Tavern On The Green. Fifty student-athletes had the meal of their lives last night at Tavern On The Green, as the fortunate few who made it to the New York City championship dined on shrimp, steak and cheesecake. With striking lights and gorgeous chandeliers hanging across the room, the teams ate in the middle of Central Park, something they will remember always, regardless of whether or not they win in Madison Square Garden. The games begin tonight at 7 ??? locker room podcasts will be posted in the next day or two.

The coaching carousel. It???s the time of year where the coaching carousel begins its ride around the world of college football. We don???t need to discuss the particulars of any specific institution, but why are such multi-year, guaranteed contracts offered in the first place if administrators aren???t going to ride out the deals? If a coach inks a six-year deal and is fired three years in, the institution must account for the ensuing three years of salary and hire another coach at the same time. Firing coaches becomes a huge financial commitment, so we have to ask, why are such long contracts provided in the first place?

For Kathleen. In honor of 4-year-old Kathleen Quinn, the Salve Regina Student-Athlete Advisory Committee held its first-ever Powder Puff charity football game on November 18. Kathleen was diagnosed with leukemia last year and has undergone extensive treatment, and the disease is currently in remission. Female student-athletes paid $10 to play in the flag-football contest while male student-athletes organized a bake sale. Proceeds from the find-raising effort went to the Tomorrow Fund at Hasbro Children???s Hospital in Providence.

La Salle to cut football. La Salle becomes the latest school in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to drop its football program, joining league members Fairfield, Canisius, Siena, St. John???s and St. Peter???s to leave the gridiron. After a 56-year hiatus, La Salle brought back a non-scholarship football program in 1997, but the dissolution of the MAAC and other variables proved too daunting for the Explorers. In the 10 years since the program returned, La Salle went 35-76 and had back-to-back winning seasons in 2000 and 2001.

Kick it around. The Division I men???s soccer bracket was released Monday and Boston College received the top seed in the tournament. The Eagles lost standout Charlie Davies after last season to the professional ranks, but responded to win the ACC regular season and conference championships. The ACC earned six bids to the tournament ??? BC, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia and Duke. Defending champ UC Santa Barbara is seeded 12th.