All Hail the Big Red

Might be a 16 seed, but Ivies do not do play-in games.

 

Congrats to my favorite neighboring school on the bid. We'll still destroy you guys in football.

 

They're rockin' in The Royal Palm!

 

Because of my in-laws, who lived in Ithaca, I spent time every Christmas there, which also meant my birthday, of which I spent 11 consecutive wandering collegetown and toasting myself at the Palm in the middle of the afternoon. A great, great campus joint.

 

Yea, I would have probably been more impressed by a Mano's/State Diner for their hangover reference, but the Royal Palm will do. Tons of actual great places to eat in Ithaca as well.

 

Alas, I hear Pete Thamel has already checked into a B&B out by the Triphammer Mall.

 

While the Triphammer Mall still exists, it's on its last legs. The Shops at Ithaca Mall (old Pyramid Mall) across the street trumps it.

 

That's a pretty low trump, though, as I recall.

 

Ragu progressed further than I did. When I entered Cornell, I was a 6'1", 145 pound point forward. Somehow, I thought that time as a 7th man on a decent high school team qualified me to play Division 1 hoops. I got cups of coffee with the JV over a couple of years, but by the time that I grew 3 inches and put on 40 pounds, I was already in law school.

I lived with a bunch of the guys on the team, often played pickup and practiced with the team if they needed a body. Over an adult beverage one day senior year, Coach Dement said of my talent -- "Webster, you'd be a heck of a player if you were taller, faster and stronger. Way faster. And if you shot better."

Steve Robinison, current UNC assistant and former Tulsa and FSU coach, was an assistant on the last Cornell team to make the NCAAs. Great guy.

For 4 years, I broke my Yom Kippur fast with Hot Truck. Good stuff.

My junior and senior years, I was a teaching assistant and had early morning classes on Friday. My walk to the ILR school took me by Dunbar's -- the smell of cheap beer and vomit was never a good start to the day.