[
FROM THE EDITOR
] Don’t Be That Guy
No matter how good you are, there’s no reason to alienate an opponent or teammate
show up an opponent. Just ask Richard Sherman, the Seattle Seahawks cornerback whose borderline taunting tactics in the NFC Championship Game — cupping his throat in front of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to say he choked and calling out 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree in post-game interviews — galvanized an angry media mob leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII. Win gracefully. Take the high road. Act like you’ve been there before. These exhortations all reflect that unwritten rule.
T PUBLICATION
Managing Director of Communications Bill Rubacky Director of Communications Brian Logue Editor Matt DaSilva ( @mdasilva15) Assistant Editor Corey McLaughlin ( Art Director Gabriella Ferraro O’Brien Graphic Design Manager Heather Hughes
Staff Writers TJ Buchanan, Lucia Clark, Jac Coyne, Lane Errington, Emily Gibson, Paul Krome, Charlie Obermayer, Paul Ohanian, Bill Tanton
Advertising Sales Manager Rebekah Sweeney Chief Photographer Kevin P. Tucker Staff Photographer John Strohsacker
LaxMagazine.com Editor Sean Burns (
LaxMagazine.com Asst. Editor Jac Coyne (
But I’d like to take it one step further and say, more importantly, don’t show up your teammate. When I moved to Baltimore after college, several guys I played lacrosse with in college latched onto a post-collegiate team in the American Lacrosse League (ALL). We enjoyed the opportunity to continue playing in any capacity, but the ALL has legitimate talent.
In our third season, a fairly well-known player — locally, at least — joined the team. He was good, but man, was he obnoxious. He was the type of attackman who would try to beat a triple team, get stripped and then groan because you
10 LACROSSE MAGAZINE March 2014 >> here’s an
unwritten rule in most sports that you don’t
weren’t there to bail him out. He would bark out directions that made it seem like he was trying to orchestrate the team offense. But the translation was always the same: Get out of my way. It got to the point that my friends stopped playing. How could one person suck so much fun out of the game?
mistake of bolting for the substitution box rather than looking over my shoulder. He sent a clearing pass over my unturned head and derided me for it.
I knew I had no place being on the same field as a professional player, but he really made me believe it.
As a defenseman and long-stick midfielder, I found I needed to have a good rapport with my goalie. Be supportive, communicative and upbeat, and I’ll run through a wall for you. Throw your hands up after a goal or a missed outlet pass, and I’ll shut down. And worse, you’ll probably get into my head.
During one midweek ALL game in which neither of our goalies could play due to work obligations, we picked up an alternate with MLL and NLL credentials. After batting down a pass and shoveling the ball to him for a clear, I made the
I had a terrible game. I knew I had no place being on the same field as a professional player, but he really made me believe it. Today, while I still play lacrosse occasionally, I get most of my energy out playing pickup basketball. Most of us are there for the same reason: to play a fun, run-and-gun game and disguise the workout. But recently, there’s this one guy that really gets under my skin. He’s a great player, terrific athlete and makes some unbelievable shots. But he’s a jerk. If you miss a shot, he throws up his hands and rolls his eyes, worse if you turn the ball over. When I’m on his team, I’m awful. I’m heaving air balls from the free- throw line. When I’m up against him, it ignites me. I’m darting in and out of the lane, doing anything I can to shut him up.
Duke coach John Danowski, lacrosse’s Zen master, has a “No Palms Up” policy for his players. Overturned palms demonstrate a lack of accountability, he says. Moreover, it alienates you from your coaches, teammates and officials. That makes more sense to me now than ever before. LM
— Matt DaSilva
mdasilva@uslacrosse.org A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN STROHSACKER
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