Thursday Thoughts

I don't know if someone has figured out how to hack the poll (left column) but as of 9 this morning Dartmouth and Harvard were in a dead heat. ;-)

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Notes today on several former Dartmouth football players and one who got away ...

First, here's the YouTube video of the block last fall that might have ended former defensive end Anthony Gargiulo's professional football career in his rookie season with the Calgary Stampeders:



There are news reports all over the place noting that former President George Bush shook hands with onetime defensive lineman and two-time Olympic silver medal shot putter Adam Nelson yesterday during a visit with the U.S. team. The brief mention is here but try as I might, I can't dig up the photo. ... For a compilation of Nelson quotes, click here. (I know from experience that Adam's a good quote and this is hardly his "greatest hits.")

New York Magazine has a column about the plethora of Ivy Leaguers in the Olympics.

Former wide receiver Matthan Houser '04 (pictured at right) is coaching football in Tennessee and in his third year has moved up to Cookeville High School, a 5-A team (the state's largest classification). Houser also teaches communications. For a story about Matthan in the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, click here.



Matt Slater was a Dartmouth recruiting target a few years back and was reported by the press in Los Angeles as having committed to play for the Big Green. Coach John Lyons said at the time that Slater would have been arguably the fastest wide receiver ever in the Ivy League. Slater's father, pro football Hall of Famer Jackie Slater, reportedly encouraged his son to consider other options and Matt eventually landed at UCLA. After redshirting and then languishing there for several years, he burst into prominence as a return specialist and sometime defensive back. After finishing up last fall he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round last spring. Now he's making a name for himself with the Pats. The Worcester Telegram writes:

Speedy rookie Matt Slater was drafted because of his kick return abilities and is listed on the roster as a receiver. But he’s also been getting reps lately at defensive back.
“We have been working him at some different spots since he has gotten here in all three phases of the game,” Belichick said. “We will see how that all comes together, but he is a smart guy that has a good set of skills.”

And finally ... if you have any pull with Mother Nature could you please ask that the faucet be turned off? The rain is getting to be a bit much.