The MLL ASG Stock Report has some fun with the annual Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game. It’s an offensive display of skill and scoring, but sometimes the D guys steal the show!
Grades are given like stocks are traded, with ratings on a scale of +/- 10.
I’m putting the spotlight on the things that stood out throughout the 2016 MLL ASG as well as giving you some bets for the upcoming weekend. It’s all for fun. I like betting, I’m just not a big gambler. There’s a difference!
MLL ASG Stock Report
+10.0 I Love The MLL All Star Game: It is a showcase of what these guys can do when they just go out and have fun doing it. Winning is only for bragging rights and a bigger check but when you are a competitor like these guys are those bragging rights are oh so important. These guys had a blast doing what they do.
+10.0 Stolen Goal: I have watched as much MLL as anyone and I can’t remember seeing a save that was any better than Scotty Rodgers 1 handed dangler of a save he made against his own teammate Marcus Holman. Talk about bragging right, Holman will never live that down in the locker room. It was majestic.
Vine edit of @ScottyRodg42‘s spectacular 1-handed save last night at the #MLLASG https://t.co/zRTPeikXnm
— Lacrosse Film Room (@LaxFilmRoom) July 10, 2016
+9.0 Jeremy Sieverts BTB: Just a casual in traffic spinning behind that back goal that had John Galloway wondering what happened. Opponents were giving him high fives on this one. It was one of the many many beautiful plays that happened in this game.
Check out Sieverts going one on one (on a podcast) with Ryan Flanagan, HERE.
+7.5 Pace of Play: This game featured 142 shots. That’s an insane number when you think about it. Speed was the name of the game but the ball never stood still. The best players in the world moved the ball from end to end at a furious pace. If you have been watching the U19 world tournament you can’t look at the MLL ASG and say that it’s a worse brand of lacrosse. They took as many shots in one 4 minute period as there was in yesterday’s Canada vs Australia game.
+6.0 First Time All Stars: talk to the guys making the trip to this game for the first time and it will teach you a lot of what you need to know about MLL players. These guys love this game.
+0.0 The Half Time Show: I will admit I have never heard a Kid Ink song before, and I didn’t even know who he was before the announcement was made. So chalk some of this up to me. But this is the 2nd year in a row the MLL has tried something new for the half time show and it has failed. I am not saying Kid Ink was bad but was that the best use of the time? Does the performance ADD to the game or experience? And to cancel the skill competition and not say anything but hope that people wouldn’t notice was very disappointing.
-5.0 California Fans: I have seen countless people begging to have the Riptide back. I have heard all about how California is ready to be the next lacrosse hotbed. However the turnout was not what anyone had hoped for. This showed California is not ready. If you want to see a team come back or get another showcase game you have to have fans show up. Get tickets and come out. Bring a friend or your youth team. Otherwise you lose the right to complain about not having a team.
-10.0 All Star Game Uniforms: I am an MLL gear savant. I have a better collection of MLL gear than MLL HQ so I was super excited to see what they would break out for ASG after seeing the amazing lids Cascade kicked out that got worn by the Bayhawks and Outlaws just a week before. I was pumped even more when I heard they would call one team the Riptide. Maybe they would bring back the Teal and Orange? Have some type of updated throwback? Anything? Instead we went back to 2005 and only got a patch on a home or away uniform. The lacrosse manufacturing companies should use this event to display what they can do. Remember those gold number black jerseys? I do!
Week 13 MLL Locks
Boston has to beat Ohio by 7 or more to steal the tie breaker away from them. That’s a tall order when the game is in Ohio. It’s not likely to happen, then again I never dreamed we would see Ohio sitting on
the outside of the playoff picture looking to get back in at this point in the season. Ohio by 1.5
The Lizards look to get back on track against the Launch. New York comes off the worst back to back stretch of the Joe Spallina era and draws the right opponent to do so. Florida has a great team but if they can’t get together and practice more often they will never be what they could be, still Thursday night in the MLL is never predictable. NY by 3.5
The Hounds play the Rattlers in what is a very big game. Charlotte fell off the map and has since surged back to the top of the standings. But to be the best you have to take out the best and before that 4th of July weekend debacle Rochester looked like the best team in the league. It doesn’t look like there is room at the dance for both these team. Rochester by .5, because they are at home
Florida is they lucky team to draw 2 games this weekend as they host Chesapeake on Saturday after the New York game. Chesapeake has been the least consistent team in the MLL this season but looked great the last 2 games. I would love to see Florida get it together. With the players they have they are so much better than they have played. Still at this point in the season it’s hard to pick them to beat anyone. Chesapeake by 1.5
Atlanta travels to Denver to play the Outlaws but they are traveling light. They are heading out without their best attackmen, who was also the MVP frontrunner and an All Star midfielder. Both Kevin Rice and Matt Mackrides have been lost for the season due to injury. It’s not a good place to be in when the Outlaws have looked much improved since Jack Kelly joined the team. Both teams are a long ways from the playoffs but will still fight till the finish. Denver by 1.5
