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This is your first season in the NLL. Can you compare the outdoor game
and the indoor game?
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Yes, this game is much more physical. There is no comparison. You get
banged around a lot out there, you have to be ready for it. I think you also
have to have quicker hands and better coordination. I mean, you are playing
in very close quarters out there and the ball is traveling around from
player to player much faster. But still, the biggest difference is the
hitting and checking. It can get very rough. It's like, you turn into a
different person out there. You have to. It is so intense, I love it. You
have fans screaming at you, guys out there banging you around, you have to
be a little crazy out there to survive.
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What has been the biggest adjustment you have had to make?
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I'd say the scoring aspect. You are shooting at smaller nets so you
have to shoot it more accurately. That's been a big adjustment, especially
since there are a lot of great goalies in this league. It is such a fast
game, you can't lose sight of where the net is and trying to put the ball
past a great goalie into so such a small goal isn't easy. I've hung in there
and I am starting to feel more comfortable.
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What has your rookie season been like?
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Well, a lot of ups and downs, but that is to be expected. The guys
have been very supportive of me and have helped me fit in. Plus, the Saints
hired an assistant coach, Jim Hinkson, who has been very helpful to me as
well. I've enjoyed this though, this is intense. I've had a lot of fun,
although it would be a little more fun if we had a better record. But we'll
get there.
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Did you have any goals set for yourself before this season?
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No, not really because I didn't know what to expect. I just wanted to
come here, learn the game, make a solid adjustment from the outdoor game,
which I am used to playing, and help the team as best as I could. I didn't
put a whole lot of expectations on myself because I looked at this as a
learning year. I am still learning how to play. I am working at fitting in
and developing a consistency.
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Are you surprised by what you've accomplished this year?
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No, but I feel like I haven't accomplished a lot yet. I mean, scoring
is the most important part of the game. You get a chance to put the ball on
the net, you better finish it. I have done that well in some games, not so
well in others. Like tonight, I had six shots and didn't even get one on
net. That is unacceptable. Scoring is the most important part of what we do.
If you have a chance to score, it is crucial for your team that you do it.
So I have to be more consistent at cashing in scoring chances before I can
feel like I have had a successful season.
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Do you think that New York's home attendance is hurt because so many
outdoor lacrosse "purists" live on Long Island and that group seems to look
down a bit on the indoor game?
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No, I don't think that's the case. We've had decent crowds there for
our games. The biggest problem is that we play at Nassau Coliseum, which is
very difficult to get to. I mean, the people on Long Island have to drive to
get to it because there is no real easy way to get there via mass
transportation. But people there who can get to the games follow us fairly
closely. I think if we played at MSG, where it is very accessible to people
from all over the region, we'd have much better crowds, but that isn't the
case.
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Could you talk a little about the Saint's season?
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It has been very frustrating because we have a good team. We have a
lot of veteran's who have a lot of experience, we just aren't putting it
together right now. We have played well at times, but we haven't had much
consistency. And now, we lose a tough one here tonight and we have really
dug ourselves a deep hole. We can't really lose again if we want to salvage
something of the season, but it makes it very difficult to play with no
margin for error.
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Tonight you guys got down 6-0 but battled back to pull ahead 7-6 and then
they scored six of the next nine goals and you went on to lose. Why were
they so successful at making runs like that?
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Well, there is the biggest problem - we were down big early. Once you
are behind, you have to use so much energy to try and get back into it, and
you extend yourselves so much, you run out of gas and let down. It is tough
to play as hard as we did to get back into the game and then have enough
energy to finish off the game. We were dead tired in the fourth quarter, and
we didn't have enough to catch up. That is why can't get behind early, it
takes too much out of you to get back into it.
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Any thoughts about what the Gait brothers being back together means for
the CrosseFire?
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I think it makes them the team to beat. Honestly. Those two guys are
the best players this league has seen and together they are pretty tough to
stop. This was a high-scoring team with only one of them, it is scary to
think what they might become now with both of them.
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How would you compare the crowd in Pittsburgh to that in Baltimore, do you
think it was a good move for the team?
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These fans are lot more rowdy and into the action than in Baltimore. I
mean, I used to attend a lot of those Thunder games down there and the fans
were loyal but they weren't like the fans here in Pittsburgh. These fans are
much louder and in your face. They heckled us a lot more than the Baltimore
crowds would. That's what makes it fun though, when you are playing in a
hostile environment. And these fans certainly made their presence known.
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