All-Star Hangover

Neil Barrett: welcome, welcome to the run out. ⁓ am Neil Barrett. He is Brandon Hooton. We have a ton of things to get into this week. The women put on a show. ⁓ men put on a stinker and ⁓ PLL made a hundred million dollars this week. But before we get into any of that, as always, Brandon, how's it going, man? It's been it's been a while. It's been took a week off. Got to got to shoot some stuff. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. Been a very ⁓ very action packed June and July. Not complaining, but ⁓ basic three day event last week that bled into four days 'cause, you know, you shoot that much and there's just lot to deliver and whatnot and then went backpacking over the fourth, so had no service. I realize I didn't tell anybody either, so the entire time I was just like, Man, I hope I hope no one's trying to reach me right now because I literally have no way to tell them. ⁓ so didn't didn't get to see much of All Star Weekend. Saw some things here and there. ⁓ the parts I did see, ⁓ we'll talk about it later, but wasn't great, but you know, I picked the West to win and they got the dub. I'm pretty sure I won my fantasy matchup as well, so no no complaints. Neil Barrett: Did you before we get into lacrosse, did you get to watch the US men's national team yesterday? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ a little bit. I was recording. Another thing. So we were watching it beforehand. ⁓ I jumped in when it was we were down one ⁓ Saw we scored the one. Actually you guys in the chat spoiled it. The notification popped up. You gu you and Michael Harrison saying the exact same thing. It was hilarious. And then I saw the goal. DJ at the same time was jumping up and down. It was, you know And then sixty seconds later, we went down two one and that's when I I turned it off for a minute. Came back in the second half, we were down three one and I was like, ⁓ you know. I I happened to see their fourth goal, unfortunately, and Yeah. Most most most soccer games most amount of minutes in a single soccer game that I've watched in quite some time. Neil Barrett: First of all, that's sad. You should watch it. great sport first of all don't don't you don't you waffle no no yeah no not a not a not a fun evening we we were talking not me and you but i i think i think it was in a group chat nope it was on twitter just kidding ⁓ there's a there's there's going out which i think most @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: People who actually watch the US team fairly frequently. ⁓ I don't want to say expect it. I think we were all hopeful that they would win. I think this was a good opportunity to win and move on. ⁓ but knew that losing to Belgium was a was a possibility. Belgium is a top 10 team in the world. They are a good team. ⁓ but there's a difference between losing and going out and going out like that. That was That was one of the worst. I I've watched every US not every single US game, but every major US game since two thousand and five. That was the worst I think I've ever felt about a game. And that includes a game against Portugal in the World Cup in 2010, I think it was, where we were winning and they scored in stoppage time. And and ⁓ I think I think beat us. ⁓ that was probably the worst I'd ever felt leaving a US game before la I mean last night was atrocious. ⁓ it made me feel like I was watching 2000 ⁓ 24-25 Manchester United the season we finished fifteenth for no reason whatsoever. ⁓ 15th out of 20, by the way, for anyone who doesn't know that was 15th out of 20. ⁓ not fun. ⁓ that I was the closest I felt to that since then and I was just like This is this is atrocious. I i I wish we could have done a a Mexico. Mexico went out the night before to England, but I'm I mean the game was great. They battled, like it was it was a fun game to watch. That's a way better way to go out than whimpering with your tail between your legs. So all in all, probably a good thing that you didn't watch. Although maybe if you did watch, maybe it would have been different. Maybe it's all your fault. I'm blaming you. I'm blaming you. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ no, now it's my fault. ⁓ okay. Neil Barrett: Yeah, it's your fault. It's your fault. If only Brandon had watched, we would have won. @HootSportsMedia: Hey, I watch a decent amount of it, you know? Neil Barrett: A decent amount you watch like six minutes. @HootSportsMedia: In fact, when I when I turned when I no, when I turned it on, we scored. Neil Barrett: And that is my point. Then you turned it off and what happened? @HootSportsMedia: The only problem is then I kept watching and then they scored again. All in all I saw three of the five goals in this game. The problem is two of them were not ours. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah, I think I think that's @HootSportsMedia: Hey, the jerseys look nice, you know. Neil Barrett: Did did you like you like the blue ones? @HootSportsMedia: I I like the blue ones. I think maybe making the stars a little bit more visible would have been quite nice, but I I like the idea of having like the the flag in two different jerseys. I think it's cool. ⁓ the the the the initial the white ones definitely grew on me. The first time I saw ⁓ I wasn't a huge fan, but then I was like, Yeah, they're actually they're not too bad. I do like the idea. Neil Barrett: Yeah. I I'm Yeah, so the the blue one I do like. And but like you I I'm like, how much can you really make those stars like really stand out? Cause then you have two very visually busy kits. And I feel like it would have it could have been overwhelming if you did that. So I think they I think they tried to go the other way. Well, maybe. ⁓ the flag kit or the striped kit. @HootSportsMedia: Hey, now is the time to do that. Give me all the busy. Neil Barrett: I feel like I I I like. I like. It is a good kit. ⁓ I feel like I feel like I'm down on it a little more than other people. People's ⁓ calling it like the best kit ever. I think I like the other Waldo kit better. just me. you have no idea what I'm talking about, but @HootSportsMedia: No, but y since you call it Waldo, I'm gonna say no, I don't like it better. Neil Barrett: It's just a it's just a standard hoops design. It was just a standard instead of instead of the wavy, it was just a standard like stripe. ⁓ I like that better. ⁓ not by like a huge margin. It was just I just liked it a little better. It's fine. It's fine. You know. I'm not I'm not too mad about it. ⁓ but with all that being said, let's let's actually talk about what we're here to talk about here and some @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah. Neil Barrett: Lacrosse, it was obviously All-Star Weekend. I'm gonna start with, even though we we usually go at least somewhat chronologically, I'm gonna start with the WLL because it's the only game worth actually talking about. ⁓ we'll get into the PL game, but that game wasn't worth talking about. So ⁓ we're gonna start with the ladies because they actually play lacrosse. ⁓ You three G's. ⁓ Team Izzy beat Team Humphrey. By the way, why is it Team Izzy and Team Humphrey? Why is it Izzy Skein's first name and Ashley Humphrey's last name? @HootSportsMedia: Who knows? Neil Barrett: It felt so weird. ⁓ but anyway, Team Izzy beat Team Humphrey 16 to 15 on Marie McCool's backhand shovel shot with about 50 seconds left. ⁓ just like last year, this game was great. It was fun to watch. It was significantly better than the PLL game. And ⁓ the the Women don't take any game off. Every game is an opportunity to showcase why they should be getting more playing dates, more games on television, more of everything, and they take full advantage of it. I have never turned on a WLL game and been disappointed. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I'm not giving the boys a pass when I say this, but they kinda have to 'cause they have more to play for. Whereas the men when you look at they have they have they have an all star game, but they already play a twelve game season. They even prior to the PL they had the ⁓ L L for how many years? Like so they probably just view it very differently of just like, Hey, this is an extra game whereas the women are like, yo, if I'm here, hey, that's an accolade that goes on my you know, career, you know, bio, whatever you want to call it. But on top of that Neil Barrett: One hundred percent. @HootSportsMedia: You only play a four game season, now we get to play a fifth game, that's guaranteed. And you know, maybe playoffs now you you're getting to play six or seven games. ⁓ and it's just more fun. And I think too, like, with only four teams or less roster spots, you kinda have to show that like w here's what I can also do. Not just on my my team where I maybe asked to play a specific role, but I can do this or whatever. ⁓ so yeah, I d I didn't get to watch either game in in total 'cause I didn't have service. But ⁓ this from the stuff I saw it looked fun. It looked very similar to the game last year that I was in person for, ⁓ which I thought was the best women's game I've seen, ⁓ at least, you know, since since the WL has has come to fruition. So ⁓ especially coming off of the PL side of things, I w it was a welcome sight to see that it was like still some real lacrosse being played and like, you know, they were actually scoring and being excited about it and not just being like, ⁓ yeah, you know so Neil Barrett: Yeah. No, I th I I think you're right. I there's probably an element of they play so few games that this is an opportunity. ⁓ that's there's probably an element of that for sure. But I also just feel like none of these none of these girls have a have a off switch. Like they they just don't they don't know how to play lacrosse at anything other than full bore. and Like you you can see it every time they step on the field. They are always and and here's the thing. This was still an all-star game. They still did some behind the backs and some different things, but they did it in wa in ways and in places where they knew it would work. ⁓ and and and obviously they're they're having fun, they're enjoying themselves. It's not like, you know, I was worried that anyone was gonna break a leg or anything out there, like It's it was still an all-star game, but it was taken seriously enough that it was enjoyable. It was fun to watch. They got up and down. It was a close game. There were huge momentum swings. ⁓ Taylor Moreno looked incredible. I have I've been saying all man, since February, since the the championship series, that Madison Dusett is the best goalie on the planet. Obviously this was an all-star game and and take that with a grain of salt, but Taylor Moreno showed that that she should probably be in the conversation. And then somewhat quietly, Kaylee Waters was at 62% in this game, ⁓ which led the goalies. ⁓ and I don't think I don't even remember her having any like memorable saves. So ⁓ that was kind of kinda crazy to see. But yeah, that I it was just just like like you said, just like last year. It was Fun and entertaining in all of the right ways. It was competitive in all of the right ways. And was in comparison to the PLL All-Star game, was just significantly better. Not just like, ⁓ it was a close game late and it was better. No, from start to finish, it was better in every single aspect of the game. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, I don't know. I think the men kinda sometimes let stuff come to them, whereas the women are just like, Let's just go take it, essentially. And again, I still think a lot of it is just because they're having to to prove to people that like, hey, you should come watch us too. So I don't hate that. But I just like the fact that they're actually willing to just like still play a game. And it doesn't they're also not making comments like, Yeah, we're all just hungover or whatever, Marcus Holman said. Neil Barrett: That's fair. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ you know, it's like i and the other thing too is like if I was on this these rosters, if I'm taking time out of my basic you know, bye week to go play in this extra event that doesn't help my team at all, at least take it a little seriously because otherwise it's like a waste of time that you just you flew out there, you you did all the annoying travel things, you know, again you're putting extra stress on your body, like Literally what is the point of showing up and just being there physically and not mentally? Which I think the women do a good job of of being there, both physically and mentally. and I mean two years in a row it's it's a better game. Neil Barrett: Yeah. And again, and again, it's it's an all-star. Yeah, and and again, it's an all-star game. Like I understand you're not going to be out there, you know, nobody's Sean Tayloring anybody or that was crazy. That was crazy. like I I don't expect that to be it, but there's a there's a way to have fun and enjoy the weekend and still @HootSportsMedia: Right, right. That was crazy when he did that in the Pro Bowl, I will say. Like Neil Barrett: Put on a show for the fans and and and ha cause that's that's really the point. And for all your for all the talk of the WLL having fewer games and needing to prove themselves the PLL needs that stuff too. You know, like there we have talked several times, not in a ton of detail, we will Probably do that at some point, maybe after the season. But we have talked about it at least anecdotally, I don't know what the numbers say, but attendance appears to be down. I I know we have the ESPN deal, but it doesn't feel like viewership is up. There have been at least two weekends. Again, anecdotally, I don't know what the numbers are. There have been two weekends that I can think of. Where it felt like even lacrosse, the look the wider lacrosse community wasn't paying attention to the PLL games. The @HootSportsMedia: Well there were games where where we know people personally that said, I don't have ESPN so I can't watch this game. Your own your your own hardcore fans can't even y get there. Neil Barrett: Yeah, that's that's fair. That's fair. ⁓ Yep, that's fair. and so I'm not saying I'm not saying this at you. I'm saying this at the players. Like the idea of like showing up and just screwing around because it's an all-star game and it's an extra game. And so it's like somebody, somebody this weekend was flipping through channels and saw that the PLL All-Star game was on and watched 30 seconds of it. Do you think they do you think they walked away with a good impression? No. @HootSportsMedia: I know I certainly wouldn't. Neil Barrett: Now, it's an all-star game and this is not you some of this stuff is not unique to the PLL All-Star game. It's just kind of the way that we deal with all-star games in general. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ no. I mean the NBA All Star game is a travesty. Like and we've been talking about that for years at this point. Same thing. The Pro Ball's a flag football game. Neil Barrett: Yeah. The the Pro Bowl the Pro Bowl's a a a a joke. Right. Like I I get it, but also But also I was thinking about this. I have turned on the NBA All-Star game so many times. And you're just like, no one's playing defense. No one's doing anything. But you know what? At at the very least, the score is 140 to 130. So they're hitting shots. They're pulling off some fancy dunks and stuff. Let's just go ahead and get into the PLL game. It finished 12 to 9. Like what what was that? The the two teams l I'm gonna I wanna tell you the exact right thing here. The two teams shot nineteen percent and eighteen percent. By comparison, the women shot Well thirty-five and thirty-three percent. So nearly doubled them up, both teams. It's like yeah. ⁓ there's a way to go and have fun and enjoy yourself and put on a show for the fans without making a complete just like mockery of it. And like you pointed out, I can't believe that. Four minutes into the game, Marcus Holman tells the entire national television audience that basically everyone is hungover. Like like I I said to you earlier, at least at least pretend like you care. Like we all understand to me, it's almost like wrestling. We all understand it's it's fake. But there's in wrestling there's what we call kayfabe. And that's kind of like the the the world the story that's being told is is kayf kayfabe. And so you you you keep kayfabe and and ⁓ wrestlers back before it was @HootSportsMedia: Yes. Neil Barrett: super widely known ⁓ that that wrestling was fake were were famous for keep keeping K Fabe where if they were in public at all, they were the character they played because they had to keep K Fabe alive. And this felt like one of those things of like, yeah, you gotta keep K Fabe here. You gotta pr you gotta pretend like you care. Trust me. When that game started The first thing I thought was these dudes are hungover. Like they everybody looked like they were moving in quicksand. Passes were terrible. It didn't help that they were throwing just ridiculous behind the backs every 12 seconds. ⁓ but like don't don't tell us that. Like I don't it's it's right. It was it was super hot. @HootSportsMedia: Right. Or just blame it on the heat. Hey, it's hot out here. Like that's a valid reason that you could have said it it's hard to it's already hard enough to get up for an all star game, an exhibition. Like just be like, Yeah, it's it's it's exhausting. Neil Barrett: Yeah. And also, like, play it straight then. Like, if it's that if it's that hard, don't make it harder on yourself by tr by constantly trying to do a million different tricks and and stuff. But also, this is one of your a handful of nationally televised games, and four minutes into it, you're like, you basically are telling the audience, you don't need to care about this game because we don't. We didn't care about it. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: We're all hung over. We enjoyed last night way more than we're going to enjoy the next two hours. So you don't even really need to pay attention to this game. Like, that's just the way it was signaled. And it was clearly the way the product on the field showcased the all-star game. And if I'm @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, and I was more so disappointed too because if you go back and watch last year's All Star game, there are plays I can vividly remember happening that were like, ⁓ this was awesome. And like I remember like Cav had the GoPro on his helmet at one point, like there was some fun stuff happening. Whereas this I mean, there's like one or two from this year's that I'm like I you know, Chad Palumbo's B T B dime, that was nice. Outside of that, like I saw Blaze Rear did not even react to a shot that just went I Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yep. @HootSportsMedia: I know it's an all star game, like br you're a goalie. Like you're the one position that kinda has to play it seriously. Just let you know, and it's stuff like that that I'm like, come on, guy, like let's you know, make the highlight plays, but let's have some fun. But like if you're gonna be there, be there. And and I just I I again, because I was there last maybe, maybe it was just, you know, recency bias, but I remember last year being like This is this is fun. Like it's obvious that they're just messing around, but they're still having fun making good plays out of it. Like it wasn't like this where it was just like every other play is just like a random turnover that's, you know, wherever a guy's head or or whatever. It's just to me it's just like let's just announce the rosters and call it a day. Neil Barrett: Right. Right. It's it's just a it's just a in name only. There's no actual all-star game. Like just just move along. Yeah, no, I'm I'm with you. It it's also funny, I did a ⁓ TikTok ⁓ before the game that kind of went down a little rabbit hole of the twenty fourteen All-Star game. And the twenty fourteen All-Star Game ended it was Team USA versus the MLL All-Stars. And the MLL did that every year that a world championship. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: was taking place. They would have Team USA come and play, and the MLL All-Stars would be made up of the best guys who weren't on Team USA. And so you often got these really good, kind of kind of intense games because the MLL All-Stars had something to prove. And in fact, the last time they played this game was in 2018, ⁓ and the MLL All-Stars actually beat Team USA. ⁓ because Like I said, they they have something to prove because because either you're an American who got left off of Team USA, but are still one of the better players in the MLL, or you're a Canadian or Hoden Shoney or Australian player who also wants to prove something to Team USA. So you always you you often got these kind of tense battles. But that game finished ten nine. ⁓ and that prior to this this past weekend, it was the Only those two teams were one. Let's let's try and say this correctly. Those were two of the three teams who had failed to score at least 12 points in an all-star game. Usually all-star games were were pushing 20 points. ⁓ so to not score 12 is wild. And then of course, this weekend we had we had a 12-9 game that would have probably been half low scoring for a regular season game. ⁓ and it's an all-star game. And you're like, what in the world? The West didn't score a goal in the second quarter at all in an all-star game. @HootSportsMedia: Hey, they locked in in the fort though. Tell you what. Neil Barrett: I mean they did. They did do that. But but also did they lock in or did did the east just like did ⁓ did the heat and the and the alcohol from the night before catch up to them? @HootSportsMedia: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey. Hey. We're not worried about that, alright? We got two goals by Outlaws in the fourth quarter to secure the dub. That's all that matters. Neil Barrett: Ha ha ha. Who were who were the two? Wiz and @HootSportsMedia: Pasino. Two point goal. Neil Barrett: Pasino. ⁓ yeah, of course. The guy I expected to score a goal in the All-Star game. @HootSportsMedia: He took five shots, dude. He's bound to bound to score at some point. Neil Barrett: Well, you know. So yeah, that I mean it just @HootSportsMedia: Nothing we're saying hasn't already been said on Twitter. I I'm sh I'm sure even the PL is looking at it and going, We need to, you know, figure something out. It's and again, like like you mentioned, it's you know, good to clarify. This isn't a PLL thing. This is like a pro sports all star thing that every league you know continues to do this at and it's just like at what point do we just say, like I said earlier, screw it, we're just gonna say, Congrats, you're an all star. You have the week off. Like Neil Barrett: You know what what's funny is I actually had the same I had a similar idea but slightly different ⁓ yesterday when I was thinking about this. I say let's just let's just eliminate the PLL All-Star game. Again, they can be they can be all stars in name. And then we don't have to deal with, ⁓ this guy's not playing, so now we've added a bunch of guy like no, all stars in name. And then we just take that prize money because they get the winner of it gets a little bit of bonus prize money. We just take that prize money, shift it all over to the W L L and let those girls play for more money. that would be way more entertaining than continuing to put on this P I mean, I got no evidence that they they've been they've been taking it seriously for less money. If we if we drop you know, if we double up the prize money, in theory, we should get double the intensity out of that. So @HootSportsMedia: Sure. If they're gonna take it seriously, then sure. ⁓ Yeah. Yeah. I'm willing to try it. Neil Barrett: I you know, it's it's gotta be better than watching what we just watched on Sunday from the BLL because that was I I I set up to stream this game. I was gonna stream it and I was I was getting it all set up. I was running a ⁓ few minutes behind, and so the game started before I could could start. And like I said, instantly you could tell, like immediately you could tell, ⁓ this this isn't gonna be good. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: And so I I pressed record instead of sh instead of live. ⁓ and I recorded the first quarter and it was so bad. I was ⁓ I was just like, I'm not going to I'm not going to need to to stream this. Like it's not going to be worth it at all. And I kind of wish I had done ⁓ the I I thought I'll do the WL game. But honestly, by the end of that game, the PLO game, I was I was barely keeping my eyes open. It was so boring and just not entertaining in any way that I ended up just laying down. I actually watched the WLL game like three hours after it was over because I fell asleep. I was like, I this is this is terrible. @HootSportsMedia: You know what would have made it better? Dylan Ward being an all star. Neil Barrett: That that would have probably made it a little bit better. @HootSportsMedia: The East would have finished with no goals. I kid, I kid. Neil Barrett: It would have been it would have been twelve to four. Woo! @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. But he'd be on the good side. Neil Barrett: Dude, I can't imagine. I can't even imagine. I think in I think in my research for that video, the lowest that a team's ever scored in an MLL PLL all-star game was I think it was eight. I think there was one team that did eight, and now there's been ⁓ two teams that have done nine and then one team that's done ten. Those are the four lowest scores ever in an all-star game. I can't imagine somebody only scoring four or five goals in an all-star game. That'd be a atrocious. So @HootSportsMedia: Hey, if they played hard enough. Okay. But if it's like this and they're scoring four or five Neil Barrett: That you know what, that's fair. That's fair. If if I mean even scoring nine, whatever, if if it's Dylan Ward in there making a bunch of saves, or Brett Dobson making a bunch of saves, ⁓ it's guys, you know, playing really good defense, whatever, okay, cool. I I I think we could get down with that. I mean, that's that's basically what we're watching in the PLL. But when When there are over a hundred shots taken in this game, and let's see who who led I mean there were there were a couple of decent number of saves. But teams are shooting, there's there's over a hundred shots, and teams are shooting 19 and 18 percent. Like That's not fun. It's not entertaining. It's not a it's not a good product to put on a nationally televised ⁓ game. Like it's just not not gonna be good. So ⁓ you know, I don't I don't know. ⁓ I don't know that I really have much more to say about the PL All-Star game at this point. ⁓ the All-Star Game MVP for the men was Brett Dobson. For the women it was Maureen McCool. ⁓ that was pretty cool to. to see Marie McCool. ⁓ she definitely deserved it. Brett Dobson definitely well, you have a little bit of a bone to pick. But we think it's because they @HootSportsMedia: Well, I I yeah, I just thought Entamin, his numbers were better. But I think because they lost it was you know and Dauber only gave up I what was the three goals. So I'm not mad at it. I just was like Entamin was kinda locked in. But Neil Barrett: Yeah. But Yeah. Yeah. Look, we we talked about well, we say locked in. I mean he was he was eighty one percent, but I feel like he got s @HootSportsMedia: He was more locked in than everyone else shooting at him. Alright, that's all that matters. Neil Barrett: Okay. That's what that's what it is. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ but ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: They may have shot it into a stick thirteen times, but that's thirteen saves on the stats sheet. Neil Barrett: That's rare. That's rare. ⁓ then Zach Carey tweeted out about Brett Dobson. at the age of 26, he's a two-time PL champ, two-time PLL championship MVP. ⁓ that's hard to say. ⁓ an NLL MVP that he just won, and now a PLL All-Star Game MVP. Obviously, that one doesn't one of these is not like the other. I'm not suggesting that, but @HootSportsMedia: Yes. Neil Barrett: Just kind of a cool thing to see you know a guy who's who's doing it in both leagues. ⁓ I had a conversation earlier this week about who who the best lacrosse player in the world is. ⁓ in fact, actually I think that was on Lax Lifers now that I think about it. and so ⁓ the you know what it was? Because it was Brad and he was saying ⁓ CJ cursed. is the best lacrosse player on the planet. And I said, Brett Dobson might have something to say about that. ⁓ And then of course, you know, Jeff Teats out with injury. I think I think he's gotta be in that conversation too. ⁓ but either way. @HootSportsMedia: I'm actually I find it crazy Brad said an American. That's surprising to me. Neil Barrett: Well, he plays for the rock, so @HootSportsMedia: I that that that's true, but I mean I'm still sub there's some good Canadians that play for The Rock that you know. But yeah. Neil Barrett: Yeah, but are any of them are any of them at the the top of the sport? @HootSportsMedia: Keller. Neil Barrett: ⁓ I don't think anybody thinks Hugh Kelleher is that Hugh Hugh Hugh Kelleher Hugh Kelleher has had an insane 12 months. I don't think anyone would say he is amongst the best pla he's a very good player. He's a very good player. Let me before anybody jumps in the comments, he's a very good player. I know they they already they already @HootSportsMedia: Sorry, I had to. I had to. I had to. Dude's a three time champ. Back to back to back. Look. It's too late. They're already in the comments. They're already typing. You might as well just finish it out. Neil Barrett: They are. but but yeah, no, I I I think it's it's just again, the All-Star Game MVP doesn't really mean much of anything, but it does just kind of give us an excuse to talk about Brett Dobson and ⁓ just how incredible he is as a player ⁓ in both the indoor and outdoor game. and he's still @HootSportsMedia: I kid, I kid. But Neil Barrett: So young. And I think that's the that's the thing about it that's so crazy to me is he's already done so much of this stuff and he's he's 26. I was just looking at speaking of 2014, ⁓ I was just looking at at Dylan Ward and him and and Brody Merrill ⁓ kind of comboing to lead Canada over the U. Did you go to that? No. Okay. It was in Denver, so I j I didn't know. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ Yeah. Neil Barrett: Well, I didn't know how much you would go to it because Dillam would have been the goalie in was he the goalie in Denver at that point? In my mind he's only played for Denver, so I don't know if he's been other places. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ he well he has in in box he has. Didn't he play for Atlanta in the MLL as well? Neil Barrett: He did play for Atlanta in the MLL at some point. @HootSportsMedia: So I don't know when those years would have I don't know what year he was actually drafted, I guess, in the N L L. ⁓ but it was around that time. Neil Barrett: I was thinking more I was thinking more N L L ⁓ if he was @HootSportsMedia: But but even so I wouldn't have gone to a field thing at that point. Neil Barrett: I just wondered if if maybe if he was there, if it would have swung you. And now I'm going down the rabbit hole of looking to see where he was. No, he's on nope, he was drafted in in twenty thirteen by the Colorado Mammoth. I feel like you should know these things, but ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Okay. I th well I know it's around that time, but I also know he didn't start his rookie year, I don't believe. Neil Barrett: Yeah, that's that's probably fair. Yeah, that would have @HootSportsMedia: So I I wanna say he took over in fifteen or something like that, sixteen? Neil Barrett: That would have been ⁓ it says he was on the all rookie team in twenty fourteen. @HootSportsMedia: Wow, maybe he did start his first year, which would be insane. Neil Barrett: They did dra they did draft him third overall, so ⁓ you know, that's @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. In my head though, he took over for someone. But maybe I guess maybe he just took over like at the start of the year. Like a possibility. Neil Barrett: It says he played for them during the twenty fourteen season, ultimately earning the role of starter. He was named rookie of the year in the NLL by Inside Lacrosse magazine and was runner up as NLL Rookie of the Year and named to the NLL all rookie team. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, seventy seven percent save percenters out here. Neil Barrett: Yeah, so that and that would have been the summer leading into him at the World Games. What's crazy to me is I remember watching twenty fourteen and feeling like Dylan Ward was already an older statesman and he was he was a rookie in the PLL or the MLL and NLL the season leading into that. Like @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah, but the world games just unlocks people. Neil Barrett: Actually, you what? I take it back. He wouldn't have been a rookie in the MLL that summer. He'd have been in his second year. But but I remember watching him being like, This dude's been around forever. Like he's so good. But you know, whatever. ⁓ but yeah, d I just wondered if you had if if that would have pulled you over. But yeah. Anyway. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: I don't I don't know why I went down that rabbit hole. What what was I talking about? Do you remember? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ the goat Dylan Ward, I think. Neil Barrett: Yes, we were talking about ⁓ I know what it was. @HootSportsMedia: We were talking about how Dylan Ward's the best goalie in the world, I think, is what you said. Neil Barrett: I w I was saying that ⁓ it's f ⁓ trying to compare where like what Brett Dobson has already accomplished in his career to what like Dylan Ward had accomplished in his career at the age of twenty six. I don't know exactly when would he have been twenty six? He's thirty five now. So nine years ago would have been Твоні севенті. @HootSportsMedia: Trying to see Neil Barrett: So he won his first MLL championship in twenty eighteen. He was goalie of the year in twenty seventeen. And that's it, yeah. Yeah, other than other than kind of being a rookie, ⁓ being on that all rookie team in twenty fourteen and then being an all pro in the NL ⁓ in twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen, he hadn't he hadn't done much of anything at the age of twenty six. Other than he hadn't done much of anything other than be a world class goalie. ⁓ so yeah, just kind of kind of crazy to see where Brett Dobson is already at this age and knowing that he probably has another decade conservatively. I mean, he could he could be Matt Vince. Yeah, I mean, he could be Matt Vince. He could play he could play into his forties. Like, you know, it's just, it's crazy to to think. @HootSportsMedia: I'd go longer than that, honestly. I mean yeah. Yeah. 'Cause Ward Wardo hasn't he doesn't have an NL MV N L ⁓ V I don't think. He was an all pro I mean he's one team ⁓ V P but that's yeah, that ⁓ well, that's fair. ⁓ that's fine. ⁓ Neil Barrett: Not according to what I was just looking at. He doesn't. He has a he has the finals MVP. ⁓ right, which is a which is a great accomplishment, but you know @HootSportsMedia: But you know, it's it's no coincidence that that two multi pro league Canadian goalies are killing it at pretty much every stop. I just don't I I don't even it's just insane to me. 'Cause even when you think about guys that, you know, only play offense or only play defense, s a lot of them can't hang in both leagues and worlds. Like it's it's one or the other. And so to have someone like Dobson who's just like especially when you look at if you look at his first few seasons in the NLO, like he it was nothing to write home about. And then you look at what he did this past year, made a huge jump, and then continued it into the PL, is just insane. Neil Barrett: Well, when Well, to be to be somewhat fair to him in in his first few years in the NL, he didn't have a very good defense in front of him at all. @HootSportsMedia: No no no absolutely, absolutely. I'm just saying if you I'm just saying if you watched him, especially watch him twenty four twenty-five to twenty-five-twenty six, he made a very clear jump where he was seeing the ball a lot better. It made and again, there's a lot of factors to that. He had a couple really great rookies in front of him, I think, that helped. But like I I didn't I I felt like he'd still be good in the PL, but to k tr truly carry over that level of play almost, you know, one to one is It just ridiculous. Neil Barrett: No, yeah, ⁓ I I think that's fair. I I think his his rookie season in the NLL, my understanding, and I wasn't watching super closely back then, but my understanding was that he was he was going to be a solid goalie, but wouldn't necessarily he would have to develop to get to where he is now. And he may not necessarily do that. Even though as a rookie he was already he was clearly @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: very good in the PL. Like in the in the PL, even as a rookie, you were like, ⁓ this dude's gonna be good for a long time. And and my understanding again, wasn't following super closely back then, was that that was not necessarily the ⁓ idea of Brett Dobson coming in ⁓ as a rookie in the NL. ⁓ so just just crazy. ⁓ the other thing I think is is interesting, like you said, @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: guys that that play in both leagues don't necessarily carry over. The fact that he's in the the best all around player in the world conversation is not not undeserved, but like it's just it's just crazy to think about a you know a goalie I ⁓ especially as a goalie. It's one thing to be Jeff Teat and and to be doing basically the same like obviously there's there's slight differences, there's nuanced differences, but the goalie position in those two s in in the two games is very different. Like I I think there's a reason why Blaze Reardon doesn't play goalie in box. And it's not just that he played forward, you know, growing up or whatever. Like it it's such a shift. And the fact that he does both is @HootSportsMedia: So Yeah. Neil Barrett: at at this level. The fact that he does both at this level, I think is just just crazy. ⁓ and and something that ⁓ I'm ⁓ my question my question I I think for you would be he's 26. I mean arguably he's not even he's not even the best he's gonna be at this point. @HootSportsMedia: I it's all speculation. I don't wanna put that put those expectations on him. ⁓ the problem too is like how much better can he be? You know, like it like when you're a goalie, I feel like every big time goalie kind of reaches a point, whether it's early or late, where that's like this is their best season ever. Like if next year in the NL, are we really expecting him to have a sub eight goals against average again? Or whatever he is in the PL sub nine, whatever stupid number it is. You know what I'm saying? And it's not to say that he can't. Neil Barrett: Sure. That's what I'm saying. That's the scary part. @HootSportsMedia: But it's just like I don't I've never seen a goalie do like that so many times in a row. Neil Barrett: Well, I I think that's it's like it's like the Jeff Teat conversation of like, okay, he put up sixty-four points in that year. He i in that PLL year. He absolutely obliterated the the previous record by, if I remember correctly, twenty points. ⁓ he broke the record by twenty points. And so the next year, I don't expect him to get to put up those kind of numbers. That was that was an outlier year, but it doesn't necessarily mean that as a player he doesn't get better. Like there's so many things that go into those stats. ⁓ guys have to when you when you're making assists, guys have to finish shots. ⁓ your your offense has to has to have a level of of I I think I think that year was so good for him In part because Connor Schellenberger made it very hard to to to to focus on Jeff Teat with any kind of like real game plan. It was hard to slide to him. It was hard to do things, you know. So there's a level of play that your teammates have to maintain in order to get you ⁓ those kind of opportunities. And the following season, him not necessarily putting up sixty-four points. Doesn't necessarily isn't necessarily a reflection of him not being as good of a player. I think generally speaking, with some wiggle room, I think generally most athletes would say around 30 is when they're there at their best because they're still young enough that they've got the legs, they've got the the energy, ⁓ to to compete at a at a high level, but they're also experienced enough. I if you talk to if you talk to Kyle Harrison, I I swear to God, I'm not trying to show off, but he l I'm thinking about him because he literally just messaged me. ⁓ Kyle Harrison will tell you 2014 was his best season ever. And it was it was a mixture of a couple of things. One being being that being young enough to to go and and have your body still work, but being old enough to know when to go and where to go and and those kind of things. And also anecdotally, a little bit of him being angry. He he he told he's told me several times 2014 he played pissed off. He was angry and had like a point to prove. ⁓ so so that's why I'm saying I mean arguably, especially if you think about the fact that that he could realistically play into his 40s. It's like, yeah, he he's probably still got some room to improve. Like you said, how how much does he improve? What does that look like? I don't know, but I it's @HootSportsMedia: Age wise, theoretically, he's not at his peak. But but again, he just has been too good. Nah, I just I I would love to see him have a better season and then we have the same conversation and be like, I okay, how can he top this one? Like I you know what I mean? Like and especially too, like I look at just specifically PL for like NL I think his team probably has a better long term trajectory as it currently stands. Whereas PL, the Archers are kinda going through a Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. Can he get can he get better than this? Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: I don't want to call it rebuild, but there is a sort of a changing of the guards where you're looking at some older guys that probably aren't playing again. We we'll talk about Schreiber in a minute. You know, versus now okay, you have a lot of truly young guys, rookies that are coming and playing meaningful minutes. How long does it take them to get back to that PLL championship standard? Because he got I'm not I don't mean lucky in a bad way, but he got lucky to be placed on a team that had all these pieces to where we can just go compete right now. And he's already playing at this level, you have these guys at this level. Neil Barrett: Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: You're winning championships. Whereas now it's like, okay, they're probably not winning this year. Does their team improve next year enough to to come even if he plays at this level? So that's where I think other guys might have a better chance of of quote unquote catching him as they enter the league of like, well, if they get two chips early, then all of a sudden it looks equal on paper, even though I think Dobers skill wise better than. Neil Barrett: Well we @HootSportsMedia: Seven of the eight, eight of eight goalie you know what mean? How many other goalies? Neil Barrett: Yeah, no, I'm I'm with you. Obviously you weren't here last week, but Jackson and I talked about, you know, PLL MVPs and I think his play is deserving of of being in that conversation, even though even though yeah, again, I don't think that he's going to probably win it because of the @HootSportsMedia: Yep. He should have had one last year. Neil Barrett: the how good or how bad the Archers are this season. Now, if they if they go crazy in the second half and they make the playoffs, like maybe there's a conversation that we can have about that. but ⁓ you know, it it don't @HootSportsMedia: It's too it was now'cause is in the league, 'cause that's his to win this year. Neil Barrett: ⁓ god. Who @HootSportsMedia: I can't wait for the combat that says, ⁓ these guys don't know ball. It's inevitable. Neil Barrett: You know what, I'm I'm posting that you said that. I'm and you know what? I'm not even gonna I'm not even gonna let you explain it. It's just gonna it's just gonna be I can't wait for whiz to win it or the or whatever you just said, and then it's gonna end and there's gonna be @HootSportsMedia: Shout out whiz. Shout out whiz. MVP him MVP Wiz coming to you summer twenty twenty six. Neil Barrett: La ⁓ this this was not part of our rundown ⁓ before the show. Who who do you have since since you missed last week, who who do you have right now as the as the MVP? Okay. Even though @HootSportsMedia: I I I'm not I'm not even saying that like ironically. The the whiz was ironic. I think I think Woods need to keep winning for sure, 'cause it's gonna come down to the same situation as last year with Dauber, if he continues to play that level. ⁓ I would have him up there. Dauber I think still has a very compelling case though. It's just that he played less games, if I'm not mistaken, so how he makes up that, ⁓ Neil Barrett: Yeah, he did. But by the end of the season that'll kind of wash out. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. But I'm saying if they have similar numbers, I could see people being like, Well, but he did it two more games or whatever it was. ⁓ I'm trying to think who's leading in in in points right now. It's bad podcasting. Culture magazine. Neil Barrett: Points is Coulter Mackesee actually. Coulter Mackesee and Dylan Malloy are tied. @HootSportsMedia: That's a wild that's just crazy to even think about. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Well and and a lot of me like when I saw it I was like, ⁓ is that because like Boston's played an extra game or something? Nope. Everybody's played six. Like I don't @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I mean I think CJ's having a a crazy good year. You know, he's he's also he got a look he's shooting fifty three percent. Like that he he has sixteen points, that's four off the the you know, league leading. Yeah. So I would say CJ's in that convo as well. ⁓ Neil Barrett: In half as many games. You know what's you know what's crazy? CJ Kirst is is having one of the best seasons I've ever seen. He's still not on the pace that Jeff Teat set. Jeff Teat was six point four points a game. CJ is at f like five point three, I think, is what CJ's at points per game. Insane. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. In ⁓ and That's stupid. Yeah. Yeah, I'm looking at this list. I I'd I'd say probably those three. Ward O'Dauber and and CJ right now. People will try to prop up probably Mallory and Macasi. I'm not mad at those either. but I'm trying to think like they they had what four finalists last year? Neil Barrett: I don't like Macasi. @HootSportsMedia: I think. I think it was two Atlas players and two outlaws if I'm not mistaken. So no, I think we talked about that 'cause we had five initially picked and then the list came out and it was four and we were like Neil Barrett: Is it four? Was it And two outlaws. Was there not a fifth? And they only did four, but they did five in other ones, right? And we were like, Why didn't you put a fifth in here? 'Cause there was definitely a name I don't remember who it was off the top of my head, but there was definitely a name that we were like, This dude should be. Maybe it was Dauber. Maybe I don't I don't remember who it was. There was someone else that we were like, they they should be in this conversation. ⁓ I @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, Culture's tough 'cause he had two games of six points, but the other five games, one, two, three, or four games, Culture McCassy. He had he had two he's like he's like Ashley Humphreys. He you know, two really good games, but the rest were just kind of lackluster point wise. And I also think Boston's not good enough to really give him a strong enough nod, unfortunately. ⁓ Malloy, I think, is he's an interesting one. He had the nine point game, and then he had Neil Barrett: Who who'd you say? Sorry. Yeah. Well that's what I was gonna say. That's what I was gonna say. @HootSportsMedia: two or three other decent games, but I I same kind of thing. Especially because Well, I don't know, he wasn't he was an all star, right? So maybe that maybe that helps him. Neil Barrett: Well, and and here's the thing. When we talk about that Jeff Teat season, and that and I'm using it because it's it's such an extreme example, but we look at that Jeff Teat season, he had like three games, I think, where he had like double digit points. And then the rest of the season, he was like three points a game, four points a game. ⁓ so like @HootSportsMedia: I don't know. Neil Barrett: To an extent, like you're you're not gonna pop off for well, I mean, I guess unless you're CJ Kirst. ⁓ you're not gonna pop off for five, six, seven points a game every game. So, but it's it's it's hard because like, you know, what @HootSportsMedia: It's hard 'cause he set a record that was so untouchable that it's like it doesn't matter. Whereas a guy like Malloy, if his only big game is that nine point game, we're gonna look back and be like, ⁓ we can't give it to you 'cause of you know. Neil Barrett: Well again I I'm not But but in order for him to be in the conversation, he would have to have still a steady three or four points a game. So but like where where's the line? Because I you know, we we talk the the extremes here of CJ Kirst and five point three points per game, and then Ashley Humphrey, who had one game, and admittedly, she's played what, two games, three, maybe? @HootSportsMedia: Two games, I think. I think two games. Neil Barrett: Just two? I think it's two, too. I think it is two also. ⁓ so and one point. So who knows? She may do nine the next game. Like, but but we are we're talking about someone who had who had 90% of her points in one game versus someone who's pretty much every game putting up five points in CJ Cars. Those are kind of the two extremes. @HootSportsMedia: 'Cause I think she had like nine points in the one and one point in the other. Yeah. Yeah. Neil Barrett: Where is the line in the middle of we can discount count, you know, a culter Macassie because he has 75% of his points in two games or you know, or a Dylan Meloy. Like where is that line of of who can be counted out because and I I don't I don't have an answer. I'm asking, like I don't know where that line is. ⁓ an a ⁓ I don't know where that line is, so I'm I'm changing subjects. I'm not even changing subjects, I'm just tangentially shooting off. One you didn't mention, Connor Schellenberger, I think he's he's at 19 points, and he feels like he is growing into his role on this Atlas team without Jeff Teat. And if if he continues that that progression. I don't think there's probably any way he doesn't end up as an MVP finalist. Whether or not he wins is is a different conversation, especially because if CJ Kirst keeps going, it feels like it's probably his, although I'm with you. I think Dylan Ward and Brett Dobson should be part of that conversation ⁓ 100%. ⁓ you know, ⁓ you can you could pretty much give an MVP award to Zach Courier every single season, and you wouldn't be wrong. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Of course now that I'm looking at this, Logan McNaney ha is given up almost two fewer goals per game than Dylan Ward with the same save percentage. Now he's made thirty six twenty six less saves. ⁓ Neil Barrett: Yeah, that defense in front of him is so good. @HootSportsMedia: You know, but like and and I'm trying to think, like, how many games have each of them so Logan's played one less game than Dylan. So maybe those maybe those first two weeks clouded my judgment on Wardo, but but that again this is also assuming that McNaney would continue. Maybe he takes that spot. I also don't know, like, are they gonna give two spots in the finalists to to goalies or are they gonna say like who's the best of those will take you? You know, like and especially even like right now, like none of those teams Neil Barrett: Probably not. Yeah. The @HootSportsMedia: Outside of the Redwoods are very good on paper, ⁓ record wise. Like I think the out the outlaws what, three and two. ⁓ the archers are two and four, something like that. Neil Barrett: I think the outlaws are three and three, right? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ no, they're three and two. The the archers are two and four. So Neil Barrett: I thought everybody ⁓ the art the outlaws have only played five games. I thought every @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. The them and ⁓ Philly have only played five games. Neil Barrett: Everyone I played six. Geez, this schedule sucks. @HootSportsMedia: No. So like so that's you know, that's the other part of this that that's a good wrinkle is like how do those teams finish? 'Cause I I unfortunately when it comes to goalies, like how your team finishes record wise is gonna help your case a ton. Whereas like CJ Kirk, if he's putting a five points a game, people might still look at that even if they're five hundred and go, Well, it's not his fault. Like he's recently won those six games or whatever it was. Neil Barrett: Yeah, but well, ⁓ of course it'll be it'll be different because they'll be at you know, at five hundred or whatever, but but that was always the argument used against Lyle. You know, Lyle had Lyle Lyle had forty two points, I think, in a season back when the record was forty four. ⁓ he had forty two points in a season and everyone was like, Yeah, but his team sucks. I was like, Yeah, but not because of him. So, you know @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Who knows? It changes every year on on what matters, so I mean Neil Barrett: I I don't know. ⁓ Yeah, yeah. ⁓ you know. @HootSportsMedia: All I know is was now it's 'cause it's winning ⁓ V P and you heard it here first. Neil Barrett: Ha ha. @HootSportsMedia: Cause just c just a couple more sock tricks. Just a couple more sock tricks and it's his, dude. Neil Barrett: Now I'm just gonna clip up all the time. And it's his. I mean, listen, couple more sock tricks and there he might be in the conversation for real. @HootSportsMedia: I'm gonna laugh so hard if he just pops off second half of the season and I mean, I'd be happy, but that'd be hilarious. Neil Barrett: Anyway, that was that was a that was a tangent. We went down a rabbit hole. ⁓ before we get off of All-Star Game Weekend. All-star weekend. That's the word I'm looking for. ⁓ we gotta talk about the skills contests here. ⁓ start with the fastest shot competition. it was so weird to see Brendan O'Neill and Ross Scott in that because Even the even the the announcers were like, yeah, you're at you're at such a disadvantage by being a shorty going up against long poles. For years they have needed to separate those two categories. You you cannot shoot. I say that, and then someone's gonna be like, Well, Zach Dorn, or you know, whatever. I th I think Zach Dorn or it there might be someone else. There's another like fastest shot competition shooter who I think got up over 120 with a shorty. ⁓ I think it was Zach Dorn. Anyway, ⁓ you're just at such a disadvantage. Even even whoever that was that hit 120 with a shorty put a long pole in their hands. I bet you they shoot higher. So you're just at such a disadvantage. And ⁓ I had high hopes for Brennan O'Neal. One thing @HootSportsMedia: Yep. Neil Barrett: ⁓ I know you you probably didn't get to watch much other than the highlights of this. One thing that was atrocious, going back to how bad All-Star Weekend was, just kind of across the board, the radar gun, whatever they were using. I don't know if it was I don't know if it was heat. I don't know if it w what exactly was the issue, was constantly not recording a speed. And so guys would have to shoot and shoot and shoot. And it was like @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ yes, I did see this. Neil Barrett: There were several guys that I think had higher shot speeds that didn't get recorded. At least to the at least to the eye, you'd go, ⁓ like that had some pop to it and it wouldn't get recorded. And they it was kind of like they had already they had shot that shot and they they just couldn't couldn't get it back. So ⁓ that was a mess. ⁓ I thought Brandon O'Neal had one specifically that I think could have put him in the the final round. ⁓ But wasn't measured. But anyway, Mason Woodward ended up winning that. He technically won it with 113, but then he beat himself. ⁓ I think he needed 111 to win. He shot 113 on his first shot, and then for fun took a second shot and hit 115. So 115 was the highest number recorded on the men's side. On the women's side, Emily Harris Chuck won. She shot, I believe her high was 89. Eighty five? I th ⁓ I can't remember. It was eighty-five or eighty-nine. ⁓ I was really hoping she was gonna hit ninety. That would have fun. ⁓ But I don't know the the fastest shot thing just feels goofy, especially when you can't when it's not split and you got short sticks competing with with long sticks, ⁓ and then and then obviously when your radar gun doesn't work, that's a problem too. ⁓ there was one Ross Scott hit 102 lefty or righty and then went into his left hand. @HootSportsMedia: No no no no no. You're you're talking about Shane Nobloch. Neil Barrett: Was it Nobber? @HootSportsMedia: Not not Ross Scott. It was Knobber. Neil Barrett: I thought it w I thought it was a Ronald Scott, my bad. Dude, I'm I'm telling you @HootSportsMedia: No. That's why I was like I was like maybe I missed Ross Scott. But yeah, no, that was Nablock. Neil Barrett: I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I w I watched by the time halftime rolled around of that PLL All Star game, I was just like done. I guess done. I was kinda hoping that @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah, like that was impressive seeing seeing the both hand one ⁓ two. I was like Okay Neil Barrett: Well, so so that was my idea. If we're gonna do this, if we're gonna ca here's my problem. Even the long poles in this one, it wasn't that cool. 115, like, yeah, last year Graham Hossick shot 123. The year the what was it, the year before that when Jared Newman hit 121? And I'm like, if we're not even gonna be pushing 120 and we're not gonna be pushing for that record, because like The thing last year that made the sh the fastest shot competition so fun was whether or not Graham Hawsack could break the record. That's what made the the Jared Newman one when he hit 121 so fun. Was like, how far can we push this? And if we're not gonna get up there, the fastest shot isn't that fun. It's not fun to watch somebody hit 113 like 10 miles slower than the fastest shot. Like in your I think in the back of your mind, like that's always gonna be a thing of like, all right, well, sure, this was the fastest shot this year, I guess. ⁓ so my thought was if we're not gonna do that, I'd love to see a combined you shoot righty and you shoot lefty, and your speeds are combined. I think that would be way more fun. And involves a a level of skill. That I think is unique. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, there's definitely definitely be some some guys that can't do it. Neil Barrett: Eva maybe maybe the answer is to make it an additional part. Maybe you still have a traditional fastest shot. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, that makes more sense. 'Cause it's a very fast event that it it's over with like that. Like I remember last year when I was there, it was like it started and then it was over and I literally was like, Wait, that that's it? Like it's just ⁓ okay. And it was like what was the point? We just spent five minutes on this event. And Neil Barrett: Sure, yeah. I you know what's funny is I thought I thought the same thing and about how it was almost, even though it was a it was annoying, it was almost a blessing in disguise that the radar gun couldn't read and guys had to keep shooting because it made it take a little bit longer. As annoying as it was, and as as you know, guys were ripping so many having to rip so many shots that like they were just clearly fatiguing. ⁓ I I had a I had the thought that of like, ⁓ yeah, this would have been over. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: ten, fifteen minutes ago, if not for that. So @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: ⁓ but but all that to say, like I I think it'd be fun and it would be I think it would be a good way to get short sticks more involved in the fastest shot competition. Especially it was cool to see Brennan in because I I think Brennan was a name that that people thought, ⁓ it'd be interesting to see what he can do. Like they tune they tuned in because they know. big strong like powerful dude it was like the year miles was in ⁓ like okay there's a there's a dude who could who could maybe potentially win like I I want to see that ⁓ but ⁓ I I'd like to see him go righty and lefty like that I have to imagine I think he put up 108 Did he get one ⁓ eight? Maybe. @HootSportsMedia: I I didn't get to see his so I don't I don't know. I think Jake Pisino only hit like one ⁓ six. So if Brandon hit one ⁓ eight, that's pretty crazy. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah, well, and and again, this is like part of the thing of like we have watched guys hit 120 and now we're hitting gu we're seeing guys not even get to 110. And it's like, yeah, it's just not it's not as fun when you have seen that. ⁓ so yeah, that that was kind of disappointing. The other event for All Star Weekend, they they stripped out a bunch of the other events, but the other event is The accuracy challenge, ⁓ which I will say once again, it is not an accuracy challenge. It is a precision challenge. You can shoot at the same target over and over and over again. It is not an accuracy challenge, whatever. ⁓ I I I don't know. It was not as fun this year. It's always really it's always really awkward to watch these like professional players miss those targets so so frequently. You know, you take twenty-five shots and you hit four and it's like really? @HootSportsMedia: I mean Joey was straight up hitting the pipe. Like even even his misses I was like, this dude is is he just like just trying to strip the paint off of the outside of the pipe? 'Cause it was just like And I think that counted a lot of them, 'cause it was at least there. But there was definitely something I like, that did go in like that. Neil Barrett: Joey Joey did did Which is Which is weird because several people earlier had hit a pipe or something and it didn't like you said, it didn't go in. And they they specifically didn't count it and they said it didn't go in. That's why it doesn't count. But then I'm with you. There were several that Joey took that didn't go in and they counted. And it was like, what what are we doing here? ⁓ that was really confusing. I'm wondering what you thought about the The chains? @HootSportsMedia: I didn't like it. I thought it was it was very difficult to to get a feel for like and then like because they were like kinda split, even if you hit it, then it like a swinging and then it like I this is just not like get some gets let's get some colorful targets. Make it easier to see. you know Neil Barrett: Yeah. Part part of me part of me kind of liked the chains. I I thought there was a very visual and audible kind of like Yeah. Well, and it was like, okay, hit that one. Like you can you can see the the chain swinging, you could hear it when when you hit it. But you they were hard to see. They they blended into the goal. @HootSportsMedia: The audio part's cool. Neil Barrett: ⁓ un until they got hit and they moved and then it was kind of like, okay, cool, I can see it. ⁓ so I thought I thought at least they needed to be painted or something, like you know, they needed something. ⁓ but then again, ⁓ again, I go back to the idea of this is a this is a precision challenge, not an accuracy challenge. And I would I would so much rather see the old the the thing they did, I think the first year of of that challenge. Where it was the the targets and you it was a race to hit all of them. ⁓ that was @HootSportsMedia: Yep. There's a lot of ways you could you could improve it. You could do that. You could do you know, have them do things on the run. You know make make ⁓ do some some variation of righty, lefty, behind the back something. They think about the think about the NFL, I know they have a bigger setup so you probably can't do it, but they have like all those moving targets in the back where the quarterbacks have to hit you know, maybe they ha they have to hit Neil Barrett: That'd be fun. Yeah, that'd be fun. @HootSportsMedia: you know, pats to a teammate from different angles. I don't know. I just feel like we're handicapping guys to where it's just like just grab and shoot, grab and shoot, grab and shoot and it's like you said, they're not going around the world. They're just picking one corner and just hitting it over and over. And it's it's just not exciting and especially when you're there in person. It's just like, ⁓ okay, like Neil Barrett: And just hammering it. Yeah. Well, and and it's such a rhythm thing. If if you're if you're good enough, if you're I mean, Marcus Holman did this for several years. ⁓ Joey did this, you get in that rhythm, you find that sh that stroke. That's all it is, because you can just keep hammering that one target. And it as long as you can stay in rhythm with it, like you'll just keep pinging that target and and yeah, you'll hit like a nine. Whereas, you know, the the two other guys that you're competing against. don't find the rh they in the 30 seconds they have, they never find the rhythm and they only hit four. And it's like, yeah, you're the runaway winner. ⁓ I @HootSportsMedia: Like think about the the the d MBA, you know, three point contest and how it's all three point baskets, but it's different different angles. So it changes it. 'Cause not every guy is a three point a corner three point guy. So they might struggle in that, but then they might get to the wing and all of a sudden they're it's cash. And then they added in like the four point baskets, you know, just if you want to have some extra range. Like I think there's There's a lot to take from the NBA and WNBA from that standpoint of like, why don't we just have guys go around the arc and and hit different corners, you know, or or have I don't know, have the technology maybe have targets pop out when it's okay, we're so now you're having to react to maybe you're really good at hitting this top corner but the target now is bottom corner or something like I don't know. It's just you know it's bad when there's people that aren't necessarily dialed into every PLL game commenting on Twitter about Hey, could we maybe change this? 'Cause it's not exciting to watch. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Well, and I I think for for the first few years, I really wanted to see them do some kind of obstac team obstacle course or whatever. And then they did it and it they did it in like the worst way possible. Like I I didn't like the way they implemented it at all. We talked about that last year, about how they could change it and make it better. And then instead they just got rid of it. ⁓ I I like @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Which I was actually disappointed with because I felt like there's some good opportunity there that and on top of that you get you get to show off a whole different skill set. Because now you need you know, players that are quick, you know, fast, they can get line to line. You had WLL players involved with the the PL players on teams and it was like, Okay, sure, w there are things we would change, but at least it was like, ⁓ it's a fun new thing we can try. And like you said, then it was just like when I found out that they didn't even do it, I like, Well what like Neil Barrett: Yes. One hundred percent. @HootSportsMedia: What what is the point? Neil Barrett: Well and and I think one of one of my my bigger takeaways from this weekend was I think stripping out a lot of those things kind of contributed to the idea of this is a joke, we don't care about this, you know, like we we're just gonna dick around and do whatever we want. And I think if you can Instead of stripping away from All Star Weekend, if you can build it out and make it more of an event, make it something where there are other things to go to. Now, I understand it costs money to put these things on, and this was not a crazy well attended event. And so you start adding extra events, like how much more attendance are you gonna pull? I don't know. I I understand that side of it. And I understand that I get to make these suggestions inside the the bubble of not having to pay for things and and consider money. I can make blind suggestions. ⁓ but I have always thought there should be some kind of legends game, whether that's a three-on-three speed game or a sixes game, probably not a sixes game. That might be a little bit too much running, ⁓ but something where Kyle Harrison's out there. Maybe the Powells are out there. Maybe ⁓ you know, some of the guys who just went into the Hall of Fame are there. And you can have kind of that like celebrity softball event ⁓ of Major League Baseball. ⁓ I I think, like I like I said, the the ⁓ obstacle course event. I think I think you could do an accuracy challenge and the thing that you're talking about, the the I I think that would be actually really cool. to see almost that that three point ⁓ competition thing of maybe maybe it's a two-point competition of ⁓ you know there's there's five balls at at five different locations around the two-point arc and you can't really put a goalie in, but you obviously don't want them just shooting on an empty net. So maybe it's like you said, maybe it's maybe there's a target or or maybe it's not a target. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: ⁓ you know, just a thing. But maybe it's a it's a a third of the goal they have to hit, you know, or or whatever. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I'd also like to see something like the skills competition has in in basketball where, you know, you have to use different forms of cradling, passing, shooting. You know, and you can still have teams, but it's one person at a time. Like I rem I remember last year it was like teams of four but they were all kind of doing things. Whereas Yeah, whereas this you could literally just be like, Okay, we're gonna one hand cradle between between things and then we're gonna get to the end and we're gonna Neil Barrett: I think And they yeah, they passed off. Yeah, yeah. @HootSportsMedia: pass here or something like that. Like there's just so many ways you could get other people involved that the event itself would still only be a couple of minutes, but it's more worth the price of admission to to come to that type of thing. Neil Barrett: Yeah, yeah. I also think those kind of events, maybe not so much the accuracy and stuff, but that that one could be a a fun one where like you have a celebrity team compete as well. I just think the the that building it out and making it more of an all-star weekend could help alleviate some of those. @HootSportsMedia: Yep, yep. Neil Barrett: those things of like, yeah, d nobody cares. Nobody cares at all. So @HootSportsMedia: Yep. Yep. Also move move the event later in the day so it's not as hot would probably help with attendance. Neil Barrett: I you know, I thought about that too. Like especially if you're gonna do it we have talked about how this is not a good time to do it. They should do it at the end of the year and all that. But if you're gonna do it July fourth weekend, why not do it later so that it ends and then you do like a fireworks show? I think you could have @HootSportsMedia: That was actually the the best I won't say the best. One of the best parts about last year was that fireworks. Like I left and literally told my family that's one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen. And from people I talked to, they said the same thing. And I'm like, I don't even care what happened in the whatever skills challenge at this point. Like that was we got to watch La Cross all day and then watch some fireworks. Like Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean that was that was the the band the not the bandits, geez, the outlaws for years. That was their that was their huge event. They they used to lead the league in attendance almost solely based on that game. ⁓ because they would get 30,000 people out there to to mile high. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. That was a sick show too, actually. Neil Barrett: mostly for the fireworks show. Like let's be real. They didn't get they didn't get thirty thousand right. They didn't get thirty thousand people at any other game. So clearly most of them were there for the fireworks. So you know I i why you wouldn't give people a another reason to show up to your event, I again I get to I get to @HootSportsMedia: Yep. That's why I went to the one game I attended. That's Then again that costs a lot of money too, so you know. Who knows what the fire situation's like too? Like we're on a fire ban out here, so I don't know what what it's like up there I guess, but Neil Barrett: I was getting raised to say I again I get I get to say these things. Well a and ⁓ again to be this much fair to them, putting a fireworks event in Annapolis that close to DC f when they're doing all the the two fifty stuff. Maybe if ever there was a year where where people in Annapolis were gonna drive to DC, it was this year, you know. So yeah, ⁓ again, gotta gotta give them at least that thought. ⁓ let's look ahead to this week. ⁓ they are in Chicago, which means that everybody's playing, right? I'm not making that up, right? Okay. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah. Fi ⁓ five games total, including the W L L L L game. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. So we got the Water Dogs playing the Redwoods, the Archers playing the Atlas, the Outlaws playing the Cannons, the Whip Snakes playing the Chaos, and then on the WLL side, the Charm play the Charging. Before we get into these games, you you and I noticed this earlier. The Charging will be playing their fourth and final game of the season this weekend. Boston will still have only played two games. @HootSportsMedia: Yep. Yeah. Neil Barrett: I don't understand this schedule. I know why. Because the charging are playing in Chicago because they're the team that has the most Northwestern stars on it, Izzy Skane, ⁓ all those. I think, I think Aaron Koigendal. I think. ⁓ so like I know that, but I don't know. I don't know. The schedule is just so funky. Anyway, that is the list of five games. What are We looking at. @HootSportsMedia: I'm looking at the games Friday night 'cause ⁓ I I'm I'm working all weekend, so I'm unfortunately gonna have to miss the ⁓ the Outlaws game and the WLO game and I will likely miss most of that Maryland game. ⁓ so I'm excited to see, you know, California being as good as they are this year and and Philly. I think they're better than the record says. That's gonna be a fun one. ⁓ Utah and New York is on paper snooze fest. We'll see what it actually amounts to. That probably means it's gonna end up being a great game. I just realized I'm gonna miss I'm gonna miss most of that Philly game, I just realized now. So cancel that. I guess I'm really looking forward to this Utah New York game. This is gonna be awesome. Best game of the weekend. ⁓ goodness gracious. Anyway, hope my outlaws take care of business against Boston. That's a game they should win, which is why it scares me. ⁓ Neil Barrett: A great game. That's true. @HootSportsMedia: you know, seeing Maryland ⁓ the charm play New York. I thought New York was unstoppable and then they lost, so that's you know Neil Barrett: I know the the the week we were like, ⁓ yeah, they're untouchable, they're gonna cruise things. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. So I am I am curious 'cause if they lose that puts him to five hundred. So that, you know Yeah, which is crazy to think about. And then the battle of the three and threes at the last game, that's gonna be a good game. Yeah, you know, that's a toss up to me. Like it it's that might be the best the truly the best game of the weekend. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah, that will have gone from untouchable to five hundred. @HootSportsMedia: I lied, California Field is gonna be the best game, but Neil Barrett: No, it's gonna be it's gonna be Utah, New York, right? @HootSportsMedia: For my sake, I hope it is. Neil Barrett: ⁓ yeah, no I there's ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Hope we see Star Attackman, Aiden Maguire go off for like nine goals. That'd be sick. Neil Barrett: There's a there I honestly I I feel like there's a there's a lot to like really pay attention to. Almost every one of these games has a decent storyline to it. ⁓ I I think it it's gonna be interesting to see Philly against California. Right now, their three wins are ⁓ what is it, Utah, Boston, and I think they beat Utah twice, Boston. No, that's Lord. Anyway, their their three wins are not very good wins. ⁓ so this will be kind of their a a test for them to see where they are now that like CJ's settled in and they feel a little bit better. I'm still iffy on that midfield. The the names they have are good, but in terms of like integrating them into the offense, I don't think they've done that ⁓ very well to this point. So we'll see what they can do against. California, ⁓ New York, Utah, I think, I think has potential to be a good game. One, as we have said a million times on the show, when you have Brett Dobson, the you are always going to have an opportunity to win. And and New York still hasn't they they look to have gotten better, ⁓ but they still haven't, you know, put it all all together. ⁓ so this will be a a good test for them as as again as as much as we talk about this Utah team not being very good, the defense is is pretty solid. So they got a chance. You would think Denver Boston is is going to be fairly lopsided, but you know, Boston won last week. You know, it it could happen. ⁓ the thing that you were talking about this Maryland charm ⁓ New York charging game. The thing that I realized is In the WLL, there's there's no playoffs. So it's just the top two teams from the beginning or from the end of the season that go into the championship. There's a chance that if New York loses this game, they will go from being from looking completely untouchable to not even making the the playoffs, which is the championship game, if they if they don't win this game. So and if I remember correctly. Did Maryland beat them? No, they didn't, right? @HootSportsMedia: Maryland plays New York this week. Neil Barrett: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm dumb. I'm dumb. Maryland w I think won a different game that that was confusing. So, ⁓ and then that ⁓ Chaos Whipsnakes game. I think those are two very evenly matched teams, and like you said, has all the potential to end up being a very good game because those two teams are just the the same for lack of they're the same but different if that makes any sense. ⁓ I think I think the chaos are probably better defensively and the whips are better offensively. But then the flip side of that field is is not bad, but not good, not like their strong suit. So gonna be really interesting to see what comes out of that. ⁓ so yeah, ⁓ all of these games have have a pretty decent storyline to them. ⁓ couple things to talk about before we head out. ⁓ Adam Lamberti updated his ⁓ PL draft big board now that five for five, five in five. I keep saying five for five. But that just makes me think of five for fighting. Do you remember that band? Is that before your time? @HootSportsMedia: I have no idea who we're talking about. Neil Barrett: ⁓ geez. ⁓ Five for Fighting had a song Superman or something. I don't know. Anyway, I won't look that up. I won't go down that rabbit hole. We've gone down enough in this show. ⁓ but he's updated his I won't say he's updated his big board. He created a big board now that five and five is officially a thing of he listed out the players that have already exhausted eligibility. And will have to come out at the end of this season, regardless. They have no choice. They will come out. So I'm gonna read this list and then we'll talk about it real quick. ⁓ he has Dom Petramala, number one, Bobby Van, which how is Dom Petramala over Bobby Van Buren? But Bobby Van Buren is number two, AJ Larkin number three, Charlie Johnson number four, John Schroeder at five, Riley Figueroas, Figueris. I don't know how we say his name. I think it's Figueris. Anyway, at six. Max Sloat at Slep at seven. Max Sloat at seven. Ryan Colsey at eight. Carden Stoller at nine, and Joey Trenzy at ten. ⁓ those and then he has a handful of players listed as like others to watch. ⁓ but it falls off pretty quickly after those ten. ⁓ we go back to the conversation that we had about the trade that got ⁓ Ryan Crodock to California and the first round draft pick ⁓ that they gave to Denver, right? That was the deal. They they gave Denver a first round pick, ⁓ in order to get Ryan Crock, which is so interesting to me because the way Dylan Ward is playing right now, I'm like, that dude, that dude could play two or three more years. Easily. Easily play two or three more years. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yep. Neil Barrett: Really, he could probably play f five six like who knows how many years he's got, but ⁓ It it feels like you gave up a first round pick for a guy that you may not actually play. But the idea of that pick was, well, a first round pick isn't going to be worth as much as it was. And obviously there'll be some additional names that get added to this list. But I'm looking at this list and I'm like, the first round in this draft is going to be the only ones worth drafting. ⁓ Yeah, I don't I I think we have we have the opposite problem of what we had in the COVID years. You know, that what was it, the 24 draft that had like all those COVID kids that got an extra year. So they all came out at once. And you were getting guys in like the third and fourth round that in most years would have been a first rounder. And this year, it feels like we're gonna have the exact opposite issue where in instead of instead of your third and fourth rounders being like, Man, how are we gonna get all of these guys on the field? Y your your second rounder might be a guy who who you draft and you're like, I don't even know if this dude's even gonna be worth it, but like, we gotta draft somebody. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: So I again I go back to the idea of like I d I never understood the idea of why a first round pick wouldn't be valuable. Mm. @HootSportsMedia: Trying to think, did how many of those picks that sudo traded away this year were for next year? Any? Neil Barrett: I mean That is a really good question. @HootSportsMedia: I feel like most of them were this year, but Neil Barrett: You're talking about that was the trade for ⁓ when they moved up to get ⁓ yeah, to get Pickett. Plunket. You right, plunket. @HootSportsMedia: For picket. Plunk it, sorry, sorry, plunk it, plunk it, sorry. ⁓ I'm trying to pull up the actual trade here, but Neil Barrett: I know it's so hard to find. @HootSportsMedia: I'm like googling like it's good to show that. ⁓ Neil Barrett: So it looks like they traded all from it was all yeah, this year's draft. So yeah, they should have two first round draft picks. Unl unless they're @HootSportsMedia: Mm, it was all this year. And well I was thinking I was thinking maybe Sudo traded away next year's second, third and fourth because he recognized that he wouldn't necessarily need it. But obviously that's negated. Neil Barrett: Well, I yeah, and I think that was early. The only thing I would say is it there may be a previous draft or or trade or something that that involved one of the the picks from this coming one. But I as it stands right now, I I think the outlaws would have two first round picks, which is which is insane to think about the fact this is this is that Toronto Rock situation where like n It's actually probably worse because as things stand right now, and we'll see how it plays out, Denver l looks to be the best team in the league. And certainly at this point in the season is the favorite to win the championship. And they'll have two first-round picks next year. One of those is, you know, ⁓ probably a top five pick. @HootSportsMedia: Depends. The the woods are playing real well right now. They'd have to really fall off. Neil Barrett: Yeah, but well, I mean they don't have to fall off 'cause they're 'Cause even where they are right now, aren't they only aren't they like third? ⁓ they're top of the league. I'm an idiot. @HootSportsMedia: They're four and two right now. They're top of the league. You know, so they'd have to they'd literally have to fall off a cliff the second half of the season. And on top of that, the outlaws are second. Neil Barrett: Well, I don't think they have to fall off the cliff because they're four and two, but then there's five teams that are three and two or three and three. So they're they're @HootSportsMedia: But do we really think that any of those teams are I mean, the New York Atlas are three and three. Neil Barrett: Yeah. But look, they beat they beat the chaos by one goal in overtime. We we already don't think they're as good a as of a team as Denver. The whips are three and three, the chaos are three and three, the water dogs are three and two. If they if they slide two games and drop I mean right now it two games would drop them all the way to sixth. @HootSportsMedia: Including tiebreakers. Neil Barrett: Well no, that would put the that would put them @HootSportsMedia: 'Cause that's really that's really the issue here is the the the wins they already have with tiebreakers. If they can if they can get down to Neil Barrett: Well, but like Cali ⁓ California and Carolina are in the same division. They'll play again. Carolina wins that game. That's a two-game swing that also affects your tiebreakers. So that's why that's all I'm saying. Like I don't I don't think they have to fall off a cliff because of how bunched up everyone is. That that's all I'm saying. I I think I don't @HootSportsMedia: True. Yeah, but I just think they're so much better than these other teams. Neil Barrett: Are they? @HootSportsMedia: I think so. Neil Barrett: Listen, one of the storylines for this week is that I'm paying attention to is I have been saying that I don't think the water dogs are very good. But but if they win this week and like start a run, it's like, all right, I might have I might have to to step back on that. And to be fair, not very good is relative. Like they're certainly better than the cannons and the archers. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I mean anything can happen, but even e you gotta think, even if the outlook if the outlows are the favorite and they go back to the chip that already locks them into the seven pick, at that point you do kinda need you know you don't really need it, but you really want California to be a top three. Neil Barrett: Yeah. But it could. And there's also there's also room for them to to trade. I'd imagine I'd imagine being yeah, I'd imagine being good enough to make it back through the championship game this year. And like you you don't really need to like what are you gonna do with with those two picks? Like trade one of them and @HootSportsMedia: Which I guess could happen, but Yeah, yeah. I think they trade one. You're gonna go pick up Charlie Johnson and John Schroeder. Neil Barrett: Is that what you is that what you would do? ⁓ of this list? Obviously the you know, Sean Light might come out on. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, of this list. 'Cause 'cause in my head you're probably not getting B B V B man that's tough to say fast. You're probably not getting him. You have Pasino, so you don't really need AJ Larkin. There's no room for Petramala. ⁓ Neil Barrett: I gotta imagine Bobby Van Buren wouldn't be around. @HootSportsMedia: I mean maybe actually I mean maybe you take Max Sloat. Is that crazy to say? Neil Barrett: I love Max's game. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Because because Plunkett's gonna be gone in what a year with with army commitment. And the rest of the I mean, even with him, I don't think that midfield has been all that great. Outside of a JB ten slash Brandon O'Neal. So maybe you take a shot at him or or Ryan Colzey or something at MIDI. If you keep both picks, I still think they take a defender. Because Manley's gotta be I mean, I said this last year and he came back, so maybe he won't retire. But you gotta be thinking maybe he does retire. Neil Barrett: Yeah, but you l you lost Bernhardt right. Bernhardt left, right? @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, he he retired. I think he's technically like a scout or something for them, but he's done playing it. Yeah. Neil Barrett: Right, but he's not a player. and then and then yeah, I mean I I think we expect Mike Manley to hang it up. If not this year, ⁓ at the end of next year, at the latest. Right. That that's what that's what I was gonna say is like @HootSportsMedia: If nothing else, you've got to be prepared for it to come. And if we're talking about a draft that only has one meaningful round, I gotta think Sudo would take a defender. Of course I said the same thing last year and he traded three picks for Plunkett. Four picks for Plunkett. So this is not against Plunkett, to be clear. It's you know, it's just Neil Barrett: That's true. Listen, you'll trade you'll trade both your number ones for Max Slope. Really? ⁓ I like Max Sloat, but that's a that's a that's a price. I like Ma I like Max Sloat and I and I think his game @HootSportsMedia: I'd be I'd be fine with that pick. I mean it's I wouldn't trade those picks for him but Neil Barrett: should be, let's say should be better in the PLL than it is in the college game. The way that he plays, I think, translates to that. ⁓ though again, you know, a a Charlie Johnson or a a John Schroeder, maybe even a Riley Figueris, even though I'm not sure that he plays the same style. But that a a a kind of a longer term ⁓ you know what you know what would be crazy. Package both of them and move up. @HootSportsMedia: For who? Neil Barrett: Like you said, what? @HootSportsMedia: For who? Neil Barrett: Bobby Van Buren. @HootSportsMedia: You think you think B V B is worth two firsts? Not f two first rounders? Neil Barrett: It's really only one first rounder and a pick swap. @HootSportsMedia: Fair. But but you you still think he's worth coming off an ACL a full first. Neil Barrett: Here's the thing. Here's the thing. You need you need the best poll you can get. Who's the best poll in this draft? @HootSportsMedia: I guess technically they did get that other first for free, so you're not really losing anything. Neil Barrett: Right, right. You d it's it yeah. You you lost I mean I I I guess you @HootSportsMedia: I mean I'd I'd be down with that. I want I would I want B VB first of all that of the list that's that is listed here. But you know, assuming he doesn't make a trade, that's not happening. But if he does want to make a trade, I'd be fine with that. Neil Barrett: Let me let me ask you this. Would you because BBB is coming off of his second his second major injury, I think they've both been ACLs. And there's a little bit of a question about his health. If Sean Light comes out, would you feel better about the two firsts to trade up to get Sean Light? @HootSportsMedia: Yes. Neil Barrett: What's what's @HootSportsMedia: But and that's that's not because I think Sean Light's necessarily definitively gonna be a better pro. It's just it's the same thing with football. It's like if if you're tearing ACLs every couple of years, like at some point y you you gotta think about we're we're taking a first round draft pick on you and you're a contender, like that's tough. Neil Barrett: Yeah. No, I I get it. No, yeah. Yeah. Well, and and and it would for either of those guys, it almost definitely will involve packaging something and and and making a move to move up. But again, I go back to this is the crazy part of this this trade and the idea that this this first round pick isn't valuable, is that Denver has almost everything on the table for them with these two first round picks. They can do almost ⁓ there is not they can they could win the championship this year and still end up with the number one pick. It's not out of the realm of possibility. Now, if you're if you're Boston, are those two first round picks enough? @HootSportsMedia: I'd think so. Because I well okay, hang on, hang on, hang on. I think so. I don't think Brian Holman thinks so. Because I don't think he's gonna be willing to truly blow up that team enough to where he's gonna take two first rounders. And that's not even blowing up a team, but it's still two people that you're having to say, we're shipping you out to taking these two firsts. Neil Barrett: I would think so too. Well, here's my thing. They clearly need defensive help. They need a they need a poll. So, so so one, I I think the tough sell is we're not gonna let you take Sean Light. We need Sean Light. Like that's that's gonna be the issue. ⁓ un unless you you make it like, you know. @HootSportsMedia: I agree. Right. Right. Exactly. Then again, if you say if you say, Hey, here's two you know, here's a first and a pick swap, you can s they could still pick up two of these other poles that if if they really believe in in B V B you know, if if if if the two that we're considering are Sean Light B V B and we're viewing them in similar lights, no pun intended, maybe Boston says, like, Okay, take Sean Light and we'll take B V B and Charlie Johnson. Neil Barrett: Right, right. That that was what I was saying. I mean @HootSportsMedia: You know, like I could see it happening. Neil Barrett: Listen, you you wanna get better you want to get better quickly. Two first round picks is a way to do it. And and let's say, let's say they feel halfway decent about some of the some of their defenders or whatever. I I don't know how they feel about them. ⁓ but let's say they feel halfway decent about them and they want they take BvB or Sean Light, and then they take Max Sloat or someone and and And now you you've @HootSportsMedia: Or a a righty attackman, since they have a hold of fill there. Neil Barrett: Who's your who's your righty attackman? @HootSportsMedia: I don't know who. I'm just saying they have a hole to fill. Neil Barrett: It's Cody Molowski righty. He's I feel like he's probably lefty, isn't he? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ yeah, he's a lefty. But Neil Barrett: So's so's Don Petramola. Who who would be the righty @HootSportsMedia: If he was a righty. I d I don't know. I wasn't even thinking in terms of the draft. It was just a way for me to poke fun at the fact that they released Ashra Nulting. But I don't know who else would even Neil Barrett: Well, no, no, I got I understood that, but then my brain went down a rabbit hole of like Who would be the righty attack? I don't this walking @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ You know what? You know what? Just Brian Holman, just go and get some defenders because that's what you need. Neil Barrett: Hey, you know what? You know what you could say to Brian Holman? Hey, take these two firsts, you use them to go get you a righty attackman. You know, make a trade, f ⁓ who who's a righteous hackman they could go get? @HootSportsMedia: It's honestly too bad they don't have someone, you know, like a, I don't know, a Pat Kavanaugh. You know, he'd fill that hole perfectly. Neil Barrett: You're so angry. ⁓ well, fair. I @HootSportsMedia: I'm I'm very happy. Go lost. I'm just I just think it's hilarious. I just think yeah, I don't know. ⁓ that's a tough spot to be in. Neil Barrett: I I still think something has to have happened behind the scenes that like we just don't know. Cause like this I I think I put this in the group chat. This reminds me so much of Connor Fields in in what would have that have been? 2020. ⁓ and and and just the way that an MVP candidate was just like gone. And not playing. Well, actually it was worse then because they didn't have a protected roster. So he was literally dressing for games and just sitting on the bench. @HootSportsMedia: I don't know. I don't know. Neil Barrett: Like ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: I did not ask him last time I saw him, so maybe that's a question for the future future conversations. Neil Barrett: Fur who @HootSportsMedia: Prack have. I mean I'd like to know. I wouldn't put it out there publicly at all, but it's fun to think about. Anyway, we're going down a rabbit hole. Go here you go, Boston. Take these two first and take whoever you want. Sean Light, welcome to the squad. Neil Barrett: you know who they're not taking? Tom Schreiber. ⁓ little little tweet again from Zach Carey, who is apparently one of the one of the better beat writers. Actually, there there are lots of very good beat writers in the PLO. ⁓ he ⁓ tweeted out today that he asked Chris Bates about Tom Schreiber and Grant Amant's injury statuses. And he said, as we get deeper here, it becomes a little more unlikely. There's nothing imminent, no real positive window at this point that we're pointing to. We've got to prepare accordingly without them, is the quote from Chris Bates. ⁓ Grant is still young enough. ⁓ I think at some point we will see him back on the field. ⁓ But at at at what point are we just going to to say Tom Schreiber is done? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ I believe I said it ⁓ when he wasn't signed to the Toronto Rock last year. In fact I I think I specifically said, I feel like this is a I'm just not gonna play till the Olympics kind of thing. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. Pull like a a ⁓ a Greg. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to see him play again, but you know, he's getting up there in age and every year in the PL he gets injured or something and You know, he's he as we saw, like he can still be involved with the league in a you know, a microphone type of way. But like what in it for him, like what is what is in it for him right now? The Archers are not that great of a team, so that he's really not contending unless something d drastically changed. You know, even if he's making a decent PL salary, it's probably not great enough to keep ya Coming back when you're not feeling the best physically. And then you know if the Olympics are around the corner, you can go out with a bang potentially and only play a few games there and win a gold medal. Neil Barrett: Yeah. I I wonder if he's still he was at one point involved in the front office of the league. I wonder if he still is. I have a feeling he's not, but @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, maybe he is. I mean who who knows? Neil Barrett: Yeah. ⁓ he ⁓ I I do I I do think that Greg is is kind of ⁓ Greg Beast, Gorinlian, that's his last name. ⁓ for anyone who doesn't know, retired in twenty seventeen from the MLL, took the year off to get right so that he could play in the world championships in twenty eighteen. ⁓ And then that was supposed to be the end of his career, but and at the World Championships in twenty eighteen is when they found out that the PL was coming and ⁓ he was kind of talked into playing that first ⁓ twenty nineteen PL season. ⁓ so the president is there. ⁓ it does feel a little weird to be this far out, ⁓ and and and be like, Yeah, he's not coming back until the Olympics. ⁓ But I @HootSportsMedia: I mean maybe he comes back in that season before and plays a couple of games. I just like I said, he's just I I know for me, if I was injured every year and it and and it wasn't like a constant injury, it was like a new thing, I'd be like, All right, I Like at what point is it not worth it? Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean @HootSportsMedia: Especially coming off of two two chips too. Like it's worth it when you're winning and you have a great team, but Neil Barrett: Well, part of me it won is like how much how much do they need him? I mean, clearly they do. but you know, ⁓ I this is so down a rabbit hole. I'm I'm wondering I I've been thinking a lot about I had a kid ask me about what the water dogs needed. And ⁓ I I'm Trying to do a video on it, but I've just been like, what do the water dogs need? Like they if you look at their roster on paper, they don't really need anything. I mean, you you could maybe argue that they could get a little bit better in goal if they if they, you know, moved on from Matt DeLuca. ⁓ they could maybe get a little bit better at the face-off dot if they moved on from Stathcus and or Farrell. ⁓ but but generally speaking, I mean. That's starting a that's starting defense is insane. The attack is insane. The midfielder like they have d all the talent in the world in midfield. I I guess, you know, Dylan Hess being out is is probably hurting them a little bit, but ⁓ you know, that I I still feel like they're they're pretty good in in the short stick defensive midfield category. So one of the things that I thought was I would like to see them have a midfield initiator ⁓ that that I I feel like teams need someone in from the midfield who can who can be that party starter for them. And really make defenses have to defend from both sides. But then I got to thinking about it and I was looking around the league and I was like, man, I don't think anybody really has that. I I mean Denver does because one of those four Tawaraton guys is going to run out of the box and is going to be a party starter for them. But then when you look outside of that, it's like, how many of the the other teams really have a a true initiator from the midfield. ⁓ Tom's one of the the few, and the archers I think were the last team to really win while having a a midfield initiator as well as an attackman ⁓ who was doing that. ⁓ What do you th do is there anything there in your mind? This is such a random question. Sorry. I meant to the midfield initiator thing. @HootSportsMedia: Defense. ⁓ I don't think it matters, I'll be honest. I don't I think I think it can help. But like I don't I've never once looked at like again, it's unfair because the outlaws have the Toritons and Jerry Bernhardt, his initiating is just I'm gonna run by ya so you don't have to worry about it. But like I look at a team like them and I'm like get it to the attack that's already very good and it doesn't really matter what your what your midfield is doing. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Sure, but that's Well, but my point is that running past your defender is all it really takes, is someone who can consistently cause that defense to have to rotate to to slide and recover and all of that. That's all it really takes because if if you can beat your man and draw a slide, you bang the the ball around and and you get it to that backside. Like that's that is lacrosse one ⁓ one. Beat as as Coach Danowski puts it, beat your man score a goal. And that doesn't necessarily mean you beat your man and score a goal, beat your man, score a goal, or you draw a slide, bang it to the backside real quick, and and there's a guy wide open because the ball moves faster than than people's feet and and they have to recover to the backside. So I think even what Jared Bernhardt does for the outlaws works. Like that's enough. How many how many guys though in the league, how many teams are carrying someone in the midfield that you consistently see initiating, beating ⁓ their man. Like Brian Costabil's having a great season. Do we think do we think he's beating his man, drawing doubles and and moving the ball and you know, finding passes? I I don't feel like that's what he's doing. @HootSportsMedia: He's a bucket getter to me. Neil Barrett: Right, right. No, no, and and and that's part of part of what ⁓ what had me reevaluating was looking around the league and being like, almost nobody has that. So maybe maybe I it's just how I want to play and I feel like it's important, but it's not actually something that this league really requires. That being said, the one team that we're talking about doing it. @HootSportsMedia: And that's fine. That's not a a knock. That's just that's what he does. Neil Barrett: is the team that we all think is the best team in the league and the favorite to win the championship. So i I don't know. I didn't mean to six, seven you, I was those were the scales. ⁓ I'm doing it outside of the screen. This is so when I clip this it won't be seen. ⁓ but yeah, so anyway, that was a a totally random question. ⁓ I'll wrap up here where the It was All Star Weekend. I thought we'd have a short episode and it's going to end up being like the longest episode we've ever done. ⁓ but all always before before we get out of here, what what you got going on this week, man? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ shooting thrift con. Neil Barrett: What is thriftcon? @HootSportsMedia: I wish I could tell you. ⁓ It appears it appears to be Neil Barrett: Fair. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: An event where you thrift clothing items. But it sounds like there's gonna be vendors there that also sell items and there's gonna be like musical performances and like some panels that talk about thrifting, I guess. I don't I don't fully know. Neil Barrett: Is it like a it sounds like it's like a like a card show for clothes? @HootSportsMedia: Yes, it is. It's it yes, it's that. That's what it is. But I don't know how it's set up. I don't know if it's just like you know, ⁓ a bunch of businesses just bring like bins or So I I'm interested to see what happens. I've I've looked up some some previous, you know, videos from it, and it seems to be pretty much just you go around, you you buy stuff, you know, there's like a Different activations kind of stuff to kinda show off different trends and stuff and ⁓ Travy McCoy will be there if you know who that is, so that's that'll be kinda cool. I think he's I think he's performing, but yeah, so who knows? It should be a fun event. Neil Barrett: I do know who that is. Why that feels so weird. For anyone who doesn't know, Travy McCoy is the lead singer of Gym Class Heroes. ⁓ le lead singer, lead rapper. I don't know what you call ⁓ but I @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Sings Billionaire with Bruno Mars, yeah. Neil Barrett: ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah. He does I saw have you ever seen Jim Class? I'd imagine I'd imagine even his solo stuff is a very similar thing. ⁓ Thoroughly entertaining. He's a very like fun front man. ⁓ I I saw him in well, I saw Jim class in 2005, I think. and it was really weird because I don't I think I knew them, but only just and wasn't really sure what to expect. It was the first time I'd ever seen like a rap group like perform at like a venue. ⁓ Or they were playing like music ⁓ instruments and stuff. ⁓ but the weird he's one of those front men who does like weird, random, entertaining things. So in the middle of one of the songs, he fish hooked himself and was like still performing. I don't know. It was weird but kinda like fun and and and enjoyable. ⁓ I wonder I wonder if his band still plays with him. Even though he does stuff more solo. I I gotta imagine he'll perform some gym class stuff. So that'll be cool. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: I don't know. Who knows? I just know he'll be there, so Neil Barrett: And wait, so wait, what are you do are you photographing it? Interesting. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. It's it's two days. The actual time I'll I'll be there will be short, but I need to deliver everything, so it'll end up being like ten to twelve hour days, both days probably, but It's something different for sure, so Neil Barrett: Are you gonna sh are you gonna shoot Trav's performance? @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, that's yeah, that's part of the part of the requirement. So there's a whole shot list that's crazy. Neil Barrett: If if he f if he fish hooks himself, you better send me that picture. @HootSportsMedia: I I will try to. Yeah. I I haven't seen him I didn't even know he was still like doing music stuff. And then I was like looking at everything and it was like, ⁓ yeah, Travis McCoy's gonna perform and I was just like, Who's gonna perform? Like you know what I mean? That's ⁓ I'm ⁓ dude, they're sponsored by eBay. They're sponsored by Tide Detergent. Neil Barrett: Ha ha ha. That feels like a big get for thrift con. I mean I I guess that makes a lot of sense actually. Those are great endemic sponsors. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, but yeah, so ⁓ it it should be a fun event, but that's ⁓ yeah, it it when I tell you my my summer went from bare and dry to like every weekend I have something until August. So if you need something in August, PSA hit me up. I I got I got some time in August. I have no time in July, so Neil Barrett: I'm really I'm really glad we're doing a lacrosse podcast where you are occupied every weekend. @HootSportsMedia: Look, I do what I can, all right? I I I I watch I watch what I can. I'll have it on my phone. I'll be listening to it. ⁓ you know, I try to watch highlights and such, but yeah, there's some weekends that people are like, You see that? I'm like, nope. Neil Barrett: No, I appreciate it. It's so f it's just funny. It's it sucks too 'cause it sucks too cause s there are there are often times when I'm watching games at work. Like I'll I have two monitors and I'll put one up on a monitor while I'm working on the other one. But I'm like, I feel like you don't you don't really have that opportunity. Like if you miss it, you just you just miss it. @HootSportsMedia: No. Yeah, thankfully like I'm able to game sync, you know, beginning of the game 'cause once that's happen I'm like I can't Neil Barrett: Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: You know, but ⁓ yeah, should be fun nonetheless. ⁓ I've never done a a a convention, I guess you'd call it, so who knows? I doubt the sports fans listening to this will will be curious about that. But hey, maybe you will and you'll enjoy it. I don't know. Neil Barrett: Listen, I don't know what our audience is or who they are, but I gotta imagine that s at least some of them are excited about Travis McCoy. @HootSportsMedia: I I hope so. I mean that's a that's a good get. Neil Barrett: Well well I listen, I'm impressed. I'm impressed. But but maybe there's maybe it's just like lacrosse where like when you're in it, there's like this whole big world and like, you know, everything. But if you're outside of it, you're just like, wait, that's a thing. So I yeah. You'll have to you'll I'll look forward to the report next week when you get back. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Neil Barrett: But that is going to do it for this week. If you enjoyed this episode, the Lax Lifers Club is where our community lives between episodes. It's a Discord for fans watching lacrosse year-round whenever their jobs allow them to. Not just when the all-star game is on aka a lifer. The link to join is in the description. Across social media, you can find me at I am Neil Barrett and Brandon at Hoot Sports Media. If you haven't yet, rate and review the show on whatever platform you are listening on. It takes about 30 seconds and it genuinely helps people find the show. But we will be back next week. So until then, as always, we'll catch you guys in the comments.