Mike wrote:
 
     Please note I'm not taking shots at RPI or their fans, just trying to
     give a different perspective from an unbiased observer of the scene.
     I believe that this feeling RPI followers seem to have, that their
     team often loses to inferior teams, is peculiar to them - rather than
     there being a problem peculiar to the team.  I don't hear it from
     followers of other teams, at least not nearly as often.  RPI followers
     might
     need to consider whether they expect and/or demand too much from their
     team - something I have believed has been going on in the Capital
     District for years, ever since I was there - and whether those demands
     create pressure that is inevitably going to affect RPI in ways it
     doesn't affect other teams.
     ---
     --- Mike Machnik
     [log in to unmask] Cabletron Systems, Inc.
           *HMM* 11/13/93
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     Unfortunately, I have to agree with Mike.  The students and the
     Captial District expect way too much every year from the team.  I
     know.  All four years I was there ('87-'88 to '90-'91) RPI was
     supposed to at *least* get to the NCAA's.  However, I don't think this
     is unique to RPI. This is all part of college sports.  Especially at a
     school that lives and breathes just one sport like RPI.  It's the same
     at some other schools and sports of note:  Notre Dame football (it's
     hard to win a national championship with four losses :-) ) and North
     Carolina basketball (ok, they are #1 right now, but last year's
     supposed final four team lost to BC in the round of 32) come to mind.
     There is also the old philosophy of "any team can beat any other team
     on any given night, otherwise we wouldn't play the game at all."  I
     promise there will be another upset this year in college hockey!
 
     Dave / RPI '91
     LET'S GO RED!!
 
     P.S.  I was thinking of maybe driving up to Princeton Friday for the
     RPI game.  Anyone know the ticket situation?