May 3, 2011

Baseball or Lacrosse?

In Woodbury, MN they're tackling that question head on.  An interesting article from the Woodbury Bulletin.

Baseball or lacrosse?

When the sport of lacrosse became sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League back in 2006, many feared it would spell the end of high school baseball as they knew it. However, five years later, the two sports seem to be getting along amicably. By: Patrick Johnson, Staff Writer, Woodbury Bulletin

In the past, when growing up in Minnesota, almost all of a school’s best athletes would likely play one of two sports in the spring — baseball or track and field, with a few deciding to play golf.

However, when the Minnesota State High School League sanctioned lacrosse back in 2006, many feared it would be the end of high school baseball as it was known.

But, five years later, the two sports seem to be getting along amicably.

“We haven’t seen the effects of it yet,” Woodbury head coach Kevin McDermott said. “The kids that are playing lacrosse right now are seniors that had already kind of had their path set — they either weren’t enjoying baseball or weren’t going to be an elite baseball player, so they chose a different route. But, where I think it’ll effect us will be the next five years where you have young kids that didn’t start playing baseball and they have to choose one or the other and they pick lacrosse instead of baseball.”

But, that doesn’t mean McDermott is overjoyed about the new spring sport.

“I hate it,” McDermott said. “But, I’m also fine with it. Whatever floats your boat. You’re going to get baseball kids to come out who love to play baseball. In one way, it makes my job easier, because I hate cutting kids and we’ve always had to do that in the past. But, if you lose some of your best athletes to another sport — and we really haven’t seen that yet — it’s tough.”

Read the remainder of the article HERE

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