DAYTON (OH) — It’s been a few moons since News, Views, & Overdues made it past the UDPride editorial hatchet men, but as luck would have it, I recently fired the entire department and lowered the standards to get around the problem. I did this under the assumption that the pending economic stimulus and job creation package would absorb my out-of-work Internet copy readers. I submitted over a dozen NVO’s in the last six months and the knuckle draggers played Make-It Take-It with the office waste paper basket and my drafted gems. These Neanderthals even convinced the UDPride mail clerks to start reading my mail. I lost control and the inmates were running the asylum. Part of that is my fault; all fish rot from the head. I just couldn’t believe they turned on me. So now I’m turning the page on the first NVO of 2009 and dedicate this entry to Joaquin Phoenix and his budding hip hop rap group “Joaquin’s Dream River and the Speech Predicaments”.

NEWS: Dayton is 23-3 after a tightly contested win over Richmond on Saturday evening. The Flyers had a 48-35 lead with 10:30 to go, but things got tight. Look no further than the nine defensive possessions that followed to shave the lead to 57-53 with 5:45 remaining: 2FT, 2FT, 0, 2FT, 2FT, 2pts, 2pts, 3pts, 3pts. That’s 18pts in nine trips down the floor for Richmond — a basket a possession. Had the Flyers not scored nine points themselves, the lead would have been a deficit.

VIEWS: UD is likely to see its first national ranking of the season this afternoon. We talked about this on the Flyer Feedback Show and I’m penciling the Flyers in at #24. I also dont believe Utah State will drop out.

OVERDUES: CBS’s Seth Davis has lost entire control of his squash. Sunday afternoon he tackled each BCS conference and highlighted teams he thought were “in the dance”. When the Big East appeared, Davis highlighted 13-10 (4-8) Georgetown as in the tournament because “they have played the #1 schedule in the country.” Well how about that. They scheduled well! Davis seems to think that’s all it takes — winning is optional and losing (again and again) should not be penalized. Neither should recent performance because the Hoyas have won exactly three games in 2009, going a blistering 3-9 since New Year’s. They did beat UConn for the Huskies’ only loss, and topped bubble team Syracuse and overrated Memphis. Two of those three wins however were in 2008. How would Seth Davis treat Creighton or Temple if they had twice as many conference losses as victories and were 3-9 in their last 12?

One more FUBAR for you: the Flyers have two more victories over the ranked Top-25 than UCLA (they have zero as of this morning) and played a stronger non-conference schedule. The Bruins started the week #6 in the country.

What does all of this prove my friends? Talent and success in the sportswriting and broadcasting world are completely unrelated. Too many six- and seven- figure yo-yos refuse to do their homework. Yet the only way I can get a byline is if I write for free.

NEWS: UD track star Ashley Cattran is breaking records like Wolfman Jack. Nearly every meet, Cattran is shaving a second or two off her previous school-record in the 800M (including each of her four last races). She ran a scorching 2:07 in a meet at Akron over the weekend to set a Stile Fieldhouse record. Just how fast is 2:07? That time would have put her in the Division-I NCAA Championship FINAL in the 800M last year. Last year’s national champion ran it in 2:03.91. The sophomore from Alter HS almost didn’t run for Dayton. The Pre-Med major thought track would interfere with her studies and had to be cajoled into joining the team.

VIEWS: I tried to get my two cents in when George L’Heureux asked me about the Gem City Jam on Saturday’s Flyer Feedback Show following the Richmond win. Apparently, DDN beat writer Chick Ludwig poked too hard and stirred Flyer nation into a frenzy. Someone at Flanagan’s Pub stepped up the microphone and had a thing or two to say, then George allowed me to opine a bit and speak on behalf of the silent majority. Most of the confusion around the Jam stems from two misnomers: opposing fans think UD is unwilling to play Wright State, and opposing fans think UD hides behind a bogus RPI excuse.

Dayton wants to play Wright State. Dayton is not interested in playing Wright State at the Nutter Center, but Dayton wants to play Wright State nonetheless. Bethune-Cookman flies into Dayton under no pretense that UD plans a return visit. For the un-initiated (and Seth Davis), these are called buy games. That said, as long as WSU continues to demonstrate a consistent product capable of generating Top-150 RPI numbers, the Flyer brass will look more closely at a home/home arrangement.

The Flyers have always been willing to play bad (buy) teams at home. Dayton prefers to play good teams on the road. That’s as elementary as I can explain it without drawing a picture. The Toledo game was a favor for Gregory’s buddy Stan Joplin (axed last season) and BG publicly stated he’d never schedule a road game like that again.

OVERDUES: I’ve met a bunch of great people this year at Flanagan’s participating in the Flyer Feedback Show. Had a chance to talk to fellow UDPrider “UD Baby” who was visiting from NY/NJ and has a daughter enrolled here. UD Baby hails from the class of ’81 and is an east coaster from the first to the last syllable out of his mouth. He had some great stories to share and spoke of the UD spirit we all embrace. The kind of spirit that’s hard to explain but easy to point to. UDPride is such a community and new friendships like these speak to the common red and blue threads we all share.

The show has been a lot of fun and I wish the season was not winding down. George does a great job hosting the show and has been gentle with me as I find my own voice. Trained in journalism and not broadcasting, the mediums are very different. But I’m working hard to add valuable content and share your comments and opinions. The one rule I apply to myself is just that — to be myself. Nothing turns me off more than a broadcaster trying to be too hip for their own skin. ESPN corners the market on on-air talent trying to make the news all about themselves, and the habit is starting to infiltrate regional and local outlets around the country. If I ever do that, I implore someone to intercourse with the show and call me out on it.