NLL Insider

If you’re a big fan of fisticuffs, get ready to be disappointed this season.

I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of scraps in the National Lacrosse League for two main reasons.  First, there’s more parity this year, meaning an ill-timed attempt to fight will likely prove costly if your team goes a man down. Second, it’s keeping with the trend of the last few seasons: Faster, more wide-open game with less pugilistic pauses.

Not that long ago, it seemed many teams had a go-to heavyweight. Not the case anymore. Colorado proved with its championship run a few years ago that the ability to win fights in the NLL was highly over-rated. You didn’t need a true tough guy to be successful.

I’ve always thought fights, while fun to watch, did little to swing momentum in the NLL, anyway. In summer ball, they can be more effective but not so much in the pro game. Big-name heavyweights such as Tim O’Brien, Andy Ogilvie and Troy Bonterre are unlikely to suit up in the NLL this season.

Sure, there are still of plenty of guys who can swing — Geoff Snider, Ryan McNish, Jeff Moleski, to name a few — but they’re more valuable to their team on the floor than in the box. Trust me, their coaches tell them so. 

YOU HAVE TO BE JOSHING ME:

Is it just me or does Josh Sanderson, who scored two goals and collected four points in Toronto’s opening win, not get enough respect for how good he truly is.

At first, that statement might sound a little ridiculous. I mean, the guy holds the single-season assist mark for the NLL (an amazing 71 helpers in 2005) and has battled in the past for the league scoring championship. Plus, he’s lit up the OLA’s Major Series playing for the Brampton Excelsiors every season since he graduated from junior.

That said, Sanderson has been left off Canada’s national indoor team the last two times and has even been snubbed from the NLL All-Star game before. With big name fellow lefties like the Gaits, John Tavares, Colin Doyle, John Grant Jr., Shawn Williams, and now Lewis Ratcliff and Dan Carey overshadowing him, Sanderson seems to get lost in the shuffle.

At a diminutive 5-ft.-7, and 160-lb. (by the official press guide, though some says those numbers may be generous), all he’s done in his NLL career is rack up 719 points in 136 games for an average of 5.3 a contest. Not too shabby.

CHUGGING ALONG:

It’s funny how quickly someone can get ‘washed up’ in the NLL.

When Calgary acquired the soon-to-be 38-year-old Steve Dietrich (his birthday is Feb. 18) last summer from Buffalo, many seemed to think Chugger was past his prime and hobbled beyond repair by injuries.

This about a guy who in 2006 became the first goalie – and only third guy not named Gary, Paul or John — to win the league’s MVP award.  Well, Chugger answered those questions by making 39 saves in the Riggers’ 10-9 loss to Colorado. Teammate Lewis Ratcliff called it “probably the best goaltending performance I have ever seen.”

Now, as long as he stays healthy . . .

QUICK STICKS:

With the league’s labor unrest benched for the time being, the NLL and players need to concentrate on building up the game’s profile in many of its markets. The disparity between the haves and have nots IS NOT changing. Denver had 17,811 fans at the Pepsi Center for the season-opener when the Mammoth took on the Roughnecks. Chicago attracted 6,115 to the Sears Center when the Shamrox lost to the Rock Saturday. In a word: Ouch! . . . Speaking of the Rox/Rock tilt, it was a sloppy early-season affair with four too-many-men penalties handed out in the game, three to Chicago. Toronto went 7-7 on the powerplay in the 11-9 win. Chicago lost by two. You do the math . . . Blaine Manning had a disappointing season last year by his standards. With 21 goals and 77 points, he finished tied for 15^th in league scoring. With four goals and eight points in Toronto’s opening win, he seems to have found his scoring touch early this year. Not a good sign for opposing defenses . . . I know, I know. It’s been said a million times but here’s a million and one: 26 penalties in the opener between Colorado and Calgary was simply ridiculous. Even as a diehard lacrosse fan, I almost turned the TV off. Not a good way to sell the game.

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