Letter Writer Unhappy With UNH Series

There is an interesting letter to the editor in our local paper this morning. A few excerpts:

I have been a Dartmouth football fan for the pat nine years. During this time, I have witnessed one of the most lopsided series I have seen as a player, as a coach and as a fan.

He's talking, of course, about the annual game against New Hampshire. More from the letter:

I have attended many of these games and have left the field in dismay that the athletic administration has allowed this to continue.

And this:

When I watch a UNH-Dartmouth game, I pray that no Dartmouth player is lost to injury for the season or for his football career. I realize Dartmouth has a contract with UNH to play in future years, but it is time to break that agreement. Athletic contracts are changed on a regular basis.

And finally:

It is the responsibility of the Dartmouth athletic director not only to oversee contracts but also to protect our players and put them in the best position to have a fair chance to win. To continue with this mismatch would be irresponsible and would border on negligence.

Thoughts anyone?

The official Dartmouth release on the upcoming Holy Cross game is available here. It includes this from coach Buddy Teevens:

“Right now we have a high number of young players that have been forced into action a bit ahead of their timetable. While they are making great progress, mistakes come with the growing pains on the field. ... The team’s attitude is good, working hard to correct their mistakes and make better decisions. Nobody is walking out on that field with their head down.”

A sentence in a Columbia Spectator story caught me off guard:

Dartmouth now resides alone in the Ivy League cellar with a 0-2 league record (both Columbia and Dartmouth are 0-4 overall, but the Lions only have one Ivy loss to date).

My first reaction was, no, that can't be. But it's right, of course. It's just jarring to see it in writing.

Speaking of Holy Cross, Mike McCabe, the lineman accused of stabbing teammate/roommate Luke Chmielinski has been placed on "interim suspension" from the school. An excerpt from a Worcester Telegram story with some very interesting comments from the "victim's" father:

“He (Luke) does not believe for a second that Mr. McCabe, his best friend, did this to him,” Christopher Chmielinski said today. “The bottom line is Luke is looking forward to a speedy recovery so he can return to the football field. Luke is extremely hopeful Michael will soon join him on the field.”

Mr. Chmielinski does not know what caused the puncture and cut, his father said. Bruises on his son were caused by the hard-hitting football game, the elder Chmielinski added.

“He is absolutely convinced he was not stabbed,” Christopher Chmielinski said. “He thinks his injury was a result of the scuffle.”

The Associated Press has a shorter version of the story here.

For those pushing for the Dartmouth football team to pick up a game in California or somewhere outside of the northeast, the numbers in this Richmond Times Dispatch story about possible changes in the Colonial Athletic Association (UNH) being brought about by travel expenses are sobering. From the lede:

Eight equipment trunks. About 80 people (players, coaches, support staff). Roughly 19,200 pounds of humans and football gear.

That's what the University of Richmond will put on a plane for this weekend's Colonial Athletic Association game at Massachusetts. Total trip cost: $65,600, counting the $48,000 charter flight, $6,000 for a night's lodging, $4,600 for buses and $7,000 for food, according to David Walsh, UR's deputy athletic director.

Travel expenses are nearly three times what a comparable UR football trip to New England cost a decade ago.

Scary. I don't know about the $48,000 charter flight – I traveled with Dartmouth for a game at Navy once and we flew commercial – but still, those numbers are scary.

And finally, while the letter writer above is unhappy with lopsided scores, at least it wasn't 91-0 . A regular reader of the blog has sent along a story about a game that finished with that score, despite the winning team trying hard to keep the total down. The losing coach has absolutely no problem with the winning coach ... but others apparently do.