Pace of Play issues

Inside Lacrosse’s August Issue devoted good bit of space to Issues with Pace of Play in College Lacrosse. There were 36 listed, though not all are covered by me, and it seems the only thing lacrosse people can agree on with the issue is that something needs to happen. Here is my take on some of the ideas suggested in the article:

Changing the sticks will just ruin the game. Many players, especially in college, have never used an older stick do bringing those back would just make play sloppier, the game less exciting, and growth of the sport would be stunted. Plus, youth rule changes would follow, and there are plenty of parents that would not be happy that they have to buy another stick for their kid. Eliminating LSMs and or faceoffs would mean 4+ kids on each team go from starter to not having a spot on the team, plus, killing faceoffs would eliminate the advantage of a good FOGO. 6 poles also a bad idea because then there is the time to sub them and games would be less scoring. Making players line up farther at the X would be too big of a change for guys that have been taking faceoffs on the line all their life and I foresee longer battles at X. Outlawing zones would be impossible to enforce. And just is stupid. I like the shot clock, it’s working in the pros and it would make the transition easier. I also like only having 8 (2 A, D, 3 M) or 7 (2, 2, 2) on the field. Much more space. Finally, not allowing teams to bring up an Attacker on man down faceoffs is something that should’ve existed for a while. Not sure what that would do for pace of play, but I don’t get why teams are allowed to do it.

Top 2 NHL Free Agents Sign

NHL free agency has opened, and, rather quickly, the two big prizes came off the market. Forward Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and Defenseman Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators both signed for the Minnesota Wild, for $98 million over 13 years each (7.5 million per year average, I assume the salary each year varies slightly) Both players, 27, return to their roots, as Parise is from Minneapolis, while Suter is a product of Wisconsin. Under the deals they just signed, the 2 will stay with the team until 2025, when they will be 40. With the top 2 targets off the market, look for Defenseman Matt Carle and Forward Alexander Semin to be the next players to sign long-term deals.

Best Memes from the Euro 2012 Final

One of the accounts I follow on twitter is @FootyMemes, and they have some hilarious memes. They also received some, including the Mata scoring as many as Ireland one, from a tweet sent to them (That meme they received from @NoahZackSavadier) From the final alone, I found 8, and that was after leaving out some good ones. Do, without further adu, the 8 best memes of the Euro 2012 final:

ESPAAAAÑÑAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

I know it’s a big occasion, but I’m feeling quite lazy after tweeting throughout the match, so check out Twitter for everything you need to know, and more.
Quick Stuff:
Mata fastest sub to score (Just over a minute after he stepped on the pitch)
Torres first player to score in 2 Euro Finals
Torres and Mata: 6th and 7th Players to Win Champions League and Euro in same season
Spain: Most goals scored in a Euro final (4)
Spain: First team to successfully defend Euro title

Cristiano Ronaldo did not miss the Portugal Team Plane Home

Portugal was bounced from Euro 2012 Wednesday, which meant flying home to Lisbon, a simple endeavor.The Dirty Tackle, Yahoo’s somewhat satirical soccer blog, wrote a COMPLETELY FICTIONAL post in
their “Future News” series. Most people would read it and laugh, knowing that it was fictional. I sure did. However, EFE, a Spanish news source, believed it, and soon the fake story was spreading throughout Latin America and Spain. Only the French Huffington Post and a Portuguese outlet realized it was a fake story. Due to the expanse of the article, the Dirty Tackle was forced to write another article (mainly focusing on who was stupid enough to believe the story), which can be found here.

Side note, this is not the first time Future News got a major news outlet. A few years ago, a future news story on Lionel Messi and his ghost tripped up ESPN SoccerNet. SoccerNet deleted the story, however ESPN later put up a story about the mistake.

Rest in Peace Chris Sanderson

Chris Sanderson’s nearly 4 year battle with brain cancer ended today, sadly.  Sanderson passed away at 2 AM Today, (Thursday, 6/28) “surrounded by family.”  Sanderson was a professional lacrosse player playing in the National Lacrosse League in 1999, and 2001-2003.  Before turning pro, he played for the University of Virginia, making the NCAA tournament all four years.  He will be known, most, however, for his contributions to the Canadian National Team, including leading the team to a silver in 2010, over a year after his diagnosis of a grade IV Malignant tumor in December 2008.  In addition to playing, Sanderson was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Wings from 2004 to 2011.  Sanderson is survived by his wife, Brogann, as well as his two children, Stevie and Clementine.

Chris Sanderson’s Condition Deteriorating

As some of you may know, former University of Virginia, NLL, and Team Canada goalie Chris Sanderson has been fighting over a three year battle with brain cancer.  He even won the silver medal at the 2010 World Championships, despite having been diagnosed in December of 2008 with a grade IV glioma, malignant brain tumor.  Yesterday, (June 25) his wife Brogann posted on his Caringbridge site that “Hospice is arranged and we are focusing on comfort as we do everything we can to help Chris make this transition as peacefully as possible.  If he develops pain or respiratory issues that we are unable to control at home, he will have to go to a hospice facility,” as well as “It is impossible to predict how long Chris has to live, but I can tell you that he is deteriorating quickly and, as of yesterday, refusing all food, water, and medication.  To me, it seems like we are at the point where his organs are still functioning but his brain is shutting down.  I do not know exactly what Chris is thinking or feeling, but it is pretty clear that he has made the decision to end this battle on his terms, regardless of suffering.  He is still conscious but minimally responsive, and I just pray that feels little pain and so much love.”  Sanderson was not only a standout in the NLL, but also a coach, with his last job as an assistant with the Philadelphia Wings.  Sanderson is currently 38, residing in New Jersey, with two kids, age 4 and 6.