LAX Sports !

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.

By Sean Connolly

Lacrosse is slowly getting there. The thing is though, it’s slowly getting there. What should the MLL do to improve the league and expand itself? For me it all starts with marketing.

John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers

After Syracuse beat Johns Hopkins, lacrosse was on a high. The championship was widely televised on ESPN and garnered the biggest audience for a lacrosse match. I think right there was the MLL’s chance to shine. And personally, I don’t think they did enough. It was a real legit chance in which they had lacrosse on the proverbial sports pedestal and they failed to hit the nail on the head.

They need to start marketing the big names. In every league in America, big names draw big crowds which bring in big money. Every league has an untouchable hero in which like him or hate him, you have to appreciate him. One player who I think can easily take that role is John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers. He is easily the best player in lacrosse and has been around for a while, so every one appreciates what he’s done. He won last year’s MLL MVP in both the indoor and outdoor league showing his versatility. John Grant should be made the face of the league.

Rattlers’ Attack Man John Grant

Also to develop a league, great story lines need to be developed. Now I’m not saying the MLL should go on making up stories but they need to really drive home the really good ones. They need to make a hero out of John Grant and he needs an adversary. Since Grant plays for Rochester, an East Coast team, his opposite has to reside on the west coast to really develop a rivalry. I think Brian Langtry is the man for that job. He plays for a well rounded hard to beat Denver Outlaws team and would fit the role perfectly. If they can market these two as enemies of each other duking it out it will definitely garner interest.

Brian Langtry of the Denver Outlaws

The biggest chance the have though is coming up a week from today. The MLL All-Star game. It is being held in Denver at Mile High Stadium and is a real opportunity for the MLL to strut its stuff. People will tune in to an all-star game if they don’t follow the league. It happens all the time in American sports. When the MLB has their all-star game next week I guarantee many people will tune in who don’t normally watch baseball. The thing I’m most excited for is the Skills Challenge. John Grant is a participant and it’s going to be so much fun to see what he can do. The MLL needs to realize what is at stake on July 17th when the All-Star game is being played, because if they don’t this league could crumble in a matter of years.