Around the Nation board

[HSCTiger74]

For what it's worth...that is a GREAT picture on the front page of the site...

Yeah, okay, levitation is cool, but no front page will ever top the one from a month or so ago with both "A Chorus Line" and "Helmet on Backwards."

It's a bird, no it's a plane, it's a frog.

Not bird, nor plane, nor even frog ... I think it might be Underdog. (Sorry for the rephrasing, but a direct quote would not have been applicable.)

[K-Mack]

Hi guys,
 My all-star column isn't live yet, but in it I promise you can come here for some more details on things, including Ryan Carlson's nightmare ASG scenario. Here's his e-mail to me in full for those of you who are die-hard enough to go the extra mile

 I asked Ryan to write this up for me, he did not come at me complaining. Just so the tone is clear.

Hey Keith,

This did happen over 10 years ago so my memory might be a little fuzzy.
After my senior year at Linfield, 1998, I received an invitation from
USAfootball.com to participate in a Division III all-star game.  You have
to remember that this is really at a time when the Internet was still
pretty fresh in terms of content and what was available in terms of .com
site's history.  USAfootball.com at the time was ran by a guy named Dennis
Wilson who was covering small college football in a similar vein of Don
Hansen's site in where USAfootball.com would put out a pre/post season
all-american teams, rankings, news, etc.  USAfootball.com was also in the
business of putting on a few of these all-star games after each season but
the catch was this is a player paid fee game.  That means the play has to
pay a fee to take part that covers the food, hotel, overhead and on top of
that you also had to pay for the airfare.  It was a pretty expensive deal
when was all said and done.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get invited to an "all-star" game
and so was Linfield.  1998 was Linfield's first year in division III and
so it was a big deal for a player to get invited to a post-season game.
Linfield put up the $400-$500 and I was officially put on the west roster
and received a packet of information about the week of the all-star game.
Per the itinerary the players would have a media day where we would would
talk to local media about the game, a combine with professional scouts
(arena, smaller loges, NFL), practices,  we would participate in a local
Mardi Gras parade, and a number of what sounded like a well organized and
planned out events.

Upon reaching New Orleans, I met a few guys from UW-Stout at the airport
and we headed out to the hotel.  When we arrived the hotel was actually a
flea bag motel near the airport.  My roommate, a punter from Simpson, was
already there and we talked for a bit.  The hotel was very sketchy but I
wasn't too worried at that point. That evening was suppose to be the
"media day" event in the "conference room".  The players went down to the
conference room which was actually a dingy, dark, mold infested basement
where a 1/2 full keg of warm flat beer and a couple of metal folding
chairs greeted us.  At that point, the players looked around the room and
we all noticed there was only about 20 of us and of course no media.  The
confirmed roster we saw on USAfootball.com before we flew out to the game
listed about 70 players to make up the two rosters.  At that point we all
knew something was up.  Mr Wilson arrived for a few minutes talk about the
week ahead and how great it was going to be and left us about 5 minutes
later.

The players started talking about if more guys were going to show and how
we all felt this event wasn't on the level.  The next morning there were
about 5 more players (around 25 total) and we all kind of knew this wasn't
going down like we had hoped.  After we held a practice or, something they
called a practice, the players once again met and requested Mr. Wilson to
be present.  We point-blanked asked him why there where only enough guys
to barely make up one roster and expressed with him how disappointed this
had become with how unorganized this whole event was.  Mr. Wilson tried
his best to dance around the questions and talked about how he could get a
local community college play against us and things were not that bad.
Pretty much, the players walked.  A number of guys just caught a flight
out that night or the next morning or turned the remainder of their trip
into a vacation.

It was just a bummer because we all just wanted one more shot to play
against our peers at the end of our college careers.  On top of that,
Linfield had been so generous to pay for the trip and it winds up being a
complete bust.  It was just a bad way to wrap up college football as a
player.

One thing I do want to make clear is that I'm not saying don't take part
in player fee all-star games but do your research and make sure the
organizer has a positive track record and that they have a history on
delivering on their promises.

Thanks,
Ryan

[wildcat11]

Keith,

The one thing I did leave out was that I did meet some really great guys and I did get to hit Bourbon Street the weekend before fat Tuesday so it wasn't a total loss.  But from the football side...it was just a bad deal.  Thanks for asking me to share my story.

[OxyBob]

The one thing I did leave out was that I did meet some really great guys and I did get to hit Bourbon Street the weekend before fat Tuesday so it wasn't a total loss. 

Bourbon Street is fun, especially if you enjoy the combined stench of stale beer, piss, and vomit.

OxyBob

[wildcat11]

The one thing I did leave out was that I did meet some really great guys and I did get to hit Bourbon Street the weekend before fat Tuesday so it wasn't a total loss. 

Bourbon Street is fun, especially if you enjoy the combined stench of stale beer, piss, and vomit.

OxyBob

What can i say Bob...guys will wade through anything to see some girls bare their chests from a balcony. 

/science

[K-Mack]

Keith,

The one thing I did leave out was that I did meet some really great guys and I did get to hit Bourbon Street the weekend before fat Tuesday so it wasn't a total loss.  But from the football side...it was just a bad deal.  Thanks for asking me to share my story.

Thanks for letting me share it ... in full.

[K-Mack]

If you are one of the die-hards who reads my column as soon as it goes, I have to cop to an egregious error. The man putting on the Jan. 8, 2011 game ... I got his name wrong. It is Rod Myers, and he is President/CEO of United Sports Media Holdings and founder of Vision Sports Television Network.

That would make my list of 10 worst ATN errors of the D3football.com era

[usee]

Along the same lines, I still haven't moved No. 13 North Central (5-1) ahead of No. 20 Ohio Northern (4-2) on my ballot. Can't see why I would ignore the Polar Bears' 28-19 Week 1 win against the Cardinals. But if North Central beats No. 3 Wheaton on Saturday and ONU struggles with John Carroll (3-3, with a one-score loss to No. 14 Capital last week), I might have to consider it.

I realize there's a school of thought that weighs more recent performances more heavily than early-season games. I'm very much in the head-to-head results trump everything camp. It would take quite the stumble by ONU to get me to cross over into North Central-is-better territory, even this deep into the season.

Conversely, a North Central win over Wheaton might cause me to downgrade both CCIW contenders, behind four OAC teams. Mount Union, Capital and Otterbein to date have each put itself ahead of ONU in the pecking order so far.

KMack- I loved your ATN column this week but chose this bit for a little more comment. I think your assumpitons preclude the possibility that some teams simply get better as the season goes on. Perhaps NCC is better now than they were in week 1? If they beat Wheaton, why would you move both down?  Last year Wheaton was a top ten team and lost 2 in a row to drop out of the rankings. They backed into the playoffs and made the quarterfinals, beating  a Franklin team convincingly that eliminated NCC a week earlier (who had soundly beat Wheaton). How would you have ranked franklin, wheaton, NCC if that was all regular season play? There is no question Wheaton played better football after their 2 losses and became a top ten team as they played with desperation.

Would I rank NCC ahead of ONU? probably not. If Wheaton loses at North Central Saturday would I rank them lower than ONU? probably not. Wheaton beat Bethel on the last play AT Bethel. St Johns beat Bethel on (almost) the last play AT St Johns. I think the Wheaton win over Bethel was more impressive because 1-it was at Bethel 2- it was Wheaton's first game and Bethel's 2nd. I think its one of the reasons Wheaton should be ranked ahead of St Johns. does all that go out the window if Wheaton loses to NCC?

I think its complicated and you have a tough job as a voter.

[D O.C.]

Why don't we have an All-Star Game?

Why is the WIAC going to play each team twice?

All-Star games cost money too and that is clearly stated in everyone's opinion.

Why must OxyBob rain on every parade? How many towns can you avoid Walking Under the Influence for crying out loud?

a defensive walk through on South Beach

Ha!

[redswarm81]

Upon reaching New Orleans, . . . the hotel was actually a
flea bag motel near the airport. . . .  The hotel was very sketchy but I . . . went down to the
conference room which was actually a dingy, dark, mold infested basement
where a 1/2 full keg of warm flat beer and a couple of metal folding
chairs greeted us.

Thanks,
Ryan

As OxyBob can probably confirm, the margin between your "All Star" hotel and a Four Star hotel in the French Quarter isn't all that great.

[K-Mack]

Hey,
 I enjoy the feedback above this week guys, and want to respond, but I'm a little frazzled as I ship out for vacation tomorrow.

 Along those lines, for my die-hard D3ers who take an interest in helping out parents who are exploring our level for a son, there are couple new posts on the thread devoted to that.

 http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4015.120

 I'm certain your feedback would be appreciated.

 See you all in a week. I'll be way offshore wondering who's winning, W&J or Thomas More ...

[redswarm81]

Hey,
 I enjoy the feedback above this week guys, and want to respond, but I'm a little frazzled as I ship out for vacation tomorrow.

OMG!  How will the Washington Post survive in your absence??!?

Oh, wait--it's not doing so well in your (or Ceci Connolly's or Michael Wilbon's) presence. 

Um, well, . . . uh, . . . bon voyage!

[OxyBob]

Must reading: Article from The New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell about the troubling links between football and trauma-related brain disease.

Offensive Play: How different are dogfighting and football?

Why must OxyBob rain on every parade? How many towns can you avoid Walking Under the Influence for crying out loud?

Speaking of parades...

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/photogallery/view/2009-mcminnville-ufo-festival/2

OxyBob

[frank uible]

Malcolm Gladwell is a touchey-feeley intellectual whose writing appeals to other touchey-feeley intellectuals and who likes to assemble in his writing a bunch of obscure facts which he somehow relates to a certain selected subject, thereby intimating or reaching an off-beat conclusion about the subject not taking into account its essence. In short your correspondent believes Gladwell is a sissy who is full of manure and should not be taken seriously.

[pumkinattack]

Gladwell happens to be a fan of football. 

This former player turned touchy feely intellectual (although I don't often feel that way) actually thinks he may have a very good point.  I heard another interview with Gladwell and he thinks the game will change dramatically and he could be correct.  I love the game the way it is, but taking a long view of history, football is still in its infancy.  As technology and information grows and society changes, for better or worse in each individual's viewpoint, is it hard to fathom that the game will be forced to change?  There are limits to helmet techonology and the players have gotten bigger, faster and stronger in the last two decades.  How many mothers (and maybe fathers) will want their kids to play at a young age if information continues to illustrate brain damage to players in its current form.  Having had mulitple concussions in football (along with torn cartilage and a dislocated shoulder), I don't doubt the results that are coming to light.  It's just very hard for me to differentiate between college alcohol consumption and football related damage sometimes.   

For the record, I hate the way QB's in the NFL are protected (especially Brady), loved Peterson's mauling of Gay on Sunday and everything about the hitting, but also think the fields (in multiple sports) should be expanded to account for the increased size and speed of the players.