Championship Thoughts

[jessexy]

Just an observation from one of the people "working the tables" (as a writer for the USLIA.com staff), i dont think there trash talking consumed the tables. More or less, there was plenty of trash-talking between the benches and the tables are definitely sitting in between. I dont remember any talk between the tables and any bench, but I only covered two days of the tournament do my work commitments at my "real" job. And i also got to cover A Division games where most of the teams were National Championship veterans and had been there before, meaning that they understood the intensity and stake the games had.

[lanejaff]

As an avid observer of the tourney, 3 games each day, I can honestly say the volunteers did an amazing job. While they will never get the credit they truly deserve, I think it is important to thank Sonny, Dan Morris, Ken Lovic, Chris Larsens, and all the volunteers who helped out. People do not realize the work these guys put in, but trust me when I say they are the reason this league runs. How about a little love for the guys behind the scenes, you have earned my respect.

[Kevin OBrien]

as one of the volunteers (heard about it later, wasn't there) I know that we were all amazed by the fact that Montana had absolutely no players from Montana and were an amazing team. I don't think for a second that anything prior to "the incident" anything was said negatively about Montana....afterwards I don't know of anything either.

To think that someone deliberately changed a scoreboard to insult some team in a game that they have no connection with is just plain not logical. As Manible said, tempers flaired by members of a team in a close game.

If there were any mistakes with the scoreboard, it's because we're all college coaches and never had to take stats/work the scoreboard/blow the horn before.

If the horn was late, keep in mind that this process has to be followed prior to a horn being blown....a coach had to request a horn FROM THE OFFICIAL (not the table). The official had to put their arms up. Then (and only then) were we supposed to blow the horn.

That said, I was very impressed with Montana. They represent everything a team should be. And they had an amazing goalie and some great talent that I'd love to have on my team.

[KnoxVegas]

There were people manning cameras during the B Div Champ game. Are they just going to be showing random highlights or what will happen with that footage (if there was anything)

They probably were just getting set up for the WDIA game which followed the MDIA Div. B game. Don't know if CSTV will show any of the Div. B highlights during the Div. A title game coverage. We will certainly find out on Memorial Day night.

Rehearsal is proabbly the right answer. Lacrosse is not a game that is televisied often is is quite different to shoot, than say football or baseball.

Not a sermon. Just a thought.

[BallinOnAbudget]

I know that we were all amazed by the fact that Montana had absolutely no players from Montana and were an amazing team.

I would just like to clarify that in fact we do have players on our team from Montana. As noted in the IA tourney program, #14 Eric Carlson and #55 Andrew Stolle are both born and bred Montana natives. Eric actually started against San Diego. He played a vital role in the success of our team this year, and had it not been for the superb performance of our face-off man, Eric would most definitely be considered a candidate for FOGO honors on our team. He took his role as a wing man on face-offs and short stick defensive middie very seriously and was a ferocious ground ball machine. Eric has excelled in this sport more in two years than anyone i have ever played with before. I don't remember what game it was in, but i watched Eric split and roll his way to the goal and score with his LEFT hand. This is from a kid that didn't even know what the word lacrosse meant before he saw us practicing a couple years back, let alone that it was a sport.

Montana is the only state with a team in the PNCLL that does not have any high school programs, varsity or club. None. We are working to change that. This year we held free lacrosse clinics in town to anyone interested. Our team president Kevin Flynn has been instrumental in getting the name of lacrosse out there in Montana, he deserves a ton of credit.

Wyoming, off the top of my head, may be the only other state with a team in the MDIA that doesnt have high school programs. Does anyone know of any others? [/b]

[pepsi24]

I know that we were all amazed by the fact that Montana had absolutely no players from Montana and were an amazing team.

i think that harding was the only team at the tournament with no players from the state the school was in. if my facts are right they have never had a player from arkansas on their team during any season they have been in existance.

arkansas also doesn't have any high school programs...but very much like montana, harding is working to change that; and also like montana, harding held a few camps for kids this year hoping to have intrest in the sport grow. now that arkansas university has a team i think you might start to see it grow, everyone in arkansas saw is an arkansas fan...you should have been at the harding/arkansas game.

it was rumored earlier this year that a division 2 school in central arkansas was going to begin fielding a div. 2 ncaa team within the next 2 or 3 years...but who knows if that is actually true.

[Danny Hogan]

Eckerd College from St. Petersburg, FL (just south of Tampa) has no players from the state of Florida.

[OAKS]

Hendrix college in Arkansas is adding lacrosse.

http://www.hendrix.edu/eventsnews/event ... px?id=4150

[Kyle Berggren]

I have run scoreboards and know that this cannot happen by accident. You must hit 3 buttons to change a score.

Kevin, I walked away at that point to call an anxiously awaiting Jason Stockton, but I can say you only need 1 button. It was + -, home/away, one button for each. Many times during the week, I forgot to add scores while recording them/the assist in the book. Just an added piece for you guys. I've talked to both sides. The table wasn't planning an anti-Montana display, nor were they even aware they were being yelled at until it started to get ugly. They all want to see you guys play again and were very impressed.

[Danny Hogan]

the score was correct when the game ended and also correct in the live action game coverage on this site.

[gomontucky]

the moral of the story seems to be that there was no anti-montana conspiracy going on after all. this is not a surprise. we were heated after a close game, the table was heated after a long afternoon in, oddly enough, the heat, and everyone is fine now. unless there is some sort of lawsuit pending i really think everything's been said here, i know montana is satisfied and had a great weekend we'll all remember...

remembering how people read these, i will now clarify that the lawsuit bit was a joke.

[bste_lax]

Group hug time?

[lil lady lax fan]

Benson, where do you come up with these???

[the lax]

Here are some thoughts regarding the tournament from some one who spent hours waiting for internet and cellphone updates and Dave Adam's photography.

First, my apologies and congratulations to UCSB. I was almost rooting for you to make it to the finals, but the allure of an all Colorado final was too much for me. Damon Conklin Morgan, congratulations on a great career. Based on your awards and the clout you command on the message boards I never want to be in the same state as you when I play the game. Good luck to you. Sorry to hear about Nick Stratton's hamstring.

Next, as anyone who knows me personally, I am almost as concerned with looking good on the field as I am with winning. Here are some comments regarding those who did and those who didn't in Dallas. Think of it as ESPN's Page 2 Uniform Watch.




Lindenwood managed to complicate the very timeless UCLA uniform design by adding their logo on the chest and numbers on the sleeves. Sorry didn't work for me. And neither did my favorite player from last year. Justin Combs was a big no show in the tournament with 2 goals and 3 assists. What happened?



The Longhorns all white Harrow gloves look like dirty motel pillows.


Colorado is one of the few teams in the league that uses the same company for all their equipment, Brine. Pretty remarkable loyalty for a club lacrosse program. However I can't help but thinking the shorts are similiar to a basketball design. Not the length but the pattern of the lines down the sides. Sidenote: I wonder how Colorado feels about Lindenwood having such similar gloves.



Fun with footwear. Here we see the USC shoelace style done correctly and in reverse. Guess the reverse worked out better for Sonoma.



I've heard the Riddell helmets have been compared to fish heads. What do you think?



Socks on a grass field. For shame. Just a bandaid for that cut. Or as the Navy lacrosse team would say, some dip juice.



More bad choices. Team color knee high socks (doesn't that just sound embarassing) and actual Adidas soccer socks. Montana and perhaps Division B in general seem to lack common sense.



Elastic in the sleeves has NO place in lacrosse. Especially if you only have 6 inch arms or your arms are 90% flab. Again, critical errors by Division B.




Bailing on the classic uniform from years past, may have hurt UCSB.



Teams wearing black. CSU didn't to wear their blacks.



Maybe Florida State should have.



By the way, this goal is dirty. http://www.uslia.com/media/2006/movies/BYU_CSU_1.avi

[sohotrightnow]

UCSB faded out this season without last years talented senior class. Wins late in the season of 10-7 against Arizona State, 12-6 against USC, and 8-4 agaisnt UCLA all teams not going to the tournament are not impressive.
The only decent win they have this season is against Colorado, before they were playing their best lacrosse late in the season. If you consider the one goal BYU victory a big win, factor in how streaky BYU has been this season. If they had played that game the day before or after BYU probably would have won. The Cal Poly win doesn't count as a big game because its Cal Poly. They shouldnt be in the tournament either. Why the MDIA voters have this love affair with inviting undeserving California teams is beyond me.

To give UCSB a bid much less a tenth seed is ridiculous. How can a team that lost its quarterfinal conference tournament game be qualified to go over Utah, who beat Sonoma the eventual WCLL champ.

UCSB is only there because of they are UCSB not on the success of this season. And as I recall, its the 2006 national tournament, not last year, not a life time achievement award. UCSB does not deserve to be there.

I only hope that UCSD can beat them again there by showing UCSB's fulitity as a choice thus wasting a deserving team's opportunity to be there.

There are 16 teams selected not 65. The selection process cannot involve favorites, risks, last year's cindrella. If you ask UCSB's head coach who played at Princeton if he thinks his team belongs with this year's best programs in Dallas, he'd be lieing if he said yes.

I think you owe Cal Poly an apology as well.