Ephs Mascot Featured on ESPN Commercial

Sorry, Ali Fedotowsky (a.k.a The Bachelorette) but you’re old news. There’s another star hailing from the Village Beautiful, and yes…..it’s a purple cow.

The Williams College mascot is about to get a whole lot of face time, and the man behind the mask is a Drury High School graduate.

Beginning this Monday (September 13), ESPN will begin airing a College GameDay commercial featuring some of the most recognizable mascots in the country: the Florida Gator, Oregon Duck, Texas Tech Raider, Georgia Bulldog, Penn Quaker, Ohio State Buckeye and …

…..the Purple Cow from Williams College.

And who better to don the purple attire than Stamford, Vt. native and Drury grad James Dunn, who recently graduated from Williams. Dunn provides an entertaining personal account here from his trip to Long Beach, Calif.

This is all pretty exciting, wouldn’t you say? Among some of the biggest powerhouses in collegiate sports, and there’s the Division III Ephs, representing a quaint town nestled in the northwestern most corner of Massachusetts. But why? There’s a great back story, and The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan has the scoop.

Ryan’s column is a great read, featuring plenty of local references sprinkled throughout, including a quote from Williams College information director Dick Quinn.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

So here we are, ready to kick off another NFL season. Couldn’t be more excited.

A fall breeze is in the air, school is back in session and the election season is heating up. You’ve got to love the fall! It’s that bitter winter I could do without.

PHS, Taconic and Mount Greylock Fall Athletic Schedules

Here are the fall sports schedules for Pittsfield, Taconic and Mount Greylock high schools:

Pittsfield Generals

Taconic Braves

Mount Greylock Mounties

Drury High School released its schedule earlier this summer.

iBerkshires.com encourages local athletic directors to submit their fall schedules to info@iBerkshires.com.

Drury Fall Athletic Schedules Released

Summer just started, but it's never too early to start marking your calendars for the fall.

On Tuesday afternoon, Drury High School Athletic Director John Franzoni released the fall sports schedules. The golf team will kick off the Blue Devils' athletic year with a match at Monument Mountain on Friday, September 3.

Make sure to circle Saturday, November 6, on your calendars. Defending Western Massachusetts Division II champion Hoosac Valley travels to Drury High School for their annual rivalry game, which always draws a big crowd.

Click on the sport to see the team's 2010 schedule:

Football

JV Football

Boys' Soccer

Girls' Soccer

Golf

Cross Country

If any other Berkshire County AD has fall schedules, please e-mail them to info@iberkshires.com.

Former SteepleCat Making His Pitch On TV Show

So, Berkshire County native Ali Fedotowsky is on the Bachelorette. Haven't you heard?

Believe it or not,  there is a local sports angle to this show, as well. Roberto Martinez, who is one of the guys vying for Fedotowsky's "affection," was a pitcher on the 2002 inaugural North Adams SteepleCats baseball team.

I wonder if Fedotowsky ever went to any of his games at Joe Wolfe?

My other question is: If Martinez gets a shot, when will Slider (the mascot) find his true love? I smell a new show idea.....FOX, are you listening?

Keep an eye out for the SteepleCats logo on the show. If you see it, let us know.

According to the Cats' archived stats, Martinez made eight starts with a 2-5 record. Here's hoping he fares a little better on TV.

If you check out the video below, it's looking pretty good so far.

Speaking of the SteepleCats, the season kicks off a week from Friday at Joe Wolfe Field. Stay tuned to iBerkshires.com in the coming weeks for more 'Cats coverage.

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The Super Bowl will be played in New Jersey in 2014! Great news.

Anyone who is complaining about this move (although I haven't heard too many critics) just isn't a football fan. If games during the regular season and playoffs are played in frigid temperatures and snow storms, why wouldn't the biggest game of the year endure the same elements?

I was always a bit irked come Super Bowl week, having to put up with coverage in sunny Florida, Arizona or California. Or even worse, having the game played in a dome. The Pro Bowl in a warm climate or dome I have no problem with, but it always seemed artificial to have a world championship game in the same five or six sites, based soley on their appeal to the wealthy folks who could afford tickets to the game.

When you think of rich football traditions, you think of places like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland and New England. But nope, instead the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals have had their stadiums on display on the biggest stage in sports.

Super Bowl coming to Jersey. LOVE IT!

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Don't look now, but the Red Sox are starting to look like a contender. Pitching has been lights out lately and they've won seven of their last eight games. As I'm writing this, they're up 4-1 in the third inning over Tampa Bay despite missing three starters (Victor Martinez, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew).

So as bleak as it looked after being swept by the Baltimore Orioles, baseball's worst team, a few weeks back, now Boston is on the verge of sweeping the best team in baseball on Tampa's home turf.

Oh, how fun the baseball season can be. One week, we're saying "at least we have the Celtics and Bruins," and the next we're saying "Wait, who are the Bruins?"