MLax: 2018 Season

[chrishoke]

I wonder how many of us started following Duke lacrosse after the 2006 fiasco. I'm in that group. Happy to admit it.

Not I. I never played lacrosse - my son played in high scvhool - but I am a long time fan of Duke lacrosse.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I wonder how many of us started following Duke lacrosse after the 2006 fiasco. I'm in that group. Happy to admit it.

Have met Coach Danowski several times. One was in the bookstore. Had a very nice conversation. He signed a stick for me on another occasion.

Great man. Great rep of Duke.

I was already following them, but the Nifong debacle made me pull for them harder. That previous coach, his name escapes me, got screwed royally, and I think Duke had to cut him a nice check a few years later.

[richardjackson199]

I was already following them, but the Nifong debacle made me pull for them harder. That previous coach, his name escapes me, got screwed royally, and I think Duke had to cut him a nice check a few years later.

Mike Pressler

[sagegrouse]

I was already following them, but the Nifong debacle made me pull for them harder. That previous coach, his name escapes me, got screwed royally, and I think Duke had to cut him a nice check a few years later.

Me too, in terms of following Duke lacrosse. Don;t ask me to referee, however; I still don't understand the rules.

As a measure of solidarity, back in 2007 (I think) I went up to the Final Four in Baltimore. I learned that this Final Four was a terrific event. Tickets are plentiful; it's always held in LAX country (Balt. to New England); and all the major programs have reunions every year. Tents were all over the place.

[DukieInKansas]

I was already following them, but the Nifong debacle made me pull for them harder. That previous coach, his name escapes me, got screwed royally, and I think Duke had to cut him a nice check a few years later.

This!

[MCFinARL]

One other observation-- When I first started following Duke lacrosse after the 2006 season was cancelled, I used to get tired of the posts by Hopkins fans on lacrosse message boards, who would insist that two one-goal losses in the final four were absolute proof that John Danowski could not coach with Dave Pietramala. Yesterday, was Coach Danowski 's fourth straight win over Hopkins in the NCAA tournament (and by the smallest margin), but who's counting.

Hop had Duke's number for a while, but I don't know that it had much to do with Petro being a better coach than John Danowski--who is, for my money, the perfect coach--one who wants to win and knows how to do it but is not willing to sacrifice the character education and all-round development of his charges to do so.

It started before Danowski, in the 2005 final four, when Hopkins edged Duke 9-8 in the final. In 2007, Hop took an early lead in the final, Duke charged back, but Hop scored the winner in a 12-11 victory late in the game on a failed clear. (I was there in person; it was painful, and the incredibly annoying Hop band playing their fight song a few yards from my ear was even more painful.) In 2008, a heavily favored Duke team lost another one-goal game to Hopkins in the semi-finals. I was at this one too. Duke looked relaxed coming out; Hop looked deadly serious and marched onto the field in formation. Later Danowski said, as I recall, he thought, given everything, the Duke team had been too serious and intense in 2007, and he had encouraged them to relax a bit and have fun--but maybe they had taken that a bit too far.

In one of these years, though now I can't remember which one, a 2 or 3 minute unreleasable penalty on Matt Danowski for having a nonconforming stick was a key factor. A tough way to lose.

I wonder how many of us started following Duke lacrosse after the 2006 fiasco. I'm in that group. Happy to admit it.

Have met Coach Danowski several times. One was in the bookstore. Had a very nice conversation. He signed a stick for me on another occasion.

Great man. Great rep of Duke.

Re following Duke, as noted above, I snuck in just ahead of the 2006 fiasco, first following Duke lacrosse specifically in 2005 when my second child to attend Duke was a freshman (the first was '04). But I had been following lacrosse for close to 30 years, going to several Final fours in College Park and Charlottesville in the 70's and 80's, and off and on in later years before starting a string from 2005-2010 (after that, HDTV). When we went to the final four in 2006, we wore our Duke gear, and nearby fans commiserated with us.

My '08 daughter had several friends and acquaintances who were on the team in '06, as well as some friends and acquaintances who were quick to pre-judge the team, and she found that spring pretty traumatizing. So I guess that cemented our interest in Duke lacrosse specifically as opposed to lacrosse generally.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

I am in New Haven for my niece's graduation from Yale. There are five guys from Trumbull (her residential college) that are on the Yale Lacrosse team. It is a HUGE deal here that they are in the final four next week. During the college awards ceremony, they were called out by both the Head of College and their Dean, who mentioned what a special thing this was "for a small school like Yale". So, root for Yale next week against Albany, and not just because Yale is (I think) a better match for Duke, but also because it really is a special thing for a "small" school like Yale.

[gep]

Hop had Duke's number for a while, but I don't know that it had much to do with Petro being a better coach than John Danowski--who is, for my money, the perfect coach--one who wants to win and knows how to do it but is not willing to sacrifice the character education and all-round development of his charges to do so.

It started before Danowski, in the 2005 final four, when Hopkins edged Duke 9-8 in the final. In 2007, Hop took an early lead in the final, Duke charged back, but Hop scored the winner in a 12-11 victory late in the game on a failed clear. (I was there in person; it was painful, and the incredibly annoying Hop band playing their fight song a few yards from my ear was even more painful.) In 2008, a heavily favored Duke team lost another one-goal game to Hopkins in the semi-finals. I was at this one too. Duke looked relaxed coming out; Hop looked deadly serious and marched onto the field in formation. Later Danowski said, as I recall, he thought, given everything, the Duke team had been too serious and intense in 2007, and he had encouraged them to relax a bit and have fun--but maybe they had taken that a bit too far.

In one of these years, though now I can't remember which one, a 2 or 3 minute unreleasable penalty on Matt Danowski for having a nonconforming stick was a key factor. A tough way to lose.


Re following Duke, as noted above, I snuck in just ahead of the 2006 fiasco, first following Duke lacrosse specifically in 2005 when my second child to attend Duke was a freshman (the first was '04). But I had been following lacrosse for close to 30 years, going to several Final fours in College Park and Charlottesville in the 70's and 80's, and off and on in later years before starting a string from 2005-2010 (after that, HDTV). When we went to the final four in 2006, we wore our Duke gear, and nearby fans commiserated with us.

My '08 daughter had several friends and acquaintances who were on the team in '06, as well as some friends and acquaintances who were quick to pre-judge the team, and she found that spring pretty traumatizing. So I guess that cemented our interest in Duke lacrosse specifically as opposed to lacrosse generally.

I also started watching Duke lacrosse in 2005. Went on a family vacation, and me and my son (Duke '02) were in the room flipping through channels, and came upon the Duke-Maryland semi in the Final 4 (hope my memory is correct). We didn't even know it was lacrosse, but guessed that's what it was. And it was a very exciting game... especially since the opposition was Maryland. Then we watched the Duke-Hopkins game. I was hooked. Couldn't wait till the next season. Then, 2006 happened...

After that, I followed Duke lacrosse every year, and the Final 4's in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and was SO HAPPY when they won in 2010. Coach Danowski is just great. I recall he and Coach K were sitting together at some function after both had just gotten their NC's in 2010. Such a great sight.

[DevilHorse]

With all due respect to Tappan Zee Devil (sounds like a New Yorker to me.. takes one to know one) I would like to point out how special being in the final four is to Albany. First, I am an Alum (undergraduate) of Albany which was Division III at the time I was there, then I became a Duke Alum (Masters/PhD). Second, as a State School and not a private school, Albany has a very different mission (as Coach K likes to point out) and thus a different endowment/facilities/advantages than a school like Yale. Although Yale is small in size, its reach, ability to attract players because of its name far exceeds that of Albany which until more recently could have been confused with Albany Georgia (the home of the NBA Jones boys).

Full credit for Albany's success has to go to Coach Scott Marr who brought a stable program and an exciting style of play that has attracted top flight talent to the program. Yale was a dominant Football power, winning national championships in the late 1800s and early 1900s, woman's fencing, swimming, yadda yadda... The previous closest sniff of national success for Albanyl was almost beating UConn in the NCAA basketball tournament in a 16 vs. 1 game in Philadelphia in 2006, when UCONN was big stuff. To those people who have to think twice that the capital of New York State is not New York City, the University at Albany (nee SUNY Albany) being in the Final Four and possibly winning an NCAA Championship would be monumental for the school that probably doesn't have big money donors lined up to buy buildings and sports facilities to commemorate the occasion.

Yale has Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Jodi Foster, the Clintons, and George Bush. Albany has Harvey Milk and Rhoda's Dad (Harold Gould - you'd know him if you saw him.. right).

Which school would it mean more to? Really?

If you want to root for an underdog, that dog is not Handsome Dan; it is a Great Dane.

Larry
DevilHorse (DevilDog today)
Would love Duke and Albany to win Saturday
Would dred watching Duke and Albany to play Monday but would celebrate the result

[MCFinARL]

I am in New Haven for my niece's graduation from Yale. There are five guys from Trumbull (her residential college) that are on the Yale Lacrosse team. It is a HUGE deal here that they are in the final four next week. During the college awards ceremony, they were called out by both the Head of College and their Dean, who mentioned what a special thing this was "for a small school like Yale". So, root for Yale next week against Albany, and not just because Yale is (I think) a better match for Duke, but also because it really is a special thing for a "small" school like Yale.

Assume your quotation marks reflect the fact that Yale is only a shade "smaller" than Duke, at ~5500 undergrads to ~6500.

It's been a year or fifty since Calvin Hill roamed the gridiron in New Haven or Don Schollander (gold and silver medalist in two Olympics, for you young folks) blazed through the pool. So I can understand why they might be excited about this.

That being said, the Dane Train has its own charms, and I can understand Devil Horse's point of view--though I am the kind of nitpicker who will point out that, of DH's list of Yale notables, only Foster and Bush were Yale undergrads--the others went the Drama School and Law School, respectively (and Newman didn't finish his program).

[jimsumner]

Assume your quotation marks reflect the fact that Yale is only a shade "smaller" than Duke, at ~5500 undergrads to ~6500.

It's been a year or fifty since Calvin Hill roamed the gridiron in New Haven or Don Schollander (gold and silver medalist in two Olympics, for you young folks) blazed through the pool. So I can understand why they might be excited about this.

That being said, the Dane Train has its own charms, and I can understand Devil Horse's point of view--though I am the kind of nitpicker who will point out that, of DH's list of Yale notables, only Foster and Bush were Yale undergrads--the others went the Drama School and Law School, respectively (and Newman didn't finish his program).

Is it time for the obligatory Maki Mason reference yet?

BTW, if we want to find an underdog to root for, how about the team going up against the top-seed? Sounds like an underdog to me.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Assume your quotation marks reflect the fact that Yale is only a shade "smaller" than Duke, at ~5500 undergrads to ~6500.

This seems to me to be the lost stat with the national sports media...looking at Duke, as they do, at least vis a vis BB - as this 'evil empire' or the 'NY Yankees of college basketball.' That's preposterous, and absurd. Given their size and the small local alumni base, Duke defies gravity by staying relevant, staying a power. We all know the definitive sport in college is football - it drives everything - and this is huge disadvantage to smaller schools (for several reasons). What K has done is beyond remarkable. What Cut is starting to do - maybe even more so.

[budwom]

This seems to me to be the lost stat with the national sports media...looking at Duke, as they do, at least vis a vis BB - as this 'evil empire' or the 'NY Yankees of college basketball.' That's preposterous, and absurd. Given their size and the small local alumni base, Duke defies gravity by staying relevant, staying a power. We all know the definitive sport in college is football - it drives everything - and this is huge disadvantage to smaller schools (for several reasons). What K has done is beyond remarkable. What Cut is starting to do - maybe even more so.

I dunno...I don't think the size of a school (undergraduate enrollment) matters nearly as much as money does. Money is the great equalizer for small(er) schools. Stanford seems to muddle by with an undergraduate enrollment barely larger than Duke's...Northwestern does pretty well in football, too. Add Notre Dame to the list. If you can afford to fund 85 scholarships, you can compete (and Stanford has fully endowed each of theirs).
So yeah, things are tougher for smaller schools unless they have gobs of money.

[duke79]

I'd love to see Duke vs. Yale for the championship (but I understand DevilHorse's message above about how much it would mean to Albany to win a national championship).

[BigWayne]

I dunno...I don't think the size of a school (undergraduate enrollment) matters nearly as much as money does. Money is the great equalizer for small(er) schools. Stanford seems to muddle by with an undergraduate enrollment barely larger than Duke's...Northwestern does pretty well in football, too. Add Notre Dame to the list. If you can afford to fund 85 scholarships, you can compete (and Stanford has fully endowed each of theirs).
So yeah, things are tougher for smaller schools unless they have gobs of money.

School --------------- Athletic Budget --------Annual Budget -----------Endowment---------- Undergrads/PostGrads
Duke ---------------- $91M --------------------$2.3B --------------------$7.9B----------------6471/8400
Maryland ------------ $94M-------------------- $2.1B---------------------$0.542B-------------28000/10000
Yale-------------------$38M --------------------$3.6B ---------------------$27B----------------5500/6800
Albany----------------$21M -------------------- $0.6B(est.)----------------$0.065B -----------14000/5000

[DU82]

Yale has Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Jodi Foster, the Clintons, and George Bush. Albany has Harvey Milk and Rhoda's Dad (Harold Gould - you'd know him if you saw him.. right).

Great character actor, perhaps more famous for The Sting. (PLACE IT!) Didn't know he went to Albany.

I concur, Yale is not "a small school." Perhaps only to Harvard. :-)

[Faustus]

Nice little endowment Yale has, probably bigger than many 3rd world countries.

[sagegrouse]

Nice little endowment Yale has, probably bigger than many 3rd world countries.

Duke's is understated by 3 billion or so. 'The Duke Endowment' from JB Duke's original gift is a separate entity.

[budwom]

School --------------- Athletic Budget --------Annual Budget -----------Endowment---------- Undergrads/PostGrads
Duke ---------------- $91M --------------------$2.3B --------------------$7.9B----------------6471/8400
Maryland ------------ $94M-------------------- $2.1B---------------------$0.542B-------------28000/10000
Yale-------------------$38M --------------------$3.6B ---------------------$27B----------------5500/6800
Albany----------------$21M -------------------- $0.6B(est.)----------------$0.065B -----------14000/5000

good list. Maryland has mismanaged its athletic department for a long time, leading to the horse's butt decision to elope to the Big Whatever; as Wilbon and others have said,
The Big Whatever fans don't really want Merlin, and Merlin fans have little in common with the Big Whatever...

[madscavenger]

I'd love to see Duke vs. Yale for the championship..........

Lest we not forget - - - ->

http://forums.dukebasketballreport.c...ghlight=yachts