Yardbarker: Lacrosse

It's time

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:15:37 -0500

What's good everybody? Just wanted to drop in and write one more time before the weekend. The week has been pretty productive. Me and my boy Brett were up in Portland doing some work for STX and Nike for a few days, and I got back late last night. I couldn't be more excited about this weekend man, been waiting for this for such a long time. It's going to be a great atmosphere in Denver, they always have a great crowd, and the excitement of opening game is going to have both teams fired up. Not making any guarantees one way or the other, but I can promise I'm going to play as hard as I possibly can and do as much as I can for my team to come out of this thing with a W. I was in a meeting earlier this week, and I got asked the question, why do you still do it? Why do you work out with a trainer, why do you take the sport so seriously? What motivates you? In a sport where actually playing isn't the way to earn your income, how do you put so much into it? It was a great question, and I figured I'd share my answer with you all. Well, for starters, I'm no different then any other competitor, just the simple fact that we still get to play the sport we love and compete at a high level is definitely a driving force behind me playing. I absolutely love this sport, and any day I get to wake up and play it, I'm thankful for. Whether that's in a summer league, a fall tournament or in the professional season, I love to play. Secondly, I'm no where near where I want to be as a player. I'm learning everyday. So what motivates me to work out everyday, shoot everyday, watch film and continue to improve? I'm not there yet. In my opinion I'm not even close. I'm working towards it though, and I will continue to do so. Lastly, I play to win. We all want to win a championship, no matter what level we're playing. Whether it's a youth league, middle school, high school, college or at the pro level. I won a National Championship in college, and the last thing to check off is an MLL (Major League Lacrosse) championship ring. So that's what continues to drive me (and most lacrosse players) to pursue a sport where the rewards aren't like some other big time sports. Here's a link to my favorite Youtube video. I watched it every Friday night before playing Saturdays in college. Gets me a bit fired up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0sZ_oPBFr8 Well, time for me to go for a little jog and pack up to head to Denver. I'll catch up with you all early next week. KH Get'um Hop.

Salisbury advances to DIII semifinal, faces Gettysburg

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:15:35 -0500

Salisbury men's lacrosse defeated Cabrini College tonight for a berth in semifinals of the DIII college lacrosse championship. Next for the Salisbury Seagulls?: No. 3 Gettysburg, a team that has lost only twice this year, including an 8-11 loss to ... Salisbury (!) on March 29.

NLL Championship prediction

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:46:17 -0500

There's only one game left in the NLL season. Will the Bandits finally pull off the championship in their third attempt in five years? Or will the Portland LumberJax, mediocre in the regular season but peaking in the playoffs, pull off the upset?

Game Week, baby!

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:37:49 -0500

What's good everybody? As always, I hope you guys had great weekends and got to spend some time with your families on Mothers Day. It was my first Mothers Day in a very long time not being around my mother, not too sure I liked it too much! I miss my family a lot, but they are all flying out this weekend to Denver for the first game! We had a little scrimmage in Denver last weekend, just to get up and down the field against another team before starting the season this weekend. Last Saturday after the scrimmage, Mr. Anschutz was nice enough to let us stay at his Eagles Nest Ranch in Denver as a team and we had a great time. Played a little golf, had some GREAT food, played some cards, watched some basketball and just relaxed and kicked it together. The following morning a lot of guys got up and went fishing, skeet shooting, and all that good stuff, but I had to head to the airport to hop a plane to Portland (where I am now). It was a great weekend, and a great way to end training camp. Well, this Saturday is a day I've been waiting for, for a very long time. It's our opening game against the Denver Outlaws at Invesco field. In our short 3 weeks of training camp, I do believe we've developed great chemistry, and are playing at a very high level together. Clearly, there's always room for improvement, especially this early in the season, but we're heading the right direction. One of my best friend in the world, Benson Erwin plays for Denver, so it will be nice to get back out on the field and compete against him. We went grade school, middle school, high school, and eventually off to Hopkins together, so it's nice for this whole thing to come full circle and us to be back out on the field again at the professional level. In our league, Denver draws the largest crowds, so it will be an incredible atmosphere. I shot a few video's at the ranch that are being edited now, so I'll toss those up in a day or two. You can see how TERRIBLE my golf swing is. I think my boy mentioned it in the video, but I've gotten an award before for the worst golfer to ever play at this course in Southern California. Now, in my opinion, that's not even right, how are you even going to have an award like that? Messed up. Anyway, that's all I got for now. Need to get up and get a work out in and get the day started. Oh yeah, got a question, who's going to have the song of the summer? What artist? Every summer somebody comes out with a catchy song that more or less defines the summer and is played over and over and over again. Who's coming out with it? I've got my vote, but I'm holding on to it for now. Have a GREAT Monday, KH Oh yeah, and watch out for my boys at Hopkins, looks like they may be peaking at the right time...

Syracuse Lax crushes Canisius 20 - 3, will face Notre Dame next

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:51:51 -0500

Orange lacrosse produced an impressive win, even if you think Canisius was an easy first round opponent. The 17 point margin of victory is the largest of the year so far for the Syracuse Orange, who haven't scored this many points since the Feb 17 victory over Villanova (21-6). Syracuse has twice before held opponents to 3 or less points: in March against Binghampton (in a 16-2 win) and in April against UMass (in a 16-3 win).

Salisbury coach records victory 327 to become winningnest coach in college lacrosse history

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:22:49 -0500

Berkman also earned Coach of the Year honors in the Capital Athletic League and the Salisbury University Seagulls went undefeated in 2008 and earned the top seed in the DIII NCAA championships.

Sick lacrosse goal

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:03:00 -0500

Ohio State upsets Cornell in NCAA lacrosse playoffs, 15-7. OSU's goalie goes length of field and scores. Next up for the Buckeyes? Duke (#1 overall seed).

NCAA 2008 Tournament Round 1 - Sunday

Sun, 11 May 2008 15:20:18 -0500

So TheJman is sitting at 4 for 4 at the end of the first day. Hoping to keep the momentum going into Day 2

NCAA 2008 Tournament Round 1 - Saturday

Sat, 10 May 2008 07:27:59 -0500

Don't call it a comeback. I know it's been a while since I've posted but things have been pretty hectic around here and TheJman had to handle the business because the business isn't going to handle itself. Since I've missed the last two Weekly Picke 'Ems, TheJman has stepped up his game and brings the picks to you live and direct. Let's do this . . .

New York Titans' Quest For The Cup

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:23:49 -0500

In only their second year in existence, the New York Titans are headed to the National Lacrosse League Eastern Conference Finals. After knocking Minnesota out of the playoffs in their first round match on Saturday, May 3rd at the Xcel Energy Center with an 11-8 victory, the Titans are ready to take on John Tavares and the Buffalo Bandits at HSBC Arena Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm in the do-or-die Eastern Conference title match. The Calgary Roughnecks will be hosting the Portland LumberJax in the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm. The winner of the East Division matchup will host either team from the West, as both the Bandits and the Titans have better regular season records than Calgary and Portland.

Methods to the May-hem

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:24:37 -0500

So on the eve of the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, before the first face off, before any of my told-you-sos can be rendered invalid and any of my out-in-left-field thoughts can be disproven, I wanted to take a moment to weigh in on what I feel are the injustices of this year's tournament field.

ESPN to broadcast NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championship

Thu, 08 May 2008 02:06:20 -0500

ESPN has decided to broadcast all games for the upcoming NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championship. The first round of the tournament will be broadcast on May 10th and 11th. Click the link below to see the full TV schedule.

May Madness

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:39:12 -0500

May and the NCAA lacrosse tournament come (or don't, as the case may be) to central NC.

NCAA Division I Lacrosse Tournament Field Set

Tue, 06 May 2008 10:37:59 -0500

More importantly than the field being set itself, the folks at Inside Lacrosse break down some of the reasoning behind the seedings and matchups in this year's tournament. I, probably like many other lacrosse fans, had quite a few question marks watching the field evolve on Sunday night. While I still may not agree with all of the selections and their respective placements, I do think IL at least helped me understand them a little more.

NLL Second Round Picks

Mon, 05 May 2008 19:48:19 -0500

In the first round, I predicted Buffalo over Philadelphia and got that right, but was wrong on the other three games, so I'm 1-3. There are only three games left, so the best I can do is 4-3. Here we go: Buffalo over New York -- The one word that best describes Darris Kilgour is *intensity*. If there's anyone who can get his team fired up, it's Darris, whether that's through an inspiring speech or just being afraid that if you don't step up your game he'll beat the snot out of you. Bob McMahon just doesn't have that kind of presence. Anyway, they've been getting great goaltending from both Thompson and Montour, and if Steenhuis can learn that passing the ball is a good thing, I don't see New York, or anyone from the west, stopping the Bandits. Calgary over Portland -- Dan Dawson has the ability to carry a team for one game, and since this is single-game elimination, that's a big deal. But he did that in the win over San Jose - can he do it two games in a row? Calgary played well enough to make it to the playoffs without Tracey Kelusky for most of the season. But he's back now, and if there's one goalie whose name isn't Bob Watson that I want between the pipes in a critical game, it's Chugger. One more thing I need to say: I've never been a big fan of Billy Dee Smith. He generally takes too many dumb penalties and I haven't yet forgiven him for the nasty cross-check to Colin Doyle's head about five years ago. But he played a great game in Buffalo on Friday. The Bandits in general played smart, stayed out of the box (an old nemesis of theirs -- stupid penalties have cost the Bandits a number of games over the last few years), and Smith played a hard but smart game and even scored a couple. A few people on the lacrosse message boards have talked about Smith in the past as a good solid player with a bad reputation, but I never saw it. On Friday I did. I'm also wondering if John Tavares will retire after this season if Buffalo wins it all. He's still playing at a high enough level that he doesn't have to, but he may want to retire before he gets to be one of those players who still hangs on and doesn't want to admit that their playing days are over even though they are a shadow of their former selves. Jim Veltman could probably have played another year, but he wanted to retire before he became that guy that *should* have retired, and Tom Marechek and Gary and Paul Gait all did the same thing. It would be kind of too bad if Tavares does retire after this year, since Veltman, Gary Gait, and Marechek all had the whole "final season" celebration thing, and Tavares deserves that as well. It would be too bad for the fans if he finished the season and then just didn't come back.

Week 2

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:20:59 -0500

Well, week 2 of training camp down! It was another good one! We got up and down the field and the chemistry is really starting to come with this team. We made a trade for Jesse Hubbard, one of my idols and one of the best to ever play this sport, so it was exciting being on the field with him again (played with him in Jersey). Since we play at the Home Depot center, after practice on Saturday night, we went to the Oscar Delahoya which was definitely crazy to see. I'm not a huge boxing fan, but it was an exciting atmosphere for sure. The amount of concentration that those cats have to have every second of every round is incredible. Also, I saw Oscar hit that cat once in his side and I'm pretty sure that would have been the end of the fight if I were participating. Not sure how they take those punches to the stomach and side and keep going. After the boxing match we went to dinner and started talking, and this questions popped up. Is there any amount of money that you'd take to hop in the ring with Mike Tyson in his prime for one round? It's a tough question man. There's a few different ways to look at it. Do you cover up your face, hop in there and let that cat crack you once in the ribs and put you out of commission for a few months with broken ribs? Or, do you roll in and run the risk of him catching you in the face and causing all kinds of problems. I'm pretty sure my neck isn't strong enough to take one of Iron Mikes right hooks. Either way, I decided that it would depend on where I am in my life. If I'm young and in shape, I'd do it for a few mill. Actually, let me rephrase that, I'd consider it. But if I'm old and out of shape, no chance. What do you all think? Thanks for writing in about the NBA playoffs, it's definitely interesting right now for sure. What do we think about the the hornets snatching game 1? Expected? Anyone catch the feature on Lebron and his son on Sportscenter this morning? It was definitely a good one. This week should be fairly chill. Got some stuff to do down in San Diego today, and then some events in Vegas on Thursday, and then off to Denver for a scrimmage this weekend! Next week I'll be in Portland at Nike for a few days, so I'll be sure to get some good footage while I'm there. I'll get at you all before the week is over. KH

Go time

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:55:02 -0500

Well, here we are ladies and gentlemen....We are now just a day away from the first round of the NLL playoffs for the San Jose Stealth. We just finished going through our film and practice and will be preparing ourselves lastly with a team dinner. We seem to be a focused bunch, as in the NLL there is no tomorrow. It is simple....win or go home. We have the Portland Lumberjacks at home tomorrow at the Sharktank at 3pm. They have beaten us the last two meetings, but we are ready to go!! The one game playoff format makes every playoff game a game seven, so everyone must be ready to play. Each mistake is huge, and every turn of momentum takes on a life of its own. I do believe we are ready for this game tomorrow, and tonight it will be very hard to get a good night sleep, but I really do live for these games, so I will be ready to go. I fully expect a tough game tomorrow, and from here on in there will be no "easy" games. If we expect to go on, we must bring our best, smartest game. Here is to hoping we are up for the challenge. Stay tuned..... Colin #7

College Lacrosse Championships

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:23:20 -0500

Now that the conference lacrosse championships have started, its time to talk about the NCAA Lacrosse Championships. With the top teams already clinching berths, it comes down to some sleepers. I want to get your feed back on who will make it to the tournment and who will be left out. Also who will win it all? Duke and Syracuse have to be the favorites but who else can challenge these powerhouses for a chance at the title? Let me know. Kyle

NBA Playoffs

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:34:02 -0500

What's going on everybody? How's the week going? Mine has been smooth for the most part. I made a pretty bad decision Sunday night to DRIVE to San Fran from my place in Hermosa. Not only was the drive 6 hours, but there were cows the whole way, so it smelled terrible for a good 4 hours of the trip. It was definitely a productive trip though. Monday, I had lunch with Joe from Sling It Lacrosse (lacrosse specialty store), and then we had an autograph session at the store for a few hours. After the signing, we stopped by a few high schools and did a few small clinics, it was a lot of fun. Tuesday, I got to hop around a few of the different neighborhoods that the kids from Lacrosse for LIFE live, which is always eye opening. After that, we had a few more youth clinics, and then I hopped on the road and started back down to Hermosa. All in all, outside of the stinky cows, it's been a GREAT start to the week. So, on to basketball now. Who do you all think is going to take it this year? I'm still not sure who I'm going with. I'm more of a fan of individual players, I don't really follow a specific team in the NBA. I was definitely pulling for the Sun's, wanted to see Shaq play well and wanted them to push the Spurs a bit. The Spur's are a tough team though man. Their all so comfortable in their roles on that team, it's fun to watch. Everybody does their job and they just methodically take teams a part. On any given night, they could have a different leading scorer. So, I'm not sure I'm ready to pick my a team quite yet, but what do you all think? Who's taking it? Who's the MVP? There are some crazy talented guy's who have had HUGE years. Kobe, Chris Paul, Lebron, KG, all those cats. Who are ya going with? I'm not positive here either, but I've definitely got a better idea here then I do about my pick to win it all. So get at me! I need to hear your thoughts! 3 more days until I get to practice again with my team, I can't wait. Talk to you soon, KH

No. 1 Duke lacrosse wins second straight ACC title

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:43:23 -0500

No. 1 Duke captured its second consecutive ACC crown Sunday, defeating No. 3 Virginia, 11-9. Duke's Dan Loftus recorded a season-high 17 saves against the Cavaliers. The Blue Devils held a 11-3 lead with only six minutes remaining in the third period, but gave up six goals in the final 21 minutes, barely holding off Virginia. Duke's Matt Danowski had three goals and one assist in the win.

What is going on...somebody fill me in!!!!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:36:17 -0500

Hey guys, on a non lacrosse blog I need to find some answers!!! Here are my pressing questions. I thought I knew sports, but it seems as though I may have been wrong!!!! 1. How did the Lions make out in the draft this weekend. My knowledge of College football only goes as far as Michigan, whoever plays Michigan and the Big Ten in general. How did we make out? 2. What is wrong with the Pistons? I know we tied it up tonight in Philly, but my prediction to have them win the NBA title certainly looks to be in jepordy the way they are stuck in such a battle with the 76'ers. Did I just not give them enough respect? Either way, what doesn't kill us makes us stonger, so maybe this help the Pistons in the long run...who knows? 3. What is wrong with the Sharks? I still have them winning the West, but they have looked very poor in the first two games of their series with the Stars. Maybe I underestimated the Stars again, but I still really like the makeup of the Sharks. I won't rollover on them yet, but they really need their big guns to come alive!!! 4. Why does America spend so much time on the lead up to the NFL draft? Now, I love how the NFL has made such a big deal out of their draft, and as is everything with the NFL they know how to do it better than all the other proffessional leagues, but come on....I've been seeing Mel Keiper talking draft since the day after the Super Bowl....COME ON!!!! 5. Why did Mike Hart drop so low??? I loved watching this kid play at Michigan. He is tough as nails and always showed up in the big games. Is his size that much of a concern? I hope he goes off in the Colt's offense. Good like Mikey. 6. I have no questions regarding the Habs, as they are exactly where I'd hope they'd be!!! GO HABS!!!!! Those are my burning questions. I'm sure some of them will get answered with time, but in the meantime, maybe some of you guys from the yard can help me out. Until next time, Colin #7

Update

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:26:14 -0500

Hey guys, hpe all is well in the Yard. Thought I'd drop in to give everyone an update on the Stealth and the NLL. The regular season is finally over, and it took all 19 weeks to get things sorted out in the standings. Like I've said all year, it has been crazy and it is anyone's ball game!!! In the East, New York beat Rochester at MSG to lock up both their destinies. Rochester, with the loss is out of the playoff picture for the first time ever (i think) in their exsistance. New York on the other hand punched their first ever playoff berth with the win. Next weekend, Philly will go to Buffalo for the 1 vs. 4 matchup, then on Saturday New York will travel to Minny for the 2 v 3 matchup. As for who is going to win.......I won't even bother trying!!!! If you live in any of these markets, do yourself a favor and make your way to the game. If not, look to see if any of them are being televised, they will both be beauties. In the West, with our win yesterday over Colorado we clinched our first ever Regular Season Western Division title. Regular season is only regulars season, but for our young group it is still an accomplishment that we are proud of. With the loss, Colorado drops to second and will host Calgary next Saturday, while we get Portland to visit us next Sunday at 3pm at the Shark tank. Again, I won't even bother with predictions....I am not that stupid!!!! It will be a battle for everyone involved, that I can say with all sincerity. I will use this week to prepare myself mentaly and physically to be ready to go on Sunday. I will struggle to sleep all week with excitement. Playoffs are always the best time of year, and I for one can't wait to get it started!!!!! Stay posted, Cheers, Colin #7

Training Camp, week 1

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:35:35 -0500

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend! My weekend was one that I've been waiting for almost 8 months! Yup, that's right, training camp started last weekend and it was a great feeling to get back on the field with my new team. I knew most of the guy's already, whether it was through email exchanges, phone conversations, meeting in person, or playing together at some point in our lives, but it was GREAT to be able to get out on the field and get after it with everybody all weekend. We had 2 practices Saturday, and 1 this morning before a lot of the guy's had to fly back out to their homes across the country. We got up and down the field and started developing chemistry on both the offensive and defensive end of the field. What stands out to me most thus far is how hard everybody plays in each drill. It really is like a college atmosphere in terms of the level of intensity and competition at practice and that's how it should be. Saturday we spent the whole day at the Home Depot Center together (our home field) having a practice in the morning, a clinic for kids in the early afternoon, one more practice in the late afternoon, and then we attended the LA Galaxy soccer game which ended up being a pretty exciting game. After practice this morning, we had a short clinic for some local kids, and then I hopped in the car and drove up the coast to San Francisco for a few days. I've got a few STX events to do with Sling It, a lacrosse retailer up here. I'm just counting down the days until I get to get back on the field with my teammates next Saturday morning, It's going to be a great year, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of the LA Riptide. The team's hard working, unselfish mentality is what's going to make it a very exciting season, so if your going to be in the LA area, make sure you get out to a game! Well, I need to get in bed after the long drive, but I'll holler in the next few days, because I've got some play off basketball thoughts to get out. KH Oh yeah, so, I was listening to Weezy today (as usual) and I heard his song on drought 3, his remix of "This is why I'm Hot"...so, it got me to thinking, what happened to that cat Mim's (the one who made the original)? Haven't heard from that cat in a minute, just wondering if anybody else had.

No.2 Duke lacrosse advances to ACC title game

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:13:36 -0500

No. 2 Duke lacrosse defeated No. 12 North Carolina Saturday, 17-6, to advance to the ACC title game and play third-ranked Virginia. Duke's Zack Greer scored four goals and had an assist in the win. It also marked the 250th career coaching win for Blue Devil head coach John Danowski. Duke will play Virginia on Sunday for the ACC crown.

Retrievers best Catamounts, leave conference regular season unscathed

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:49:46 -0500

The UMBC Retrievers defeated the Vermont Catamounts 8-6 to raise the winning streak to 9 and remain undefeated in conference play. Last week, the Retrievers seized the regular season championship and with it, the right to host the AE conference tournament this coming week. If UMBC wins the conference tournament as projected, I fail to see how they can be denied one of the 8 seeded spots in the NCAA tournament.

MLL MAKES TEXAS DEBUT

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:59:52 -0500

The Major League Lacrosse will be at Texas Stadium in Dallas on Sunday, May 25th at 7:00 PM. The defending MLL Champion Philadelphia Barrage will face the Long Island Lizards in a regular season game. This is great for Texas and especially for Dallas who is always being talked about as being a contender for the MLL expansion. Texas high school players are already heading north to play NCAA. Rob Wellington out of Dallas is playing for Duke, Gregory Clement out of Dallas is playing for Navy, and Jim Weiss out of Houston is playing for Princeton. Weiss is also the third Texas play for Bill Tierney at Princeton. These players are just to name a few who went to play in the NCAA. The other lacrosse players play in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association. The national championship game with be hosted in the Texas Stadium and will run from Tuesday May 13 through Saturday May 17. This is the same location as the Philadelphia Barrage and the Long Island Lizards game. Lacrosse is growing enormously in Texas and this MLL game will show that Texas is a hotbed for it.

UMBC Continues to Climb into Kessenich's Top 5

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:47:35 -0500

The Dawgs, in the midst of an 8 game winning streak, get some love from Quint Kessenich.

MLL in Portland

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:42:42 -0500

Major League Lacrosse has announced the 4th of 5 home-road matches for the artists formerly (ok, still) known as the Philadelphia Barrage. Portland has been added to a list that already includes Virginia Beach; Cary, NC; and Dallas.

Jacksonville University to add Lacrosse in 2009

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:33:09 -0500

Jacksonville U. in Florida will be adding a Division I varsity lacrosse program, the first in the state. It's great to see the sport continue to expand, especially to a Southeastern state.

game 7's

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:59:15 -0500

Well, I just got back from the Sharks/Flames game seven, and all I can say is WOW!!!!! What a game. That is three game seven's in two night's!!! Habs put it to the Bruins last night, the Sharks put it to the Flames tonight and somewhere in between, my ol' boy "Ovie" got put out by the Flyers!!! I guess I'll be hearing it from the Flyers fans today....what a series!!! After watching tonight's game I remember why I love "important" games so very much. Watching them and or playing in them. In a game seven, in any sport it is amazing how important everything becomes. It makes the games so much more exciting. Each pass, each dump in, each pitch, each shot, each giveaway, each power play, each serve and on and on. Sports are so exciting to watch when so much is on the line. The Shark tank tonight was a mad house, as I found myself out of my seat numerous times. It is in games like these that the cream really does rise to the top. You can see why these athletes are the best at what they do. In big games almost every mistake bites you in the **s, and it conitnues to impress me how few mistakes are made. It is always easy to made out a goat on sports biggest stages, but when things go well, players live in infamy. Take a look at Carey Price's game seven performance for example. A twenty year old being thrown into the sport's biggest stage and sutting the door to lead his team....I could go on and on. I am an avid baseball fan, but what I love about baseball is October baseball. I think it is for this exact reason, every single play has massive implacations. Walk one batter, give up one error etc....and the entire game and season can tun on you in a matter of seconds!! Yet, in October how many glaring errors are there? The perfect play leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the team to make the first mistake. Teams battle to late inning, one run games because they are both so GOOD!!!! Tiger, Fedderer, the Red Sox, the Spurs, the Pistons.......These people and teams manage the best under pressure. How many times have you been sitting watching a tennis match or a golf match saying "there is no way he is going to make that shot", or "When was the last time he went wide on a return?"..... The greats, in individual sport and in team sport manage their games the best when the most is on the line, it is as simple as that. As a fan or as an athlete, this is what sports is all about, this is why we pay to see human people make super human acheivements!!!! Until next time, Colin #7