (I couldn't):

Monroe (Michigan) High's Tyler Lewis was recruited by Ivy League schools because of his ability on the football field and in the classroom.

He ended up choosing the closest thing there is to an Ivy League School - xxxxxxxx, which is known as the "Harvard of the Midwest."

Give up? The answer is at the bottom of this posting.

Cornell grad Kevin Boothe, who moved into a starting role on the Oakland Raiders' offensive line this year, was one of the team's top three surprises this season according to insidebayarea.com. ...

If you collect Dartmouth cards, and I know at least one of you does (right AE?), there's a selection of them up for bid in this eBay auction. This lot of 20 cards includes at least two Jay Fiedlers, a Nick Lowery, a Reggie Williams, a Walter Palmer (Utah Jazz) and a Larry Lawrence (CBA).

We got snow last night, but hardly the 8-12 inches predicted by some forecasters. At most, there were a couple or three inches up here on the mountain. Not much, but enough for our snow-starved plow guy to decide he better clear our driveway. Cha-ching.

For a live look at the snow-covered Dartmouth Green from the webcam on Baker Tower, click here. ... Temps could dip to 5-below tonight.

And finally, the Harvard of the Midwest is ... Oberlin in this case.

Football's Struggles Are On This Trustee Candidate's Mind

Stephen Smith '88, a former freshman football player at Dartmouth and a law professor at the University of Virginia for the past seven years, is an independent petition candidate for Dartmouth's Board of Trustees. High on his list of priorities: "I want to rededicate Dartmouth to undergraduate education." On his web site, Smith also writes:

For years now, “Big Green” football has finished at or near the bottom of the Ivy League. Seasonal variations in win/loss records are to be expected; perennial last-place finishes that threaten to make us – the team with the highest historical winning percentage in Ivy League football – the laughingstock of the Ivy League aren’t. In my day, Dartmouth Football aspired to excellence, and excellence should again be the goal, and it should be the goal not just for the football program, but for all Dartmouth athletics teams. Excellence in athletics is not inconsistent with excellence in academics.

The Concord Monitor has 5 Questions with the Dartmouth sophomore Ibrahim Elshamy, who wants his high school in Manchester to drop its Indian symbol and another school in New Hampshire's largest city to stop using the nickname Crusaders. (See earlier Green Alert post.) The piece includes this:

Will you be involved with similar discussions at Dartmouth?
No. At Dartmouth, there's a large native community, and they're doing a great job facilitating discussion on their own. I have a lot on my plate with Manchester. But it's the same issue. It's a symbol that's hurtful to a certain group of people. Another group doesn't seem to care. Their concern is pride and history.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Norries Wilson, an outstanding offensive lineman for the Gophers in the 1980s and now the coach at Division I-AA Columbia, said he isn't going to apply for the Gophers football coaching job but he believes he has the correct qualifications.

Winter is making a belated arrival in the Upper Valley. We're expecting 4-8 inches of white stuff ... and it's about time. Given the forecast, I finally put our basketball backboard away for the season this morning. The kids are hoping against hope that the snow total exceeds the forecast and they are rewarded with another day off tomorrow. It's exam week at Hanover High and I can think of one freshman girl who would appreciate having another day to study after spending a good deal of the last three days with her nose buried in a book.

Dartmouth Looking at Louisianan

According to this story in the Daily Advertiser of Lafayette, Louisiana, Dartmouth has requested football game film of Trent Hebert, a two-time all-district quarterback, a two-time all-conference punter and an all-state and all-conference pitcher on the baseball diamond. Hebert is listed at behind around 5-foot-10, 170 pounds and is a 4.0 student. Harvard, Columbia and Louisiana College are also on his radar.

The Big Green's football/track athletes were back at it yesterday with junior wide receiver Brian Evans and freshman defensive back Pete Pidermann again leading the way. In a three-way meet with Vermont and New Hampshire, Evans won the 60 in 7.12 and the 200 in 22.95. Pidermann won the 60 hurdles in 8.54 and was second to Evans in the 200 in 23.03.

Freshman running back Rob Mitchelson was sixth in the 60 in 7.42 with junior corner John Manning false starting. Manning was ninth in the 200 in 24.26. For the complete results, click here.

When Dartmouth faced New Hampshire on Memorial Field last fall, the Wildcats came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation and with David Ball challenging Jerry Rice's career touchdown record. The game drew 7,023. Last night Dartmouth and New Hampshire played ice hockey at the Verizon Center in Manchester. The sixth-annual Riverstone Cup went to UNH in front of a crowd of 9,640.

Still on the ice, former Dartmouth standout Lee Stempniak has earned a spot in the NHL's YoungStars Game one day before the NHL All-Star Game. Stempniak, now in his second year with the St. Louis Blues, is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 13 points.

Illinois Lineman Headed to Hanover

Alex Wodka, a 6-3, 285 lineman from Buffalo Grove, Ill., has apparently chosen Dartmouth. This link says he's made a decision and this message board says that decision is to come to Hanover.

A former volunteer assistant at Dartmouth who has worked in the NFL in recent years has been hired as North Carolina's offense coordinator and quarterbacks coach. From a story in the Herald Sun:

(John) Shoop spent 2004 as the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had spent four years (1995-98) as an assistant for the Carolina Panthers before taking his job in Chicago. A 1991 graduate of the University of the South, where he played quarterback, Shoop spent the 1991 season as a voluntary assistant at Dartmouth and worked from 1992-94 as a graduate assistant at Vanderbilt.

Of the Dartmouth football players running track this winter, Pete Pidermann had the best start. Read about the Big Green "thin-clads" as they used to be called, in The Dartmouth. There's another meet today and if I can get over there, I will.

Not much time this morning because there's a youth basketball game at 9 a.m.. Check back later for an update.

More On the Mascot/Symbol Issue

Something that wasn't in the original story about the Manchester (N.H.) high schools whose Indian and Crusader symbols are under attack: The graduate of one of the high schools (who runs the web site hatemascot.com) is "a sophomore at Dartmouth College, where debate over the treatment of American Indian students sparked a rally of 500 students, faculty and staff last semester," according to this story posted on the Boston Globe site. ...

Jake Novak, whose Roar Lions Roar blog does a comprehensive job of covering Columbia football, offers up one Columbia insider's explanation for why the Ivies won't go to the playoffs in the division formerly known as I-AA. The decision-makers' thought process, according to Jake's source: ..."(W)hile the Ivies are willing to allow more games for big-time playoff tournaments like basketball and soccer, they feel the lower-tier level of the I-AA playoffs isn't worth the compromise."

Don't think pro football is a business? Former Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer (and several teammates) went under the knife (or the scope) after the final Tennessee Titans game of the season and this is how the Nashville City Paper reported it: "The Titans did 'clean up' surgeries for a number of players at the conclusion of the season." Clean up surgeries?

Princeton grad Jason Garrett could be the next offensive coordinator at Alabama according to this story.

It's not about football, but if you want to read a well-written and interesting story about an Ivy League icon, check out Jerry Price's story on former Princeton basketball coach Pete Carril. ... Speaking of hoops, the Dartmouth men try to make it 2-0 in the Ivies tonight at Harvard. If they can sneak past the Crimson, their next four Ivy games are at home and Leede Arena would be hopping.

Remember how I said I was doing some writing for the town of Hanover? At least I think I told you. Anyway, I thought I'd found just about everything I could about the town on the web and then I stumbled across this 360-degree picture tour of the town pulled together by a real estate company. I wish they'd shot the pictures from a different angle, but if you miss Hanover or want to show the town off to a friend, click the link. Neat stuff.

Georgia Has Dartmouth On Its Mind

More recruiting tidbits ...

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution this week: "Ryan Murphy, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end for Walton, is being recruited by Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard and Princeton."

Following up on an earlier post about quarterback Matt Moody of Landmark Christian, another Journal-Constitution note had this to say about the former teammate of Dartmouth freshman linebacker Zech Glaize: "According to his mother Beth Moody, Matt has received strong interest from Dartmouth, Lehigh and Liberty. She added that the one pull to Georgia Tech is former Landmark Christian teammate Miles King, who is a wide receiver for the Yellow Jackets." ... The piece continued: "The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Moody plans to visit Georgia Tech, Dartmouth and, possibly, Liberty in January."

Meant to mention this before but Harvard center Frank Fernandez will play in the Hula Bowl this Sunday in his hometown of Honolulu. Teammate Clifton Dawson is headed for the Texas vs. The Nation game Feb. 2 in El Paso. The game pits players who went to high school or played college in Texas against players from colleges outside of Texas. Find the Harvard release here.

In other sports news ...

Here's something I didn't realize until this morning: When the Duke men's lacrosse team opens the 2007 season next month in Durham, N.C., the opponent will be ... Dartmouth. Now that ought to be a media circus. Find a story here. ...

This was mentioned sometime back on this electronic space (a friend came up with that description and I like it ;-), but a couple of Dartmouth alums write the acclaimed Women's Hoops Blog; Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better. The bloggers are the subjects of this Minneapolis Star Tribune story. I mention this because the story notes a post on their site triggered a Connecticut newspaper columnist to go off on the NCAA Committee for Women's Athletics for its "call to banish the Mikan drill from the women's college game because it makes others watch while teammates practice rebounding and layups, and because it is named after a man." Inane doesn't do that idea justice. ...

Off the field of play ... the Daily Dartmouth reports that the president of the Dartmouth review is stepping down over the recent controversial front page of the conservative publication. ...

Speaking of inane, I tried to download the Boise State-Oklahoma game video off iTunes yesterday. At $2.99, I figured it would be fun to show the kids, who were asleep long before the epic contest was over. I went through all the steps, ordered the game and the computer started to download the 3-hour broadcast. Um, have I told you our internet service up here on the mountain is slow? Even with the radio relay that delivers us higher speed than dialup, the message I got was that it would take 75 hours for the game to download! Those numbers are usually off by quite a bit, so I let the computer go for two hours and it still told me there were more than 70 hours to go. Needless to say, I stopped the download. I may try again once I'm in town and can access a faster wifi connection, but only if I can figure out how to restart an iTunes download. Otherwise, I've contributed $2.99 to the betterment of Apple. I could do worse.

And finally this: When we got home after our 7th-grader's basketball game yesterday, the 9th-grader handed me her backpack. I almost toppled over. The thing was so heavy I took it upstairs to weigh it. It came in at ... 38 pounds! Thirty-eight pounds! And there was nothing in there that didn't belong except for a folding umbrella. No wonder the hike up and down the Grand Canyon last summer was no problem for her. She's been training for years. I should have had her carry the six liters of water. ;-) Now, Hanover's as good a school system as there is Northern New England and the freshman has a pretty tough load in honors courses at HHS, but that's an unbelievable amount of texts and notebooks she's toting around. Whatever happened to the days when we used to be able to bring everything home with one of those rubber cords that just locked the books together? Yikes.

'Big Three' Go In Different Directions

Yale's announcement last week that it will not follow Harvard and Princeton and abandon its early admissions program (Bloomberg story) could mean a rise in early admission applicants as high as 50 percent next year according to a story in the Yale Daily. ...

From a follow story in today's Princetonian:

The announcement comes as a blow to the college's fellow members of the Big Three, both of which had hoped that their decisions to scrap their versions of the controversial program last fall would open the door to widespread abolishment of early admission.

Where does Dartmouth fit in? The Princetonian story includes this opinion from Jeff Durso-Finley, director of college counseling at Lawrenceville School near Princeton:

"Schools with more volatile matriculation patterns like Dartmouth and Brown can't take the risk by giving up Early Decision."

There's a piece in today's Manchester Union Leader regarding a controversy in New Hampshire's largest city that echoes a longstanding debate in Hanover. The story begins:

"Central High School's Indian head and Memorial High's Crusader are traditional symbols that bespeak strength, not cultural insensitivity, both schools' principals say.

"Principals at the two city high schools disputed a former student's charge that the symbols are hurtful and offensive, arguing instead that each school's symbol has proud roots."

Central's Indian head symbol has its roots in Hanover. From the story:

"Incarnations of the Central High School 'Indian head' logo date back to the 1920s, according to a booklet written by former principal William Burns. The school adopted the symbol as an homage to Dartmouth College, which won the national football championship in 1925."

Central's nickname is, "The Little Green." Dartmouth, of course, long ago abandoned the use of the Indian logo and unofficial nickname.

The Manchester Union Leader story makes reference to the web site hatemascot.com, which says Crusaders refers to a "zealot religious force, often equated to the Nazis in terms of brutal genocide." They aren't going to like that at Holy Cross.

University of New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball has signed with Debartolo Sports and Entertainment in Pittsburgh according to the Rutland Herald. Here's the kicker: That's the same agency that represents Jerry Rice. Ball, you'll remember, broke Rice's career touchdown record last fall in what might be called, "the division formerly known as I-AA." The native Vermonter will also be training with Rice.

Catching Up On The Track

News of note from the Dartmouth Relays last weekend. ...

Freshman defensive back Pete Piderman finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.48 seconds after running 8.58 in the prelims and 8.60 on the semis. In the finals, he placed behind two runners from team champion Illinois and one from Wheaton.

Junior receiver Brian Evans and freshman running back Rob Mitchelson ran the 60-meter sprint. Evans ran 7.23 and Mitchelson 7.25 to make it out of the prelims. Evans qualified for the finals with a 7.19 in the semis while Mitchelson ran 7.34. Evans finished seventh in the finals in 7.12. Junior corner John Manning had hoped to run but sat the meet out to guard against injury. (Click here for results.)

Former wide receiver Andrew Hall competed in the first four events of the heptathlon before withdrawing. He ran 7.36 in the 60, long-jumped 20-5, tossed the shot 47.7 and high jumped 5-10. Olympic hopeful Mustafa Abdur-Rahim won the event at his old Dartmouth stomping ground despite not competing in the pole vault because of injury.

Another Linebacker On The Way

The trickle of recruiting information remains just that -- a trickle -- but add a new name to the Dartmouth list: Spencer Hood of Carlsbad, Calif..

A linebacker and punter in high school, Hood will continue his career at Dartmouth while his fraternal twin brother Gordon will play water polo at Brown according to this story in the North County Times. From the NCT story: "Spencer, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior, has pounded more than a few running backs into the Carlsbad dust, helping the Lancers win two consecutive CIF championships ..." Hood had 64 tackles and 3.5 sacks last fall as he helped powerhouse Carlsbad go 10-0-2. He was a member of the Union-Tribune All-Academic first team after posting a 4.0 grade point average. He was chosen to the Hall of Champions Avocado League first team and the Hall's All-San Diego Section Team. ...

Hood is the second high school linebacker to publicly commit to Dartmouth. Carter Scott of South Carolina is also headed to Hanover. A third recruit said to be coming to Dartmouth is quarterback Will Deevy, according to a story in the Denver Post. ... There are whispers that a prized defensive lineman and placekicker also have committed.

The Dartmouth features another opinion on the mascot issue. It includes this thought: "The bottom line is that we need to choose a mascot and rally behind it." Picking up on yesterday's Green Alert thought, I'd enjoy the opportunity to write something along the lines of:

Coach Buddy Teevens and the BackPackers stomped their third non-league opponent in as many tries last night under the lights in California. The Packers piled up 247 yards on the ground while improving to 4-0."

Sounds good, huh?

Today's tale of woe is that a certain 12-year-old was in line to finish third in a 340-entry Bowl Game pool last night if Ohio State beat Florida. The pool required assigning a point value from 1-32 for each of the 32 bowl games (using each number just once) and earning the number of points assigned to each game correctly predicted. Said 12-year-old had the highest premium on Ohio State, 32 points. Oops. Not coincidentally, his dad also had 32 points on OSU and would have clinched a top-10 finish and been in the money if the Buckeyes weren't the Blackeyes last night. ...

As the game got more and more out of hand, the mind started to wander and I found myself noticing that both teams were wearing traditional uniforms instead of something out of Oregon or Miami. Maybe it's the Penn Stater in me, but I much prefer the traditional white pants and shoulder stripes to the contemporary look Dartmouth has adopted.

I was in the little parking lot behind Memorial Field yesterday at about 4:30 p.m., and saw two things that gave me a start. One was a bumper sticker on the back of a car that said, New Hampshire, Live, Freeze and Die. (A play on the state motto Live Free Or Die.) Perhaps 50 yards away: I saw about 30 football players doing conditioning on Memorial Field. In shorts and T-shirts. There's a disconnect between those two visions that is a little, well, disconcerting.

And finally, for those of you who remember fondly -- or not-so-fondly remember -- the Shower Tower at Dartmouth, click here.

The D Talks With Josie Harper

Today's Daily Dartmouth takes a look at Athletic Director Josie Harper and what has been an eventful year in the corner office of Alumni Gym. The headline for the story sums it up: "AD Harper addresses coaching, fights and letters"

On The Mascot Issue

A guest columnist offers a look at the Dartmouth mascot issue in today's Daily Dartmouth. There's some good food for thought in the column, although I'll take issue with this statement:

It seems to me that any mascot we might choose to adopt should have some significant connection to Dartmouth's culture and history. Of the many contenders, only the Indian satisfies this criterion.

Readers of this electronic space know I've pushed in the past for the BackPackers nickname, with a red bandana-topped mascot wearing a pack adorned with a sleeping roll and water bottle, carrying a walking stick and wearing hiking boots. During stops in play at basketball games, the mascot could reach into the backpack to toss T-shirts to the crowd. Think of the West Virginia Mountaineer or, well, the Notre Dame leprechaun. Silly? Maybe. But given the Dartmouth Outing Club and the Appalachian Trail meandering through town, I'd argue it would indeed have "some significant connection to Dartmouth's culture and history."

It may be lip service. It may not. The NCAA may be ready to crack down on schools that don't graduate athletes. From USA Today:

The NCAA is preparing to hit "hundreds" of teams with a second, stiffer wave of penalties for academic deficiencies, deepening cuts in scholarships and curtailing teams' practice time. In two years, the most chronic offenders will be hit with postseason bans. The Division I Board of Directors is expected to endorse the plan as the association's four-day annual convention wraps up today.

With the BCS championship game on tap tonight (anyone staying up until the end?) Ohio State -- make that THE Ohio State University -- is all over the press today. In one story I stumbled across the following, which I thought you might find interesting:

Ohio State puts 36 varsity teams on the field, court and course and in the water. That's 16 more than the average in NCAA Division I-A. The broad-based model is familiar to the Ivy League but not to other big-name schools.

That, of course, set me off to check out what, exactly, those 36 sports were. I found numerous references to the 36 sports but couldn't find a list that added up to 36. Here's the list I found:

Men's Sports

1. Baseball
2. Basketball
3. Cross Country
4. Fencing
5. Football
6. Golf
7. Gymnastics
8. Ice Hockey
9. Lacrosse
10. Pistol
11. Rifle
12. Soccer
13. Swim/Dive
14. Tennis
15. Track & Field
16. Volleyball
17. Wrestling

Women's Sports

1. Basketball
2. Cross Country
3. Fencing
4. Field Hockey
5. Golf
6. Gymnastics
7. Ice Hockey
8. Lacrosse
9. Pistol
10. Rifle
11. Rowing
12. Soccer
13. Softball
14. Swim/Dive
15. Synchronized Swimming
16. Tennis
17. Track & Field
18. Volleyball

I'm guessing the missing sport is novice crew or something like that. Any ideas out there?

Finally, here's hoping all the potential recruits got out of town yesterday. Up here on the mountain this morning the wind is howling, there's slush all over the ground and a cold rain falling. A thoroughly miserable day.

Maine Mystery Solved

Published reports through the fall kept saying Dartmouth was high -- or even leading -- standout Maine tailback Jared Turcotte's list of college choices. More recent stories about the player Sports Illustrated called the state's best stopped mentioning Dartmouth. A story on Turcotte's recruiting trips in the Lewiston Sun-Journal explains what happened:

Dartmouth, an early front-runner in the process, would have been on the itinerary, but the school told Turcotte recently that, while he met its academic standards, they no longer had a place for him on the team at his academic level. Turcotte said he's disappointed, but added "I can't really fret too much about it." It's helped that Brown has since said it does have a place for him and has asked for game film.

I'd heard from a coach I knew years ago who is familiar with Turcotte that he could be, "a game changer," so that's disappointing news for Dartmouth. ... Word is the number of potential recruits on campus this weekend is 20. ... Hopefully some of them were at the men's basketball game last night when Dartmouth overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat Harvard and 7-foot potential NBA draft pick Brian Cusworth in overtime. Leede Arena was flat-out rocking as the Big Green fought back to win for the sixth time in its last seven games.

The Daily Dartmouth is having Internet problems so it wasn't until this morning that I was able to pull up a rambling column that incensed many in the Dartmouth athletic department for its comments on athletic director Josie Harper. Click here to see why.

A Pennsylvania newspaper recently ran a story about a backup safety who walked on at Penn State and earned a scholarship for a year after turning down "offers to become a certain football standout at Ivy League Princeton." Chances are the kid would have been a fine Ivy League player and perhaps a standout, but a certain standout? Ivy League football is better than people "from away," know, and to anoint someone a certain standout is a kind of a backhanded swipe at the league.

According to a Pioneer Press story, Brown swept up a quarterback from Cretin-Derham, the St. Paul, Minn., quarterback factory that produced, among others, Florida State grad Chris Weinke and Joe Mauer, the national player of the year at QB before wisely choosing a baseball career.

Could the Ivy League be ready to add another school? It's not going to happen, of course. But the president of one major football power has that kind of academic ambition for his school, saying: "We need a Top 10 university, so our kids can get the same education they would get at Harvard or Yale." From the story: "If there is any goal that (redacted - school name) has pursued as fervently as a national football championship for the (redacted - team name), it is a place among the nation's highest-ranked public universities. Any guesses? To find out what school's president said that, click here.

Floren Varsity House Taking Shape

Brickwork was revealed on front side of the new Floren Varsity House only this week.

The side of the new varsity house facing Alumni Gym

The back of the varsity house overlooking baseball's Red Rolfe Field
The plowed field looks good enough to play on today.
An official artist's rendering of how the field will look when the building is completed. The original can be found here.

The plaque in the entry way to the home stands

With potential recruits in town, the plastic sheeting on a portion of the front of the new Floren Varsity House was removed just this week to give the hight school seniors a sense of how the building will look next fall. Also, the field was plowed so they can check out the state-of-the-art artificial surface. As noted earlier, the goal posts and end zone bleachers were left up to help recruits visualize the entire scene. (The photos can all can be supersized by clicking on them).

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I am not making this up.

A world record was set in the pole vault yesterday at the 38th annual Dartmouth Relays at Leverone Field House. From the Dartmouth release: "(Flo) Meiler, representing Green Mountain Athletic Club, cleared 6-11 on her first try in the women's pole vault, setting a master's world record for women age 70-74." (Italics are mine ;-)

Now, I think it's absolutely wonderful that 72-year-old Flo of Shelburne, Vt., was pole vaulting. And I wish I could pole vault 6-11. But my first reaction when I read this was that someone should call David Letterman because this is a guest he really should have on his show. My next reaction was to wonder just how many 70 to 74-year-old women are out there pole vaulting. Wow.

Speaking of the Dartmouth Relays, a certain Hanover High freshman finished second in the Tri-State mile Friday night. She was disappointed that only four of the six runners expected to participate showed up, but ran a good race was excited with the medal she won. When her coach asked if it was the first medal she'd won on the track, she cracked him up when she said she also won a medal in the "Grafton County One-Lapper," the popular race for tykes that is held on the final day of the Relays each year.

Busy Weekend On Campus

It's a big and busy weekend on campus. With this afternoon's end of the NCAA recruiting "dead period" (click here to download an NCAA football recruiting calendar) a group of potential recruits will be on campus. Coach Buddy Teevens has had recruits snowshoeing, skiing and playing pond hockey in the past, but those things won't be on the agenda this year. Not with the minimal snow we've had melting and temperatures approaching -- and perhaps topping -- 50 degrees today. (My 12-year-old asked me the other day, "Can you have a January thaw if you don't have a winter?" I was stumped for an answer. Find more on the weather below.)

Maybe Coach Teevens can tell the recruits that all those stories they've heard elsewhere about how harsh the winters can be in Hanover are greatly exaggerated. ...

While snow sports won't be on the agenda for visiting recruits, there will still be plenty of excitement. More than 2,500 athletes will be in town for the 38th annual Dartmouth Relays, the national lid-lifter each year for the indoor track season. When I worked at the newspaper I'd often be sent over to talk with the most prominent athlete in town for the event. I remember interviewing high jumper Dwight Stones. Pole vaulter Bob Seagren was coming one year but I honestly can't remember if he showed and I talked with him. (Something tells me he missed his connection and didn't show -- which happened with the more famous athletes billed as coming from time to time -- but I can't remember.)

No one particularly famous is expected this year although former Dartmouth football/track star Andrew Hall '05 will be competing in the heptathlon as will Mustafa -- Moose -- Abdur-Rahim '04, an Olympic hopeful who would have been a difference maker at defensive back if they could have convinced him to pull on a helmet. (Click here to see pictures of Moose at the 2004 Olympic Trials -- in a Dartmouth shirt.) ... A certain Hanover High freshman will run the Tri-State Mile tonight at the Relays tonight, her first race at that distance after having some success at 1500 and 3000 meters. ...

Visiting recruits might also take in one of the most exciting days of the season in Leede Arena with the men's and women's basketball teams kicking off Ivy League play with a day-night doubleheader against Harvard. (The men's team caught a tough break this year, by the way. Harvard 7-footer Brian Cusworth -- an NBA prospect -- was eligible for just one semester this season and chose the fall, meaning Dartmouth will have to contend with him two times -- while no other Ivy team will face him. while the only other Ivy teams that will see him, once each, are Brown and Yale.)

Speaking of basketball, the Dartmouth women's team will be without 6-foot-4 senior center Elise Morrison for the second year in a row as she continues to struggle with her recovery from a torn Lisfranc ligament in her right foot. Morrison was the most highly touted recruit in the history of the powerhouse women's program at Dartmouth and one of the most highly regarded national recruits that has come to Hanover in any sport in many years. A broken screw in the surgically repaired foot set her back last spring and a cyst that formed during practice this fall has sidelined her for the season. I'd heard about her tough break earlier but the news broke publicly today.

Rounding out the busy weekend in Hanover, there's women's hockey Friday and Saturday and squash hosting the Snowflake Tournament as well.

And finally, speaking of the weird weather we've been having, New Hampshire's public radio station dealt with the issue this week. Listen to the report by clicking here. National Weather Service climatologist Steve Capriolla: "Mother nature can go through these warming trends and these cooling trends. We've seen that with ice ages coming and going. We know that mother nature can change temperatures on its own. So it could be doing that now. The question is, is man adding to that? And how much is he adding to that?"