mainejeff

Maine, UNH, and Northeastern have artificial turf.

No question that your spring programs are way ahead of your fall programs at this point. You are right about field hockey.....there will be a glass ceiling until they get an artificial turf field. Maine is playing Michigan at home this year in field hockey.......would never happen if they didn't have turf.

Your scheduling is getting there, but I wasn't overly impressed with your fall sports schedules. It will be interesting to compare them to other America East programs.

6-1......Don't forget your win over Missouri.

Congrats on your great season. Unfortunately, it is usually the hottest team at the end of the season that wins the tourney, and for the 2nd year in a row the #4 seed (Stony Brook) won the tourney. The experience and winning attitude that the Danes displayed this season will be a definite boost to the program in the future. If Maine, Stony Brook, and Albany can win their out-of-conference games and make it to 35+ wins in the same season, an at-large bid is not out of the question. If you guys would have won 40 games this year, you would have had a decent shot at an at-large IMHO. By the way, I'm hoping that you guys get the tourney next season. I bet Albany would support the baseball tourney pretty well.

Its all about pitching match-ups more than home field advantage in baseball. Maine's #1 starter (MacDonald) has been shaky this season, but he is a senior with a lot of experience, and he became Maine's all-time strikeout leader this past week. I have a feeling that the winner of the Albany/Maine game may take it all.

Stay tuned.....we should know in about a month.

Congrats to Albany on a dominating regular season. The playoffs can be a different animal. Usually, experience plays a key roll, as well as luck, determination, etc. The Danes are building a solid D-1 softball program. They'll be back.

Cheer up. Boston U is not that good this year. Beat them Terriers......its time for some new blood to represent AE in the NCAA Tourney!

Dane 96.....He is a "she" (Maine coach). I'm sure that you read a little more into her comments than she probably meant. Anyway, sounds like she knows what she was talking about. Congrats to Maine on beating Albany and the AE Player of the Year!

You'll like this guys rankings even more than Boyds. The web address is: www.warrennolan.com.

It will be interesting to see how the America East Tourney in Orono draws. Maine fans used to get very excited about the baseball program, but that was back in the 1980s. In 1986 they drew 3,500+ vs. St. Johns for the NCAA Regional final. 1991 was the last big hurrah when they hosted an NCAA regional with Clemson, Mississippi State, Villanova, Towson and Princeton.......2,000+ crowds all weekend. I'll be disappointed if the games involving Maine don't draw at least 600-800 if the weather is nice.

You still have to play at #2 Northeastern and #3 Maine, so don't get too excited .

Forget Siena. You guys are moving onto bigger and better things It is pretty petty when the only other D-1 school in your area refuses to play you.

Albany will become a power in this league under Patterson. I am very impressed with her.

Missed class time is also a very good observation. Thanks DaneFan for catching my oversight.

reeder....A little history on America East baseball schedules. For many years it was a 4 game, 2 day, 2 doubleheaders (7 innings each). This is the first season that they have gone with 3 games. Some of the reasons for the current set-up......3 day series would be cost prohibitive for league schools, 3 games allows for more flexibility if there are rainouts, allows teams to schedule more non-league games which helps the league's RPI, allows for a 9-inning Sunday game which mimics both the AE playoff and NCAA playoff games. I really like this set-up. It also means that every team either wins or loses a series with each team....no more 2-2 records vs. league opponents.

Bad loss for Albany. Unfortunately, the Danes will have to be almost perfect from here on out to have ANY chance of an NCAA at-large berth. You're still in good shape to win the AE regular season and be the #1 seed for the AE tourney though.

Has anyone heard anything about when Albany may go full scholarship in I-AA? My guess is 2006, maybe 2007 at the latest. A lot will probably depend on the A-10/CAA situation which hopefully will be decided in June. Albany fans should be rooting for Appalachian State to join the CAA which would give them the needed 6 teams to break from the A-10 (of course there is a strong possibility that Northeastern will join the CAA as well). I still think that Central Connecticut is another candidate to join Albany and Stony Brook when this all goes down. With UConn moving up to I-A and New Haven and UMass-Lowell dropping their D-2 programs.......there is definitely a void developing in New England college football for those student-athletes seeking to play at the I-AA level. Albany fans should also hope that Maine and UNH don't get invited to the CAA as associate football members. If they did, it would probably be 50/50 on them accepting the invitation.

You're down to #73 in the RPI. No more losses to teams like UMBC!

Albany has a shot at 3 like many of you have mentioned. I'll say they get 1.....either baseball or softball.

Come one, come all to the America East Baseball Tourney in Orono, Maine, May 27-29. It should be great weather by then. Cheer on your Great Dane baseball team to the NCAA Tourney, and visit the Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park while you're at it.....it's only about 1 hour away.

Well thought out post Dane96. One thing to keep in mind is the auto bid for the I-AA playoffs. There must be a group of 6 schools that have been together in one conference for at least (?....not sure) years. This brings up a quandry for the remaining A-10 members if the CAA can attract at least 7 current A-10 schools. It may force schools to seek associate membership in the CAA for football therefore changing the conference in name only, and keeping Albany and Stony Brook on the outside looking in. With that being said, I don't think it will happen. I don't think that the New England schools (excluding Northeastern) want a southern based membership controlling their football futures. I see the following football conference: Maine UNH UMass URI Central Connecticut Albany Stony Brook Villanova Richmond