Watchdog

Former Cornell icer Ryan O'Byrne's unfortunate incident in the Isles-Habs game Monday night must have been cosmic payback for the 1979 Cornell-Providence game.

Oy.

But I'm happy for Our Isles.

They'll take victories wherever and however they can get them.

Cornell bounced back from Monday night's loss to St. John's by winning Tuesday and in the process causing Loyola (Md.) coach Jimmy Patsos to exhibit some mighty peculiar behavior.

At one point he watched the game from the stands.

The Big Red is back!

When is the NCAA Tournament selection show?

The Washington Post looks back at the life and death of former Cornell gridiron star Tom McHale, who grew addicted to painkillers after retiring from the NFL.

(Oh, snap. I think the Post requires free registration to read its stuff. Sorry. How early 2000s of them!)

When a national newspaper - even one that's kinda sorta a direct competitor - chooses Cornell as the focus of its story on the new, more-distant three-point line in college basketball, that deserves a link, my friends.

Thank goodness college hoops season is at hand. The numbing predictability of both New York-area football teams' weekly victories was growing tiresome.

I'd love to tell you that I spent the weekend reading Liz Robbins' new book, "A Race Like No Other," in preparation for the New York City Marathon Nov. 2.

In fact, I spent it reading Jeff Pearlman's new book, "Boys Will Be Boys," about the early 1990s Cowboys in preparation for the Pokes-Jints game Nov. 2.

But I did scan Ms. Robbins book, and it appears as if it would be a worthwhile read for those of you so inclined. Plus, she went to Cornell, so it must be good.

Not that I'm biased or anything.

Wow, tough choices early this afternoon on what to watch during the Cornell-Harvard commercial breaks on Versus.

Rutgers-Cincinnati on SNY (good Carlin-bashing fodder), Syracuse-West Virginia on ESPNU (real life rematch of apparently mischaracterized 1959 game between the teams depicted in new movie about Ernie Davis), Texas-Oklahoma on ABC (will Erin Andrews be there?).

Wait, come to think of it, I don't get ESPNU. Never mind.

(UPDATE: The Giants' Kevin Boothe, the best player out of Cornell currently in the NFL, relays a cheap shot at the school via Warren Sapp in today's NY Post.)

(UPDATE: Cornell scuffling in third quarter, 28-10. The play-by-play man just said he was Rich Ackerman. Is that OUR Rich Ackerman, WFANer and loyal WatchDog reader?)

(UPDATE: The Bengals' starting quarterback against the Jets Sunday went to Harvard!)

Tonight it's hockey and baseball. Apparently the Sarah Palin puck-dropping at the Rangers-Flyers game that I heartily endorsed the other day has been blasted by many as being politically motivated because Flyers boss Ed Snider is a big Republican donor.

I don't care. Let the hockey mom celebrate hockey, doggone it.

Speaking of the Islanders, did any of you have the same problem I did Friday night, in which the first period of the Isles-announcers version of the game did not appear on the overflow channel designated for said telecast?

I am looking into that situation.

Ho, hum.

Cornell is 3-0, winning by a combined total of five points, after Saturday's last-second victory over Lehigh.

Here's the video evidence.

(Thanks for the link to Newsday's own Chris Mascaro.)

WatchDog kudos to first reader to identify the guy in the picture.

It's not Marinaro. It's the best Cornell running back in the post-Marinaro era.

(By the way, the Giants offense didn't seem to slow down much when Cornell's own Kevin Boothe stepped in at right tackle for the injured Kareem McKenzie.)

I spoke to Ned Harkness in 1982 when I was writing a history of Cornell hockey for The Cornell Daily Sun, and I saw him at the Garden last November during the Cornell-BU game.

Now he's dead. From RPI to RIP. Sigh.

Thanks for all you did, sir.

How pumped up is Cornell for the start of its football season?

The Big Red will be the last team in the nation to take the field!

The hockey team opens at Princeton Nov. 7.

Josh Bernstein has a new show debuting on Discovery Channel tonight.

I don't know if it's any good, but I guess it's sort of about sports since it has something to do with gladiators. Bernstein was in my fraternity - a decade after me - so it must be worth checking out.

I've decided to start compiling a list of people I know personally and/or who were in my fraternity and who now make more money than I do.

So far it includes Michael Strahan, Bob Costas, Mike Francesa, Chris Russo, Josh Bernstein and pretty much everyone who graduated the same year I did.

Any other nominations?

The Cornell basketball blog is reporting that the Big Red will open against St. John's in the Whatever the Preseason NIT is Called These Days.

Here is the link.

How the heck did Glazer get beat on this one?

OK, I'll stop procrastinating now and get on the Brett stuff for the paper.