In the spirit of we are all in this mess together, in the spirit of this Festivus holiday season let's commence the Airing of Grievances. At this point we have seen the data and the timeline and the only fair conclusion is that NOCSAE bungles and Cascade and Warrior had at least deficient and less than thorough ongoing testing. That has been outed well by the informed posters on this board and by the excellent articles in 24sevenlax.

1. Cascade and Warrior retailers
If you a family customer of a local lacrosse store where you have bought gear, advice being communicated through Cascade and Warrior through those channels to you is hold tight. Cascade and Warrior are talking it over with NOCSAE and this will all blow over sometime soon over the next few weeks. This is clearly a NOCSAE error or oversight and also an STX conspiracy. How about this LaxWorld, LU, et. al. to lacrosse parents: Lacrosse sucks. It it too expensive for the poor, and it is barely affordable for the middle class and then it is just another country club fee equivalent. For the latter, get your big boy pants on and buy a certified helmet to keep your kids safe. It costs as much as the greens fee you will pay twice this week before caddy tips and cheaper than the dinner tab you will pick up when out with your wife and the people she calls friends.

2. US Lacrosse
Somebody turn off the lights and the phones when you leave tonite. Absentee landlord over the game.

3. NOCSAE
See #2.

4. Club and events guys
We have 3d's response to this, which is basically the equivalent of NASCAR saying we have a race this weekend, and if anyone wants to drive their stock car with brakes we know are faulty, then sign this waiver and all comers welcome. It is as if the only duty of care expected of lacrosse parents is to provide a debit card that will keep swiping. I am curious what the status quo is with other major club or events lacrosse organizations. If 3d has set the standard, this is a weak standard. In terms of being stewards of the game, also see #2 at least as far as 3d is concerned.

5. Bleeping high school coaches.
Gee, did your public high school or private prep school have you order colored Cascade Rs? Mine did too! Actually, my son's school has home and away Cascade Rs and they are both non-whites. Did high school coaches never get word of sticker wraps? Then a kid can re-sticker his helmet between club or school seasons. It would make the game somewhat more affordable for kids who want to play high school. I may go to my grave believing the best under the table deal is from Cascade or retailers and these high school guys to move some colored helmets. I am yet to meet a lacrosse mom or dad who is anything but p.o'ed about buying a yellow, blue, red or other colored lacrosse helmet.

6. NCAA coaches
If a high profile NCAA coach has commented on this atrocity, I would be all eyes to read it or ears to hear it. In the throat of this the only news of the day is one article penned by a lacrosse college coach making soothing comments to parents about encouraging kids to play other school sports. See again #2.

7. Lawyers
Admit it, we all hate them. If you are one admit that you hate yourself and would run away with the blond hostess at your TGI Fridays in a New [lacrosse] minute save for the moral issues surrounding that. Behind every great class action or other civil suit is a lawyer with prior experience in the subject matter. Give some bad paid advice today -- the sweet nothings from Cascade and Warrior, the 3d letter with all the small font disclaimer legalese -- and you are the chosen counsel for the protracted and expensive messes this will create saying nothing of the continued risks to the kids playing this game. I call that the lawyers' forward employment act. Have some balls counselors...your clients are asking for comfort letters to keep a status quo that we know is unsafe and unsound. $400 an hour to you makes that a risk you can live with?

7. Us, the bleeping lacrosse parents
In the recent couple weeks we have learned that Cascade and Warrior are at least incompetent, have communicated half truths to the retailers about this being no biggie which should blow over soon. The retail guys repeat that to you, and the next layer of comfort is the club and events guys saying for now just wear non-certified helmets because hey...we can't even remember the last time we bothered to to a US Lacrosse sanctioned event under USL insurance policies (snort, snarfell, giggle). We privately insure anyways and what's more fun this winter, box lacrosse or pilates for your sons? Just poke at the alpha dad in all of us since most dads were either insecure junior varsity guys in high school or lacrosse players from back in the day when lacrosse was basically a club sport masquerading as a real college sport, and the tradesmen (see #1 through #6) know that hits us where our macho pride can really hurt.

Really, it is ok to put away that circa 1970s Hopkins 'ship ring, stop listening to all the cheerleaders (see #1 through #6) and think about your kids. I am middle class with three kids playing the game and I am getting new helmets this weekend. That sucks. This sport is always filling my email box and voice mail with exciting opportunities to part with $150-$250 a day playing lacrosse events of some kind, club fees due reminders, club apparel gear for new seasons, clinics or all those flattering and exclusive prospect days or showcases. The bottom line is if your kid loves lacrosse like mine do, you suck it up. I hate it when clubs do winter training in 20 degree weather for Sundays in December through January. That means 4-6 broken heads that need to be replaced. I am probably a lot like many of you. I watch the sales and inventory stuff at home so that I can have a few replacements of items that will wear and break. Think about this...if a club coach called and said Hopkins wants your boy but they also need to evaluate him on their field at a prospect day. 99% plus percent of the lacrosse parents still reading my drivel would pay that prospect day fee and pay for travel to get yourself and your son there. You don't like it, because Petro and the rest can and should damn straight evaluate kids at tournaments and could invite prospects at no cost to a prospect day (or for a $40 type "tryout" equivalent fee) but they don't want to because they want that money for their assistant coaching staff. From you. Ok, my assumption is nearly all of us would do that. Because you believe it is consequential if you passed on it. Love or hate your Cascade R or Warrior Regulator, but realize right now that it is broken like a broken head. I needs to be replaced. It needs to be done or it is consequential, and your son's health is a lot more consequential than a roster spot at Hopkins or anywhere else. Think about the day your son was born and the greatest gifts he keeps giving you for being his son, and put on your big boy pants and do what is needed to keep him safe because you love him.