Corky is right
In his column Monday, Corky Blake argues the Friday-Sunday scheduling format used this season and last simply does not work.
It's a compelling argument, based on team preparation, attendance, media coverage and academics; and Corky is on the money on each factor.
Yes there are arguments for the setup. The best one is probably not even on the radar screen of the people who made the decision, though. By playing on those two days, when the schedule is light elsewhere, the Patriot League is able to attract better referees for some of its games.
But there are reasons the schedule is light on those days, most of them the same ones Corky makes against this setup.
Sure the Ivy League has used this schedule for years. That doesn't make it right, though. The league has already learned the hard way that the non-scholarship model of the Ivies didn't work for the Patriot League either.
The travel partners setup is a good idea, especially for Holy Cross; particularly when the trip is to Lehigh and Lafayette or Navy and American. Maybe what is needed is a system that doesn't have all the league teams playing the same nights.
It will be a tougher challenge for the schedule makers. But with a little creativity, it can be done.
We know all about the argument about missed class time. We aren't buying it for a moment.
If Duke, Stanford and Michigan kids can handle playing midweek and missing some classes, certainly the kids in a league that prides itself on having some of the best and brightest student athletes in the country can do it too.
It's a compelling argument, based on team preparation, attendance, media coverage and academics; and Corky is on the money on each factor.
Yes there are arguments for the setup. The best one is probably not even on the radar screen of the people who made the decision, though. By playing on those two days, when the schedule is light elsewhere, the Patriot League is able to attract better referees for some of its games.
But there are reasons the schedule is light on those days, most of them the same ones Corky makes against this setup.
Sure the Ivy League has used this schedule for years. That doesn't make it right, though. The league has already learned the hard way that the non-scholarship model of the Ivies didn't work for the Patriot League either.
The travel partners setup is a good idea, especially for Holy Cross; particularly when the trip is to Lehigh and Lafayette or Navy and American. Maybe what is needed is a system that doesn't have all the league teams playing the same nights.
It will be a tougher challenge for the schedule makers. But with a little creativity, it can be done.
We know all about the argument about missed class time. We aren't buying it for a moment.
If Duke, Stanford and Michigan kids can handle playing midweek and missing some classes, certainly the kids in a league that prides itself on having some of the best and brightest student athletes in the country can do it too.
