Sunday, February 29, 2004

I GUESS THE EIGHTH TIME IS THE CHARM

CSU 11  THE COLORADO COLLEGE  6

 We finally did it.  We beat what I consider to be a well-coached, mid-range Division III lacrosse team today, and we did it rather convincingly.  We played great.  It was a team victory in much the same way that yesterday was, although today's was a much larger challenge.  Most of the game was exciting, intense, and well played.

We got off well and scored the game's first two goals.  CC answered.  It became 3-2 for CSU, I think, at the end of one quarter.  That was also the score at the half.  The second quarter was torture for me.  We had lots of good scoring chances, but the Tigers' excellent freshman goalie kept "stoning" us at the doorstep (close-in shot/save), and you could see HIS confidence level rising.  The Tigers were getting into the game.  They were jumping in and out of a zone on defense, it was giving us trouble, and we were unable to find the back of the net for the entire second quarter.  CC shooters were getting some good looks at the goal now, too.

We made some adjustments of our own all through the game, too, and truthfully many of them worked pretty well.  Halftime was obviously a good opportunity to tinker.  We did.  We came out, we got a goal quickly, and even though they answered right away to make it 4-3, the tone was set.  They would spend the rest of this very cold and blustery afternoon chasing us, and we would spend it slowly putting distance between their number and ours.  We had six goals in the third, but they had 4.

We got an empty netter or whatever you call it in lacrosse to bring the final count to 11-6, but I never felt any comfort level at all until the clock was under one minute to go in the game. I was very pleased that we only allowed them 6 goals, and I was also pleased that we had never trailed.

CLASS IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Right after the game a few CC players sort of came at me and started yelling at me about how my team has no class.  Excuse me?  I had not said one word to their bench, and barely a word to a referee all day.  I had been positive with my team, and I never make things personal with other teams.  It's not my style.  It's always about the game for me.  At any rate I had not been overwhelmed by impeccable CC Tiger behavior either.  Both teams had things to say to one another during the contest.  It was a bit of a war out there.  The game by its very nature is a bit of a war.

I was offended.  I immediately answered these players with the extremely mature statement, "Shut the F-up."  It was probably not the best response, but at the moment I couldn't remember ever having shouted anything negative like that to any CC player or coach right before the last seven times in seven years that I got in my car, truck, or SUV and drove home from the Colorado College a loser (they won't play us in Fort Collins, or anywhere other than at their home field, which by the way was just redone and is now fabulous). As much as I hated coming up short in all of those 7 games, I think I and we always took it like a man when it was over. What they were hurling at me sounded a little like the more expensive pot calling the less expensive kettle black.  I answered with intensity, because that is what I do.

TWEET TWEET

Yes, I have a few "chirpy birds" here at CSU.  They are easy to spot in the wild as I can usually be seen yelling at them to shut up multiple times during any given game.  I try.  Four years at charm school wouldn't help my problem children.  We don't get designer students with 1400 board scores, okay?  We get wild and free-spirited types who love to play this wonderful game, and many of them would most times rather play (anything) than to go to class, but we are here chipping away at building a better student athlete, and working to change the things that need to be changed. 

LOVE US, HATE US, HERE WE ARE 

Many of the (CSU) kids that I coach tend to be bar fighter types, and I love/hate that, but either way I try to use it to our advantage as a team.  I don't invent these players or try to create them in my image.  I'm just trying to navigate.  We seem to have a certain kind of character trait.  Basically, in warrior terms, it boils down to the fact that you will have to kill us, because we will not stop coming at you otherwise.

I have a good friend who coaches at another rival MDIA institution.  His team is always one of the top 5 teams in the country.  He once told me that if he ever got the chance he would run up the score on me as much as he could.  I know he would.  I wouldn't want him to feel any other way.

 SPRING TRAINING

They (CC) were calling this an "exhibition game", a preliminary that doesn't really count on their record. We are just a club, after all.  We are not fully funded by our university, and therefore it (game) doesn't really count for anything.  Fine.  Then what were they so upset about?  My flip response to the verbal attack likely didn't help the situation.  We have some more new Ram/Flip haters.  I'm sure many of the Tigers are already looking forward to exacting their revenge on us. If they want it, they will absolutely get their chance, but for right now they will have to move to the back of that line.

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