Cortaca 2019

When it was first announced nearly a year ago that the 61st annual Cortaca game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland was to be played at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City, I was a little skeptical. Sure, it seemed like a unique opportunity to have this game take place somewhere new in the hopes of setting a Division 3 attendance record, but how many students, faculty, and staff would travel from central New York to East Rutherford, New Jersey? Were there enough alumni in the NYC area to justify moving this game 200+ miles?

It was this uniqueness that got me and my friends on board. Living in Northern Virginia, a drive to New York City/New Jersey is much easier than driving to Ithaca or Cortland. So for the first time since 1996, I planned to see an Ithaca College football game. And as the date approached, I got more and more excited about the trip. I took 8 year old The Moose with me and was joined friends that I first met over 25 years ago.

The Moose got to witness his first ever football tailgate as we walked from the parking lot to the stadium entrance. This included seeing a woman vomiting into a bag being held by I assume a really good friend. The best explanation I could come up with when he asked why she was throwing up is that this woman had too many adult beverages and wasn’t being responsible. Fortunately, there were no follow up questions.

MetLife Stadium set up an area where kids (and adults) could pass, kick, catch, and more. Here are a few pictures of The Moose in action.

The Moose needed to be about 9' 10" to catch this pass!

Very cool ceremony to start the game.

The Bombers about to score a touchdown.

The half-time show should have been Ithaca College graduate Tony DeSare or Ithaca College student (but not graduate) Gavin DeGraw, but instead we got several Ithaca College and Cortland groups. While they were good and I enjoyed their performances, a headliner would have been nice. Even David Muir (who it turns out may have been in a class with me) and David Boreanaz doing cartwheels at midfield would have been fine!

Credit to my friend T for taking this picture below. Why no Heinz ketchup? I have a friend who believes that there is an NFL conspiracy between the Mara (owner of the Giants) and Rooney (owner of the Steelers) families since they are related somehow. If they were truly linked, MetLife Stadium would serve Heinz. (By the way, I'm pro-French's mustard, so I didn't get as upset about this as I would have if they offered Hunt's.)

With about five minutes to go in the game, and Cortland cutting the deficit from 26-6 to 26-20, I mentioned to my friends that I was much more invested in the game’s result than I thought I would be. The point of the trip was to hang out with friends and take The Moose to a game I knew he would enjoy. At that point in the fourth quarter, I realized that I wanted (needed?) an Ithaca College victory too!

Ithaca got the ball back, and I'll let Ithaca Athletics explain:

Cortland would answer after the missed field goal and found the end zone just 1:32 later to pull the Red Dragons to within a score at 26-20 with 6:53 to go. On the 7-play, 80-yard drive, Ithaca was flagged for three separate 15-yard penalties, which allowed the Red Dragons to move down to the Ithaca 27-yard line. Segala then hit Burgess for a 24-yard gain and Tripodi capped off the drive with a 3-yard run.

Sean's note: I don't want to get into the penalty calls.

Now in a fight with 6:49 left in the game after the kickoff, Ithaca needed another sustained drive, which is exactly what the Bombers did. Garcia began the drive with a 2-yard run and then Germinerio notched five straight carries for 27 yards. After two more runs by Garcia and Germinerio, Cortland burned two timeouts with 3:14 to go and Ithaca faced a third-and-six at the Red Dragon 46-yard line.

Out of the timeout, Ithaca pulled out a play for the ages with a pair of fake handoffs to stretch the Cortland defense and Germinerio threw a perfect pass to a wide open Vito for a 46-yard touchdown with 3:06 left to give the Bombers a 32-20 lead after an unsuccessful two-point conversion.

D3 Football used less words.

The Red Dragons scored on another Tripodi run with 6:53 left in the game to make it 26-20.

But Germinerio, who had picked up a bunch of yards running the ball, found Andrew Vito streaking behind the defense on a bit of razzle-dazzle, and Vito ran the rest of the 46 yards to the end zone to seal the game with 3:06 left.

And here's the play:

Nice TD #5 Andrew Vito helping seal a victory for the Ithaca Bombers! Great effort by all. pic.twitter.com/MxgQJLJqG1

— Andrew Vito (Senior) (@Andrewvito11) November 17, 2019

The ball was in the air for what seemed to be about 8 minutes! Ithaca's wide receiver was so open, you just hoped he wouldn't drop it. Great way to basically end the game.

And there was great celebration throughout the land!

Several people in my section started a “State School” chant a few times during the game. This is apparently a chant to try to denigrate the education students receive at Cortland compared to at Ithaca. I’ve always hated this chant. First, Cortland students are continuing their education after high school to become more educated and to increase their employment prospects. This is a good thing. As a country, I think we can agree that we want people to continue in education whether this is at a “traditional” school or in vocational programs. A better educated society is a better society. We also generally want more government funding to go to education. That’s (at least historically) one of the hallmarks of public education. Basically, what I’m writing is that the state school chant is garbage and needs to go. Rant over.

In case you're wondering, the Cortaca game did set the Division 3 attendance record.

Cody Holyoke, news anchor at KMBC in Kansas City, also highlighted the game on his newscast.

When your school plans to set a D3 attendance record, you fly to NYC Saturday, hurry back Sunday and talk about it on the news Monday morning. GO BOMBERS! #Cortaca2019 @IthacaCollege @BomberSports pic.twitter.com/8sHgGUj2UC

— Cody Holyoke (@CodyKMBC) November 18, 2019

Definitely a fun weekend. Go Bombers!

Thanks to T, Sista K, and T-Rike for many of these pictures.

Everything Cortaca 2019

Perhaps you have heard that the annual Ithaca College-SUNY Cortland football game is being held at MetLife Stadium just outside of New York City this Saturday. I may have mentioned it. I thought I would create one post with everything that you need to know about this historic game.

* First, based on tickets sales, the 2019 Cortaca Jug game will be the biggest game in terms of attendance of any Division 3 football game. Last I heard as of about a week or two ago, there have been approximately 43,000 tickets sold. My guess is that the total will be between 45,000 and 50,000 tickets sold. (I also wonder what game will have more people: the Cortaca game, the New York Jets game against the Miami Dolphins on December 8th, or the New York Giants game against the Dolphins on December 15th.)

* A little publication called "Forbes" has an article about the game.

* Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has thoughts about the game.

(You know I asked #Jaguars' Doug Marrone about #Cortaca)

"Someone asked me [we were in NFC Championship Game w/ #Saints], what's the biggest game you've ever coached in? And I said @CortlandStateFB & @IthacaBomberFB.

.".. And they were pissed." 😂 pic.twitter.com/nfLV63Pc6O

— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) November 11, 2019

* Despite my thoughtful and elaborate post outlining why ESPN’s College GameDay should broadcast from East Rutherford, New Jersey, ESPN is going to Waco, Texas to cover the Baylor-Oklahoma game instead. It’s nice of ESPN to travel to Waco for the feel-good story which is Baylor football. Baylor clearly runs an extremely clean football program, so it’s nice to see ESPN reward them with national exposure. (In reality, maybe GameDay just wants to go to Texas since it will be 30 degrees warmer than New York City.)

* There's a Cortaca Jug Giving Challenge:

For the first time, IC and Cortland will go head to head off the field to see who has the strongest donor support. Whichever school secures the most donors through game day wins the challenge and the vice president of institutional advancement from the losing school will have to write a personal check to the winning school’s Annual Fund!

* I'm not going to tell anyone how to sell their tickets on StubHub, but my guess is this person is not going to get $500.

The Ithaca Journal has a story titled "Cortaca Jug: 10 things to know about the rivalry game at MetLife Stadium."

* I miss being around college campuses a getting free shirts. Ithaca College students can "shed the red" by donating articles of red clothing to charity in exchange for a student-designed Cortaca shirt. Yes, I want this shirt!

* The biggest thing about Cortaca 2019 is that I'm going to see friends that I first met 25 years ago. I'm going to see people who I haven't seen in over 20 years. This is really exciting!

* The Ithacan has information about the actual football teams and key players.

* There's going to be an Ithaca College Fan Fest at the game.

Participants will be able to run on a turf field and try on helmets and shoulder pads. The event will feature music from DJ Washburn, an alumnus who performed at numerous college sporting events while a student, and there will be a giant inflatable chair adorned with the IC shield that fans can sit in to take pictures. While Fan Fest will be geared towards the Ithaca College community, anyone is able to participate.

* Finally, MetLife Stadium has everything you need to know about what you can and cannot bring into the stadium. Here are some of the "highlights."

Event Timeline:

Parking Lots Open: 8:00am
Ticket Office and Will Call Opens: 10:00am
Gates Open: 11:00am
Event Time: 1:00pm

Stadium Carry-In Policies:

- Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag that does not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” OR one-gallon clear, plastic freezer bag (Ziploc or similar) – limit 1 per person
- Small clutch purse/wallet no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bag options
- Bags that do not meet these specifications can be checked-in at one of our bag check facilities (located outside each entry gate) for a $5 fee per bag
- An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose

Sadly, battery powered heated clothing is prohibited. I don't know what exactly this is, but with the temperature set to be in the 30s, I wish I could have this!

Two Videos

It’s been a busy February for me. Nothing very exciting, but between sick kids and home repair stuff, it’s been busy. While I would love to share some thoughts about the Oscars, the ceremony was already three days ago, and I understand that most people have moved on. (Plus, I didn’t see any of the nominated films except for Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the documentary about Mister Rogers. And yes I know that this film wasn’t nominated which may be the biggest oversight in the history of the Academy Awards, but I'm going to pretend that it was.) Instead, I want to share videos from two sporting events that occurred over the weekend.

First, my favorite soccer team Sheffield Wednesday defeated Swansea in the English Championship League game on Saturday. This goal by Steven Fletcher was pretty good.



Maybe he was offsides, but the call was that he was on, so GOAL!!!!

Meanwhile, this happened at the end of the Liberty League title game between Ithaca College and RIT.

WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE! Annie Giannone hit this game-winner with 3.3 seconds left to give Ithaca a 75-73 overtime win over RIT in the @LLAthletics title game! #SCTop10 @ithacawbb pic.twitter.com/GOnvGKNpOC

— Ithaca Bombers (@BomberSports) February 24, 2019

Senior Annie Giannone was 1 for 7 from the field and 1 for 4 from the line before this game-winning shot. She's listed as only 5'4" and still managed to take on four defenders! Ithaca College is now on the Division III NCAA Tournament!

Linked In

See what I'm doing here? (I think) I'm being clever by having a posted titled "Linked In" while I share links about interesting articles I've recently read. So here are some links to check out when taking a break from figuring out where and when to buy your turkey and pumpkin pie!

* Where did the phrase "Kennywood's open" originate? The Post-Gazette did some research though we probably will never know. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

* Josh went to Nashville. I went to Nashville for my annual(-ish) hockey road trip about two years ago, but I still haven't written a blog post about that portion of the trip. I should do that sometime especially since I really enjoyed the city. [Josh's World]

* A friend posted this "Homestead & Survival Alarm Clock" picture on Facebook. [Facebook]

Who's parents? Um, I've had this exact alarm clock for at least 20 years. I know that I took it with me to England in 2000, so I probably had it when I was in college in the 90s. What a solid alarm clock!

* An English soccer referee was banned for using rock, paper, scissors instead of coin flip before kickoff. The problem is that he should have played the pick a number between 1-10 and whoever is closest wins game. [CBS Sports]

* Apparently, in solidary with this referee, hundreds of refs did rock, paper, scissors to start games over the weekend. Although I was an assistant referee and not the center referee for two games Sunday, we did a coin toss since that's the way you start a game! [ESPN]

* Ron launched a new website, Steelers Takeaways. Please support him and the site. [Steelers Takeaways]

* Heinz offered Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes free ketchup for life. I think he should do it and not just because it's Heinz ketchup. Actually, yes, it's because it's Heinz ketchup. [ESPN]

* Finally, credit where it's due. Congratulations to Emory's women's volleyball team on winning the NCAA Division III championship. Emory dominated by losing only one set during the entire tournament run. Of course, that set was against Ithaca College in the quarterfinals and Emory won two other sets against the Bombers 25-23, but Emory deserves and earned the title. [Emory Athletics]

Photo from Emory University's athletics website.

Ithaca College Woman's Soccer Team in Final Four

The Ithaca College women’s soccer team is in the Division III Final Four! The semifinals take place today at San Antonio's Blossom Soccer Stadium. I have no idea whether the stadium is named after the popular 90s sitcom. Anyway, here's everything you need to know about today's game.

Ithaca (15-3-3) will face Wheaton [Ill.]. who is 21-1-1 on the season at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time in the second semifinal with Messiah (21-0-1) meeting William Smith (20-0-1) Friday at noon in the other. Friday's winners will play Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the national championship. [Ithaca College Athletics]

An excellent (and perhaps only?) preview of the Ithaca-Wheaton game. [D3Soccer.com]



This is a video of the soccer team leaving campus for San Antonio. It appears that they took a bus which, according to Google Maps is 1,774 miles! [YNN News]

The team is well rested for the game. Since this is the case, perhaps they took an airplane to San Antonio. [Ithaca Journal]

Junior forward Rachael Palladino thoughts on the Final Four run: "When we got a bid, we didn’t really have any expectations besides the fact that we wanted to prove to ourselves that we were way better than the last game we played before the tournament." [The Ithacan]

Go Bombers!

Ithaca College Mascot Finalists

Ithaca College is in the final stages of its mascot search. After receiving 250 mascot suggestions, IC announced the following three finalists this week:

Mascot Finalist A: The Phoenix



Mascot Finalist B: The Flying Squirrel



Mascot Finalist C: The Lake Beast



Yesterday, the school sent a survey to students, faculty, staff and alumni to receive feedback to help determine which finalist will become the official IC mascot and carry the Bombers name. Even though you likely have nothing to do with Ithaca College, I thought I would open this up to you. What do you think?

Please note that as stated on the IC mascot page, "as you view each of these videos and read each of their supporting statements, we caution against reacting solely to the draft logos shown briefly at the end. These logos are early concepts of the way the final graphics may be portrayed for the selected mascot. Once a mascot is chosen this summer, the final logo (and then a costume) will be further refined based on suggestions and responses from the community throughout this process."

Update: The videos were removed, but this YouTube video still remains, so you can see the potential logos.

Random Ramblings

If you missed Alyssa Milano at the Penguins game last night, she will be at the Steelers Sideline Store at South Hills Village today from 1-2pm. Steelers Maurkice Pouncey and Emmanuel Sanders will be signing autographs at the same store from 3-5pm. I guess everyone will eat at the food court between 2-3. [Alyssa.com & Steelers.com]



Ithaca College is seeking a mascot [Ithaca College]

Congratulations to Ithaca (the city not the college) for being named one of "America's Foodiest Towns" by Bon Appétit magazine. [Ithaca Journal]

If you're looking to buy some cool and unique T-shirts, I recommend contacting Doug [Get Fresh Designs]

The Pittsburgh Steelers released kicker Jeff Reed earlier this week. I’m not going to provide an editorial or pile on, but check out this quote from Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"I'm not one to make excuses," Reed said. "I'll take the credit for the miss. It was a great snap, a great hold, great protection. It's kind of hard when you plant your foot and the hole -- a piece of ground moves where the ball's under the holder. I almost missed the ball completely.

"I'm not going to make excuses. If you've played any kind of sports in your life, you realize that what we play on is not very good turf. It happens."
Um, isn’t that making excuses? You know, I’m not one to make excuses either. I missed the bus this week. My alarm didn’t go off, and then I couldn’t find my shoes. There weren’t matching socks anywhere. How can there be seemingly hundreds of socks in my drawer but not one pair of matching brown socks? Anyway, Ziggy was also very friendly and wanted to play. Plus, the bus arrived early. I’m not going to make excuses though.

Finally, don't forget to enter my new contest by Monday at 10pm where you can win a $75 gift certificate to use at any of the 200+ CSN Stores websites. All you need to do is post a comment on the "Brand New Contest" post.

Random Thoughts

Let’s start with a quick, quick recap of yesterday’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Tennessee Titans game. The Steelers defense was amazing forcing seven turnovers with four sacks. Plus, Titans running back Chris Johnson, who has had twelve consecutive 100-yard games, was held to only 34 rushing yards. Meanwhile the Steelers offense still has some work to do. The team is not going to win very often with 43 passing yards and going 2 for 15 in third-down conversions.

When I worked at Blockbuster, we had an automatic VHS tape rewinder to rewind all of the VHS tapes that hooligans failed to rewind. While at Yom Kippur services this weekend, it is easy to notice that the Torah is clearly coming to the end. I wonder if some company could make automatic Torah rewinders to take the Torah back to Genesis.

Congratulations to the Ithaca College football team for defeating Widener University 31-7. The Bombers are now 3-0 on the season.

Ithaca’s primary rival is the SUNY-Cortland Red Dragons. Because of this, I always choose to buy red delicious apples instead of Cortland apples.

Was it me or did it seem like a lot of players lost helmets or shoes during the course of Sunday’s Steelers-Titans game?

I listened to part of the Washington Redskins radio broadcast while returning from the grocery store. After Kevin Walter made a catch in overtime, either Washington broadcaster Sonny Jurgensen or Sam Huff stated that they hadn’t called Walter’s name during the game. After a long pause, play-by-play announcer Larry Michael stated that the catch was Walter’s ninth of the game.

Mark your calendars. The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team visits Georgetown at the Verizon Center on Wednesday, January 12th.

I had the opportunity to watch the premiere episode of tonight’s How I Met Your Mother before the show airs. This season picks up from where last season ends including another guest appearance by Rachel Bilson. Bilson may now be one of my top five actresses based solely on one of the closing scenes.

Although I didn’t notice him in the episode, JQ doppelganger Aaron Takahashi is listed on my “TV critic” information page as a guest cast member.

If I get to 100 Twitter followers, I’ll create a new TMI Thursday post. I’m currently at 96.


Finally, I can’t get enough of this video of Vince Young getting slammed to the ground by James Harrison, Aaron Smith and Brett Kiesel. I’m glad that Young is okay because I thought he may have been seriously hurt by the trio of Steelers defenders.

Cortaca 2009 Recap

We interrupt Trivia Tuesday for a special presentation. Trivia Tuesday will return next week at its regularly scheduled time. [Update - See the end of this post for two trivia questions.]

When I wrote a preview of the 2009 Cortaca Jug game last week, I mentioned that I had a bet with The Sports Chick where I would win a guest post on her blog when Ithaca College won. This is what I wrote (and you can also see it for yourself on The Sports Chick blog):

The Sports Chick was kind enough to agree to a wager in which I would write a guest post on her blog when Ithaca College defeated Cortland State in this year's Cortaca Jug game. In the slim chance that Cortland actually won, she would have written something on my blog, but naturally, Ithaca was victorious. The Sports Chick really didn't think she would win, did she? Perhaps she just wanted a day off from writing, so that's why she agreed to this wager!

Anyway, Ithaca College won Saturday's game 23-20 at Butterfield Stadium in Ithaca, New York. That now makes three straight wins for Ithaca against Cortland and a 34-17 lead in the overall series. Using my incredible math skills, that means IC has won 67% of the Cortaca Jug games over the past 51 years. That would suck to be a Cortland fan and deal with so many loses to your rival.

Since I have the floor, er, blog, I want to point out Cortland coach Dan MacNeill's quote leading up to the Cortaca game. He said, "The Cortland-Ithaca matchup is a big rivalry although this game is just the same as any other. The field measures the same as it does over in Ithaca as it does here."

Was the variation of the Normal Dale-Hoosiers quote really necessary? Cortland's Juniors and Seniors played at IC in 2007 and the team is not going to confuse Butterfield Stadium with Ohio Stadium or the Rose Bowl. Actually, maybe the field measurements are different at Ithaca and that caused Cortland to lose. That and the fact that Ithaca has a better football team!

Finally, although Ithaca College (along with Cortland) finished 7-3 and failed to reach the Division 3 playoffs, this marked the 39th straight winning season for the Bombers. It's nice supporting winning teams like the Bombers, Penguins, Steelers, and the Pirates when they start winning again at some point in the next decade.

Although this was nice writing about Ithaca's success on a Cortland fan's blog, if we make a similar wager next year, I'd like dinner at A&W!

Go Bombers!



(This picture has nothing to do with the game; just a few campus buildings and the view of Cayuga Lake.)

Want more about the 2009 Cortaca game? Here are a few links:

- Ithaca Journal
- Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin
- Ithaca College Athletics
- Cortaca 2009 Photo Gallery
- The Biggest Little Game



Since Hand of Godard and others need a trivia fix, I'll present two questions this week.

1. Name the only one-word musical instrument that contains all five vowels.
2. What U.S. President lived the longest?

Cortaca 2009 Preview

The 2009 Cortaca Jug game, also called the "Biggest Little Game in America" by Sports Illustrated, is this Saturday at noon at Ithaca College's Butterfield Stadium. Ithaca College (6-3) comes into this game winning two straight games against Cortland State (7-2) in the series. The Division 3 playoffs look unlikely for both teams, but that doesn't diminish the importance of this game.

As the self-proclaimed unofficial blogger of Ithaca College football and the Cortaca Jug game, I feel like it is my responsibility to share my knowledge with you. First of all, to those unaware of the annual Ithaca-Cortland game, click on this link to learn about the Cortaca Jug history.



For this year's game, I present the following:

* Here is everything you need to know about the 2009 IC football team [Ithaca College Athletics]

* IC attempts to defend the Jug [The Ithacan]

* The Ithaca Journal highlights Bombers' QB Brian Grastorf [Ithaca Journal]

* The game is sold out, so if you don't have tickets, you're not getting in. [IC Athletics]

* Notes from the Cortaca press conference [Cooch's Rant]

* An interview with Cortland coach Dan MacNeill where he channels Normal Dale from Hoosiers:

"The Cortland-Ithaca matchup is a big rivalry although this game is just the same as any other. The field measures the same as it does over in Ithaca as it does here." Really? That's from 20+ years ago! [Cooch's Rant]

* Here is your Cortaca Jug broadcast information [Cortland Athletics]

Finally, I have a wager with The Sports Chick regarding this game. When Ithaca wins, I will write a guest post on her blog about the greatness that is IC. If Cortland somehow manages to win, she will write a post here about how lucky Cortland got in winning the game.

Go Bombers!

For Your Sunday Viewing Pleasure

I don't have much to share today, but these links are definitely worth your time:

Cotter has the biggest Meeting People Is Easy ever! [One for the Other Thumb]

Your opinion of Nickelback may change. Well, probably not. [Carissa Jaded]

I don't understand the Ithaca College football team this year. They had three loses and were blown out against Springfield last week. This week, they crush previously undefeated Alfred 31-10 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. [Ithaca College Bombers]

In honor of Ohio State defeating the overrated Penn State (that amazing non-conference schedule is really paying dividends), enjoy Script Ohio by The Best Damn Band in the Land.



h/t Nichole

Pittsburgh Penguins and Ithaca College Bombers Schedules Released

Although the Wednesday after the baseball all-star game is the slowest day in the sports calendar, this year, it was one of my favorites. The reason: the 2009-2010 NHL schedule was released. I love seeing when the Penguins will travel to Washington to face the Capitals (Sunday, February 7 and Wednesday, March 24). Is this the year I finally join my friends in a trip to Tampa to see the Penguins (Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, March 14)? My close friend/hockey road trip companion and I scour the schedule to determine where and when this year’s trip will take place. We’re looking into a Phoenix-Denver adventure this year. He is also a New York Islanders fan, and for years, I have talked about visiting Nassau Coliseum to see the Penguins on Long Island (Saturday, October 3 – The Islanders home opener; Friday, November 27 – the day after Thanksgiving; and Sunday, April 11 – the final game of the regular season). Plus, I need to make it back to Pittsburgh to see a game at the Civic/Mellon Arena one last time.

The full Penguins schedule is available on the NHL website and the highlights are available courtesy of the Post-Gazette.

I also received an e-mail Wednesday announcing the 2009 Ithaca College Bombers football team’s schedule even though it appears to have been out for nearly a month. The highlight is obviously the annual Cortaca Jug game which will take place on November 14 at Butterfield Stadium. However, what really jumps out to me is that the Bombers will travel to Frostburg State on October 17. Although Frostburg is approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Washington, it’s also the closest any Ithaca College sports team has played to Washington in years (at least that I know of). Anyone want to go to Frostburg with me?

The Ithaca College Athletics website has the full 2009 football schedule.

NCAA Division III Lacrosse Question

I’m guessing that no one who reads this regularly follows NCAA Division 3 men’s lacrosse. However, can someone explain to me how Ithaca College failed to make the NCAA Tournament? Ithaca finished the season ranked #8 in the USILA Division III Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll with a 14-2 record (7-1 in away games) including an impressive 11-8 victory at #4 Cortland. Ithaca lost to Nazareth in the Empire 8 Tournament semifinals in overtime meaning that the Bombers could not earn an automatic bid. So that loss alone causes the team to be excluded from the tournament?

The Ithaca Journal wrote that "Ithaca got caught up in a cold numbers game. The Bombers were one of four of the USILA Division III coaches' poll's top-five teams to miss out on their conference's automatic berth. No. 1 Roanoke lost to No. 10 Washington & Lee in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference final; No. 2 Middlebury fell in the NESCAC semifinals to eventual champion, No. 17 Wesleyan; and No. 4 Stevenson lost last weekend to No. 5 Salisbury in the Capital Conference title game."

Please note that in the final poll, Roanoke finished at #3; Middlebury at #7; and Stevenson #1. Not only did these three teams earn NCAA berths, but they also received first-round byes. I call shenanigans! A few commenters at Inside Lacrosse also state that Ithaca got screwed.

Therefore, I demand a full explanation from the NCAA lacrosse selection committee! Where is Billy Packer to ask these tough questions to the committee chair?

Mailing It In

If all goes well, the first round of the Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament will start on Thursday. While I hope to post the bracket later today, at this time, I am proud to unveil the logo.



A HUGE thank you to Cotter of One For the Other Thumb for creating this fantastic logo! If there is a 2nd annual tournament next year, the curling piece will be perfect for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Since I have spent all of my non-work time on the tournament, I don’t have much to share today except for these links:

The Post-Gazette writes about my favorite Pittsburgh restaurant, the O.

The Ithaca College gymnastics team is ranked #1 in Division 3. Meanwhile the men’s basketball team is 22-1, ranked ninth in the country and are poised to make the NCAA D3 Tournament. Go Bombers!

Now you see Carrie Underwood; now you don't (Puck Daddy)



Finally, I hope to have an Oscars poll for this Sunday's Academy Awards. Yahoo used to have a fantasy Oscar poll a few years ago, but it doesn't look like they run one anymore. If you know of websites that have this, please let me know. Otherwise, I may just run my own here.

Big College Football Day

Unfortunately the Michigan/Ohio State game is going to be cancelled for the first time ever this year. The reason is Michigan can't get past Toledo. In addition, I heard that U of M can't access the internet; they can't get three W's in a row.

I can’t take credit for these jokes. Anyway, the Michigan-Ohio State game starts in minutes on ABC.

In the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, Ithaca College meets Curry. There’s no truth to the rumor that Curry is named for former MTV VJ Adam Curry.



The game is being broadcast on WICB and is also available on LiveStats. At the moment, I can’t find any live webcast of the game.

Why is Pittsburgh and Cincinnati playing twice in three days? Are they replaying the game to allow Chad Johnson to play? Oh, it’s the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Cincinnati for possibly the Big East title. I will take credit for these jokes. Anyway, the game starts at 7:00 and will air on ESPN2.

Finally, the Texas Tech-Oklahoma game at 8:00 on ABC should be a lot of fun.

Have a great Saturday!

Random Thoughts

I have a lot to write about, so don't mind me while I'm all over the place.

- Based on my drive to New Jersey this weekend, I declare Maryland to be the new Delaware. It took me two hours and 15 minutes to get from Arlington, VA to the tunnel in Baltimore on Friday afternoon and there was Maryland traffic on Sunday. No traffic on either day in Delaware. Plus, gas is more expensive at the Maryland House rest stop than its counterparts in Delaware and New Jersey.

- Two comments about the Steelers game and this is nothing new from what you have already read elsewhere. First, the offensive line, um, struggled. Second, I still question why Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t kick a field goal late in the fourth quarter when the Steelers needed two scores. I was yelling at the TV even before Phil Simms did. Tomlin’s reason from Monday’s Post-Gazette:

"Absolutely not," Tomlin replied. "We did not move the ball consistently enough to say that had we kicked the field goal and got the onside kick that we could get down there again. We were down there, we were going to take our shots.

"Under the circumstances, based on what happened to that point, no way we're kicking a field goal down there."

This makes no sense to me. The reason you kick the field goal is because the team couldn’t move the ball consistently. If the Steelers got a first down on the fourth-and-10, then what? Kick the field goal and if you get lucky enough with an onside kick, maybe you get lucky throwing a Hail Mary.

- In positive football news Pitt defeated Iowa, and Ithaca College is now 3-0 after a 69-42 victory over Hartwick. No that score is not a typo. IC running back Thomas Bergerstock ran for 268 yards and five touchdowns. WR Noah Koreman of Hartwick had 16 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both players should be picked up in all Division 3 fantasy football leagues immediately.

- I know that the Penguins preseason has started but I’m not ready to think about the NHL yet. Give me two weeks.

- Did you know that the first Presidential debate between McCain and Obama is on Friday? I’m not ready for that either.

- Something I am ready for: another David Blaine stunt. Although this may not come across in text, the last sentence is called sarcasm.

- It’s nice having Heroes, Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother back.

Division III Football

I could write about the impressive Steelers victory over the Bengals (the way the Bengals have been playing this season, it might be easy for Steeler fans to get group tickets again like it was pre-Carson Palmer days), the Red Sox winning the World Series, Ohio State defeating Penn State, or even Pitt and the Penguins. Instead, I want to write about a topic that I haven’t mentioned much this season…Division III football. More specifically, Ithaca College football, but I’ll start with D3 football as a whole. Perhaps you read about or saw video of the amazing ending of the Trinity-Millsaps game in which Trinity had 15 laterals on the last play of the game to score the winning touchdown. While much of the article describes the play itself, it ends with the following:

With the victory, Trinity remained in contention for the Southern CollegiateAthletic Conference title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Millsaps would have clinched the playoff spot by winning.

"This puts us in position to play for something in November," said Mohr, 143-53 in his 18 seasons at Trinity. "It doesn't guarantee anything. Our kids understand it, but at least it kept us in the hunt."

Unlike the ridiculous Division I Bowl Championship Series where you may not have the best teams meet in the championship (are the best college teams really Ohio State and Boston College or could Arizona State, Oregon, LSU, West Virginia, Oklahoma or others beat either of these teams on a neutral field?), Division III football has a real playoff system where the argument over the best team is settled on the field. I included the above quote because the Trinity coach realizes that the victory, although incredible, keeps the team alive for the D3 playoffs.

This all brings me to Ithaca College football. The Bombers started the season 2-2, but have now won four straight games going into this Saturday’s game at #19 Alfred. Following the Alfred game is the annual Cortaca Jug game against SUNY Cortland, one of the greatest rivalries in sports (yes I’m being serious). In my opinion, Ithaca will earn a playoff spot with two wins. Things are a little dicey if IC wins only one of these two games. I’m sure that I’ll write more about the 2007 Cortaca Jug game as it gets closer, but in the meantime, visit D3football.com for all of your Division 3 football news.

Sean’s Sports Update

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are my primary sports focus this time of year, there are other teams that I also closely follow. Unfortunately, most of them are not doing very well. Yesterday, Ithaca College’s football team lost 37-16 against #6 St. John’s Fisher. This loss coupled with last week’s defeat against Hartwick (the Bombers first loss to Hartwick since 1946!) leaves the team only 2-2 and 0-2 in the Empire 8 conference. Things need to change quickly if the Bombers have any chance at reaching the postseason.

Another team that has virtually no chance to reach a bowl game is the Pitt Panthers after losing 34-14 at home against the University of Connecticut. Pitt still needs to play West Virginia, Rutgers, South Florida, Virginia and Louisville, so a winning record does not seem likely. With Syracuse’s win over Louisville, Pitt may very well be the worst team in the Big East.

Finally, the Woodland Hills High School football team, whose alumni include current NFL players Jason Taylor, Shawntae Spencer, Steve Breaston and Lousaka Polite, is 0-4 for the first time in 21 years.

The one bright spot is Ithaca College’s women’s tennis team. They are 5-0 and look at these scores against their biggest rival, Cortland State:

Singles competition
1. Melanie COHEN (IC) def. Meg Cole (CORT) 6-2, 6-1
2. Rachel GUNDERSON (IC) def. Amanda McElroy (CORT) 6-0, 6-0
3. Alyssa JAFFE (IC) def. Merchon Brower (CORT) 6-0, 6-0
4. Devra REIMAN (IC) def. Ariel Kelner (CORT) 6-0, 6-1
5. Sarah HOLLIS (IC) def. Katie Freeman (CORT) 6-0, 6-1
6. Natalie JENERESKI (IC) def. Lauren Funes (CORT) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Alyssa JAFFE/Devra REIMAN (IC) def. Meg Cole/Amanda McElroy (CORT) 8-2
2. Melanie COHEN/Melissa NUNEZ (IC) def. Merchon Brower/Ariel Kelner (CORT) 8-1
3. Rachel GUNDERSON/Natalie JENERESKI (IC) def. Katie Freeman/Jennifer Carlisi (CORT) 8-1

The scores from the singles matches are similar to what would happen if I ever played Roger Federer, (we’ll just assume that Federer is off the court shooting Gillette commercials with Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry for games that I win).

Three hours until the Steelers-San Francisco game!