January Journal

Thursday, January 4, 2001

Each season has new challenges. Each team is different, even if it has all the same players as the year before. This year is no different. We have many seniors and juniors this year, returning all stars and all Americans, but peering out, the season has a clean new look to it, and last May seems like a million miles ago. There are always changes. Sometimes guys have too many class conflicts, some have girl problems, some are rehabbing, you just are never sure exactly what it is going to look like when you get out there. That's where the thrill is.

One freshman who I think is going to play a lot squished his shoulder snowboarding. I hate that, but I love the way he is working to rehab it, and keeping me posted. I love it when players learn how to rehab injuries. I hate it when they get hurt snowboarding or wrestling with one another, but I guess that is part of it..

I believe in this team. I believe we are deep with leadership. I look forward to watching us grow. I feel we had a great run last year, but in some ways I feel we underachieved. I know we could have been better. My main goal for this team is that it makes the most of the talent and experience and gets better every day. If we improve daily all the rest will take care of itself.

As always, from day one I will talk about being a family and what that really means; what changes, and what never changes.

Saturday, January 6, 2001

Because we have so many returning players I feel like we can do some more sophisticated things, especially on defense. The defense is the key. I want the defense to have specific goals and certain things we do in particular kinds of situations..

I am going to focus on conditioning and stickwork for three days. I'm sure that doesn't sound that radical to most, but for me it is a change. I usually concentrate on getting us playing in live situations asap.

Sunday, January 7, 2001

In 1990 I took over my first program when I became head coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu. It was an exciting time. I loved living in Agoura Hills, and the drive to work was a spectacular one, through Malibu Canyon to the coast..

I have some great memories. If the team depth would have matched the coaching depth we really would have had something. We had a great combination of coaches in Tom Campi, Tarik Ergin, and David Karpman. Each one brought something valuable and different. We also had a few practices that were just playing 4 on 4 with 4 of those being the coaches.

One of the early days was the 4 coaches waiting for some players to show up for practice, and Tarik Ergin, who had played at Cornell, turned to us as we looked over the dark blue Pacific and said, "We may stink, but the view is great!" Man, it was, too. And ultimately we didn't stink either.

We did some great things there, like getting on national television, Entertainment Tonight, and local telvision sports (Channel 9 Los Angeles) did a feature on us, as "the little Train that could" kind of thing. We also beat arch rival UCLA both years, which no one could remember having done before. We were in the playoffs both years.

There was a core group of excellent players, especially one Paul Mellinger on attack, who was small, but beautiful to watch, and a great finisher. We really only had 12 players, though, and truthfully a couple of those could barely catch the ball, but I'll always remember teams looking over at our "bench" (2 guys) in the fourth quarter, and the look on their faces was, "How can this be happening?" because we won a lot of games in those two years. Many games I used my timeouts in the first eight minutes of the half. The second year I moved a crease defenseman to crease attack. Desparate times call for desperate measures.

Our WCLL all stars were Tom Cody on D, Gregg Winter goalie, Bryan "Crash" Ridgeway at middie, and, of course, Paul Mellinger on attack.

The reason I'm thinking about this team is that Pepperdine is on a mission of resurgence with new coaches and a new outlook for 2001. Part of that is an alumni game next month. The guys from that team called and asked me to come out and coach them in the game, which I hope I will be able to do. The great thing is that most all of the guys from 90-91 will be there, and that many of them remain very close to this day. You only need to talk to one to find out what the others are doing, kind of like a family.

Monday, January 8, 2001

CSU will be back in session next week, and players are already calling and saying that they can't wait to get going. I'm thinking this is a good thing.

We are fortunate enough to have the use of an indoor facility where the team can get together and throw it around and run a couple nights a week even before we start on the 29th of this month, and no matter what the weather is outside.

This is a crazy week as I prepare to attend the national lacrosse coaches convention at the Marriott, across the street from The Hard Rock Cafe, in downtown Philadelphia, which starts Friday. There are1000 lacrosse coaches from all over the country there to hang out together for three days. It's also where any company that might be able to sell products to a lacrosse player goes to show their stuff, and believe me that is a group that has grown exponetially in the 14 years that I have been going. There will be clinics and recruiting roundtables, and much chatting over a few beers style networking

It's crazy for me because I where several hats. I'm there showing Rock-it Pockets, talking to people about the Vail tournament, and of course promoting lacrosse at CSU. I'm also going to some of the multiple USLIA meetings.. I am a member of the USLIA executive board. Then I will try to sneak away here and there as a coach to listen to some of the great coaches talk about different aspects of the game, so I can learn some good stuff.

My son Jordan will be one year old two weeks from today. When he likes the music he dances. When he smiles he lights up the room. He's looking like a face off guy by the look of his thighs. He could be an animal on ground balls, just like his big brother Mike.

Tuesday, January 9, 2001

The new LACROSSE magazine just arrived and there is a feature article on the USLIA. We are ranked #2 nationally in the preseason poll, which is what I expected. I voted us #3, behind BYU and Cal, who I think will be very good again.

The article is way tilted toward #1 BYU, but we definitely got some love and some pictures in there as well, including a celebration shot of us after we won the 1999 national championship. Either I took the photo, or they cut me out of the picture, but I'm thinking that it is probably a good thing either way..

Bill Hill, my boss at CSU is totally pumped about it as are others at the school.. It is nice to see the USLIA on the map, and it's nice to see the university take note. Last year we (State) made the cover. The USLIA has a lot of big universities invoved and it really makes a difference. I hope they start a division II championship because there are now so many teams in the USLIA.

Every time I talk to or read a quote from someone at BYU, they always say something about us and playing us in Provo. They think they can't be beaten at home, and as long as I have been at CSU, I'm not sure anyone actually has. Sounds like a challenge to me.

I also sense that they think any time we beat them it is some sort of fluke, and that when we go there in early March they will show us all this stuff. We shall see.

I look forward to that challenge and the game. It will be on national television if you get the BYU/Mormon channel, and their crowds not only are large, over a thousand, but they pay; which is a little different from our fans who just bring their sofas to get comfortable, and great "enthusiasm". Our following has grown tremendously here at CSU in the last couple of years.

We have some great rivalries that seem to get more intense all the time. Our games with BYU and CU are always wars. We have played Cal the last three years, and though it is a little more civilized rivalry, it is strong and has heat. Michigan and Sonoma State also have potential to be spirited intersectional traditions. We will have a home and home series with Arizona the next two years. All of these teams are top 15 teams who want to win it all in St. Louis in 2001, and all are teams we play this spring. BYU, Cal, Michigan, and Sonoma are all in the top 5

There are some csu HATERS out there. Teams seem to share their scouting reports on us eagerly with one another. I have seen BYU and CU players sit together and root for us to lose to whatever team we might be playing. I am fine with that. In fact, I love it.

Some think we are cocky. It is a fine line between confident and cocky, and I must admit that overall I prefer confident, and it is something I preach about from time to time. Either way, I love the character that we have as a team at CSU and wouldn't trade that for anything. We do so much together, both on and off the field. I like the way we go into the battle as a team.

In most all ways these rivalries are great. BYU and CSU are very different schools and environments. My little joke has always been that the difference between players at CSU and the ones at BYU is that BYU players HAVE children while CSU players ARE children. We did have a guy get married once, though.

CU and CSU have that strong interstate bragging rights thing that is evident in all games between the two schools, not just lacrosse. Many players have played lacrosse with or against one another for years growing up in the Denver area.

The bottom line is that I really admire and respect these great programs, and what the coaches have done at their universities. I am grateful that we play at this level of competition..

Monday, January 15, 2001

The convention in Philadelphia at the Marriott Hotel went great for all things. CSU, Rock-it Pocket, and Vail were all well represented. I got to spend quality time with many great people. There were probably 1500 people, mostly high school coaches. Next year the women's convention will be there as well..

The first night, Friday, they held the MLL draft. The MLL is the professional outdoor lacrosse league that starts next summer in 6 cities. Jake Seinfeld (Bodies by Jake) did the emceeing as commissioner of the new league. .It will be the second time they have tried a pro outdoor league. I hope this does better than the first one did 12 or 14 years ago.

There were about 90 vendors spread out in a huge space, almost a carnival atmosphere, with videos blaring away and equipment demonstrations and dignitaries mingling. There was merchandise ranging from wunderkind mouthguards that improve workouts, to digital shot clocks. They sell lacrosse vacation packages. If a lacrosser might buy it, they were there. Brine will soon be coming out with a pinched Edge. There are about 10 or 12 new head models overall. Warrior has become King.

I guess the most amazing thing of all was that my UNITED AIRLINES flight was ONLY 20 minutes late, but I definitely couldn't face the food they put in front of me.

I spent the first day in Philly mostly in USLIA meetings, and there are possibly some changes that will affect us at CSU. In 2001, if it gets final approval, there will be 16 teams instead of 12 playing in the national tournament in St. Louis. Teams would play 2 days, take a break, and play 2 more, 4 games over 5 days and no first round byes.

The way it would seed is by national ranking, but all of the 8 leagues would have their champion as a representative in the tournament field. The other 8 would be the 8 highest ranked teams. This would make for an extremely competitive tournament. I have always felt that 16 was the best number for a tournament anyway. I voted for the extra day, and 16 teams was the logical progression after that passed by a narrow 5-4 margin. We will learn soon if all the logistics will work out for these changes to come about for this coming 2001 season..

Another major item is that all players will need to be members of US lacrosse by 2002. A lot of the CSU guys already are because they play in the summer in Vail or summer leagues that already have membership in place. The cost is $45 a year, and you get the magazine, and insurance coverage as well.

There was a lot of discussion on this mandatory membership because we (USLIA) are such a large group, 130 teams, and will generate a lot of money for the USL "pot". It also puts a strain on many players who are already putting a bunch of money into the team dues, etc.

I voiced my opinion for membership, though, because it helps grow and spread the game of lacrosse, and part of that is us. You only have to look at our USLIA and its growth . This year will be only the fifth USLIA national championship, but it seems like it has been around forever. We've been featured in Lacrosse Magazine twice in the last two years, and that fact has been huge for all the top teams . US Lacrosse benefits this organization. Politically it is smart for ust to be aligned with them..

We want to get a Division II championship going in the USLIA because 16 teams out of 130 isn't enough. More teams should have a chance to win a championship, and this was something talked about. In the not too distant future it looks like there will be the addition of teams from universities that already have division I programs.

Tuesday, January 16, 2001

On Emotion:

If you need emotionalism to make you perform better, then sooner or later you will be vulnerable. I prefer thorough preparation over some device to make us "rise to the occasion." Let others try to rise suddenly to a higher level than they had attained previously. We would have already attained it in our preparation. We would be there to begin with. A speech by me shouldn't be necessary. My ideal is an ever-rising graph line that peaks with your final performance.---John Wooden----

I feel that right now I am intensively preparing, physically, intellectually, and emotionally for the season ahead. I enjoy this time, and I can't wait to organize my first practice. It's been swimming in my head for a while.

The March 3 game at BYU has been moved to 3:00 p.m. to accomodate the television people. (Next stop, Thursday night games on ESPN 2). This is a huge game, and I wish we could get some support (fans) going to Provo with us.

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

CSU started classes yesterday, and I've already talked to or seen a good number of players. Most are already working out or going to the "throw arounds" in the old field house at night. There is a 6 inch thick carpet of white outside, and it's pretty nippy, so there won't be much on field activity for the next several days.

Most seem to have their class schedules built around our practice schedule pretty well, but I won't know everything until our meeting next week. One of our challenges is that if we earn a trip to St. Louis again, it will again be during exams, and all the players need to start working on this eventuality with their professors now, so they can arrange to take the exams at different times, etc.

CSU graduation takes place the same day as the national championship game, and this year, with so many seniors, that is a factor, too. I know where they all wish to be at that time, though, and that is in St. Louis, getting ready to play in the last USLIA game of the season.

This team has a hungry look to it. I like what I see, even though we haven't even had a meeting yet. Now, if I could just outlaw snowboarding!

I think they are all wondering what I will do during the first three days of practice, which I have termed a "mini camp." There seems to be a flurry of workout activity. Fear is, as always, a tremendous motivator.

Thursday, January 18, 2001

I had several interesting conversations at the convention last week. I was standing around talking to a few college coaches at one of the get-a-free beer-with-a-card gatherings, and it was almost midnight. The convention was winding down, it was the last night. The atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed. The vendors were packed up and gone (except me, but my vending was over, too). All the serious organization meetings and power struggles were done with, at least for this round.

Somehow the subject came up as to how we select captains for the team at CSU. I think it came about because we were talking about players that were captains as juniors, but not as seniors. On this year's team we have several players who had been captain, but are not now. We have one player who was captain as a sophmore, not as a junior, and now he is a captain again as a senior. Believe me, his role on the team has been well defined and powerful whether he was captain or not..

For us it is more than okay to be captain one year and not the next. Once you are captain, it remains a badge of honor, but there is no tenure. I think the other coaches thought this to be a bit strange, but they couldn't get over the next part:

We select captains all together in the same room. The nominees do not have to leave the room. In fact, they get to vote like everyone else. If you brought your girl friend, then she sees it, too. Each player gets three votes. .

I think the other coaches wondered if it was too big of a dose of reality for players to see who votes for them, or perhaps more importantly who doesn't. When I thought about it, in my mind's eye I saw the answer printed in bold letters on old Palmer Hall at Colorado College, and I saw it every day I was in college. Carved above the entrance of that beautiful red granite classroom building for all to see, and for all time are the words:

"KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE"

Each nominee for captain, and we had 10 or 12 for this spring, gets to say something (if he wants) to everyone there. I love it, and it is an empowering experience for our team.

They (coaches) asked how I keep them (players) from voting more than three times. The answer to that is that there must be honor in the family, and it is not questioned. (Plus, the numbers came out right)

The team agreed on choosing three captains this year, but as it turned out, the vote was clearly a mandate for four, so we have four, Pat Coy, Mike Napolilli, Mike Roth, and Kale Nelson. Two are seniors, one a junior, and one sophmore. In defense of our goalies, and in apology to all the goalies I have ever coached, I do not allow goalies to be captain. They have their own special rank, more like a colonel or perhaps Captain psycho..

Friday, January 19, 2001

The life blood of a USLIA lacrosse program is the involvement by the players themselves. When a player can do something that fits his major and brings something to the program at the same time it is a symbiotic relationship of school and athletics. The student athlete.

Alex Smith plays goalie and occasional long stick for CSU and is a vice president of our club. He is also a journalism major. He has combined lacrosse and journalism and published an excellent CSU Lacrosse newsletter. Alex has chronicled the team's fall season. There are pictures from season 2000. He Bids farewell to the seniors of 2000, and highlights the new kids on the block. The Ram's spring schedule is in there, too, as is an announcement of the family/alumni night that will be on April 14 at the Fort. Arizona's Laxcats are in town to play us earlier that day. .It will be the last home game for our seniors.

The newsletter is beautiful. He has done something that we have tried to do a little bit of in the past, but now we have a mailer that can really hook people up who want to keep up with the season and the team. Once in place it hopefully becomes part of the tradition.

The Program's worth is in direct proportion to how much players value being part of it..

Saturday, January 20, 2001

I enjoy coaching pretty much every minute that I get to do it. I like it when we are on the practice field and things are moving at a fast pace and we are equal parts work and having fun. I like obsessing about what will make us better and thinking of ways to teach it..

Some practices are better than others, but all in all the time goes quick.

I try to never lose sight of the Program, and nurturing the Program, which has many, many parts, and it seems to get bigger and have more a life of its own every year In the big Program picture there are things involved that may or may not be enjoyable to do. Hopefully, and in a perfect world most of its tasks are enjoyable to someone.

Finance is an aspect of the big picture that you can never lose sight of. In some cases playing causes financial hardship for a player. Guys pay dues to cover our trips and a little more. We get sponsorship from Rock-it Pocket and some from Warrior, which helps players with equipment costs that can really add up over a 4 year career.

There are extra costs to run the Program, though. League and national dues, uniforms, travel for trainers and coaches, and referees fees are a few of the things that qualify as big kitties needing to be fed.

The school helps, but there are a lot of clubs at CSU with hands out. At one point they had underwater hockey getting funding as a club sport. Polo, ice hockey, baseball, and soccer all have big time programs at CSU as clubs.

We raise money in lots of ways. We do clinics for local schools. We sell ads for a poster we put out every year. We park cars at Football games. I like for us to be involved with the community.

We sometimes solicit donations from large companies. In 1998 Coors gave us $2500 toward our first trip to St. Louis. A player knew someone at the company in Golden, because that's where he was from.

We've made money on some of these chain letter/pyramid type fund raising programs that come around.  We have sold phone cards. We have alumni games, but I'm thinking we have never really made much on one of those.

Whatever we raise never seems to be quite enough, though, because I want to do so much more.

I try to tape games, but without a lift or scaffold to get a good perspective the tapes are useless. I want an electronic scoreboard for our fans. I would like a full time manager, paid scorekeepers, and for the players to NOT have to pay for their trip to the national championships if we earn that trip as a team.

I want a fence around the practice field so all of our balls don't end up at Woody's pizza 3 blocks away. It would also make it much safer for passers by as well.

I wish the school had an astroturf field we could use when the weather is bad. I wish we had access to a sports information director. My wish list is long.. I do not wish we had scholarships.

I'm hoping that one of these kids goes out and makes more money than he knows what to do with, and he remembers how great it was playing lacrosse at old CSU, etc. Then we could really get an endowment going that would bring in cash to spend each year to keep dues down..

Until then I guess you just keep on keepin' on. It's a whole lot better than it was, and we ain't done yet.

Monday, January 22, 2001

I am getting ready to get ready. First whistle. First practice a week from today

Today Jordan Hendry Naumburg had his first birthday. All that stuff they say about how great having kids is, and all that other stuff about how you don't really know what that kind of love is like until you actually experience it......It's all true for me. My father would have been 81 tomorrow. I wish he could have met Ada, Michael and Jordan

We are now in the Dubya (George W) era now . Hail to the chief.

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

The game of lacrosse has a lot of soul, or sprituality, and indeed, for many who play it is a religion. The Native Americans that play refer to lacrosse as the Creator's game. I myself have trekked far to partake of its goodness, to be in its presence. I have also been a willing servant for many years, and withstood the famine of fields and snowstorms in Lubbock..

I became a lacrosse player because it seemed to be the perfect fit for me. Lacrosse is a combination of many sports that I liked to play, it is quick and flows like basketball, but it has the collisions and intensity of football. I loved to watch it even before I ever played. The great thing about lacrosse is that the process of improving is so much fun. Practice is fun.

I loved hitting, and I got an even bigger thrill out of avoiding the hit. Quick hands and quick feet seemed more important in lacrosse than how big a load you brought. If you hit someone at just the right time in his stride, he will go down no matter how big he is. I liked the fact that people came at you from everywhere. Clearing the ball was like returning punts, which was one of the great parts of football. I felt like I was born to face-off..I was already close to the ground. Lacrosse had that whole warrior thing, too.......(I was an anthropology major)

I became obsessed with stick and pocket as an instrument of great power, too, even capable of magic. If I wasn't throwing on a wall somewhere, I was fiddling with a pocket. Andrew Wille and I had long conversations about pocket theory until all our friends left to avoid going insane. To us it was like we were working on the solution to world hunger or something. I strung a few pockets for my teammates..I don't think I ever went anywhere without my stick until I was at least 35.

I pretty much majored in lacrosse in college. I did end up using it a bit more than that old anthropology degree I guess..

The history of the sport always interested me. I have strung a few antique wooden lacrosse sticks with heavy leather straps and cat gut (string made from cow stomachs). I have restored the wooden sidewall so that the word HACK burned in the side looked as good as it had in 1930. Some of those sticks were lighter than you might think, but most were trees compared to now, and they took years to break in, too.

You had to carefully pick a lacrosse stick out of a pile, one that felt good. No two were the same. You needed to check the balance, etc. Then you would go home and sand it down even more. This was true until 1973 when the plastic head was introduced..

Players used one stick forever more or less. Guys would repair their pockets with every device for fixing known to man. The wood you could wrap with fiberglass when it cracked. The pain of breaking in a new pocket and getting a new stick like you wanted it was so great.that people invented technology just so they wouldn't have to do it.

My coach in college, the legendary Doc Stabler had a basement crammed full of wooden lacrosse sticks, leather gloves, and leather helmets. He also had boa constrictors in his office and Gyr falcons mating in the barn, but Doc is a story for another time, because there was a man who loved lacrosse, and a character who could never just be a footnote.

I remain ever fascinated with the ball. The lacrosse ball is alive, and if you think I'm lying, put a baseball in your stick and play around with it. Then put a lacrosse ball in there. Everything changes. The ball and the pocket want to do more. Plus, I'm sure balls have a life of their own because every year it seems like a couple hundred of mine just up and walk off never to be seen again.

Every piece of equipment in lacrosse has been through radical changes over the years. Wood has been replaced by space age plastic and titanium. Gut has become polyester weave. Gloves no longer need to have palms carefully cut out because we have mesh palms. The new Cascade helmets have made the tapes of games from 5 years ago look like ancient history.

The ball hasn't changed in a hundred years.

I once said that I wanted my ashes to be put inside a lacrosse ball, so I could spend eternity in some bunch of weeds overlooking a lacrosse field, and I'd always have a view of the game.

Wednesday, January 24, 2001

When all is said and done, as a coach I am more of a philosopher than I am a dictator. I do not call my players "Grasshopper", but I very much want them to find their own way, and for our team to find its own identity, and more importantly, chemistry.. I motivate more with logic than anything else. There never seems to be a shortage of emotion. The fire of passion needs direction, not just more fuel.

On the field I am probably not as charming as John Wooden, but .I am definitely nicer than Bobby Knight. In practice I put tons of pressure on them. I want them to be challenged every day, but I swear I never choke them. I do occasionally slap them, though.

Saturday / Sunday, January 28, 2001

I am picking the Giants in Superbowl XXXV. Has anyone noticed THEIR defense. The Giant offense doesn't seem to suck as bad as the Ravens, plus Edgar Allen Poe died destitute, which makes me wonder why the city of Baltimore embraced his indentity......ever more; or at least until Art Modell moves the team to Los Angeles and renames them the Ravers..

Two weeks ago I picked a Vikings Raiders superbowl. So put your money on the Ravens. It is hard to pick against Shannon Sharpe anyway.

I like it when players reinvent themselves to find a role that is valuable to team success. Two years ago we had a freshman attackman from the Boston area. He was not that big, but a good player. We were deep on attack, though, and it really didn't look like he was going to be an impact player here. We were also young across the board.

After his freshman season the kid went home for the summer, and decided he could play at this level by moving to middie. He lifted, ran, and literally came back in the fall a different player, and he had changed as a person, too. He declared himself a midfielder. He has worked hard to become perhaps our best cutter, and he plays defense well, too. As a junior, he is now a mainstay on our top line. He is definitely the kind of player that helps define us and what we are about..

We have a few attackmen that will play middie a little bit this season in order to play at all. Almost all attackmen are capable of playing a little middie. For one or two of our freshmen, the humility of playing foot soldier on the midfield infantry unit for a while will be a good thing, and it will bring more versatility to their game

I daresay that most defensemen CANNOT play short stick or attack, and so often the long poles' playing time is at a premium. I know this is one of my most important challenges this year. We have some good long poles that all deserve to play a lot. We have many in terms of overall numbers, too. The ones who play team defense and handle the ball the best are the ones who will most likely play the most, but I like to rotate a lot of players whenever possible. Besides, it is a long season. They all get some sort of shot, sooner or later..

We are about to get 8 inches of snow. The best laid plans.. It is only January after all. It looks like our first practice will be Monday night in the field house..

I remember saying many times that the best thing about a freshman (college) is that he will become a sophmore. It must have been a different era, because even though players definitely mature as they go (hopefully), we get more freshmen that can play right away now. High school ball is good. High school coaches are better than ever.

Mike Napolilli (jr Heritage.) and Mike Roth (sr. Eaglecrest) were both impact players for us as freshmen. Napi led the league in points in '99, his first year.. Roth had like 85 goals as a rookie in 1998, most on feeds from Pat Shanley. Pat Coy (sr Heritage) allowed us to do new things on defense when he brought his football skills to CSU as a freshman. I'm hoping we have a couple impact freshmen this year. It is obvious that Cal, BYU, Michigan, CU and others have really upgraded with freshmen and transfers. The competition level rises annually in the USLIA, and I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.

Monday, January 29, 2001

Okay, so I am not the greatest football handicapper. Being a Bronco fan, it isn't like I got emotional about it. I am an AFC guy anyway. I should have listened to Mike Shanahan. He knew how good Baltimore was, 21-3.

I wonder why it is true that so often in those big games one team stands up and plays great and the other team basically has no counterpunch. It is rare that two great teams play their best in the biggest game.

There really wasn't a great playoff game this year. Being able to win away from home is huge, and the superbowl is definitely an away game, no matter where you play it.

Looking out my window and watching 6" of snow blowing around, we will go inside tonight. I hope they don't eat dinner before practice. The question is now how many days until we get on the field?

Tuesday, January 30, 2001

Monday night's inside practice wasn't exactly my dream day one practice, simply because we weren't outside. It went pretty well, though, all things considered. People look like they came in "ready, not just ready to get ready." I love watching them run and play catch. I know it sounds simple and silly, but I really do.

Meanwhile the weather outside is frightful, and from a coaching point of view, it is not that delightful. We want to get going and people are excited to play together.

I am anxious to get them running. The foundation is key to the building and all, but I really can't wait to test THIS team on the lacrosse field, and unless I get some divine intervention in the way of warm weather real quick, it looks like it could still be a while before I get to do that. The old lacrosse coach's journal could get real boring real quick

Today the captains took them for a frigid run, and then to the rec center to play hoops and lift. Tomorrow we go back inside, this time at 9:00 p.m. That takes us way past my bed time, but I'll suck it up for the team.

I am trying something new and different this year. Players can get paid, or basically reduce their overall dues by taking on certain jobs that benefit the program, and or day to day operations of the team. These jobs range from ball master (keeper of the balls) to treasurer, which for us is getting to be a huge job.

There seems to be a few guys who want to fill all the available "positions", but it should be able to spread itself out "like buttah" (I hope) to where many guys are involved and everything is getting done with pride and in a "timely fashion".

Wednesday, January 31, 2001

It feels so weird writing 2001. That always seemed so far away.

One of the players asked me if my one year old could say any words. I said, "Does woo woo count?" Player said that it didn't, but I know he's talking about the dog, and so does Jordan, so doesn'r that make it a word? Princeton is still not out of the question.

Today I got an e-mail from a "recruit" who had made his decision to go to, ahem, one of our rival schools. When he came here to visit I sensed he had already mostly decided on that other school.

Because he seemed to be an outstanding kid and is a star player in a great lacrosse area, I hoped that he might give CSU and our program a good look. I am actually pleased that he liked our program enough to look twice at the school, and to write me the excellent letter that he did. I wished him well. By the way, that other school......it sounds like CSU, but it has one less letter, and if that isn't enough, their mascot sometimes wears a ring in its nose. Rhymes with cuffalo?

CSU is a state school. Out of state tuition is high and in state is not. This is one of the factors that makes our squad predominantly Colorado Players. We also get a lot of kids who go away to play lacrosse or football out of state, get homesick, and come back to play in our "virtual varsity" program

I don't do a lot of recruiting, but when athletes show interest in the team and the university, I am all over it. We get so many more players visiting the campus from out of state than we used to.

Our players actually do a good amount of recruiting in our program, and it has helped us build a little pipeline to a couple of the really good Denver high school programs. Kids going back to their high schools and talking about what we have at CSU is the best kind of recruiting there can be as far as I am concerned.