"Hall Pass" - The Official Ironmen Blog of Ryan HallTuesday, March 24, 2009Back in the Hunt
Hello Ironmen fans, I hope everyone is doing well this week. Crazy game this past weekend. To recap the Ironmen pulled off an absolute must win beating the Milwaukee Wave 15-12 in overtime. In my opinion the score really doesn't represent the game all that well. I thought for the first three quarters we ran Milwaukee out of the Prudential Center. The fourth quarter was a different story. From the stands, it looked as though Milwaukee was playing with a certain desperation that wasn't present in the previous quarters. With that being said, we had plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach but in any case Milwaukee was able to creep back into the game and tie it up. With two minutes and change we gave up a critical blue card. Milwaukee had a perfect chance to go ahead with less than two minutes in the game. Our power play defense team did a great job sliding and blocking shots killing off their power play and forcing the game into overtime. In overtime the Ironmen went back to business scoring in just 27 seconds. Lucio crushed a ball just out of the reach of a diving Vorberg.
So what does all this mean?? This was an absolute must win for us. Now we are only a 1/2 game behind Milwaukee and a game and a 1/2 behind Detroit with one game in hand on both teams. Not only do we have a game on both teams but three out of our last four games are at home. It will still be a tough challenge in the remaining four games but its comforting to know that we control our own destiny. This upcoming weekend is as big if not more than last weekend. We play Detroit Friday at home and then travel to play Milwaukee on Sunday. The team enjoyed the win on Sunday but are now back to business and refocused to take on Detroit. We look forward to seeing everyone Friday night at the Rock for a 7:30 kickoff.... On a side note, I know all of you have been following the Syracuse Orange in the NCAA tournament. They have won their first two games and are now in the sweet 16 against a tough Oklahoma sooner squad. So this is a VERY important weekend to say the least ha! Look forward to seeing everyone on Friday night!! Go Ironmen! Friday, March 13, 2009Geatest game ever!!! Last nights game between my alma mater Syracuse and the University of Connecticut was easily the greatest college basketball game in history. For those of you who didn't watch or have been living under a rock today let me just fill you in... This was the quarter final of the big east tournament in which #20 Syracuse faced off against their big east rival #4 Connecticut. Both teams are projected to make it into the NCAA tournament and in an earlier meeting this year UCONN won 63-49. Well that was not the case last night. The Orange pulled out an unbelievable and unforgettable victory winning 127-117 in the 6th overtime! That's right 6 overtimes. I have never seen anything like this before in any sport. The initial tip off was around 9:36 pm east coast time and by the final buzzer it was 1:22 am, 3 hours and 46 minutes long! Eight players (four from each team) had fouled out and in the final overtime Syracuse had a walk-on and another player on the court who had a combined playing time this year of 21 minutes. I am not taking anything away from Connecticut because both teams played their hearts out and left nothing on the court. I can't imagine how either team had any gas left in the tank but fortunately for us we were able to squeak out the win. Now I am blogging about this for a couple of reasons. First and foremost I went to Syracuse so obviously I am a fan. On Wednesday night I dragged Tim O'Neil, his girlfriend Liza, and my roommate Evan McNeley to the Madison Square Garden for the second round games of the big east tournament. We bought some tickets off a guy on the street and watched as Syracuse knocked out Seton Hall. I had to do some convincing in order to get Timmy, Liza, and Evan to go with me. Tim went to St. Johns so he was interested in the tournament but not so interested in seeing Syracuse play. Evan went to Oregon State and I figured he would be interested to see what a real basketball team looks and plays like. In any event everyone was willing to go and we ended up having a great time. The crappy part is that we decided to go on Wednesday instead of Thursday and ended up missing arguably one the greatest college games ever.... I also want to point out all the "haters" out there. Throughout the entire game I was receiving numerous text messages from everyone and their mother. Those who know me know that I am proud of my alma mater and support them in every sport. Usually when one of their game is televised it gives former teammates and friends the chance to do a little trash talking especially if Syracuse is losing. Its all in good fun and I have no problem firing back about whatever teams (college or pro) they support but now its my turn :) Here is a list of those who were texting me..... Jon Ball (former teammate) Brian Farber (former teammate) Aaron Susi (former teammate) My brother (can you believe that?!?) C.J. Marentette (high school friend) Paul Nagy (former teammate) John Archibald (Director of Communications with the Ironmen) Antonio Sutton (former teammate) Just thought I would get a little shot in while I could. Next up the Orange play West Virginia in the big east semi finals. The game is tonight at 9:30 and I don't know how Syracuse is going to be able to play after last nights game but we shall see! I am planning on attending the game, so if anyone wants to meet up at MSG let me know! Go Orange!!!!! Thursday, March 5, 2009Big Time Win
I am sure many are aware of the result this past weekend. What a big time win for the guys to pull out a 10-8 overtime win in Detroit. If you didn't get to watch the game let me tell you that the team looked and played great. From start to finish they played hard, focused, and as a team. You can definitely tell there is a sense of urgency throughout the team. We dominated the game controlling the ball for much of the match. As in any game, there are still things we as a team can work on and this game was no exception. We had several power play opportunities in which we didn't capitalize and need to in order to put games away early. On the flip side, when Detroit went on the sixth attacker we need to be able to put the ball in the back of the open net when we get a chance and not allow Detroit to tie the game with a minute left in the match. Never the less, the team pulled out a much needed win that propelled us with in 2 1/2 games of first place.
This win has set up for another huge game this weekend as the team returns to Detroit for the second week in a row. We are building a confidence now winning 3 out of our last 4 games that could be very dangerous for other teams. The day this team starts clicking on all cylinders is the day the rest of the league should just call it a day and go home. If we can pull out another much needed win then we are only a game out of first place behind Milwaukee with all the momentum in the world. There was a different buzz this week in practice. Unlike previous weeks, you can really tell that the team is feeling confident about our play yet we are not content. Players (other than myself) are healthy and growing more comfortable with one another everyday. It was also productive week of practice. We focused on the areas I mentioned earlier and also on our fitness. With a full week before our next match, coach decided it was a good time to work on some fitness early in the week and taper the training sessions from then on to allow us to recover. On a side note, a familiar face was back in training this week. Tim O'Neil was here and training with us. For those of you who don't know him, Tim played some games last year in an Ironmen uniform. We actually go back several years where we played two years of outdoor in the A-league together for the Syracuse Salty Dogs. He is a great player and hopefully he cant make an instant impact on the team. Enjoy the upcoming weekend and look forward to talking with many of you soon! Wednesday, February 25, 2009Mario Kart Champion
At 27 years old there are plenty of things I should be doing with my free time but this past season has been a little different. For Christmas I received a Nintendo Wii from my parents and since then I have been a full addict. Living with two roommates and having competitive sport games makes it impossible not to play. With multiple players I had to get more controllers and with the purchase of Mario kart my social life as we know it was over. Along with the game I also purchased the steering wheels so there is no excuse when racing. If you didn't know any better you would think that we all hated one another the way we comepete on the wii but its all in good fun and makes for some hilarious moments.
For those of you who have never tried Mario kart or the wii for that matter I highly recommend it! The games themselves are cartoonish and aimed towards little kids but when playing with more than one person its a riot. We compete in bowling, tennis, golf, but the main competition is in Mario kart. I currently live with Sean David and Evan McNeley both of which if you were to ask them would say they are the best at m.k. and that is obviously a lie. That means yours truly is the undisputed Mario kart champion of the New Jersey Ironmen. They get so bitter when they can't win and I love it!!! I mean lets be honest, the only real competition is for second place between Sean and Evan. The truth hurts gentleman but facts are facts.... So this is basically what we do with our evenings and free time. If there is anyone that thinks they are up for the challenge our door is always open. Even if you aren't in the Newark area, we can play over the internet. I'll even let you pick the course! So let me know if your interested in playing and we can work something out. Until then enjoy the upcoming weekend and we have a HUGE game against Detroit on Saturday. Go Ironmen! Friday, February 20, 2009Roller coaster ride
In the last week we have had three games in five days. We ended up going 2-1 with two victories over Chicago and the one loss at home to Detroit. The one loss to Detroit was a tough loss to say the least. We played very well in the first half but we gave Detroit some easy goals and having five blue cards doesn't hurt Detroit's cause either. The positive thing about the loss to Detroit was that we had a game the following day and could completely erase the previous days meltdown with a win over Chicago. The team knows there is little room for error left and team is using that as motivation down the home stretch. We have a full week off until we play in Detroit. I am sure many of you are starting to become a little skeptic of us winning a championship but with Chicago beating Detroit the other night and if somehow Chicago can beat Milwaukee on Sunday then we are right back in it. We have also signed some new promising talent along with some known veterans. Jerrod Laventure and Edison Bilbao are new to the indoor game but have had successful outdoor careers. Both are very hard working and good solid players. I don't think it will take long for them to make an impact on the team. Another player we brought in and is now my new roommate is Shaun David. I am sure many of you are familiar with Shaun considering he played here last year. I have played several years against Shaun and I am glad he decided to come to New Jersey because as a defender you get tired of chasing this guy all over the field. It seems as though he can run for days. Our next home game isn't until March 22nd but first up is Detroit in Detroit on the 28th. With a full week of preparation I think the guys are gonna surprise some people and win a much needed game. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and don't forget to watch Syracuse play Villanova on Sunday at 1pm from the carrier dome. Go Orange!! Monday, February 16, 2009Injured Reserve A few weeks ago I took a minor shot to the side of my face while playing against Milwaukee. At the time my bell was rung but like many times before I didn't think too much of it and continued to play. Three weeks later I was still feeling some small side effects. I was having frequent headaches after practice and blinds spots in my vision. To be honest, I have a history of migraines so headaches and vision problems often come and go with me to no avail. Regardless, our athletic trainer insisted on me taking a "concussion impact" test. Now heading into this test I thought I had it in the bag. After all, I have had seven previous concussions and the tests are all usually the same. I attended practice after our loss against Chicago and once it ended I got in the car and followed our trainer up to his school (he's a head athletic trainer at a high school) take the test. The results were less than flattering...So here we are with a decision. Do I continue to play and put my health in jeopardy or do I take so time off and allow my head to heal. After a long deliberation with both our athletic trainer and coach Namazi we decided it would be in my best interest to take some time off and go on injured reserve. By doing so I have to sit out for either 15 days or 3 games, whichever comes first. Fortunately for me we have three games in only 6 days. After this coming game on Thursday I will take the test again and be reevaluated. From there, we will determine whether or not I can return to the playing field. So this is where frustration sets in. Any other injury usually requires therapy or some kind of rehabilitation. With concussion the only therapy required is rest. I can not do any physical activity whats-so-ever. I attend practice every day and literally just sit there like a lump of .... I can't even go to the gym to lift or ride the bike to keep my fitness up. For someone that is physically active to just stop cold is hard to say the least. During a time when our team needs to pick it up and go on a run for the championship, I am stuck on the sidelines feeling helpless. It has been a week now since I took the impact test and I have to admit I have been headache free for almost the entire week. I am sure in hindsight this was the best decision for me but, its never easy to tell any competitor to just sit out and watch. I know our guys will do a great job in the upcoming games and hopefully I can contribute when I get back on the playing field. Wednesday, February 11, 2009Hard times
It's been a while since my last blog and for that I apologize. As many of you are aware things in Ironmen land have been rocky to say the least. I am sure everyone is familiar with Tim Tebow's post game interview after they lost to Ole Miss this year. This blog is going to be similar to that press conference. I want to some how express my thoughts on the struggles we have encountered over the past few weeks. These are not excuses and there is no way to erase the past. This is meant to be my personal thoughts from this point on and nothing else.
I get asked everywhere I go "how could a team with so much talent be losing?" and to be perfectly honest I don't know. There is not just one reason for why we are losing. Its a combination of things but one things for certain, we are winning and losing as a team. Its not any one persons fault... I have often heard the phrase "when it rains, it pours" and that couldn't be any more relevant than here and now. It seems as though when you are down every mistake, every problem, every touch, every decision is magnified to the tenth degree. During this point it's easy to blame the refs, players, coaches, even the subway sandwich guy for not putting the right amount of veggies on your sandwich. I have come to realize that this is when the true character of an athlete comes out. Do u as a player point fingers and blame everyone else or do you look within yourself? Do u make excuses or do you put your nose to the grindstone and fight your way out? Do you allow others to hold you down or do you do work when there is work to be done? I am in no way perfect nor have I played perfect during our last few losses but I assure you guys that work WILL be done and this train WILL get back on the right track... So I urge the Ironmen faithful to continue to believe in us and not give up hope. Your support is what drives us everyday and is what motivates us to be the best that we can be. We are in no way out of the championship race. When the smoke has finally settled and its all said and done, we will raise that championship banner, I am sure if it. We will silence all those who said we are overrated and make all those doubted us stand accounted for. Most importantly we will hopefully make all of you fans proud. This weekend is a very crucial weekend and one where we need to make a stand. I have the utmost confidence in my coach and teammates that we will turn this ship around. So that is my two minute rant. I am sure it sounds cheesy but this is my one blog to be serious and not joke around. Now that that's over, I will return to my previous self in the upcoming blogs. Stay tuned and keep those comments coming! I look forward to seeing everyone at our next home game. ArchivesDecember 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009
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What an interesting couple of weeks it has been, don't ya think? In the last two weeks we have lost, won, lost, won. Its like riding your favorite roller coaster at Disneyland. Now that I have been on injured reserve, I get to watch the games from a spectators point of view and I have to be honest, I think it is harder to be a spectator than it is to be a player. I find myself on the edge of my seat yelling at the other team's players, our players, and mostly the refs! I have realized that it is easy to be a sideline quarterback during games....