I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to read about a bear spending quality time up a tree on the Dartmouth campus instead of yet more disappointing off-the-field football news. Unfortunately, there will be more of that below. But first, the story about the bear is HERE and some wonderful pictures of the critter HERE.
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The Ithaca Journal has a story under the headline, Ivy League athletics: 9 things we'll miss in fall 2020 (HERE).
Given that the paper is in Cornell's hometown it's no surprise what tops the list: Saturdays at Schoellkopf. From the story:
The October chill in Ithaca can take its toll and the wind on the hill can make a pass or two flutter out of bounds, but there's no denying the charm of a Saturday afternoon of football at Cornell's Schoellkopf Field. Homecoming weekend often reunites students with family and friends.
The next two items are Harvard-Yale football, and then Princeton-Yale football.
Green Alert Take: So this is what it is coming to – discussing what we are going to miss the most this fall. Ugh. Well, if that's the case I’d argue the Dartmouth-Princeton game would be a better third choice.
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The FSC powerhouse Colonial Athletic Association (think New Hampshire, Villanova, James Madison) is expected to cancel its season today. (LINK)
JMU is reportedly considering going its own way if that happens and playing an independent schedule this fall.
Green Alert Take: Riddle me this, Batman. If James Madison plays an independent schedule this fall and somehow the CAA ends up having a spring season, where does that leave JMU?
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), comprised of historically black colleges and universities, has called off all sports this fall and the Division III Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Council (think UMass-Dartmouth, a name that did not go over well in Hanover when it was introduced in 1991) has canceled its football season.
The Sporting News has capsule reports on the leagues that have pulled the plug on football HERE.
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Sports Illustrated has an exclusive under the headline, Power 5 Conferences to Release Universal, Minimum COVID-19 Testing Standards for Fall Sports (LINK). The lede:
College football players who test positive for COVID-19 this fall will be required to miss at least 10 days of competition, and that number is even higher—a full two weeks—for those who are found to have had contact with a person who tested positive.
And this:
College teams will be required to test football players within 72 hours of games using the standard PCR test. Game officials in football and basketball should also be tested weekly, because of their close contact with athletes, the document says. The document, however, does not require tests for coaches, though staff members must wear a mask on the sideline if they are not tested in the same way athletes are.
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SI's Pat Forde takes the gloves off regarding who he thinks is responsible for why the football season is in trouble HERE.
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From Dartmouth sports information director Rick Bender comes a ranking of the top three-year records for Big Green football (ranked by winning percentage):
1923-25 — .940 (23-1-1)1969-71 — .926 (25-2-0)1970-72 — .907 (24-2-1)1903-05 — .875 (23-2-3)2017-19 — .867 (26-4-0)1913-15 — .865 (22-3-1)1995-97 — .850 (25-4-1)
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EXTRA POINT
A couple of updates.
In this space on the morning of June 28 I wrote, "Clear, sunny days in the summer are wonderful but it's getting a little crazy around here. When I cross my lawn it sounds as if I'm walking on potato chips."
Per AccuWeather we got .54 of an inch of rain that same day, .47 the next day and 1.38 inches the following day. Accuweather lists four days of measurable rain so far in July (not counting what's coming down right now) and that's not even close. At least half of the days this month have had some rain. Our lawn, which a month ago was straw, is once again lush, green and in need of mowing. Be careful what you wish for ;-)
The second update is on our robot vacuum cleaner. On June 16 this space lauded our new mechanical marvel. One month and one day later that verdict not only stands but it turns out it wasn't enthusiastic enough. Our floors are totally free of golden retriever fur and, truth be told, might be cleaner than they would be if we vacuumed by hand every day. And yet, in the middle of the night the robot somehow manages to continue to find stuff (probably under the couches). Each morning I empty its cartridge and wonder where it found what it has collected. We were talking to some folks the other day who told us their kids had given them a robot vacuum and it has never left the box. Little do they know what they are missing.
