Re this whole lacrosse v other sports thing. I don't think either requires better skills, or has better athletes, it's simply a preference for young kids. But the tri-state area adds an interesting twist, because generally speaking baseball players from the North East find it difficult to get high major / professional offers because they can't play year round. And it's difficult (although not impossible) to compete against guys who play year round in Arizona, California, Florida etc. But there are always exceptions, Mike Trout is from NJ, Matt Harvey is from CT. Exceptions to the rule; much like golfers from the north east.
Therefore if you want to get a scholarship, in many cases it makes sense to focus on lacrosse. And parents and coaches know that. Assuming you're just as good at both; you're practically guaranteed a high offer if you're all-county in lacrosse in the tri-state area, where as I know many guys from HS, or whom I've met later in life, who were very good baseball players but received only low D-1 or DII offers after being equally successful.
Basketball and football are a different case all together. Nobody who is a high major recruit for basketball or football turns it down to play lacrosse. If they do, they are lieing about what their offers really were in football or basketball.
Thanks for lending some credence to my "total falsehood." MCPNA - outside of rabblerousing, your "total falsehood" statement was a total falsehood. I knew it once I read it.
As you mentioned desco, the low D1 or DII offer type players who also played lacrosse at a high level, wound up playing high D1 lacrosse. That came directly from one guy who played at Carolina (was a pretty good in basketball) and a couple of MD laxers. I never said laxers weren't good athletes.
But I will say it's not purely a preference for most laxers. I do believe an element of recognition that athletes will not be a top athlete in the big 3 sports due to the difficulty of being a top player still plays an important part in either the player or their parents encouraging a "different" sport. Your points about the NE climate playing a part is also a strong one. That is evidenced by the scholarship demographic facts.