A.J. (# 31), Duke vs. Syracuse
A couple weeks back, the Charlottesville Herd Lacrosse team had a get-together at the Redlands Club in downtown Charlottesville. The point of the meeting was to have some fun but also to discuss the upcoming season. To my surprise, my buddy A.J. decided he wanted to hear what the Herd was all about.
It has been six and a half years since A.J. played in the goal. The former Duke All-American has devoted his time to his wife and his growing family since leaving Durham. Now, the desire to test the waters has surfaced for A.J.
So A.J. and I went to the STAB lower campus Saturday afternoon to see if the old boy had anything left in the tank. Before I get to that, let me give you a little background.
A.J. started playing lacrosse in middle school while at STAB. Soccer was his passion and he was one of the best around. I am not sure what made him choose to play goalie but he contacted my dad and hit the ground running. He was skinny and didn’t fill up the goal very well, but his hands were lightning quick and he had zero fear of the ball. I always found him to be one of the hardest goalies to score on.
Now I have been shooting on goalies since I was in my early teens. I consider myself a good time and room shooter with decent accuracy. Over the years, I have shot on a lot of goalies and there are a few that stand out from the rest. A.J. is one of those goalies. When he called me last week and asked if I would take some shots on him I was thrilled. Not because I had a goalie to shoot on but because I could help A.J. get the drive to return to the field in the spring with the Herd.
My expectations for A.J.’s performance in the goal were high despite the fact that he had been out of the goal for six and a half years. Afterall, A.J. is one of the best athletes I have ever seen. He was our goalie in high school but also the fastest guy on the team. The old adage “like riding a bike” immediately came to mind as I took my shots on A.J.
We started slow, working different types of shots. He missed a couple but the ones that slipped by were the ones that his tired legs did not bend down far enough to get his stick in the right position. As he became more comfortable, I picked up the speed and in no time, I was throwing full steam. His conditioning may need some work but he has the one thing that you can’t teach: handspeed. A.J.’s handspeed is off the meter.
We wrapped up the session with 10 shots to any spot. I set a goal of 6 saves for him and he of course met and exceeded the goal. 8 for 10. Easily in the top 3 of goalies I have ever shot on.
A.J. is back. Imagine how good he’ll be when he starts working out regularly.
This morning during my daily commute to Lexington, I was listening to the Mike and Mike show on ESPN in which the duo was briefly discussing the greatest holiday movie of all time. One of the movies that was receiving a ton of votes and support, especially from Greeny was Die Hard. Listening to them debate over whether or not Die Hard should even be considered a holiday movie was comical. Golic says Die Hard is not because it has no moral and Greeny swears it is because it is set during the holiday season. I don’t consider Die Hard a holiday movie but the argument was funny nonetheless.
So I thought about what I think are the best holiday movies. I have come up with a quick Top 5 right off the top of my head.
5 – How the Grinch Stole Christmas (w/ Jim Carey)
Some of the one-liners in this movie are hysterical. Stupid as hell but still funny.
- “Go get the stick, Max! …there’s no stick.”
- “What’s that stench? It’s fantastic!”
4 – Scrooged with Bill Murray
Anything with Bill Murray is funny.
- “I never liked a girl well enough to give her 12 sharp knives.”
- “The bitch hit me with a toaster!”
3 – Trading Places
Old Eddie Murphy, classic. Old Dan Aykroyd, classic. The Randolpf and Mortimer characters, fantastic. This is a stretch on holday movies but go down the checklist. Set around the holidays: check; snow: check; moral at the end: check. It’s a holiday movie.
Pawnbroker: Burnt my fingers, man.
Louis Winthorpe III: I beg your pardon?
Pawnbroker: Man, that watch is so hot, it’s smokin’.
Louis Winthorpe III: Hot? Do you mean to imply stolen?
Pawnbroker: I’ll give you 50 bucks for it.
Louis Winthorpe III: Fifty bucks? No, no, no. This is a Rouchefoucauld. The thinnest water-resistant watch in the world. Singularly unique, sculptured in design, hand-crafted in Switzerland, and water resistant to three atmospheres. This is *the* sports watch of the ’80s. Six thousand, nine hundred and fifty five dollars retail!
Pawnbroker: You got a receipt?
Louis Winthorpe III: Look, it tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.
Pawnbroker: In Philadelphia, it’s worth 50 bucks.
Louis Winthorpe III: Just give me the money.
Louis Winthorpe III: [looking in display case] How much for the gun?
2 – Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
I hated this movie when I was younger. Now that I understand it I learned it is classic.
Del: You play with your balls a lot.
Neal: I do NOT play with my balls.
Del: Larry Bird doesn’t do as much ball-handling in one night as you do in an hour!
Neal: Are you trying to start a fight?
Del: No. I’m simply stating a fact. That’s all. You fidget with your nuts a lot.
Neal: You know what’d make me happy?
Del: Another couple of balls, and an extra set of fingers?
1- Christmas Vacation
There is no debate here. Funniest holiday movie ever. The quotes go on and on and Randy Quaid is the funniest guy in the world.
Ellen: What are you looking at?
Clark: Oh, the silent majesty of a winter’s morn… the clean, cool chill of the holiday air… an asshole in his bathrobe, emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer…
[Eddie, in the driveway, is draining the RV's toilet]
Eddie: Shitter was full.
Clark: Ah, yeah. You checked our shitters, honey?
Ellen: Clark, please. He doesn’t know any better.
Clark: He oughta know it’s illegal. That’s a storm sewer. If it fills with gas, I pity the person who lights a match within ten yards of it.
My mom and now Kate, too, ask me one of the hardest questions to answer, “What do you want for Christmas?” My answer is always the same, “Nothing.”
Obviously there is stuff I need but for some reason, I don’t like asking for things. I appreciate getting gifts and definitely like giving gifts but I have a really hard time telling someone what they can give me.
I am pretty simple to shop for. If you buy me anything related to a sport in which I participate, there is a good chance that you will have supplied a solid gift. The problem is, every sport I play has gear that is DAMN expensive. Thus, I don’t like asking for someone to buy these necessary items.
For example, one thing I will be looking at in the near future is a new set of irons. I have tried out some and found the ones I like. I would rather pony up the $500 on my own than ask someone to buy these for me. And because I want new irons, I want the accessories that go with it. I want a very specific bag (>$150), three head covers (>$35 each), and new spikes (somewhere around $80). Add that up and that is a pricy gift.
Next on the list is the other piece of equipment I buy once or twice a year and that is an unstrung lacrosse head. Also a costly item. Tack on the mesh kit and it increases the cost. And all of it is very specific. And the yearly purchase of new cleats. Again, very specific and not cheap.
So essentially, asking for expensive items pains me. But giving them is fun!
RSS - Posts
