Maryland WINS ??!

A short while ago I posted that the NCAA men's Division I lacrosse championship could be otherwise titled "Who is Maryland going to lose to this year?"'

They hadn't won since 1975, despite being in either the Final Four or the championship game numerous times.  So losing was habitual and winning not the norm.

Now, I like lacrosse, but I'm not a big fan, despite it being Maryland's unofficial state sport.  It's popularity has grown for years (it's no longer just a sport played primarily in the Mid-Atlantic states and at Ivy League schools), it requires significant athletic prowess in both stamina and skill, and it's got a lot of action.  With hockey scoring declining, and soccer never having enough scoring at the highest levels, lacrosse has enough scoring to keep everyone entertained, if you like scoring.  I pay attention to the NCAA championships, and I usually pick a favorite team, many times Maryland.  Most of the time my favorite time loses.  So it goes.

The problem with lacrosse, more than anything else, I think, is that it seems too easy.  Note that I said "seems", because it really isn't at all.  It looks like it's just running and tossing a ball around with a little stick that has a net on the end.  Even though kids play soccer and hockey and baseball, I think that lacrosse suffers from looking like a kid's game.

So, having said that, back to Maryland.  They played Ohio State, and they broke the losing habit, winning 9-6.   Amazing and finally.

Add to that, the Maryland women's team won another lacrosse title, not unexpected but the first time they won after not losing in the regular season.  So despite the DC travails in pro sports, the rare Baltimore titles (thank you Ravens, even though I don't pay attention to you at all), at least there's some winning going on in Maryland.  And the Mystics, with All-Star superstar Elena Della Donne, are 3-2 right now.

Yay.