Quidditch Quip Isn't Funny

The hits just keep on coming. In a Yale Herald story about schools playing a version of Quidditch – the imaginary sport made popular in the Harry Potter novels – the writer says:

After having played only one match, the Dartmouth club has already been considered one of the game’s most physical teams—that’s a lot more than can be said for Big Green football.

Taking a shot like that in a story about a fictional wizard? That's just c-o-l-d.

I took another cruise through the Sports Illustrated vault to see if I could find a little contribution I made to the magazine way back in 1987. Sure enough, there it was. At least a version of it.

The back story: The Dartmouth defensive line that fall had widebody Derek McDowell on one side, widebody Ish McLaughlin on the other side and 6-7 Brent Frei in the middle. I was looking at a two-deep one day that fall and noticed something I thought was a little funny about the trio. Doing my part in my role as assistant sports information director, I banged out a quick note and sent it off to SI. Several weeks later, the magazine had a small cartoon in the "front of the book" showing the three Dartmouth players as : Two Big Mac's and a Large Frei.

What I never learned until digging into the SI Vault is that at some point thereafter, SI put a spin on that year's defensive front and used the line I had hatched to do it. Good thing the statute of limitations is out or I might be in trouble. SI wrote:

... (T)he front three in Dartmouth's defense—Derek McDowell, Ish McLaughlin and Brent Frei—are known around campus as the Two Big Macs and a large Frei. Around the Ivy League they're better known as Swiss Cheese. In four conference games, the Big Green has yielded 114 points. On Saturday Yale ate up Dartmouth 17-7.

A couple of notes today with a tip of the cap to the Dartmouth Friends of Football. First, Dartmouth will honor several of its Ivy League championship teams this fall.

• The 1978 team will be recognized at the home opener against UNH on Sept. 27.
• The 1958 team will be honored at the Oct. 11 game against Yale.
• The 1966 team will be celebrated at the Nov. 1 game against Harvard.
• The 1990 team will be beatured at the Nov. 15 game against Brown.

The Oct. 18 Homecoming Game against Holy Cross will honor all former Dartmouth teams.

Also, a reminder that you can make gifts to the Friends of Football electronically. Just negotiate your way from the DartmouthSports.com home page through the "giving" link and drill down until you get to "Friends of Football."

And finally, we are in Massachusetts to celebrate the birthday of the grandfather of those certain Hanover school kids. We'll be heading back up to snow country this afternoon, but not until after the Hanover soph runs in the Cohasset Rotary 10K Road Race By-the-Sea. Although softball practice has started (she's been shifted from starting center fielder to catcher this year) she's continuing to run in preparation for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon later this spring.