April 7, 2007

Ryan Kaufman's St. Louis Journal: Entry #2 (Saturday, April 7)

The day started with another 8:30 AM wake-up for a quick breakfast, but this was no ordinary continental breakfast. Complete with made-to-order omelets, waffles, and pancakes, this was truly a "breakfast of champions." The team slowly made their way downstairs and got in a line that was so long it probably included every hotel patron. Once everybody had eaten their fill, we were free to lounge around the hotel until our position meetings a few hours later…and when I say "lounge around" of course I mean immediately go back to sleep.   

Around noon the defense and goalies met to re-review the Lindenwood game-plan. Since we had already gone over everything the night before, this meeting was extremely brief and to the point. Once we made sure that everybody was on the same page, the meeting concluded and we returned to our rooms to kill a few hours before the team meal. While I can't speak for the rest of the team, I used this valuable time to catch up on my "Deal or No Deal." Let's just say if you're ever on the show and offered $200,000+ dollars by the banker, TAKE THE MONEY or you may end up walking away with $10 measly dollars like this greedy fool who pushed his luck way too far.  

At 3:00 we all met in a downstairs meeting room for the pre-game meal. Unlike our standard buffet-style Cottage Inn meals, this one was served by the courteous Embassy Suites wait staff. The meal was delicious, consisting of salad, grilled chicken, green beans, baked potatoes, rolls, and freshly baked cookies. We all enjoyed this assortment, except for the devout Catholics who couldn't eat meat due to Lent and those keeping Kosher for Passover. When I mocked Elyachar for not enjoying a tasty dinner roll, I suddenly realized that I am a terrible Jew for not keeping myself. Perhaps I should go to Temple more often...yea probably not. After the meal we were free to relax until the bus departed at 5:00 for the game two hours later.

Following a short stint in a nearby locker room, the team walked to the field and started warm-ups. Normally, we warm-up to our mix-tape of "The Blood of Chu Choulan" from The Boondock Saints Soundtrack, "Can't Stop" by the Chili Peppers, and "Brain Stew" by Green Day, among others. But today was a little different. Being the away team, we were subject to whatever Lindenwood chose to play. In an attempt to get us off our game, and maybe feeling a little soft, we were forced to warm-up to a compilation including "The Macarena," Backstreet Boys, and "Just the Two of Us" featuring Mike Myers and Verne Troyer from the Austin Powers II: The Spy Who Shagged Me Soundtrack. Unbeknownst to LU, we LOVE these tunes and used the time to loosen up, get in a few laughs, and even practice some dance moves.

On the other hand, once the game started this lightheartedness quickly disappeared. Although we started the game somewhat sloppy, we slowly built a lead and cruised to an 11-7 victory. Similar to the weather the night before, this game was played in very un-Spring-like conditions. In fact, it was so cold that Coach Paul even let me play the second half in my warm-up pants (that's right Webber!!). Clearly, I was wrong when I assumed I would never again get this luxury. Although the game wasn't our prettiest, at least we got the W.

Following the victory, we bussed back to the hotel where we showered and enjoyed a delicious snack provided by the Booster Club. We can always count on the parents to make sure we don't go to bed hungry. Following the snack we met to review the game-plan and watch some film for tomorrow's game against CSU. Obviously, this game will be much more of a test than today's. While it's impossible to predict the future, everybody realizes the weight this game carries. CSU is an established program with numerous National Championships under their belt. To be successful we'll have to play our best game of the season. We all know we're capable of winning, but only time will tell if all our hard work pays off with a victory.

Journal Entry #1 (April 7)