Saturday, April 3, 2004

CSU  22  MINNESOTA DULUTH  4 

We had seven players with two goals or more, led by a freshman, Danny Stevens (#32), who had five goals and two assists, ho hum.  We won 22-4.  Thirteen different CSU players tallied a point or more.  The score at halftime was 14-3.  Plonkey (#17) is a little dinged and did not even dress.  UMD didn't really have much of an answer for us just the same, and we owned the ball to where the Bulldogs could not get off many shots all game long.  We smothered their clear, giving ourselves numerous offensive opportunities.  By the end of the third quarter we had more people on the side wearing sweats than we had left in uniform and playing.

One might think it arrogant that I let players take off their uniforms while the game is still going, but I like it for two reasons.  First, if they are wearing sweats they cannot sneak back into the game.  The other reason is that I will not tell players to play less than their hardest, not ever, so when it is 19-4, for example, I want it to be clear that we are using the "bottom" eighteen players on the bench or whatever.  At the same time, I encourage these "other" kids to play like they are fighting for a job all the time, because in a way they are. I already screwed up the whole red shirt thing, so in a way every minute is valuable to everyone.

LOONY TOONS, not LEONARD BERNSTEIN

I am not a conductor over there in the coaching box, instructing the first or second line to go in the game every second.  You see, if I had "lines" I might do that, but the truth is that we do not have midfield lines.  Once again we do things backwards, because we actually do have attack lines, lines that will rotate in any kind of game or situation, and almost no one else does that.  By the same token, every lacrosse team in the world runs midfield lines, except of course, us. 

MICHIGAN  4  UCSB  3

This was the game after ours, and oh man what a game.  Michigan was great as the loveable underdog.  It was as if everyone in the building was waiting for the big and scary offensive Gaucho machine (and it is scary) to just go off at some point, but a very determined and "scrappy" bunch of Wolverines never let down for a second, and they pulled off the whole upset, not just part or most of one.  They sealed the deal.  The whole CSU team was there watching, and they were cheering hard for Michigan, and also the UM Cheerleaders. 

All I wanted as a coach was for these two teams to have a battle.  I did not want to be frightened any more than I already am, and a lopsided UCSB victory might have done that.  However, I found myself rooting hard for the home team as the game wore on.  It was fun to watch a game like that, hard fought, and with a lot at stake, and also a game that me myself and I weren't a part of. I was just your regular Joe Fan.

 WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?

If it all wasn't enough as it is, we "spring forward" tonight, and Daylight Savings Time will steal an hour of precious sleep from us, which dovetails with our Noon start tomorrow, so that the turnaround time alone frightens me.  I need to go to sleep.

We had a little meeting earlier.  We put together a few offensive concepts for tomorrow's game plan.  We'll run it up the flag pole and see if anyone salutes.  I like my team, and I am proud to go into battle with them.  I'm thinking UCSB is going to come out with a whole lot of motivation.  Once again I say I wouldn't have it any other way.

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