NLL Insider

Update from Lacrosse Star Jim Moss

Today is Day 18 since being admitted to the hospital with Guillain Barre Syndrome. It has been a bumpy road but we seem to be on the comeback side of it. Slow and focused is the pace. I am still living at the Mission Oaks Rehabilitation hospital. The people have been great, the facility and the treatment are outstanding and the food sucks! Oh and the bed is pretty brutal too but they give me sleeping meds so I don’t notice too badly until the mornings. READ MORE »

Lacrosse Star Jim Moss Diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Colorado Mammoth defender and longtime STX rep Jim Moss has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which the team’s press release says “is not life threatening but is considered a medical emergency.”

I dropped Moss an email this morning and he got right back to me, so that’s a great sign. And for you Mammoth fans, Jim says he’s shooting to be ready for Colorado’s home-opener. READ MORE »

Sources: Zack Greer to Sign Lacrosse Endorsement Deal with Reebok

Inside Lacrosse spoke to sources close to Zack Greer Sunday about a pending deal for the former Duke and Bryant star with Reebok. Official word will be coming soon, but the deal will include camps, a complete Z88 line of equipment and a charity component to benefit Autism.

The NCAA’s all-time goals leader began his pro career in style this summer when he put up 14 points in five games for the MLL’s Long Island Lizards. But a broken hand forced him from the lineup for much of the summer, before he made a return for the playoffs in the Lizards’ 14-13 Semifinal loss to Toronto on Saturday in Annapolis, Md. Greer went third overall in the MLL Collegiate Draft in May.

READ MORE »

Introducing Fanrates.com Boston Blazers Lacrosse Blogger Micheal Brangwynne

As some of you may know, Inside Lacrosse and NLLInsider have partnered with Fanrates.com in a content and advertising relationship. It’s already getting off to a good start. Seth Cantor emailed me yesterday to make me aware of a great story from their site.

READ MORE »

Geoff Snider and Taylor, Devan Wray team up for West Coast 150 Lacrosse Camp in Burnaby

Geoff Snider and Devan and Taylor Wray have a pretty sweet camp cooking for Canada’s West Coast. Their West Coast 150 Lacrosse Camp runs July 20-22 in Burnaby, B.C. The goal of the camp is to better prepare Canadian players for NCAA lacrosse. In addition to the three directors, among those in attendance will be Bryant’s Mike Pressler, Towson’s Shawn Nadelen, Drexel’s Greg Raymond, St. John’s assistant Dan Paccione, Bellarmine’s Bart Sullivan, Queens head coach Jim Fritz and Mercyhurst’s Brendan Burke. READ MORE »

I’m A Grower

After reading the book, How Soccer Explains the World, I was so inspired to seek out some televised futbol and immerse myself in the world’s game.  Since the only game I could find was on Telemundo, and I haven’t spoken pirate in years, I decided against it. 

Still, I was so impressed by the author’s vivid description of the passion and zeal that fans everywhere have for a relatively uneventful game.  Soccer transcends boredom.  Nationalistic sentiments combined with several pints of ale transform a soccer match into a war … at least that’s what it sounds like … I’ve never been there … but I read about it … in a book!

I realize that our game may never reach the lofty heights of “the beautiful game”, but it is worth discussing a few options for attracting more fans.  Over the last six or seven years the NLL has experienced immense growth.   It seems like only yesterday when countless dozens packed into the Meadowlands to watch the Storm … or was that The Pond and Anaheim? 

Credit should be given to the league’s leadership for their efforts, but more can be done.  Here are a few ideas that I am offering the league … on the house.  1) bring back spandex 2) use a shrunken human head instead of a ball 3) turn the All-Star game into the Heritage Cup. 

READ MORE »

Welcome to NLLInsider.com

Well here we are: welcome to NLLInsider.com, Inside Lacrosse’s new full-service NLL and boxla website — the Internet’s only site dedicated to indoor and box lacrosse.

I’ll keep this short and sweet since we have a hungry, talented team of editors and Insiders ready to blow you away with content this season, but I did want to provide a quick overview of what this site’s all about.

First off, this came about pretty naturally. The NLL’s passionate fan base grows every year. So too does the traffic on InsideLacrosse.com — and the passionate fan base of NCAA and American high school lacrosse. To try to satisfy everyone on one site just became impossible. And so, NLLInsider.com was born.

READ MORE »

NLL has Halifax on the mind

NLL commish Jim Jennings was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, over the weekend to explore what apparently is not a new idea: an NLL team based in the Atlantic Province.

 Jennings toured Halifax with a group of yet-to-be-named Cleveland investors who just might have a team in Halifax in time for the 2009 season, reports The Nova Scotia News.

Support for a team in Halifax started to build after a 2006 NLL exhibition game there and was strengthened after an encouraging showing at the World Indoor Championships, which were played earlier this year.

Follow-up: LumberJax media challenge game

About a month ago, I told you about a challenge issued to the local media – in particular to Portland Tribune executive editor Dwight Jaynes, who commented on the lack of skill within the NLL and the sport of lacrosse in general on the TV show “Oregon Sports Final” in late October – by the Portland LumberJax. The team invited Jaynes to grab a lacrosse stick, strap on some pads, and put his skills to the test against some of the ‘Jax best and brightest.

Well I’m happy to say that the challenge has been accepted.

Jaynes will be part of a five-on-five scrimmage featuring Portland forward Ryan Powell, transition player Adam Bysouth, goalie Dallas Eliuk, team vice president Brian Silcott (a former NLL player), and team Director of Sponsorships Jay Mayes (former Gettysburg captain), among others. The game will take place on Friday, December 14 from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. at the Bally Total Fitness Sport Turf on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway in Portland.

READ MORE »

Knighthawks for sale?

Interesting article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle today about an unnamed twosome looking to buy “at most a 50 percent stake” in the Rochester Americans (AHL) and Rochester Knighthawks (NLL).

The article says the deal is believed to be at least $4 million, based in part on the $1.8 million in debt carried by the clubs. The story gets even juicier, however.

There is currently a legal dispute between majority partner Steve Donner and minority partner Randall Latona. Check out the story on this here. Today’s article says Donner and fellow majority partner Walter Turek need to buy out Latona’s 20 percent stake for the current deal to go through.

READ MORE »