Another Recruit

Add 6-4, 240 Ryan O'Neill of Orland Park, Ill., and Marist High School to Dartmouth's list of recruits according to this story. His school announcement also appears here. For a head shot of O'Neill, click here.

O'Neill is also a defenseman on his school's ice hockey team. For a story about him while he was still considering Harvard, click here.

The Harvard Crimson is the latest to post a story about Ivy League executive director Jeff Orleans, who will step down after next year. Credit Crimson football coach Tim Murphy for being candid when commenting in the story on the Ivy League's ban on postseason fooball, which he observed was not a policy developed by Orleans. From the story:

Murphy said that for Harvard, participating in playoffs might actually mitigate some of the excitement of The Game, the Crimson’s perennial season-ending match against arch-rival Yale. “I think in some respects, it might be anti-climatic,” Murphy said.

But he also said ...

“On principle, when you have one that doesn’t participate and 40 sports that do, that’s pretty hard to defend."

Do you think?

A column about the lack of an Ivy League tournament (except in hockey and baseball) in the Daily Dartmouth doesn't mention Jeff Orleans, but it makes a good point. From the column:

Though the Ivy League would like to think of itself as the last remaining bastion of athletic purity, it instead comes off as an unresponsive monolith.

Missed this the first time around but at Colgate's awards banquet earlier this month junior tailback Jordan Scott, the FCS's leading rusher, was given the Andy Kerr Trophy as the school's offensive MVP. Find a release here. There's been no news out of Hamilton, N.Y., regarding Scott's legal problems and his future with the team.

The Yale Daily News has a story about Mike Lehmann, once a potential big-time recruit whose battle with osteitis pubis cost him a shot at major college action, landed him at Yale and eventually contributed to him leaving the game entirely. I had never heard of osteitis pubis until several years ago when one of Dartmouth's best athletes was hobbled by it. I've since heard of another very talented athlete who has battled the problem. Nasty stuff.

It's crunch time for Casey Cramer with the Tennessee Titans. From the Nashville City Paper:

The Titans have seven restricted free agents they must offer tenders to by today’s deadline. Those include kicker Rob Bironas, tight ends Bo Scaife and Casey Cramer, defensive backs Vincent Fuller and Reynaldo Hill, offensive tackles David Stewart and Daniel Loper.

Of that group, Stewart and Bironas are likely to be tendered above the $927,000 minimum.

And finally, after two snow-outs (and almost a third) the Hanover High indoor track team had its awards banquet last night and a certain sophomore won the Sportsmanship Award. She's one of just four members of the team running tomorrow night in Boston in the New England High School championships, but this award is what makes me most proud. ;-)

Oh yeah, one more thing. They are calling for 2-6 inches more snow around here tomorrow. And the hits just keep on coming!