Cuse-Maryland AT MARYLAND, 2/29, 1200 hrs.

[Matnum PI]

thegoodlife, though you've ruined our current story line (which i'm enjoying very much), there's something to be said for the truth. Thanks.

[laxorangebookworm]

I'll give a slightly different perspective on this. I was slated to fly to Syracuse to watch this game and have been watching the weather all week long. As of Wednesday night, there was supposed to be anywhere from 18-36 inches falling in the area. I understand that forecast has changed to date, but the fact is that it was forecasted that way all week until yesterday afternoon.

From a close source, I know that both teams were in communication about this issue on Thursday morning as the Terps were set to leave College Park and were packed and ready to go. THEIR BUS COMPANY REFUSED TO TRAVEL GIVEN THE FORECAST AT THAT TIME. That is a fact. So, Maryland had to make a decision and call SU to determine next steps. Both schools came to an agreement-- one that many on here may not be on board with-- but people on both sides compromised. I am not going to weigh in on what I think should have happened. I feel confident is saying that the MD team was ready to leave CP yesterday with no issues.

Here is the problem-- last year, UMD Athletics came under a wave of scrutiny and lawsuits regarding the death of a football player and the athletic department was accused of not putting the health and safety of the players first. Think about that. So fast forward to this week-- the bus company says " no way" and the AD has to make a decision on whether or not to heed the warnings of the bus company. This is all just a few weeks after Kobe Bryant was killed after his transportation company refused to listen to forecasts.

As for the comments about the coaches scheduling the refs-- that is just not how it happens. The NCAA has contracts with the CWLOA (Collegiate lacrosse Officials Association) and the CWLOA has assignors who handle the different conferences. No coaches are in charge of "getting refs".

While it is upsetting i am sure for the parents, players and fans of SU to miss out on the planned festivities surrounding Senior Day this Saturday, SU could have opted to schedule the game later in the season. We just dont know as none of us were in those discussions. While it may be a futile effort, I'd ask everyone to consider what you would do given this set of options.

Having looked at and comparing both schedules earlier, there were no dates in March or April that could have been used. It was all or nothing for this one.

[laxorangebookworm]

thegoodlife, though you've ruined our current story line (which i'm enjoying very much), there's something to be said for the truth. Thanks.

Yeah, that's why I was reluctant to pull the trigger on blaming Coach Reese (though I was annoyed with MD Athletics).

But then the question becomes, if Maryland thought it was a major problem going up to Syracuse due to player safety issues, why is it ok that we go down there to play them if the weather is going to indeed be an issue? Seems to me that Maryland players are more important than Syracuse players.

[njbill]

I have a different perspective. I’m not buying the “bus company” excuse. If the team was truly packed and ready to go yesterday, then why didn’t they simply leave? The weather forecast was not calling for any appreciable snow as of mid day yesterday over the next six hours or so when the bus would’ve been en route.

It often happens that teams must make last-minute decisions, based on the weather, as to whether to go or not go. At the time the decision had to be made yesterday, the weather forecast was essentially fine. I find it very hard to believe that a bus company would really have canceled under those circumstances.

Sorry, that explanation does not fly. Not questioning that you were told that, but I am questioning that this account was the real reason Maryland canceled.

Please don’t trot out “player safety.” Of course player safety is important. But this was not a player safety issue. If the weather really may implicate player safety, why is Syracuse making the exact same trip through the exact same weather?

[thegoodlife]

@njbill-- Do you not understand that their bus company refused to take them to Syracuse? I am not making this up, but I am also not interested in nasty back and forth about an important fact that it seemingly isn't convenient for you to accept. Maybe the NY-based bus company isnt as concerned. That does not change the FACTS. Believe me, I am out a few hundred as I had a flight to Syracuse that I couldn't change. I have knowledge of the situation that I was trying to share. That's all.

I dont think anyone is saying that the MD players are more important than SU players. Certainly that is not what I am saying. I am only reporting to this forum that the MD bus company REFUSED to drive up there given the forecast. REMEMBER-- the game is not being played TODAY. The game is being played Saturday. Perhaps the SU bus company would have made the exact same call yesterday. We will never know.

[DMac]

I don't know what weather people the bus people were talking to, but Cuse has never been predicted to be in the lake effect blast. It's all north and west of here which is not the least bit atypical. I get all the Kobe and football player stuff, but someone down there panicked and made a bad call.
Thursday's forecast:
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/weather/ ... 27-29.html

[seacoaster]

@njbill-- Do you not understand that their bus company refused to take them to Syracuse? I am not making this up, but I am also not interested in nasty back and forth about an important fact that it seemingly isn't convenient for you to accept. Maybe the NY-based bus company isnt as concerned. That does not change the FACTS. Believe me, I am out a few hundred as I had a flight to Syracuse that I couldn't change. I have knowledge of the situation that I was trying to share. That's all.

I dont think anyone is saying that the MD players are more important than SU players. Certainly that is not what I am saying. I am only reporting to this forum that the MD bus company REFUSED to drive up there given the forecast. REMEMBER-- the game is not being played TODAY. The game is being played Saturday. Perhaps the SU bus company would have made the exact same call yesterday. We will never know.

Busgate?? WeatherGait?

[njbill]

Good life, please re-read my post. I said I do not question that that is what you were told. I am not questioning your honesty. I do not know you. That was your first post on this board. I assume you are a Maryland supporter (right?). You are advocating on Maryland’s behalf (understandable if you are a supporter or alum), presumably because the school is getting hammered for canceling the game.

What I am questioning is the explanation, the excuse, you were given. Given the weather forecast, I don’t buy it. If you look at all of the objective facts, it does not add up. That’s my opinion.

[njbill]

WeatherGait?

Genius.

[Dr. Tact]

Busgate?? WeatherGait?

I see what you did there ^^^^

[Matnum PI]

If the weather really may implicate player safety, why is Syracuse making the exact same trip through the exact same weather?

More Bureaucracy in College Park?

[Matnum PI]

... nasty back and forth about...

Some times the feelings behind the words get over shadowed by the words but, in my experience, within this forum, people are relatively genteel.

[Matnum PI]

To throw more fuel on this flame, Gary's father's funeral is tomorrow...

[DMac]

Director Damon Evans said in the statement. “Due to the forecasted winter weather conditions in Upstate New York, our University Department of Transportation determined it was unsafe to travel.”

https://www.syracuse.com/orangewomen/20 ... acuse.html

[Lax247]

To throw more fuel on this flame, Gary's father's funeral is tomorrow...

Then they should cancel it and try to reschedule!! If they can’t then they can’t! It’s a non-conference game. !!! It’s Gaits choice. They have already played 6 games. Most teams have barely played 4.

[Dr. Tact]

To throw more fuel on this flame, Gary's father's funeral is tomorrow...

Then they should cancel it and try to reschedule!! If they can’t then they can’t! It’s a non-conference game. !!! It’s Gaits choice. They have already played 6 games. Most teams have barely played 4.

Some have only played 3 (as of today)

I think GOAT wants to take advantage of the competition before it gets back to playing Terp level lax. And the driving south when you were gonna have a senior day is motivation with a capital M.

[Lax247]

To throw more fuel on this flame, Gary's father's funeral is tomorrow...

Then they should cancel it and try to reschedule!! If they can’t then they can’t! It’s a non-conference game. !!! It’s Gaits choice. They have already played 6 games. Most teams have barely played 4.

Some have only played 3 (as of today)

I think GOAT wants to take advantage of the competition before it gets back to playing Terp level lax. And the driving south when you were gonna have a senior day is motivation with a capital M.

Dr. Tact: I agree totally with all of your points.

[njbill]

Director Damon Evans said in the statement. “Due to the forecasted winter weather conditions in Upstate New York, our University Department of Transportation determined it was unsafe to travel.”

https://www.syracuse.com/orangewomen/20 ... acuse.html

Thanks for posting. It didn’t make sense to me that the bus company was the culprit. It was the school’s decision, as seemed apparent from the outset.

In light of all of the inconvenience and then some that has been visited upon Syracuse, it would be nice if Maryland would be more transparent about what happened. Given how the forecast improved over the day yesterday, and especially given that it was essentially clear during the time the team would’ve been traveling to Syracuse, the weather excuse still seems fishy to me. My gut tells me there is more to the story. Maybe our intrepid FanLax posters can get to the bottom of this.

[wlaxnut]

https://twitter.com/PHLMaggie/status/12 ... 30146?s=20

[Lax247]

https://twitter.com/PHLMaggie/status/12 ... 30146?s=20

That’s a good one!