"I have to depend on them" says Pike, who rushes to Blodgett after finishing his regular job. "Sometimes it is the most I can do to show up half an hour late for practice."
Opposites
"I'd say they can be as opposite as you can imagine." Pike says. "Steven is almost like comic relief. David is Mr Under Control." About Munatones: "They don't come any nicer. Steve's a real gentleman. He is more sensitive and introspective than he is given credit for. He is one of the few people I know who is considerate without thinking about it. He's very organized and willing to do the dirty work. He leads by example.
"David is the type who makes friends easily. He is incredibly extroverted. He is, in many ways, the charismatic type of leader. His concern is for the team as a group."
The two are handicapped in the pool by their size. Fasi, 5-ft., 8-in. and 155 pounds, is slightly bigger. Munatones said in an interview that no matter how big he said he was, Fasi would claim to be an inch bigger and 10 pounds heavier, so he declined to comment. Fasi, indeed, says his cohort stands about 5-ft., 7-in. and weighs 145 pounds.
Fasi, despite his small stature, has developed the reputation as a dirty player. "I don't think I'm a dirty player, just very physical," he responds. "In the hole (the crowded area in front of the goal) I have to play against 200-pound goons. I never start the game thinking I am going to play dirty. But if someone cheap shots me, you have to hit back twice as hard so that they learn to respect you... Now people are apologizing to me, 'Sorry, I didn't mean that Dave'" he laughs. "A links apology never hurt in water polo."
In Their Faces
These days other teams try to defend against just the two of them with sensetimes unexpected results. "UMass has a Fasi defense when they are a man down. They try not to let me touch the ball. But we scored every time they tried it."
Munatones, too, has changed his approach to scoring this year. "I score the majority of my goals in the tough games," he says. "I don't have to score anymore against UMass and Yale."
Both gained personal recognition as members of the Junior National Team as 18-year-olds, and as competitors in the National Sports Festivals in Syracuse in 1982 and Colorado Springs in 1983.
'Cool Dudes'
Munatones liked the events because of "the free stuff we got," but also because of the enjoyment he got from meeting different types of athletes. "Water polo players were the most outgoing there. Water polo has a rugby mentality. Every one is a cool dude."
If the usual tone of the squad is sarcastic and joking, the players turn serious when reflecting on the contributions of their two captains.
"Steve is one of the funniest people I have ever met," says sophomore Rob Strauss. "He is also really efficient. He gets so incredibly funny. He sings, bounces his head off the wall, he keeps everyone loose. Fasi is Joe Cool, but he is a really nice guy. They are the program. I'll miss them both as friends and athletes."
John Sandler seems to sum it up best. "Two of the best people I've ever met in my life...When they graduate, Harvard won't just lose two very fine athletes, but two very fine individuals."