Cornell sports - one shining moment Apr 2006 - departed

Started by billhoward, April 14, 2006, 07:24:50 AM

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billhoward

The beginning of April 2006 had one glorious week where the magic seemed possible. We were in the NCAAs in hockey, headed to play a beatable Colorado College team, and the lacrosse team was on the cusp of greatness. Canada's two national sports were coming through for the Big Red. Okay, we'd lost a close one to Penn in lacrosse April 1, so the Dream of Unbeaten Season was out of our fantasies, but maybe that rainswept game was just the wakeup call Cornell needed. There was that Nearly Impossible Dream possibility of titles for both hockey and lacrosse. Did anyone else have that unspoken hope? Did anyone else think how amazing that would have been to have gone all the way lacking not just a (current) Hobey Baker finalist but no first, second, third, fourth, whatever team All-America player?

Then it was back to hockey and we came from behind against CC in the round-of-16 game. The next day the lacrosse team manhandled Harvard, as is Harvard's due. That night we played Wisconsin well but not well enough. So we got to see another team in red getting (earning) the title ... the three pages of coverage in Sports Illutrated ... that coulda, woulda, maybe been ours. David McKee ups and leaves; not entirely unexpected, but still disappointing. Then the lacrosse team drops a hearbreaker to Syracuse. Now we've gone from "that's gonna be some title game we'll play against Virginia" to "we better win the Ivies to make sure we make the NCAAs."

The only remaining thrill is talking about how many goalies we'll have next year and watching Age's Still Cam showing Lynah Rink renovation and wondering who has less of a life, the guy who takes the pictures or the guy who goes online every day to see them.  ... it's only how many days until the Red-White game? This is the time of year where it's "LGR" and hoping soon again it'll be "LGR!" Perhaps against Princeton, once -- if -- the lacrosse team gets past Dartmouth.

DeltaOne81

QuoteThen it was back to hockey and we came from behind against CC in the round-of-16 game. The next day the lacrosse team manhandled Harvard, as is Harvard's due. That night we played Wisconsin well but not well enough.

You got the order a little wrong here. The weekend of the regionals was the week the lax team beat Yale. We played Penn a week later and lost, beat Harvard on the weekend of the Frozen Four (not the weekend of the regionals), and of course fell to  Syracuse this week.

Other than that little factual discrepency, good post.

The lax team certainly no longer looks invincible, ranking up 5+ goal wins, but they still have plenty of potential. They're not guaranteed for a tourney appearance at this point, but with a win over Princeton and/or a little luck, they could also be a very high seed. Oh, and btw, still have the highest RPI in the country.

Trotsky

[quote billhoward]who has less of a life, the guy who takes the pictures or the guy who goes online every day to see them[/quote]
I vote for the guy who writes about both of them.  ;-)

But then there's the guy who writes about *that* guy... :-/

Beeeej

[quote DeltaOne81]Other than that little factual discrepency, good post.[/quote]

Well, that plus the hockey regionals were the last week of March, not the first week of April.

Beeeej
Beeeej, Esq.

"Cornell isn't an organization.  It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."
   - Steve Worona

Trotsky

[quote Beeeej][quote DeltaOne81]Other than that little factual discrepency, good post.[/quote]

Well, that plus the hockey regionals were the last week of March, not the first week of April.

Beeeej[/quote]


Fargin' lawyers...

billhoward

[quote Trotsky][quote billhoward]who has less of a life, the guy who takes the pictures or the guy who goes online every day to see them[/quote]
I vote for the guy who writes about both of them.  ;-)

But then there's the guy who writes about *that* guy... :-/[/quote]

Every April I vow to give elynah.com a five-month breather, remove it from the IE Favorites list ... and never quite manage to keep that vow. Instead, I'm further caught up, watching still photos of a backhoe working around one of the homeliest sports facility in the Ivy League. For those of you who're single, I don't think stuff like this is going to make for scintillating conversation at It's Just Lunch.

Rosey

[quote billhoward]I don't think stuff like this is going to make for scintillating conversation at It's Just Lunch.[/quote]
Um, I think that's the reason some of us are still single.  Or, at least, one symptom. :)

Kyle
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billhoward

[quote krose][quote billhoward]I don't think stuff like this is going to make for scintillating conversation at It's Just Lunch.[/quote]
Um, I think that's the reason some of us are still single.  Or, at least, one symptom. :)

Kyle[/quote]

You never know if women will go for the guy-who-likes-sports routine. My first date with my now-wife was a Cornell NCAA hockey game. Gwen's girlfriends thought that was incredibly exciting and daring, us going off to a distant (well, two hours distant) city, even without an overnight. Now, she's not quite as excited about the hockey part, but she loves going to New Haven, Boston, Princeton, or whatever pre-hockey dinners with blind dates with people we've met on eLynah, such as Al and Donna DeFlorio. The circle comes round in full.

Still, I think we're agreed that one should not inscribe, under the "My ideal evening at home" part of the questionnaire, "Watching stills of rink reconstruction at lynahfaithful.com." She probably has her little secrets, too.

Rita

[quote billhoward][quote krose][quote billhoward]I don't think stuff like this is going to make for scintillating conversation at It's Just Lunch.[/quote]
Um, I think that's the reason some of us are still single.  Or, at least, one symptom. :)

Kyle[/quote]


Still, I think we're agreed that one should not inscribe, under the "My ideal evening at home" part of the questionnaire, "Watching stills of rink reconstruction at lynahfaithful.com." [/quote]

Personally, I think  "listening to 5 OT hockey game, one that tangentially affects your favorite team,  over the internet" is a fine way to spend a Saturday night.  ;-)

Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone else in Indiana who agrees. ::help::

redhair34

[quote Rita]

Personally, I think  "listening to 5 OT hockey game, one that tangentially affects your favorite team,  over the internet" is a fine way to spend a Saturday night.  ;-)
[/quote]

AND Sunday morning ::nut::

Bio '04

[quote billhoward]For those of you who're single, I don't think stuff like this is going to make for scintillating conversation at It's Just Lunch.[/quote]

Luckily, as a girl, guys are more willing to give hockey a shot, when I mention that I like the sport.  :-P  Only the people in my lab seem to be aware of how deep that love goes, since they all recognize the red trim on the messageboard.
"Milhouse, knock him down if he's in your way. Jimbo, Jimbo, go for the face. Ralph Wiggum lost his shin guard. Hack the bone. Hack the bone!"  ~Lisa Simpson

judy

[quote Rita]

Still, I think we're agreed that one should not inscribe, under the "My ideal evening at home" part of the questionnaire, "Watching stills of rink reconstruction at lynahfaithful.com." [/quote]

Personally, I think  "listening to 5 OT hockey game, one that tangentially affects your favorite team,  over the internet" is a fine way to spend a Saturday night.  ;-)
[/quote]

I second that. And a small part of me is still upset that I actually missed it :(

On a somewhat different note, if you're screaming into the phone at a guy friend "CORNELL! WISCONSIN! ON RIGHT NOW!" you don't also have to explain to him why you can't talk right now. :-P

Jeff Hopkins '82

[quote billhoward]
You never know if women will go for the guy-who-likes-sports routine. My first date with my now-wife was a Cornell NCAA hockey game. [/quote]

Any chance she's got a single, younger sister?  :-D