In The News

WOIO, a CBS-affiliated TV station in Cleveland, has a story about Dartmouth senior defensive end Niko Lalos and his NFL hopes. From the story (LINK):

He had a ton of momentum heading into the scouting process. And then it came to a halt.

“It’s been pretty tough,” Lalos said. “I had a few private workouts lined up, and then those guys cancelled. The pro day was next to be cancelled. Then I also had a local day scheduled with the Browns, and they obviously had to drop that. So, it’s been pretty tough.”

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The Big Green's sophomore placekicker is back in the news with a story in The Dartmouth about him teaming up with an alum to try to make life a little easier in this troubling time. From The D:

Connor Davis ’22 and Dan Richman ’95 have developed a web service that aims to provide a contactless delivery service in their area. 

The web service, named after the area code for their region of Florida, allows customers to request items to be delivered from up to four locations at a time. After the driver has retrieved the items, he or she will leave the delivery at the specified destination and send a picture to the recipient to verify the delivery, keeping the transaction completely contactless to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Davis is handling the app side of the effort. Read the full story HERE.

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Dartmouth Athletic Director Harry Sheehy speaks to the Ivy League's decision that leaves spring sport seniors with two options: Give up their sport or go the graduate transfer route. Sheehy told The Dartmouth (LINK):

“This was such an extraordinary situation that we really felt that a one year waiver for our current seniors would have been the right thing to do,” Sheehy said. “It’s a mixed bag, but I was very disappointed for our seniors that they didn’t get the opportunity. Obviously, not all of them would take it, but for the few of them that would have, I thought that was a really good chance to make some things right.”

From the story:

With the exception of a few athletes with major injuries and altered D-Plans, Big Green seniors will have to transfer out of the Ivy League if they want the chance to play again. The transfer process is a daunting prospect, but according to Sheehy, the coaches and the athletics compliance office are doing everything they can to help athletes navigate the unprecedented circumstances.

While the story talks to a woman rugby player and rower who have chosen not to go the transfer route, perhaps the top athlete in the school – who competes in a sport that unlike rugby and rowing has more of a national presence and greater opportunity outside of the Ivy League – is moving on. More from The Dartmouth:

(T)rack and field star Cha’Mia Rothwell ’20 is pursuing an additional year of NCAA eligibility. She said that last Wednesday, she decided to spend the next year earning a masters of management studies at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business while continuing her athletic career. 

Green Alert Take: Perhaps it is just me, but every time I read the term "athletics director," instead of "athletic director," as in the story above, it rankles. I understand the plural is technically correct. But let me know the next time you hear someone using the term that way in conversation. It kind of reminds me of people who say, "He had five RBI," instead of "He had five RBIs." Sounds kind of pompous to me ;-)

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This troubling thought from Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson (LINK):

"The matter of the fact is, if there is no college football this fall there's very little likelihood there will be any other sports because 85 percent of the revenue derived in college athletics comes from sport of football."

Green Alert Take: Granted, this is with regard to FBS schools. But keep in mind that Ivy League schools play a lot of those schools in basketball, soccer, baseball and the like.

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The Dartmouth has a piece in which a columnist from St. Louis decides whether he and those in his hometown are right for despising Kevin Demoff '99, Tuck '06, the Dartmouth alum who was the face of the Rams' move from the Gateway to the West to the real West – Los Angeles.

The bottom line for the columnist is that he's gone from totally blaming Demoff for moving the team to having mixed feelings. He wrote:

I went back and read some of his work for this newspaper, and he was a really good writer. And after all, he was just doing his job for the Rams. Demoff is a guy who is good at what he does.

Stan Kroenke moved the Rams to L.A. to make more money, plain and simple. But I wonder if Demoff can be blamed for just wanting to bring his team back to his hometown.

Green Alert Take: The columnist started his piece with, "This is a story about a man who is one of the most important Dartmouth alumni you’ve probably never heard of." I have heard of him and I know him. He's a good guy – a really good guy – and he did the job that was asked of him.

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Dartmouth Provost Joseph Helble sent an email out yesterday confirming what most expected, that the Sophomore Summer will be held online instead of in Hanover.

From the email:

Because we cannot comfortably offer residential educational experiences this summer, all athletic camps and on-campus residential summer programs have also been canceled. In addition, we have decided to close the Hanover Country Club for the season and will return all membership fees.

Green Alert Take: I'm hardly the only one wondering if the closing of Hanover Country Club for the year will end up being a giant step toward shutting the course down for good, as has been debated for the past few years.

Green Alert Take II: No question, HCC is anything but a cash cow for the college. Quite the opposite. But for Upper Valley residents, like people everywhere, the idea of getting outside, breathing fresh air and doing something to take our minds off the news is very inviting. By all accounts, golf is among the safest athletic activities at this time. I totally get that the college is facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic, but it sure feels like this is a dollars and cents decision and not a safety issue, which is why you can count me among those who wonder if we've seen the last of Hanover Country Club golf.

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The Band of Heathens, featuring former Dartmouth football players Gordy Quist and Trevor Nealon, is back at it tonight at 7:30 Central time. Quist does the introductions on the replay of their last live concert on their website and leads off the music. TBOH writes (LINK):

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the overwhelming support that you’ve shown for our Tuesday night live-streaming show, The Good Time Supper Club. 

This week is the third installment of our music/variety/hang session, so if you haven’t tuned in yet, now is your chance to be a part of the good times.

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EXTRA POINT
The airwaves are filled with sports talk shows and, frankly, I can do without most of them and all of the shouting. That said, I enjoy Golic and Wingo and I was surprised the first time I tuned into the simulcast that I actually found myself watching it.

But here's the thing. While I like Golic and Wingo on the radio – when I'm not able to see them – I can't bear to watch the simulcast without the guys on the screen these days as they broadcast from home. Maybe if I close my eyes I could handle it, but I guess the graphics on the screen are just a reminder of what I'm missing. So for the time being, I'll turn the radio on and the TV off.