Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Cardinals Clip Away Again

Back again, how is everyone doing?

Oh, what a weekend it has been. I was planning on writing this Sunday but that didn't work out now did it. Alright so lets pick up the remote and rewind back. Thursday was our last practice of the fall season. (Last one ever for seniors Dan Caufield and Tucker Glass) Going through everything and preparing for a game which is a big indicator on how we will transition into our upcoming season. On Friday along with having no classes, I slept late, ate a good breakfast, and then headed over to coaches office to finally achieve something that most of the guys on the team know I have been attempting to complete since freshman year. If you didn't think of it already then you probably don't know the issue and I will explain.

Since freshman year I have been trying to make a successful, "our generation" oriented, warm up tape for pre-games. ( It would be so much cooler if our pre-games were packed with screaming fans, but hey we do what we can). I say "our generation oriented" because we have had warm up music before, but for those of you who have sat in those stands, or along that wall, or even on the field, know that 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor doesn't go well with 45 guys trying to get a little more pumped for a game, and does not fall into our generation of music preference. To make a long story short, Coach Pedrick and I spent 4 hours scanning our iTunes up and down, probably a total of 10,000 songs between our two computers, looking for good songs that would reach the approval of Coach Cavanagh. Please don't let me get any further into that. Basically try to think of all the songs that your sons listen too on their iPods, and then eliminate those that have or use profanity, and now think how many are left. My point... Nevertheless our persistence paid off and we created a 25 minute mix that is not half bad and did the job.

After that, I returned home and got ready to head over to Therapy to lose all my hair, awesome. It was interesting seeing a place usually populated by many of us at night, during the day. I guess you pick up on the 'finer things'. As a team I must say we did great with raising money, and I think we raised over $6,000 which is just awesome, seriously boys great job. I am confident to say that over the past three years, we as a group have raised over $15,000. The turnout at Therapy I think was the biggest I have seen in all three years having participated in it. I am going to have to say the best picture which is also in the video is that of Danny Caufield, who definitely had the longest hair on the team at that point, something we call 'Lax Bro Flow' or 'Rage'.

Alright so moving onto the game. The weather was not ideal as we battled through periods of substantial rain, which just causes slight imperfections in everyones game. McGill came out and put the first goal in the net but we responded and it was neck and neck for most of the game with no team taking more than a 3 point lead. 11-11, end of regulation time as the game will now go into overtime. Junior mid-fielder Nick Travers, scored a goal which was not only the game winner but it was his 5th goal of the night. Sick game Nick. Following the uproar of our sideline as we charged the field; Nick avoids all of us and takes a head first slide right across the face-off X to really rub it all in. Just Dirty Birds flying low protecting the nest, thats all! Following the game we all enjoyed another excellent tailgate provided by our awesome parents led by Veronica Kramer who really does such a great job following in the footsteps of Donna, Mike Glynn's mother. We thank you all so much.

Alright so finishing up, I must not forget about Saturday's Alumni Game. Oh it is just comical. So we show up, most of us soar from the night before, getting loose, as old faces filter in 1 by 1. Pre-game turned into greetings with handshakes, hugs, jokes, and laughs. Most of the freshman sat there getting the scouting report on guys to worry about. To give the old guys credit, I think they actually scored the first goal, and then it all went downhill for them from there. 20-4 was the final, and by the time the 3rd quarter was over, half of their team was fighting for a seat along the benches. How ironic how times change, 2 years ago these guys were sweating, bleeding, and fighting to keep away from that bench, and now its a battle for the same seat, on the same bench...

Alright well I think that is it for now. The blogs now will be about team news, sports, current events and such because we are in off season. We focus on lifting, school work, and enjoying college. I hope to get more followers going into the season, or at least comments on the blog, to my twitter, or on my videos. During the season I will be using Twitter to instantly report SUNYAC scores, as well as our team information like scores, stats, and things we might be doing. I will be uploading pictures of our gear soon that I am customizing, along with our new helmets that are in. Stay tuned to your emails for more information about that.

Cheers to the 2011 fall ball season!

- Mike


Sunday, October 9, 2011

"Just Win, Baby!"-Al Davis/"You May Be Gone, But Your Legacy Will Live On Forever"-Steve Jobs

Well hello everyone! I understand that my absence has been quite a while, but I assure you I am alive, well, and still 100% committed to this blog. Currently I am home for this much needed Columbus Day break. School and fall ball have been nothing less of a hand full for all of us.
Just some current events...
I am sure everyone has heard by now about the passing of Apple's CEO and co-founder, Steve Jobs. I would like to pay my respects and honor this truly amazing innovator of my generation. I am a huge Apple product fan and I always will be, because of his brilliant ideas and visions.


Also I must pay respects to Al Davis, the general manger and owner of the NFL Oakland Raiders. Al Davis will always be the face of the Oakland Raiders, and has done so much for that franchise. With Davis in control, the Raiders became one of the most successful teams in all of professional sports. From 1967 to 1985 the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XL, XV, XVIII), and made 15 playoff appearances.

Alright so moving on, the guys have been working extremely hard in preparing for this weeks game vs McGill University. The coaches are working on putting all the the pieces together, while we are working on our condition, strength, stick skills, and camaraderie. So yeah, this week is the week. Our final evaluation and test to see if we can put it all together to get a strong win and put the right foot forward going into the season. The past two years in my career have conjured quite some battles with McGill. For those new to the program, my freshman year, they came here and really stuck it to us, no excuses. Last year we came out with a lot more emotion and fire and really stuck it to them, but as for as the 'no excuses' part, that was not the case. McGill claimed that they were not properly "equipped" with their full team. You know what they say, "excuses are like @$$h0le$, everyone has one and they all stink!" This year should be a real thriller, we really hope to get at them.

To give us an even greater incentive, prior to the game all the guys will be participating in our 3rd annual St. Baldrick's "Shaving Your Way to Conquer Kid's Cancer" event at Therapy Sports Lounge in downtown Plattsburgh. Yes that is correct, all the guys with their girlie locks will soon be rocking a bald-e. For the game we will be rocking awesome custom made St. Baldrick's jerseys that I will show you all in the next video coming up. The next video will also consist of highlights from the mountain, McGill game, and the alumni game. Okay, so while I am on the topic of videos... due to a minor unemployment hiatus, I am now back on track in finishing this highlight tape, I promise.

Ha, so the alumni game, yes yes. The time has come for the old alumni guys to come up and really try and mess our day up. I have already heard about them talking smack and that their attack unit, consisting of Norchi and Luke will be unstoppable. We shall see if they have an answer for our attack unit. It is always fun, and this weekend should really be a good time.

Alright well I hope you all enjoyed the update, and the blog will not go unattended for long times, I assure it. So now, some food for thought. I told you I am home for Columbus Day break, but who was Columbus, was he the glorified hero we all think he is? Some of you might not care or might know the real answer but, as an education major we debate if we should teach our kids the "truth" of our history. No need to go into further details, just a funny clip from one of my favorite shows on TV about the subject, The Office. Just stick it out to the end (2:00 mins).



Well I hope to see all the new parent faces Friday for a much anticipated tailgate and hope that we get a large showing for what should be a great weekend.

-Mike

-if any suggestions for songs please comment. I can say with much certainty that DeFran and I do not have the same likings of music, but I am open to much of anything.