Among the most underrated sports experiences in Western Massachusetts is a UMass lacrosse game on a sunny weekend afternoon at Garber Field.

I had never seen the game until I got to college and was stunned to find out what an entertaining game it was. Every year a new class of freshman would see their first game from the hill and it became part of their spring routine.

Garber Field is a unique venue in the sports at the hill makes the stadium feel more like an arena. The guy in the Gorilla suit walks through the crowd and the spirit of Dick Garber fills the place. The fans are close to the field and with a good crowd, the atmosphere is terrific. It's a true home-field advantage. That's why Syracuse demanded its final game at UMass be played at McGuirk Stadium or the Orange wouldn't play the game. If one of the best programs in the country is afraid to play in your venue, you've got something special there.

The home games against national power Syracuse were always the biggest draws and ECAC showdowns with Georgetown weren't far behind. They were both "leave-the-day-open-on-your-calendar events," the athletic highlight of UMass' spring calendars.

But conference realignment and the creation of the Big East lacrosse league ended both of those rivalries. The best annual game on UMass' schedule is Hofstra and it's a good one. The two teams are usually both good and the games are almost always competitive and came with something on the line.

The next wave of UMass students fans could have been remembering  the Hofstra games like alumni do the Syracuse games.

But in 2012, the Hofstra "home" game will be at Gillette Stadium. I think it's a bad idea.

UMass' final three games, contests that often decide postseason chances, will be away from home. There isn't a single game with name recognition for the casual fan at Garber Field and the home games they do have are all April 7 or earlier when the weather is far more likely to be cold.

A lot of long time UMass fans, who represent a significant percentage of lacrosse supports, already feel a little neglected because football is being moved to Foxborough. While I sypathize with them, I think the football move makes sense. Playing FBS level football in Amherst is not remotely realistic on a regular basis.

But playing high-level lacrosse in Amherst sure is. The Cuse game and the Georgetown games are gone. If they want to schedule a game in Gillette, it should be a non-conference team that wouldn't come to Garber. It shouldn't come at the expense of the best home game on the Minutemen's schedule.

UMass plays a home game against Hofstra once every two year. It should be in Amherst.