I'm following up on what Greg Berge said the other day regarding Cornell
hockey.  Of course, just when I thought I would jump on a bandwagon to ask
for a serious examination of the hockey program, the team surprised me last
night by beating the Clarkson Knights, 2-1, at Cheels.  Don't know how they
did tonight against SLU; so my comments here do not reflect the result of
that game.
 
>McCutcheonwill then have missed the ECAC Final Four exactly as many times as he
>has made it (4 each).  He will have more losses than wins.  And he will
>have won exactly 0 ECAC titles (RS or tournament), and 0 Ivy League
>titles, and made 1 appearance in the NCAA, in which his team exited in
>the first round.
 
Well, to look at the McCutcheon era in that vein, the team's performance
indeed appeared rather anemic.  However, forget about winning
championships.  How about simply asking for good, consistent hockey?  My
wife and I paid $240 a year to watch Cornell hockey.  We used to be able to
count on seeing games that were exciting, not always winning, but also not
always hopeless, either.  In the last three years, including the current
season, we have watched too many games where after losing three goals in
the first ten minutes, you'd get the feeling that it'd be better to go home
and do laundry on a Saturday night.
 
>excellence should at least be the goal of the program.  Some of the
>problems with the >Cornell hockey team stem from that tradition: when you
>talk to many of the Lynah
>Faithful over 40 years old, you feel like anything less than an NCAA
>Final Four appearance is uninteresting.
 
I disagree with Greg here.  I, too, demand excellence in our hockey
program.  However, I was not even in this country in the late 60's & early
70's.  I don't expect that we go to NCAA tournaments to have a good year.
I do, however, like to go to Lynah Rink and feel that we have a
better-than-good chance of winning on a home night.  Am I asking too much?
(I don't think so....)
 
>I do not think we will see Brian McCutcheon behind the Cornell bench
>next year.
 
I guess, as a fellow Cornell employee, I really should not second-guess
whether someone will remain in his or her job.  What I do know is this, in
my training in management, if an employee does not perform up to the
pre-established goals or expectations, the employer should have a case in
seeking a change in personnel.  BUT, Cornell does not always operate that
way.  In the years past, when CU had to lay off people due to budgetary
contraints, we were told that cuts could not be made based on performance.
So seniority was used.
 
>But I have this suggestion: fly all the banners from the Lynah rafters
>when the prospects come to visit.  But take them down when the season
>starts; they don't need all that hanging over their heads.
 
Trouble is, you cannot fly in the recruits until the spring semester.  The
season is already half way through.  Besides, if the team does not win more
games at home, what's the point in this exercise anyway?
 
Bottom line:  Nate, Greg, and I, and many other Cornell fans, are most
likely sick and tired of watching a team sinking in its ability and
performance.  And Greg (and Anne) drive six plus hours from Boston each
home weekend to Lynah.  They deserve better.  We fans all deserve better.
Cornell hockey deserves better.
 
PS:  Just so you know:  My wife Rebecca was diagnosed with malignant
recurrent melanoma three weeks ago.  The cancer came back after 14 years.
It was unusual.  We came down to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on
February 8 for a second opinion.  The doctors here recommended an immediate
removal of the tumor in her abdomen.  So we stayed in New York City and she
underwent a three-hour surgery on Monday to remove two tumors.  She is
recovering nicely at the Memorial Hospital, except for a slight skin
infection that occurred this morning.  So instead of leaving tomorrow,
we'll wait until Wednesday before being discharged. The surgery served to
prepare for chemotherapy, which will begin March 1, here at
Sloan-Kettering.  We won't know how well she'll respond to the drugs until
after a couple of regimens.  Rebecca is in fairly good spirits, especially
now that the pain has subsided.
 
I have a PowerBook here and can link up to Cornell.  I also have set up
shop temporarily at the Cornell Metro NY Office on 3rd Ave.  I'm staying at
an apartment at the Cornell Med College residence hall in the Upper East
Side.  My in-laws are with us from Florida.  We are hopeful that we can
fight this recurrence and we will remain positive in our outlook.  I ask
those of you who know Rebecca to please keep her in your thoughts and
prayers.  Being at S-K made us feel like having a winning team of
physicians behind us.
 
 
 
Aloha,
 
Tom Smith Tseng
in New York City