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From the Stands

Summer Scouting Tour

It’s time to hit the old dusty trail for my summer scouting tour.  Last Wednesday, after having a quick meeting with our owner in Boston, I flew to Vancouver and caught a quick connector to Victoria, B.C., to catch the New Westminster Salmonbellies take on the Shamrocks in a classic WLA Senior matchup. 

With Boston’s Expansion Draft coming up next Thursday, I am trying to take in as many games as possible.  One last look at current NLL players left unprotected, while at the same time keeping my eyes open for potential free agents.

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From the Stands

MAY-hem just doesn’t express it!

So, you think you’re a lacrosse fan, but you’re depressed because the National Lacrosse League season is over? 

Pack up the family and move your butt to Rochester because May is when we take a breath for about sixteen seconds and roll right into the next lacrosse fandemonium.  Take a look at this weekend for most of us Upstate New York lacrosse fans:

Thursday May 22^nd 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: The Rattlers Rowdies debuted the Rattlers Roundup Radio Show for the summer.  Tune into www.rattlersrowdies.com each week to hear from all of your Rattlers favorites and of course the Ripper Report.

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From the Stands

A Line in the S(t)ands!

So, here we are just over a year since a line was drawn in the sand of the desert in Arizona and my Rochester Knighthawks brought that shining, rock solid Cup, ahh who am I kidding, it’s a punch bowl attached with a loose nut and bolt to a stack of fiberboard. But I digress.

We are at Championship Weekend and fortunately enough, Western New York is a huge player once again and represented in the elite professional indoor community.  That is all of the accolades that I will put forth for Buffalo, though. Haha … I’m sorry, but I’m a Knighthawks fan and even though they are in my division and love what I believe is the best rivalry in the National Lacrosse League, I just can’t throw on the orange foam hat and orange wig and get my cheer on for the Bandits.

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From the Stands

2.4 seconds does not an NLL season make

Last week, I was jumping on the Titans and their fan pretty hard and I now humbly accept that they fought through and deserve their playoff berth.  I’ve heard so many people pointing at that save by Matt Vinc with 2.4 seconds to go to give New York the shot at the playoffs.

This National Lacrosse League season was way more than just 2.4 seconds. Kudos to Hoar for taking that shot, though. The party we were hosting in Rochester was on its feet when he won that faceoff.  This season was ups and downs, and expectations that Rochester could duplicate last season’s feat when in reality, with the distribution of Arizona and Boston players, this league probably was the most balanced it’s been in the modern era. 

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From the Stands

Will the REAL Knighthawks please stand up?

So, the Knighthawks will be boarding a plane either tonight or first thing tomorrow morning headed to MSP - Minneapolis Airport.  My question is “Which team is boarding that plane?”

Is it the team we’ve seen the past two weeks that went into a hostile Air Canada Centre and swaggered out with a well-earned 9-6 efficient victory, then redeemed their worst loss of the year, a 14-9 decision to Buffalo, by beating them 11-6 at the Barn Down by the River?  Or, God forbid, is it the team that began this National Lacrosse League not being advised that it wasn’t 2007 anymore, and needing 7 in Philly and 9 in Minny just to make the losing scores respectable? 

For those of us that live, sleep and breath the Rochester Knighthawks, we are on bended knee this week hoping for Option A.

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From the Stands

The Wolfpack is Back!

I’m taking a well deserved step back from the whole Knighthawks situation on and off the floor this week and looking toward a lacrosse team that is full of hope and promise for this season.

The Rochester Greywolves are coming back, the reincarnated team will play against their Canadian counterparts in the Can-Am Lacrosse League.  If you’re reading this and wondering why I say “coming back,” the Greywolves actually played in Rochester in the early 1980s at arenas like Lakeshore Arena and the Culver Road Armory and was the first professional lacrosse club to play in Rochester since the NLL Champion Rochester Griffins moved in 1975.

These Rochester Greywolves are acknowledged as the official partner of the Rochester Knighthawks, which opens the doors for these players to be called up for tryouts by the Knighthawks. 

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From the Stands

The Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial

Yep, that is the proper, complete name of what Rochester Knighthawks fans revere as the “Barn Down by the River” (thank you Chris Farley), home of the defending National Lacrosse League’s reigning champs.

I was trying to come up with a unique blog topic this week as I knew the Fall of the Champs topic would be well-worn by my deadline. I decided to go where not many Rochester sports fans have gone before. That’s right, behind the scenes at the Blue Cross Arena. Nope, I didn’t find Jimmy Hoffa or even George Eastman under the arena. I did however see a lot of Rochester history and took a lot of photos of places most fans probably will never access. First and foremost, thank you to Jeff Calkins, the General Manager of the Blue Cross Arena and his staff. They were excellent tour guides and let me go practically anywhere I wanted to that didn’t involve insurance liabilities.

First, some quick history of the BCA. The Kimball Tobacco Factory (with the Genesee River behind it in this photo) was built on this spot in 1880 and a 21-foot statue of Mercury was placed atop the Factory’s smokestack. It stood there until 1951 when the original Civic Center Arena was built. Today that statue is atop the Thomson West publishing building across Broad Street from the BCA. The BCA opened as the Rochester Community War Memorial in 1955, many native Rochesterians still call it “War Memorial” to this day.

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From the Stands

Three NLL Games in One

I took a detour off the Interstate 5 North from Los Angeles on Friday to take in the Stealth/Roughnecks match at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Saturday afternoon. It was well worth the side trip.

It was a pivotal game for positioning in the West division, especially for those important home playoff dates. The Stealth needed a win to keep pace with the Colorado Mammoth in the race for the division title and the Roughnecks needed a win to keep hopes of a potential home playoff date realistic.

There was some interesting pre-game news regarding Calgary in that Steve Dietrich was slated to make his return to the Roughnecks after suffering a concussion in Game 3 of the ‘Necks season. But the more startling revelation came via the NLL’s transactions site that noted Calgary’s Tracey Kelusky had been placed on the Injured Reserve list to make room for a roster spot for Dietrich. No mention had been made of the move on the Wednesday league media call and Kelusky had played the previous two games for the Roughies after getting medical clearance from his earlier concussion issues. Reportedly, the Calgary captain is having some re-occurrences of his post concussion syndrome issues. Placing him on the IR means he won’t be eligible to play for at least three weeks now – not a good sign for Tracey or the Roughnecks.

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From the Stands

NLL All-Star Game was just like a family reunion

What would you expect to happen when you take 36 of the best players in the world who, for the most part respect each other, and put them in one city? It’s going to be like a family reunion. The National Lacrosse League’s All-Star weekend in Edmonton was just that.

You’ve got Uncle Jimmy and Johnny and of course little Athan and Geoff. It was a gathering of friends, many of whom haven’t seen each other for quite a while. A time for everyone to let their hair down (Jarett Park, Mark Steenhuis and Andrew McBride specifically), relax, tell some stories and catch up. 

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From the Stands

This is what it’s like to look up in the NLL standings? Well, I don’t like it

Call me a spoiled brat, but boy I have never felt this way heading into our 10th game of the National Lacrosse League season and looking up at five teams in the East, knowing that only the top four make it to the playoffs. 

Now, there are fans all over this league popping champagne, lighting up their stogies and celebrating the “demise” of the Knighthawks.  From world champions one season to battling to stay out of the basement the next.  Knighthawks fans have been scratching our heads for a majority this season trying to figure out where the team is that we have followed for years. 

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From the Stands

What makes an NLL fan?

With the cancellation of the Toronto at Philadelphia game last weekend, I realized something over the weekend and needed to expound on it.  We NLL fans are just another breed, something that other sports leagues, even other lacrosse leagues, have not been able to tap into yet.  I’m going to try to explain it with examples that I’ve either personally been involved with or have heard first hand about.

• Toronto fans make it to Philly to find out the game is cancelled and who cares? They still party with their Wings counterparts and make the best of the weekend.
• Years ago the same thing happened in Albany. Philly fans made it to town, the game was cancelled and they still closed down Jillian’s (one of the only restaurants open in Albany due to the weather) in the wee hours of the morning with some of the Philly players paying for the fan’s food and drink.  I don’t see Kobe or Terrell Owens doing that.

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From the Stands

10 more jerseys to ‘retire’

So, in honor of Minnesota retiring the jersey of a local sportscaster who played for eight seconds in the NLL, here are 10 other jerseys that are equally deserving.

 10) Titus the Titan: Dude, Seriously you look like the love child of the Trojan Man and Dark Helmet from Spaceballs.

9) The Mechanical Bull from the Wachovia Center: Ahhh, Mechanical Bull, check. Hooters performance team members, check. Soft porn, check. Thanks, the kids are scarred and our wives are upset at us for no apparent reason, check.

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From the Stands

Super Saturday in the ROC

So, not too often is there an opportunity to cover the entire spectrum of lacrosse on one day, but tomorrow represents just that opportunity.

Here is how a lot of the members of the Krew that are not in Chicago already are spending the day.

11:30 a.m.: Strap on the gear that is still frozen from being in the trunk since last week, aka Pre-Game Perk-up.

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From the Stands

View from across the pond

We all know and love our game, but it’s inevitable that at some point, we have to explain it to some newbie. You know the questions you get …. “That’s the game where they swing the sticks like crazy, right?” … “Is it hard to catch the ball in the net?” …. “Why does the goalie look like the Michelin Man?” On and on it goes, and while it’s cool to share your joy of the game with someone new, some of the questions make ya wonder.

And then, once in a while, you run into someone who offers their take after seeing a game for the first time. This is where blogger Steven Wells comes into the picture. (Speaking of, the blank mug you see here is the one he provides on his blog.) Writing for the The Guardian in England (that’s on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Jenner), Wells offers some hilarious insight from his first game, a Philadelphia Wings game, no less.

Some exerpts from the man who writes, “I might have just discovered the most passionate sport in the US:”

Friends, I would like to make an apology. If I have ever given the impression that all US sports fans are passive, pampered, bovine, weak-beer-sipping, consumerist couch potatoes made soft, flabby and lazy by decades of mind-numbing, rah-rah and blah-blah sterilized “family entertainment” and lowest-common-denominator saturation advertising, I’m sorry.

I’d never been to an indoor lacrosse game before.

Another sampling …

Dude, this is punk. It’s sportz metal. Up on the massive Jumbotron screen a horribly dead-eyed Canadian thug called Seth or Shawn or Jason or Taylor is babbling some half-baked but obviously sincere kill-or-be-killed Nietzschian superman codswallop in a psychopathic monotone over a gabba re-mix of a Linkin Park headbanger.

It’s great stuff. It’ll make you laugh, nod in agreement and maybe even leave a note for the chap, welcoming him to the lacrosse family.

From the Stands

And then there was Plaid

So, most of you know me as the President and Founder of the Knighthawks Krew. Well, as I’ve said in previous blogs, I learned from the PWFC and the Bandits Brigade how to form and grow a fan club and we’ve grown every year of our existence.

Some places don’t need an “Official” fan club, like Toronto and Colorado, they pack their venues and do roadtrips without “Official” clubs. For some of the other cities, having a fan club takes pressure off of the front office and lets them concentrate on increasing revenue streams, not taking ticket orders for a game they won’t see a dime from. So, in the past month or so, I’ve been following a great situation happening in the Western Division: the formation of the Plaid Platoon in Portland.
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From the Stands

What’s happening with Rochester Sports?

Did you know that Rochester is home to nine professional sports teams? You know of course, the Rochester Knighthawks and Rattlers (the first city to have both levels of professional lacrosse literally 1 mile from each other). There is also the Americans (AHL), the Red Wings (AAA baseball), the Rhinos (USL D-1 Soccer), Women Rhinos (USL W-League), Rochester Razorsharks (PBL Basketball), Rochester Raiders (CIFL Football) and the Empire State Roar (Women’s Football).

Yeah, Rochester likes pro sports.

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From the Stands

Home loss the best game ever?

So, minutes after Sean Pollock silenced the crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Barn Down by the River, a fan walked up to me in the atrium and declared “Besides the loss, that was the best game I’ve ever watched.” 

I honestly had to step back take a cockeyed look at him and then I thought, you know what?  You’re absolutely right, we’ve had double OT winners against the Bandits and blowouts against Toronto, but we all might have just witnessed our team remembering what made them champions last year.  

There is a fan that has a small dry erase board that sits along the boards, throughout the game, he’ll write new messages on that board and put it up on the glass.  The Jumbotron caught something Saturday night in the third quarter that brought the Blue Cross Arena to its feet:  “Now You’re Playing Like Champions.”

I seriously hope that it’s freeze-framed and pasted in the Knighthawks locker room for the rest of the season. 

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From the Stands

Hawk Talk Radio, by the fans, for the fans

Krew

No offense to CP and his Sirius radio show, but if you want to hear a lacrosse show for free on the world wide web, Hawk Talk is back.

Eric “Gonzo” Driscoll and I re-ignited Hawk Talk last night from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at www.areyoukrew.net .   This is the only radio show put on by fans, for the fans.  The shows run every Thursday night throughout the NLL season.  Of course the coverage is primarily about the Knighthawks and Rochester lacrosse, but we give our predictions of the NLL action and talk about the hot button issues as well around the league.

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From the Stands, The Beat

Zen and the Art of Lacrosse Coaching

It is well known that the NLL is cracking down on head shots, off-ball cross checking and other “dangerous plays.”  The referees have been instructed to “clean up” parts of the game to improve offensive flow.  I worry that in doing so what we are left with is a game both frustrating and lacking.    

As I was watching the first half of the Wings and Knighthawks game on Friday, I couldn’t help but be annoyed by some of the ticky-tack fouls being called.  Slashing penalties were being handed out like chewing gum, 5-minute majors assessed without a second thought.

In one play, Philly’s Rob Van Beek scooped up a loose ball, built up a head of steam, lowered his shoulder and ran over Shawn Evans.  There was some incidental contact made between helmet’s causing Shawn’s to come off.  Van Beek was awarded a 5-minute major for elbowing.  It looked like a bad call at regular speed, but the slow motion replay confirmed that Van Beek kept his elbow at his side making contact with his shoulder.  

Fortunately it seemed the calls evened themselves out over the course of the game as Chris Schiller of Rochester got 5 in the third quarter for an illegal cross check.  We did not get a chance to see that one a second time, but it appeared to be more of a hold than a dangerous check. 

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From the Stands

Love and Lacrosse are in the Air

I know I should be doing game reviews and game previews leading up to this weekend’s matchup in the Wacho Center in Philly for the Knighthawks, but the pros have taken great care of that so far this week. 

Next week, I’ll jump on my soapbox from the stands and give you my thoughts on the games I’ve seen and look forward to this season.

This week I’m going to touch on something that I’m not sure how many people really see going on around the sport of lacrosse off the field.  Our little community is growing and as it grows, it is sprouting up some interesting relationships among fans. 

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