E Street Lacrosse

     "Sure. We need somebody to be our waterboy."  That was the texted message I received back from Jared after I had inquired about joining his summer lacrosse team a season ago.  Ten years earlier, when I was Jared's high school JV coach, a similar derogatory comment would have cost him about a thousand windsprints and possibly a choked larynx.  But now, Jared was a recent college All-American and the coach of the Wilbraham Zebras lacrosse team.  I was a 47 year old once-upon-a-time decent player, but now dependent upon a knee brace, ankle tape, and mega-doses of Advil and Icy-Hot just to survive a few shifts per game.  Plus, for the first time in 30 years, I was a rookie.
 
     After 28 seasons of playing summer lax with the Westfield Cranx team, the need for a change in venue and the chance to play with a new group of players became unavoidable.  As great as the Cranx franchise was, and as much as I loved playing with truly awesome guys and many lifelong friends over the years, looking for a new playing experience was something that simply became inevitable.
     It'll be just like what Bruce Springsteen did, I told myself.  Just another little experience about my life I can compare to my hero, I thought...besides the whole rockstar/millionaire/world famous thing, of course.  When Bruce went on the road for the 1993 Lucky Town/Human Touch tour, he did so without the E Street Band.  Instead, a new group of audition-picked musicians took their place; Bruce's need for a fresh approach fueled his decision making:
          "You can get to a place where you start to replay the ritual and nostalgia creeps in" he explained. "I decided it was time to mix it up.  I just had to cut it loose a little bit so I could have something new to bring to the table."