Rule Changes

Like many of you I am a big college lacrosse fan and I enjoy watching a hard fought game. There has been a lot of chatter these days about the pace of the game and whether or not the NCAA should look at adding a shot clock. While I don't disagree with this having seen what a shot clock can do to speed up possessions and add excitement, in my opinion however a more pressing change is needed..... get rid of the dive shot/not landing in the crease rule!

Bottom line...Hopkins got screwed. That game should have been over when Kyle Wharton scored in OT! Don't get me wrong, I'm not by any means saying the referee blew the call. By rule he made the right call...."a player can not land in the crease UNLESS he's pushed into the crease. That's the gray area however, when two player's are competing at the point in the game there is no way as an official you can call a push. So you take away an exciting part of the game and as we saw last night take away an exciting win by a young and upcoming Hopkins lacrosse team over the #1 team in the country.

Come on NCAA.....fans want to see excitement. I know it's about safety but were there really that many injuries prior to legislating that rule? I don't recall any to be honest. That is one of the most exciting plays in lacrosse...the MLL is a faster more physical game and there have been 0 injuries in 10 years of play with the dive shot (.....knock on wood), so let the kids play!!!

Why you're at it....what do you think of adding a 90 second shot clock?

Have an opinion? Email me @ bd@lax-school.com

High School lax season is here, what are you doing to take your game to the next level?


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2nd Week

If you saw the Syracuse/Denver game or the Duke/ND game on TV yesterday you know college lax is here and already in its 2nd week of the season. Watching both games as a fan you can tell its still early and it definitely showed on the field. It takes time to develop synergy amongst teams and there were a lot of miscues in both games that happen because its the 1st (or 2nd) game of the season. All four teams at one point or another were sloppy, whether it was a mistake on the offensive end or defensive end of the field. A bad pass, or a missed slide, etc. Even the top teams in the country need practice & repetition before they get into a groove. In these early games coaches are looking for players to step up and show that they are the indeed the right choice to be slotted in a specific role. As the season progresses it will be great as a fan to watch these teams & players develop.

As a player make sure you work hard, be confident in yourself and most importantly have fun!


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Enough Snow

Seriously!!!! I spent the weekend getting snow and ice of the roof in order to stop a leak. Not fun...enough already. I know a lot of New England college coaches feel the same way, there hasn't been a lot of outside time for practice with this stuff around.

College games start in a week, Blazers are 4-3 after the big win last night and we have a Cannon's staff meeting later this week. Lacrosse is here.....away with the winter blues!

What are you doing to be game ready?

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What are your goals for 2011?

Well, it's here....2011 is upon us. Gone is 2010 and the holiday season...now it's time to get to work. I don't think I ever stop thinking about the Cannon's and how we can get better...both on and off the field. However, now it's time to step it up as training camp will be here before you know it. The same goes for you, your season whether it be youth, junior high, high school, college or club will be here before you know it. What are your goals for 2011?

I believe everyone of us starts by thinking the same thing....this is the year we become champions. Very easily stated but the real question is ..."how do we get there?" That's where you set goals to give you and your team the road map to get there. We all know it's not easy, it takes commitment...100%. You have to be committed to do the work, to make the effort and the sacrifices day in and day out. I know I'm committed and I'm setting my goals as we speak because this is the year to get it done...no excuses.

What are your goals?


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Weekend of Lax

I was able to get up to Revere on Sunday to check out the Blazers practice, their 3rd one within a 24 hour period....you talk about working hard! Seriously.....offensively they look unbelievable! It was my 1st time seeing Josh Sanderson in person....and I couldn't believe how small he is. BUT at the same time.....I couldn't believe how freaking good he is! He caught everything they threw him and finished just about everything he caught. Now you know why he was brought in here. Put him with Dan Dawson and Casey Powell and that is quite some offensive fire power for the Blazers. Should be a great season, I'm looking forward to the home opener....FIRED UP!

The MLL supplemental draft is tomorrow, can't believe it's here already. I spent the past few days on the phone talking to prospects about coming into training camp and what they can bring to the table. We have 12 picks and out of those 12 we hope 2-3 players can make an impact....we shall see. Did you hear the news? The MLL collegiate draft has moved up to January 21st....for the 1st time in MLL history we will draft seniors before they graduate college! Not sure how I feel about that, more to come on that at a later date.....

Who do you think we should draft tomorrow? Shoot me an email, bd@lax-school.com

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Nice

Great weekend down in Baltimore for the IMCLA convention. I was a guest of Nike's at the IMCLA Awards banquet sponsored by Nike. Great ceremony honoring coaches at the D1, D2 & D3 level and I mean EVERYONE in coaching was there. I sat with Carl Runk (former Towson great), Richie Moran, Sid Jamieson, Bill Tierney and Richie Meade. Good times.

Got a chance to see Inside Lacrosse's offices right on the Inner Harbor.....you talk about phat digs! Man, I would love to go to work there everyday and sit in one of those plush corner offices that Carp and Jiloty have!

Pictures are posted on the facebook page, check them out.

What are you doing to take your game to the next level?

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Lax Season is Near...

Can you believe it? Lax Season is close!! You're probably wondering what I mean...right? Thanksgiving was last week which kicked off the holiday season. The NFL is in it's last 6 weeks of the regular season before the playoffs start and we crown a new Superbowl champ! So what's this chatter all about you ask? The IMCLA convention is this weekend in Baltimore at the Waterfront Marriott. Over 700+ coaches at all levels will convene in crab land and talk the talk, see some new products, share a few beverages and start thinking about the spring!

I'm headed down on Friday for a day to walk the show, sit in on a few meetings and see some old friends......it should be a good time.

It's too late to register online but you can register at the event, for more info go to: http://lacrossecoaches.stcnetsite.com

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Holidays

I can't believe Thanksgiving is in two weeks! The holidays are basically here and it's very easy to get thrown off track from all of the hard work you've been putting in. Make sure you continue working out and push yourself even harder during these times as we all know there is a tendency to put on a little extra lb's during this time of the year.

Have you set your goals for the season yet? It'll be here before you know it. Do you want to work on improving your quickness? Do you need to get stronger? Or do you need to work on your lateral agility? Time to figure it out, make a plan on how you're going to get there. If you need some help hit me up at bd@lax-school.com

Will you be game ready?

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NIKE CHROME

Well, I've been told the new Nike chrome heads will hit all Lacrosse Unlimited stores by 11/1.....that's right you heard it here 1st. Colors that will be available are royal (like the one I got my hands on....in the picture), silver, gold, red, orange, kelly green and Ice. These heads are pretty sweet especially if you want some bling!!!

Big weekend for a lot of the top players as the annual Hawaii tournament is here. I was hoping to come out of retirement and get out there but it ain't happening this year unfortunately. Maybe next year?

November is already here.....I know the season seems far away but it in reality it isn't. Keep working on your game.....strength, conditioning and your stick!

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LU

Sitting on the train heading back to Boston from NYC. The Lacrosse Unlimited Team (GM's, retail managers, Team sales, warehouse & front office staff) had a product tech session with STX & Nike @ Local Bar & Restaurant on West 33rd (owned by former Cornell lax player John Hile). It was a great time, we got a chance to see all of the new product from STX & Nike and learned about the different technologies and enhancements of each product. Sean Morris, Pat Heim, Matt Schomburg (sales reps for STX/Nike) along with Mike Murphy (sales manager) and Jason Goger (General Manager of STX) were giving us small tech sessions on various products. Max Siebald and Kristen Kjellman from Nike were also there to assist. Check out some of the new gear online.....those chrome heads are pretty sweet....can't wait to get mine (yes that's directed @ you Sean Morris!)

Last night was also cool because I (and everyone else) got a chance to meet people in the company that I've never met before. With 20+ stores we have a lot of managers and a lot of other folks in the company that you see on email lists and that's it. Lax Unlimited has been successful because of the quality people that work for the company, so it was good to finally put faces to the names. It was a real good team building exercise to be honest, people were psyched. Things like this are important not only on the lacrosse field but also in business!

Make sure you find a wall and get your touches in this weekend.......


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Gamecocks!

Did you see that the Alabama/South Carolina game yesterday? What an upset huh? I'm at the Harvard/Team USA game right now and Harvard is giving USA their moneys worth that's for sure. Both of these games remind me of our loss to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the semifinals. In a nutshell on any given day any team can beat another, no matter what team is "supposed to be" the better team. The team that shows up and does their jobs, works the hardest and plays within themselves is the team that comes out on top no matter what........keep that in mind the next time someone tells you that your team has no chance to win!

Make sure you're game ready, be in the best shape possible and make sure your stick is ready to go at all times.....you never know when you may get the call.


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Lax in Beantown

If you're around Boston this weekend there's some serious lacrosse being played. On Saturday the 3rd annual Catamount classic is being played @ Thayer academy. Each year the field has gotten better and more competitive. This has become one of the premiere fall ball tourneys in the country as well as in New England. Check out www.catamountclassic.com to see whose playing in it this year!

Sunday the US Men's team (well some of them) will be playing Harvard at Harvard Stadium on Sunday @ noon. I know there will be a few US Team members from the Manchester gold medal team playing (Rabil, Seibald, Striebel, Dougherty, McClay amongst a few others). It should be a good event and some great lacrosse. Make sure you pop in and check it out.....look for me and the Lax-School film crew!

Speaking of Paul Rabil, did anyone see "The Body Edition" in the new edition of ESPN the magazine? Lax getting a huge presence with #99....congrats Rabes that's awesome!


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BOOM!

Did anyone see the Nike Boom commercial that played for the 1st time last Sunday night during the Jets/Dolphins game? It's been played several times since then. Even though lacrosse had a small presence in the overall sports packed Nike ad, it's pretty sweet that lax (& Max Seibald) are both getting some love with all the other big time sports and professional athletes.

If you haven't seen the Nike full length lacrosse commercial yet, go to my facebook page and check it out.
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Also look at the chrome Lakota head Max is using! I heard they'll be in stores soon.....

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TopJLax

Hey what's up? Hopefully a lot of you laxers (male & female) are playing another sport this fall, if so I hope the season is going well. If not, no biggie.... perfect time to be working on your game that's all. The off-season is a great time to go out and work on the fundamentals, your off hand, shooting, etc. so take advantage of this great weather and get some work in!

I was contacted by Duncan Trenholme who runs the UK based Lax Website, TopJLax for an interview. It should be online by the end of the week. Make sure you check it out, they have some pretty cool stuff up there right now. It's great to see other countries showing the sport of lacrosse as much love as we do here in the States. http://www.topjlax.com/

Stay tuned, we have some really cool stuff coming on lax-school.com! Anything in particular you want to see? Email me at bd@lax-school.com

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MetroLacrosse

Now that the Cannons season is over I've officially started working on my golf game......Lord knows I need it! Yesterday I played in the inaugural MetroLacrosse golf tournament out at Hopkinton Country Club. It was great event, a lot of Cannon's representation between ownership, front office staff and players. There were also some Blazers out there on the course as well supporting a great cause. Our team did pretty well, finished 2 under and Mark Kastrud and I were carried early by our teammates (Chris Clark from Gentle Giant moving company and Adriano Varano from Coldwell Banker). Some of their shot shaping rubbed off on Mark and I and we made some putts to keep us in contention. Overall it was a fun day and I was glad to be out their supporting Metro. For more info on how you can help MetroLacrosse, go to MetroLacrosse.org.


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88MB Download for Madden 11??

Adison is at a birthday party, Ollie is down for a nap, Ali is out shopping. I got the hedges in front of the house done and over with this morning. Yeah it's a beautiful day and I probably should continue down the side of the house...right? WRONG!!! Free time = Madden baby!! There's an update for the game, wonder what enhancements they did for the game? Guess I'll find out.....if it's anything good I'll let you know!

Time to get my swerve on....

Go Irish!
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Asta la Vista Summer......

Well, I hope you had a great Labor day weekend as I did! The weather was fantastic after Earl made his way through New England. Saturday I had the pulled pork party and it was a HUGE success I must say....stay tuned for the video! I know it's sort of a bummer that the summer is over BUT now it's time for some football!!! Big opening weekend of college football hopefully you had a chance to check out a game or two (or three, four...). With that said I wanted to give a shout out to my boys down in Chapel Hill. No one gave them a chance on Saturday night vs. LSU with so many players missing because of suspension. It came down to the last play of the game and they almost pulled it off. LSU fans were silent even though they won and the Tarheel fans were making noise, letting their team know they appreciated that effort they gave on the big stage. It's going to be a great season for the Heels! Great game last night between Boise State and V Tech.....and Thursday night the NFL kicks off @ 7:30 with the Vikings taking on the New Orleans Saints....BOY IT'S GREAT THAT FOOTBALL IS BACK!!

There's a lot of exciting stuff happening behind the scenes with Lax-School.com, so stay tuned and I'll fill you in shortly. As for the MLL, we have our 23 man protected roster due in on the 24th of this month. I'll be meeting with the ownership and my VP in the next week to discuss the roster and in what direction we go in for 2011.

Still killing it in Madden BTW and I went up a level so the game is not as easy but still a lot of fun. I'm still looking for some online challengers out there, send me a friend request...my screen name is WCD2.

Oh yeah....how about the Jets signing Revis over the weekend??? Look out AFC.....

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Checking In

Hey....What's up? I've been pretty busy (like everyone else of course!) since I shared my Madden 2011 experience with you. Speaking of Madden....I officially declared time to move up one level after a 31-14 drubbing of the Pats. Yeah.....I know BUT I enjoyed it thoroughly I must say.

This has been a good week. Got back into my full time job which entails reaching out to my college coaches to see what they need for the upcoming season. All the new gear out there is creating the buzz. Take a look at some of the pics I posted on Facebook.com/laxschool. As my stuff comes in I'll keep putting the pics up.

Yesterday I met with Blazer coaches Tom Ryan and Randy Fraser for a little lunch over at the Stadium in Southie. It was good to catch up and we chatted about personnel they're looking at for next week's NLL draft. American players who play indoor become better field players, it's the truth. They learn how to operate in small space (keep in mind at full speed) so when they get out to the field it's like night & day with their stick skills and ability to finish. Sooooo, I'm all about some of the boys playing indoor if you know what I mean? The only downside is....it's a long season so they have to be in the best shape possible.

Anyone catch Hard Knocks last night?

Labor day weekend is here, make sure you enjoy the last "official weekend of the summer". The coaching staff, Mark Kastrud (GM/VP)and Bill Millman (the man behind the videos @Lax-school) are coming over for some southern style food....Carolina that is.....pulled pork, ribs, mac n cheese and more. Yep, we're talking about calories galore but that's ok.....have to do it everyone once in awhile ya know? Just means more workouts next week @Catz! Plus I'm going to film the pulled pork preparation from start to finish so you can also hook it up!

Stay tuned.........

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Madden 2011

Ok so I finally pulled the trigger on this since I took the past 2 years off with Madden. With not really having the time to sit and play my PS3 and the fact that I focus mainly on the EA Sports NHL series, Madden had to take a back seat. Well, not this year....I heard so much about it I had to get it and give it a shot. My wife was out to dinner and the girls fell asleep early last night so I got some serious PS3 time to myself and took full advantage of it.

I usually press the "x" button and skip through all of the preliminary stuff, you know the hype they do for every video game. However I watched the Drew Brees soliloquy and it was pretty sweet....got the chills to be honest. Onto the game....had to select my favorite team (you should know this) and then get on with my franchise mode. I got right into it, didn't practice or anything, I figured it would be like riding a bike and it was. The main thing I missed was the "speed" button but honestly I got used to it and in actuality found it easier to hit the hole on a run play, make a juke and then break it open. LT is the man BTW....as is Greene. Like any video game now, the graphics were amazing, especially on the instant replays, it's soooooo real! Game play was very similar to what I recall from 2009 (think that was the last season I played) but I did find it more realistic. Also, you have an option of calling your own plays or using the "GameFlow" which basically let's the offensive and defensive coordinators call the play and then you execute them. I used this last night and really got into it, it was a cool addition to the game for the 1st time in 20 years.

Probably the funniest thing is that Old Spice is a big time sponsor this year (trying to sell OS to a younger generation???) and they had some real funny lines during the breaks in the action. The Old Spice whistle (if you've seen the commercial on TV you know what this is) and some of the lines used were, "Thank you for smelling great man!", "Old Spice body wash, greatest smell in the NFL", "Wham, bam, thank you for smelling great man!" Come on, are you serious? Had me in hysterics during the game though.....

Lastly, I heard it was easy and I started on a setting that was way too easy...blew out the Giants 34-7 and the Panthers 28-12 so I need to adjust that as I move forward in my franchise. Can't wait to carve out some time though and get after it!

What do you think about Madden 2011? Email me your thoughts....or better yet email me your online (PS3) name and maybe we can get after it one night??? bd@lax-school.com ....let's see what you got!

Game Day

Well it's here.....game day, pretty excited. When I looked in the eyes of all my players this morning @ breakfast I could see that every single one of them are ready to compete and......ready to win!

We're going to throw some different things at Chesapeake right from the get go, try to get them off balance and get them thinking.......mind games.

I've never felt the confidence like I have with this group, it's a special team and I'm excited to begin our quest in 3 hours to be MLL champs!

Tune in 12:00 on ESPN2....

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