Rumours of my molestation this past weekend in Edmonton by Guido the Prison Pimp were greatly exaggerated.

I survived the road trip with the team to Edmonton, and let me tell you, I have a new found respect for the professional athletes that play in the National Lacrosse League. I can no longer, in all honest, call it a semi-pro league. These guys are professional through and through. Granted the rookies did get a little out of hand, but they paid for it the next day. Here are guys that go out, play one of the orughtest, toughest, fastest sports known to man, party with the fans, crash out for a few hours, hop on a plane with little to no rest, touch down in a new city, de-plane, eat, nap, practice, play another game, party with the fans and the are up again at the crack of dawn the next day to fly home and go to their day jobs the next day. 2 time zones in 2 days, 2 games in two days...I know I get tired as a fan following these guys around, but to actually have played 2 games in 2 days, man, I have a new level of respect for these guys, and anyone bitching that the players don't show up at post gamers anymore is gonna get a pop in the mouth.

I would like to add some more personal commetns if I could about the guys who play for the Rock. I have never felt such a sense of cameraderie before with the exception of my old Midget AA hockey team. I played on a team with a bunch of guys that had been together as a team for almost 6 years, and we were darned good at what we did. The cameraderie that the Rock shows is exactly like that, and while there are no overt mega-stars on the team, they are indeeed much greater than the sum of their parts and carry the mantle of Champions well.

Now onto the low-lights of the trip:
The Edmonton fans.
I'm a little ashamed of them.
For a few reasons.
1st: When Bob Watson took that shot to the head and went down like a ton of bricks, their first reaction was laughter. When the shot was replayed (and they did this about 5 or six times) on the jumbo-tron, fans kept laughing.
2nd: Comments made about the injury. I heard some calling Watson "Faggot!" and "Pussy!" and I heard one fan yell, "Get up you pansy!" Obviously fans who have never experienced the sweet pain of a lacrosse ball...
3rd: Thrown foreign objects. Not only were things thrown at me (yes, I was wearing a Rock jersey) including a paper airplane and popcorn, but also one of the lacrosse balls that are given away with the toss stick set. And not only were these objects thrown at me, but also at Debbie. She had the misfortune of sitting next to me, and as a result was caught by enemy fire.
4th: Personal insults directed at individuals. Now, I'm one for insulting the other team, but when the fans call you out based on the number that appears on your jersey in the stands and then adds an insult, that's even worse.

My night was made, however, by the annonucer at Rexall Place (hereafter referred to as "The Pill" because that's what it looks like from the outside) when he said: "Anyone with a drunken Rock fan sitting next to them, Arena Security will be blind for the next 30 seconds" after the Rock finally took the lead. Overall , the game was a great experience, and I came out of it with a few souvenirs that I didn't have to buy.