"Hall Pass" - The Official Ironmen Blog of Ryan Hall

What a terrible weekend... We were looking to come out of the previous weekend with two wins and a little space between us and the rest of the league, instead we dropped both games and are back in third place. To be perfectly honest, their hasn't been a game where I have felt we weren't the better team. There have been games though where other teams have executed the small details better than us which ultimately proved to be our demise. I think all we are missing is to just erase those small mental mistakes and I think you will see the Ironmen go on a long run.
I don't want to spend to much time on last weekends games (basically because it depresses me) but I would like to share with you our glorious travel schedule. I am not saying by any means this is the reason why we lost because it isn't. I'm sure other teams have similar travel schedules but this is what ours was like... Friday morning we woke up and had an early flight Milwaukee. We landed around noon and headed straight to the hotel. There was a few hours of downtime before meeting in the lobby to walk over to the arena (only a few blocks away) for practice. Let me just say that while the arena is only a few blocks away, when it's -6 out, those few blocks feel like a few miles. Anyway, after practice we were free to do whatever we wanted. The majority of the guys went out to dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant. Myself, Boney, and McNeley just walked down the local Applebees for a light meal. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and watching TV. So far so good right? Plenty of time to get the jet lag out of your legs and to start focusing on the game. Saturday morning approached and we had a light kick around at the stadium to break a sweat and get our legs moving. After practice we all grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel where I took my usual game day nap. Saturday night was the game vs. Milwaukee (which again we won't talk about, we'll just skip to after). So after the game everyone was rather upset as you can imagine but there was little time to sit and sulk. We immediately had to jump on a bus and drive to Chicago where we were staying the night. That's right, Chicago. We play Saturday night in Milwaukee and Sunday in Detroit yet we are staying Saturday night in Chicago. We got into our room around 12:30 am but had to be back down in the lobby at 5am to catch our flight out of O'Hare to Detroit. A short hour flight and we were in Detroit. Due to the fact that we were flying home following the game Sunday we opted not to get rooms and instead got one large business suite. So now picture that it's roughly 9am and there are 17 of us spread out all over the floor, some in chairs, and Ray Martinez some how got the lone couch. A nice nap on the floor will prepare anyone for an upcoming game or a weeks worth of chiropractic work. Immediately following the game we flew back to Newark and that concluded our weekend of horror.
Again, I'm not saying the travel was the reason for why we lost both games because it wasn't. I just wanted to show everyone that life on the road isn't as glamorous as it may seem sometimes. We now have two weeks before our next match which is plenty of time to work on those areas that need it most. We are in no way panicking and are still very much in the hunt for that championship. I hope everyone enjoys the Superbowl and although my beloved redskins are not playing I will be rooting for which ever team allows me to win our team pool.

I would like to thank everyone that has contacted me either through the blog or email with comments and questions. I appreciate all the feedback both positive and negative that I received and hopefully with the feedback I can continue to make this a more insightful and entertaining blog. With that being said, I wanted to take a moment to answer some of the questions I have recently received...

JLT wrote: "Hally, You mention about your pregame meal at Subway... Do you or other players have any pregame rituals or other things you do prior to a game?" I have been on some teams where players have taken pregame rituals to an extreme but I am actually surprised to not see anything too far out of the ordinary prior to the games this year. As for myself, I always put my left socks and shoes on before my right (I have no idea why or when this started). I also like to get to the game earlier then when we are scheduled to arrive. I like to arrive early, unpack my bag, take a shower, do some stretching, and take my time getting ready without the feeling of being rushed. Some guys like to get a massage or have a coffee but like I said earlier, I haven't really noticed anyone having a certain ritual that would catch your eye but I will be sure to keep a look out and post it if I find one.

Jean Pierre wrote: "How can I watch you and the Ironmen training? when,where and what time?" Our practices are open to the public and anyone is more than welcome to come and watch. We practice at Turf City in Wayne, NJ right off of Route 23. I believe it is the same facility the team practiced in last year. We generally practice from 10am-12am with players showing up anywhere from 9-9:30. Days that we practice tend to vary depending on when our games are but for the most part we practice everyday with the day after a game off given for rest and recovery.

Thanks again to everyone, if there are any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to send them on over both positive and negative. We look forward to bringing back two big wins, one on Saturday over Milwaukee and then one on Sunday over Detroit!! OK, gotta jump on the plane to Milwaukee, Have a great weekend!

Another bump in the road as we fell to 3-3 this past Friday night losing to Milwaukee 8-6. This loss was by far the hardest of the three losses to swallow. The team played very well but came up just a bit short..
The trip started off on Friday morning where we had to be at the Newark airport by 8:45 for a 10 flight. We had a direct flight from Newark to Milwaukee and the team seemed to be in good spirits as we were waiting around the terminal for boarding. We touched down in Milwaukee around 11:20 central time and most of us figured out real quick what sub-zero temperatures mean. If I recall correctly when we landed it was -3degrees out, sunny but unbelievably cold. We got to the hotel, checked in, and were on our on till 5 where we had to meet in the lobby and head over to the stadium.
When we are on the road trip I usually room with fellow defender Evan McNeley. We got our key from coach Namazi headed up to the sixth floor. We opened the door and literally felt like we stepped into the Caribbean in the middle of July. Of all the rooms in the hotel this place gave us the one with the broken thermostat and the temperature stuck on 97 degrees!!! We quickly opened one of the windows which allowed the frozen tundra air to come in and now we were sitting in a room which was blasting Bahama heat at us from one side and allowing -3 wind come in from the other. I called the front desk and they said they would send someone right up to fix it (which means in hotel terms the next few hours). We eventually got the thermostat fixed and were able to take a short nap before going to subway and getting my usual pregame meal.
The game itself was a good one from a spectators point of view. Not many goals were scored but the game itself was very fast with a lot of physical play. Milwaukee came out flying. They were high pressuring all over the field. We weathered their initial storm and heading into half time up 4-2. The second half was more of the same with Milwaukee high pressuring all over the field and we did a good job of just remaining calm and staying one step ahead by moving the ball quickly. Both the teams had plenty of chances but unfortunately for us, Milwaukee was able to capitalize on one more opportunity then we were and we ended up losing 8-6
After the game everyone was obviously very upset thinking that we just let one slip right through our fingers, and we did. The majority of us just headed back to the hotel where we met in the hotel bar and had a late dinner and a few drinks. The next morning we were up and in the lobby at 8 to head back to the airport. We got back to Newark around 12:30 and the recovery period for many of us began...

Wow, from worst to first in only three days! What a great weekend to be an Ironmen. We knew going into the weekend that if we could pull out two wins at home that we had the possibility to be sitting in first place. Friday nights game was our third against Chicago and the team was fairly comfortable with the match up. The team came out a little slow in the first half. Not sure why but I think we took Chicago a little for granted. Being down 8-6 at halftime really tested where we all were as a team. Fortunately for us we came out flying in the second half scoring 5 points in the third and 12 points in the fourth.
Saturday was more of a recovery day than anything. I was a little sore and definitely tired from Friday nights game. My parents drove into town for the weekend and I knew I wasn't going to be able to just leave them at the hotel all day. We decided to take the train into the city and do some walking around. It is possible that we picked the coldest day ever to do some sight seeing. While at lunch in a small Irish pub it started snowing like there was no tomorrow. Rather than toughing it out through the snow, probably catching pneumonia, my parents and I decided to see a movie in times square. We saw Gran Turino and I would highly recommend seeing it. After the movie we headed back to Newark where I dropped them back off at the hotel and was in bed and asleep by 9 (I was exhausted!!!)
Sundays game was huge to say the least. We knew Milwaukee lost the night before to Detroit and if we could pull out a win we would find ourselves at the top of the table. This time we came out on fire, dominating the game from the start. We had the majority of the possession but could only manage to put 4 points up on the board in the first half. Milwaukee did a great job sitting in front of their goal and waiting to counter. We responded with keeping possession of the ball which enabled us to makes substitutions while keeping Milwaukee's team on the field. It was only a matter of time before they got tired and that opened up shots for us. I alone had three shots point blank but of course I missed them all which is why I play defense and should probably stay there...
So now we are sitting in first place and we are looking to stay there. Another big game coming up this Friday again against Milwaukee and hopefully we can start to put some distance between us and the rest of the field. Have a great week everyone....

Well it took three games but we finally got the monkey off our back and picked up a much needed first win. I am sure everyone is wondering why it took three games to do so but indoor is sometimes a funny game and the best team doesn't always win. The trip to Chicago was short and sweet. We flew into Chicago's O'hare on Saturday morning which gave us a lot of time to relax and get focused. Saturday afternoon we had a light training session at the local Bally's gym. We were only there for maybe and hour and a half but it was enough time break a sweat and get our legs moving since we had just been on a plane. After the Gym, a bunch of us went to a local sports bar called the Fox & Hound to grab some dinner and watch the NFL Playoffs... I still think the Redskins should be in the playoffs but that's neither here nor there.... That night things were pretty low key. Coach had set an early curfew to ensure everyone had the proper rest and minds were focused on the game. Sunday morning came fast. I personally think its hard to get ready for an afternoon game. Usually our games are scheduled for 7-7:30 kickoffs and you start to get into a routine of a morning kick around, grabbing some lunch, mid day short nap, and then game time but with a 1:00 kickoff you basically have time to get up, eat, and then off to the stadium.
This game you could really see how we are starting to put all the pieces together. Great overall effort from everyone on the team. There were still some mistakes here and there but unlike previous games, we were able to cover one another and not let Chicago capitalize. After the game we had to rush to the airport and grab a flight at 6:40 back to Newark. We touched down around 9:15 and I was on the couch watching Sportscenter by 10. Whoever was doing our scheduling of games sure didn't take into consideration the NFL playoffs!!! We play Chicago once again on Friday and we look to take a 2-1 head to head lead this week. Hope to see everyone there!