Just got back from NYC with The Calculator Lady. What a great two days except for the outcome of the Fordham game.

1. First what a beautiful campus in the heart of the Bronx. I took some pictures with my cell phone which I will attempt to post later.
The Campus reminded me of Northwestern's in Evanston. There was a Loyola Hall with a statue of Ignatius Loyola.
2. The Rams play in the Rose Hill arena. Now I expected a dumpy and tired arena but they have really refurbished the place. It is attached to McKinley Hall and was a brisk ten minute walk from the security shack leading on to the campus. Rose Hill reminded me of part Callahan in Detroit and part Hinkle in Indy.
They had half of the gym with chairbacks on both the upper and lower level. The upper level is a lot like the old Alumni Gym with no more than five rows of seating.
The place was quite crowded in part because they had a CYO group and another huge group of kids. Also lots of parents and families as well. I believe the highest general admission ticket was $20 and most were around $10.
Happened to get comped by the team. Thanks to Nelson and Matt for arranging it and Coach Moser as well. Sat right behind the LU bench with a group of parents and friends of Loyola. Got to meet Ed and Cathy from Connecticut who were there to attend the game and drive their son, a team manager, back with them for the holidays. Also got to have a brief conversation with Billy Clark before the game. He seemed pretty upbeat. He is a young man of great character just like his dad, Bobby.
3. Got a great four star hotel on east 42nd street for $152 a night. Hotels dot com had a lot of great bargains. The hotel was two blocks from Grand Central Station so The Calculator Lady and I walked to the station and caught the Metro North train to the Fordham stop which is within twenty yards to the campus entry. A great security guard there. I must admit I was surprised at how nice that area of the Bronx was. A lot of shops and restaurants right near by. The train ride was only two stops from GCS and the ride only took twenty minutes. Got a train back rather quickly as well but the conductor said we should not have boarded as the "red" train was from Connecticut and was for disembarking only. Still a nice conductor. He seemed to act like this transgression was a common occurrence and that it made no sense but he had to tell us anyway. Met a couple of New Yorkers with Chicago connections who attended the game as well. A great way to get to Fordham is on the Metro North.
4. Got to ride the Staten Island Ferry in lower Manhattan. I was surprised it was free. It was only twenty five minutes each way but it was very foggy on Monday.
5. Took The Calculator Lady to see Jersey Boys. A very good performance except the August Wilson Theatre which is a real dump with cramped seating and a lot of stairs on every level. Would not recommend it just because of the crappy overpriced seats. We paid $97 each to sit upstairs. A good view but again everyone was cramped and jammed in.
6. When we landed in New York it was 65 degrees and somewhat humid. The traffic was just awful so we hoofed it back the mile and a half to our hotel from the theatre which beat any cab ride. If you know New York you know the east/west streets are a nightmare. Times Square was jam packed with shoppers. Had dinner in two separate Irish bars which were surprisingly low priced with great food.
7. Now for the game. Cody Johnson looked very good and should be a starter. He brought a new dimension to the team and just his sheer size in the middle changed the dynamics. O'Leary started and was relieved by Osborne but a couple of mistakes brought the big O to the bench for good.
Turk came off the bench and drained some really nice threes. He had 14 in the first half and I believe Cody had 11. The arena had two big jumbo tron type scoreboards at each end that tracked points, fouls, rebounds and assists for each player. Very nice. I couldn't believe the idiot pa announcer kept telling us all the score of the game. Unless you were physically blind, you could easily tell by the board. We played well in the first half but it was due to our outside shooting.
Finally Crisman shot a nice three. Why he doesn't shoot more is beyond me?
8. In the second half we again started out in a zone. I do not know why but I am not a basketball expert. The Rams attacked it head on and drove to the hoop and either dished out or dumped it off to a big man underneath. This has happened in several games and we seek not to have learned from it. I would prefer for a two man trap on the point guard. Coach Whitesell used to do that and I did not understand why but now I do as it forces the point guard to give up the ball or deal with the two men. Otherwise on defense you are letting the opposition dictate the tempo and we keep letting ourselves be victimized time and time again.
Also Doyle had two ticky tack fouls that took him out of the game. On the other hand we do not drive to the hoop at all. We look either to make an interior pass or work the ball around the perimeter. The rules have changed for sure but none of the opposition guards area are ever in foul trouble because we do not attack the basket. Jeff is surely capable of driving to the hoop.
9. We fell behind by three and then five and then kept getting close but a dumb play or a great defensive stop stymied us. It was a good game until the final five minutes.
10. Our trip ended with a great flight home. They told us it would be bumpy which made The Calculator Lady very nervous as she is not an experienced flyer./
But the flight was smooth as glass and we both had a first class upgrade which made it even better. Nothing like a gin and tonic to soothe any flyer nerves. A nice Chicagoan switched first class seats so we could sit together. Gosh it was cold here. Surely not like the 60's and 50's in New York.
11. Met a lot of great New Yorkers who were friendly and courteous and helpful.
It was a great trip except for the outcome of the game.
I feel bad for Coach Moser and his staff who have worked so hard. The pieces have just not Yet come together.

Merry Christmas to all and lets hope that next year the close ones go our way. I have to believe that our luck and outcomes will be better.
Although the refs did not cause this outcome I did think their inconsistency and ticky tack fouls at times did hurt our chances.

Streak thanks for the travelogue!. How do you think the attitude of the team is? Did the team do any sightseeing? GO RAMBLERS

Before the game I was looking at Rose Hill Gym on Google streetview. Looks like a great place to see a game. I guess it probably reminded you a lot of Alumni Gym, which was built about 18 months before it.

Agree with your suggestion about driving to the hoop. We only had two foul shots for the entire game; Fordham had 23. With White and Doyle, we have the capability to get a hoop and one, or at least a foul on the drive. Fordham had three players who played 38 minutes or more without fouling out.

You mention how nice that area of the Bronx is. My daughter went to Fordham. I have walked down Fordham Road several times. I am told it is one of the busiest shopping areas in NYC.