ELynah Forum

A nice story about Barry Leonard -- the voice of Cornell hoops, football and lacrosse -- was published in the New York Times today. The e-version even has an audio clip of his call of the final seconds of basketball's league-clinching win against Brown. Very happy for him. One of the many Ithaca College grads who've improved the Cornell sports experience. Thank you, Barry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/sports/ncaabasketball/19radio.html?src=me

I am in task avoidance mode. And I'm bored. OK, it's more the former. But I also have NHL playoff fever (so sue me, I'm a Caps fan). Anyway, I've often wondered how the NHL loyalties of the Cornell hockey fan base on eLynah are distributed.

Favorite NHL team?

Me: Washington Capitals (adult convert; born a Bruins fan)

Standings rules:

1.0 pts for an unfiltered, uncontested favorite
0.5 pts each for split favorites (e.g. nr53, below)
0.5 pts for half-hearted demi-endorsement (e.g. Beeeej, below)
0.0 pts for power-waffling or an answer that's impossible to decode (e.g. billhoward, below)

Standings, Day 4:

ATLANTIC
Rangers (6.0)
Devils (3.5)
Islanders (2.5)
Flyers (2.0)

NORTHEAST
Bruins (3.0)
Sabres (2.0)
Canadiens (1.0)

SOUTHEAST
Capitals (3.5)
Thrashers (1.0)

CENTRAL
Red Wings (2.0)
Black Hawks (0.5)

NORTHWEST
Canucks (1.0)

PACIFIC
Sharks (3.5)
Kings (0.5)

Cornell Athletics has posted men's and women's lacrosse previews. Here's a link to the men's version: http://www.cornellbigred.com/news/2009/2/3/MLAX_0203091840.aspx

Not too many surprises. It confirms some of the changes that have been foreshadowed elsewhere:

1. Former short-stick defensive midfielder George Calvert is being converted into an old-school, two-way midfielder (see also quote about shift in midfield philosophy below).

2. Freshman Rob Pannell, one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the offseason, may unseat a starter at attack.

3. In addition to Cornell's killer senior midfield trio of Seibald, Glynn and Romero, middies likely to win spots on the second line are Shane O'Neill, tall freshman Roy Lang and Calvert.

4. As discussed in another thread, Schmeisser Award candidate Matt Moyer is likely to be joined on the starting defense by Andrew MacDonald and Max Feely. (Derkac will play the pole.)

5. The goalie situation was presented as a wide-open competition between Jake Myers, Kyle Harer and Mat Martinez.

In some ways, the biggest eyebrow-raiser was this two-sentence passage:

"A fundamental change in Cornell's style of play will have a direct impact on the number of players that will be considered short stick defensive midfielders. As the Big Red attempts to run an up-tempo, transition game, the coaching staff will focus on utilizing more two-way midfielders."

Cool. Call it the MattAbbottization of Cornell lacrosse.

I won't be doing a full-blown lacrosse preview this year. There's no need. These days, it's so much easier for fans to get information; there's not much more I can add. Also, the original mission has evaporated. Once upon a time, when people didn't care much about Cornell lacrosse, I thought that one small way I could combat the lack of interest was to try to mobilize the hockey fan base. I don't believe those previews moved the needle much. The real cure, of course, was winning. Anyway, now that people seem to care about Cornell lacrosse again, there's no need for 3,000+ words of preseason bloviation to crank up some buzz. I'll still bloviate, but in smaller chunks.

After years of rumors, a Big East lacrosse conference will be announced this week. The seven member teams will be Georgetown (formerly of the ECAC), Notre Dame (GWLL), Providence (MAAC), Rutgers (ECAC), St. John's (ECAC), Syracuse (ending years of playing as an independent) and Villanova (CAA). Syracuse is expected to continue its annual game with Cornell. To those who care about the overall health of the sport at the collegiate level, the most promising aspect of the Big East's formation is the implied institutional commitment from Providence and Villanova. The Big East launches next season.

Last month, another new Division I men's conference was born: the Northeast Conference. Member teams will be Mount St. Mary's (grabbed from the MAAC), Quinnipiac (GWLL), Robert Morris (CAA), Sacred Heart (CAA), Wagner (MAAC) and D-I newbies Bryant. The NEC will debut in 2011.

Both conferences have enough members to earn their champions an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The dispersal of CAA, ECAC, GWLL and MAAC teams will spark a frenzy of shopping and courtship as the teams left behind seek new conference affiliations.

Ohio State is loads of fun. Not as entertaining as Albany 2007, but if you dig fast-paced offense and aggressive defense, then the Buckeyes are the team to watch in this year's tournament. It's a shame that Great Western Lacrosse League teams aren't on TV more. With three GWLL teams in the NCAA tournament and all eight of this weekend's first-round games on ESPNU, at least they'll get a brief moment in the sun.

Brian Delaney's article in today's Ithaca Journal totally nailed it -- Ohio State's 2008 team is going to look mighty familiar to Cornell fans. With a defense that extends to the edges, a hard ride, a dangerous transition game, a high-powered offense with good shooters, a brilliant dodging middie who can shoot on the run with both hands (Kevin Buchanon), and a left-handed Canadian attackman (Joel Dalgarno), they look a lot like last year's Cornell team. They're even having a miserable time at the faceoff X, just like Cornell '07. (They're not a perfect match; unlike Cornell '07, the Bucks don't have an All-Universe goalie and defenseman, nor do they have playoff experience.) If you want to see something scary, watch highlights here of Ohio State opening a can of whupass on North Carolina at Boys' Latin in Baltimore.

Ohio State will score goals against Cornell. Maybe a whole bunch. (Don't take any comfort in Ohio State's 9-2 loss to Notre Dame in the GWLL championship game; the Irish have great defenders, and their goalie Kemp played one of the best games any goalie has played this season, making 18 saves.) It's a good match-up for the Bucks' offense. They have the talent to prey on Cornell's weak links, and their extra-man unit -- one of the very best in the nation at 48 percent -- will burn Cornell if the Big Red's defense reverts to the overzealous play that drew so many flags earlier this season (that's you, Mr. Gradinger).

The answer, of course, is don't let them have the ball. How cool is to have a good, deep face-off unit for a change? After so many years of misery, Cornell is now ranked fourth in the nation in team faceoff winning percentage (61 percent). The depth of the unit permits to throw size/style curveballs (wee quick Glynn and big strong Schmicker, spelled by unorthodox Seibald) and wear down opponents. This unit not only wins possessions -- they score at least a goal a game within seconds of the draw, and they're all capable of playing solid defense when they lose faceoffs.

Ohio State will counter by pushing their defense out to the edges of Cornell's offense and trying to force the issue with Cornell's turnover-prone midfielders. If Cornell's offensive players can stay mentally focused, move off-ball and find the open man, there will be plenty of opportunities to get easy goals. Only one other team, Denver, has tried to be super-aggressive on defense against Cornell this season, and the Big Red dropped 20 on them by working the ball inside. Ohio State has a better goalie, but Schroder won't stand a chance if his defenders take too many risks.

Cornell needs to demoralize Ohio State by coming out fast in the first and third quarters. If they don't -- and if Buchanon and Dalgarno start feeling confident and throwing all kinds of stuff at Myers -- look out.

Can't wait.

Post all basketball-watching notices here.

I've asked Age to consolidate all the threads into one, as we usually do in these cases.

Summary (see posts below for details):

ATLANTA: Frankie's in the Prado
BOSTON: The Sports Depot (Allston, MA)
CHICAGO: Joe's Bar
HUDSON VALLEY: Mahoney's Irish Pub (Poughkeepsie, NY)
ITHACA: Moakley House
NEW YORK: Blonde, Brunette and a Redhead; Proof; Mercury Lounge
PHILADELPHIA: The Field House
SAN FRANCISCO: Jillian's
WASHINGTON, DC: Grand Slam Sports Bar

Call it the Stickcheck Heard 'Round the World.

With less than a minute left in overtime in last year's NCAA quarterfinal, Albany goalie Brett Queener bolted from his cage to scoop a ground ball. Two passes later, the rock ended up in the crosse of Albany defensive midfielder Tyler Endres with nothing but 50 yards of FieldTurf between him and the Cornell crease. He took off with no Cornell defender in sight. At least not at first. As Endres ran into the offensive box and started looking for cutting attackers, Cornell All-Universe midfielder Max Seibald, his gimpy foot and ankle as thick as a Clydesdale's with tape, started closing after a 30-yard chase. Closer. Closer still. Then Seibald raised his stick like Lawrence Taylor about to chop a QB's arm, and WHACK -- ball flies out, Cornell scoops, badda-bing, badda-boom, game-winning goal, bonkers celebration, and Cornell is back where they belong after a 19-year climb: the final four.

Seibald's play instantly became part of the sport's mythology -- an "I-was-there-when" moment that was the subject of a series of offseason feature articles in the emergent lacrosse media. So it's only natural that folks are focusing on The Play as the watershed moment in Cornell's renaissance. Hey, no Stickcheck, no final four, right?

Maybe so, but for fans who've lived through Cornell's slow ascent, the symbolic watershed moment occurred a week later in the semifinal game against Duke. It was more subtle by far, but I can't get it out of my head. With Cornell down by a mess of goals in the second half, Coach Jeff Tambroni started a substitution chess game, inserting young bench players, some of whom had barely seen the field all season. Those subs helped fuel one of the great comebacks in Cornell sports history.

Tambroni's decision to play guys like Corbolotti and Finn in the semi was partly a desperate move to free up John Glynn to stop Duke's run of faceoff wins, and partly a quest for fresh legs on a hot day. Forget the reason. To me, what mattered was that after seven years under Tambroni, Cornell had at last built enough depth to freely substitute role players in a game against an elite team on the national stage.

It was a moment of arrival. Finally, Tambroni had managed to create something resembling the blueprint in his head: a program built on depth, with a roster full of freakishly selfless and patient players willing to change positions or wait until they're upperclassmen to see the field. A program built for the long haul.

Sound familiar? If you've been following lacrosse in Central New York over the last three decades or so, you've seen this model before. But for some reason it hadn't occurred to me until eLFnik PeterG mentioned it on the phone a few weeks ago. Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name: West Genesee High School.

West Genny. If you went to some other New York State high school, those words give you the chills. All those state titles (14 in 31 years under Coach Mike Messere). All those superstars who went on to become college All Americas (like Jeff Tambroni, WGHS '88). It's easy to be dazzled by all the big-name grads and the Mohawk haircuts and the high socks, but West Genny's success under Messere is built on a blue-collar foundation. Brutal workouts. Ritual family dinners. Curfews. And, of course, freakishly selfless and patient players willing to change positions or wait until they're upperclassmen to see the field.

In 2008, Cornell's opponents will learn what other prep programs learn when they underestimate West Genny after the 'Cats graduate yet another litter of superstars. Behind those All Americas are a bunch of new guys, many of whom folks have never heard of, waiting to take their place. In Cornell's case, it might take a few games before some of those new guys gain confidence. But if this team can make it into the NCAA tournament -- and that won't be easy with a remaining schedule lacking any games against teams that are sure bets to end the season in the RPI top five -- they'll do some damage.

OFFENSE. Can anyone remember another time in Cornell lacrosse history when all three starting attackmen were lost to graduation? Pittard, Mitchell and Bartlett took 107 goals with them when they left East Hill. Throw in the 33 goals scored by '07 senior middies Clayton and Lewis, and that's nearly two-thirds of Cornell's 2007 scoring production. Ouch. All-America midfielders Max Seibald and John Glynn are back, but they'll be poled-up and getting early slides every time they touch the ball. Someone else has to emerge to capitalize on all that attention, just as Mitchell emerged out of nowhere when tons of offense graduated after the 2005 season. In fall and February scrimmages, three players showed hints that they'd be new sources of production: sophomore attackman Ryan Hurley, junior attackman Kyle Doctor and junior midfielder Rocco Romero. I've been excited about Hurley ever since I first saw him in the Drexel scrimmage last year. A tall, aggressive lefty, he's the poster child for the new look of Cornell's attackmen: ball-carriers who can dodge from X. Doctor was the surprise story of the offseason scrimmages. He showed signs of quickness, creativity and guile that had been largely invisible during his first two years. Romero, who is recovering from an unspecified injury, is an effective shooter who's brilliant at moving to the right spot without the ball. Other key contributors will be John Espey, a veteran leader who'll likely quarterback the second midfield line (perhaps even when Romero returns); sophomore attackman Chris Finn, a badass hombre with a knack for running from X and finding room to turn and shoot; sophomore attackman Chris Ritchie, a heady feeder; and the Corbolotti brothers from NoCal, who may end up forming two-thirds of the second midfield line. There is, however, one important missing ingredient this year: high-percentage snipers and finishers, a recent Cornell hallmark that fans may have started to take for granted. Early games already have illustrated how useful a cold-blooded killer like a Greenhalgh, a Nee or a Mitchell can be.

DEFENSE. There are plenty of ginormous holes to fill on defense, too, and maybe less depth for infill. The biggest hole by far is the one left by four-year starting goalie Matt McMonagle. After a three-way offseason battle with Butler transfer Kyle Harer and freshman Mat Martinez, Syracuse transfer Jake Myers emerged as the starter. He's decisive on clears and ground balls and throws a nice outlet pass, but other than that, it's fair to expect a significant drop-off in the crease. Cornell will miss the way McMonagle challenged shooters by stepping out from the goal line to cut down angles, much like a hockey goalie. Growing pains in goal will hurt, particularly early in the season, when the Cornell D will have to cope with the injury-related absence of big close defenseman Nick Gradinger as well as Mitch Belisle '07, winner of the Schmeisser Cup for national defenseman of the year. Most observers assume that Cornell will miss Gradinger's size the most, but his greatest asset may be his stickwork. In his absence, long stick middie Andrew MacDonald (the best player to emerge from last year's freshman class) will play close defense alongside Max Dorne, a bruising former short-stick middie, and Matt Moyer. Is it possible for a preseason honorable mention All America to be underrated? I think Moyer is the best defenseman in the Ivy League, Princeton's Cocoziello included, and perhaps a shade behind Seibald as the most exciting and talented player on the Cornell roster. It's fun to watch his footwork, and he's as dependable a ballhander as any short stick on clears. At defensive midfield, sophomore Pierce Derkac will be an able replacement for MacDonald at LSM until Gradinger is back in the lineup, and short-stick defensive middie Danny Nathan is as solid as granite. The third member of the defensive midfield unit, SSDM George Calvert, showed improvement during the 2007 season, but was toasted several times in Sunday's game against North Carolina. With Gradinger out, another injury to a long pole could be calamitous. And let's hope Myers has a Teflon psyche. The Navy game demonstrated his potential; we'll see how he bounces back after a bad game against North Carolina.

SCHEDULE. With no games scheduled against 2008's Big Three (Duke, Johns Hopkins and Virginia) and with a loss to North Carolina already on the books, Cornell likely has lost all hope of a win against a team that finishes in the top five of the Ratings Percentage Index. Not good. Some of the promising teams remaining on the schedule, such as Princeton and Syracuse, aren't exactly en fuego either. Winning the Ivy League will be more important than ever, a tall order with the Princeton and Penn games on the road (Cornell's only two league losses in the last four years have come at Franklin Field).

NEWCOMERS AND RECRUITING. There aren't many nationally hyped superstars among this year's freshmen. So what else is new? Sometimes it seems like the only big-name recruits Cornell gets are players with pre-existing Cornell connections, as in the case of Joe Boulukos (his older brother played for Richie Moran). But you can't question the results; besides, the West Genny model requires loyal soldiers, not preening blue chips. Although Martinez arrives with the most national acclaim, the freshmen most likely to get significant minutes are midfielder Shane O'Neill (son of John O'Neill, a middie on the '76 national championship team) from Washingon State and Chris Livadas, a long pole from Delaware. The biggest change in Cornell's recruiting patterns has nothing to do with geography. Noticed how many underclassmen went to private high schools? It's a major break from the past, when Cornell's roster was overwhelmingly public. The roster will get even more of a prep flavor next year when Cornell will welcome a New England-dominated class, including at least five players from the Founders League. (Fascinating how Tambroni has managed to create a hardcore blue-collar ethos while the roster's demographic profile seems to be going the other direction.) Looks like a very solid group coming in 2009, although defensemen continue to be in short supply. Fans in Central New York will be able to check out two exciting high school juniors who seem to be Cornell-bound for the 2010 season: goalie A.J. Fiore of Ithaca, Inside Lacrosse's 13th-ranked rising junior, and slick attackman Matt Taylor of Fayetteville-Manlius, son of "Jumping" Joe Taylor '80, who was a pretty slick attackman himself.

Quick hits:

Faceoff purgatorio: Will John Glynn and/or Max Seibald continue to get extended faceoff duty? If so, how long before they run out of gas, or worse? Will Tambroni experiment with freshman Kevin Raesly from DC's Landon School?
Ivy newcomer to watch: Penn's freshman midfielder Al Kohart, the next big, strong Ivy middie in the Boulukos-Seibald lineage.
National newcomer to watch: Denver's Canadian midfielder Jamie Lincoln, a 21-year-old freshman.
Best trend: Cornell's average attendance for home games in 2007 was 2,884 (5,406 for Ivy games), making Cornell the league leader in men's lacrosse attendance for the first time since I don't know when.
A few votes: For the first time in the USILA poll's history, that's what coaches recently gave Siena College after the Saints upset Harvard 6-5. With Albany also on the rise, will the Hudson Valley become the new epicenter of college lax in New York State? Nah, but it's nice to see that the sport is growing in areas that are closer to home as well.
2008 quarterfinals and final four locations: The quarters are returning to Schoellkopf, and the championship is returning to New England for the first time since Brown hosted the NCAA final in 1985. Quarterfinal games will be held in Annapolis on May 17 and Ithaca on May 18. The final four will be in Foxboro, Massachusetts. As reported on eLF earlier this year, Cornell will be playing Harvard at Gillette Stadium in a shakedown cruise game at noon on Saturday, April 5 (televised by CN8 -- let's hope by both the New England and Mid-Atlantic versions).
2009 final four location: Foxboro's Gillette Stadium again.

Thanks to P, V, H, A, and C for their insights.

Sorry, just haven't been able to finish this on time -- just like last year. Princeton hockey event herding. Will post within 24 hours.

But just so no one says I cheated: Ryan Hurley will be fab.

A three-team deal has sent NLL star and former Ivy Player of the Year Sean Greenhalgh '05 from the Philadelphia Wings to the Buffalo Bandits. A bummer for Philly folks like me but good news for Cornell lax fans in Western New York and Ontario.

http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=3021

[I've asked Age to consolidate the various lax alumni threads into one.] Thanks, Age.

The night before I hit the road for Baltimore seems like the right time to get out a few big thank yous.

Class of '07 seniors, thank you for bringing the Cornell lacrosse program back where it belongs: in the national spotlight on Memorial Day weekend. Regardless of this weekend's results, this year's seniors will leave with a list of accomplishments that once was unimaginable. Four Ivy League titles (two unshared). A 22-2 Ivy record (12-0 at home). A career sweep of Princeton. Four consecutive years in the NCAA tournament. An undefeated regular season (Cornell's first in 20 years). A trip to the final four (Cornell's first in 19 years). And yet, even with all those notches in their belts, their greatest and most lasting legacy may be something that's harder to quantify -- a rekindling of fan engagement. After years of shrinking and increasingly apathetic crowds at Schoellkopf, attendance and energy at home games shot up as the season progressed. Cornell home attendance average more than 3,500, a miracle considering that the first few home games of the season attracted a few hundred cold fans. People care about Cornell lacrosse again. That's a wonderful thing.

A big thank you to the team and coaching staff and for being such good ambassadors of the university. Has there ever been a team in any sport that has represented us so well? They way they have handled setbacks great and small, from the Boiardi tragedy to the tournament seeding issues, makes me proud. So has their work ethic, warmth, accessibility, civic engagement, and academic progress. Anyone noticed how many times people, from Daily Sun sports reporters to faculty members, have acknowledged publicly how "nice" the lacrosse players and staff are? Have you ever seen a Cornell team in any sport salute the pep band at road games? And when was the last time you read an article in a national media outlet that mentioned a superstar varsity athlete at Cornell with a 3.9 grade point average in physics?

Thank you to the lacrosse parents and pep band for giving Cornell the most supportive and fun road entourage in Division I.

And thank you to all of you, who through the ever-increasing frequency and quality of your posts on this forum have made eLynah a great place for Cornell lacrosse fans to hang out.

See you in Baltimore.

This is old news, but I just learned about it this weekend. Nick Rhinelander, known to most people in the online college hockey fan community as "NTR," died in an auto accident last month. Despite being a native Bostonian, a Harvard alum and big Crimson hockey fan, he had many connections to the Ithaca community (he attended Johnson after graduating from Harvard) and from his college roommate, Steve Armstrong, former Harvard hockey captain and Ithaca High School graduate. Nick is survived by a wife and two young children.

http://www.legacy.com/BostonGlobe/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=87076724

Cornell goalie Matt McMonagle was the unanimous choice for Ivy Player of the Year.

First-team Cornellians: McMonagle, Belisle, Vedder, Seibald, Glynn, Mitchell, Pittard.

Second-team: Moyer, Clayton

(No honorable mention Cornellians.)

Dartmouth's Sussman was the Rookie of the Year (a no-brainer)

Belisle, Seibald, and Dartmouth's Bonacci were the only unanimous first teamers.

Edit: Princeton's Cocoziello beaten out by his teammate Jungers for first team.

The Cornell-Princeton lacrosse game will be shown live this Saturday at 3 p.m. at the nation's only lacrosse-themed restaurant, the Baggataway Tavern, in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. The tavern is co-owned by Cornell lacrosse legend Michael French '76, who is also co-owner of the Philadelphia Wings -- he'll be there to watch the game (I'm sorry to say I won't be).

The Baggataway Tavern is at 31 Front Street, West Conshohocken, PA (610-834-8085), conveniently close to both I-76 and the "Blue Route" (I-476).

An invitation

The results of the current eLynah polls make me very happy. It's great to see increasing fan engagement in lacrosse on this forum. Now it's time to take the next step.

Please come to tomorrow's game against Penn at 3 p.m. at Schoellkopf. There's no better way to celebrate the coming of spring than sitting in the Crescent and soaking up a game. The timing is perfect: the weather forecast is good, the opponent is a hated league rival that has beaten us twice in the last three years, the hockey season's over (and Lynah season ticket holders may get free entrance), and you'll see the best and most exciting team in any sport in the region.

If you've never seen a game before, I guarantee you you'll enjoy it. I'm bringing a few nice Cornell lax souvenirs to the game, including one of the famous "21" t-shirts honoring the passing of George Boiardi (as well as Eamon McEneaney and Jay Gallagher) and a few t-shirts commemorating the 1971 national championship team. I'll give them to the first few people who've never been to a Cornell lax game before who contact me with a private message and stop by to meet me at the game. Even if you're not a lax newbie, contact me. I'd enjoy meeting any of you who've done so much to help increase the quality and frequency of lax discussion on this board.

Bad news regarding tickets for Cornell lacrosse's unusual "neutral"-site game at Hewlett High School on Long Island (Hewlett, NY) this Saturday at 1 p.m.: All 1,700 2,000 of the advance-purchase tickets are sold out. But all is not lost, especially if you're able to get to the venue a few hours early. According to HHS, they are holding 300 walk-up tickets for sale on game day. The box office will open at 11 a.m., two hours before faceoff. Based on demand, better get there early and hope for the best. I've been warned that parking is scarce anywhere near the venue. For detailed parking advice, go to http://www.hewlett-woodmere.net/news/highlights.php

Until about 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2006, the Cornell lacrosse program had been on a smooth ascent, floating like a turkey vulture on a never-ending thermal. Since then, the chop hasn't let up.

It started when Joe Boulukos' frantic, last-minute dodge ended in a weak bounce shot instead of a game-tying goal in last year's first-round NCAA playoff game, sealing the team's first home playoff loss in 31 years and first postseason upset loss under Tambroni. So began a trying offseason.

A bunch of unspecified injuries and illnesses knocked out starters and key reserves from practice and scrimmages and compromised the development of several young players. By now, most of the lacrosse world knows that sophomore middie Max Seibald -- the most physically dominant midfielder to emerge in the Ivy League since Yale's Jon Reese came up in the late 1980s -- didn't play in any of February's scrimmages. Perhaps just as troubling, Cornell's best defensive player, senior goalie Matt McMonagle, wasn't rested for a single minute of the offseason due to health problems plaguing the team's promising new back-up, junior Jake Myers, a transfer from Syracuse.

Then there were the dismal scrimmage showings. Unlike last season, when Cornell was catapulted into the regular season by a series of sharp scrimmages against some of the nation's best teams, the 2006-07 offseason saw Cornell get cuffed by midweights and torn apart by heavyweights (at one point in Cornell's final scrimmage at Johns Hopkins, Cornell was down 11-1). No one should have expected a team with an injury-depleted roster to look watertight in preseason games, but Cornell lacked the fire that distinguished scrimmages in recent years. The offense, particularly the extra-man offense, was torpid, and no players emerged to fill the two big holes left by Cornell's graduated short-stick defensive midfielders, Dave Bush and Cameron Marchant. Preseason opponents with top-notch middies like Hopkins' Paul Rabil easily toasted Cornell's shorties, and the transition goals generated by Bush's speed evaporated.

A fall article in the Daily Sun added to the gloom. In an October 16 item by Olivia Dwyer, Coach Tambroni, usually a sober public voice, tore into his players after the Pumpkin Stickout scrimmages in Syracuse, publicly questioning the team's desire, work ethic and (indirectly, if Dwyer's reporting was accurate) even its leadership. I've never read anything like it from any other Cornell coach, even Mike Schafer at his crankiest. Tambroni has always lived by the Gospel of Lithium (don't get too high when you're up, don't get too low when you're down), and his players have followed his lead. This offseason he may not have practiced what he preaches.

Are these signs of a team beginning to fray around the edges? If opponents like Massachusetts can so easily expose Cornell's weaknesses, will the Big Red's rise to national prominence stop here, always a step or two short of the final four?

No way.

This team has too much talent, too much experience, and thanks to two consecutive solid recruiting classes, too much depth. Yeah, a slow start is possible -- maybe even likely. But hey, butt-ugly scrimmage performances and slow starts have been a Cornell lacrosse trademark since Y2K (the 2005-06 offseason was an exception). I don't know if it's realistic to expect Cornell to overcome the recruiting advantages of teams like Virginia, Johns Hopkins, or Syracuse and become a perennial final four team, but barring injuries, I expect to see Cornell in the NCAA semifinals sometime soon.

OFFENSE. Last year, most of Cornell's offense came from two sources: 1) match-up problems created by putting the dodging, strength, and right-or-left-handed-shooting-on-the-run of middies Boulukos and Seibald on the field at the same time, giving Cornell the ability to isolate weak defensive personnel or free up good looks for left-handed attackman David Mitchell, who enjoyed a break-out year with 43 goals; 2) transition and unsettled situations created by the defense and the superb play of SSDMs Bush and Marchant. But now Boulukos, Bush, and Marchant are gone -- and if scrimmages were a reliable barometer, so are the goals. The answer to both problems, at least in part, may come from an upperclassman who didn't even set foot on the field last year, midfielder John Glynn. An injury casualty in 2006, Glynn is playing at full speed and showing signs of fulfilling the promise he showed as a high school star at Lindenhurst (Long Island). Tambroni seems to be experimenting with playing Glynn as an all-purpose, old-school, two-way middie, taking advantage of his tenaciousness on ground balls and stick skills in the same way that Massachusetts uses hybrid middie Jacovina. Don't be surprised to see Glynn sparking Cornell's transition game, and perhaps even possessing the ball almost as much as Seibald on the first-line midfield in Cornell's "half-court" offensive sets. Like Seibald, he'll even pitch in on Cornell's chronically weak face off unit, taking about one-quarter of the draws. But no matter how well Glynn performs, the key to Cornell's offense is Seibald. As explosive as Boulukos but perhaps more controlled, Seibald's potential appears to be limitless. Even on an offense with a boatload of seniors, he's the fulcrum -- if he's healthy. Shoot, he scares defensive game planners so much that he'll probably be an effective decoy while he heals. The only other offseason mystery on offense: The third attackman, joining seniors Mitchell and Eric Pittard, likely will be senior Henry Bartlett from the Philly suburbs, who deserves some kind of award for patience. Sophomore Chris Finn also will see plenty of time.

DEFENSE. When Cornell's coaches update their résumés, the first sentence might be: "Took a raw bunch of non-blue-chip players and molded them into one of the best groups of long poles in the nation." Sure, it helps to have All-American goalie McMonagle guarding the gate, making the calls, and throwing outlet passes. But how can you not marvel at what the D has become? Four of their starters came to Ithaca with no experience at their current position: senior defenseman Mitch Belisle (ex-middie), junior defenseman Danny Nathan (another ex-middie), long-stick middie Ethan Vedder (ex-goalie), and sophomore defenseman Matt Moyer (ex-LSM). Perhaps the second best player from the killer Class of '09, the bulked-up Moyer is the latest metamorphosis project. With great wheels and LSM instincts, I wouldn't be surprised to see him graduate as Cornell's all-time points leader as a defenseman. The other soph close defender waiting for his moment to shine is Nick Gradinger, who's trying to work his way through some chronic health issues. If he's able to approach 100 percent, he's an instant starter. Cornell could use every bit of his 6'4" and 235 pounds, because the Big Red's opponents this year will feature a Murderers' Row of attackmen the size of NFL tight ends: Syracuse's Hardy (6'5"/235 pounds), Colgate's Lalli (6'5"/220), Brown's Madeira (6'3"), and Notre Dame's scary duo of Hubschmann (6'5") and freshman superfreak Yeatman (a monster at 6'6"/260). The heart of this defensive unit is Belisle. He doesn't have the pedigree or flash of Princeton's Cocoziello or Syracuse's Panarelli; all he does is abuse his man every week. Literally. The constant physical punishment he's able to dish out is awesome to watch. The D's weakest links, as discussed above, are the short-stick defensive midfielders. After an offseason-long casting call, the players most likely to emerge at the two SSDM slots are soph George Calvert (another player who has switched positions) and Michael Howe, a freshman from Sean Greenhalgh's alma mater, Holy Cross (St. Catherines, Ontario). Glynn may also play a significant role. Without a single player with college SSDM experience, I dread the thought of playing teams with strong first-line midfields, like Syracuse's Rommel-Brooks-Perritt line.

NEWCOMERS. Although Tambroni has brought in another strong class, you may not see more than one or two freshmen getting anything other than mop-up duty in 2007. (Is there any more powerful evidence of Cornell's newfound depth?) SSDM Howe is the only regular. Another freshman likely to get significant minutes: Andrew MacDonald, an LSM from western Mass; he had a fantastic offseason. Others who could get a taste: LSM Pierce Derkac (Virginia) and attackmen Ritchie (Long Island) and Hurley (Minnesota). Hurley, to my eyes, looks like a future star. He's a tall, aggressive lefty who loves to explode to the goal.

RECRUITING. After two huge salmon runs of recruits and transfers, it's inevitable that next year's freshman class will be a bit smaller. Of the few confirmed Class of 2011 recruits, the highlights are two Suffolk County players, stocky but brilliant goalie Mat Martinez from Babylon High School and cat-quick attackman David Lau from state champs Cold Spring Harbor. (Could the latter be the son of George Lau '78?) There are some nice video highlights of CSHHS games on YouTube. Check out videos posted by jao2000; Lau is number 7.

Quick hits:

Best sideline sight: A fourth assistant (volunteer Eric Genova). Finally.
Strangest sideline absence: A full-time offensive assistant.
Trap game on schedule: Colgate, one of the most dangerous of lax's mid-majors, on Feb. 27 (tomorrow). Look out.
Rare near-NYC appearance: vs. Notre Dame at Hewlett High School, Hewlett, NY, March 3, 1 p.m.
Only regular season game on a nationally available channel: Princeton, April 21, 3 p.m., CSTV.
Ivy forecast: A two-horse race, with Cornell edging Princeton. OK, a 2.5-horse race (Harvard).
Ivy trend: Dartmouth going toe-to-toe with Princeton on the recruiting trail.
Hottest non-Duke issue: The new official's "mechanic" calling for a buncha semi-random stick measurements.
2007 quarterfinals and final four locations: Princeton and Navy (quarters), Baltimore (final four).
2008 final four location: Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Thank you to RB, PG, DG, SG, and others for contributing their insights.

This year's preview of Cornell lacrosse is on the way, but may not be finished before today's noon opener against Binghamton at Schoellkopf. Sorry about that.

Goal scorers so far, according to Game Tracker:

Mitchell from Glynn
Bartlett from Glynn
Lewis
Pittard from Mitchell
Glynn from Pittard
Glynn
Espey
Pittard (from Glynn?)
-----HALF-----
Glynn from Seibald
Bartlett from Mitchell
Glynn

No more updates. Gotta go. Sorry.

Announcement just released from the Ivy League and some network called the American Channel:

http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/article.asp?intID=5759

I put this in the "other sports" forum because it appears only to impact basketball, football, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

Hard to decode exactly what it means, particularly in regard to Cornell's relationship with CSTV. Anyone have any insights? I've never heard of the America Channel.

The good folks at Rensselaer Alumni Association have been kind enough to invite Cornellians to join RPI alumni who will be gathering to watch their free webcast of Saturday's Cornell-Rensselaer hockey game at several locations around the nation.

LONG ISLAND: Sutton Place Bar & Grille, 124 W. Park Ave., Long Beach, NY. 516-431-3133 / http://www.spgrille.com

PITTSBURGH area: Pittsburgh Bottleshop Café, Collier Town Square Plaza, 1597 Washington Pike/Route 50, Bridgeville, PA. 412-279-8170 / http://www.bottleshopcafe.com

DALLAS/FT. WORTH area: Wizards Sports Café, 747 S. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX. 972-235-0371 / http://www.wizardssportscafe.com

If you go, please thank the local Rensselaer alums who helped make these gatherings happen -- and invite them to future viewing events in your area should we play them again on TV.  

The Rensselaer webcast is also available for free on your home computer (broadband only) starting at 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 10. For more information, go to http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/involved/hockey.html

A big thank you to Peter Pedone at Rensselaer.

Cornellians are taking over Philadelphia again next weekend. Please join us as at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' fabulous home stadium, as we celebrate Ezra Cornell's 200th birthday on Saturday, January 20, from 6 to 10 p.m.

If you live anywhere in the mid-Atlantic, or if you're in town for the Cornell Association of Class Officers' annual meeting, this is a great event -- just ask any of the 450+ folks who attended last year (including plenty of eLynah peeps). Highlights:

* Behind-the-scenes tours of the ballpark, including locker rooms.
* Meet host Joe Giles '84 of the Phillies.
* Bid for cool stuff, from hotel packages to killer sports memorabilia (more on that below), to benefit the Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia's Scholarship Fund.
* Hang with the Phillie Phanatic.
* Excellent food.
* Tons of kids' activities, from a science show to face-painting.
* Free parking.

The list of goodies that has been donated for the benefit auction is eye-popping, but the sports-related items are particularly juicy: a bat autographed by NL MVP Ryan Howard of the Phillies, Phillies tickets, Eagles tickets, Flyers tickets, NY Giants tickets, an autographed Flyers stick...and Cornell-related stuff including two Philadelphia Wings jerseys autographed by Cornellian and NLL Rookie of the Year Sean Greenhalgh '05 and club seats to the Wings (donated by Cornell lax legend Mike French '76, who was just inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame). And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

To register, get more info, or see who's coming, go to http://alumni.cornell.edu/philly/index.htm