SPORTS

Under The Radar

By Steve Lawrence

Local college football fans can nd plenty of positives so far this season. Cornell (2-2) and Ithaca College (5-0) are a combined 7-2, and while it’s frustrating that the 2-2 Big Red have fallen short in their Ivy League contests, the team is playing some really good football. I was among those shivering in the stands on Friday night, and if anyone saw me hunkering down, I did so not just because of the cold. I shall circle back around to explain...

While Cornell’s four games have seen some real scoring balance (Cornell has scored 104 points to its opponents’ 126), Ithaca College is rolling over opponents by absurd margins. e Bombers have won by lopsided scores of 51-14, 24-0, 52-3, 31-7 and 56-10 to outscore foes 214-34, and while it is surely a lot more fun to be on the upside of such blowouts, it makes one wonder how the team will respond when faced with a tighter game.

Speaking of (hopefully) tighter games, Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland have done an incredible job turning what was a nice Division III rivalry into a real spectacle. ey maneuvered a deal to have the 2019 Cortaca Jug played at Met Life Stadium, and they smashed a D-3 attendance record by drawing north of 45,000 fans. In a few weeks, the Jug will be contested in Yankee Stadium, and not only did they pull that o , but the game will also be broadcast on the YES network, said to be “the number one Regional sports network in the nation.” YES broadcasts the Yankees, the Liberty, the Nets and several other high-pro le teams. e Cortaca Jug will kick o at noon on November 12. According to the Bombers’ website, “A limited number of game tickets remain available for purchase to the general public directly at Ticketmaster and at cortacajug.com. Ithaca College students, faculty, and sta can sign up through Monday, October 10, for same-day roundtrip transportation by bus. Because of the newly announced noon kicko , the busses will leave campus at 6:30 a.m. in order to arrive in time.”

Back to the Cornell game.... While the Big Red hates to drop any Ancient 8 contest, there were a lot of very bright spots. Harvard was the pre-season favorite to win the league title, and Cornell made it a one-score contest. In front of a national television audience (and his family, visiting from California), sophomore quarterback Jameson Wang had a helluva game, accounting for four touchdowns under the Friday Night Lights. Wang threw for 185 yards and a touchdown and picked up 61 yards on the ground, scor-

Cornell’s Jameson Wang had a great game in a losing effort. (Photo: Eldon Lindsay / Cornell Athletics)

ing three touchdowns, to lead the home team’s gritty e ort. Wide receiver omas Glover grabbed eight passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, and the e ort made him the 25th player in school history to go beyond 1,000 yards in the air.

Cornell’s opening scoring drive took up the bulk of the rst quarter and was as good a drive as the team had put together all year. e coaching sta knew that a awless game would be needed to take down Harvard, and the momentum shi ed when Harvard scored on a blocked punt, one of a number of special teams miscues that would prove costly to the Big Red.

At the game, I went a bit under the radar, as I sat with a group of enthusiastic Harvard fans and I knew it would be di cult to join them in cheering for the Crimson. Harvard’s #15, defensive back Victor Tademy had his own cheering section, consisting of several aunts, uncles and cousins, but, most importantly, his grandmother—“Bodacious” Betty Bagnardi, a well-known and beloved Ithacan. While I could not bring myself to actually root for Harvard, I could be happy for Victor and his family, especially given Betty had a very special milestone birthday a couple of days later. I am too much of a gentleman, with too strong a sense of self-preservation to o er up a number. Happy birthday “Bodacious” Betty.

The Talk at

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Outraged At Headline

Iwas outraged to see the headline in the September 28th issue of the Ithaca Times: “Two at the Center of Ethics Investigation Deny Wrongdoing.” is implies that Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario, co-leads of the Reimagining Public Safety Working Group, are under investigation for illicit or immoral activities. As far as I know, they are not and have never been accused of any wrongdoing in the ethics investigation being conducted by the Tomkins County Board of Ethics. e investigation has to do with possible undue in uence from outside groups and is speci cally looking into the in uence of the Center for Policing Equity and paid organizers from the People for the American Way. e article is actually well written and informative, and it becomes clear that Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario are vouching for no wrongdoing on the part of Center for Policing Equity. e headline itself does not make this clear and implies that these two upstanding citizens are accused of wrongdoing. e headline is libelous and should be retracted with an apology to Karen Yearwood and Eric Rosario. I have known them both for years and cannot think of anyone with more moral ber and integrity. Shame on you, Ithaca Times!

Karen Friedeborn, En eld

Memories Of Vending Applies

Iwas President of the Cornell Pomology Club in 1987. We ran the apple vending machine at that time, and it was located in the lobby of the Plant Science Building. Apples were 25 cents apiece. We made enough money from that machine to send about 8 of us to Arizona for a week during Spring Break. We toured farms and orchards in Arizona. It was an incredible trip and I still remember a lot from it. At some point, Cornell Dining tried to shut down the apple vending machine. ey said that they had the exclusive right to sell food at Cornell. But we had a letter on le from a former Cornell President stating that this apple vending machine was to be run by the members of our club. I’m glad to see an updated machine still in use across the quad, and that a student club is still the bene ciary of the proceeds. Dan Klein, Danby

Vote To Create City Manager

An important referendum is on the ballot for City of Ithaca voters on November 8 (or by early voting beginning October 29) calling for the appointment of a City Manager. Common Council unanimously passed a resolution in November 2021 promoting this reform. As in our current structure, the Mayor will still articulate a vision, propose policies, and formally represent the City. With an appointed professional Manager, City residents and taxpayers will bene t from more e cient operations and more reliable services. Because the Mayor will no longer have a Chief of Sta , the change does not entail an increase in cost to City taxpayers. Appointed by former Mayor Myrick, I was on the Task Force that developed this proposal. I talked with six Mayors in New York State who work with City Managers and they all enthusiastically endorse the structure. e majority of cities our size in the USA use this form of government, which was developed over 100 years ago in the progressive era to promote e ciency, transparency, and accountability in municipalities. Tompkins County operates very smoothly under a close model, with a professional Administrator and a Legislative Chair whose role is similar to that of a Mayor. Please vote FOR creating a new position of City Manager in the City of Ithaca.

Donna Fleming, Former Alderperson, ird Ward