Portraits

Obamunism

Here is an article I wrote for Professor Knippenberg for my Columns & Reviews class:


President Obama is being heralded as the answer to this nations woes of economic misery and misfortune. According to exit polls after the election, people believe the economy of the United States is saved thanks to the budget plans and stimulus bills that Obama is going to institute during his presidency. He has even gone so far as to promise that he will halve the federal deficit by 2013.
Out of 213,186 viewers who voted on the poll on CNN.com, only 84,328 people actually believe the promise Obama laid out in his presidential address. That’s just under 40 percent, compared to 60 percent of the poll voters who think he will not be able to accomplish that lofty goal.
The stimulus bill that was just signed into action under President Obama is putting near 780 billion dollars into certain aspects of the nations economy and industries. He is also seeking nearly 200 million dollars of the populace’s tax dollars to spend on war, even though one of his main campaign pledges was to halt spending in the Middle East, and pull our troops out of this war. This stimulus plan is being harkened as a horrible idea by most GOP senators, with a resounding call that Barack is not doing a very good job in his infantile presidency. The stock market, having been riding an ever steady rollercoaster of ups and downs actually fell the day that the democratic aid bill was signed into action, with fear of over-flooding the market.
Republicans have been issuing statements regarding the President’s plan, saying it was laden with too much in government spending, and not enough action towards tax cuts; of which Obama praised he would devout his first term in office to securing. "Democratic leaders in Washington, they place their hope in the federal government," said Bobby Jindal. Governor of Louisiana "We [Republicans] place our hope in you, the American people."
Obama added, after his address and “Financial Responsibility Summit”, that “If we agree on 90 percent of this stuff and we’re spending all of our time on television arguing about one, two, three percent,” he said, “that starts to sound a little like politics.” This was in regard to the GOP, and what he and his supporters called “line-item knitpicking”.

As told by a coach

I first picked up a stick in the 8th grade, with a coach who played through his college career. Junior High lacrosse is solely for learning the skills of the game and getting in shape. There really is no rhyme or reason when coaching the youth level, because most cannot comprehend the plays and defensive sets deemed commonplace in High School and beyond. My first experience of lacrosse practice consisted of partner passing for around 45 minutes, then sprinting and shooting for the rest of the two hour session. Our coaches had no idea how to really coach, so the team ran... and then ran some more.

Let me first say that I have seen the youth lacrosse level of I.Q. from both ends of the spectrum, as that I was lucky enough to be Sycamore's "B" team head coach, and assistant to the "A" team. Trying to instill any reason of flow and movement that the game lives of off in the 7th and 8th grade ranks is the most mind numbing, constant, dull pain. Asking for a 2-3-1 and being able to rotate off ball (which just so happens to be the easiest set offensively in the game) is like asking a 13 year old to perform brain surgery. I did happen to have a group of young men who were at least somewhat patient, but, as I will delve into, I only lasted as a Junior High coach for that ill-fated season. The most painful lacrosse experience of my life.

Junior High sports = no listening, no help from the administration, lots (and lots) of badgering from parents, lack of respect from referees, or lack of referees completely. I had to be the official for 4 "A" team games, and one of my own throughout the season.

I am lucky enough to still be actively playing the game of lacrosse, which allows me to assume my duties as a coach at a whole new level. Coaches well out of the game have lost their touch with how the players truly feel and what helps them succeed. You would never hear that if you asked a guy who has been coaching at any level, even though its true.

So with that being said, I can understand why my coaches when I played in the junior high just ran us. Coaches just did not want to deal with all of the headache inducing stress, but that is one of the duties under the title of "Coach".

Coach Pressler & Bryant University

Everyone needs to watch this mini documentary

http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2212

An article.. hey I am a journalist!

Lets break down some of my 2009 fantasy NCAA lacrosse team:

Attack:
Grant Catalino - Maryland
Joel Dalgarno - OSU
Ned Crotty - Duke

Midfield:
Jeremy Reynolds - Maryland
Michael Kimmel - Johns Hopkins
Max Siebald -Cornell

Face-off:
Shane Walterhoefer - UNC

LSM:
P.T. Ricci - Loyola

Defense:
Michael Evans - Johns Hopkins
Ken Clausen - Virginia
Barney Ehrmann - Georgetown

Goalie:
Jeremy Blevins - UMBC


I'll start backwards.
The senior keeper for UMBC, Jeremy Blevins, is listed at 5'8", 135 lbs. That is diminutive for a goalie, let alone in the D1 ranks against players who would easily fit in on their University's football roster. Blevins does not let his size get to him, and plays as if he was 6' by 6' (Thats the size of the NCAA regulation goal for all you non lacrosse readers). He enters his senior season as the NCAA leader in victories, 32, and only 15 losses. This is a very under-rated stat as that Blevins is the first keeper for UMBC to start since his freshman year since 1993. Blevins is an explosive keeper, who like the current trend, is very active outside the cage. He posts impressive numbers, such as a 20-save game in the 1st round of NCAA's last year against #16 Denver, all without any true standout defensemen.

Michael Evans, 6 ft., 220 lbs, Defense, Johns Hopkins University.
The quintessential shut-down defensemen. Since Evans has been starting games, the opposing offensive units Hopkins had faced totaled a low 55 goals and a squeaky 29 assists. Last season in the Semi-final tournament game against Duke, Evans held Matt Danowski to 2 goals and a single assist. Danowski went on to finish in the top spot for scoring in all divisions of NCAA. I cannot think of a more clutch defensemen I would trust in getting a turnover for my offense than Evans.

Barney Erhmann, Senior defensemen for Georgetown marks the opposing team's best player, and has been successfully doing it since his sophmore year. In an annually big rival matchup, Erhmann held new Terrapin transfer Will Yeatman to a goose-egg. Will Yeatman hasn't played lacrosse for two years, but he is a physically dominating presence. Coming in at 6'6", 260 lbs., If you can hold that type of attack player to a non-presence, you have my vote. Barney Erhmann is the prototypical defenseman with the complete package; stick skills, footwork, communication, aggression and physical strength.

UNC has what most think to be one of the most prolific face-off specialists in the modern game with Shane Walterhoefer. With the graduation of Alex Smith from UDel and William Wallace from the Naval Academy, he is on the throne. A preseason First Team All-American, Walterhoefer has won 15 or more face-offs in more than 20 games in his career. At 5'9" and a solid 200 lbs., he is a wall to be reckoned with at the face off X. His career win percentage is well over .60, and growing with every game UNC plays. Under a new Coach in Joe Breschi, Walterhoefer has only gained skills and confidence heading into this young season.

Ned Crotty. Senior, Duke University. After the graduation of the NCAA leading scorer in Matt Danowski, the transfer of POW watch-lister Zach Greer, as well as graduation losses of key elements of the NCAA tourny run team from last year, Crotty is being looked upon to hold a significant amount of weight this year. His whole career at Duke had been seen from the midfield, but this year, he is on the 1st line of Attackmen. In a fledgling season thus far, with 4 games under his belt, he has notched 8 goals, and 5 assists. This is including two clutch scores in the matter of seconds he registered in the 2009 Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in a loss to a stacked team in Maryland.

Ohio State had a season of firsts last year, as it went to the second round of the National Tournament in the 2008 season, eventually getting blown out by an offensive-laden Duke team. Joel Dalgarno, along with Kevin Buchanan, led the way for the Buckeyes, tearing the opposing defensive units to shreds. Dalgarno is a niche player, which is hard to come by in the modern game. He is playing mainly attack this year, but can be equally productive being subbed in from the box as a quick offensive threat for a drive to the goal from the midfield unit. Recently passing the 100 goal mark, Dalgarno is sitting at 183 total points in his career in the scarlet and grey. In the '09 season opener for the Buckeyes, Dalgarno posted 4 goals and an assist against a new team in University of Detroit-Jesuit. Doesn't take long for Dalgarno to shake off the dust; if there ever is any on his game. Look for him to have an extremely productive career in the NLL and the MLL, if it doesn't fold.