MLL rant

[3rdPersonPlural]

OK, I had about 6 paragraphs excoriating the MLL in my slashing thread post that I excised as a concession to storyline.

Whoever calls those games should be lined up next to those who drive 55 mph in the left lane and shot. I cringe while watching MLL games. I don't turn 'em on when my wife is about because she'd determine that lacrosse is not the elegant game I talk about and forbid my 11 year old from playing.

MLL promoters wonder why nobody comes to the games? BECAUSE IT'S NOT LACROSSE!! It's some WWF hybrid that only needs razors on the defender's shafts and an exploding ball to reach it's conceptual acme.

Lacrosse can become as popular as soccer is worldwide if the elegance and balance that is so wisely preserved in the NCAA and NFHS rulebooks is honored. MLL is based on the assumtion that unruly post collegiate club ball is what people want to relate to. As an advocate in the youth ranks and official in the secondary school ranks, I couldn't disagree more.

Why? The future of this game lies in the hands of the millions of lax moms and potential lax moms who will turn off like a light switch if shown an MLL game as an example of the aspirations of her son. Maybe kids dig it, but do we officials want to have to officiate NFHS games played by kids who visualize MLL action as their goal?

I propose a letter writing campaign to the MLL brass that demands that they model their game on what the rest of us play or go away because coaches and officials (who are often the same folks) will prohibit that game which will keep their attendance near nothing.

End of rant.

[faceofflax15]

Uhh, I don't know what games you've seen, but watching these games, Body Hits are next to minimal, Wrap Checks are thrown elegantly and hit their opponents in a 2 ft box, Slap Wrap Poke checks go where the Dpoles want them to go, So I really don't know what you're watching.

I actually think there is way more Brute Force used in the College Level then there is in the MLL

[3rdPersonPlural]

Nonsense. I saw a slash to the neck go unflagged. I saw three punches to the back of a player falling to the ground go unflagged.

Warding is never called.

Brute force is cool, as long as it is not illegal. Or dangerous.

[faceofflax15]

Nonsense. I saw a slash to the neck go unflagged. I saw three punches to the back of a player falling to the ground go unflagged.

Warding is never called.

Brute force is cool, as long as it is not illegal. Or dangerous.
But what were the situations of those plays,

And could the neck slash been interrpertated as somting else, did it hit the players stick first

Warding is never called in college either..

[SilverZeppelin]

i heard that the nll is starting a field league with ncaa rules and regulations

[BClax17]

^Guess again.

[ColtsLax]

thank you. i hate going to MLL games. when i can canceled my season tix to the pride, they called and asked why. I explained to them this very point, but the poor girl clearly had no idea what i was talking about.

Give me a NCAA game any day, if there is no lax on, i pop in one of my old tapes of Hop v Princeton, and i wax nostalgically.

[laxfan25]

3PP, are you ranting against the indoor league (NLL) or the outdoor one (MLL)? From what I've seen of the NLL, it is the roller-ball version, with lots of cross-checks, slashes and other fouls seemingly allowed. The MLL seems to be much better, in my limited experience.
(I just realized that a lot of the audience probably has no idea what we're referring to when we speak of Roller Ball. Man, it's tough getting old!)

[lacrossemonkey8]

i believe you are correct. I dont mind the MLL but its not lacrosse. The MLL is like if they took world cup soccer, added a 2 point arc, shot clock, and dont call anything and it seems like world cup soccer does pretty well without having all those things. The NLL does have some of the same aspects that are considered problems in the MLL but with my limited knowledge of box lacrosse, it seems to be a pretty accurate representation of the game.

[Longpole5435]

3PP, are you ranting against the indoor league (NLL) or the outdoor one (MLL)? From what I've seen of the NLL, it is the roller-ball version, with lots of cross-checks, slashes and other fouls seemingly allowed. The MLL seems to be much better, in my limited experience.
(I just realized that a lot of the audience probably has no idea what we're referring to when we speak of Roller Ball. Man, it's tough getting old!)
Fear not ye olde man!
I have seen reruns of Roller Ball on TV. Brutal, violent, and great viewing.

[CardinalPuff]

i don't know 3PP....you should see a game in denver....13,000 fans crammed into tiny 76,000 seat Invesco....cozy

i'm really just kidding, the games at Invesco are actually quite a bit o'fun.....i will agree with you that whatever lame*** decided to hold the championship games in LA needs to be reassigned within the organization because that looked terrible on TV...

[RockStar]

.........Lacrosse can become as popular as soccer is worldwide if the elegance and balance that is so wisely preserved in the NCAA and NFHS rulebooks is honored............

I love a dreamer!

I'm going to have to say you're wrong though. The spectator-preferred version of lacrosse doesn't even resemble NCAA. Stone cold fact that no field purist likes to acknowledge, but - Ticket sales for the NLL's wonky brand of box lacrosse outdo essentially any other lacrosse event in the world (and second place ain't even close). Hell, if you counted the two semifinal games and the finals, NLL would even outdraw NCAA finals weekend some years.

As for the MLL, meh, if you think that's too rough, don't even read the paragraph above!

I don't see where you're coming from. I've attended about 8 games, and truthfully, it looks pretty like college lacrosse would if you stacked the teams with better shooters, scrapped one pole, put in a 2-pt line. Maybe it's a little rougher, but this is a professional league for men. If the officials relax a bit and decide to let the men play, maybe it's because they know the paying public is there to watch pro lacrosse, not a bunch of wanking referees!

[sammyduelist]

I Have to agree with 3pp. I like the way actual lacrosse is. The MLL is trying to market itself in the wrong ways and to such a degree its ruining the actual game

[turtlelax23]

Warding is never called in college either..

Warding not being called is just one more advantage that the ball carrier has over the man covering him. This could be used as a defense for allowing the slashes to go uncalled. Rules are rules and are there for a reason ans NEED to be enfrced or changed. I'm tired of the excuses for letting the rules be broken. If a ref feels that the defender has such a disadvantage against the ball carrier then he should be fighting to have the rules changed. Until then he is obligated to call the game as the rules are written. Maybe this will get some coaches behind a move ment to have the rules changed.

3pp, sorry for going off topic.

[b-waterlax]

I don't see where you're coming from. I've attended about 8 games, and truthfully, it looks pretty like college lacrosse would if you stacked the teams with better shooters, scrapped one pole, put in a 2-pt line. Maybe it's a little rougher, but this is a professional league for men. If the officials relax a bit and decide to let the men play, maybe it's because they know the paying public is there to watch pro lacrosse, not a bunch of wanking referees!

I'd like to stress that this is a league for men, the most skilled lacrosse players in the world, and with other sports(take the NFL for example) many people complain about the refs deciding the game with too many calls.

I look at the MLL as being similar to my basketball league as far as the refs calls; sure they could call more but as long as the calls(or non-calls) are going both ways we shouldn't be complaining. Also, defense may win championships, but offense sells tickets, so if the offensive player has a small advantage then thats fine with me, a volunteer for the Boston Cannons who went to all but one home game.