I am currently watching my home state Arizona Cardinals getting destroyed by the New York Titans (Jets). So the Jets are wearing old “Titans” uniforms once again…The Titans became the Jets after three seasons in the AFL in the early 1960s and the rest is history.
The current New York Titans are in the National Lacrosse League. Which is the indoor professional lacrosse league in the US.
I like the lacrosse version better. Orange is more appealing than gold.
http://blogs.insidelacrosse.com/2008/09/21/report-notre-dames-will-yeatman-arrested/
Will Yeatman, Notre Dame football tight end and lacrosse attackman was arrested with Mike Golic Jr. for underage drinking on Notre Dame’s campus over the weekend. The reason why this is a big deal is because it is Yeatman’s second arrest in under a year. What will this mean? Could he get kicked out of Notre Dame? Suspended from football? Suspended from lacrosse for a second season? Transfer? Go to Major League Lacrosse in 2009?
It will be interesting to see how things work themselves out. Hopefully he will just get a slap on the wrist. And no…I don’t think Yeatman can make it in the NFL. If he is going to make it in pro sports, its going to be lacrosse.
Its kind of annoying that Notre Dame put on a raid to catch underage drinking. After all, it is a college campus, God forbid if kids are drinking. Not like I didn’t have my share of libations on campus. Keep a few bottles of booze in my room, or have a sixer in my mini fridge at all times.
What is there to look forward to in life when lacrosse is not being played? Fall Tournaments haven’t started yet. There is Canadian college lax, but nobody in the US reports on it, I would honestly like to know who are the good Canadian lacrosse teams. Even with fall ball, there is not legit games. Most teams play the full roster and there are goofy match ups like DIII vs DI and MCLA teams vs Hopkins. This is when the NLL is appealing, because even though its packaged indoor lacrosse, its something!
http://blogs.insidelacrosse.com/2008/09/11/instant-replay-quints-thoughts-how-about-yours/
So even if college lacrosse legalizes instant replay. The lacrosse world does not have the same financial resources to provide enough equipment for instant replay like NCAA basketball and football can. However, they should be able to have instant replay at all NCAA lacrosse playoff games, plus big events like the Face-Off Classic and the Day of Rivals. I don’t really see lacrosse having the same level of controversy in a messed up call like in college football. Even in college basketball, the most controversial plays usually have to do with the shot clock or the game clock.
http://www.nllinsider.com/2008/09/08/full-draft-results/
http://www.nllinsider.com/2008/09/14/the-difference-in-the-2008-nll-entry-draft-100-us-commitment/
Despite Paul Tutka’s confidence that 2008 will be a make or break year for the National Lacrosse League, I will have to play Devil’s Advocate and go against his theories that Americans will make a difference in the NLL this season and in future seasons.
1. 2008 Draft Class Has Amazing Athletes-Just look at most of the Americans drafted in the NLL in 2008 (Kevin Huntley doesn’t count because I am sure his dad taught him all about box lacrosse). Paul Rabil, Matt Danowski, Kevin Buchanan, Joe Cinosky, Steven Brooks, Stephen Peyser, Matt Bocklet, Brendan Loftus, Mike Leveille, Terry Kiminer, Jordan Levine, Jerry Lambe, Tony McDevitt, Nick O’Hara, and Dan Cocoziello. They are all pretty great athletes. Some of them could probably get picked in the seventh round of the NFL draft just based on athletic skill. The National Lacrosse League would be fools to pass over most of those guys in favor of a less skilled Canadian player.
2. Lots of great athletes never made it in the NLL-From the first American picks since 2001, Josh Coffman is not around anymore, Josh Bergey never lasted even though his brother Jake did. Same with Jack Reid. Ryan Boyle is doing well and so is Frank Resetarits. Paul Rabil is iffy, he has tons of talent, but who knows if it will translate into the indoor game.
3. NLL is a novelty league-In the end, loud music and fighting will win over the NLL fans than good lacrosse skills. Canadians tend to give the NLL crowds more than what the Americans are willing to do. Americans want to play an indoor version of lacrosse. Canadians already have a totally different game strategy in mind when they strap on the pads, which takes Americans time to learn and often don’t succeed.
4. Business as usual-The NLL will probably get a few players from this draft class to stick in the league, but its not going to be anything out of the ordinary. Unless they want to redo the league rules to accommodate American style of play, coaches and GM’s are going to still use Canadians to fill their rosters. Although I have always thought it was smart for NLL teams in lacrosse hot beds to use as many American former NCAA players as possible for the fans to relate to someone on the team, and the Canadian and non hot bed franchises can use all Canadian rosters, because it does not make a difference to the fans.
With the hiring of Mike Pressler as the 2010 USA Lacrosse coach, it seems like the run for the World Championship is similar to the Redeem Team’s run to the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal. First, they are using a college coach in Pressler instead of going with what I thought was a better choice in Tony Resch. Sure Pressler is one of the best college coaches, but Resch is probably the best pro coach, and that’s who the World Games Roster is going to use.
The USA Lacrosse team is dealing with a similar problem the hoops team did. They lost a World Championship in a sport that the United States normally dominates. However, they don’t have three years to prepare for the 2010 Championships, and they certainly don’t have the free time that the Redeem Team had to dedicate to practicing.
With Canadian John Grant Jr. in jeopardy of being forced to retire, I think the USA lacrosse roster will be able to get enough talent to control the Canadians regardless in 2010. Brodie Merrill is definitely the guy to fear on Team Canada now, even more so than Greer, but I am sure Team USA and Pressler can find some talent.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=448265
The other day I was at Jiffy Lube getting my oil changed on my car. While I was there I read a couple Sporting News magazines. In one of them was an interview of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. It talked a lot about his history of playing lacrosse and his son who plays defense at Rutgers. The link is to some of the extra stuff from the interview. The magazine version had that infamous picture of Belichick playing lacrosse catch at a Hopkins game (or wherever he was).
Its been about a week and the only real lacrosse news was the NLL draft. Which I don’t care too much about because I came to the realization the past year that the NLL version of box lacrosse is lame! Still waiting for college fall lacrosse to start!
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-43/1220076927295420.xml&coll=6
New Balance/Warrior Lacrosse are legally going after the NCAA over new stick rules starting in the 2010 season. Warrior’s reason is that the cost of all players replacing their sticks will be too expensive. Although the stick rules have been in place for the past few years, so its not a big shock that the rules are changing. I am guessing there is no “transition” period for sticks. Allowing illegal sticks for a year or so before gradually making all sticks legal. Makes sense for the lacrosse companies to be unhappy, since it affects all their clients.
The sudden rule change is inconvenient for players, but updating the stick rule is long overdue. Some of the sticks have ridiculous pockets on them. I guess I don’t care too much since I am lucky if I can find a game a couple times a year.
