With high school football season just a month away now, here's a continuing look at what's new on area teams' schedules, focusing this time on Geauga County.
BERKSHIRE (Div.5, CVC Valley)-The Badgers won't play Cuyahoga Hts. or Western Reserve Academy this year, but will play Richmond Hts. and apparently Grand River Academy (who has never had a football team before). That's the GRA located in Austinburg, in Ashtabula County. Berkshire has suffered through losing seasons the past two years, but ran off winning seasons in each of the previous six.
CARDINAL(Div.4, CVC Valley)-No changes from last year whatsoever, other than the game sites. For the past 8 years, the Huskies have won between 4 and 6 games each season.
CHARDON (Div.2-PAC)-The Hilltoppers will open the Hewitt era with 3 schedule changes from last year. They will lose Cleveland schools Benedictine, VASJ, and John Adams from the schedule and gain Maple Hts. and new PAC members Geneva and University. The last winning season for Chardon was in 2007, which was the end of a five-year run of winning marks.
HAWKEN (Div.5, CVC Metro)-The Hawks will have just one schedule change from last year-a swap of week 10 games between Beachwood and Wickliffe means that Hawken will now play Wickliffe in Week 10 this season. The Hawks struggled to a 3-7 record last year but were 8-2 in 2009.
KENSTON (Div.2, CVC Chagrin)-For the Bombers, there will be just one change this year-the opener will be against Hudson rather than Kent Roosevelt. Last year's 8-2 mark was Kenston's best since going 9-1 and advancing to the Division III State Title game in 1995.
LEDGEMONT (Div.6, NAC)-Coming off the best season in school history (10-0 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs), the Redskins will have two new opponents this season. Brookfield and Youngstown Christian will be replaced with Independence and Div. 3 Edgewood.
NEWBURY (Div.6, CVC Valley)-The Black Knights will play two different non-conference opponents this year than last year-Arcadia and Columbia are out, Johnstown Northridge and Sebring McKinley are in. In 1998, Newbury's first year in the CVC, the Black Knights were 6-4. That was their last winning record. The NAC (Grand Valley, Ledgemont, Pymatuning Valley, Southington, Vienna Mathews) might be a better option for Newbury, or maybe the potential addition to the CVC Valley of Ledgemont, Lutheran East, or a move of Richmond Hts from the Metro (all D6 schools) could give Newbury another team they're competitive with besides Fairport.
NDCL (Div.3, NCL Blue)-The Lions will have 4 new opponents this year. Gone are Lakeside, Youngstown Ursuline, VASJ, and Holy Name. New to the ledger are South, Bay, Toledo Rogers and new NCL member Walsh Jesuit. Benedictine, also a new NCL team, remains on the schedule from last season. Like neighbor Chardon, the Lions last had a winning season (6-4) in 2007.
WEST GEAUGA (Div.2, CVC Chagrin)-The Wolverines will trade North for South and Wickliffe for Beachwood as the only two schedule changes for 2011. With winning seasons in 10 of the last 12 years, this may just be the 'Golden Era' of West Geauga football.
There will be just 9 Geauga County intra-county matchups this season.
Week 1-Chardon vs. West Geauga
Week 2-Kenston vs. Chardon, Ledgemont vs. Newbury
Week 3-Cardinal vs. Ledgemont
Week 4-None
Week 5-Newbury vs. Cardinal
Week 6-None
Week 7-None
Week 8-None
Week 9-Berkshire vs. Newbury, Cardinal vs. Hawken, West Geauga vs. Kenston
Week 10-Berkshire vs. Cardinal
NEWBURY-
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
'Moneyball'-the Movie
I just learned a few weeks ago that a movie was being filmed and set for release this year based on the bestselling baseball book 'Moneyball'. I remember thinking 'Wow. No kidding. Really?' Then I found out that not only was such a movie being made, but was set to star big-name actor Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. Of course the book has a spot on my bookshelf, and as a baseball fan I was suitably intrigued.
For those who have not read the book, 'Moneyball', written by Michael Lewis, documents the story of Beane and his new team-building philosophy. Beane, GM of the A's since 1997, used statistical analysis to craft a team that was able to compete as a small-market team. Working within a budget, he and his front-office compadres favored bargain pitchers and players who could get on base and play well in the field. In particular, hitters who drew a lot of walks became coveted. The success generated by this philosophy was nothing short of amazing, as a team that on paper had no business competing became a regular contender in the AL West. Oakland has not won the World Series in the last decade, but should they do so in the near future it will be the ultimate vindication for Beane.
As a way of doing things, Moneyball has been a polarizing idea in baseball. Some swear that it's the best way for a small-market team to be able to compete, where old-time baseball wisdom might be ineffective. Others see it as a crock, just number-crunching nonsense that won't lead to anything. The fact that the A's currently reside in last place in the AL West dosen't help Beane's argument, but his overall track record has been successful enough to garner notice.
Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Robin Wright are other well-known names in the movie's cast, and the release date is set for September 23, right smack in the middle of the pennant chase. I will defintely see it, and I hope it does well. On paper this dosen't seem like it's going to be a blockbuster despite the presence of Pitt, but like Moneyball itself, it could prove to be an unexpected success.
For those who have not read the book, 'Moneyball', written by Michael Lewis, documents the story of Beane and his new team-building philosophy. Beane, GM of the A's since 1997, used statistical analysis to craft a team that was able to compete as a small-market team. Working within a budget, he and his front-office compadres favored bargain pitchers and players who could get on base and play well in the field. In particular, hitters who drew a lot of walks became coveted. The success generated by this philosophy was nothing short of amazing, as a team that on paper had no business competing became a regular contender in the AL West. Oakland has not won the World Series in the last decade, but should they do so in the near future it will be the ultimate vindication for Beane.
As a way of doing things, Moneyball has been a polarizing idea in baseball. Some swear that it's the best way for a small-market team to be able to compete, where old-time baseball wisdom might be ineffective. Others see it as a crock, just number-crunching nonsense that won't lead to anything. The fact that the A's currently reside in last place in the AL West dosen't help Beane's argument, but his overall track record has been successful enough to garner notice.
Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Robin Wright are other well-known names in the movie's cast, and the release date is set for September 23, right smack in the middle of the pennant chase. I will defintely see it, and I hope it does well. On paper this dosen't seem like it's going to be a blockbuster despite the presence of Pitt, but like Moneyball itself, it could prove to be an unexpected success.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
HS Football Schedule Outlook Continued
A look at some changes in area high school football schedules continues, this time focusing on Ashtabula County.
CONNEAUT (Div.3, Independent)-The Spartans won't play Lakeside, Beachwood, Harvey, or Struthers this year. Instead, they pick up Pymatuning Valley, Gilmour, Brookfield, and Youngsville (Pa.). In all, Conneaut will play 5 games against Ashtabula County teams-everyone except Lakeside.
EDGEWOOD (Div.3, Independent)-Edgewood has dropped Warren Champion, Richmond Hts., Madison, and Warren JFK for this season. New to the schedule will be Pymatuning Valley, Ledgemont, Campbell Memorial, and Brookfield. Like Conneaut, the Warriors will play 5 of their Ashtabula County brethren, missing only Grand Valley.
GENEVA (Div.2, PAC)-The Eagles will enter their first season of PAC play this season, and will replace non-conference games against Kirtland, Orange, and Gilmour with conference games against Chardon, North, and South. Lakeside, Madison, Riverside, and University will now become conference games as well. Geneva will maintain rivalries with their traditional Ashtabula County foes Conneaut, Edgewood, and Jefferson as non-conference games early in the season. The rivalry with archrival Lakeside will take on added meaning as a PAC game.
GRAND VALLEY (Div.5, NAC)-The Mustangs lose only Newton Falls from last year's schedule, replacing them with Gilmour. The order of the games will differ from last season, with Conneaut becoming this year's opener. Grand Valley will face 3 County opponents-Conneaut, Jefferson, and Pymatuning Valley.
JEFFERSON (Div.3, Independent)-The Falcons will play one more season as an independent before joining the Trumbull County-based All-America Conference next season. Jefferson won't play Kirtland, Warren JFK, Perry, or University as they did last year. They will face new opponents Struthers, Youngstown Liberty, Leavittsburg LaBrae, and Youngstown Chaney. Four Ashtabula County opponents-Conneaut, Edgewood, Geneva, and Grand Valley-will be on the Falcons' docket.
LAKESIDE (Div.2, PAC)-Lakeside will replace Conneaut and NDCL with Perry and University this year. The Dragons will maintain two traditional rivalries-Edgewood and Geneva, the Eagles as a league game.
PYMATUNING VALLEY (Div.4, NAC)-The Lakers will say goodbye to Garrettsville and Youngsville (Pa.), and hello to Ashtabula County foes Edgewood and Conneaut. Traditional County and league opponent Grand Valley will remain on the schedule as well, of course.
There will be 13 Ashtabula County matchups this season. They are as follows:
Week 1-Conneaut vs. Grand Valley, Geneva vs. Edgewood
Week 2-Jefferson vs. Geneva
Week 3-Geneva vs. Conneaut, Lakeside vs. Edgewood
Week 4-Edgewood vs. Pymatuning Valley, Grand Valley vs. Jefferson
Week 5-Pymatuning Valley vs. Conneaut, Geneva vs. Lakeside
Week 6-Jefferson vs. Conneaut, Pymatuning Valley vs. Grand Valley
Week 7-None
Week 8-None
Week 9-Edgewood vs. Jefferson
Week 10-Conneaut vs. Edgewood
CONNEAUT (Div.3, Independent)-The Spartans won't play Lakeside, Beachwood, Harvey, or Struthers this year. Instead, they pick up Pymatuning Valley, Gilmour, Brookfield, and Youngsville (Pa.). In all, Conneaut will play 5 games against Ashtabula County teams-everyone except Lakeside.
EDGEWOOD (Div.3, Independent)-Edgewood has dropped Warren Champion, Richmond Hts., Madison, and Warren JFK for this season. New to the schedule will be Pymatuning Valley, Ledgemont, Campbell Memorial, and Brookfield. Like Conneaut, the Warriors will play 5 of their Ashtabula County brethren, missing only Grand Valley.
GENEVA (Div.2, PAC)-The Eagles will enter their first season of PAC play this season, and will replace non-conference games against Kirtland, Orange, and Gilmour with conference games against Chardon, North, and South. Lakeside, Madison, Riverside, and University will now become conference games as well. Geneva will maintain rivalries with their traditional Ashtabula County foes Conneaut, Edgewood, and Jefferson as non-conference games early in the season. The rivalry with archrival Lakeside will take on added meaning as a PAC game.
GRAND VALLEY (Div.5, NAC)-The Mustangs lose only Newton Falls from last year's schedule, replacing them with Gilmour. The order of the games will differ from last season, with Conneaut becoming this year's opener. Grand Valley will face 3 County opponents-Conneaut, Jefferson, and Pymatuning Valley.
JEFFERSON (Div.3, Independent)-The Falcons will play one more season as an independent before joining the Trumbull County-based All-America Conference next season. Jefferson won't play Kirtland, Warren JFK, Perry, or University as they did last year. They will face new opponents Struthers, Youngstown Liberty, Leavittsburg LaBrae, and Youngstown Chaney. Four Ashtabula County opponents-Conneaut, Edgewood, Geneva, and Grand Valley-will be on the Falcons' docket.
LAKESIDE (Div.2, PAC)-Lakeside will replace Conneaut and NDCL with Perry and University this year. The Dragons will maintain two traditional rivalries-Edgewood and Geneva, the Eagles as a league game.
PYMATUNING VALLEY (Div.4, NAC)-The Lakers will say goodbye to Garrettsville and Youngsville (Pa.), and hello to Ashtabula County foes Edgewood and Conneaut. Traditional County and league opponent Grand Valley will remain on the schedule as well, of course.
There will be 13 Ashtabula County matchups this season. They are as follows:
Week 1-Conneaut vs. Grand Valley, Geneva vs. Edgewood
Week 2-Jefferson vs. Geneva
Week 3-Geneva vs. Conneaut, Lakeside vs. Edgewood
Week 4-Edgewood vs. Pymatuning Valley, Grand Valley vs. Jefferson
Week 5-Pymatuning Valley vs. Conneaut, Geneva vs. Lakeside
Week 6-Jefferson vs. Conneaut, Pymatuning Valley vs. Grand Valley
Week 7-None
Week 8-None
Week 9-Edgewood vs. Jefferson
Week 10-Conneaut vs. Edgewood
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Could Ohio State-Penn State one day be as big as Ohio State-Michigan?
It's a rapidly changing world that we're living in today. Things are changing fast all around us, and that extends right into the sports we've known and loved all our lives. Especially college football.
The Big Ten Conference has certainly not been immune to this change. The league, which was once known as the Big Nine (you can look it up), decided to stop counting at 10 teams when Penn State joined in 1993 and brought the total to 11. Now, Nebraska is in the fold and we have 12 teams, split into two divisions. The league will continue to be called the Big Ten. Why? Because of the two things that rule America most these days-marketing and image. People are familiar with the Big Ten "brand", and therefore it would be "crazy" to ever change the name, or so we would be led to believe.
Big Ten officials, not content with that bit of silliness, went on to commit two more ridiculous acts. First, they messed up the division placements. Then, out of nowhere, they decided that the names of the divisions would be 'Leaders' and 'Legends'. To top it off, they were actually surprised at the negative backlash!
The division placements ended up like this: Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin in one division, while Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska comprise the other. So they opted not to go the obvious East-West route. They also opted to break up Ohio State and Michigan, figuring people would love to see a potential rematch in a Big Ten championship game. I could almost live with that, for reasons I'll get into below, but couldn't understand splitting up Illinois-Northwestern and Minnesota-Wisconsin. Illinois has been playing Northwestern since 1892. Minnesota first squared off against Wisconsin in 1890. I'm sure Big Ten officials will assure everyone that these teams will still meet during the season-but why leave any doubt. Keep them in the same divisions. A North-South set-up could have worked with Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska in the North and Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Northwestern in the South. This way every major rivalry besides OSU-Michigan would have been assured of remaining intact, and you can bet OSU-Michigan would continue to be played somehow. Also, those stupid division names wouldn't be necessary. Also Iowa and Nebraska would have to become a big rivalry. Which could happen.
I can live with placing OSU and Michigan into different divisions for a few reasons: 1) I know they're still going to play. It's too big a deal, and there's too much money involved. 2) The rivalry is as big as the Big Ten itself, rendering any divisions inconsequential. 3) Each team has another big rival.
Michigan vs. Michigan State is a major rivalry. Some folks in Michigan think it's just as big a deal as the OSU game. The reason it never had the historical status of Buckeyes-Wolverines is because Michigan dominated for a long time (70s to 90s). Those days appear to be over. The Spartans have taken three in a row from the Wolverines, and this matchup is getting to be the big deal it hasn't been since the 60s. Now it has the potential to be for a division title every year as well, although the division's other teams of course will have their say.
With things changing as rapidly as they are, I can see a day in the future when Ohio State vs. Penn State could be as big as OSU-Michigan. That's hard to imagine, with the long history, the traditions, the books, the DVDs, and all the people who say that Ohio State vs. Michigan football is the greatest rivalry in all of sports.
However, now Ohio State and Penn State are in the same division of the Big Ten, and could one day find themselves playing the final game of each season. (Big Ten officials' promises to keep OSU-Michigan there notwithstanding.) Many a division title can, and probably will, be on the line every year. A team will need to win its division before it can win the Big Ten, so a matchup for a division title will be meaningful. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series-but only by a 14-12 count. On the high school level, each year there is an Ohio vs. Pennsylvania all-star game. No such game exists between Ohio and Michigan. Heck, even Penn State's official name is THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY. The audacity.
Many will likely disagree, saying no way could this ever happen. I'm not saying bigger than OSU-Michigan, just maybe as big as. Today's young Ohio kids and future football junkies might one day learn to hate Nittany Lions just as much as they do Wolverines, and the feeling could be mutual among young Pennsylvanians.
The Big Ten Conference has certainly not been immune to this change. The league, which was once known as the Big Nine (you can look it up), decided to stop counting at 10 teams when Penn State joined in 1993 and brought the total to 11. Now, Nebraska is in the fold and we have 12 teams, split into two divisions. The league will continue to be called the Big Ten. Why? Because of the two things that rule America most these days-marketing and image. People are familiar with the Big Ten "brand", and therefore it would be "crazy" to ever change the name, or so we would be led to believe.
Big Ten officials, not content with that bit of silliness, went on to commit two more ridiculous acts. First, they messed up the division placements. Then, out of nowhere, they decided that the names of the divisions would be 'Leaders' and 'Legends'. To top it off, they were actually surprised at the negative backlash!
The division placements ended up like this: Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin in one division, while Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska comprise the other. So they opted not to go the obvious East-West route. They also opted to break up Ohio State and Michigan, figuring people would love to see a potential rematch in a Big Ten championship game. I could almost live with that, for reasons I'll get into below, but couldn't understand splitting up Illinois-Northwestern and Minnesota-Wisconsin. Illinois has been playing Northwestern since 1892. Minnesota first squared off against Wisconsin in 1890. I'm sure Big Ten officials will assure everyone that these teams will still meet during the season-but why leave any doubt. Keep them in the same divisions. A North-South set-up could have worked with Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska in the North and Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Northwestern in the South. This way every major rivalry besides OSU-Michigan would have been assured of remaining intact, and you can bet OSU-Michigan would continue to be played somehow. Also, those stupid division names wouldn't be necessary. Also Iowa and Nebraska would have to become a big rivalry. Which could happen.
I can live with placing OSU and Michigan into different divisions for a few reasons: 1) I know they're still going to play. It's too big a deal, and there's too much money involved. 2) The rivalry is as big as the Big Ten itself, rendering any divisions inconsequential. 3) Each team has another big rival.
Michigan vs. Michigan State is a major rivalry. Some folks in Michigan think it's just as big a deal as the OSU game. The reason it never had the historical status of Buckeyes-Wolverines is because Michigan dominated for a long time (70s to 90s). Those days appear to be over. The Spartans have taken three in a row from the Wolverines, and this matchup is getting to be the big deal it hasn't been since the 60s. Now it has the potential to be for a division title every year as well, although the division's other teams of course will have their say.
With things changing as rapidly as they are, I can see a day in the future when Ohio State vs. Penn State could be as big as OSU-Michigan. That's hard to imagine, with the long history, the traditions, the books, the DVDs, and all the people who say that Ohio State vs. Michigan football is the greatest rivalry in all of sports.
However, now Ohio State and Penn State are in the same division of the Big Ten, and could one day find themselves playing the final game of each season. (Big Ten officials' promises to keep OSU-Michigan there notwithstanding.) Many a division title can, and probably will, be on the line every year. A team will need to win its division before it can win the Big Ten, so a matchup for a division title will be meaningful. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series-but only by a 14-12 count. On the high school level, each year there is an Ohio vs. Pennsylvania all-star game. No such game exists between Ohio and Michigan. Heck, even Penn State's official name is THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY. The audacity.
Many will likely disagree, saying no way could this ever happen. I'm not saying bigger than OSU-Michigan, just maybe as big as. Today's young Ohio kids and future football junkies might one day learn to hate Nittany Lions just as much as they do Wolverines, and the feeling could be mutual among young Pennsylvanians.
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