Columbia Recap

Given the often critical nature of the press in Philadelphia, I think it was former Philadelphia Phillies great Mike Schmidt who once talked about, "the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it."

I don't think that's much of a problem in Philly right now.

Unfortunately, all I can offer you on an otherwise glorious Monday morning in the Upper Valley is the agony of reading about Saturday's loss to Columbia.

With last year's beat writer in New York this term, the Daily Dartmouth was actually on site for a road game, and filed this story about Saturday's rain-soaked disappointment.

The Columbia Spectator provides the view in blue.

For the official stories out of the college athletic departments, find the Columbia story here and the Dartmouth story here.

The only real analysis you'll find is at Jake Novak's Roar Lions Roar blog. Don't kill the messenger, but here's what he wrote:

The Big Green's weak offensive and defensive lines just couldn't get the job done.

The latest Sagarin Ratings – which become more accurate, and reflect the standings more as the season goes on – are now out. Here's how they rank Dartmouth and its opponents this fall:

99 New Hampshire
133 Harvard
149 Brown
155 Penn
157 Holy Cross
161 Colgate
175 Yale
183 Cornell
190 Princeton
213 Columbia
224 Dartmouth

Again, don't kill the messenger but Sagarin would have Harvard as a 22-point favorite this week at Dartmouth. Fortunately, Sagarin doesn't take into account the rivalry-border war element that will come into play this week.

Outside of the realm of sport, my old editor at the local paper has written a compelling three-day series about the deadliest plane crash in New Hampshire history. I mention it only because the plane, bound for the Lebanon airport, hit the cloud-covered peak of Moose Mountain, which rises above the trees behind our house. Thirty-two people died in the crash, with 10 surviving. Find the first of the stories about the crash here.