Biting Sun Article

[judy]

Hmm, time for me to add my $0.02 as I am up, excited, and sleepless.

I gotta agree. The ride has been great so far, I'm glad to have been able to see most of the games (though I don't live in the area) and I hope it continues. Right now, the team has to focus on Lake Placid. If they can't get past LP, chances are, they're going home and staying there. I'd love it if they could win it at LP but I would still be proud of all they've accomplished this season, though I'd probably still be upset that they didn't win and cry.

I think one of the things that bothered me about the article was that it gave me the impression that hockey was the only sport at Cornell where we have a shot at a national championship. Sure, hockey is the only sport that really matters to me, but as mentioned in other posts, we've had other sports that have had more success than the men's hockey team and it seems as if those sports just don't matter. It bothered me that their success has been minimized. It also bothered me that he was asking everyone to jump on the hockey championship bandwagon. (or maybe that's just me and the impression that I got from reading)

I gotta say that I was more nervous about last weekend's games than this weekends. The team needs to take it one game at a time and play at their very best. If they can do that, they can most certainly kick some ass at LP and then some. If they can play the way that I know they can play, then I will be proud of them no matter the outcome.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, sorry about the babbling but I had some thoughts I had to get out and this is usually the time it comes out.

[Tom Hamill \'85]

That piece of crap [the Sun article] and the attitude behind it makes me pretty mad. All us Lynah Faithful want to see Cornell win the ECAC and then demolish their way into the Final Four. But short of strapping on skates and putting the game-winning goal in the back of the net, let's realize what we are: FANS.  The Red have given us a hell of a ride this year.  THEY don't owe US a damn thing besides doing their best.  Let's enjoy the ride, root hard for them, admire them for putting together a hell of a season while being Ivy League STUDENTS.

[jtwcornell91]

I would say (and have done for the past month or two) that it will be a disappointment if the team does not win the ECACs.  (Just ask UVM in 1996, Cornell in 1991, etc.)

[Al DeFlorio]

And I would guarantee that not coming home with the Whitelaw would be a big disappointment to this terrific team and its coaches.  Schafer's quote on coaches corner Monday night was something like:  "By Cornell standards we haven't won anything yet."

[Beeeej]

If Gary wants us to "understand" what he understands, then he needs to learn to express himself better.  And I'm not talking about grammar.

I genuinely and with sincerity hope his midterms went better than that column!

Beeeej

[finchphil]

Opps!  Ewe are write.  How could eye bee sew stoopid?  Nothing like a little fare play every now and then.....

What makes you a littlered fan?  I am also an alum of IHS, Class of 1981.

[littleredfan]

Philip: Actually, I was wondering if people were wondering if i was an IHS grad. I am actually a small, Carnelian red, fan that did not graduate from anywhere near IHS.  Hence, littleredfan--its a stretch I know...

[finchphil]

Yeah, you know IHS goes by the moniker Little Red and they do have a very good hockey team there, a few NYS Championships in the past decade or so.....just assumed that was the case.

[atb9]

Three years ago, to this day, Gary Schueller wrote a biting article about expectations placed upon the hockey program.  Any comments (besides "worst column written, ever" Beeej! ;-) ) three years later?


COLUMN WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002

Bring it Home

By GARY SCHUELLER

I must admit when senior goalie Matt Underhill mentioned the words "national championship" as a team goal in preseason interviews, I reacted with a healthy dose of disbelief. I originally considered it start-of-season rhetoric, but as I prepare to trek up to Lake Placid with the hordes of other Big Red fans this weekend, I must say I'm beginning to believe.

It's not so much the confidence or the stellar efforts of the netminder that have sold me. In fact my faith is not so much a product of the play of the hockey team alone as it is broader events in the athletic department. By many accounts it seems like a bleak time for Ancient Eight athletics. As Ivy League university presidents discuss ways to continually marginalize the presence of sports programs on our campuses, we have suffered similar setbacks at Cornell. Over the last few years we've watched as two of our most storied coaches, football's Pete Manguarian and lacrosse's Dave Pietremala leave the Hill for greener pastures. Despite the ever-present despair, we are undoubtedly experiencing one of the most exciting and promising periods in the recent history of the athletic department.

Having been an elite team all season, we've heard that this was one of the best assemblage of skaters Cornell's has seen. And the message has gotten around. ESPN, TSN, Sports Illustrated and even the New York Times have made mention of the team.

It seems like anything and everything Cornell hockey related is enough to send the so-called Lynah Faithful into a unrelenting whirlwind of adoration. While ELynah forum debates focusing on whether or not public address Arthur Mintz '71 is indeed a "legend," or questioning the exact syntax of RPI loud-mouth Matt Murley may be enough to excite you into a state of joy, its time we raise the bar ladies and gentleman. It time we stop making up things to be proud of and time we start demanding results, namely in the form of championships. Unwavering support through good times and bad alike is one thing. Its time we start expecting greatness and sending the message that anything less is simply unacceptable. And hopefully, the message will spread across the 35 other varsity sports on campus.

Let's get one thing straight. Anything less than a title at Lake Placid makes this season absolutely, positively inconsequential. In fact, given the talent and potential of this team, I say anything short of a Frozen Four appearance should be regarded as failure.

If this squad hopes to stake its claim as one of the greatest in Cornell history the road begins Friday. Make no mistake about. It's about time every single member of the carnelian and white be held accountable by fans and the athletic administration. For starters that means, remembering that no matter how "confident," a team this is, playing the first period with intensity is necessary. I'm tired of watching this team play the opening stanza every fifth or sixth game. Its about time that we finish our checks early and often.

More importantly, every last player who dons the Cornell jersey should never forget the pride and honor that goes along with that privilege. As you take the ice at the historic 1980 Arena, remember that you are the torch bearers of one of the most history-rich program in college hockey, following in the likes of legends Ken Dryden '69, Joe Nieuwendyk '88, Brian Cropper '71 and John Hughes '70. It's about time we demand that this team plays to its full potential every night from here forward. That means no excuses on rebounds for Underhill. It means expecting an accurate slapshot from Doug Murray more than half of the time. It means that if captain Stephen Bâby is going to talk about the team's discipline it should be a no exception policy. It also means no hitting after the whistle calls for fan-favorite Greg Hornby, and no tolerance for the shenanigans that took place at the Clarkson game. For the love of God, want it all; win it all.

From a rookie defenseman who used to gaze in awe watching Cornell hockey from the Lynah bleachers, to a junior winger and the team's premiere offensive threat who once played in a backyard rink in Greece. Now, this squad stares at its biggest dream yet.

And when it returns from Minneapolis with a national title in hand, it should be welcomed home with a parade. Than, we will all realize just how amazing this team truly is. Who knows, maybe if the folks in Day Hall are watching, just maybe they too will realize the awesome potential of Cornell athletics.

[judy]

oh my god. no wonder i felt a sense of deja vu! teaches me to not check out dates more closely... somehow 2002 looks a lot like 2005.

[ugarte]

EDIT: Nevermind.

The author, three years later, is still retarded.

[andyw2100]

[Q]ugarte Wrote:

 I'd like to read the article before reading the discussion, but I'm getting a "file not found" error. Can someone check the link or repost the article?[/q]

The article is two posts above your post.
                      Andy W.

[Trotsky]

[Q]judy Wrote:

 oh my god. no wonder i felt a sense of deja vu! teaches me to not check out dates more closely... somehow 2002 looks a lot like 2005.[/q]

That's okay, I just read, did not recall, and complimented my own post.  With my wife present.  I'll be getting rations of shit for that for the next 20 years.  ;-)

[ugarte]

[Q]andyw2100 Wrote:

 [Q2]ugarte Wrote:

 I'd like to read the article before reading the discussion, but I'm getting a "file not found" error. Can someone check the link or repost the article?[/Q]
The article is two posts above your post.[/q]For the record, I figured this out when I saw Judy's post. I'd like to congratulate andyw2100 for being so quick on the trigger that he quoted me while I was editing my post, thereby condemning my post to the permanent record.

[A-ron]

Yowzers...  considering Mr. Scheuller was at my apartment watching the games with me this weekend over the webcast and will be at Albany with me next weekend I feel that I need to defend him a bit.  So, here it goes:

Gary loves to rake the muck and I think that's all he was doing.  You could call him Cornell atheltics' Slimshady.  He says stuff that pisses you off, but says it because he knows it will piss you off.  He wasn't writing a recap of the game, he was writing his opinion and that's all it was.  I don't know that he really deserves to be called retarded when "overly critical" will suffice.

How about if we all take a deep breath, repost the Volinnino article and remember who the real bad guys are.  Let's kick some butt up at Albany!