July 3, 2009
Lax news and notes
by Kyle Devitte/
Well, ladies and gents, there have been many, many happenings in the world of lacrosse this summer. This week I’ve decided that instead of a traditional column, I’ll bring you all up to speed on all that is lax. This is sort of like the ticker that runs on the bottom of the screen when you watch ESPN. Except easier to read and no WNBA news.
? Bill Tierney leaves Princeton to coach at the University of Denver. As someone who has heckled Tierney personally at a Harvard game last year, I can say that it will be sad to see him go. He’s not manufacturing championships like he did back in the '90s, but his team is still competitive against the best of the best. Denver is no longer a dark horse in lacrosse — the Pioneers are a mythical nightmare with Tierney at the helm.
? Tierney was replaced at Princeton by former Drexel head coach Chris Bates. Bates wasn’t the sexy pick, but he is a solid coach who will now have the resources to recruit the way he wants. Local coaching change: Andy Towers was named the head coach at Dartmouth after Bill Wilson resigned after Memorial Day weekend. Towers will have his work cut out for him with the Big Green, but he has a great staff and more talent that was limited to the bench or the training room than people realize.
? Lacrosse companies are slowly leaking their new heads to the public. Maverik, adidas, Warrior and Brine all have unveiled heads on various websites that I can’t link. But STX has rolled out pics of its new heads on Facebook. Just search “STX” on www.facebook.com for pictures of the Professor, the Super Power, the Revolver and the new K18. No, I will not make a Kyle Harrison joke; YOU make a Kyle Harrison joke.
? The Cannons have yo-yoed from almost last to almost first in the league with three straight wins. If they beat Denver this weekend, they will be in a prime spot for the playoffs. 1-3 to 4-3 by way of mid-range shooting and trusting rookies. Who knew? I did.
? Speaking of the Cannons, their All-Star midfielder Matt Poskay returned to the field after a month-long battle with testicular cancer. Luckily, the former Virginia Cavalier caught the disease early and should be making a full recovery. He already has played in three games and has 10 points.
? There is a “lacrosse movie” in the pipeline in Hollywood. It’s called "Crooked Arrows" and stars … no one yet. Production has advanced to financing and the project could be a success, unless they hire Michael Bay, director of "Transformers" and "Transformers 2." I have a copy of his shooting script right here. Hold on:
Exterior, lacrosse field. A boy emerges from the shadow of a giant robot. HE is carrying a lacrosse stick and a ball. He shoots at the empty net. THE NET EXPLODES! BOOM!
BOY
This isn’t my war!
ROBOT
The Canadians are coming, Sam. Err, Jack.
JACK
I know.
The boy clutches his stick and grabs his gear bag. The robot transforms into a truck and the JACK gets ready to throw his bag in the back, but he hears a ticking, so he throws the bag 50 feet in the air — IT EXPLODES! KABOOM!
…
"Transformers 2" sucked, and you know it.
? Women’s lax news? Yes. The United States exacted revenge against the Australians at the FIL world championships. The Americans won the gold medal game 8-7 and finished the tournament undefeated with a 7-0 mark. Women’s lax, who knew? (This time I really didn’t.)
? Warrior has announced that it has re-activated its offset patent from the early 1990s. The patent was created for Warrior’s first head, the Cobra, and well before Warrior was a glimmer in New Balance’s eye. Does this mean the Cobra is coming back? One can only dream. I’m still waiting for an explanation on the Scorpion. Hardcore lax junkies will get that joke; the rest of you can use Google or Bing or whatever the hell people use for search engines nowadays.
? The NLL lost another team as the Portland Lumberjax have announced that they will not be participating in the 2010 season. What does this mean to Blazers fans? We can get Brodie Merrill! Well, probably not, but hey, a guy can dream. The ginger prince alongside the Jack Reid, the ginger king? Best NLL defensive duo ever. A man can dream.
? Back to the NCAA to wrap this up. Because of the coaching changes, and other snippets of real life intersecting with real lacrosse, many athletes have chosen to pursue their careers elsewhere in 2010. Brown long stick midfielder Todd Faiella (Marshfield, Mass.) has transferred to Virginia for his final year of eligibility. The Ivy League does not allow students who have graduated to stay on for fifth years or graduate programs. Following his lead, and bucking the Ivy trend, Dartmouth midfielder Jon Lividas has transferred to Duke for his final year of eligibility. Also rumored to be looking to transfer — but not confirmed — is UMass’ Jim Connolly (North Andover, Mass.). Connolly had some off-the-field issues two years ago and missed an entire season because of it. It has been reported that Jimmy C is looking to head to UVA. This would be huge for the Cavs, as they would get an immediate fill-in for Garret Billings and Danny Glading at attack.
? Finally, Team USA's 40-man roster for the FIL championships was announced in June. The list includes just about every great player under the age of 30 in our great nation, including Paul Rabil, Ryan Boyle, Kyle Harrison, Matt Poskay, Joe Walters, Max Seibald, Alex Smith, Kyle Sweeney, Nick Polanco, Jack Reid and Brian Dougherty. Some BIG surprises were also on the list, most notably Duke rising senior LSM Parker McKee (Old Greenwich, Conn.) and graduate student midfielder Ned Crotty. Doc will be backed up by Adam Fullerton (Army) and Mickey Jarboe (former LA Riptide) in net. The biggest surprise is likely Ryan Powell, who made the roster despite not playing in MLL this summer due to … personal choice. No word on whether or not the other Powells have forsaken him for supporting lacrosse and not jamming out on guitars.
? See you next week, sans bullet points but firing from the hip as usual.
