NFL: None From (Ivy) League

As expected, the NFL draft finished without an Ivy Leaguer picked although the Patriots' fifth-round choice represented a huge what-might-have-been for Dartmouth. That pick was UCLA speedster Matt Slater, who came close enough to signing with the Big Green that the Los Angeles Times actually reported his commitment. A defensive back/special teams player, Slater set a UCLA single-season record with three touchdowns on kickoffs last year but was projected as a wide receiver at Dartmouth. I still recall then-Dartmouth coach John Lyons talking about the impact Slater would have had with speed the Ivy League had rarely if ever seen.

The only reported Ivy Leaguer to sign as a free agent so far is Columbia quarterback Craig Hormann, who agreed to a deal with the Browns.

There was a spate of spring football games around the Ivies over the weekend. The Brown game was a 7-0 yawner while the Yale game – given some extra scoring rules – was a 53-29 pinball game. Harvard went with a first offense vs. first defense, second vs. second format. The real excitement came at Cornell where a 31-28 game had its share of fireworks and not just on the scoreboard. The game was curtailed by rain and lightning in the third quarter.

Dartmouth scrimmaged over the weekend but the true Green-White is this Saturday. The contest may – that's may – move up just a little bit in the day to avoid a conflict with the Ivy League Championship Series baseball twinbill between Dartmouth and Columbia. More on a possible time change tonight on Green Alert Premium and tomorrow on the blog.

Speaking of the Dartmouth baseball team, senior Jason Blydell, who enjoyed a terrific final season as a defensive back last fall, went 2-for-4 with one RBI in yesterday's 8-4 win over Harvard that clinched home field in the ILCS. He was 1-for-2 in the nightcap before taking a seat as the Red Rolfe Division champions substituted liberally with home field decided.

Blydell, by the way, made two outfield catches in the division-clinching sweep at Harvard that still had people raving yesterday. Here's a takeout from the local paper's story about one of those grabs:

(T)he true web gem occurred in the bottom of the fifth. With Dartmouth up 4-0, Jason Blydell jumped into the trees behind the left-field fence to rob Dillon O'Neill of a grand slam.

“I never really think much about the fence when I'm running out there,” Blydell shrugged. “If I hit it, I hit it.”

Blydell wasn't the only gridder enjoying a successful weekend. The Dartmouth rugby team ran roughshod over three opponents in New York City to claim its eighth Ivy League title in 11 years. Senior safety Ian Wilson (returning for a fifth season next fall), former tight end Brett Lowe, former offensive lineman Jared Dowdakin, former safety John Pircon and former fullback Ryan Mahoney all played rugby this spring for the Big Green, which pummeled Columbia (40-0), Penn (62-0) and Harvard (41-0). Add 'em up and it's 143-0. The Ivy rugby site had suggested, "In morning action, the Dartmouth v. Columbia match, at least on paper, looks to be the most competitive." Guess they didn't play on paper ;-)