Awaking from my turkey coma, it dawns on me that I forgot to do my promised blog posting on Lehigh and the All-Patriot League teams. It will have to wait probably until early next week. Why? The first round of the FCS playoffs is tomorrow, and you're simply going to have to do the unthinkable: root for Lafayette.
Yes, dear reader, I know. It's difficult to bring yourself to look yourself in the mirror and root for the team that kicked our ass last Saturday. But trust me when I say it's worth it. Just to help you out, here are 10 reasons to root for Lafayette.
1. Revenge for 1998. If it wasn't for that bogus pass interference call, Lehigh would have beaten UMass and won the I-AA championship.
2. You just know that the players are looking at Lafayette's 6-5 record and are thinking to themselves at some level, "cupcake".
3. As ugly as they are, Lafayette is the only member of our league, the Patriot League, playing in the playoffs.
4. UMass whined in 2003 about playing AT 11-0 Colgate, "only" a Patriot League school. Colgate then trounced them 19-7.
5. UMass fans whined about the game being played in a snowstorm, as if their precious all-stars couldn't actually be bothered to play in the stuff.
6. Lafayette gave us Pete Carril. UMass gave us John Calipari.
7. Lafayette has student-athletes like QB Brad Maurer, a neuroscience major that could get a job after college helping find cures for cancer. UMass has athletes like Marcus Camby, who takes cash from an attorney while at UMass and strikes his head coach on the Knicks.
8. Umassfan on the Any Given Saturday message board.
9. The stunned silence at McGuirk stadium would just be too awesome for words.
10. A good Lehigh fan may have a hard time with this, but we only face Lafayette in football one day a year. Lafayette's success is great for the entire league and gives us respect nationally. Having Lafayette win is good for the Patriot League and by extension is good for Lehigh. "Little Lafayette" winning at football is good for them and good for us.
It also makes it just that much sweeter when we destroy them next year.
Yes, dear reader, I know. It's difficult to bring yourself to look yourself in the mirror and root for the team that kicked our ass last Saturday. But trust me when I say it's worth it. Just to help you out, here are 10 reasons to root for Lafayette.
1. Revenge for 1998. If it wasn't for that bogus pass interference call, Lehigh would have beaten UMass and won the I-AA championship.
2. You just know that the players are looking at Lafayette's 6-5 record and are thinking to themselves at some level, "cupcake".
3. As ugly as they are, Lafayette is the only member of our league, the Patriot League, playing in the playoffs.
4. UMass whined in 2003 about playing AT 11-0 Colgate, "only" a Patriot League school. Colgate then trounced them 19-7.
5. UMass fans whined about the game being played in a snowstorm, as if their precious all-stars couldn't actually be bothered to play in the stuff.
6. Lafayette gave us Pete Carril. UMass gave us John Calipari.
7. Lafayette has student-athletes like QB Brad Maurer, a neuroscience major that could get a job after college helping find cures for cancer. UMass has athletes like Marcus Camby, who takes cash from an attorney while at UMass and strikes his head coach on the Knicks.
8. Umassfan on the Any Given Saturday message board.
9. The stunned silence at McGuirk stadium would just be too awesome for words.
10. A good Lehigh fan may have a hard time with this, but we only face Lafayette in football one day a year. Lafayette's success is great for the entire league and gives us respect nationally. Having Lafayette win is good for the Patriot League and by extension is good for Lehigh. "Little Lafayette" winning at football is good for them and good for us.
It also makes it just that much sweeter when we destroy them next year.
Comments
Revenge for 1998. How the heck is LC beating UMass revenge for 1998? It's like arguing that the US kicking the crap out of Germany is revenge for the French. Kinda stupid.
I prefer to look at it like Bethlehem Liberty gave us Peter Carril, not Lafayette.
Chuck. do you really think Michigan fans will be rooting for Ohio State? Come on!
GO UMASS!!!!
And it is also fairly presumptuous to say that if we had beaten UMass in 98 that we would have won the championship. Yes, UMass went on to win the NC, but that doesn't necessarily mean Lehigh would have.
Just wondering why you would basically slander or better--bust-on, (all be it in a tongue-and-cheek way) a school, program and team that you are going to cover as a "professional journalist."
Your write-up of the game was great--but it does make one question your "objectivity" as well as your professionalism (maybe even maturity level--do your bosses know about your blog?).
Other then my rant; I'm a big Lehigh fan after following your team after you beat UMass in 1977 (I could be wrong about the year).