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Sideline Chatter: June 2009 Responses

What's the most bizarre thing you've seen at a lacrosse game?

Remember the Admadillo?

In 1983, then-Washington & Lee coach Jack Emmer shell-shocked defending national champion North Carolina and officials with a curious possession tactic in which the Generals surrounded an attackman with five teammates, locking arms so that the Tar Heel defenders could not venture a stick check. Some consider it the most famous play in lacrosse history, as our own Bill Tanton wrote in the January/February 2004 issue.

How about for you? What's the most bizarre thing you've seen at a lacrosse game?

This Month's Winner: Taylor Muto, Huntington Beach, Calif.

While I was watching a local rec league game, an attackman on the opposing team had shorts that were too big that were giving him trouble throughout the entire game. Finally the inevitable happened, and when he iso'd to the net, his pants fell around his ankles. Stunned, the goalie on the opposing team didn't happen to realize that the kid was still going to shoot and didn't see the ball go into the net.

Taylor wins the Split Dodge Mid TRX cleats from adidas. They weigh just 11.3 ounces, are water resistant and provide stability and grip on any surface.

After losing a game to University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, we sat in the post-game huddle a little down, only to have our spirits lifted by a streaker (who we ALL knew).
-- Mitch Nemmer, Denver, Colo.

I've seen a guy playing on an all-girl lacrosse team with all the girl equipment on. It was pretty funny. All of my friends started laughing, and they wouldnt pass him the ball. We were always wondering what he was doing and why he was playing with them, but we never found out. I've seen him play for the team for two years straight now.
-- Katie Raichle, Pottstown, Pa.

When a guy on my lacrosse that played defense ran down the field without cradling and the ball never popped out of his pocket until he passed midfield.
-- Bayard Anderson, Rossville

I was at my jamboree in my first U-15 year and I was in goal. Somebody on the other team checked one of ours players and the ref called it a slash. It looked clean to me, but I'm no ref. All of a sudden a guy jogging by came over after the play was over and started arguing with the ref in the middle of the field. Other than that, most of my lacrosse games have been pretty normal.
-- Dan Lucey, Shrewsbury, Mass.

The most bizzare play in lacrosse was when i played club for North Penn in eighth grade. We were playing Souderton and our team could not score. In the fourth quarter, it was still 0-0 with a few minutes left. One of our attackmen tried to feed the ball into the crease area, but it hit a defenseman in the head and went into the net.
-- Peter Alloway, Lansdale, Pa.

A Ram at a Navy lacrosse game on the field.
-- Maddie Gonzalez, Grasonville, Md.

About a year ago the Franklin Knights played Woodland. One of my teammates was in a pile trying to get the ball. Then I just see him laying on the ground and he was holding his shin. Something had made an indention right next to the bone. You could see the bone and ligaments moving around and more blood just coming out.
-- Jorge Zetina, Franklin, Tenn.

A goalie with his cup taped on to his shorts.
-- Jack Neuhaus, Lincoln, Mass.

During a varsity game, a goth person creeped across the field while our team was playing, and the refs didnt stop the game.
-- Corey Sanderson, Madison, Wisc.

Response: The opposing team had this one defender who thought he was screwing up the game. He decided in the middle of the game to take the ball out of his stick head and instead of clearing, he threw the ball with his hand. That had to be the most bizarre thing I've seen at a lacrosse game.
-- Collin Paige, Palm Beach, Fla.

Streakers. A few years ago at a game on Bainbridge Island between Washington State rivals Mercer Island and Bainbridge Island, three young men streaked completely naked from end line to end line. Apparently, this was somewhat of a tradition at the time, but it was the first time I'd seen it. The crowd went crazy, and the refs just stood by and laughed.
-- Michael Griffin, Bainbridge Island, Wash.

One time, during an indoor game, a girl from the other team swung her stick like a baseball bat and hit one of my teammates.
-- Elizabeth Kosak, Milton, Mass.

Our high school goalie George Albrighton took the ball to the other goal, shot (saved by other goalie), then ran back and saved the middie's shot that he had recieved from the clear.
-- Hadyn Lewis, Cypress, Texas

The coach on the other team was warming up the goalie with a basball bat at the start of the game.
-- Jack Bushell, Greenbrae, Calif.

I saw a play where two attackers switched sticks (one had the ball; one didn't) to confuse the defense and score.
-- Ashley Barrett, Palm Coast, Fla.

The most bizzare thing I have ever seen in a lacrosse game was after a dirty hit, the opposing coach actually ran out and tackled the kid who laid on the hit.
-- Blair Berg, Farmington, Minn.

At our homecoming game, they were playing music, so our defense started dancing.
-- Bruce Riddle, Easton, Md.

We play near a baseball field, and a foul ball came and hit our goalie on his head. He had to sit out for a couple minutes!
-- Chase York, Mercer Island, Wash.

In 2003 or 2004 spring NVYLL season, a U-9 game between Alexandria Lacrosse Club boys and a Northern Virginia opponent was stopped, in its midst, so that an emergency helicopter ambulance could land to pick up a construction worker who had fallen from a school work project adjacent to the field. The young players were intrigued by the event and then refocused on the game. The players I am certain do not remember the result of that game, but they do remember the helicopter coming down in front of the benches.
-- David Phippen, Alexandria, Va.

We (Cape Ann) were playing a tournament last year. One of our attackers who was really short but really good had the ball. He got past a defenseman and came around the cage to score, the defenseman trailing him. The D man tripped and fell on the attacker, who fell on the other team's goalie. The ball fell to the ground, right in front of the crease. So our attacker, still on the ground, pushed the ball into the net with his stick, and the goal counted. The other team's goalie got mad and hit his carbon fiber shaft against the side of the cage and crack! It snapped right in half. Then, they tried to tape it back together. It was hilarious. In the end, he ended up taking the shaft off his attack stick and using that. A similar thing happened the other day too. A middie from the other team was trailing our middie. The other middie gave him a stick check from behind. And on contact his brand new shaft cracked right in half. He couldn't believe it.
-- Ethan Lally, Gloucester, Mass.

One day during a summer league game, we (our team and the other team) noticed three deer walking in through the forest behind one of the goals. This happened during the day, around 4:00. It was bright in the middle of the day and these three deer were watching us play lacrosse. They where there for about 10 minutes until a missed shot flew by them. The deer ran away and we played on.
-- Jake Megna, Beachwood, N.J.

Wayne Davis, Hopkins '80, in a summer league all-star game in Charlottesville, let fly an incredibly hard shot, for which he was known. We all stood there and watched it as it missed the goal, took one bounce and entered the window of a fast moving car on the road around 50 yards behind the goal, and was caught by a guy riding shotgun in the car. The car went out of site. We were all still watching, thinking "Wow...how the heck did he catch that?" Then the car backed into view, and the guy got out and threw us the ball with a huge grin on his face. OK, so here's another Wayne Davis crank shot story. In a regular Charlottesville summer league game, Wayne let one fly from the top of the box, it was a huge rip that skimmed off the top pipe, took one hop at the top of a hill behind the endline, rocketed into the woods at the top of the hill, and disappeared...We all stood there watching, thinking "Man! Wow, that shot really flew... Crash! we heard the sound of a window breaking in one of the houses on the other side of the woods, probably around 150 to 200 feet from the goal. The attackman backing up the shot didn't reach for a ball, he just stood there like the rest of us, looking into the woods. After a couple up and downs, a boy and his dad came out of the woods and tossed us the ball. By the way, Wayne did put the ball into the back of the net on lots of occasions.
-- Jay Eisenberg, Earylsville, Va.

One time, while watching a lacrosse game, a dog got loose in the crowd -- a large 85-pound dog, which when he got free from his owners ran around the spectators and also onto parts of the field. At first I didn't realize it, but it was my dog! He had pulled loose from my mom and it took the entire crowd and parts of the team to catch this rogue dog. Finally he was caught and had to be carried over my father's shoulder back to the car. The best thing out of this entire experience was how the team kept playing throughout all the commotion!
-- Justine Betzler, Pittsburgh, Pa.

I was reffing a game and some parents got in a fight and started hitting each other with a chair. Good times.
-- Kelly Watts, Orem, Utah

The most bizarre thing I have ever seen would have to be a fan dressed up as Mr. Potato Head.
-- Mari Sundbo, Minnetonka, Minn.

I made a quick pass to a teammate on the crease. He turned away and the ball bounced off of the back of his head and rolled between the overly aggresive goalie's legs into the goal.
-- Matt Stafford, Los Gatos, Calif.

While in the middle of a high school game and the players near midfield, the referee whistles to stop play, indicates a ref timeout, walks over to the time keeper bench and says, "I need to think," and stands there for about 30 seconds in thought to himself. Then he turns and gives the ball to the attacking team and starts play again! (I have this stange event on video.) No one ever found out what it was he had to "think" about... Also, after a timeout, my son the goalie had walked back to the goal and was checking his stick while in the crease. Just before the restart, the ref, eager to get started, flagged him for (actual ref words) "dilly-dallying" and awarded the other team the ball!
-- Rick Zaleski, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

The Armadillo, without a doubt. Yes, I was at that game, and it was a brilliant, albeit short-lived tactic employed by W&L coach Jack Emmer in an effort to neutralize the quicker attack of UNC. Jack was a great coach, and unfortunately will be remembered for that one game and one innovation that lasted exactly one day!
-- Rob Brooke, Richmond, Va.

Tied! Two geese mating in a New York cornfield and an osprey dropping a snake on the game turf!
-- Tracey Garrett, Eagle, Idaho

During a recent game, our attack player made a point-blank shot on goal, but it hit the post. On the rebound, the kid caught the speeding ball in mid-air, made a quick roll dodge, shot again and scored! It was an amazing play!, It was so close to the goal, and happened so fast, it took a moment for everyone to realize we had scored, then the crowd went crazy!!
-- Trudy Foland, Lake Forest, Calif.

Okay, as we all know lacrosse is a crazy sport. Things happen all the time in this sport that you could classify as bizarre. But by far this is the most bizarre I have seen. It looked like a regular shot. The ball hit the goalie right in the center of the helmet where the screw meets the plastic. The helmet cracked and the screw caused a minor cut in the goalie's forehead. With out any reaction to the play, the goalie scrambled for a ground ball while blood was rushing down his face. All in all play was stopped and the goalie was sent to the hospital for stitches in his head.
-- William Diana, Bellmore, N.Y.

Lucky (the Celtics mascot) against some other mascots at a Cannons game. Lucky ended up owning the other mascots though. It wasn't even competition.
-- Sam Frick, Wenham, Mass.

When a parent ran onto the field because his kid got into a fight on the field and pushed the other team's kid. Then the kid got ejected from the game and, on his way out, he hit my car.
-- Stacy McAllister, Pleasantville

I once played against a team where their goalie had a prosthetic leg. It wasn't bizarre as in weird, but it was so rare. I was so inspired to see someone who had such a disability like that playing a game where she needs to always be on her feet and ready to run at the drop of a hat. Not only that, she was an incredible goalie. Personally, I'd be terrified to be in goal, especially with a prostetic leg which could easily get damaged with a hard shot. I've never respected someone so much without even knowing them; it was something so great to see. It was amazing to see someone overcome an obstacle like that, just to play the game she loves. Kudos to her.
-- Carli Braith, Levittown, N.Y.

At Brown University lacrosse camp in 2002, in a scrimmage my team ran a play where when the goalie made a save, our whole team that was on the field knelt down, and we let the goalie run it up the field while we basically acted as obstacles for the defenders. In the end, he scored.
-- Nick Lee, Barrington, R.I.

Prep school game in Connecticut. A 150-pound mastiff walked onto the field and laid down in the crease. Dog refused to move and the game was delayed by 15 minutes until the owner could be located. Ref called it a crease violation and called an officials timeout.
-- Gregory Hite (via Facebook)

While warming up for a game five girls on moutain bikes came tearing through the stadium field...butt naked.
-- Stephanie Dustin (via Facebook)

Our team scored.
-- Eric Jacobson, Austin, Texas (via Facebook)

I once saw a flock of chickens take base in one of the goals at an 8th grade lacrosse game with my buddies. The chickens didn't leave for some time, but after 30 minutes of "begging" by some crazy parents who didn't want any harm done to the chickens one of the coaches walked over and took them by force.
-- Stephen Stimmler, Short Hills, N.J.

I once saw a ref flirting with a girl he met at my lacrosse game. He wasn't even paying attention to the game
-- Marcus Caines, Encinitas, Calif.

I remember in fourth grade my team was tied with less then a minute left in the game. One of our players had a one-on-one with the goalie when a dog pounced on him from out of nowhere. It was hilarious.
-- Michael Sheldon, Colorado Springs, Colo.

I saw this video on YouTube where this player (number 22) hits this player from the other team. Then the player from the other team drops his lacrosse stick and starts running after number 22 and then tackles him to the ground. I thought this was bizarre, because it seems as if this kid needs anger management! Also, I think this kid should learn that it is not okay to just go and tackle a player on the field.
-- Alex Batton, Salisbury, Md.

I went to a game last month where a kid ran to the back of the goal, faked a pass and then jumped up and threw his stick over the goal to another kid, who caught it and scored.
-- Daniel Dwyer, Bardonia

It was a couple of summers ago. We were all in a cafeteria for dinner. A friend of mine took a bet to drink a whole botlle of hot sauce. He did it, then ran into the bathroom, threw up, and then put his face under the cereal dispencer and said he needed something sweet. Godd times at lax camp.
-- Robbie Stern, Lafayette, Calif.