Senior Moments

When spring football rosters start to pop up it's always interesting to see how many "rising" seniors there are at each school. It seemed each year at the Ivy League preseason media gathering (back when they actually had them) coaches would always stress the importance of the senior class.

Not all schools have updated their rosters but here are the numbers for those that have:

Columbia – 24 seniors
Cornell – 21 seniors
Penn – 20 seniors
Yale – 27 seniors

Also, Holy Cross – 25 seniors

Dartmouth's roster has not yet been updated but I've been told that as of this time, everyone is expected to return. If that's the case, the Big Green will have 32 true seniors and three fifth-year seniors for a whopping 35 players in their final season.

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Two-time defending Ivy champ Penn has a recap of the first week of spring football with a video component. (link)

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Week Two opponent Sacred Heart has a 2011 home schedule that features six home games. The Pioneers will play their first three in Fairfield, Conn., against Marist, Bryant and Dartmouth (Sept. 24).

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From an Associated Press story:

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is calling for the elimination of college athletic scholarships, saying the move is necessary to "de-professionalize" college athletes.

And ...

Nader said that colleges should either integrate athletics into the educational mission by eliminating college scholarships, or, "openly acknowledge the professionalism in big-time college sports, remove the tax-exempt status currently given to athletic departments, and make universities operate them as unrelated businesses."

The writer of the AP story is my former colleague at the local daily, Fred Frommer. If that name is familiar, his parents Harvey and Myrna Frommer teach writing at Dartmouth.

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Ed Lucas update: According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution the latest roster cuts by the Braves suggest the former Dartmouth standout and jayvee quarterback's chances of making the big team's roster as a utility player have improved. That said, his average is down to .263. (Click on that link to see a replay of a couple of Lucas' RBI singles.)

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And finally, a regular reader has shared this touching video tribute to the Western Michigan ice hockey team, which has meant so much to young Gideon Schripsema and his family as the boy (who turns four this weekend) fights leukemia. If you are looking for a team to root for in the NCAA's, you could do worse.

(After her eight mile training run yesterday, That Certain Hanover High Grad spent part of her afternoon in the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth visiting a 4-year-old girl who has been "adopted" by the Big Green track team.)