One Project Wrapping Up, One On Hold

Progress continues on Dartmouth's new baseball facility. The prefab press box was hoisted into place several days ago. I'm no architect, but if I'm going to be honest, I'd have to say it's the only disappointment I have so far with the gorgeous park. (Click to supersize photos)

Speaking of facilities, the new West Stands at Memorial Field are on temporary hold. Demolition had been set to begin on Monday, but the current economic climate has forced the college's hand. A letter to the "Members of the Dartmouth Community" from Provost Barry Scherr and Adam Keller, Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration included this:

We will delay some projects for two to six weeks in order to conduct further analysis to assess the feasibility of moving forward: the Visual Arts Center, the renovation of the West Stands at Memorial Field and Buchanan Hall.

The Daily Dartmouth has a story here. There's also a podcast in which, "Keller explains that College’s endowment is being impacted by the country’s financial crisis. Keller talks about planning underway to trim the College’s budget."

Now on to some football. The Daily Dartmouth takes an optimistic look at Saturday's game against a talented Brown team. From the story in The D:

The Big Green seems tailored to beat Brown: A strong pass defense and an improving offense could force the Bears to rely on their weak running to win.

That's a notion they might debate down at Brown, so it's time to check out what the Brown Daily Herald has to say about the game. Let's see. Here's a story where Brown columnist picks NFL games. There's a story about last weekend's women's rugby championships and another about field hockey honors. And one about winter sports heating up. Football? Um, nothing. Nada. Zilch.

When it comes to Saturday's game, who are you going to believe, the Providence Journal or the Harvard Crimson? The ProJo writes:

Danger signs should be posted along Interstates 95, 93 and 89 between Providence and Hanover, N.H., and all over the Dartmouth campus, to catch the Brown football team’s attention.

The Crimson, which seems to be having a lot of fun at Dartmouth's expense this fall, takes the opposite point of view, writing (italics are mine):

In the thick of a heated three-way battle for the Ivy League championship, the Bears get to sharpen their claws against Dartmouth.

Normally columnists will warn about “trap games” in which good teams mail it in against seemingly overmatched opponents, which in turn take advantage of this sluggishness and pull off an upset.

Don’t worry Brown, it’s alright (sic). Mail it in. You could actively try to lose this game and it wouldn’t matter.

Ouch.

The Boston Globe has an interesting story about Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph. I'd forgotten this, but the heralded QB is a perfect illustration of how unpredictable the recruiting process can be. The story notes:

Randolph started just two games at quarterback in high school, instead playing mostly wide receiver. Fast forward, and Randolph is again a candidate for the Walter Payton Award (given to the best offensive player in the FCS).

And finally, Newsday reports on the shortest parade of the year in New York City, a march down six blocks of 5th avenue after the Cornell-Columbia football game. From the story:

(The) Parade may last only 12 minutes, but it'll feature Cornell's Big Red Marching Band, cheerleaders and Gov. David Paterson as grand marshal.