Columbia's Rain Training Plus My Ivy League Press Box Review

                                           It's a rainy day in NYC

The returning Columbia Lions football players resume practice today in a rainy New York City. Perhaps the most important thing about drills today will be getting to this type of weather.

Rain has for some reason become more common on football Saturdays here in the Big Apple over the last two years. The 2007 and 2008 Columbia seasons saw more wet game conditions than sunny.

Some of the roughest games over the last two years:

1. Versus Dartmouth, 2008

Probably the strongest winds I've ever seen at Wien Stadium. I thought the goalposts were coming down two or three times.


2. Versus Towson, 2008

The heaviest consistent rain at a Columbia game that I have ever seen, (with the possible exception of the 1990 home game against Cornell). There were several puddles on the field, and play had to be halted in the first half for 45 minutes because of lightning.


3. Versus Marist, 2007

It kept looking like it might let up...but it really never did. Luckily for the Lions, their offense didn't let up either: Columbia won 31-7.


4. Versus Yale, 2007

Very ugly conditions dominated the first half. It did get a little better in the second 30 minutes, but it still was a rough day for the fans.


5. Versus Brown, 2008

No rain, but these were easily the coldest game conditions the Lions have faced since the 2003 "blizzard" game at Cornell. Thank God for the delicious hot soup they gave out liberally in the Brown Stadium press box.

Which brings us to another discussion...

I'm worried about ruffling a few feathers league-wide with my take on the press boxes and amenities at our opponents' stadiums, but what the hey?

I do realize that the food and other luxuries offered to the journalists in press boxes are just a courtesy, and I don't want to appear like an ingrate. I really do appreciate whatever I get in these press boxes, but I think everyone loves ratings.

Again, what the hey?

First off, let me give a shout out to our own home of Wien Stadium. We have the only press box that serves a halftime and a pre-game meal (that being actually a series of bagels and muffins, but New York bagels, 'nuff said), and the elevator service and completely closed-in area make things very comfortable for everyone involved.

I don't care what people may say, no one in the Ivies who covers Columbia games dreads coming to Wien Stadium and our press box. No one.

Okay, now let's look at the other schools in alphabetical order:





1. Brown Stadium

Truly a "tale of two stadiums." The press box is awful, period, and it seems the people who do most of the complaining are the Brown employees (it was practically non-stop last November)! The decaying wooden structure is a little scary, and let's not even mention the bathroom.

But, the folks at Brown can make a very good case for having the best and most appropriate food in the Ivies. The sandwiches, cookies, and much-needed delicious soup are worth every splinter and other indignity their press box has to offer.






2. Schoelkopf Field (Cornell)

This is a very, very nice facility. It boasts cozy broadcast rooms and a completely closed-in structure to keep that biting Ithaca wind off your face.

The food? Eh. Totally forgettable and not easy to get to, as they keep it in a corner of the floor that leads to bottlenecking. I think I'm bringing my own chow next time.





3. Memorial Field (Dartmouth)

Certainly a friendly atmosphere, but I was a little afraid climbing the steps up there and again, let's not mention the bathroom.

The food was not great and in short supply. I realize that Hanover, NH is supposed to be rustic, but come on. I'm not sure if the press box has been rennovated since 2007, but I don't think so.





4. Harvard Stadium

It's a hike to get up the stairs to the press area, but it's not a scary hike on narrow rickety steps like at Dartmouth, so I actually enjoy the workout (I always take staircases two steps a time, and you should too).

The food is pretty forgettable. No, seriously, I really can't remember what I ate at Harvard this past season. That's bad.





5. Franklin Field (Penn)

As the kids say these days: "OMG." This has to be the worst place for anyone covering a game, through and through.

I can honestly say the makeshift-looking scaffold where they seat the media is frightening. It had the quaint quality of allowing all the cold air to circulate around its residents while blocking out the sun completely. As a result, I froze through a 55-degree day.

And here's the kicker: There was no food. Thank God the Penn game this season is at home. Now, is there a building inspector in Philly I can forward my complaints to?





6. Princeton Stadium

Well, this is nice, very nice. The newest Ivy League football stadium has great broadcast booths, pretty good food, and just great amenities all around.

Forget what you hear about Harvard and Yale, Princeton has the money. I mean the real money.






7. Yale Bowl

It's a chilly, open-air press box impossibly far from the field, but the food is plentiful and pretty good. I've been lucky enough to only be there on nice weather days, but I can imagine things getting really dicey on windy, rainy Saturdays.