Butterfly Chasers

Currently chatting on ESPN.com's SportsNation: Lacrosse announcer Quint Kessenich. We know nothing about lacrosse, but we happily refer you to Associate Editor Rick Chandler's lacrosse musings on The Black Table:

LACROSSE: How to explain this sport? Think of a cross between ice hockey, soccer and, um, butterfly collecting. America's real national pastime, lacrosse was first played by the Oneida Iroquois more than 500 years ago. And, coincidentally, it also strongly resembles America's second-oldest sport — chasing squirrels with a rake. A game played on a football-sized field where players are required to use helmets and run in comical circles, it is the only sanctioned sport where rules allow you to poke your opponent with a stick. And in the women's version, there is no out-of-bounds. I personally have seen women's lacrosse players wandering downtown, claiming they were in the middle of a match. Common terms in lacrosse are "crease," "middies" and "God Damn it, that hurts!" The lacrosse ball, you see, resembles a racquetball, but is solid rubber and can become a deadly missile if thrown properly. Here's to you, lacrosse! After watching two entire matches in person, I still have no idea what your rules are.

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