MEET THE PRESSLER

Mike Pressler, the former Duke coach who resigned in the heat of the controversy last season, is here in attendance at M&T Bank Stadium today. I believe I happen to be seated right in front of a Duke SID (sports information director) who is telling someone on a cellphone in quite the stentorian voice exactly where Pressler will be sitting. And that he will be seated among some of his former Duke players. But Pressler has not spoken to anyone from the media since the story broke last year.

Other thoughts as we are less than forty minutes before game time:

1. Duke scored the game-winning goal on Saturday against Cornell with :03 to play. How bummed would ESPN be today to be airing Johns Hopkins-Cornell? And that's not meant to be a slight on the programs, but just an indictment (poor choice of word, I know) on how TV loves a good controversy. Race + sex? Sign 'em up.

2. What are the odds that at least one of the Northwestern players will wear Crocs to the White House?

3. Female lax players do NOT wear helmets, but male lax players do. Discuss.

4. Duke's goalie cramped up late in the fourth quarter of the 12-11 victory against Cornell on Saturday. A goalie cramping up? Who was in goal, Johnny Damon? Actually, the goalie, senior Dan Loftus, is an All-American.

5. This is the first time in the past 20 NCAA tournament games that Hopkins is the lower seed.

6. Hopkins' best player is Paul Rabil, No. 9., but the best 1970s porn 'do-plus-stache belongs to freshman midfielder Max Chautin:

http://hopkinssports.cstv.com/sports/m-lacros/mtt/chautin_max00.html

Would I lie to you?

7. All three accused Duke players from last season are also here today.

8. Duke's top two players are Matt Danowski (40) and Zack Greer (25).

9. Just learned that my high school, Brophy College Prep, won the state title in lacrosse. How long have they been holding state championships in lacrosse in Arizona?

10.Based solely on the media guide photos, there are just three African-American lax'ers here today. All three--freshman Lorenzo Holt, sophomore Austin Walker and junior Val Washington--play for Johns Hopkins (thanks to poster for correcting me). I cannot wait to see how much more fun D-I lacrosse will be to watch when the rosters are at least one-third African-American. And if that comment strikes you as politically incorrect, when is the last time you watched a football game, college or pro, in which less than one-third of the players were African-American?