Lafayette College Athletics

Feb 21, 2003

EDITOR'S NOTE: In just two full seasons on College Hill, junior power forward Mike Farrell has turned himself into the Leopards' most consistent player. Farrell, an American Studies major, has agreed to provide www.goleopards.com with a weekly journal entry, talking about his life as a student-athlete. Farrell came to Lafayette from DeLand, Fla. where he attended Father Lopez High School. He is the first non-senior team captain since 1997-98. 

Here we are heading into the final weeks of our season. It is a time of mixed feelings for me. I'm very excited to play our final two home games of the year, and am also excited to get the Patriot League Tournament underway. But, at the same time I'm not looking forward to the departure of the two Drews. Andrew Pleick and Drew Dawson have been two of the greatest guys and most influential people on my college experience. So in their honor, for their Senior Night this Sunday, this journal will be devoted to them.

Andrew Pleick has been my roommate for the last two years, and we certainly have had some good times. There are two things that he can do that will forever make me laugh; just thinking about them gets me going. His E.T. impersonation is dead on. If you haven't seen it, the next time you see him, beg him to show it to you. He will give in to the pressure - his E.T. is just too good to not share. And as some of you know, he grew up in Sweden, playing basketball there. He was the captain of the junior national team there, and legend has it that he actually appeared in a PringlesTM commercial. According to the legend, Andrew was the one who got to say the famous lines - "Once you pop you can't stop!"TM The truly funny thing about this that he says it in Swedish, so the first time I heard it I had no clue what he was saying, but now all I can think of is all those goofy American Pringles' commercials where some beatnik gets to say the line. Again, if you get a hold of him, have him do this one as well. You will not regret it. I promise.

I had a great time this Halloween, and a major reason was Mr. Pleick. We got dressed up as the Scooby Doo gang: I was, of course, Shaggy and Andrew was Fred. My costume was good, but his was great. You all know what it looks like, the red undershirt, the navy blue collar shirt, and the white v-neck sweater. The problem was the blonde hair. He didn't want to dye his hair - understandably (you got me buddy, I know you do) - so he wore a blonde wig. The problem with this was that he parted it down the middle, which we all know Fred does not do. He looked more like an Eddie Vedder who had fought with a peroxide bottle than any Scooby Doo character.

But the clincher for our great friendship came this Tuesday. It was my birthday, and with a little help from his friends Andrew got a little surprise party ready for me. This is one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me. It was just incredible. It meant so much to me that I just had to write about it in my journal. I know I've already said it, but thanks again.

Mike Farrell's Journal Archive   2003-2004 Season  • April 14, 2004  • April 9, 2004  • February 23, 2004  • January 26, 2004  • January 5, 2004  • December 11, 2003  • November 20, 2003   2002-2003 Season  • February 21, 2003  • February 2, 2003  • January 23, 2003  • January 14, 2003  • December 31, 2002  • December 10, 2002 Mike Farrell

Now let us turn our attention to Drew Dawson. Like I said in my last journal entry, Drew is one of the funniest people I have met. His accomplishments are as varied as his personalities. Let's not forget that he once dubbed himself Big Larry now. He is going to graduate with a double major, and will forever be know as the journeyman of Lafayette.

On my visit here, when I was a senior in high school, I stayed in Drew's room because Winston Davis and Greg McCleary's room was way too small to hold another soul. Drew and I got along right away. We liked the same kinds of music, appreciated some of the finer things in life, and he took me to WawaTM about 5 times. We were always on the same team when we played pick-up, and he constantly got me involved in the games. I must say by the time I left Drew and I had a pretty nasty pick and roll working. He was just such a friendly guy that he was one of the deciding factors in my choosing Lafayette.

But let's not just get all mushy here. This is supposed to be more like a roast of the seniors. Drew does have one of the weirdest senses of humor I have ever seen. At a recent pre-game meal, he made up an entire story about accidentally IMing (Instant Messenger) a kid - Billy Brown - who he said goes to school here. Apparently the funny thing to Drew was that one of us would go and check and see if Billy Brown really was on this campus. He told us his IM name was BillyBob, and just started laughing hysterically. Oh, what's that… you don't get the joke. Neither did any of us. We kind of looked at each other for a moment, trying to think of a joke that was worse than that. But Drew loved it, and that's why you got to love him.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish the best of luck to these two outstanding gentlemen. They have really made an impact in my life, and have made it a lot more fun. I know I'm not alone when I say that this team is really going to miss them next year.

Peace