Welcome To Winter

Last evening's sunset from Moose Mountain. That's Mount Ascutney in the distance.

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If you are a regular visitor to this electronic precinct you know the opinion here is that it is patently unfair that every Ivy League sport can go on to the postseason except for football. The prohibition is indefensible.

The fact that the FCS championship game will be played Saturday is just as silly. Honestly, Jan. 7? With all eyes on the BCS championship game and the NFL playoffs? Hopefully the mucky-mucks will rethink the schedule and move the game back before Christmas, where it belongs.

In case you were wondering, the game pits North Dakota State against Sam Houston State at 1 p.m. Saturday in Frisco, Texas, and thanks in part to having a Texas team in the contest it is sold out.

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Watching the über-entertaining Rose Bowl on Monday, I couldn't help but think about the Dartmouth connections with Russell Wilson quarterbacking Wisconsin and Jeff Hawkins on the Oregon staff. You know about Wilson, of course. He's the son of the late former Dartmouth great Harry Wilson.

Hawk? He's Oregon's long-serving director of football operations and was at Dartmouth in the same role during Buddy Teevens I. He then went with Teevens to Tulane. From his bio:

Originally from Pembroke, Massachusetts, Hawkins served in the U.S. Army (1973-76) after graduating from Silver Lake Regional High School, where his teammates included current head coaches Buddy Teevens (Dartmouth) and Tim Murphy (Harvard). Upon completing his tour of duty and obtaining an Honorable Discharge, he attended Bridgewater State College (1976-79), where he was a four-year starter at defensive end and was named captain his senior year.

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I can't say I've been nailed to the TV watching bowl games, but those I've seen have been pretty entertaining. At least until I fell asleep. Woke up this morning to see that Michigan won last night ;-)

Almost as entertaining as the action on the field have been the DirectTV Get Rid of Cable commercials that would have drawn a lot of laughs if they'd held them back until the Super Bowl. Here's a sample:

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The Fighting Sioux is (are?) no more at the University of North Dakota. The Grand Forks Herald reports.

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It was a brisk 4-below this morning when I went out for the newspaper with Cooper the Wonder Dog. Welcome to winter, Dartmouth freshmen ;-)