Fingers Crossed

 Still can't believe I didn't get a single smart-aleck email after the headline atop yesterday's post ;-)

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Fun video from the Dartmouth football office

An excerpt from the splash page of the Buddy Teevens Football Camp, which has made tentative plans to operate this year:

Please be assured we are closely monitoring the situation and adhering to guidance published by the CDC and all stated policies of Dartmouth College and the state of New Hampshire. We are also holding briefings with the Covid taskforce at Dartmouth and monitoring the local and national Covid numbers and trends. The safety and well-being of all camp participants is always our top priority.

Our goal is to have camps this summer, however, we will only do this if we feel we can do it safely for everyone involved. We have been notified that all camps on the Dartmouth campus for the summer of 2021 will be non-residential. We are looking at opportunities to hold overnight camps in the Upper Valley Community, however, no sites have been secured and we will keep you updated on those plans.

These dates are tentative, based on the NCAA dead period as well as Dartmouth campus policies. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus situation, we will be registering our participants for summer camps using a waitlist feature. This allows you to reserve your spot without paying any up-front fees. 

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Wofford and Western Illinois have become the latest college football teams to punt this unorthodox spring season.

Wofford is shutting down due to COVID-19 and injuries leaving the team with "insufficient number of players at specific position groups." Western Illinois has dropped the rest of its games, "out of concern for the safety and wellbeing of its student-athletes."

In addition to the schools that started the spring and decided not to continue, others joined the Ivy League in deciding not to play at all. Among those were 2020 Dartmouth opponent Towson and Indiana State, where TJ Simpson, the former Dartmouth defensive lineman, was set to play this spring as a grad transfer.

Schools that started this spring but are no longer playing (games canceled):

Illinois State (4)
Cal Poly (3)
Chattanooga (3)
Albany (2)
Wofford (2)
Western Illinois (2) 

To understand how crazy this spring has been, consider this. Top-ranked James Madison (4-0) has played one time since March 6. This Saturday's scheduled game against Elon is the fourth game the Dukes will have had called off in five weeks.

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One school that is continuing to play is 3-3 Samford, where former Dartmouth defensive lineman Seth Simmer has 24 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and half a sack.

Samford's game against Chattanooga this weekend is canceled. The Bulldogs are slated to close out their spring season at home on April 17 against Mercer.

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A headline in The Dartmouth (LINK) called to mind one of the best Yogi Berra quotes: Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Here's the headline:

Employees required to return to in-person work by fall

The College will consider creating permanent remote positions.

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Should have mentioned this earlier but Dartmouth had two pitchers/classmates on major league baseball's opening day rosters.

Kyle Hendricks '12 got the start for the Chicago Cubs in their first game and struggled. He'll be back on the mound tomorrow to face the Brewers. Find a preview of Hendricks' next start HERE.

Cole Sulser '12 had a strong two-inning outing in relief for the Baltimore Orioles in an 11-3 win over Boston Sunday and was rewarded with a trip to the team's "alternate training site" in Bowie, Md. From a Baltimore Sun story (LINK):

Sulser, one of the few optionable pitchers on the Orioles’ staff, threw two scoreless innings Sunday and was unlikely to be available for at least the start of the Yankees series. He must remain in the minors for 15 days unless he is promoted in response to a player going on the IL.

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EXTRA POINT
Have to wrap it up so I can hit the trail a little early today. I can't be sure, but I may not feel like pushing myself up and down the mountain this afternoon.

That's fine by me because the reason I may not be feeling up to hiking this afternoon is I'll be getting my second vaccination shot today. I received my first Moderna shot four weeks ago.

Here's hoping if you haven't gotten yours yet it won't be long!