ergit wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 12:53 pm
ah23,
It is arrogance, plain and simple. I am not arguing the substance of your point.
Assuming that you have a vested interest in the NESCAC, presumably your son is playing for either Williams or Bates, it just seems to me that a bit of humility is in order.
There are 240 D3 men's lacrosse teams. The experience of a top ten or twenty, nationally ranked team is not the typical D3 experience. Most teams out there are simply trying to win more games than they lose, maybe just maybe win a conference championship, and enjoy the game they play and the camaraderie of their team.
I follow this board because my son plays D3 lacrosse. He is fortunate to play for a team that, year after year, is top ten ranked and competing for a national championship. They play the game hard but they treat all of their opponents with respect, regardless of the eventual result. I just don't think it's right to needlessly disparage the work or the ability of other teams to make your point.
We can have honest discussions on this forum but we should expect the same level of sportsmanship that we expect of the players on the field.
Nope - no kids (that's a future me thing). I used to play, and I currently do broadcasting in my spare time and thus watch a decent amount of games where ranked teams are involved. I'd say the same thing if the fourth/fifth NESCAC teams were Conn College and Middlebury rather than Williams and Bates. The color of the jersey is irrelevant - it's about what teams have done on the field.
Along those lines, I disagree that comparing teams is "needlessly disparaging" them. If it's "needlessly disparaging" to point out that the third/fourth/fifth place teams in other conferences are not on the same level as those in similar spots in the NESCAC - and to do so with research - then there is no way to compare conferences or teams and get an idea of who is deserving of an NCAA at-large bid. It's fine if you're not interested in engaging on the substance, but there is literally no other way to compare teams than to
look at the substance: what their record is, who they play, and what kind of a resume you can put together from their results. The reason that teams (at least the top teams, as you acknowledge) put in the work that they do is to get a shot in the NCAA tournament. The differences - in strength of schedule, quality wins and losses, and other measurables - matter. Deserving teams should be rewarded.
I never questioned the work that any of the teams I mentioned put in. Everyone works hard.
I'll acknowledge that the Cabrini comment was out of line.
Good for your son. It's a lot more fun when the games matter.