Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

CSU - 21  - UNIVERSITY NORTHERN COLORADO - 2

R-2D-2 RULES

We were to start our game at 4:00 today.  Ominous and foreboding clouds to the Northwest spat a few chilly raindrops back south to the Fort, and then at like 3:58 the little R2D2 looking machine on top of the roof of the Recreation (Wreck) Center on campus had stopped any potential play by declaring with a siren that there was electricity in the air somewhere nearby.  This most modern machine was electronically mandating that for safety reasons there would have to be a delay before the start of the game.   Timing is everything as they say.  Sometimes ours isn't so good. So then the weather flipped right over in the next instant, Colorado style, and we sat there with the sun beating down on us for the next 20 minutes waiting for the okay to play to come down, which it eventually and thankfully did.   We actually weren't all that late in starting.  

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

An ambulance and an actual paid EMT complete with ambulance showed up on site quickly after the first alarm sounded to make sure that nothing was taking place on our field.  Meanwhile they continued playing tennis fifty feet away from us on the tennis courts like nothing was happening.  Apparently there was no electricity in the air over there.  Do I look for too much meaning in things?  Maybe I am just paranoid.

ULTIMATE RESPECT

Once we did get the game going, we played again on what is our practice field in the springtime.  I'm not sure exactly why we couldn't use the regular game field, as everything is dry now, and Ultimate Frisbee wasn't using our real game field instead of and ahead of the men's lacrosse team, as was the case last week.   Anyway, this time we barely escaped receiving a three-minute non-releasable penalty from the officials to start the game.   The reason was because we were hosting an MDIA sanctioned game on a field that does not meet even the lowest national field regulation standards that are stated clearly in the rulebook.  I felt embarrassed and angry.  I had made many efforts to keep this from happening.  Too bad for me, though, because there is nothing I can really do for, with, or about anything when the games are played at CSU.  I just eternally hope stuff can and will happen in good fashion for us. 

Because of our obvious lack of situational control, the refs were kind enough to let our field transgression pass, and so was UNC.

HOME, HOME ON THE ROAD…….

We have just two more home games that are to be played on campus this season.  The other two will be played in Denver at neutral "home" sites.  My hope is that we can play the two scheduled here with good weather, and on a legal field because in those games everything will matter to the opponent, and either team will gladly take a three-minute extra man penalty situation to get the game off to a good start (for them).  These are two bright, up and coming MDIA teams who will be looking to get any advantage on us that they possibly can.

FUTURE GAMES

I really think I might then go about the process of trying to find someplace else to play most all of our home games as long as I am here and into the future unless something somehow changes.   At other venues we have found that we have the ability to raise money, get more fans to come, promote the sport more with doubleheaders and such, play on better fields, and be all good and legal all at wince, I mean all at once.  Win, win, win, win, and win before the game is even played sounds so much better to me.  Call me crazy, and I'm sure they will call me that and worse.

ALL DRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO, or somwehere, but naked

I am also deathly afraid that a team will bus all the way out here from Minnesota or wherever and then not be able to play a game with us because we don't have a field we can use if it snows or rains.  Oh, wait.  That already happened a few years ago.  I already lived through that bad dream.  I don't remember how, and never mind anyway.

OH YEAH, THIS GAME

We won today, 21-2.  This was another 4 quarters where the players may change but the final score more or less does not.  UNC is an MDIA B Division power, but not a match for us.  There is nothing I would like more than for that program to rise up a little or a lot, and I really think they have started that process with their current level of coaching and commitment.  I do wish them success in their Division B quest.

We were playing well again this afternoon, however, and we just kind of bowled the Bears over somewhat in every facet of the game.  It again was a slow progression for us to get untracked, but then the other team always puts ten determined players out on the field. Often they are there to compete hard with big hopes of climbing up closer to us or making us tumble down a step or two.  Today and this Bear team that we played was no exception.  Northern Colorado came at us with heart and that strong kind of determination early and that somehow kept the ball out of their goal for the first part of the game, but when the dam broke as it were, well, there was a flood of goals that followed.

Will Cantwell (17 – M/A- 2009) had a hat trick and that was sort of the main thing that got my attention today.  He is really 'catching on' to the CSU way, whatever that is, and it is pleasing me to watch him improve so much and so rapidly.  My thought so far is, YES, I am not screwing him up!

The coaches got to watch and evaluate lots of guys today, too.  Extra Man Offense was perfect I think.  We only had a few of those opportunities, but we executed them well.  That's two whole games in a row when I was pleased with EMO.  Can we make it three?

CONFERENCE SUPPOSEDLY SOUNDS MORE DIGNIFIED THAN LEAGUE

What….ever. It's Phase II.

We are (In my mind) using the current two weeks to prepare hard but gradually for our "conference schedule" that will come hotly and heavily over the final three weeks of the regular season.  Now is a time to do the work in practice every day and build some health and momentum.  I have been and will continue to challenge them every day to be stronger, to get better, and to understand one another more.

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