Lacrosse: A learning experience

Bill Hoban checks in with Sonoma’s new lacrosse group.|

I received a quick introductory course about lacrosse Sunday morning from Susie Gallo.

Susie is the coach of the Petaluma-Sonoma Thunder team, a club lacrosse team for high school girls that had a game scheduled Sunday morning. Well, the other team canceled, but it gave me a great opportunity to learn a little bit about lacrosse.

Growing up in Detroit in the late 1950s and ’60s, lacrosse wasn’t a sport that we grew up playing – or knew anything about. Our sports were baseball, basketball football and hockey. Soccer wasn’t considered a major sport in Detroit at the time. As a matter of fact, we probably heard more about curling than soccer.

Lacrosse wasn’t even on the radar. It was a strange sport that was played on the East Coast. But that was 50 years ago.

Last fall, a couple of the local lacrosse players took their case for a high school team to Sonoma Valley High administrators. But it isn’t easy to add a sport, and only one other school in the Sonoma County League had a lacrosse program.

Right now, almost two-dozen schools in the North Bay have lacrosse programs including Casa, Petaluma and Justin-Siena, Napa and Vintage. Those five schools along with Sonoma and American Canyon will be in a new conference next year. And while American Canyon doesn’t have a team, Gallo doesn’t think it’ll be long before they add lacrosse.

Maybe somewhere down the line, Sonoma Valley High could add boys and girls lacrosse.

While watching the girls practice Sunday, Gallo tried to explain the game to me. After listening and asking questions for almost an hour, I was intrigued.

I couldn’t pass a multiple-choice quiz on lacrosse. I sort of understand the concept on what you can and can’t do.

Maybe the next time I’m channel surfing and come across a lacrosse match, I’ll watch it.

You’ve got to feel for Omri Casspi.

Casspi, in case you hadn’t heard, was waived the other day by the Golden State Warriors.

Casspi was a journeyman. I hadn’t heard of him until the Warriors signed him in the off season. He played in 53 game and averaged about 14 minutes a game this season. He’s not a star and has played on seven teams in his 12-year career.

He reportedly left some money on the table to sign with the Warriors because he had never been to the playoffs.

And now, a week before the playoffs start, the Warriors waived him to sign another body for their injury-plagued team.

Sure, if the Warriors win the title again, he’ll probably get a championship ring and a share of the playoff money. But he’s not even going to get a chance to suit up for the playoffs. That’s a shame.

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