Saturday, September 20, 2008

CSU 14 – CSU ALUMNI 4

It was a fairly spectacular morning for the alumni game today, crystal clear and the air was still as could be while smog free and warm. The alumni laxers came back for the annual skirmish and for better or for worse pretty much all the returnees were guys that played during my era here (The last 13 years) exclusively. 

I was a little disappointed that more decades were not represented but at the same time the ones that I have coached over the years were well represented with a big squad, and it did my heart good to see so many of ‘my boys’ there.  Big Drew Kellogg, who was a senior my first year at CSU was there with his two boys, both under five and both already ‘players’.  I will always remember Drew as the one who looked at me like I was nuts that first year because I was talking about things like defensive packages and the act of sliding defensively because we wanted to double team, and not because we had to slide because someone got beaten one on one. Not only that, I brought in the phrase, “NO WHACKING”, and none of my defensive players back then thought that concept had any use or held any water whatsoever, and I still get a dissenter or two now and then on that one, but not many anymore.  They (players) have all pretty much played team defense in the true and ‘Princeton’ sense of the word by the time they get to college nowadays which actually makes coaching defense all the more fun if you ask me.

WOLPERS, HUSSONS, AND NELSONS, OH MY!

There was a lot of talent there on the other side today now that I come to think about it.  Napollili (#11 – A – 2002) came up with his aging but still viable left-handed cannon.  Harper, Plonkey, and Ferrin were conspicuously absent today, but maybe I should have been more worried before the game than I was because at the half we led only 4-2, and I would say we had not totally sucked so it was a tad frustrating for me the coach that we (CSU now) weren’t farther in front at the break.   I guess I thought we would automatically be better than that because I had already deemed it so.  I’m not sure what I had going to make me think that, but I just felt like this team was going to be capable in a way that would allow them to run teams like the Alumni team off the field.  I was not daunted by the score at halftime, but just the same the first half had NOT been anywhere close to that run them off the field thing.

SAVE ME!

Pete Jokisch’s (#3 – G – 2006) 10 first half stops in the cage for the Alumni, along with a few of his interceptions and steals definitely put a large bullet straight into the alumni's defensive gun chamber.  We (CSU NOW) had plenty of opportunities. but most of them were shot down by the Jokester during the early part of the game.

EVERYBODY IN THE POOL

By the bye, we played everyone during the course of the game, that is over 60 players, and including I think 7 goalies.  I was a little late getting a few of the massive number of jugadores on hand into the game, but I was working on it from the first quarter on, and so therefore it was not just a scramble to get them all some playing time in the last few minutes, although the goalie thing did look a little like the ‘Keystone Cops play lacrosse’ by the end as I put like 4 goalies in during the 4^th quarter.

IT’S STILL A HALFTIME THING

Our performance in the first half upset me past some kind of point, and despite the fact that it was an alumni game in mid-September and nothing matters for 5 more months, one might say I was absolutely raging at them at the half.  We had not been physical enough for my tastes and we had either not finished well or we had contributed to making the other goalie into a star and potentially a hero.  I had no desire to go any of those places as a team or on any kind of regular basis, so I yelled/screamed at them for about three minutes and then I went over ‘the plan’ for about three more, and that was it, and it was if I were to say, “Now, get out of my sight until you bring me a better vision to see, a different movie”, which of course I didn’t say.

For whatever reason we began to finish plays better in the second half, and our intensity level picked up, too, as did the overall pace of the game.  Both teams were active.   Lance Simmons (#45 – G – 2010) is making a ‘comeback’ in our goal after an injury-plagued and disappointing 2008 red shirt season, and he sparked the post-half effort for CSU-Now with 5 third-quarter saves to go along with solid clearing and ball handling.  We began to methodically pull away from the ‘other’ team.  We began scoring goals with regularity, and meanwhile the alums were held scoreless for quite a long time (?) in that second half, which pleased me first and then it also eventually led the proceedings onward enabling the lopsided sounding 14-4 final score to happen.

WITH TIME COMES ANSWERS

By the way, I am okay with us developing the M.O. of being a team that comes on stronger as the game goes on.  That’s what it was today, and hopefully that was not only because we practice and they don’t or whatever. 

So, anyway, I’m already getting a good idea about who and what I want us to be.

MEANWHILE HERE’S WHO AND WHAT WE ARE SO FAR

We elected 4 captains for this fall the other day.  They are Andrew Stein (#10 – D - 2010), Will Cantwell (#26 – A – 2009), Joel Tromburg (#9 – M – 2009), and the beefcake himself, Kyle Rosa (#31 – M – 2009).  Congratulations to all of them, and it was in the nick of time as I have been the old Lone Coach out there for the last few days so any leadership is as always greatly appreciated.  I actually really enjoyed the having a large number of players to coach all by myself thing.  It had been a while since I had done anything like that.  I like the way it forces me into very simple structure and it also becomes a very fluid practice where I often can actually see a lot.

Certain statistical things pleased me today, albeit so early in the year and all.  First, we have pretty much decided to move our high scorer from last year, Kevin Wolff (#13 – M- 2010) from attack to midfield for this year to try and take advantage of his versatility.  Today he had 2 goals, which was nice, and he created many really good scoring chances on his own as well as with others (also nice), but what he really did was get 9 ground balls for us, many on face-offs, and that is a bunch of times when we were going to HAVE the ball and a chance for a great possession because when he gets it, it’s gotten.  So, I’m thinking we can somehow figure out how to make that all work for us in a larger, team sort of way.

I’M NOT PROUD

I am happy to report that Stephen Lundberg (#16 – M – 2010) has come back after a year’s absence. He ‘showed up’ by scoring our first goal of the day and the season in route to 2 goals and 2 assists for the game.  I think he was going to come back and play for us this year as it was, but I do not regret for one minute the fact that I actually begged him to come back on one of my phone messages over the summer, and  I would have done it (gotten on my knees) in person had that been necessary.  I wanted very much to have that spark that he brings to a game back in my plug, or something like that.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

Will Cantwell (#26 – A – Capt. – 2009) took on some offensive leadership today and that (leadership on offense during the play of the game) is something I am really looking for big time right now.  Will also threw in three goals while he was at it.  My aim is for him to do what it is he does as a lacrosse player and former football quarterback, and to just help us all to take the right steps to go along for the dance.  I want team offense and a certain kind of offensive intensity, and not just good offensive players making plays, although I certainly want that, too.  I guess you might say Will is a bit of an experiment.  I sort of went to him this summer and sort of told him what I had in mind.  He was another who didn’t play last year that I hoped very much would come back for this his senior year. He did, and I think the process is coming along nicely so far. Hell, they have already elected him Captain and they did it in a big number way.

SOMEWHERE OOOOVER THE RAINBOW IS A POT FULL OF GOALS

I am generally and slowly obsessing with team offensive thoughts, and although it is early of course I am eager to see if something solid can come about more quickly this year from the parts or elements that always start out as ‘liquid’.

To finish the statistical accolades for this time and game I have to mention Paul Larsen (#8 – A – 2011) who had 4 goals and an assist today against the Formers and that was great, but mostly he showed me the kind of player that he has spent some of the summer thinking about becoming. That seems to include being a someone who is just a little different and a little more determined than ever.

Without statistics to support my assessment on this I would also like to point out that it looks like my high hopes for the Long Stick Midfield position might be fulfilled with a core of a few.  There are some good ones out and I am prepared to use as many of those as is possible to get the results I want in that phase of the game.  We indeed will have to see if that is the case.

All in all the statistics settled out in a good way for me for a first time out and in a meaningless game.  I like this team very much.  I almost always say that whether it is true or not.  What is true now is that I know I/we can get a ton from this team if we do it right, so that is my aim.  I want to be able to go with this group someday to a place where we both need to and are able to squeeze every little bit of potential out onto the field at just the right time.   We shall see about that.

ALUM CHUMS

O-Dog Adam Sisbarro (#7 – M – 2002) showed up and I was so glad to see him if only for a minute.  I guess that’s how it was a lot of times today.  Sir Timothy Farquhar (#13 M – 2005) graced us with his presence, and I hadn’t seen that former All-American in a while.  Then there were the more recent grads like AA Adam Schnirel (#34 – D – 2006) and the even more freshly departed ones like Ben Wallace (#34 – A/M – 2008).  There were so many there that I was individually glad to see, like I don’t get to see them enough, and we are starting ‘generations,’ too, as in Pat Shanley came up with the lovely Monica and their baby ‘Murph’ along with his 12” long stick (a head that says ‘Murph’ with Rock-it Pocket and about a two-inch handle, very cute).  Is Murphy Shanley Irish enough for you, Pat?  Ikleberry ( #5 – D – 2001?), another fan favorite was there with all his names and his growing brood of namesakes.

IN A FAMILY WAY I SAY

Many of my ex-players are recently married and or fathers or fathers to be.  It really did feel familiar and family-like out there today in a big way. 

HEY (or is it hay?) BABY

Someone pointed out to me last night at the banquet that this new CSU 2008-2009 team has hardly a girlfriend among the whole 70 of them we have out.  I guess it’s back to the old school days although I suspect the reasons are different.  I don’t think anyone from my first team here in the fall of ‘96 could have gotten a girl to go out with his sorry you-know-what, but we have some beefcakes on this group, so there are other factors afoot here and now to be sure.  Some of these ones this year even have some charm or some hair.  Hey, maybe we should do some kind of picture-posed calendar as a fundraiser.  Perhaps a bachelor auction is in the offing.  Now you are thinking coach.  After all, I have to do something to make up for this airline-charges-for-every-piece-of-luggage thing as it is.  Isn’t that some kind of oxymoron or basic injustice or something, charging a traveler to bring a bag?  To me it is like having commercials when you pay to go to the movies.  It is not completely intolerable or anything to be sure, it is just distasteful to my basic being.  At any rate I anticipate travel to be difficult and expensive this coming year, and that seems pretty much for sure.

BROTHERLY LOVE

I particularly enjoyed some of the ‘brotherly’ moments today.  There was a momentary match-up with Alumnus Matt Disney (#24 - A - 200?) finding himself being marked by his brother and current Ram Scott Disney (#40 - M -2011).  Then of course everyone is eagerly awaiting Captain Will Cantwell (#26 – A – 2009) and his inevitable connection with younger brother Lukas Cantwell (#17 – M – 20011) to happen in a big way.  So far it has looked a little more like the two need to be introduced to one another for the first time more than it looks like they have been playing catch since forever.  Well, they are trying to find one another and I’ll take that for starters 

MOTHER LOVE

The last 24 hours have been quite special for our lacrosse ‘family as we held our belated team banquet from last spring last night at Potts, our local clubhouse.  We gave awards and game balls for our victories last spring’s season, and there were far too few of them so I guess it didn’t take too long to do that part, and yes I am bitter.  I did all the ‘public speaking’ that was done and I was far from riveting or eloquent, but at the same time, as I get older it becomes easier and easier to do all that.  The more I prepare the better I like the way I feel after I speak.  I didn’t prepare at all yesterday and it showed, too, when I had a game ball and no name on the piece of paper in front of me.  I wung it and Fender ended up with two game balls while Wallace had none, so it wasn’t ALL good, but it was close enough to good enough and I think everyone had good fun and good food, too.

General consensus seems to be that I seem more at peace than last year.  We shall see.  I’m definitely having fun so far watching this develop like a Polaroid.  Do they still make them  (Polaroid Cameras) by the way?

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