Stretching legs. Dores did not disappoint. They clean up well!

Hey sportsfans!

Every once in awhile a team needs a game like the one they had Monday night against Oak Mountain Red. After getting spanked in Buford last weekend, the Lady Spartans (2-3) bounced back with a fun 16-0 victory over OM's JV team. Several girls scored and some even switched positions late in the game for fun. Props to Coach Hunter for playing everyone and keeping the score down. (Some coaches in the league play their starters to the end to run up the score and build their power points for rankings. You know who you are.)  Not much else to report from this tuneup game.

 

Thursday night the #3 Lady Spartans traveled across town to take on #2 Spain Park. SP has an attacker committed to play at Montevallo and boasts an experienced lineup. Surprisingly, this game just got weird in a hurry. The first half was innocent enough as the visiting Green and Gold took a 9-3 halftime lead.  The second half was a whole different story. Three yellow cards and a whole lotta chippy play marred an otherwise nice 14-9 win. The referees kept a tight check on the game but that didn't stop certain home team parents in the stands from voicing their displeasure from what they thought they saw on the field of play. Let's just say that we are glad to have this game behind us and hope it doesn't repeat in the future. I suspect these two teams might meet again in the playoffs. MB (3-3) has off the next two weeks from games. A few practices and spring break await.

Em and a buddy from Memphis attended the BBO annual formal this past weekend. They clean up well! What do you think about  Adam LaRoche, a 14 year MLB vet, walking away from $13 mil. salary and retired because the White Sox informed him that his 14 year old son could not be in the clubhouse as often as in the past? Tough call. Both sides have valid points.  In perhaps its clearest admission that football can cause degenerative brain disease, the N.F.L.’s top health and safety official admitted Monday that there was a link between the sport and CTE. Another underachieving team, LSU, declined a postseason invite to the NIT, thus ending their season. What an embarrassment. Shouldn't the team be honored by the invite? What a slap in the face to the NIT committee. They did not live up to the preseason hype and bombed in the SEC tourney. I bet their players and fans are not very happy right now. This is a reward for the program. Plus, lottery pick, Ben Simmons, is done. Do you really think top prospects will want to enroll at LSU after this? Nope. Something smells bad in Baton Rouge and it's not just rotting fish. Speaking of a bad smell ... Why hasn't Rick Pitino been fired yet from Louisville? Sex and recruiting scandals during his tenure. Only ones being punished is the current team that was ruled ineligible for postseason play. Not surprised by the nice job by Vanderbilt once again leaving the postseason with egg on its face. They failed to show up against Wichita State in the play-in round of the NCAAs. Time for  Stallings to go. We are heading to spring training games, Disney and some tourin' and laxin' at Rollins. 

Stay tuned for more ....

Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy 

Competing against the best. Madness or Funness?

Hey sportsfans!

The best way for an athlete or a team to test their level of ability or accomplishment is to compete against the best. For the Mountain Brook Lady Spartans that means competing in top notch lacrosse tournaments in other states. Typically that finds us heading east a couple of hours to the Atlanta metro area. This past weekend the Green and Gold competed  in the Gwinnett County Invitational at Buford High School against some of the best programs from Georgia.

The Lady Spartans took on #2 Mill Creek, #8 Chattahoochee and fast rising Alpharetta during the two day tourney.  Mill Creek and Chattahoochee annually compete for the Georgia title and both schools have several players committed to play in college. Em knew players at the tourney from several schools who were XTEAM members and one buddy from BBYO. She also met some of the summer LB3 teammates from Mill Creek.

It would have been interesting to see how well the Lady Spartans would have done with their entire team present. With five players missing, including three senior captains, the team was hamstrung on both ends of the field. It did, however, allow for some of the less experienced players to gain quite valuable game experience. And boy, did they ever! The pace of the games was much faster than most of the girls were used to. Lots of wide eyes and dropped mouths were mixed in with Coach Hunter's (and Coach Emily's) quick instructions.

 

 

 

 

Although the Lady Spartans dropped all three games, they did show some real heart particularly in the Alpharetta game. Down 9-2 at half, they dug deep in the second half with eight goals, including four by Grace. The 15-10 loss showed the team they could compete as the battled back after challenging themselves to remain competitive. Lauren, Alex Ann, Jennings,  Hayden and Kaylan played well on offense. Isabella, Lane and Em were solid in defense.

 

 

 

 

 

Em battled hard all weekend against excellent attackers, including those committed to Kennesaw State (twins) and Navy. She held her ground with several takeaways and interceptions. She continues to hone her skills and on several occasions Em was able to disrupt the flow of the offense with various stops or redirections. 

The team must regroup quickly as they have games this week against Oak Mountain Red and Spain Park.

A true sign of the sports apocalypse: the Commodores men's team squeaked into the NCAA tourney as an 11 seed.This is a team with too much preseason hype and accolades, and failed to meet any expectations. Tons of experienced talent excelled in mediocracy this season. They looked great early on against Kansas and later defeated Kentucky and Texas A&M by double digits. However, they were also blown out by these same teams and got dumped by the Vols in the opening round of the SEC tourney.This is Vanderbilt's first invite to the NCAAs since 2012. They take on Wichita State tomorrow with the winner getting the privilege of taking on #6 Arizona. The Dores will likely be done in one. Just maybe, however, some Memorial Magic will find its way to Dayton and these underachievers will find a way to extend their season. Go Dores!

Not much work is getting done later this week. The Madness begins! UNC and Kansas look tough, but looks can be deceiving. Who is your darkhorse?  MTSU? Cal State Bakersfield? Little Rock? On the other hand, I am surprised that UAB (26-6) was left out of the field. Their surprising early loss to WKU in the USA tourney might have sealed their fate.

BBYO formal this weekend. Yardwork? Wha? BSC's Relay for Life big event is fast approaching. Please consider donating to Sid's efforfs: BSC Relay. Johnny Football has no home for now. I am sure some sucker of a team will take a chance on him. Hope he gets straight soon. Spring break is fast approaching. Big plans planned. Commodores are again looking tough on the diamond. Time to stop beating up on the cupcakes. Miss St. comes calling this weekend at The Hawk.

Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy

Nice opening game win. #4 and #6 in action. 99 = #1.

Hey sportsfans!

Favorite month, no doubt. Spring lacrosse. Opening of baseball season. Spring break. Nice weather hopefully on the horizon. March Madness. One more trip around the sun. 

Several weeks of preseason lacrosse, including Lilly and Em on the beach, are now being put to the test. Cold and rainy weather. Achy muscles. Too much homework. Workouts. Other sports vying for time. ACT testing. College tours. Time to get to the games!

Some goofiness is in order. Sometimes. 

The Lady Spartans kicked off the regular season at Spartan Stadium against Huntsville on Saturday afternoon. Always a tough team for the Lady Spartans, Huntsville pushed them deep in the semi-finals of the playoffs last year and sought revenge in the opening game. Gone from Huntsville's last year's team are their two leading scorers and goalie. All three girls are now playing with the University of Alabama – Huntsville.

The game started off very slowly with both teams trying knock off some of the preseason rust. Down 3-1 at the half, the home team struggled with the fundamentals of catching and throwing. Also missing from today's game were three MB starters, JB (broken finger), Jennings and Isabella (out of town).

During the second half the team found its footing and gained control. Olivia provided two quick goals to tie the game at three. Alex Ann also scored twice a few minutes later to gain the lead 5-4 midway through the second half. #4 provided staunch defense with several takeaways / steals that helped send the ball back toward the offense. Most of the second half was played on the offense side of the field. The Lady Spartans were much more aggressive which provided the difference during the second half surge. Olivia apparently scored twice more, but with 9:49 remaining she received her second yellow card on a highly questionable call by the ref. Her beautiful ground ball score was called a dangerous propel which nullified the goal. More importantly, though,  it also disqualified her for the remainder of the game. Playing down a player for the rest of the game was a real test for the team. Proudly they stepped up. The defense allowed only one score during the second half. They had several takeaways and steals. LA had some nice saves. Hayden and Lauren both scored pushing the scoreboard to 8-4 with three minutes remaining. No further scoring before time expired.

Nice opening game win for he girls, especially while playing without their full squad. As the season moves along I am sure they will continue working on the fundamentals. Admittedly I've never played a single minute of organized lacrosse, but I do have a question that makes me shake my head every time I see it. Why are so many shots on goal (by both teams almost every game) made directly at the goalie's torso and not into one of the corners or at her feet? I guess it's easier said than done. It sure seems like it would make it harder on the goalie if the angles were tested.

The girls have a midweek game against MB White and then head to Atlanta for the Gwinnett Lacrosse Invitational. Em and Olivia will play against for of X-Team  teammates who plays for Atlanta high school teams. Should be a fun weekend.

Lilly played in her first lacrosse games this week. #6 is learning the fundamentals and basic rules while having a fun time. Go Lilly!

Manning is soon riding off  into the sunset. Smart move. Warriors are looking to make NBA history. 55-5 so far. Yale clinched its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1962. Papa Max recently celebrated his 99th birthday with some min-golf. Still has excellent form!

Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy