A former linebacker-turned-defensive lineman at Dartmouth, Nelson won the silver medal Athens Games. When gold medalist Yuriy Bilonog of the Ukraine failed a drug test for a banned substance Nelson was declared the Olympic champion and now he'll have the medal to prove it.
Nelson, who earned four letters in football at Dartmouth, told his hometown Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald:
“I’m just excited that they finally righted a wrong, or as much as they can anyway. Being cheated out of a gold medal experience at the games is frustrating. ... But I think it’s a great signal and message not just to other athletes but to the general public that these agencies and organizations are trying to protect the sport and the integrity of the sport and are doing their job right now.”And this . . .
“From a personal standpoint, it’s kind of poetic justice. I’ve always had a very strong stance on performance-enhancing drugs and anti-doping policies and have been a very vocal advocate for fair play. So the fact of the matter is it’s kind of fitting in some way that I get awarded a gold medal for this. Better late than never, I say.”
Thanks to a friend of the Blog who shared a link to this video Nelson's 2004 Olympics as well as this info:
1 Olympic gold and 1 silver, 1 World gold and 3 silvers. That is 6 gold or silver medals at the very highest level.Earlier this week former Dartmouth jayvee quarterback Ed Lucas was called up to the Miami Marlins after a decade in the minors. Lucas made his major league debut in the ninth inning last night as part of a double-switch. Playing shortstop he cleanly fielded his first big-league grounder and got the runner at first. Leading off the bottom of the ninth he grounded out to the pitcher.
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I was asked yesterday about Dartmouth incoming freshmen chosen for all-star football games. I don't have a full list but here's what I *think* I know. If you have additions, please send 'em along so I can post them here. There's a link to email me over there toward the top of the right-hand column.- TE Peter Eggert – Brea Lions Orange County North-South All-Star Football Game
- TE Blake Orvis – Central Florida All-Star Game
- DB Charlie Miller – Minnesota Football Coaches Association High School All-Star Game
- OL Jack Friedman – Baltimore Touchdown Club All-Star Bowl
- OL Garrett Strohmaier – Optimist All-Star Football Classic
- TB Jacob Siwicki played in the Chesapeake Bowl last year
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The Harvard Crimson had a lengthy and well-researched story about Ivy League football teams not being allowed to go to the postseason.
Harvard coach Tim Murphy, always protective of the season-ending Yale-Harvard game (and yes, I wrote it that way to have a little fun with Murph), told the school paper:
“We’ve got a tremendous way to finalize our season, (and) I don’t think we can do any better than that. (But) I know my fellow coaches of the league may feel very differently..... I don’t think there’s any question—if I’m the Brown coach or I’m the Princeton coach or I’m the Penn coach, I may have a much different take on it.”And more from the story . . .
"(Robin Harris, executive director of the Ivy League) says she does not think participation in the FCS playoffs would attract the interest of fans of the Ancient Eight.
“I think our fans care about Ivy League football,” she said. “Rivalry games are going to draw the most fans (to) a given game, and whether or not a team is going on to the FCS playoffs, I don’t think is going to (have an) impact.”Big Green Take: In addition to an assumption about what would "attract the interest of the fans," Harris goes on to trot out "tradition" as another reason not to go to the playoffs. Few things are as annoying as making decisions based on the reasoning, "We're doing it like this because this is the way we've always done it."
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It's been quite a couple of weeks for the Cornell athletic department. First wrestler Kyle Dake was named the Sports Illustrated male College Athlete of the Year. Now Big Red lacrosse player Rob Pannell has won the Tewaaraton Award, the Heisman trophy of lacrosse.Aw heck, while I'm at it, Emory Hunt, the fellow who does the slick Football Gameplan site, has his preseason All-America team video up and he calls Cornell's Jeff Mathews the second-best quarterback in the country. Not the second-best FCS quarterback, mind you. The second-best regardless of division.
He says the only quarterback he has rated above Mathews is Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville. That mention comes at the 8:12 mark of the video (which runs 9:25).
I doubt Hunt has ever seen Mathews play, but that's impressive nonetheless. Did I mention that Hunt has Mathews on his second FCS team? Hmm. Could it have something to do with not being able to prove himself against some of the best in the country should he lead his team to the Ivy title?
By the way, the only player Dartmouth will face who made either the first or second Gameplan team was junior safety Matt Steinbeck of Bucknell.
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Went to the Hanover High baseball team's state tournament victory yesterday and was proud to see our Green Machine alumni handling the shortstop and second base positions. The right fielder was another of our former Little Leaguers as were a pinch runner and the backup catcher. Hanover plays at the No. 1 seed Saturday and I expect the pitcher will be yesterday's shortstop, our Green Machine ace for a couple of years ;-)
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And finally, the temperature here in the Upper Valley could hit 90 degrees today, six days after we got a couple of inches of snow. Is this great country or what?
