Welcome to the Week 12 MLL Stock Report! MLL Stock Report is a week by week look at several of the stand out units, players, and moments in Major League Lacrosse, as well as a few things that stood out in the negative. Why is there so little video on YouTube now? WHY?!?!?!
Photo Credit: Ryan Conwell
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 weekend’s match ups 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!
Week 12 MLL Stock Report
+10.0 I Hate Injuries – I have been through enough to last 6 lifetimes, yet to see the outpour on social media after Matt Mackrides went down shows the character our sport breeds. Countless tweets, FB posts and everything. It was a scary moment for many and I hope Matt is able to be back very quickly, and heal up fully.
+9.9 The 1–2 Punch – Joe Walters and Brendan Mundorf combined for 22 points in the Bayhawks back to back wins this weekend. Looking like the Blues Brothers on a mission from God. They carried their team to wins over Ohio and New York. That’s a huge weekend for those guys and it came at just the right time.
+8.5 Parity – Like Voodoo, Santa Clause, or an allergy to Gluten, you can believe in parity or not, but we are seeing the effects of an expansion draft on the teams this season and the standings show it. At this point it looks clear that tie breakers are going to come into play this season and that a 7-7 team is as likely to make the playoffs as another is to miss it.
+7.5 Mike Chanenchuk – He just about single handedly knocked Atlanta from the playoffs. In his third MLL season he has found a groove and settled in. If he scores 1 more point this season he will tie his output from the 2 previous seasons combined.
+0.0 Holiday Weekend Games – Denver had a great crowd and the people in attendance looked interested in the game and not like they were just waiting on a fireworks show. It was a great showing. However this is balanced out by more than a few players checking out for the weekend during pregame. The Bayhawks aside, the remaining teams did not look like the crisp units that took the field a week ago. Lots of ugly lacrosse was played and this weekend’s games were not the showcase of talent the league is known for.
-4.5 Easy Target – It’s almost hard not to pick on Florida at this point. They looked terrible for the first 25 minutes of their game against Denver. Florida’s offense is averaging 11.75 Goals per game. The other 8 teams in the league average 14.34. That’s almost a full 3 goal differential. Add to that fact that Kieran Mcardle is averaging almost 1.5 PPG less this year, likely due to shooting over 10% less accurately.
-8.0 New York State – Both teams from New York looked atrocious this past weekend. Rochester looked like John Carpenter was coaching/directing and the Lizards decided to see what would happen if they let the Bayhawks shoot from where ever they wanted, a very bold strategy! It was ugly and both fell drastically in the standings.
-10.0 Announcing – I’m all for supporting the broadcast teams, but when players complain loudly, you are doing something wrong. DO BETTER!
MLL All-Star Game Locks
Because the game is a glorified scrimmage I won’t pick what I think will happen but I’d love to hear from you as to your picks for these lines.
I do however have the Rolling Thunder winning by 2.5+
Lines:
Behind the back goals or assists – over/under 5.5
Largest scoring margin – over/under 3.5
2 point shot attempts – over/under 7.5
MVP – any Attackmen vs Field
Total goals – over/under 37.5
Long stick points – over/under 4.5, Why do they even pass to the shorties?
Diving goals – over/under 4.5
Points by FO players – over/under 2.5
Penalty minutes combined: over/under 3.25 (since there are half minute penalties)
Enjoy the All Star game!
