Monday News --- 07/20/09

First off, a big "Thanks" to all who wished us a good trip. Here in New Hampshire we have had non-stop rain this season. In Baltimore, we had showers only on one afternoon.

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The Boston Globe has a story by Monique Walker about All-America candidate Nate Thellen of Northeastern and his brother and current UMass RFr Darren Thellen.

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Josh Buchanan a frequent contributor to Draft Daddy, now has his own "Small School" ---- FCS website.

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Speaking of new websites, check out College-Football Mid Major Madness. It has ten blog posts by "umass09".

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Another new website covering FCS is the new, and somewhat mysterious, FCS Now Blog.

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Dave Coulson gives preseason news and predictions for the Big Sky, Southern Conference, and Great West Conference.

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Temple has cut ties with two players from their Spring Roster. No indication what the nature of the offense was or if he'd be eligible, but Junior Galette could be an impact player at the FCS level.

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Not sure how many people check the comments on older posts, but a Kansas State fan left the following as travel suggestions for a trip to see UMass play the Wildcats as a comment in my July 7th blog post:

"Some travel suggestions/observations for our visitors:

Travel from Kansas City International Airport (code "MCI") to Manhattan is 130 miles via Interstates 435 and 70 (70 mph speed limit). Part of I-70 is the Kansas Turnpike (about $2.35 each way).

Air connections from KC to Manhattan ("MHK") are limited at the moment. You might want to check air connections later this month as some additional connections thru Texas are being added.

Topeka is a good second choice for hotels and is 55 miles to the east via I-70. The Wanamaker Road corridor on the west side of the capital city is replete with lots of hotels and dining establishments.

Parking lots at the stadium open 5 hours prior to kick-off. The lots around the stadium are reserved. Lots across the street offer plenty of parking between $10 and $20 per car.

Visiting teams generally book into the The Holiday Inn (Anderson Ave., Manhattan), the Capital Plaza in Topeka, or, in Junction City, the Marriot depending on the preferences of the respective coaches and ADs. My suggestion would be for you to contact your football office for that info.

Expect many, many tailgaters and lots of barbecue and music in the parking areas."