Saturday's Stuff

I honestly thought yesterday's blog piece on I-A/I-AA football vs. FBS/FCS would generate a few comments. While the meter down at the bottom of the pages tells me readership was pretty good for a Friday, apparently no one feels strongly enough about the issue to offer a thought. ...

In addition to a couple of Ivy Leaguers, New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos will be playing in the Hula Bowl as he tries to make the leap from I-AA football (maybe that will drum up an angry protest) to playing on Sundays. From a Manchester Union Leader story:

Santos, listed at UNH at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, has been working out three times a week with renowned trainer Mike Boyle in Winchester, Mass., and will soon up that to four. He has completed his requirements for graduation and plans to walk with his classmates in May.

For now, though, it's all about football for the quarterback who leaves with every UNH passing record. He finished his career with a Colonial Athletic Association-best 123 touchdown passes against 33 interceptions. In 2007, he completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 2,972 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

This is kind of funny. I got an email yesterday from a reader who helped out as a ballboy/unofficial Dartmouth football manager while he was at Hanover High in the mid- '80s. The email said:

The current issue of The Hockey News anoints NHL deputy comish and former reserve Dartmouth TB Bill Daly as No. 3 in its annual rankings of 100 People Of Power And Influence In Hockey. Sidney Crosby is No. 1 and comish Gary Bettman is No. 2.

Here's where it gets funny. I was walking down the driveway with my dog to get the morning paper today and a thought bubble popped into my head. "Kinnelon, N.J.!" So after grabbing the paper, I went inside, dug around and found a 1985 press guide. It reported that Bill Daly was a 5-11, 195 senior tailback from Kinnelon, N.J. Wow.

I can't remember some days if I'm picking my kid up after school or if he's on the bus but those old hometowns just stick with me. I'll never forget driving through Connecticut with Kathy Slattery Phillips, spotting a sign for Bethel, Conn., and both of us saying at the same time, "Mike Viccora." A wide receiver, Mike was an '85 from, you guessed it, Bethel.

Backtracking for a second, to find a dated, but pretty good story about Bill Daly and his role in the NHL, click here.