Who's Beating Who

Following up on yesterday's post, here are the lowest winning percentages for all eight Ivy League teams against one opponent since the start of formal Ivy League play:

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• Brown - .333 vs Harvard (19-36)
• Columbia - .157 vs. Dartmouth and Harvard (8-46-1)
• Cornell - .352 vs. Dartmouth (19-36)
• Dartmouth - .426 vs. Harvard (22-31-2)
• Harvard - .519 vs. Princeton (28-25-2)
• Penn - .398 vs. Harvard (22-32-1)
• Princeton - .370 vs. Yale (20-35)
• Yale - .454 vs. Harvard (24-30-1)

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It wasn't all that long ago that New England football meant the Ivy League and the Yankee Conference. The Ivy League is still with us, of course, but the Yankee Conference morphed into the Atlantic 10 in 1997 and the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007. With Vermont dropping football in 1974, Boston University giving up the sport in 1997, Northeastern and Hofstra handing in their helmets in 2009, Rhode Island deciding to join the Northeast Conference and UMass opting to move up to the FBS level, the CAA will soon have just two members north of Philadelphia. And there's a chance Villanova will move up, meaning Maine and New Hampshire would be the only CAA teams north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The Daily Press has a story about the travails – and travels, for that matter – of the last two standing in New England. Gotta like Maine coach Jack Cosgrove's quote:

Down south, there might be three sports: football, spring football and NASCAR.

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Holy Cross Magazine has a story about the mentoring program set up on Mount St. James to help football players after graduation. The story notes that the program is . . .

named "90-Wide" for the 90 or so football alums who originally signed up to help. The "Wide" pays homage to Coach Tom Gilmore's wide-spread offense. Since its inception in December 2009, the number of mentors has grown to about 120 from 23 states.

Also from the story is this quote from former running back Chuckie Doyle:

"We're not trying to be like a University of Alabama Booster Club. Providing mentoring to football players doesn't cost a dime. We're simply asking former football players to give of their time and talent and give some career advice to present-day football players. Mentoring is the essence of Jesuit principles. In truth, a mentor always gets back more than he gives."

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Brown grad Buddy Farnham had a pretty fair night with the New England Patriots in their preseason opener, making three catches and an interception at safety. The Eagle Tribune has a story.

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The Columbia preview will be up on BGA premium later today. For what it's worth, when I read down my own previews I find myself not believing just how much work they are to pull together. Without media guides, I'm clicking back and forth through so many web pages trying to collect the information that it's taking me a ridiculously long time to do each one. So do me a favor – read 'em. And if you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for?

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If you didn't watch the PGA Championship yesterday, you missed one of the most compelling golf tournaments of recent years. Gotta admit, I was rooting hard for local product Keegan Bradley, who ended up winning a major in his first-ever major appearance. I like the AP story lede that calls to mind what Keegan told me just a couple of years later:

Keegan Bradley was 12 years old, standing on top of the mountain in the middle of another brutal Vermont winter.

Like any New England kid, he loved to ski. Got pretty good at it, too. But, with the sleet pounding his face and the cold piercing through his bones, he decided there was a better way down.

"This is not as much fun as golf," he told himself. "I love golf so much more."

Good call.

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Speaking of golf, there was a time when I used to play almost every week, but since the kids were born it's probably once every 3-4 years, if that much. And it's not fun.

Yesterday I went out with That Certain Hanover High golfer who was supposed to begin golf team tryouts today (cancelled because of rain) and it was fun watching him. It wasn't much fun watching me.

Which reminds me, That Certain Hanover High Grad didn't play golf at all last year. She's been out three times this year but until last week, she had never played with a girl or woman. Ever.

Well, she signed up for ladies night at Hanover Country Club (thank goodness for student memberships). When she got home I asked how it went. She said it was a scramble format and their foursome played eight holes. Turns out they ended up using her drive seven times and probably used half her shots. She said one time they even used her drive when it ended up in a bunker. When I asked why she said it was 100 yards further than anyone else's ;-).