K Band, Transponder 5

The NCAA men's selection show used to be televised only via satellite, which used to require all kinds of effort to be able to be seen here at Princeton.

First you had to find an available room that had the capability receive a satellite transmission. Then you had to go through the registrar's office to see if it could be used at the time you needed it. As TigerBlog recalls, two rooms on the first floor of McCosh were the prime locations.

Then you needed to go through media services to let them know the coordinates, which weren't "channel 5" or even "ESPN." No, you had to make sure you got it right, with names like "K Band, Transponder 5, Channel 236." Then you had no way to get in touch with anyone from media services on a Sunday night, because nobody had a cell phone yet.

As TigerBlog looks back at those times, they were among the most stressful moments he's had here at Princeton, hoping to avoid explaining to 48 lacrosse players and four coaches why the show was not going on. It ranks right up there with the two other greatest sources of stress: will the opposing football coach answer the phone for the weekly football conference call and will the national anthem play when the button is pushed? Speaking of the anthem, there was the time we accidentally played the national anthem of Hungary at a hockey game, but that's for another day.

Anyway, satellite coordinates have gone the way of many other outdated technologies. The 2009 men's selection show was on ESPNU; the women's show was on CBS College Sports. You can get both on many basic cable services, including here at TigerBlog HQ.

One recurrent TigerBlog theme, as loyal readers know, is the way the athletic communications world has changed and continues to change. The NCAA lacrosse selections are another good example.

Looking for information about the selections in 1996? Go to the local paper and hope there's a 10-inch story.

Looking today? Go to the Web, of course. You can get all the anaylsis you want.

For instance:

"Love the UMass path to Foxboro... if the offense can get refocused, move the ball around, and move without the ball, this team can beat both PU and Cornell! Of course they also need to limmit unforced turnovers to 6 or less."

The author of this interpretation? Well, he (or she, for that matter) is named "laxxal," which could make it the work of basically anyone (or at least someone with a flair for the palindrome). The spelling mistake and use of the exclamation point is all laxxal's.

Who is laxxal? Somebody who posts to the laxpower forum. By this morning, there was a thread called "2009 MD1 Tournament Seeding Announcements," which already had 64 responses and 2,786 page views. There were other threads about the selection criteria itself, the selection committee, the games themselves and any number of other areas.

There was one for NCAA picks, which "LI13" posted at 2:28 a.m. For the record, esteemed observers like "LI13" and "VTD" have Princeton in the Final Four, while "Rico8470" has Princeton in the final. On the other hand, "JeffCincy" and "TWLax" don't have Princeton past the quarterfinals.

There are other regulars, with names like "jhu6569" and "Doc Barrister" and "gobigred" and "ivyman" and even "gotigers." Some, very few, actually use their real names.

Several former Princeton players have asked TigerBlog if he is any of the people on the forum; the answer is no.

Still, TigerBlog is a loyal reader. And laxpower isn't the only site. Inside Lacrosse, for instance, constantly updated its "bracketology" all weekend, and many anonymous types posted there as well.

Yes, there are the uneducated posts, but in many cases, the posters are well-informed and thoughtful. TigerBlog wonders sometimes who these people are and where they get the time. Some are too close with too much information not to be either coaches or players.

It's a world that didn't exist a decade ago, and it's changed the way media is. Remember TB's rule No. 1 - people believe everything they read.

Even if it's written by someone named "lax fidelis" or "strannywastheman."