ELynah Forum

Swami! What are you doing here? What a delightful surprise! Thanks again for your continued hard work.

A big wet kiss to you from all your (thicker-skinned) Cornell friends. And please forward our love to Ms. Bimbette.

Cheers,
Hillel

billhoward wrote: "I do believe college sports in America are in attendance-decline except for parents and girlfriends/boyfriends, plus in the big time schools, all those alumni. Everywhere, not just Cornell."

Yes, absolutely true. But that doesn't make me feel any better about the fact that lacrosse attendance at Cornell seems to be declining faster in the last few years (a time when Cornell has been making the NCAA playoffs with regularity) than it has declined at other Ivy schools, including programs that haven't sniffed the postseason much recently.

Then, billhoward wrote: "It's hard to compare Cornell lacrosse now vs. the mid-1970s because not only has a generation gone by, but also Cornell was a national contender then."

Of course. I love boasting to folks about those huge crowds at Schoellkopf in the 1970s (immortalized by that cleverly cropped photo of a Hopkins-CU game that always used to appear on the back cover of the annual lax press guide). What's more difficult to stomach is the fact that Cornell lacrosse attendance seems much lower now than it was in the early-mid 1990s, a time when "national contender" seemed like an unattainable goal.

According to official reports, there were more than 1,200 people there. Sadly, that counts as a great crowd for an Ivy League lacrosse game these days, and a rare crowd indeed for Harvard (I don't think I've ever seen that many people in Allston for a lax game). Here's the pathetic truth: Only Princeton averages more than 1,000 for home games. Even worse, Ivy games are becoming more and more of yer basic parents-n-girlfriends affairs. Very little support from the student body at any of the member schools. Attendance for Cornell games at Schoellkopf is second best in the Ivies, but I'd wager that Cornell is behind only Pennsylvania in "greatest percent decline" over the last few decades. Such a shame. This game is part of the soul of the University and the region. I can understand that declining on-the-field success would lead to some dwindling passion, but near-total indifference at New York State's land grant institution is hard for me to accept.

[Yikes, that was cranky. Sorry.]

I just got back from Philly (our new home, starting sometime in May) after the long Passover weekend.

The Penn game was difficult to watch in so many ways. It was the first time I'd seen the team play since the Boiardi tragedy, and there were many moments when events conspired to break the spell of enjoyment that comes from watching this beautiful sport. At one point, a Cornell player blocked a shot with his body. The sound of the ball striking him made a loud, plastic "thwack," and you could hear the crowd--mostly parents--sharply suck in one big collective breath. There was only a second of silence, but it was a heavy second, if you know what I mean.

The Cornell lacrosse parents are one tight, supportive, enthusiastic bunch (even before recent events). I don't know if any of them read this stuff, but I'd like to extend my thanks to all of them. This sounds silly, but I feel like their rock-steadiness during this whole situation has helped many people cope, and not just the kids on the team. I know it helped me to see all of them there at Franklin Field.

The game. Oy vey. An impressive performance by the Quakers. They played a patient offensive game (no small accomplishment for such a young team), and they were able to retain possession and find cutters near the crease with alarming ease late in the game. They also shrugged off a few Cornell double-teams WAY too easily. Ross did a nice job for most of the game, but he can't hold a candle to Penn's Kelly. Kelly is returning after missing a year due to academic difficulties, and he's clearly the team leader. The dude is unflappable and positionally sound. People have ridiculed me for saying this, but I thought Kelly was the best goalie in the nation two seasons ago.

I agree with Chris 'O3's statement that Cornell's shot selection wasn't so great. In my opinion, the offensive spark that's been missing is Kevin Nee. He is such a great finisher, and he has surprising bursts of quickness near the cage. Whenever he's in the game, Cornell has more offensive options and often ends up with better shots. The problem: It's obvious that Nee is still in great pain because of his chronic (shin?) injuries, and his time is clearly being limited. He only played about a half's worth against Penn, including all of the third quarter, and you could just see the difference he made. It hurts just watching him limp around out there. That's a courageous young man.

However, I disagree with Chris '03's pinning so much blame on face-off specialist Scott Raasch. People have to understand that Raasch's opponent that day was senior Ethan Haire, the best FO guy in the Ivy League. There was NO WAY that Raasch or anybody else on the roster was going to consistently beat Haire (no one has been able to do that--just ask the Blue Jays). After the game, I lingered under the clock next to Haire's father. He was shaken, and told another Penn parent that Raasch had given Ethan "all he could handle." Raasch is the most improved player on the team. Don't be fooled by his performances against the likes of Corno and Haire.

I think we all need to adjust our expectations for this team. If you looked at their body language during the Penn comeback, and then after the game, you could see how fragile and numb these boys are. This is no doubt pop psychology BS, but I gotta assume that their ability to cope with setbacks has been compromised. That's understandable. I hope they regroup and make the playoffs, but I don't think that's realistic. I just wish I could snap my fingers and make their nightmares go away.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) night's men's lacrosse game at North Carolina has been cancelled. Don't think a replay is likely, but you never know. The team was at George Boiardi's funeral in D.C. this morning. Next scheduled game: against Yale this Saturday at Schoellkopf.