4/16/2004 - Men's Lacrosse
Please Reserve A Seat On The Bandwagon

Forgive me for having fallen so far out of touch.

About a month ago I began preparing to leave Annapolis behind for another baseball season in the Southwest in an annual rite of passage as one season cedes the calendar to another.

As the scenery shifted from the Chesapeake Bay to the Sandia Mountains, my narrower view changed from that of the hardwood to that of the diamond.

Before long, I found myself behind the times back home.

In the interim, the Naval Academy was welcoming a young man who seemed to arrive well ahead of his time, the 32-year-old Billy Lange. Having taken up the family business of basketball, he succeeds a gentleman whose career began even before Lange was born the son of a coach.

While Lange was just settling in, another who's more than bided his time was out to seize a different day, namely the autumn afternoon. Once an understudy to the soon-to-graduate Craig Candeto, Aaron Polanco seeks to make his the voice that's heard in the huddle this September.

And as his quest continues in football's spring practice, Midshipmen of a different field have made this their time. Overcoming a recent past of frustratingly narrow defeats, they've given us a glimpse of the glory Navy long enjoyed in their sport of lacrosse.

In winning seven straight games, including victories over three traditional powers previously ranked in front of them, the Mids have risen to a place they haven't been in the polls since 1975.

But what's more impressive than the stature they've attained on the national level is how they've staked their claim to more local turf by beating backyard rivals Georgetown and Maryland.

Despite its growth, the circles of the sport remain relatively small. Generally, the coaches have roots to the same “family tree”, rosters are filled with high school teammates now on opposing sides and the hardcore fans are as knowledgeable about this team as that team.

For me, anyway, that's what separates local lacrosse rivalries from others. They're Baltimore kids playing against Baltimore kids, Long Island against Long Island. Many go back to their early childhood, when they first fielded ground balls with sticks rather than mitts.

It just so happens that this season what would be highly rewarding victories under any circumstances resonate beyond the region.

When sophomore Matt Russell made 14 saves to help surprise the Hoyas (then No. 4) by a 7-5 final, the Mids secured their first win over a top-five foe in seven years.

Then, sparked by a Joe Bossi hat trick and a flurry from Ian Dingman, Navy upended the Terps, 9-6, to end an 11-game series skid and beat a No. 1 opponent for the first time since 1973.

With those victories, the Mids are a win away from what would be a most remarkable triumph over the area's power triangle.

Of course, defeating Johns Hopkins on April 24 may prove most difficult. Then again, since a Week 2 loss to Ohio State, the Mishipmen have dispelled any and all doubts.

“Navy has a team that is going to be around at the end,” said Georgetown coach Dave Urick, presumably referring to the postseason, not simply the regular campaign.

Scheduled to play three games in the next nine days, prior to the Patriot League tourney, the Mids are almost assured of a return to the NCAA Tournament, which they last visited in 1997.

Whatever the reasons, be they the decision to play an up-tempo style of offense or a change along the last line of defense, the Mids have created quite a stir only a year after finishing 6-7.

Even as I sit here, two time zones and two thousand miles away, I'm caught up in it.

Especially when considering the caliber of young men who find a way to complete an engineering exam at the crack of dawn shortly before vanquishing a favored opponent.

As you know, they aren't majoring in athletic eligibility. Five of the current seniors expect to be Navy pilots, a sixth plans to be a Naval Flight Officer and two other classmates are headed for the surface warfare and intelligence communities.

And, quite frankly, I'm especially pleased for the individual who coaches them, Richie Meade.

Ten years into his career on The Yard, Meade proved flexible enough to change the Mids' offensive attack, heeding his offensive coordinator who took a cue from the strength and conditioning coach. With more team speed, he agreed, play at a faster pace.

Granted, Meade's one of the few (vertically challenged) coaches with whom I can literally see eye to eye. But much more than that, he's one who truly cherishes his role at an Academy dedicated to a much higher purpose than stocking the athletic showcase with more trophies.

No doubt, he treasures each of the 69 wins he's enjoyed as Navy's coach and can recall the anguishing details of every loss. What's impressed me is what Meade can tell you about the men he's coached, where they are, what they're doing.

During games, Meade wears caps sent to him from former players, bearing the insignias of their ships or units. And for the sender of each hat, there's a personal story as retold by the coach.

And on the subject of conversation, I've always appreciated the patience he showed when I'd interview him for broadcasts of a sport I knew little about.

Meade never held it against me for being a baseball buff by birth and never truly experiencing the grip of his game. Without his help, no way could I have bluffed my way through so many broadcasts, hoping only to avoid any serious on-air embarrassment.

To this day, I usually have no clue why the whistle blows when it does, except at the end of the quarter.

Nonetheless, save me a seat on the bandwagon.

The Mids are playing this afternoon against Lehigh and I intend to listen to the call on the internet. Even it takes me away from batting practice.