Tuesday, May 28, 2013

What's Your Response to Losing A Big Game?

Dan Pratt 36 and Fred Opie 34 in the 1985 NCAA Lacrosse National Championship 

Lacrosse Pioneers in the Hudson Valley: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=+Elliot+Stark



Lacrosse Back in the Day At Croton Point Park: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Croton+Point

Friday, May 24, 2013

Lacrosse TV Coverage Is Great, But Style of Play is Boring

Photo from last year's championship game SU vs Cornell. That game was boring too until the last 7 minutes of the fourth quarter.

Talking to Aaron Jones (Hempstead, Cornell, NY AC, and Maryland Lacrosse Club) last week. and we both raved about the ability to regularly enjoy college lacrosse games in the luxury of our homes on ESPN. The network is doing a wonderful job and hats off to the lax personalities doing the play by play and color commentary—I am particularly impressed with Paul Carcaterra who has emerging as the Tom Madden of lacrosse broadcasting with creative and insightful adjectives. I also enjoy hearing the sage like wisdom of former Army coach Emmer; like to see more former coaches like him in the broadcast booths. One of the observations that Aaron and I both made is that the style of lacrosse that we’ve seen over the past two years including Cornell and Syracuse, with some rare exceptions, is boring. Boring why? Offensive and defensive players almost never challenge each other one on one. I’m I the only one that misses seeing players breaking ankles with nasty stutter steps and split dodges and players that chase and then strip players to start a fast break? Yes there is some of that but not enough to make me sit through 4 quarters of men’s lacrosse. Do the players lack confidence or are the coaches control freaks? Love to hear your thoughts on comments sections of the blog below.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Championships You Remember

Maryland's Frank Urso (left) taking a shot against Hopkins during a regular season game at Byrd Stadium in the  1970s

I saw my first live national championship game about 1978. Clay Johnson from my hometown played for Maryland and he was my hero. As a freshmen Clay had been talented enough to run second midfield for the Terps as they faced off against their across the beltway rival Johns Hopkins.  Both teams were loaded with All Americans.  Among them, Mark Greenberg on defense, Jeff Cook on attack, Dave Huntley at midfield; Dave played with day glow green Brine head, traditional pocket, and wooden shaft. I want a stick like that and later played with one.  Marilyn had Barry Mitchell on midfield, and many others that I just don’t remember. The game was played at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland.  It was filled to capacity.  I remember walking into the stadium and making my way to my seats in the midst of an electric atmosphere.  I had recently started playing the game in eighth grade and watching a home town boy like Clay compete at that level made an indelible mark on my consciousness.  I think it was then that I decided that I wanted to be a Division I lacrosse player, as though that was a career; it sounds funny to me in retrospect.  What championship lacrosse game sticks out the most in your mind and why?  

Thursday, May 9, 2013

All Black Lacrosse Players Look A like.


Aaron Jones  
Fred Opie 1985 vs John Hopkins 
I first met Aaron Jones (AJ) in the fall of 1983 while visiting a coed on the campus of Cornell University. So here's the scene, I am a JUCO transfer in my first semester at Syracuse University in my junior year. AJ is freshman in his first semester at Cornell and we both play defense. Syracuse had just one it's first national championship in the spring of 1983 and Cornell may not have made the NCAA playoffs that year.  I run into AJ at a African-American sorority party. I'm wearing a Syracuse lacrosse polo and he a Cornell one. I was surprised and happy to meet another African-American lacrosse player. AJ in classic Hempstead style, we'll talk about that later, sized me up and begin to talk trash about how Cornell was going to stomp on Syracuse in the coming season! I had never met anyone with so much brash for my life! It was the start of a long friendship that continues today. My junior year I wore # 2 #34 my senior year. A teammate had #7 and I could not talk him into giving it up! Aaron and I cracked up when we realized the number of times white folk confuse us saying “Aaron great shot in that 85 championship game at Brown,"  and “Fred great check on that youtube video.” I scored the goal and Aaron made the check!  I guess all black lacrosse players look alike just like all Coach Mike West Genesee players play alike! 

Best Checks Videos:






Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Coach What Will Your Players Say About You?

1990 Exhibition game victory against the Syracuse All Stars in Liverpool, New York, a suburb of  the City of Syracuse
Related Links Below

Inside Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives by Joe Ehrmann, Gregory Jordan and Paula Ehrmann: [Watch 4 min 7 sec] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9qxV0pRaS0
Book: Inside Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives by Joe Ehrmann, Gregory Jordan and Paula Ehrmann http://books.simonandschuster.com/InSideOut-Coaching/Joe-Ehrmann/9781439182987My College, Club, and U. S. Team Players and Coacheshttp://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22


Movie Crooked Arrows: http://crookedarrows.com/

Monday, May 6, 2013

Improving Your Shooting Skills

Here's an instructional video I shot at Brown University Lacrosse Camp. It features Coach Mark Miller a former Adelphi University goalie given some important tips on shooting from a goalie's point of view.