LAX Sports !

By Sean Connolly

With wins by the Barrage and Riptide the postseason has been sorted out putting an end to a fantastic regular season. The Philadelphia Barrage beat Boston last night to make it to their 3rd straight postseason. Los Angeles Riptide made it in last night by defeating the San Fransisco Dragons. But, quite frankly neither team stands a chance.

They’ve played well all season but the Riptide and Barrage are simply no match for the overly talented and powerful Denver Outlaws and Rochester Rattlers. The Rattlers and Outlaws seem to be destined for a match up in the final pitting Rochester’s John Grant against Denver’s Brian Langtry. The Western Conference Champion Outlaws have put up the most dominant numbers in the entire league and I’m afraid that only the Rattlers can stop them.

So, what are my predictions for the postseason? It’s simple really…The Outlaws destroy the Riptide, The Rattlers demolish the Barrage, and we’re set up with one of the best finals the MLL has ever produced between the Outlaws and Rattlers. Although I love how John Grant has been playing I think this is Brian Langtry’s year as he and the Outlaws will leave Boston with the championship.

It might sound lame but the definite winner of all this is the fan. Lacrosse has made a huge move this year with the college championships and this year’s MLL season. Finally lacrosse fans can unite and actually be able to watch their favorite sport on television, even if it is on ESPN2.

By Sean Connolly

In front of his fans, on his turf, Ryan Powell put on an unforgettable performance yesterday as the West beat the East, 31-15, in this year’s MLL All-Star game. Powell scored a record 6 goals yesterday breaking the mark for goals scored in an all-star game and had 7 points which tied the record. Powell made this night what it was, entertaining and enjoyable.

What a perfect guy to put on such a perfect performance. The hometown performer in front the fans that come out every game and support him. Powell showed the utmost respect by putting on a memorable show that will stay with fans forever. Before this game I was looking for John Grant or Brian Langtry to step up and make the game enjoyable to watch, but as the game went on there was no doubt that Powell was the man to do it.

Another entertaining aspect of this game was the skills challenge that was held during half time. Chazz Woodson wowed the crowd with his jump over two kids while shooting and took home the trophy for the freestyle portion of the skills challenge. Los Angeles Riptide midfielder Anthony Kelly won the fastest shot event with a blistering speed of 109 mph. Jake Byrne of San Fransisco won the first ever two point shot contest as well. I really like how the skills challenge is during half time and not on a separate day, it doesn’t drag out the all-star festivities and even though the game was really entertaining, the magic during half time kept me seated.

Looking back at this game, the MLL has to consider this a success. They brought out over 10,000 fans to Invesco Field at Mile High. The game itself was entertaining and put several unknown players into the limelight. The skills competition showed these MLL players’ range and versatility and how fun the game truly is. This really is a big step forward for the MLL.