I pretty much agree with Luiz Valente, Joe Bertagna's elevation to commish is
no big deal.  It's a case of old wine in new bottles.  Bertagna, as has been
mentioned, is a hard-working, dedicated guy.  But what the ECAC needs is a
youg, dynamic type who can shake-up the stodgy member schools and their
antiquated ideas of marketing.  I thought there was supposed to be a whole
bunch of initiatives we were going to see this season in the aftermath of
Blaine Kennedy's successful romancing of the Engineers last season.  What
happened to the "tv contract"?  We've got RPI against Harvard this week, but I
get the impression that was just a normal scheduling by PRIME.  And where does
one go to find the weekly press releases--even the T-U, which covers the ECAC
better than any other paper, either ignores, or can't locate the weekly
newsletter.
 
One issue I think should be addressed is the siting for the future EACA
tournament.  I thought Lake Placid got a temporary deal through this year, but
I haven't heard anything about the 1996 venue, or subsequent years. IMHO if the
ECAC wants to increase exposure they've got to put the tourney in a more
accessible area.  While it's true Lake Placid is very cozy, about the only fans
who shlepp up there are from Potsdam and Canton--who are used to driving on
black ice.  Certainly the tournament doesn't entice the novice hockey fan to
check it out, or increase the league's recognition factor in its NY/NE market.
The obvious location is Albany, but I think the folks at the Albany Sports
Foundation have warmed up to the East Regional rotation, although they wouldn't
be averse to also hosting the ECAC's.  Other locations like Boston, Hartford,
Springfield or maybe even Syracuse might have appeal.  Or put the tournament
down in the NY metro area.
 
These are some of the ideas I think should be taken up by the Commissioner.
Maybe Bertagna is the guy, but please, show me something.  The overall quality
of play in the league has slipped, and some aggressive thinking is needed to
restore some of the league's luster, while keeping it consistent with the
member schools concept of the scholar athlete.
***********************************************************
Brian Morris             Go RPI! Home ICE, Please
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