Ivy League Lacrosse Tournament

[Towerroad]

I'm curious what the deal was with the Harvard assistant coach trying to show the referee some piece of paper. The commentators were saying many players get their sticks checked before the game, I'm wondering if the coaching staff keeps track of this and was saying that his stick had been approved.

I was wondering the same thing. It looked like a grammar school kid waving a note excusing his absence from class.

It was the players acceptance letter from Haaavaaad. Didn't the ref know that he went to Haaavaaad. For goodness sake this was Haaavaad that was being penalized that just does not happen. It is worse than getting an A-

[ugarte]

So what was illegal about the Harvard player's stick?  How did we know to ask?  If it was a legal stick would we have been charged with a "delay of game" or similar penalty?

What is usually illegal - or that the coach believes to be illegal - is the depth of the pocket.

[Al DeFlorio]

So what was illegal about the Harvard player's stick?  How did we know to ask?  If it was a legal stick would we have been charged with a "delay of game" or similar penalty?

What is usually illegal - or that the coach believes to be illegal - is the depth of the pocket.

I think in this case something was pinched so that the ball wouldn't fall out when turned upside down (as we saw the referee testing the stick before handing it to the official at the desk)...or, as we saw, when you take four or five hard hits while doing several 360 degree spins yet still retain the ball in your stick.

[JasonN95]

So what was illegal about the Harvard player's stick?  How did we know to ask?  If it was a legal stick would we have been charged with a "delay of game" or similar penalty?

What is usually illegal - or that the coach believes to be illegal - is the depth of the pocket.

I think in this case something was pinched so that the ball wouldn't fall out when turned upside down (as we saw the referee testing the stick before handing it to the official at the desk)...or, as we saw, when you take four or five hard hits while doing several 360 degree spins yet still retain the ball in your stick.

The broadcast showed the ref checking the stick and the ball not cleanly falling out of the pocket when the stick head was pointed at the ground. What I found amusing was the penalized Harvard player was then shown going to get another stick and, to me, it looked like it, too, was illegal (watch it again if you have it on your DVR; he simulates a stick check and has to pitch his stick past perpendicular to get it to fall out, he then does it again and it looks like the ball just stays in the pocket refusing to come out).

[Swampy]

I'm curious what the deal was with the Harvard assistant coach trying to show the referee some piece of paper. The commentators were saying many players get their sticks checked before the game, I'm wondering if the coaching staff keeps track of this and was saying that his stick had been approved.

I was wondering the same thing. It looked like a grammar school kid waving a note excusing his absence from class.

Someone on the Laxpower forum speculated that, under the direction of the assistant coach, several players had their sticks checked by the refs before the game. The coach then kept a list of the players whose sticks had been checked and handed it to the head coach.

Of course, as others have pointed out, a stick can change as it's used during the game. This is especially true if it's right at the limit and a bit of use puts it out of whack (e.g., a deep pocket made deeper by catching a few hard passes). Players can also adjust their sticks or even switch sticks after the check. So the refs checking sticks before a game is merely a courtesy, and it's the stick used during the game that counts.

In this case, because the ball did not fall out when the stick was held perpendicular to the ground, PennUltimate on the Harvard forum speculates the shooting strings were too tight. This could be because someone tampered with the stick after the refs checked it. It also might be that the refs were busy before the game and only did a cursory stick check. Even if a ref overlooks the perpendicular-falling-out test, the player and his coaches are responsible for making sure the stick is legal.

[billhoward]

I'm curious what the deal was with the Harvard assistant coach trying to show the referee some piece of paper. The commentators were saying many players get their sticks checked before the game, I'm wondering if the coaching staff keeps track of this and was saying that his stick had been approved.

Foxes watching the henhouse.

[ajh258]

So what was illegal about the Harvard player's stick?  How did we know to ask?  If it was a legal stick would we have been charged with a "delay of game" or similar penalty?

It's not clear that we asked. The Harvard player kept the ball in his stick through a half-dozen checks and, if I recall correctly, rolling on the ground. The refs may have asked to look at the stick.

From today's Ithaca Journal:

DeLuca implored the officials to check Vaughan's stick. They did on the next stoppage, and found it to be illegal. Vaughan was assessed a three-minute, nonreleaseable penalty.

Article here: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20110508/SPORTS03/105080340/Cornell-cruises-Ivy-lacrosse-title?odyssey=tab

Cheat cheat cheat...