The Rhamel and Pannell Show, Featuring Keough

For the third consecutive year, I decided to head downtown to catch one of the marquee lax events of '11 at M & T Bank Stadium. The Face Off Classic featured some of the best teams in lacrosse...and they threw Hopkins and UMBC in there for fun. I can't remember a time that I've been in that stadium where I haven't been freezing my ass off, but this past Saturday was probably the best weather that one could hope for in Charm City this time of year. My plan was to play it by ear with regard to how much lax I wanted to consume and I quickly decided that 2 games was plenty.

I'm not really sure how I feel about the whole college lax in NFL stadiums deal. On one hand, it's one stop shopping for a couple of good match-ups that I probably wouldn't otherwise see. On the other hand, when you "pack" 17,000 fans into a 70,000 seat stadium, it looks like a Tuesday night Orioles vs. Devil Rays game at Camden Yards. Kinda Pathetic. That being said, the event is pretty well done and I enjoyed the day.

Outside the stadium, Flow Society and ESPNU had some interactive shooting type nonsense that kids seemed to be into. FS was also peddling their wares outside of the gates. 50% of it is just unwearable, but consider that I have all the fashion sense of an Iraqi nomad. Anyway, once you run that gauntlet, I noticed that the stadium dispensed with the window dressing pat downs that they typically subject you to at an NFL game. Maybe the lax crowd gets a pass? The concourse of the stadium had a bunch of vendors, the most exciting and disappointing of which was Tribe 7. They had booth set up, but no sign of the dude from the infamous videos. What a let down.

Desko

On the field, the action was as hot as the green nets. Seriously, I was digging those nets for some reason. Game 1 was a lot closer then anyone expected. Hats off to Gtown for showing up. Emala stepped up big time. Maybe it was the hometown crowd that did it for the Gilman grad. For Cuse it was Keough. He looked a little bit more well rounded in this game. He did a lot more than just catch and shoot. His mohawk or whatever that was, on the other hand, was just ridiculous. I would have liked to see the Hoyas pull the upset, but that game was more than anyone thought that were going to get.

Rhamel's BTB Goal

Game two was a good one as well. Pannell came storming out of the gates and never really took his foot off the gas. He single-handedly outplayed UVA's attack. As a fan of Stanwick, it pains me to say it. The Brattons looked good again, but this time it was Rhamel that was carrying the load. I'm too lazy to look for a box score, but I know that Virginia's middies seemed to be scoring the bulk of their goals. Neat. Again, a great game to take in and one that would have otherwise been inaccessible to me.

Quite frankly, I had no interest in watching game three. I really only enjoy watching Hopkins play when the opponent has a legitimate shot at beating them. Their band is like nails on a chalk board with that "we want more" chant. I dipped out before this one got under way.

Representing Dirty Jerz

All in all, a great day of lax for the $22 price of admission. Shout out to these kids from New Jersey who did nothing but perpetuate the stereotype of Jersey people being obnoxious. I don't know where their chaperons were, but they were smart to keep their distance. What a bunch of little turds.

High res pics on facebook here and here.