"Silk Parachute," the new collection by John McPhee is sitting on my coffee table, waiting for me to finish a couple of novels. Patience, patience. I hold McPhee's work ("Coming into the Country," "The Pine Barrens," etc.) in high esteem, so there's little doubt I'll read the new book. My interest was piqued even more by a Sun article. Reporter Fred Rasmussen noted that one of McPhee's pieces, "Spin Right and Shoot Left," mentions " 'The Lacrosse History of the Boys' Latin School,' whose 83,000 words, even without being read, say a great deal about lacrosse in Baltimore." The article explains the origins of the lax tome, which is still being written; some excerpts:
"I started this project 10 years ago," said [Lee McCardell "Mac" Kennedy, a 1976 Boys' Latin graduate. He is currently director of alumni affairs.] "You know, when you're not a good athlete, you find your niche doing something else," said Kennedy with a hearty laugh. A decade ago, he got the idea that he wanted to chronicle the history of lacrosse at Boys' Latin. This year marks the 81st anniversary of the interscholastic lacrosse program at the West Lake Avenue school. ...
McPhee's own lacrosse career was confined to one championship season at Deerfield Academy, from which he graduated in 1949. "I was a basketball player, and the lacrosse coach came up to me and asked me to join the team. It was a wonderful experience," he recalled. ... "Playing midfield, my job was to deliver the ball to someone who knew what he was doing."