Anthony Cosmo has been around the league, both in years and geographies. He has participated on five different NLL teams from the Toronto Rock to Washington (San Jose) Stealth, to Boston, to Minnesota, and finally now in Buffalo.
Most people understand that there are hardships both professionally and personally throughout life. Cosmo’s career hardships are quite clear themselves: geographical changes, team/coach/community support alterations, and distances.
Let us take a peek into Cosmo’s paper trail:
1. Beginning on the Toronto Rock, Cosmo was in his native country and close to home. He had some understanding for the fan base, coaching and lifestyles.
4. Next, Cosmo gets traded to the San Jose (now Vancouver) Stealth. Accepting geographical changes and new teammates, he’s signed as a backup goaltender. When given the opportunity he immediately began making a reputation for himself as a decent goalie.
3. Cosmo ends up with the Chicago Shamrox. Before the season takes off, the organization shuts down operations.
4. Just as he begins reigning in the goal of Chicago the Shamrox lose him to the Boston Blazers. Once again, Cosmo adjusts to new environments and teammates. He is there for a season or two until Boston closes its NLL doors and shuts down the team. There was not enough community support for an NLL team (at least, just yet… It will one day, I’m sure).
5. The Minnesota Swarm reach out to Anthony Cosmo for participation in their lacrosse organization. They see his potential and skill. Yet again, Cosmo moves, adjusts to more, new team members and coaches, fan base and stadium. He tells Minnesota he will need a season or so to get comfortable in his top-notch play.
Even in Minnesota, the travel is exhausting: Cosmo’s entire career has been spent traveling from home in Ontario (where Cosmo resides with his family) to whichever city his team is in for weekly play, back home to his family. Repeat the following week, every week. His body is drained, and in addition now has two young children raised at home by his wife. Cosmo would love for more family time. He requests a trade to a team closer to home
6. Here we are. Team #6, the Buffalo Bandits. Buffalo is an hour and a half (probably two with border patrol) from home in Mississauga, ON, Canada. Cosmo can live at home with his family and commute to “work.” He has already mentioned to the team that, as usual, a season or so will be needed to get into the swing of Buffalo’s routines, environments, and organizational company.
Juggling professional and personal lives can be a taxing effort, especially when geography plays large roles in decisions. Anthony Cosmo has done a fantastic job (in my opinion) of juggling these changes and is finally “at home.”
“Lucky enough, Buffalo came around and picked me up in a trade,” Cosmo said. “I’ve loved it ever since I settled in.”
I think Buffalo can expect great things out of Anthony Cosmo to continue into the future. In the goaltender’s perspective, Buffalo is the U.S. home for NLL lacrosse. He loves the environment and community there. The Bandits have coaching and roster members who sync well with Cosmo, and the organization itself is steady economically. As the protector of the Bandit goal Anthony Cosmo has nothing but success and family to worry about now and no distractions of organizational failure or trade. Intrinsic and personal value of a career, team or organization is always a professional booster, also.
“The very first game I watched was a Buffalo Bandit game,” Cosmo said. “I really am enjoying it and I like everything Buffalo brings to lacrosse. To me, it’s the home of professional lacrosse.”
**Disclaimer**
Italic quotes by Anthony Cosmo provided by and courtesy of The Official Site of the Buffalo Bandits. From an article by Alex Beilman written in February 2013.
