The posts have been few and far between, so I’m sure you know where I’m going with this one.

Sometime tomorrow, Fordham SportsNet will disappear. After two years, I’ve decided to shut down the site. The decision was not an easy one by any means, but in some ways it was. This summer, I announced that I’d keep the site up and running. That, unfortunately, will not happen. Managing Fordham SportsNet is a full-time job, and I simply don’t have the time at this point in my life.

Truth be told, when I started Fordham SportsNet two years ago, I was hoping it would lead to something bigger and better. It did. I’m now writing a  Jets Blog and an Education Blog  for Hearst Connecticut Newspapers, which includes the Greenwich Time, Stamford Advocate, Connecticut Post, and Danbury News-Times. I’m also a contributing writer for SNY’s Giants Football Blog. Combine all of that with full-time teaching and coaching responsibilities, and that adds up to a lot of hours.

I actually thought it would be pretty easy to say goodbye. It isn’t. I’m going to miss Fordham SportsNet more than you’ll ever know. I’ll also miss Fordham and the wonderful people who make the university what it is. Special thanks to Joe DiBari, Fordham’s Sports Information Director, for all the access over the past two years. This site would not have been possible without Joe’s support. Thanks to Dereck Whittenburg, Jared Grasso, Tom Masella, and Frank McLaughlin for all their time. And thanks to the basketball and football players who could not have been nicer and more cooperative. I also need to thank Bob Ahrens, WFUV’s Executive Sports Producer. What a great job he’s done at the station. Finally, thanks to you, the readers. We haven’t always agreed, but I’ve enjoyed having you along for the ride.

I’d ask that you keep in touch. Visit my Hearst blogs or email me at charlescostello@optonline.net.

The internet is a funny thing. One day you’re up, the next day you’re down. Tomorrow, Fordham SportsNet will be gone, as if it never existed. That, my friends, is hard to accept.

Goodbye. And thank you. It’s been a lot of fun.

Charles Costello

A guest-packed One on One this afternoon at 1 PM on 90.7 and WFUV.org with lots of football talk.

The Fordham Focus section at 2:30 features interviews with  head football coach Tom Masella, former Ram quarterback John Skelton talking about life in the NFL and Judith Light, who plays Marie Lombardi in the upcoming Broadway show Lombardi.

Earlier you can hear Tim Kurkjian of ESPN on baseball and Andrew Bogusch of Sirius XM analyzing the US Open.

In the 3 o’clock hour a special Saturday edition of our weekly NFL Friday podcast.  This, the opening show of the season, will take a look around the NFL including segments on the Jets and  Giants, Fantasy Football and the predictions of hosts Chris Quagliata and Mike Palladino.

Remember to tune in at 1 PM on 90.7 and WFUV.org  The show will move to its regular Friday slot on September 17th.

WFUV sports begins its 2010 coverage of Fordham football this afternoon starting at 2:50 with the One on One pre-game report.  The game will be preceded by a special 2010 preview show at approximately 2:20 featuring interviews with Coach Masella and the three captains.  The preview show will be on the WFUV Sports blog shortly after the game.

Please be aware that Stretch Internet has created a new look for the live and archived games.  You can reach the site the same way you always have thru the WFUV.org home page.

The archived games from the past cannot be reached thru the new site and will not be transferred over.  Further, we are informed by Stretch that the archives will not be available after October.  We expect our link to those archives will be up sometime over the weekend.  If you should need anything from those archives after October please let us know and we will try to accommodate you.

No mention of former Fordham quarterback John Skelton, but this article is worth a look. From the Arizona Cardinals official website:

John Skelton (NY Daily News)

The throws came one by one from all the quarterbacks, high arching passes to the corner of the end zone where the trash bin stood, in hope the ball would drop in.  

The crowd, big because it was a Saturday and because it was the first day of training camp for the [Arizona] Cardinals, buzzed with each near miss. And it served as a microcosm of the scrutiny the position is under once again.  

Watch the quarterbacks. Watch Matt Leinart. Watch Derek Anderson. Dissect their throws, and speculate on how they will do.  

“There is no competition like a quarterback competition to create interest,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.  

That white-hot spotlight was absent last year. Kurt Warner was the quarterback, undisputed and with a loaded resume. Now Warner is retired, so the favorite topic of Cardinals’ fans and media is wondering what Leinart will bring or even if he will be able to bring it.

 

The questions aren’t going to cease, so the rest of the team must deal.  

 

They deal with it perhaps better than anyone else.

 

“People get replaced, people move on … it’s the way it is,” wide receiver Steve Breaston said. “It’s not panic mode around here. It may be panic mode out there, but in here we see it, we see it every day. People talk about the revolving door – hey, I have two new people next to me at my locker.

 

“All I want to say is let Matt have a chance. See what he can do.”

 

Leinart is going to be the quarterback, unless he [messes] up. This is his chance to emerge from Warner’s shadow, and even with Anderson’s big arm lurking, Leinart should get the opportunity he has been craving.

 

He knows people are watching intently, but “I really don’t feel the pressure,” he said. “It is a pressure situation, and I get that, but this is my job. This is what I am supposed to do.”

 

Leinart has been through these competitions before. The one he had with Warner in training camp of 2008 was not easy, and he took the news hard when coaches informed him before the season Warner would be the starter. He and Warner were friendly, however, and he has the same thing with Anderson.

 

The two have known each other since seeing each other in high school all-star camps back when they were 17. Anderson, who went through some ugly quarterback battles with Brady Quinn in Cleveland – someone Anderson acknowledged he didn’t know before they were pitted against one another – thinks it’ll work better with Leinart.

 

“You don’t want dissention in the locker room, guys wanting to play for another guy,” Anderson said. “You can’t have that. I have been through that, guys trying to get guys on their side. That’s not how I go about it, that’s not how you should go about it. You let your play talk and that’s all you worry about.”

 

Whisenhunt said it’s impossible to get away from the outside scrutiny. It is the quarterback position after all. Focusing on the team as a whole, the offense as a whole, is important for the coaching staff “so you don’t get caught up in the daily circus.”

 

Whisenhunt’s players seem to understand that. That’s what happens when a team wins two straight division titles. There is an internal belief in place that success will happen even with a quarterback change – a change, by the way, the players have known about and dealt with since January.

 

“Sometimes you see other teams and they are worried about who will be quarterback, but I really don’t think anyone here cares,” running back Tim Hightower said. “We’ve been battle-tested. We know how to handle all situations. We have a system in place. It’s not so much about the players but the system, buying into the system, believing in the system.”

 

Said Breaston, “We will make this work.”

Hearst CT Newspapers Jets Blog: Jets Takeoff

Hearst CT Newspapers Education Blog: Teacher Talk

SNY Giants Blog: Giants Football Blog

Over the past few months, because of time commitments and other responsibilities, I’ve gone back and forth about continuing with this site. Ultimately, I decided to keep Fordham SportsNet up and running because of the valuable service it provides. That, and because I love this site. With the exception of fordhamsports.com, there is no other website that provides the day-to-day news and analysis of the men’s basketball and football programs that we do. Fordham has a lively message board - where at times news is presented – but that’s mostly a place for fans to vent. If you want a game recap, quotes from players and coaches, and commentary on the school’s two biggest programs, I’m proud to say that Fordham SportsNet has become the place to go. The local papers may find their way to Rose Hill from time to time, but we’re there all the time.

Fordham SportsNet launched in November 2008, just in time for the start of basketball season. The goal was to provide independent, comprehensive coverage of Fordham sports. On a good day, this site can get up to 1,000 hits. That’s not bad, but it’s only a start. I’m committed to making this website even better, and that begins on August 1 when we return with full coverage.

Running a website is a full-time job, and it’s not the only thing I do. But for me, Fordham SportsNet has led to writing opportunities with SNY’s Giants Football Blog, Hearst Newspapers Jets Blog, Hearst Newspapers Education Blog, and College Chalktalk. I also launched a radio show last summer on Blog Talk Radio. It’s time consuming and it costs money, but in the long run it’s well worth it.

So we’ll be at all the games and the practices, in the locker rooms and all around campus. We hope you’ll continue to join us, and that others will come along as well. One more thing: I’m not deaf to the criticism that this site has gotten since its inception. You know, the chatter about us being on the school’s payroll (I wish that were the case, by the way). Here’s my pledge: If you see something you don’t like, say something, and I’ll get back to you with a response. I want to be fair, and that includes being fair to my readers.

We’ll talk to you on Sunday.

Charles Costello

An announcement will be made Wednesday morning regarding the future of Fordham SportsNet. Please check back tomorrow morning.

Sept. 11 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND Jack Coffey Field 6:00 PM

Sept. 18 at Columbia University New York, N.Y. TBA

Sept. 25 ASSUMPTION COLLEGE (HC) Jack Coffey Field 1:00 PM

Oct. 2 at Holy Cross* Worcester, Mass. TBA

Oct. 9 at Lehigh University* Bethlehem, Pa. TBA

Oct. 16 at Yale University New Haven, Conn. TBA

Oct. 23 LAFAYETTE COLLEGE* (F) Jack Coffey Field 1:00 PM

Oct. 30 GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY* Jack Coffey Field 1:00 PM

Nov. 6 at Bucknell University* Lewisburg, Pa, 1:00 PM

Nov. 13 OPEN

Nov. 20 COLGATE UNIVERSITY* Jack Coffey Field TBA

* – Patriot League contest

(H) – Homecoming

(F) – Family Weekend

All times tentative and subject to change.

(as of May 11, 2010)