NLL Insider

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Just ask Randy Savage

When I have conversations with individuals who are associated with and inside of the NLL, one word comes up time and time again that is a constant question in the mind of potential investors … stability. 

Maybe I am biased, maybe I’m wearing rose-colored glasses, maybe I’m overly optimistic, but after seeing the battles this weekend I’m confident that lacrosse is going to be just fine.  Obviously, teams need the right market to survive and ultimately be profitable.  One thing is for certain, league execs, ownership, players, fans, staff, coaches, and management all share one common quality … passion.  This defining quality makes our sport unique, drives us, and unites us as a family. 

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An OT Thriller

I’ve seen alot of lacrosse games in my life, but I may have witnessed the best one I’ve ever seen this past weekend in Calgary. Two teams, back and forth, put on a show that was thrilling.

From the time we arrived in Calgary, you could feel the electricity in the air. I wasn’t even going to be in the lineup this weekend and I was getting nervous and anxious for the game to start. It was like something that I’ve never experienced before.

Going to the game at the Saddledome, you could see how differently some guys act before the game. For example, Colin Doyle seemed very relaxed before the game, or maybe it was just because he had on the only pair of Under Armour dress pants in the world.  Whereas a guy like Luke Wiles was nervous about his stick being legal, but he assured us it was.  Good call, Luke. It’s a good thing Chugger respects his shot (a little inside joke for the Stealth players). READ MORE »

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“Please pee in this cup, sir …”

You know what this league needs?

Some public attention. Field lacrosse had the Duke case. Football has 145 players up on gun-related charges, 1 dog fighting case, 400 players on steroids. Hockey had a guy trying to hunt down his wife and ex-coach after being molested for years in the minors. And to top it all off, baseball must be the most important thing that the USA has to deal with, because it’s bogging down its Congress.

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What’s up with Equipment Managers?

Seriously.  There’s a lot to be discussed here.  But since I don’t have the time, or the space, I’ll give you the quick embodiment of their Illuminati Manual. 

I have been taking inventory of this society for my entire lacrosse life.  It seems they follow three principle rules. 

RULE #1: Be as vague as I possibly can. 

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Top 20 NLL Player Rankings

This year one of the big things the NLL Insider will be trackin’ is our NLL Top 20. The Top 20 ball players in the bizz. The guys that are shakin’ up the game. The guys that are posting the sick digits. The guys that are runnin’ the show on the court. The guys that have their whole locker room lookin’ to them for an answer. In short, we’re tracking the elite of the NLL. The best of the best.

Each week we’ll be checkin’ in with the players we feel are the top draws for this year’s NLL MVP hardware. There’s no punks on this list. Just full out studs that are bringin’ the noise louder than what Bruce Barker’s blarin’ at Rexall Place.

This week we’re comin’ atcha with kinda our pre-season slash two-games-under-our-belt ranking (just rolls off the tongue, huh?). So basically, we’re ranking the boys that are comin’ into the season with the tightest resumes from over the past year, plus factoring in what went down in Colorado and Chicago over the past couple weeks too. And then, every Thursday we’ll be rehashing our ranking based on what these guys showed us in the previous weekend’s tilts. It’ll kinda be the NLL’s version of the Top 40, just minues 20 spots and no Casey Kasem. READ MORE »

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It’s all in the family

Back yard pride is on the line this weekend as Ryan Powell and I take on our older brothers Casey and Patrick this weekend in Portland.

Competition between two brothers is innate. Since I can remember, my brother and I would compete against each other in everything. We would make up games just so we could compete. One winter my family took a trip down to Florida to go to Disney world. My parents couldn’t drag my brother and me off the tennis court at the hotel for the entire week — and we don’t even like tennis. READ MORE »

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Getting ready for the first game

Looking at the past two weekends shows a lot about the league this year. Both games were extremely close and exciting matches between two evenly matched teams, where the winners made a nice fourth-quarter run to get the win. If the first two games of the year were any indication of the season, its gonna be a tight one.

It’s already appearent how tough the league will be this year. With no Arizona or Boston in this season, it makes teams more competitive, and cracking a lineup is tougher than Kyle Sorensen when he plays in New York. When you think about it, each team picked up at least one guy who is an impact player in the league, and for some teams that can be the difference between an average team and a legitimate contender.

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Cheers to the Road Warriors

Well, we’ve all been teased by the last two games and I must send congratulations to Calgary, Colorado, Chicago, and TO for coming out of the gates screaming and showing the fans that the NLL will not go quietly into the night. 

Scores like 10-9 and 11-9 are obviously scores that are incredibly close, and from what I have heard around the league, any team could have won those games.  We are one week away from madness, and I can’t wait.  Being introduced at the Wachovia Center is like having your name announced in the Coliseum in Rome 2,000 years ago, and it truly is the best feeling on earth going to war in front of that crowd. 

It’s all just a matter of getting to the arena … easier said than done.

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Going in Confident

Arrogance or confidence?  There is a fine line that separates the two.  One is a false sense of aristocracy that is descended upon the invalids.  The other is a true sense of hierarchy that one has achieved from the desire of his own will.

I used to dislike the Toronto Rock, and every player in the league will still echo that notion.  It’s a universal prejudice.  No one likes the Rock organization — from the fans, to the players, all the way up to the ownership.  Why?  They strut around with that untouchable, five-ringed-finger, don’t-talk-to-me air of entitlement.

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Too Many Penalties = No Flow

The old lax slogan of the “the fastest game on two feet” definitely was not true for the season opener in Denver. The first game of the season is typically not the prettiest since it takes a few games to get the sticks on point and start firing as a team, but thanks to the first-game nerves and excitement, it’s usually still an entertaining game.

I’m not sure what the game was like from the crowd, but from a player’s perspective it was tough to play. I tried to get some insight on it from my family but my wife’s B2 cut out, and my mom is a nervous wreck during games. She usually leaves the room or covers her eyes and ears and has her fiancee give her a play-by-play.

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Some hopes for the new year

It’s the end of the year and it’s time to look back on the year past, and look ahead to 2008.

2007 was a good year, overall, and 2008 hopefully will be even better. So in the spirit of the season and in looking ahead to 2008, here are my Top 10 hopes for the upcoming NLL season.

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NLL Insider, The Ballers

Opening Night

I don’t think that I could have scripted a more perfect way to ring in the 2007/2008 National Lacrosse League season if I had written the schedule myself. Not only do we get to travel to my favorite U.S. city but we get to battle our beloved Mammoth in front of 18 or 19,000 crazy fans screaming obscenities at us.

Let’s not forget about the couple of guys that always seem to end up right behind our bench spewing verbal diarrhea for sixty straight minutes. Reminding me and my teammates how much we suck and pointing out each of our mistakes for us. I love those guys!!

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Let Rocky be your inspiration

It is that time of year again, Christmas.

For a college/NLL lacrosse player, this is a crucial time. We all know how it gets during the holiday season. The rums are flowing, the short breads are being passed around and everywhere you go, everyone is in a happy, care-free mood. “Sure, I’ll have another cookie,” or “OK, just one more round of stuffing. Why not? It’s Christmas!”

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Getting back into shape

Coming into training camp I wanted to be in good shape. I wanted to eat right, lift and make sure I was in condition to make an impact at practice. So I figured 30 minutes of cardio a day would be adequate. But, I was wrong.

What I forgot about is the difference between being in shape, and being in “box shape.”

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Gearing Up

It’s incredibly difficult to follow up on some of the posts over the last week, especially after reading the Brodie Merrill blog that sent chills up my spine.  Mini Mac, if you are reading this, I want you to know that your teammates past and present truly feel that you have taken the depth of being a good teammate to another level.  I spoke with Brad last week, and he told me that if his nipple stops bleeding he would probably keep his new accessory … I can’t stop laughing.

On a different note, I’ve signed with Philly and couldn’t be happier to have another opportunity to play in front of the best fans in the NLL.  It’s an incredible feeling being announced in the Wachovia Center in front of our crowd.  I can’t wait until our home opener.  I’ll be joining the team at practice on January 5^th and over numerous conversations with the coaching staff, management, ownership, and different guys on the squad, it is very easy to tell that the excitement level is high. Everyone is eager to get after it. 

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A No-Excuse Season

If you ain’t a wolf, you’re a sheep.  If you don’t see red, you’re yellow.  And if you’re not gonna take, you’re gonna get taken.  This was the mind frame that I showed up to camp with this year.  Survival of the fittest, kid.

So I did a head count. Two teams out, a dispersal draft, and an entry draft means about 70 players are going to be squeezed out of a job.  For cusp players like myself in Toronto, it’s the season of reckoning.

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