Army West Point Athletics
Monday, May 17 - Tough Times and Good Times
May 17, 2010 | General
Mady Salvani reporting to you following a weekend that was exciting and disappointing all rolled into one ... Congrats to the lacrosse team following an exciting stunning overtime upset NCAA win over Syracuse Sunday night at the Carrier Dome. Unfortunately both diamond teams came up short in Patriot League Tournament games hosted by the top-seeded Black Knights in both softball and baseball.
I have always had a hard time with end-of-the-year games, whether it is on the winning or losing end. It is like losing a close friend who you know you won't see again. End of the season is always an exciting run as teams are vying to get into the tournament and you feel every hit and ever error and get even closer to the players and the staff. There is always a sadness for me when it ends because you won't be working with that team until next year. When soccer and football end in the fall, I am involved in rifle and gymnastics along with basketball and tennis in the winter so there is little time to look back on an ending sport, but there is a lull after softball ends as it is the end of the academic year.
It was the first time that softball hosted the Patriot League Tournament since the conference went to the host sites format in 2002. It was a first and I think our site impressed the fans, coaches and SIDs (Sports Information Directors).
I was lucky, I had a good crew in the press box to help me if I missed something or trying to decide hit or error. There were no boos, so either the fans were not paying attention or they agreed with us. After Army was eliminated he second game, Saturday could have been a drag but I had a lot of fun with John Gilger of Colgate and Becky Hart of Bucknell along with our Cadet manager Trevor Hodges taking care of the scoreboard and music, PA announcer Bob Geller and Marketing guru Jeff Hellion. After so many games and with the sun beating down on us in the press box, everyone was a bit tired. The games however were exciting and with leads changing hands so did Geller's loyalties in the press box - one minute rooting for Colgate the next for Bucknell. I stayed neutral but it was nice to see Bucknell win just its second league title and first NCAA automatic bid.
I wish the team well at the NCAA Tournament when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on California in a first round game. Since everyone liked our facility, I invited them all back next year by making a statement now that Army will be the top seed once again. We had water and soda, internet, PA, radio and air conditioning (which didn't work because we had to have the windows open). Perfect setting for future tournament games.
Bucknell did well at West Point this weekend with softball winning the Patriot League title and the baseball taking two games from Army in the semifinals to advance to next weekend's championship round.
I like all the folks in the Patriot League but Bucknell has a special place because the top two folks there, J.T. Terry and Todd Merritt, got their starts at West Point. Both came to Wes Pont with their future wives, so whenever they come to us or we go there, it is always a good time.
Back to Lacrosse: On air announcer Jack Emmer (former Army lacrosse coach) said that the last time Army (following upset win over Syracue) reached the second round of the NCAAs was in 1993. What they forgot to mention was that it was played at West Point's Michie Stadium. Emmer was the head coach in 1993 when Army defeated Maryland, under former Army mentor Dick Edell, 15-11, on May 15 at West Point. The Black Knights then lost to North Carolina 14-4 in Chapel Hill.
Talk about homecomings, Edell's daughter Krissy was the team manager for her father's team and the goalkeeper for Maryland was the son of former Army basketball coach Dan Dougherty. I remember visiting everyone after that game. Dan's youngest son Brian, Maryland's freshman starting goalkeeper that year, was born at West Point and whenever I asked how the baby was doing, Dan would just shake his head as the kid was constantly getting banged up getting out of his crib and running around and bumping into things at the tender age of eight months. That kid today is the starting goalie for the US National Lacrosse team that will compete in England at the 2010 World Championships.
Prior to 1993, Army won its opening NCAA lacrosse game in 1984, Emmer's first year, when the Black Knights edged Penn, 8-7, on May 16. I was the temporary SID for lacrosse that year and I drove to the game with our photographer John Tierney. We got home around 3 a.m. It was an exciting game and I remember they had the wrong Army player listed for the winning goal, and when I tried to say I thought it was someone else, no one listened but eventually it was changed and I was correct. On the drive home I also learned that when trucks come behind you and flash their high beams that they want you to move over. There were a lot of trucks out that night so I spent most of the time moving over.
Bob Kinney, the head SID, was finished with baseball so he took over lacrosse for the second round of the NCAA Tournaement but I was not about to miss the game at Syracuse. That same weekend I had a wedding to go to, but called the person a few days prior and said how sorry I was but that 'work called.' The person was very sympathetic and felt bad I could not be there. There was no way I would be able to be at a wedding and having no idea how the Army-Syracuse was going. No internet, no Twitter, no TV , no blackberry so we were in limbo.
I went and did updates on the Army A line - it was relatively new then but it came in handy. The only problem was I would get so excited when Army went ahead and talked too fast, but I did talk much slower when Syracuse was in the lead. I remember our rifle coach Ken Hamill telling me it sounded like an exciting game and it was even though Army lost 11-9.
Army plays Cornell this Sunday in Long Island and a win pits them against host Maryland, which is where Dick Edell lives. We have a group going Sunday and I am looking for a WIN!
