Red Blades

More deception:

Even with all of the starters in, I think Mizzou takes 6 bouts to 4 for Cornell. That said, there are a few toss-ups that can go either way. I'll go way out on a limb and say that Mizzou beats WVA without much drama; and likewise Cornell handles Harvard and Brown. Sunday's dual should be a good one.

Lineup for the weekend - per the Cornell Match Notes: 125 Brett Ungar (10-4)/Greg Diakomihalis (11-3)/Marcello Milani (6-2) 133 Vito Arujau (4-1)/Ethan Qureshi (7-8) 141 Vince Cornella (9-7)/Mark Botello (1-4) 149 Ethan Fernandez (11-6) or Cole Handlovic (3-5) 157 Meyer Shapiro (11-2)/Benny Rogers (7-2) 165 Julian Ramirez (13-1)/Brody Oleksak (0-2) 174 Benny Baker (12-9)/Evan Canoyer (4-5)/Colt Barley (3-3) 184 Chris Foca (10-2)/Christian Hansen (5-4) 197 Jacob Cardenas (12-3)/Eric Carlson (4-1) 285 Lewis Fernandes (11-7)/Ashton Davis (6-4) Plenty of wiggle room there!

Headed there? I think we've arrived. That said - a number of coaches (including Koll, Grey, and Smith among others) have been saying for a while that the season is just too long - and we would be better served by making wrestling essentially a second semester sport. Cornell has essentially done this in practical terms, as has PSU. First semester tournaments are seen essentially as a way to get the new wrestlers some experience, and maybe some warm-up matches for the veterans, and set the line-up. Second semester gets more serious. People don't seem to like it - but the program seems to work, especially at a place like Cornell where Fall Semester exams put an extra burden on the team. Maybe if other teams followed suite, we would have more quality matches rather than quantity. In the meantime- I hate seeing Cornell losing to Lehigh in January (which, incidentally, was actually a great dual this year) but don't complain when they come out on top in March.

Ahhhh, sorry. I didn't realize they were no longer affiliated. Still, one might hope!

Hey Britt - Did you see this?!

I was in AAP - in my freshman dorm, I was known as "The Ghost" on the floor, because I was so seldom seen - and there were some (including my room mate) who questioned if I really did exist!

I don't understand - I was screaming at my TV before that final 3rd period - "TAKE TOP! TAKE TOP!" Mike Grey never listens to me...

As I said - it makes a great doorstop. I first read it because it was an assigned reading (graduate course in planning/urban design), but I got a lot out of it. I'm sure others did as well.

I'm getting to be an old guy, as my kids like to remind me (hell, I could even be a LEHIGH fan! ); and so I've found over time you may catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. And I've also realized, I can probably never change anyone's mind about things, and so I don't try to. But if I can offer up a little information that I believe to be true, and it may contribute to somebody's understanding (and maybe not the person I'm speaking directly with, but rather someone else listening)- then I've done something good for the day.

Wow, this discussion is still going on!? No, I did not actually expect you (or anyone) to go and read the entire book (it is pretty hefty; I use my copy now as a doorstop) but did offer it more as an example of what Buttigieg may have actually been alluding to - True, inanimate objects can't literally be "racist", but they can be shaped by racist policies, and they can have negative impact on specific ethnic groups, intentionally and otherwise. One of the most egregious I recall from the book - deliberately setting the clearance on bridges on some of the parkways so low that busses could not pass - thus preventing people from the inner city who did not own cars from traveling out to the Long Island beaches. Caro's work may also be of interest to some with a more conservative viewpoint - he devotes a considerable portion of his work to explaining how Moses, a bureaucratic official who never held any elected office, nevertheless amassed incredible power and influence - certainly a narrative that seems of great concern in some circles now. And I'm not arguing for any particular position on this, so much as pointing out that, with respect to planning and development policy, there has been some pretty extensive work done on the subject - and maybe more thorough and thoughtful than what you may find on a wrestling forum! Peace, all!

You should read The Power Broker, by Robert A. Caro. Robert Moses adopted some very interesting strategies and policies in developing the highway systems around NYC!

I think this is part of the problem with the world right now - people are so quick to characterize entire groups of people based on the actions of some individuals. But other than a common interest in the sport, I don't believe there is any particular characteristic - whether based on race, religion, political views, or whatever - that are necessarily in common to wrestling fans as a whole. We should certainly call out injustice where we may see it, but not attribute the guilt to others based on some other association.

Uh... Correct me if I'm wrong - but didn't we try to set this up before?

If I recall correctly, I think Rob Koll was the only person who predicted Dake would win it all his freshman year.

Back in the day when I attended (and admittedly ancient times) I believe each college required each student to take a certain number of elective courses out of your college. One could take, say, L.Pierce William's "History of Western Civilization", or maybe Carl Sagan's Astronomy class (both very intense but VERY interesting); or one could take, perhaps, Wine Tasting 101 in the Hotel School - not as difficult, but also satisfying! It was really a personal choice. What do you want?

Well, Stanford does have the School of Earth Sciences.

I'd love to see a PSU vs. Cornell dual meet. Now that Koll is no longer at the helm at Cornell - any chance Cael would agree to it?

I’m borrowing a bit from what others (Ugarles et alia) have posted on the Cornell forum (with RED tinted glasses): 125: Brett Ungar was a toenail away from winning his RO12 match this year; I think he makes it to the podium next year. 133: Vito – if he stays on track, he takes it all. Gotta wonder, though, if he’ll take off for an Olympic year, and if so – who fills in? Maybe Greg D?. 141: Vince Cornella showed flashes of brilliance this year, but also made some freshman mistakes. Next year he cleans things up – I expect low to mid level AA 149: It’s hard to say goodby to Yianni – but Meyer Shapiro may make that a little easier. He’s gonna be pretty good. 157: Cole Handlovic or Yapoujian? I’m leaning Handlovic, Yap seems to have struggled with injuries. Either way, I don’t see a lot of points at NCAAS here. 165: Ramirez – 27-5 this year, with some quality wins, but stumbled a bit at NCAA’s to finish short of the podium. I expect he’ll AA next year. 174: Foca – Made a big leap this season, 3rd place finish. I expect a finalist next year, maybe push Starrocci? 184 – Cornell faithful are hoping 2022 AA Jonny Loew is back and up to form next year – if so, another possible AA candidate 197: Jake Cardenas placed 8th in 2023, can he move up a notch or two in 2024? 285: Lewis Fernandes, who we hope stays healthy. Made it to R.O.12 in 2022, but out injured in 2023. Hoping he can make a comeback along with Jonny Loew. Cornell finished 3rd at NCAA’s with 5 AAs in 2023. They return four next season, and potentially can add several more. If they can stay healthy (I know, the big if for every team!) I think 2024 may be one of Cornell’s best teams ever.

Yeah, he lost a year to compete at Nationals... but the team got a win over Cornell!

Once in a while I'll make the drive up to Ithaca to see Cornell, they always have a pretty vocal, if not always large, crowd there. In the NYC area - Columbia is an easy ticket, not much for atmosphere; but the RAC at Rutgers can rock, and Princeton has stepped up in recent years, I've seen good ones there. Years ago they couldn't even charge admission, and still the wrestlers nearly outnumbered the fans. Drexel, Ryder are easy trips, and I've seen some good wrestling at both. While I hate to admit it - Grace Hall at Lehigh is perhaps the best venue, I've seen some terrific duals there.

And after all this - I still think it was great that Yianni and Vito stayed the course - and both planning to stick around at the RTC for a while. I'm looking forward to seeing what both can doon the world stage!

And then there is the rebuttal to "Great Barrington": When Scientists’ Arrogance Leads to Recklessness: The Great Barrington Declaration (usnews.com)

The problem with "common sense" is that it too often falls to the lowest level; poor judgement, after all, is pretty common. I'll go with an educated assessment every time, thank you.