Wednesday recap!

Here is a little midweek food for thought:

-OWU looks like the class of the NCAC this year but they just lost to Gettysburg who lost to Stevenson and Cortland last week. I'm not a huge fan of comparative scoring but this does lead me to believe that there will be outrage if 3 NCAC teams make the tourney and deserving others are left out. The NCAC is good lacrosse but clearly not a conference putting forth teams in contention for the NC. Dickinson beat Kenyon by 1 and Dickinson isn't even on most people's Centennial radar.

-Bryant has shown that they have really arrived on the D1 lax scene. They lost to Loyola this week but kept it competitive. Any time you can play a top 20 team to a 15-11 loss in your first year is a good sign. Pressler will stick around for a while and Greer only went 2g, 1a so the future looks bright for the Bulldogs.

-Albany beat Umass yesterday. The Danes are up and down this year as are the Minutemen. Umass could put together a run at the end on the back of Connolly but even with the win yesterday, I still think Albany is a year away at least.

-UVA kept rolling as they easily bested the Catamounts of Vermont. UVA is clearly a top contender but what is going on with Ryan Curtis' UVM squad and its small roster? 20-something guys won't get you wins at the Division One level. As stupid as this may sound, I believe the problems start with their mascot. Question: what is the only difference between a catamount and a cougar? Answer: the prior is the mascot for Universitas Viridis Montis, the latter is not. Now is it silly to have two names for one cat?

side note: my uncle used to skate around the rink at intermission for UVM hockey games wearing the old Cat suit. Back then he was called Charlie, now they call him Rally. The latter is a step down considering it isn't even an alliteration. Also Rally connotes that the team is already losing. Is that really the attitude you want, UVM? Both of my parents went there so I would desperately love to see them succeed.

GREAT Division 3 highlights

check out the video lax.com loaded up from the Gburg-Cortland game last weekend:
http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2250
some really good highlights from a great early season North-South match-up.

Cortland looks like they have some strong dodgers and finishers. Both teams played physical although both teams can be seen swinging at sticks instead of taking the body on numerous goal scoring opportunities, granted it is only a highlight reel.

PotD - at least it isn't snow?

The Pacific NW is just wonderful this time of year! Mercer Island HS lacrosse practice pictured above. They seem accustomed to the rain!

PotD - New Nike Jerseys

Wesleyan [top] and Skidmore [bottom] both have new away jerseys by Nike in 2009 and both programs are now rocking Brine helmets. Wesleyan is back in black after a few years with red jerseys.

NLL all star weekend

The NLL all-star game took place over the weekend in Denver.
The players were introduced to the roar of some motorcycles and flame throwers, a geared out Dan Dawson jumped into a hot tub with some scantily clad blondes during the 3rd period, Mark Steenhuis had 13 points [7g, 6a] to capture his 3rd all-star MVP and supposedly a lacrosse game was played.

OUTRAGE!

Read this: http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2008-09/news/022009_asu

then read this: http://deadspin.com/5166103/florida-state-punished-for-cheating-scandal-but-not-really

so basically these schools and by extension, the NCAA are saying:

a)wrongs perpetrated by college students [just the kids] are worse than wrongs by YOUR OWN ATHLETIC DEPT/STAFF[PAID ADULTS, KIDS AND COACHES!].

b)drinking alcohol is bad, even though [at 21 years of age] it is legal.

c)cheating is kind of bad but really not that bad. next time, just don't get caught! tsk, tsk, slap on the wrist.

d)The NCAA has no teeth and is a slave to the money-earning sports and "academic" institutions.

So... WOW. I am appalled at FSU, the NCAA and Division 1 sports in general. The point of college is academics. PERIOD. Therefore, when serious academic violations are reported the response should be swift and meaningful, unlike what happened with FSU. These "students" should be suspended or even expelled and the tutors, coaches and administrators should be fired. Conduct violations [like what happened at ASU] are embarrassing for the University and the students involved and are quickly remedied by the suspension of the team but cheating scandals are far worse because they bring in to question why the students-athletes are even called students in the first place.

Duke's lacrosse season was cancelled by the school because of an off-campus party and allegations that in the end proved to be false. ASU's season was cancelled due to hazing and drinking. If this thinking continues logically, FSU's entire athletics department should be suspended for a year because the problems there are clearly systematic and widespread, yet the school did very little on top of the pathetic NCAA penalties.

weekend review II

Maryland won. Catalino scored 4 goals but I still think he slows down their offense and the game and is a pretty boring player to watch. He also made some questionable hits, of course he is also just bigger than everyone else so I could just be feeling bad for them.

Cornell lost as I thought they would but were competitive. UVA is just too deep this year for many to run with.

Hopkins impressed with their win over Hofstra. Defensively they looked comfortable and were playing like a team. Hofstra just didn't bring it to the same level. Both Gvozden brothers looked pretty good in goal for both teams. Older Brother, Michael, was a difference maker.

Umass took out Harvard. Lynchburg knocked of Cabrini in a surprise win. Lburg could be the class of the ODAC although W&L looks to be a challenger this year and Roanoke is off to a quick start. The top of this conference and the top of the CAC is looking even better than the Centennial or the NESCAC.

Cortland proved they are the real deal with a big win on LI against Gburg. the Bullets keep slipping and although I believe they are a top 20 team, they have a lot to prove. Bowdoin took the one goal win over Wesleyan with less than 30 seconds left in a 4-3 barn burner.

MCLA Chapman bested D3 Ithaca by a score of 14-11. I think this score pretty much proves Chapman could easily play at the top of Division 3 lacrosse. I would go out there and play lax in Cali if I could!

BYU topped FSU... I wish both of these schools would add men's lacrosse to their NCAA offered sports. When that happens, lacrosse will be unstoppable but in the meantime, it is great to see the club guys balling at a really high level and filling the gap until those schools take up the mantle of lacrosse themselves.

PotDs - NYC spring lax

A shot of the Sideline for Team Southampton, some photo "art", me almost killing a teammate from Hobart and me getting ready to shoot wide right.

Cornell-UVA

The Cornell-UVA match-up is probably the premier game of the weekend, at least according to the rankings. Max Seibald is a monster out on the field and is my early pick for player of the year. He just does things others can't, elevates his teammates and provides that spark when his team needs it. He plays at 100% all the time but is aided by less heralded players like John Glynn. Glynn does a great job on face offs and is a threat to score as well. He is more than just a FOGO. Do I think this will be enough for CU to knock off UVA? No. UVA is loaded on offense and defense with athletes and blue chip players all over the place. They place well together and along with Cuse are the heavy favorites to win the NC this year.

http://cornellsun.com/section/sports/content/2009/03/06/men%E2%80%99s-lacrosse-against-top-ranked-virginia

Hofstra-Hopkins looks like a good game to see which of these teams is for real and which is just pretending. I like the LI crew in this one. I also think the "Spirit of Massachusetts is the Spirit of America" Bowl featuring UMass and Harvard will be a telling game between two top 20 teams.

On the D3 side of things Cabrini-Lburg should be a good game. I don't think Lynchburg is as bad as some people thought they were after they destroyed Colorado College. I do think Cabrini is the real deal and will win by 3-5 goals. Gburg-Cortland on LI should be a great game in warm weather. Gburg has a lot to prove after getting destroyed by Stevenson. I like Cortland by a few. Wesleyan-Bowdoin should be a good game as well up in Maine. If it were 20 degrees colder the edge would go to Bowdoin but with the warm temps predicted I have to give Wesleyan a one-goal edge in this early, but important NESCAC tilt.

PotD - Ephmen dye? shameful.

Lavender [yeah I dyed my stick lavender, what of it?] Gait Triton with a disintegrating checker pattern, neon yellow mesh, yellow sidewalls and all-white shooters. You would think some hotshot from Williams, Nazareth, Albany or Whittier had done up this bad boy but no, it was an old laxrat from the Red & Black of Wesleyan. I'm an equal opportunity dye-ist.

NEW Nike Unis...

Chapman already broke these uniforms out[http://laxmagazine.com/multimedia/photos/2008-09/030209_michiganchapman_dirkdewachter] in their MCLA #1-#2 tilt with UMichigan but the new jersey style probably won't get any real hype until Gtown busts out with these bad boys at some point this season:

D3 upset alert

More Images and Full Story on lax.com at: http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2241

Some notables:

This is a huge win for Stevenson. They have been accused of never winning a big game and this win certainly debunks the validity of that statement.

I applaud the Gburg and Stevenson players on the amount of dyed heads present in this game. The Stevenson guys didn't even have dye jobs with their team colors... Respek! However, certain components of both of their uniforms are pretty disgusting. The Gait helmet just doesn't look that good, does it? From my own [limited]experience, I didn't think it was particularly comfortable nor did it provide great vision. Maybe if the Visor were orange too? maybe...

Stevenson's gloves look like something you would buy at the Sports Authority on Clearance Sale although the rest of their uniforms looked really good. I know it is all about how you play and not how you look while doing it but there is no law against looking good so both squads can afford to try a little harder next time, ok?

I still dig the neon shoe laces purely on a style level but when you combine it with the cause they help support [http://headstrongfoundation.org/] it just doesn't get any better than that!

NLL update

follow the link to get a great update on the NLL season as it currently stands.

http://www.laxmagazine.com/nll/2008-09/news/030509_nllnotes

My questions:

Why didn't Shawn Evans go to college for lacrosse? the kid can obviously ball with the best of them.

How does Gary Gait still put up numbers like he does? Isn't he 108 years old? Kidding, Gary. You're the man still and I'm just jealous.

How do you even go about suffering a broken trachea? that sounds painful... and confusing.

LAX MATH!

http://www.laxpower.com/common/participation08.php
check out the link above for participation, roster size and other numbers related to lacrosse in the college ranks, specifically at the NCAA level. Unfortunately, I have not yet found similar numbers for the MCLA.

Wagner WINS! Blue Hose lose... again

Everywhere you look online, someone is congratulating Wagner on their "great" win to snap their 48 game losing streak. While I agree that it is nice for a team to win one once in a while, Wagner did so against the team that will likely replace them as the longest losing steak in NCAA division 1 lacrsosse, the Presbyterian Blue Hose of South Carolina. At this point, PC hasn't won a game and doesn't look like it is going to. They finished 2008 at 0-11 and are o-5 so far in 2009. A win is great and I truly hope Wagner can build on it but until the wins start to come against decent opponents, I don't think all this celebrating is really needed.

It is one thing when a Div 3 team pulls of something like this [see Hood as a perfect example] because Division 3 sports are a little more laid back focusing on participation but Division 1 teams should always be looking to win and improve. If sports aren't that important that the school can dedicate the appropriate resources, then the institution in question should move to a different division, reduce costs and increase their academic priorities.

I'll be pulling for both Wagner and Presbyterian to improve but if they don't I would hope that their respective administrations would address why exactly they need to be Division 1 schools.

PotD - snowy alumni

A hearty group of 16 law students, financial nerds, lax junkies and Vermonters come together to play a little sweet lax in the snow in Middletown, CT. The old school 'Stros jerseys made the 9-7 alumni loss well worth while.

PotD - Lax hair

Mike "Mayo" Hines displays some of the finest lacrosse hair since Tom Ryan cut his dreads and gives us all something to shoot for.

Team USA 84-man player pool

The 84 man player pool has been established for the next iteration of the USA's national outdoor lacrosse team. The pool will be cut to 40 and then eventually to the ILF mandated 23 man roster. It is interesting to note that neither Casey [pictured] nor Mike Powell are listed, although Ryan is still eligible.

Most of the guys on the list played at the top [Cuse/UVA/UMD/Hopkins/Duke] tier of college lacrosse but there are a couple of notable exceptions in division 3 players Stephen Berger [WAC] and Eric Martin [Salisbury] and division 2 player Tom Zummo [NY Tech]. All 3 of them are big time players in the MLL.

It is impressive that Brian Dougherty is still in the running even though he graduated from UMD 13 years ago but what is even more impressive is that Dman John Gagliardi is still being considered. I mean, let's face it, goalies can stand around for much of the game and they don't have to be in tip-top shape if they are naturals [like Doc]. Dmen are expected to be able to cover the best offensive players in the game and in order to do so, they need to be in top condition. Gags is something special in that respect because he has always been a beast but his skill and precision with the longstick never ceases to amaze me. For further proof [and the opportunity for young dmen to learn some new skills!] check out this video from Maverik and Lax.com:

http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2233

It will be interesting to see where the team ends up in terms of roster but so far the 84 men selected are skilled athletes that will represent the USA with pride and determination. A lot less repeat players were selected and that makes some sense considering what happened during the last world championships where the US lost to our neighbor to the North.

To see the entire list: http://insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=198911

Chapman's uniforms - SWEET.

Check out Chapman's Uniforms with the link below.. I dare you:

http://laxmagazine.com/multimedia/photos/2008-09/030209_michiganchapman_dirkdewachter

proof that horizontal stripes don't always make you look fat.

weekend review

What a weekend! Princeton beat the Hop liked I said they would. Cornell bested Army in the final minute on a Max Siebald goal. He doesn't get as much hype as some others in the college game but he is as good as or better than any middie in the college game right now. His swim move is evocative of Rabil, just a couple inches lower. UMd looked solid against Duke but their offense is a little stagnant for a team that is supposedly loaded with talent. Both Catalino and Yeatman tend to hold the ball a lot and post up which really slows the game down. None of the Terp first line middies are that impressive although they are all fast and play well together. This team needs something additional if they are going to be contenders. Gtown lost to St. John's in Queens and it was the first major win for this 5 year old iteration of the SJU program.

There weren't any major upsets in the D3 or D2 ranks and my call that Colorado College would beat Lynchburg was embarassingly wrong considering CC lost by 15! All of the typical players kept rolling although the NESCAC teams won't really start playing real games for another week. Montclair State came back from a 6-4 deficit in the 4th to beat Hartwick 7-6 in Jersey. Big win for the MSU squad. Merrimack scrimmaged Weselyan and Merrimack could really be the surprise team of D2 this year. They have an experienced bunch of kids, the coach believes in them and they were able to solve Wesleyan's zone which speaks to their ball movement and unselfishness. Look for Merrimack to do well this year. RIT beat Adelphi by one showing the difference between the 2 divisions is, as usual, not that much.

On a side note, I played in my alumni game on Saturday in 3 inches of snow and had a great time out there. We lost 9-7 with only 16 players to a bunch of kids who are actually in shape. If there is one thing I learned, it is that I simply do not recover the way I used to... ah, getting old!

Photo of Wick-MSU game.