PD Love is Gone

[slufanskip]

So Box and Won doesn't get lost, actually Otterville is in Jersey County, and Otter Lake is in Macoupin County. Irrespective, both Jersey and Macoupin Counties are part of the "St. Louis" Metropolitan Statistical Area, even though that seems like a real stretch to yours truly.

In an effort to bring some closure to this, my opinion remains that it is a fair statement to say that SLU is "the only D-1 team in town," emphasize the word "town," or replace it with "city." SLU is the only D-1 team in the City of St. Louis, and we can expand "St. Louis" to include St. Louis County, like the postal service now does.

Belleville and Alton are to St. Louis much like Aurora, Elgin, Waukegan, and Joliet are to Chicago. I lived in Belleville one summer and it is in one sense part of St. Louis, but in another sense, Belleville.

Let me refer to the San Francisco Bay Area as an example. USF is the only D-1 team in San Francisco, as in the City and County of San Francisco. We can take this a step further, and add San Mateo County and Marin County, which would be similar to adding St. Louis County, in other words the 415 and 650 area codes, akin to the 314 area code in the St. Louis Area. (Granted, Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, home of Stanford, is also in the 650, but that involves certain complications unnecessary to this analogy.) In contrast, the San Francisco Bay Area, as in the Area, not the town or the city, has 6 D-1 teams (Cal, Stanford, USF, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, and San Jose State). St. Mary's, Cal, Santa Clara, and San Jose State would not say they are in "San Francisco." St. Mary's and Cal would relate to San Francisco geographically like SIUE is to St. Louis.

Three more D-1 teams are in a similar general geographical range to San Francisco as Mizzou, SEMO, and SIUC are to St. Louis: UC Davis, Sacramento State, and Pacific.

So while it is true that the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area now has 2 D-1 teams, SLU and SIUE, I think we can still legitimately claim that SLU "is the only D-1 team in town."

If Lindenwood went D1 would you consider that St. Louis?

[Box and Won]

I've been here ten minutes now, and I still haven't seen any otters. Incredibly disappointing. I did see two ferrets and a possum though.

[Bay Area Billiken]

It is a close call and splitting hairs, but I would say no as to St. Louis, the City as opposed to the area, including Lindenwood, realizing that SLU home Soccer games were played at Lindenwood my freshman year at SLU. I realize how the STL Area has grown into and beyond St. Charles, which is a city in its own right. Others may well have a different answer than me.

If you asked me the same question as to UMSL, my answer would be yes, a different answer.

What does Lindenwood say?

[Bay Area Billiken]

I've been here ten minutes now, and I still haven't seen any otters. Incredibly disappointing. I did see two ferrets and a possum though.

[Bay Area Billiken]

LOL! Stop by The White Spot in Jerseyville. My Dad went there as a kid and it is still there. Alternatively, you can try The Fin Inn in Grafton. I can taste the catfish right now. You may not find much in Otterville proper, but if you do, let me know.

[West Pine Jim]

If Lindenwood went D1 would you consider that St. Louis?

No, and they probably will before too long. BTW, if someone will combine this geography thread along with the rankings/number of wins thread, and we all read and write theses on it, can we all pick up an honorary degree in the spring ? Would be nice to pick up another sheepskin with Conk and KC.

On second thought, I don't want another sheepskin, given the URI vs. RI School of Design reference earlier today.

[bonwich]

On second thought, I don't want another sheepskin, given the URI vs. RI School of Design reference earlier today.

You'd rather attend USC?

[West Pine Jim]

You'd rather attend USC?

Not really. Nor Austin Peay, even if Fly Williams is always open.

[slufanskip]

It is a close call and splitting hairs, but I would say no as to St. Louis, the City as opposed to the area, including Lindenwood, realizing that SLU home Soccer games were played at Lindenwood my freshman year at SLU. I realize how the STL Area has grown into and beyond St. Charles, which is a city in its own right. Others may well have a different answer than me.

If you asked me the same question as to UMSL, my answer would be yes, a different answer.

What does Lindenwood say?

Why UMSL but not Lindenwood? UMSL is not in St. Louis city. It sounds like you are just coming up with your own arbitrary boundry. SIUE is 20 minutes from downtown. Since the discussion began with the Post coverage, shouldn't we be talking about D1 schools within their area? Local news covers Edwardsville as if it is St. Louis

[SShoe]

Why UMSL but not Lindenwood? UMSL is not in St. Louis city. It sounds like you are just coming up with your own arbitrary boundry. SIUE is 20 minutes from downtown. Since the discussion began with the Post coverage, shouldn't we be talking about D1 schools within their area? Local news covers Edwardsville as if it is St. Louis

By Bay Area's logic, UMSL should be called the University of Missouri at Normandy (UMN).

Agree Skip. It should be based on the Post's distribution area, given that's where this debate started.

[JettFlight5]

I live in Macoupin County. It's St. Louis area in name only.

[Bay Area Billiken]

1. An existing county boundary, in this case the Missouri River, between St. Louis County and St. Charles County is not my "own arbitrary boundary."

2. It is true that UMSL is in Normandy, but Normandy is in St. Louis County, not St. Charles County like Lindenwood. Again, I can see how others would disagree re Lindenwood, but because St. Charles is its own city, and not in St. Louis City or County, I see a difference.

3. Re SIUE, consider the case of Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky, only 7 miles southeast of Cincinnati. Does that make Northern Kentucky a "Cincinnati" school like UC and Xavier? I'd be curious to read the opinions of UC and Xavier posters on that subject. Granted Northern Kentucky is in the Greater Cincinnati Area, but to me, it is not in Cincinnati. It is in a different state, like SIUE.

4. Re the Post-Dispatch circulation area allegedly being the deciding factor, consider that the Post-Dispatch circulation area includes my hometown of Quincy, Illinois. The Post-Dispatch is delivered to my Mom's house each morning. Does this make Quincy part of St. Louis? Of course not. If Quincy University, which has a strong D-2 program, decides to go D-1, does that make Quincy a "St. Louis" school? Of course not.

Let's not give away our right to say that SLU is the "only D-1 school in town."

[Bay Area Billiken]

Let's not give away our right to say that SLU is the "only D-1 school in St. Louis," not for SIUE that is.

There was a time when SIUE was SLU's biggest rival in soccer. Bob Guelker left SLU to coach at SIUE, which ultimately won a D-1 national championship.

SIUE parading that live cougar in front of us year after year at Busch Stadium II at the Bronze Boot Game is what sprung us into action our Senior year at SLU to bring back the Billiken mascot. My roommate from 6 Gries (Cellblock 6) and I sat in Ekker's office and told him we were not leaving until he let us have back the Billiken mascot. He finally relented. We drafted a floormate to serve as the Billiken, complete with the old (by then cracked) head, and dressed him in an old SLU hockey jersey. We had 2 female SLU tennis players escort the Billiken as he took a walk on the north (SIUE) side of the field. His only stipulation was that he did not have to get near that cougar. We kept the "head" in our dorm room, and the Billiken returned wearing a tuxedo and sneakers at the basketball games. Then STL P-D lead basketball writer Dave Dorr even wrote a column about the return of the (Billiken) "head." Thus, we helped SLU get coverage in the hometown newspaper.