"Spirit of Big Red is missed"

[mtmack25]

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?category=SPORTS&storyID=572776&BCCode=&newsdate=3/17/2007

Times Union(Albany) article on the tournament

[billhoward]

This is the nut graf:

>>> What really hurts is the loss of all those fans Cornell brings to the tournament. Nobody in the league travels like the Big Red.

Damn right. We're a shot in the arm for the Albany economy.

[Rich S]

That might be a bit of an overstatement since so many people complain that there's nothing to do and nowhere to go out in Albany.

When I was there in '04, most folks just "left" aver the games, not even headed to the bars.

The hotels and motels got a boost but not too many other businesses.

[mtmack25]

I think the writer's point is that the atmosphere in the rink is lacking.  He usually writes with a sports fan's perspective.  I don't think he is commenting on fluctuations in the Albany economy.

[Trotsky]

[quote Rich S]When I was there in '04, most folks just "left" aver the games, not even headed to the bars.

The hotels and motels got a boost but not too many other businesses.[/quote]Yep, this is the impression I get, too.  There are good things to do in Albany (some of which don't even involve imbibing mass quantities), but you would never know it -- there is no promotion of the town to the crowd or the tournament to the town.

I feel an anti-ECAC(H?)(L?) rant coming on...

[CAAB]

"Nobody in the league travels like the Big Red."

Would someone please tell the NCAA of this truth???

We have heard time and again in the past that Clarkson travels the best, but the lack of energy in the TUC Friday night (until the thrid period theatrics) was self-evident.  

Cornell fans just have more energy, a better color and a wider variety of entertaining chants than any other team in the East. Period.

You bet it's not the same when the Big Red is not in Albany, and next year, when we win it all, the NCAA BETTTER KEEP US IN THE EAST !!!!!!

It is truly embarrassing that 'hosts' RPI and UNION cannot even get to the quarters, much less to the tournament right in their own back yards, (for Union it's been 16 years, for RPI, 12 years.  

-- Chief

[sah67]

[quote CAAB]

We have heard time and again in the past that Clarkson travels the best, but the lack of energy in the TUC Friday night (until the thrid period theatrics) was self-evident.  

-- Chief[/quote]

I agree with most of your points, but where has it been stated time and time again that Clarkson travels the best?  I've read many references to Tech fans travelling well, but always with some statement relating to their group falling short of our Big Red Circus.

[DeltaOne81]

[quote CAAB]
You bet it's not the same when the Big Red is not in Albany, and next year, when we win it all, the NCAA BETTER KEEP US IN THE EAST !!!!!![/quote]

I'm sorry, this is basically just ignorance. If you understood the NCAA seeding process you'd know that unless you're the top team or maybe two in the nation - or hosting one of the regionals - where you end up is basically luck.

Attendance is a tertiary factor at best, and, until this year had never been used at all. And this time was only used to flip the 15/16 seeds which is basically a non-factor.

There's a process for setting the seeds, and what matters most is 'bracket integrity'. That is that 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, etc. In addition to that there can't be any any intra-conference match ups in the first round, and hosts stay at their site.

So they start by filling in the hosts, and then the #1s in geographical order. Everyone else ends up whereever they end up based on the matchups.

What the NCAA better do is follow their process correctly. We'll end up where we end up.

[KeithK]

CAAB's complaint was appropriate a few years ago.  Attendance was considered an important factor in the 90's.  They've now switched to a system where "bracket integrity" is of paramount importance.  This is better in the abstract, but since the differences between teams are usually so slight and unstable it isn't so much in practice.

[Dpperk29]

I'll agree that at times during the first semi-final game and the consolation game... the cornell fans were missed...

but during the Tech games I think we were loud enough to make up for the lack of Red clad fans.

[ftyuv]

[quote Dpperk29]I'll agree that at times during the first semi-final game and the consolation game... the cornell fans were missed...

but during the Tech games I think we were loud enough to make up for the lack of Red clad fans.[/quote]

I can't hear you!

(No, seriously, my volume is muted and I don't have text-to-speech installed.)

[RichH]

[quote Dpperk29]I'll agree that at times during the first semi-final game and the consolation game... the cornell fans were missed...

but during the Tech games I think we were loud enough to make up for the lack of Red clad fans.[/quote]

While this little piece from the TU makes most Cornell fans feel warm and fuzzy, I remember a similar, albeit more jaded Providence Journal article that ran during the 2003 regional lamenting the fact that for once, Wisconsin wasn't in Providence.

It looks like it's online at projo.com for a fee, but there was a whole eLF thread about it with text:

http://elf.elynah.com/read.php?1,21169

Basically, writers gets good memories about a certain team, and nobody else can compare, in their mind.

[redice]

[quote Dpperk29]I'll agree that at times during the first semi-final game and the consolation game... the cornell fans were missed...

but during the Tech games I think we were loud enough to make up for the lack of Red clad fans.[/quote]

When the Clarkson fans were making noise, they were nearly as loud as Cornell fans (have been).   But, the difference is that the Red fans were loud more often than Clarkson's fans.

Other than that, thank God for the Clarkson fans....Otherwise, the arena would have been sadly lacking in tournament atmosphere.

I did think the Dartmouth fans were a little louder than usual.  But, still lame.

[ryeguy]

[quote redice][quote Dpperk29]I'll agree that at times during the first semi-final game and the consolation game... the cornell fans were missed...

but during the Tech games I think we were loud enough to make up for the lack of Red clad fans.[/quote]

When the Clarkson fans were making noise, they were nearly as loud as Cornell fans (have been).   But, the difference is that the Red fans were loud more often than Clarkson's fans.

Other than that, thank God for the Clarkson fans....Otherwise, the arena would have been sadly lacking in tournament atmosphere.


I did think the Dartmouth fans were a little louder than usual.  But, still lame.[/quote]

Quinnipiac had one section that was doing alright, they seemed to be spread out all over the place though.

Clarkson fans were the loudest in Albany but not even close to what we could have made it.

SLU fans were found mostly in the bar chanting let's go SLU after a loss to Quinnipiac. (Some didn't even make it to the games and were asking me what the score was.)

Dartmouth had one group of 10-12 older fans (family mostly) that made very little noise obviously.

Would it be wrong for me to wear a Clarkson hoody to Rochester? :-O You have to cheer for the ECAC at this point.

[Dpperk29]

[quote ryeguy]
Would it be wrong for me to wear a Clarkson hoody to Rochester? :-O You have to cheer for the ECAC at this point.[/quote]

it would be just fine...