Saturday, May 5, 2007

B.Y.U. 12 – C.S.U. 10
RMLC FINALS

The weekend weather was enough to remind one of Eugene. What a strange year for atmospheric pressure it has been. By the way, if the games were to have been held in Fort Collins, we still would not be finished, and it is now 10:00 p.m. We would still be in our eighteenth lightning delay, thanks to our little lightning detector. We just kept on truckin’ the game there in Boulder. One ref said something about a delay, the immediate crowd completely doused that idea, and so onward we played, and that was how it should have been. Lightning was never really close. Rain, on the other hand, was more or less constantly there for both games we played this weekend.

Last night I stayed up until almost two trying to write something to post in the journal following our victory over C.U. in the semis. I sort of feel like it is always my duty the day/night of the game just finished. At about 1:30 a.m. this morning I was unable to get on line at the hotel from my lap tap, so I could not post for others to read. Some don’t know how to go to the MCLA forum or whatever and it is important to me to get this done so that people know the result if nothing more. I have been able to do the computer part without a glitch for quite a while. I was used to having it always work right, kind of like my teams.

I could not get on line last night because of computer internal modem issues I was unable to solve. It felt familiar when the same kind of thing happened to us today. We couldn’t quite get ‘on line’ (again) early in the game against BYU, and it created a kind of game that was a little different from any game experience I can remember.

When I get my LT Mac preferences right I will post last night’s edition, but I am not about to try and rewrite last night’s entry here on main frame Mac right now. Too much happened today.

IT AIN’T ME BABE

We made some uncharacteristic mistakes early in the game with BYU, and the Cougars capitalized on most all of them as they gradually and methodically took an 8-1 lead into the half, having thoroughly outplayed us.

We were making errors like being only one half of a step off sides, or maybe we took 20.5 seconds to do what you must get done in 20 seconds. We looked in control for the most part or whatever, but whatever, those plays are in fact a turnover, and the other guys now have the ball. The next clear would be something like we bring the ball over with a long pole, the Cougars would jump on us, and boom, there’s another possession for them and another non-possession for us. At one point we looked almost inept as a team, tired and lost.

At 5-1 things were still okay for me, but when the next three goals went in to stretch the score to 8-1, I imploded inside. It did not have to be like this! Those goals were ridiculous let downs.

In spite of all that was not going well, I did not feel panicky or even that angry as halftime approached and the deficit started to ring up toward the higher numbers. I’ll tell you what I was angry about. I was mad as I could be while I watched B.Y.U. ‘warm up’ before the game. I got this sense that they felt like they could just walk on the field and they would beat us. It was as if the deal had already been made. I was angry because now it was 8-1, and I’m looking up at the scoreboard and I don’t even have a teaspoon full of "SHUT THE HELL UP" for any of the Mormon faithful. Still, I wasn’t going to just stand there and take it all day.

My thought was to wait until the break to make all the changes I had twirled in my mind, but B.Y.U. called timeout with two minutes left in the first half, so I just followed my instinct and went to work at what I wanted right then. I gave some very clear defensive directions to the defenders of our goal. The score at half was still 8-1 anyway, but at least they scored no more before the break, and at that point I was alright with that.

THOSE DAMN FACE-OFFS

We got to the drawing board at half and changed a few things. Face-offs were again a scab for our overall effort. The other team was getting the ball, and getting it on the run.

We did manage to do better in the second half, and with more grit, a little direction, and a bunch of determination we began to contest and come up with a few of the loose face off balls.

MAKE IT FAST MAKE IT URGENT

As the intermission ended, the coaches also had selected a few players that we wanted to ride and rely on more, and a few we wanted to move or shift in order to afford them new opportunity and things like that. It was only about strategy in a small way, though. The big change had to come from inside them. I tried to portray an urgency that had to begin right now (then). We may or may not be able to do this (come back), but either way we could only do it one goal at a time and without panic.

So, great, we come out, do something stupid almost immediately, and before you could say, "What did you say, Coach?" it was 9-1 for the Cougars. Come on Boys, thought I. Something felt different. We just had to grab hold of something, anything.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Then a little bit of magic started to happen. We put a couple in and it was 8-3 and then 9-4. We were still pretty early in the third quarter. We contested a few face-offs, got some decent possessions, and all of a sudden nothing seemed out of the realm anymore. The Cougars answered here and there, but our momentum had taken over. We were finally bringing our ‘normal’ game to the table, and the truth is that we had climbed to within that 12-10 final score with like 5 or more minutes still to go in the game. Our energy felt like it was just getting going, and not like we had used it all up to get there where we were, which was very close to where we wanted to be.

I didn’t think we would win yet, but I definitely was thinking we could win. That was enough for me. I was stoked. Everyone was contributing to the comeback, or at least it felt that way. We were riding on the wings of Pat Bird (#1) in the second half, and that made things feel right, too.

We began to clear much more like a ball moving machine all through the second half, and that excellence even started to shine a little. We looked proud again, and we were playing with purpose.

The defense was much more efficient from the start of the second half, and we were giving up fewer good scoring chances. I wanted us to focus on the Cougar attack in a certain way in the last thirty minutes. I knew that would open up more opportunity for the BYU middies, but that was a chance I was willing to take at that point. For one reason I have faith in the preparedness of our short stick defenders, and in particular Jack Genadek (#47, the ultimate warrior)) to do the things that allow us to be successful defensively on a team level. By the way, they should have more stats for defenders in this game to recognize these great players that mean so much to the modern lacrosse team.

I was convinced about the direction we needed to go for the rest of the game and with my less than great voice I made my intentions clearly understood.

We had been letting some of the Cougar stars be stars and to make plays, and my aim was to slow that ram ride down a little bit. The fact then became that we were now doing a little bit of what I had wanted us to do defensively from the beginning of the game, finally. For some reason it was a hard concept to sell before the game, and they were not getting or doing it for some reason early in the contest, and I’m not sure I get why that was, even as I sit here now. They don’t always do exactly what I say when I say it, and I know that, but I also wonder why they do not listen to some of these things that I say at these crucial moments very closely before tossing whatever it is in the garbage.

BLOW ME DOWN POPEYE

Unfortunately the last five or six minutes was just filled with flags and whistles, and then we never had a real chance because of the conditions that existed (situation at hand). Why does that have to happen? It sort of dumbfounds me that it had to end that way. I felt like any tiny little bit of power or sway on the game was taken from my grasp and there was just nothing I could do to work on changing the ultimate outcome during that whole last part of the game. I felt useless.

TASTES LIKE WILD HICKORY NUTS

So, why did we get off so poorly today? Why was the game basically over before it started? How could we get so far behind a team that I do not think is out of our league? Why do I, for the second time in my CSU life, feel like we have a good chance to win a National Championship when we can’t even win our own league championship? The final question might be the one that asks how we were able to come so far back and so close to winning?

CALL ME OLD FASHIONED

For whatever reasons there might have been to cause the let down early, it is my opinion that our performance today ties directly into the practices we didn’t or weren’t able to have. We were good at times today, but just a half a bubble off at others. Against a B.Y.U. you can be seriously exposed when your ass hangs out.

WE TALKIN’ BOUT PRACTICE

Part of the practice problem has been individual academic responsibilities and stuff like that, and certain individuals had to do or take care of this or that, but just same the same we missed many "man-hours" of practice time recently and it reflected on our performance. I believe that as much as I believe anything as a practicing coach. That is that you play how you practice.

I also think that some things that players do not see as distraction are, in fact, things that do NOT help you to prepare to be your best at game time. Business trips are just that, business trips. It takes awareness and discipline to keep your focus, and yes they are only boys and all, but…….

WISHBONE

Is it my wish to play them (BYU) again? I don’t care one way or the other. I just want to play better every day in practice from now on, and by the way "on" isn’t that long. I am pretty sure we deserve and will have a pretty good seed in Dallas, just not the one (1) I wanted.

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