Lacrosse: It’s Time to Play Outside
Written by Daniel Turner, Friday April 24 2009
The 2009 Major League Lacrosse season begins in May. Toronto adds what is being called an international flavor to the league. Even though you can drive to their hometown, they are in another country, so I guess “international” is fair. Interestingly, the team that provides the international flair has chosen to call themselves the Nationals. Well, if you live in Canada they are a national even if they are the international entry into the MLL.
The six teams in the league open their training camps this weekend and they are trying to cram as much as possible into the time available prior to the opening of the season. With a roster of 40 they must pare down to 23 players before game one is played. Since camp is a weekend event and many of the players are currently on the playoff teams in the indoor National Lacrosse League that makes the decision making process even tougher for coaches. May 11 is the day that rosters must be finalized. The season starts on May 15, so evaluating the talent in camp and building team chemistry are priorities causing six head coaches to spend sleepless nights.
While some familiar names are returning to their rosters, so are many new players. Along with having to determine who should stay and who should go, coaches must also prepare their teams for the beginning of their regular season. Instead of the usual weeks that other sports have to prepare a team, MLL franchises must be ready to hit the ground running in the space of three weekends. At least they don’t have to worry about the lethargy that often sets in when camp is about a week from ending and veteran players are bored of practicing the basic skills needed for their position.
Hitting the ground running is another issue since eight NLL teams are still tripping the boards in their indoor league as their playoffs run through the early part of May. This means that all six teams are missing players who have less time to fit into their system and increase their risk of fatigue and injury by playing extended minutes in the fast indoor game that is staged on a harder surface.
No one gets rich playing lacrosse, so from the players standpoint the more games accumulated the better the payoff, but for the MLL franchises it is one more operational headache at a time when gate receipts have become a greater concern. Boston Cannons coach Bill Daye put a party line spin on the overlap of league seasons by saying that the players are professionals and veterans and will be ready, but one can’t help but think that his job would be easier if he had all his players in camp when it opens.
While Toronto enters the league the defending MLL Champions Rochester Rattlers exited providing the influx of players to be assessed prior to trimming the rosters down to their contracted size of 23 players. The Nationals will face off against the Cannons on May 21 in the first game to be broadcast live on ESPN 2. The only other live games to be televised are the All Star Game and the playoff rounds.
Photo Credit: Ed Wolfstein / Icon SMI
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