Question about Chris Higgins

I've seen people refer to Higgins as "the one that got away", or something like that. Can anyone explain to me what that was all about?

AFAIK, made a verbal committment to Cornell, then changed his mind at the last minute.

Does anyone know why he chose Yale over us? Unless he's a future politician, I can't really think of a reason to go there.

Although I don't like it when a recruit goes back on his word, I don't presume to know all the facts. It's entirely possible, for instance, that his parents live much closer to New Haven and his mom is very ill.

(And believe it or not, there are plenty of people who choose Yale every year for reasons other than politics or networking. The casual sex, for instance.)

Beeeej

Jeffrey "Beeeej" Anbinder '94 wrote:

(And believe it or not, there are plenty of people who choose Yale every year for reasons other than politics or networking. The casual sex, for instance.)

Wooooo! Sign me up!. Oh wait, I've seen Yale girls...nevermind.

Seriously though, Chris went to school at Avon Old Farms (http://www.avonoldfarms.com/) and is from Smithtown on Long Island. I wouldn't be surprised if distance had something to do with it.


Here are some nice pics of Chris and others from the Yale Cornell game in New Haven.
[www.yale.edu]

"Nice" being a very relative term...

John E. Hayes wrote: "Oh wait, I've seen Yale girls...nevermind."

Didn't Jennifer Beals and Jodie Foster go to Yale?

Or perhaps Coach Taylor and his staff made a great impression on him. Hey, it's possible...

While we're talking about snubs, I'd just like to thumb my nose and laugh in the general direction of Hamilton. Since Jason LeFevre allegedly went back on verbal commitments to both Cornell AND Clarkson, he's put up a Senior year of 3-6, 4.06 GAA, 86.7 % while being relegated to a back-up role. Let me just compare with our current goaltending staff....Yeah...you can keep him, Colgate.

Maybe Higgins just didn't get accepted.

CUlater '89 wrote:

Didn't Jennifer Beals and Jodie Foster go to Yale?

Not sure about Ms. Beals, but Jodie Foster went to Yale Drama (a grad program.) And (especially in the case of Yale Drama,) many grad programs might as well be a different school. Heck, most places the undergrads hardly ever SEE grad students (they're generally kept in their labs/studios/caves for the greater good.

I resemble that remark.

Geez Pat... Are you STILL there???

Yeah, he'll be done in another, oh, five or six years.

Well, except that many grad students actually teach! And have office hours as teaching assistants!

That was my experience and that of any of my friends.

And Clarkson? You sure about that? I follow the goalie situation pretty closely and had never heard that.

Interesting...sounds like he had a thing for the "C" schools eh?

I've heard its a better school.

And maybe he has hopes of joining Skull and Bones.!

To provide more insight into a possible answer to my own question:

From an article in this morning's Sun:

"Leading the charge for Yale is rookie sensation Chris Higgins, who is third in the ECAC in scoring (10 goals, nine assists). Higgins is a sore spot for the Red, considering that he reneged on a verbal agreement to attend Cornell."

In my experience, undergrads also work in research groups and meet grad students that way. (Granted, none of them looked like Jodie Foster...)

my friends at yale also mention that claire danes goes to yale (she may be graduating this year)

Is she that hot girl I keep seeing at Payne-Whitney Gym?

In young star college news, Julia Stiles and Anna Paquin both go to Columbia.

Julia Stiles is at Barnard and Anna Paquin is at Columbia. And Jamie-Lynn Sigler is around here all the time filming her Columbia scenes for "The Sopranos."

Golly, I love NYC...

Beeeej

Doh!! I need to read more messages before I post.

Beeeej

On the Monday radio show with Grady some time back in November Schafer talked about Higgins. Mike made it clear he was pretty annoyed. What piseed him off was not only that Higgins changed his mind about where he was going, but that rather than calling Mike on the phone and telling him, Higgins waited until Schafer went all the way down to Long Island to visit Higgins and then Higgins greeted him at the door with the news he was going to Yale.

Ouch.

Ouch is right.

So there's some J-Pop idol singer superstar at Columbia, too, but I can never remember her name. Anyone heard about this one?

I've heard of her. I don't remember what her name is but she's called the Japanese Britney Spears but her act is cleaner and I don't think one of her goals in life is to be a sex kitten.

Anne Hathaway (Princess Diaries) goes to Vassar, right?

I don't think that's the first time a recruit has ever changed his mind...or waited to tell the "jilted" coach in person. It's all part of the recruiting game, and pretty tame compared to some of the stories around about hoopsters and football recruits.

Why should Schafer be so mad about that...he can't handle someone saying "no" to cornell?

Here's another of his fine, positive postings about Cornell, Rich Hovorka. Ain't it great?

Well, the fact of the matter is the RichS is right... it IS pretty tame, if that's all there is to it.

Besides, "all the way down" to Long Island isn't too big of a deal for Mike since that's where his wife's family lives. Didn't you wonder why we were playinh at Nassau Coliseum for a few years during holiday time?

RichS,

Could you please leave your flame-fest inducing comments on the USCHO boards? They are getting tiresome.

Don't feed the trolls and they will go away.

Age, *please* have an Ignore Poster button.

kinda touchy aren't we Al, eh? Just which part of that post got your blood boiling?

Oh...any part that is the truth I guess.

which comments were those? The ones in which I respond to Al's endless "flaming" sarcasm?

Seems to me you should address the problem at the source!

Again. . .KEEP IT IN THE SANDBOX!!!

My God, RichS. You have to be one of the most annoying people I've ever encountered. I agree 100% with the content of many of your posts, yet I still end up being annoyed by the way that you say things. Conversely, there are other posters with whom I disagree vehemently, yet still respect. In the name of good natured ribbing and friendly competition, will you please try to consider the tone of your messages before you post? It wouldn't kill you to state your points directly and intelligently rather than relying on innuendo and exaggeration. For example, "Based on my experience, I really don't feel that Higgins's change of heart and the way he handled it was that unusual - such events occur frequently in the recruiting process." Doesn't that sound a lot better than " Why should Schafer be so mad about that...he can't handle someone saying "no" to cornell?" Think about it - you might even start a meaningful and informative dialog about the recruiting process that would enlighten all parties. Instead, you seemingly intentionally tried to say the most offensive thing you could think of. What is your deal?

Yes, it takes two to tango, but I see you as the instigator in 90% of the AD/RS crap. AD's (yes, equally tiresome) posts are generally all about pointing out the offensive remarks in yours. Goodness knows he doesn't have to look very hard! Please try to act like an alum rather than an undergrad (with apologies to all undergrads out there whom I probably just offended).

Well Said Robb.

Even when I find myself agreeing with you Rich (which isn't is 100% of time mind you), the way in which you say it is said is just so damn inflamatory. At 19, the distinction may not be clear but I would expect someone at your age to know better. This leads me to believe that you are either a) trolling, knowing full well what you are doing, in which case I would suggest finding a new hobby, or b) a nice guy with some good ideas that just never really learned to express himself diplomatically. God knows that others on this forum are not the most diplomatic, like our esteemed host for one, but do you really need to whack the wasp's nest each and every time you post?

Motion seconded.

So whats so hard to accept here Al?

The poster made clear that Schafer was "pissed". What took place is not unusual so I think a slight poking at the Coach's reaction is both in line and harmless...and is not a shot at the institution.

I agree John...mine too as an undergrad. I was specifically referring to my experience as a teaching assistant as a grad student.

Re Tom and Judy -- That would be Utada Hikaru (last name, first name). She grew up in both NYC and Tokyo, and is a darn good singer. Well, if you like J-pop, that is...

Schwieb '96

Robb,

I think your comments have some merit. But if you're concerned that I should lighten up and communicate "in the name of good natured ribbing and friendly competition", then why did you start your post on the attack with the "annoying" bit? Have you considered the tone of a lot of the comments sent my way here recently? It's fair to say I've been getting as much if not more than I've given. What you suggest should be a two way street.

I started the post that drew your ire by saying essentially the same thing that you suggested I could have said...I don't see any difference. Then my comment about Schafer's reaction followed. I'm not surprised you objected to it...after all, you guys are on a "bash Rich" roll, or so it seems, and I know you guys love and respect your coach. But honestly, the statement sums up what I feel is an overreaction on his part. No, I didn't try to say something offensive...just a little tweak at his reaction. If it annoyed you enough to post the above, I think you're being too senstive. Golly, do you recall some of the stuff you guys and others hurled at Mark Morris in recent years?

Yes, a meaningful dialog about recruiting as you suggested would be fine...but I don't see any indication you folks would want or "allow" me to take part in it.

I know you're squarely on the cornell side of the exchanges between Al and me but really ... I instigated 90%?? No way...His posts are largely "annoying and offensive" and dripping in "innuendo and exaggeration". He consistently twists and exaggerates my comments to suit his spinning. No one has to look hard to find the elements that would upset you in his posts either.

Maybe you could direct your advice about "acting like an alum" to him as well.

John,

Nope, not trolling. I've had plenty of professional experience in the fine art of diplomatic expression.

I tried that with Al...he was not receptive. So I respond to him in the only manner he seemingly wishes to communicate. If there's something I should "know better" at my age, it might be that he will never respond to anything i say diplomatically.

Like Robb, you're critical of my a remark you found to be "inflammatory" because I tweaked your coach. A pretty inoccuous remark in the big picture. Consider the far more critical garbage that a lot of fans, including some cornell posters on this forum and the old Clarkson Roundtable, threw at the Clarkson coach. That went way beyond "inflammatory"!

Perhaps now, as someone should have then, you should admonish your own before you jump all over me. You even acknowledged the lack of diplomacy by some others on this forum. Surely, you can see that Al's comments are incendiary!

And hey...no more comments about my age! Thanks for your thoughts!

I don't think that the posters here have generally taken anyone's "side", since the posters here criticize Al when we think he is out of line. The sandbox is clearly labelled for the two of you.

The people here are not so thin-skinned that we are really bothered by what you said. What bothers us is that your posts were so clearly designed and intended to provoke (at least) Al.

Please don't tell me that you were joking. It is more than clear that the two of you actually dislike each other, so it is safe to say that you don't joke around with each other. I don't care what emoticon you use. And please don't pull that "you criticize Morris" crap. It just isn't true. We ignore Morris. Over the years we have ripped Gilligan, Gaudet, Cleary and, most recently, Mazzoleni. Morris has always gotten credit here for being a great recruiter and mocking because his teams always seem to blow it in the tournament. We never actually criticize his tactics or character because nobody here cares. The Clarkson Roundtable was constantly calling for Morris' head, not the CHDF.

I've had my disputes with Al, and I thought that his venom towards you was a bit overwrought, but I am coming around to his side.

In all seriousness. . .A simple adjustment in the tone of posts (myself included), would be best for all parties involved on this forum. God knows I'm not perfect. . .I've posted knee-jerk reactions before. The point I'm trying to make is. . .if we can at least respect others on the forum we'll all be better off. I intend to do a better job and not let it happen again, let's hope we all can.
Thanks

LGR!!!!!

Rich,

I really doubt that you can't see the difference in the way I phrased the statement and the way you did. A good communicator considers his audience. If you wanted to get across the message that Schafer overreacted, you should have said that he overreacted. Instead, you said it precisely as you did for the sole purpose of pissing people off. Your intent was not to communicate, but to inflame, and that is just not cool.

This is definitely a two-way street - I never suggested otherwise. However, even in hockey, there's an extra two for instigating. I agree that you have taken at least as much as you have given, but I still feel that you instigated a lot of it (90% might be high, but not out of the ball park) and therefore have a hard time feeling sorry for you.

There have been many insightful and meaningful discussions on this board that have been greatly enriched by other teams' fans. You are definitely one of the most frequent posters from other schools, and I, for one, would like to be able to discuss ECAC hockey with you, as you are obviously very knowledgeable in many areas, and Clarkson hockey in particular. I am not making this up - try me.

FWIW, some folks in B during Sat. nights game were talking about who would be the first to give Higgins a nice big "Howdy" hit (Bâby and Hornby were popular choices).

I didn't see anything that looked gratuitious, but when Higgins was in the penalty box, I derived a great deal of pleasure from yelling (ala "I.J. & the Last Crusade" "You chose............... poorly!"

Yeah. I enjoyed screaming, "That's what you get for chosing Yale!" as pathetica as it was.....best part was that none of the facetimers around me had a clue what I was referring to yet they all kinda cheered.

Nice... we even got people around us, who I don't think knew what the deal was, to join us in booing him when he touched the puck.

Well, I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but all the accounts of Higgins verbal commitment to Cornell have been fabricated. Really. Schafer even wanted Shiva to retract his statements from the Sun piece. Higgins is apparently even a really good kid. Everything you may have heard about LeFebvre, however, is probably true. But I don't hear anyone bellyaching about that much any more. hehe.

Really? Hmmm....that is damn funny. Had never heard it before this board but was certain that it was true because of the source ( Cornell hockey fans in general). Ooops. Our mistake. In that case, my apologies to Higgins. Hmmmm.... anyone else feel slightly like a do-do head?

Yeah, oops. Sounds like maybe we were victimized by a real-life game of telephone.

Don't feel too bad. It got as far as the Sun. Oh well.

I would hope that Shiva relied on something other than this board before printing something like that.

I don't know where Shiva got his misinformation from, but rest assured that's what it was.

Yeah...I was skeptical, since this was the only place I had heard that rumor. I wanted further confirmation, and when it was printed in the Sun, I assumed they had a more reliable source.

On the Monday radio show back in November Schafer never claimed that Higgins had made a committment to Cornell, all he said was something like "we thought he was coming here."

By the way, what would a "commtitment" by an athlete to an Ivy League school entail? They don't sign letters of intent. Is there anything beyond returning your acceptance form and sending in the deposit?

Yes, they thought (or at least hoped) he was coming here, but had never made any kind of verbal commitment (or otherwise). He just liked Yale better after he visited it.

Age wrote:

Don't feel too bad. It got as far as the Sun. Oh well.

Something's wrong if we need to feel bad for heckling the best player on another team simply because we didn't have a particular reason.

He just liked Yale better after he visited it.

OK. now THAT is hard to believe!)

There must of been a ceasefire in New Haven on that day

Hey -

Be fair. New Haven hadn't had a gangwar shooting since the 1991....

until this October when 5 people were shot, and 1 killed, half a mile from Campus. Oh, did I mention it was parents weekend?

[www.yaledailynews.com]