Sunday, July 27, 2003

Summer breeze makes me feel fine,
Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind

Seals and Crofts?

I'm thinking if only there were a summer breeze to cool things down just a tad. I finally understand the weather here. The only time we ever get Santa Barbara type temperatures (between 70 and 80) here in northern Colorado is when the mercury is just passing through, on its hurried way to someplace far more extreme.

I SAW THE FILM TODAY, OH BOY!

Over the last week I finally had the courage to watch the tape from the CSU vs Santa Barbara USLIA 2003 Championship game this past May, as I pedaled my stationary bike through one painful quarter at a time. I am more than grateful to have the video tape, carefully edited and wonderfully presented for my enjoyment by Robert Katz, Jared’s (#9, aka the Rabbit) father, but I am not sure if I can ultimately watch it very many more times. For me, so much of this game of lacrosse is about aesthetics, and that game was buck ugly. Doesn't anybody have the tape from the Sonoma game the day before?

If watching our far less-than-perfect first half was difficult, then watching the mistake orgy that was the second half was absolute torture. How we won the game is beyond me. The third quarter might have been our worst quarter of the entire season, but fortunately UCSB was no better. In the fourth quarter we got one goal off of the first face off and proceeded to simply "tough it out" for the last 14.5 minutes. We did not win the championship as much as we refused to lose it. Don’t get me wrong, refusing to lose is a key ingredient to winning any championship. I am proud that we had this quality, and my greatest wish is for this to remain as part of our annual legacy.

ON TO THE FUTURE

The fact is, though, that many aspects of us should be better in ’04 in oh-so-many ways. I expect us to have more talent and more depth in most places. Yes, we must break in a new goalie, and he replaces a true talent, but the "understudy" has worked hard to get ready. Besides, he will still have Alex, as his coach, if all goes right. The changing of the Goalie is indeed a delicate process, but it does not frighten me half as much as the possibility that four or five guys are flirting with the Mendoza line of academic eligibility, that all-important 2.0 GPA. I am not a genius. This has been documented many times (daily). What is so hard about getting a 2.2 (always good to have a cushion) grade point average at a state university? Anyway, if they all keep their little butts in school and eligible, I can’t help but think we can be a much scarier team next year than we were as 2003's eventual champions.

THE ONION WAY - YOU CAN CUT US, BUT WE MAKE YOU CRY -

As 2002-2003 began we (CSU) were looking strong and talented. In Las Vegas at the end of October we went to the Halloween Tournament all dressed up as a legitimate USLIA powerhouse. When the spring began, however, many of our layers had already started to peel away, name by name having fallen from the roster due to one unfortunate circumstance or another. Ultimately, we stayed tight and strong inside our team nucleus; the Onion Defense.

BATTER UP!

The season changed for us almost daily, and I think as the 2003 season unfolded, many teams could not believe that they had lost to us. We couldn't have appeared very imposing by as early as March. We must have looked much as a junk ball pitcher in baseball looks easy to hit, but may not be. In my other life long ago the springtimes were filled with stitched horsehide covered balls, not the hard, smooth, rubber ones that have taken up most of the last 30. Anyway, I remember that some of the toughest pitchers I ever faced were junk ball guys that I couldn't wait to get up to hit against after watching them throw while waiting in the on-deck circle. I have a feeling that we looked like an extremely beatable lacrosse team in 2003. At the same time I think we were difficult to prepare for.

WHO AM US ANYWAY?

I'm not sure who we will be, or what's in store for '04, but I suspect we will look quite a bit different in style of play.

In 2003 we became the team we became because we had no choice. Scoring did not come easily for us. We had to recover and "make stops" on defense all year long. At times my "offensive plan" was for us to simply keep the ball in that end long enough for the defense to rest a bit, and all too often we could not even do that. As awesome as Alex was at times in the goal, the defense was consistently great, too. Just look at our scores from the games. Every time someone tells me that we won only because of our goalie, I nod, but I also think to myself that they don’t really get "us". For us, the goalie is indeed a star position, as in being a star is his job. It’s not a bonus thing. We try to make things easier for the goalie. At the same time we dare to "DO" things on defense, and sometimes there can be a breakdown, or the other team executes well, and the goalie must try to bail us out. That is our style. Our team defense is based on trust, and the fact that every player knows exactly what the others will do in certain situations. We must be connected. When the connection is really there, the goalie often gets all the acclaim. That’s what I want. Goalies are usually better at interviews and generally handling more pressure anyway.

Having said all this, there is no way we could have beaten BYU in Provo in early April unless Alex played out of his mind that night. I know this because I watched it all on TV. When we played them at RMILL championships a few weeks later, though, we held strong and won because the defense set up most all of his saves.

Nobody ever says, "That was great the way Ryan Price (D-man) drove the attackman to a place where Alex could see the shot well", or whatever. Well, I do.

Defense is where I approach the game first, and this coming year will be no different. As always I know I have plenty of teaching work to do. I look forward to that. My real challenge might be to keep us as emotionally stable as we were in 2003.

RAMLET (or) COME BACK AND SHAKE YOUR SPEAR -

I know we have a litter of new kids coming here in just over a fortnight. It doth appear a strong "recruiting class", even though I don’t "recruit". Yea, I’m not even thinking about any of that as I conjure up hope for a new season that by any other name might smell as sweet. Nay, rather I am thinking about all the offense that was standing next to me on crutches or on probation, etc. this past year. These guys must decide whether to be, or not to be true student athletes. If they all get themselves healthy and or stay out of trouble, how can we not be more than we were before?

We started about a half-dozen freshmen in the championship game as it was. They will all hopefully be back and better, too. If we can do more offensively, it will have to help our defensive potential. I want our offense to take pressure off the defense this coming year, and not put more pressure on it.

I was "counting middies" while waiting to fall asleep on a too-hot-to-sleep midsummer's night recently. I dared to dream. I projected who "my" first 8 or 10 might be. I admit that I got a little middie giddy while imagining the possibilities for attacking other teams. I must be careful not to dream too much on these warm summer's eves. I must beware of things from here to there. The Ides of March, and other potential peril hidden from my view are moments silently crouching in the future, waiting, wanting to be my monkey wrench.

Murphy always lurks as you go along, too. He never sleeps, and he always brings his Law with him.

Meanwhile, talent isn’t everything, but it does seem a rather good place to start.

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