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From Inside Lacrosse Magazine: Stealth living the high life

It's a rough life, but somebody's got to live it (Jared Chandler)

A while back, during the NLL regular season, IL learned that the San Jose Stealth had a group of guys set up living together in the scenic hills of northern California.

These players didn’t have ‘day jobs’ to go along with their playing duties - save for some equipment manufacturer rep duties or coaching responsibilities, so we were curious what exactly it was that these fellas did to fill their days.

So, we decided to send them a camera and have them document exactly what it’s like to be in your 20’s, a professional athlete and living the high life.

Check out what we got back, and also check out a photo gallery from Jared Chandler on IL’s Photo Zone. READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video

All-Access: Philadelphia Wings

As I blogged about before, myself and Terry Foy went to a Wings game last month at the Wachovia Center when they were playing the Knighthawks. We were given all-access passes and told we could film whatever we wanted. We spent some time in the locker room, on the bench, and in the penalty box. I was in the tunnel for player intros, rushed the field after they won, and even celebrated with a drink or two at the post-game party.

The result is a video I posted this morning that shows you some behind-the-scenes footage that you wouldn’t normally see. The team and staff was great and didn’t mind a couple of civilians invading their normal routine. Of course I had to edit some of the video because of language (who knew NLL players cursed..?) and I didn’t want to give away any secret strategies, but their was plenty of good stuff left in there.

Be sure to check it out here- http://tv.insidelacrosse.com/index.cfm?video=579

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Philadelphia Wings: All-Access

We were recently up in Philly for a lacrosse convention so the IL crew made sure to check out the Wings/Knighthawks game. While most of the staff was living the good life in a luxury suite, myself and Terry Foy were working hard. We were given All-Access passes for the game and told we could film whatever and wherever we wanted. Some of the stops we made were the pre-game warmups, locker room, pre-game introductions, bench during the game, penalty box during the game,and the arena production studio. Everyone from the team and with the organization was great, allowing us to invade their turf for the night. We got some really great stuff and I’ll be putting up different parts in the near future.

Here are a few of the interviews we got before the game. We talked to Jake Bergey about the possibility of this being his last season, Geoff Snider about his pre-game rituals, Peter Jacobs about his unusual weapon of choice, Merrick Thomson about his rookie year, and Taylor Wray about having his mug on a billboard on I-95.

Check them out after the jump. READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Checkout JT’s 597th goal

For those not lucky enough to have been in the stands at the HSBC Arena on Saturday night to witness John Tavares‘ history making outside snipe, B2 Networks has hooked up NLL Insider with vid of JT’s record breaker.

Tavares scratched off Gary Gait’s name for the last of the big three records left in the books, now owning the best goals, assists and obviously overall point digits in the history of the league. Tavares stands in the silver medal spot in lossies too, trailing who else but Jim Veltman, his former teammate. READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video

John Grant Jr. Interview

For our December 2007 issue, IL ran a cover photo of John Grant Jr. with the title “the Game’s New King.” After the ridiculous year he had, no one could really criticize us for that. We checked out the Wings/Knighthawks’ game this weekend and its clear that the IL hype continues to ring true. This was my first time checking him out in person and I’ll admit that he successfully faked me out several times. I can’t imagine trying to play goalie against this guy.

Before the game, myself and Terry Foy caught up with Jr. in the Knighthawks locker-room for a quick interview. Despite some interview hurdles along the way and having to switch locations (thanks fellow Knighthawks) we were able to get some pretty good info straight from the NLL’s reigning MVP. In this clip, he talks about the 2008 NLL season, IL’s cover story, his alma-mater Delaware Blue Hens’ and even explains his unique pre-game ritual.

Check it out below-

InsideLacrosse.com Video

The Rock and Rick Mercer

It was kinda a tense week, especially in Toronto, the past seven days, so I thought I’d try and cut the tension a bit with a pretty hilarious vid that appeard on Canada’s Rick Mercer Report last year.

Mercer has a program on CBC up here that is kinda a mesh between Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert and a feature based legit news broadcast. It’s actually pretty funny most nights, and I’m not usually too into the comedic stuff CBC runs.

Anyways, Mercer checked in with the Toronto Rock last year and got a little Lacrosse 101 from the likes of Jim Veltman, Dan Ladouceur and Ian Rubel. It seriously is super funny, especially when Rubes rocks the hell outta Mercer into the boards. Also make sure you note how truly terrified Mercer is when Jimmy tells him that he’s gotta protect his kidney area in a game. All good stuff, mainly cuz Mercer is either getting hit or dropping a pass during the Rock’s shoot-around. Pretty much him screwing up (his work around the crease is nothing short of awesome!!). READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Portland LumberJax Videos

Online videos have begun to take over the internet. It seems like nowadays every website has a video player and every organization posts videos on YouTube. The NLL teams are no exception. Teams have been including great new video sections on their site and many of them can be found on YouTube. I recently came across some pretty entertaining videos from the Portland LumberJax. Here are a few ads featuring Jax stars Ryan Powell, Dallas Eliuk and (fellow Insider) Brodie Merrill.

Ryan Powell Ad-

This one’s great, with goalie Dallas Eliuk- READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video, InsideLacrosse.tv Lax Shax

Lax Shax with New York Titans’ Matt Alrich

In November, I took a trip up to NYC to visit with New York Titans’ defenseman Matt Alrich. His place is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is set up more like a hotel than an apartment building. Some of the highlights of the trip were the deer head, appearances by Lindsay Lohan and Heidi Klum and the nice fitness center located on the top floor. It overlooks the NYC skyline, East river, Triborough Bridge and Yankee Stadium.

NYC apartments are obviously limited in space, but Matt made up for it with the personal stories he shared throughout the tour. Matt’s a Baltimore guy, so he made sure to show his Ravens’ pride, even after a miserable season. There were also some awards from his playing days at Delaware READ MORE »

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Colorado Mammoth- Westward Success

This weekend, the 2008 NLL season begins in a city that has become an unlikely success. The Pepsi Center in Colorado will be rocking with some of the best fans in the league, creating an atmosphere that is unlike any other. Inside Lacrosse on ESPN produced a piece about the Colorado Mammoth and how they have become so successful out west for our TV show last year.

We take a look at the road the franchise went through before finally landing in Colorado, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington. We get the players’ views of the city and fans. And we get a financial history of the franchise from President/GM Steve Govett.

Take a look at the feature segment below-

InsideLacrosse.com Video, NLL Girls

Well Deserved Hype for the Angels

As I previously blogged about, I spent the day with the Philadelphia Wings’ dance team, the Angels, last month during their 2008 calendar photo-shoot. It was a tough and stressful day (sarcasm), but I am happy with the results. The video is just about complete and will be put up in the next day or so, be sure to check back.

Here’s a little sneak peak and if you like that, then you’ll love the finished product.

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Training with John Christmas

Philadelphia Wings’ forward John Christmas has successfully transitioned from the outdoor game to the indoor game. He’s made a name for himself in the NLL because of his hard work ethic off the field and his speed on the field. Last month, IL caught up with John at his gym in Bryn Mawr, PA for a training session. He was preparing for the NLL training camps, so his workout was very demanding. John took the time to explain each exercise he was doing and how it helps his lacrosse game.

Take a look at the intense workout-

InsideLacrosse.com Video

Brodie Merrill Reebok lacrosse ad

So, with the National Lacrosse League apparently cancelling the season (or will they play? I don’t know), the superstars like Brodie Merrill will have more time for extra stuff like commercials. Here’s a Reebok ad starring Brodie as a wing-slinging poker player.

Reebok’s apparent choice of catch phrases?

“You just hit Leon with chicken.”