Charlotte Loses it's North

Neil Barrett: Welcome, welcome, welcome to the run out. I am Neil Barrett. He is Brandon Hooton. We have so much going on this week. The defending champion Atlas are in a full blown free fall. The MVP race is getting heated up, and the biggest star in the entire sport just went down for the year. But before we get into that, as always, Brandon, how are we doing, man? @HootSportsMedia: Good, good. Was a ⁓ a busy weekend for myself. Busy Saturday really. ⁓ shot a lacrosse tournament last minute. So wasn't able to watch, you know, too many of the games live, but I was keeping up with it and trying to shoot as well and ⁓ that was fun. Sour boy Drey Lax over there coaching, so that was cool. ⁓ grad party, birthday party, tons of stuff. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Shout out Dre. @HootSportsMedia: Sat or Sunday, I guess. Just attending. Just attending. Yeah, no. Do not ask me to shoot a birthday party. I will not do it. That's a lie, maybe. Neil Barrett: Shooting it or just like attending it? Okay. I just didn't know 'cause I was like, I think he's a I think he's a little old to do grad parties, but I guess he could have some slightly younger friends. @HootSportsMedia: Hey, I I would do a grad party if someone wanted to. ⁓ but yeah, then Sunday we have this thing called the Chalk Art Festival. That's ⁓ downtown Denver. It's just like a big collection of artists doing chalk pictures essentially. But it's much more detailed than what you're thinking of. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's like it's Neil Barrett: art festival. Gotcha. @HootSportsMedia: Definitely there's a wide range of of experience there. You do you can definitely tell like who's been doing it a long time and who's kinda newer, but it's fun. There's fun vendors. I got like man, probably fifteen pounds of pineapple at the end of it for ten bucks. Which was sick. They have dude, they have a pineapple vendor, right? It's like a truck. And you can get like drinks and a pineapple. So every year Neil Barrett: Fifteen pounds. @HootSportsMedia: My girlfriend and I get a pineapple with a drink in it. It's non alcoholic, it's just like a smoothie, but like it's really good. It's it's a fun thing to have. So we went back at the end of the day and they had a cooler of just like sliced pineapple they were clearly trying to get rid of for five bucks a bag. And so we found two big bags of pineapple and bought it. It's awesome. Best ten bucks ever spent, by far. Neil Barrett: Well all right, alright. Have you ever had freeze dried pineapple? I think it was freeze dried. @HootSportsMedia: No. I didn't even know that was a thing. Neil Barrett: It made it I can't remember if it was freeze dried or sun-dried. I think it was freeze dried, because I've had sun dried before. And that's kinda like soft. I don't know. Anyway, this girl when I was right before I left New Hampshire, this girl that I know was like all about it and she made us try it and it was okay. I d I don't love pineapple. ⁓ like I like it. It's fine. But ⁓ I th so I thought this was okay. But if you love pineapple, I would imagine that you would you would really like that. So give it a shot if you find it. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I I put pineapple in my smoothie, so that's why I bought it. Mainly was to freeze it and do that every day. But like eating some pineapple too, I don't know if you've ever had like roasted ⁓ pineapple too, like in the oven. A little bit of cinnamon on top. A one. It is a one, trust me. Neil Barrett: Man, people come to this show and they get so much out of it. We're we don't just do lacrosse. We got @HootSportsMedia: No, we we could we could do a whole pineapple segment. I I'll talk about all the pineapple. Yes, yes. Neil Barrett: Yeah, we got culinary arts. We got let's see. I was at the games this weekend. that was fun. Got to hang out with our buddy Michael Harrison, ⁓ got to got to see the @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ the the drummer guy. Neil Barrett: ⁓ excuse me, the the drummer guy. ⁓ got to see the palms win. ⁓ in a in a fun game. Got to meet some of the palms. That was cool. Got to ⁓ meet ⁓ Ali Masterini and and me and Marie Cool had been t tweeting back and forth a little bit, so I got to meet her and be like, Hey yeah, ⁓ name name to face. ⁓ that was cool. Got to see Scotty, or our but our our buddy Scotty, Yeah, was it was fun. The games are great. I burned myself. I don't know if you guys can see the if you're on ⁓ let's see what it's kind of it's kind of actually faded in a little bit. It was i I was ⁓ pinker more pink than this shirt. ⁓ it was really bad. Yeah, yeah, that's right. I posted one in in ⁓ Lax Lifers. ⁓ it was really bad. It was it was really and that was only one game. The whole rest of the time I was in the shade. That was one game. @HootSportsMedia: It was a bad photo. Neil Barrett: That it was the it was actually the poems game. It was one game and I tried so hard to get sunscreen. I th I stopped three times on the way down trying to find some sunscreen and I couldn't find sunscreen anywhere. And ⁓ And I was like, ⁓ it's fine. I had on pants. Like I was smart enough to wear pants. And I was like, ⁓ it'll be all right. I'll I'll just kind of, you know, hide my arms or whatever and try and stay out. I it did not work. It did not work at all. So yeah, ⁓ I was I was at the games. It's it's gonna be interesting to hear your thoughts on what you what you did get to see versus what somebody mentioned something to me earlier today and I was like, ⁓ I didn't I don't even I didn't even re ⁓ No, you know what was? You know that did you see the play ⁓ they it was all over social media too where the the girl I cannot remember if I want to say it was Emily La Emily Pinto, but I don't remember if it was her or not. She saved it. Taylor Mur Taylor Moreno got out of the goal and then lost the ball and they took a shot and she saved it with her stick. We were ⁓ dude, it was incredible. And we watching it live @HootSportsMedia: No, I did not say this. Neil Barrett: We didn't know what happened. It looked like the girl just shot and just like missed. And we were like, What the heck? And so when when I finally got home later that night and saw the clip, I like sent it to ⁓ to Michael Harrison. I like, Yo, remember that that play we couldn't figure out why that girl had missed? This is what happened. This girl the other girl had saved it and we were like, Holy crap. ⁓ So yeah, anyway, it's just it's interesting when you're there versus like watching it on TV. Because obviously you don't you don't generally get much of a replay, you know, maybe on a video board or something, and ⁓ and you also don't have, you know, anyone telling you anything that's happening on the field. So ⁓ we'll get into it later. But when Charlotte North went down, we didn't know who it was. There was just there was just someone on the ground for a long time, and then ⁓ it happened at a weird time. So there were do they have a did they have an autograph alley in Utah when you were there? @HootSportsMedia: No, th they just kinda do it where like the players go to the stands. Like you know, there's like a barrier and they just go down and like sign. That's okay. Kind of. Like that was on one side, but then the other side where the players basically walk through the stands and there's technically an alley, but it's like such short like it's not like what you saw where it's like a full on, like, you know they can walk down and it's it's like ten people can fit there and then everyone else is just like reaching over trying to like kinda get stuff from the stairs, but Neil Barrett: Yeah. It's interesting 'cause the the last time I was in Charlotte was i in twenty twenty three and they didn't have anything like that. I was I actually was on the field and there was nothing for anyone to get like an autograph or or do anything. But then the last two years in Boston, they where the players go into the locker room, there's a big long walkway and you can line up along it and and everyone does it. It's literally right there on the corner of the field. So then this year they had like an they had actually set up like an a an autograph alley. And at the with like five minutes left in the fourth quarter, they let they let you start going down to it. And so that I was actually on my way over there. And Michael Harrison was leaving 'cause the WLL game was at one and then and then there was the big break before the five thirty is when the PLO games restarted. And so we both were like, ⁓ someone's hurt and w and whatever and it wasn't until I got all the way down into Autograph Alley and actually Somebody from our group chat messaged and was like, ⁓ man, ⁓ it was Brian. It was Brian messaged and was like, ⁓ Charlotte North just I think he said tore her ACL. And then we ⁓ I I guess it replayed a few times and I was like, What? And no nobody over there knew all the all these little girls were over there trying to meet Charlotte North. Like she was clearly the number one that everyone wanted to meet. And and I I felt bad, but I was like, Yeah, I don't think she's coming, guys. But I I was @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: like the one that had to break the news to this crew of young girls and then and then they brought a cart over and and actually carted her out and all these little girls were like heartbroken and I was like, ⁓ man. Not not that that's like the most important part when you know Charlotte North has torn her Achilles, but ⁓ just terrible all around. ⁓ but yeah, all that to say no I no idea what was going on. So ⁓ with With that awkward transition, I guess we'll ⁓ we'll get into the the games this weekend. We will start with the Utah Archers absolutely smacking around the Carolina Chaos on Friday night. Mac O'Keefe went off for seven goals, tying the PL single game goal record. he joins a list of ⁓ An incredible list. ⁓ Will Manny, Jeff Teat, Westburg, and Brennan O'Neill as the only players to ever do it. ⁓ I don't know about you. I was surprised Wesberg was on this list. Like Will Manny, I remember he when he did it. I don't really remember Jeff Teat doing it, but I'm not surprised that Jeff Teat is on the list. I think most everyone remembers Brennan O'Neal. I'm I'm surprised Westburg has seven goals not not I'm surprised he has seven goals. He's a great player. ⁓ it just surprised me to hear to see his name on that list. But ⁓ I dunno I don't know if you were like, No, I remember that. @HootSportsMedia: I mean, I don't remember it, but it doesn't shock me 'cause he tends to kinda have a game or two a year that in in box or field that kinda surprises people, I think. Like and and we've seen more of that too, I think, recently, with his NL role expans I don't wanna come a role player, but like as he's kind of matured and and become the captain, it's like it's on him now to deliver a lot more, so it's not as surprising, I think, at least in the box game. But field I think most people probably wouldn't guess him. Neil Barrett: Yeah. I wouldn't I don't think I would have been surprised if if he had a five goal game. Like that I can see him like you said, if you told me once a year Westburg has a five goal game, I wouldn't be surprised at all. Seven felt like a number that would be a lot more noteworthy. Like it it feels like it's something that would be hard to like go under the radar. And yet I I don't I don't think if you gave people ten ten guesses, Westburg would have come up. As an option on this list. ⁓ but anyway, ⁓ seven different archers scored in this game, and and probably one of the more surprising factoids, considering where the archers are in the league standings, is that Utah's defense has still not allowed a team to reach double digits all season. They average seven point seven five goals allowed per game, which is insane. ⁓ and I I wondered what you thought about this Utah defense and whether or not ⁓ we'll we'll talk about this in a minute, but it's not just Brett Dobson. Brett Dobson is obviously Brett Dobson. He's incredible. Nick Washuda w played the first two games, Brett Dobson has played the last two. Their save percentages are nearly identical. ⁓ so it's not just The goalie play, even though I think the goalie play has been good, this defense has been very good. And I'm I'm wondering how good you think this this Archers team can be. Is that is that defense enough to carry them? Maybe not necessarily to a championship, but after I I'd say this time last week, we thought, okay, they're gonna be the worst team in the league, period. ⁓ I'm I'm wondering if they're ⁓ Are they a playoff team that can make some noise or what do you think? @HootSportsMedia: I mean seventy five percent of the league makes the playoffs, so sure. ⁓ I you know, I don't it's gonna be tough 'cause I think they're in a s funny enough, Brett Dobson is on the short end of the stick twice now with ⁓ this is the same situation that Georgia was in in the NLL, I think, where it's like y the you know, how long Ken to actually keep you in it. The bright side of this situation is there's only twelve Neil Barrett: That's why I'm saying make some noise, not just make the playoffs. @HootSportsMedia: you know, regular season game, so there's a shorter time that you need to, you know, keep it going. But ⁓ no, I think they're first and foremost just a very good defense. You can tell that they're put together top to bottom and and there's a lot of guys that they can swap out to play different roles. ⁓ as far as like the whole, you know, haven't allowed anyone to score over ten yet, I would argue there's a few players that just straight up missed a lot of their shots, ⁓ against them. If you really watch it back, they're Neil Barrett: Any anyone anyone you wanna you wanna name? @HootSportsMedia: Everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about. The biggest one. ⁓ again, and this happens against every team, it's not just them, but because we're talking about them, like I do think there's gonna come a time when teams just hit shots and that's it is what it is. ⁓ but I think they've done a nice job of I mean, like like I I think I was on their show last week when I was talking about, you know, I'm not gonna cross off Bates' crazy idea of a ton of short stick defensive midfielders because Neil Barrett: Ha ha ha. @HootSportsMedia: Who's to say it doesn't work? And then this type of thing happens and you can tell their defense is is playing lights out. And then on top of that, you find an offensive spark with Mac O'Keefe finally and and Trailer Clar I Trailer Clarek got me negative points last week in fantasy, pops off with like sixty this week. Like it's stuff like that where their office was nowhere to be found the first couple of weeks and then they finally, you know, get it going. So it's gonna really in my opinion depend on not just them playing well defensively, but is their offense gonna show up and play well? You know, and and they did this against Blaze, which is great, but how can that be sustained? I don't know. Neil Barrett: My part of my issue is I almost feel like this was a bit of a red herring for that offense. I thought Blaze I thought this was one of those games that got stick talk in trouble a little bit when they were talking about Blaze needs LASIK. Like I was watching this game and I was like, what is happening? Blaze Blaze wasn't saving anything in that game. @HootSportsMedia: Ha ha ha ha. Yeah. Neil Barrett: The ⁓ I I can't remember if it was the first goal or the second goal. There was the one where McOKeefee had that had that shot. He shot it low, and he was like he was just above GLE. He was like a step or two above GLE. He had like no room. And if you watch Blaze's body position, when when McO Keefe catches the ball, he hasn't even like pulled back to start shooting. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: Blaze's feet are together and kind of bent to the sideways. He's like like hunched over in this really weird way. And he doesn't move at all. And and Mac O'Keefe just shoots the ball right past his ankle into the far corner. And I was like, What's happening? And look, Blaze is a great goalie. Like I I'm not complaining. But I feel like that's a save he would have Not necessarily made. It could have been it could have been that it was a very good shot. But I was just surprised at how little he was reacting to things. ⁓ it felt like this is this is a a reference that's gonna date me and you probably won't know it this reference at all. Do you remember the cartoon Daria at all? Okay. It was an it was a cartoon on MTV in the late nineties, early two thousands, and the opening the the credits I I actually think it was a scene from the first episode, but ⁓ Daria was this like There w it was before emo was a thing, but she was kind of like a an er an emo kid, and she's in gym class and they're playing volleyball and some kid like spikes the ball and it goes flying past her. And after it hits the ground and goes out, then she moves her hand in the way, like to try and stop it. And I felt like that was a lot of blaze this week. Obviously not to that extent, but just a lot of like the balls already passed him and he just didn't even react. I w and it was like, what is happening? ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Which is crazy 'cause he still had seventeen saves. Neil Barrett: I know, I know. And to be fair, I think probably a l a l that was heavier in the first half, and then I think he picked it up. But I it felt like a lot of a lot of the damage had already been done by that point, and they just couldn't they couldn't really get it going to be fair to Blaze. He was he was definitely better in that second half. ⁓ but but yeah, ⁓ it just I don't know, it just it didn't work for me much on that end. I also thought the defense for the chaos looked terrible. ⁓ there were so many times where their movement was creating offense for the archers, where they weren't tracking runners. I I would I don't know the statistics or anything for this, but I I'd be really interested to see how many of the archers' goals came off of a guy who was basically unguarded. ⁓ I they just looked rough. And so all that to say, I I feel like the Archers offensive performance might be a little bit of a red herring and might be something that ⁓ we can't put too much stock in. Obviously we'll see over the next few well, not this week 'cause they're off, but ⁓ over the next few games ⁓ and and see if if this if they can continue this. It 'cause I I think if they can continue this, like you said, like they they could be good. ⁓ I I'm not sure that I'm even if they even if the offense starts clicking, I'm still not sure that I I'd go as far as saying that Bates's method worked, but it's certainly working on the defensive end, you know. Can't can't really argue with that. And then and like we have said many times over the NLL season and now the PL season, when Brett Dobson's in the net, you're always gonna have a sh a chance. You know. If you can if you can hold teams to less than eight goals, ⁓ ironic that that was his number for the the swarm as well this year. Was for most of the sea. I think it finished just over eight, didn't it? Didn't it like the last two weeks or something? ⁓ or ⁓ or maybe the playoffs. @HootSportsMedia: Probably, but it was it was basically right there. Neil Barrett: Yeah, yeah. ⁓ so funny funny that in both indoor and outdoor ⁓ he's he's right at that eight goal a game margin, but ⁓ I don't know, just ⁓ interesting. I also am not sure and and feel free to push back on on this, I'm not sure that ⁓ you can count on Mac O'Keefe to have not that he he won't have three or four goals a game, but like seven. @HootSportsMedia: I don't think you can count on any player to have seven. That's not realistic at all in the slightest. I mean, again, we're talking about a guy who had a very slow start to the season and then finally had seven. It wasn't like he just ⁓ had a good game. He like exploded all at once. So y you know, it's there they have other guys that I think can can, you know, score more, but I th this and that's what I'm saying too, like with the Red Herring, it's like y it was really one guy diced you up. I mean Neil Barrett: Sure, sure. I mean that's fair. Yeah. Well and and they didn't they didn't do anything to shor. Yeah. Right. Right. @HootSportsMedia: Don't get me wrong, there was other guys that were dish in the rock pretty well, but like it was it was Mac O'Keefe and that was about it. Neil Barrett: Yeah, yeah. And and for the life of me I can't figure out why you know, in the fourth quarter, how is he still getting open looks? He's already shredded you all game. @HootSportsMedia: It was almost like they just chose to just like let him beat them. They're like, We'll stop everybody else. Just let and it's just like but we're not sliding at all. We're not stepping up. He I think it was him that he had one where he like came over the top, pump faked, defender just like bites so hard and backs up and he just runs another four steps and gets an easy like I was like, W step up like I I would rather you step up and get beat. Neil Barrett: No. @HootSportsMedia: As opp ⁓ instead of just like watching him and just be like, ⁓ no, I have to back up. Like now he's like seven feet from the cage. Easy goal. I'm like, come on, guys. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Well and and to your point I wondered too, especially early in that game, if they had kind of decided like, okay, we're gonna let we're gonna let Mac get his shots and and almost dare him to beat you. But like I said, in the fourth quarter when he's got six goals, why haven't we changed the tactic? It it's not working. Like let's figure something out. And and I don't know that it was the tactic. What? @HootSportsMedia: I mean after he had three goals we should have already stopped. A even after you had three goals, y y you should have immediately like, All right, we need to probably switch the matchups or find a way to double or hedge or something 'cause again, he was getting just open looks all game long and it was like, ⁓ okay Neil Barrett: Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I I don't know. We'll I Both of the both of these teams, I'm like, I don't know how much we can take from this game. Because the ⁓ the other side of it is, I I talk about this a lot in college. Sometimes it's just a matchup. It's just a favorable matchup for one team. And as Jackson likes to point out, our friend on Empty the Quiver Pod, they they have Carolina's number. Which is crazy to say 'cause it's been three different coaches across what, four seasons now, playing different styles. You know, the the the team the team that Andy Towers had doesn't even kind of resemble this team. And yet for some reason, the Archers just absolutely destroy the the chaos every single year. So I don't know I don't know what that is, but you know, I it's hard for me to @HootSportsMedia: I mean the chaos returned the favor to Denver. It's the exact same situation. Neil Barrett: We'll get to that later. Let's move over to the second game of the weekend on Friday night that saw the California Redwoods beat the New York Atlas 12-11. California closes out the game despite a late Atlas push. The Redwoods are now 2-1, and the Atlas. I did say that right, right? Yeah, the Redwoods are now 2-1, and the Atlas dropped their third straight. And The bottom kind of feels like it's falling out for the Atlas. They are in last place in the East, and they have the worst score differential in the league. ⁓ lots of lots of discussion about this team and and what the causes are. Obviously, Jeff Teat isn't ⁓ being out with injury and and missing the entire season isn't is an issue. ⁓ Obviously losing Gavin Adler did not help your defense. And then they are now on their third offensive coordinator. Obviously, since they won the championship last year, Scott Brooks obviously left for Carolina. And then Kevin Cassis. What'd I say? @HootSportsMedia: Steven, Steven Brooks. Scott. Neil Barrett: Dude @HootSportsMedia: Scott has never coached lacrosse to my knowledge. I mean it's it's S. Brooks, I get it. It's you know, no one would have probably caught it, but Neil Barrett: Well, and I d I did it when we when we talked about it during the championship series. There w I did it. And I don't even I I don't even think I've s I've thought about Scott Brooks since twenty twelve. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. Shout out Scott Brooks. Hey, I apparently you think about him quite often, 'cause he's rent free back there. Neil Barrett: Apparently he's just he just buried in there somewhere. That's right. That's right. Anyway, Steven Brooks left for Carol. I'm honestly I'm surprised that you catch it so quickly. I don't know I don't know if that's one of those @HootSportsMedia: I you know why? It's because when I used to play 2K, I'd always put my My Player on the Thunder. So I heard Scott Brooks like so many times that now when you say it, it's like a like a trigger, like that's okay see thunder. That's okay. Yeah. It's just just nostalgia hits me. I'm like, that's not who coaches them. Neil Barrett: You get transported back. Cause literally you say it so fast and I have to like process what you said and then like think about it and everything. And that's why I'm like I'm like a two sentences later, I'm like, wait, did he tell me that I just said Scott Brooks again? Like, wait, okay. All right. So Steven Brooks left for Carolina in the offseason. Kevin Cassis was hired to replace him, and then Kevin Cassis As we all know, was hired as the UVA head coach and all of that drama. So he left the Atlas coaching job, and now Scott Urick has been promoted into the role. So they are in their th they're on their third offensive coordinator since they won the championship last season. That's obviously going to have some effect on your ability to play. Everyone is kind of Filling in new roles everywhere on that team. ⁓ offensive coordinator, you know, the the offense is having to reshape itself, the defense is having to reshape itself. ⁓ but and and they're they're certainly not out of it. ⁓ they started one and two last year, won the title. The Water Dogs in 2022 started one and three, won it all. like you mentioned earlier, 75% of the league makes the playoffs. So All you gotta do is make it in. ⁓ you know, the Carolina Chaos made a a living out of that early in the the the PL with by you know winning two games in the regular season, barely squeaking into the playoffs and then making a run all the way to the championship game. So they're not out of it, but it it certainly feels like they got a lot to figure out real quick. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, playing against Prime Dylan Ward'll do that to you. Neil Barrett: I got we we we'll talk about Dylan Ward ⁓ later. ⁓ he was good in this game. Like for sure. You do. @HootSportsMedia: Talk Dylan Ward all the time. Dude dude is dude is going crazy right now. Neil Barrett: You wanna you wanna talk about living rent free in somebody's head. Dylan Ward. @HootSportsMedia: deservingly so. Sixty percent again? Neil Barrett: He's I I was gonna say he's he's playing phenomenally ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: And I'm gonna be honest, people keep talking about Jeff T being out. Welcome to Pro Lacrosse. Every team is missing someone, they have missed someone. This is what the Als have done with it all year long. In fact, the guy that filled in did an all right job, I think. They're just not connecting with each other right now. Neil Barrett: Well I I I agree with you on the thought that I think we're putting too much of this on Jeff Teat and Gavin Adler. Gavin Adler went to the Water Dogs. It ain't really helped them a whole lot. this this offense still has Connor Schellenberger on it, Xander Dixon, Matt Traynor, ⁓ Brian Cosabillo like there are dudes up and ⁓ they got Matt Rambo now. Who you know, I I don't @HootSportsMedia: Look, look, he he had a good game. We can give him that. He had a good Honestly, if we want to talk about th just this game specifically, not the other games, because I again I do think the teat thing is kind of an excuse when like Denver went two and one without Pat Cav. ⁓ a bunch of other teams were missing tons of their roster with NLL in college. And and I'm not downplaying Jeff T being gone. He's one of the best players in the world. But it's just like one of those things like you just won the title, you retained most of your roster, you know Neil Barrett: Of of course not. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: In this game, I think it's more so like Trainer wasn't able to play, Costabil wasn't able to play. I would argue those two guys being out make more of a difference right now than okay, this guy that hasn't played all year for us is still gonna be out all year. You gotta figure it out. And especially when like I know what people like to talk about like the coaching carousel. I'm sorry, it's an excuse. You just won the title with these guys. It there's no way that you hired a new coach and that coach came in and was like, We're Neil Barrett: Yeah. No, I I'd agree. @HootSportsMedia: Overhauling the whole system 'cause clearly we need it, guys. Like, no. And s and Kevin Cass how long was Cassis even really there to, you know, make this big impact? Like, they they just need to just get some synergy. That's a new word for the pod. Synergy, that's a good word. And and and I think they'll be fine. You know what I mean? I mean they won fifty-six percent percent of the face offs. I mean, NT didn't have a great day, but are we expecting him to play like this pretty much ever again? Probably not. Brett Maycar was Crazy in the game. A and then also the woods got back some very you know, a lot of firepower. Neil Barrett: Crazy. Yeah. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: So I'm not saying you're making the excuses for them. I just keep hearing it over and over and I'm kinda like over it at this point. Neil Barrett: No, I'm no, I'm I'm right there with you. I I don't understand why we're like, ⁓ it's it's because of X players gone. And I'm like, look at this roster. This roster is still incredible. And it's like, yeah, Matt Trainer missed this game. But he was he was there for the other games. Brian Costabia was there for the other games. Liam Intamin was in goal for the other games. They just got Trevor Baptiste back, but. That that hasn't you know even even with Jeff Teat out, you know they still have they have three PLL MVPs on this roster? And you wanna and and and we wanna act like, ⁓ no, it's just because Jeff Teat's gone? It's just because Gavin Adler's gone? I'm not saying that that ⁓ like you said, obviously missing a guy like Jeff Teat is going to change some things. And if they were @HootSportsMedia: Psha yah. Neil Barrett: If they went from a championship level team to a mid-level team, okay, maybe it's okay, there's some growing pains here. There's some there's some stuff going on. But like you said, most of your roster is still there and you are the worst team in the league. And most of your players don't look even as good as they looked last, you know, in September. Liam Intamin has not looked like Liam Intamin. Now, is the defense in front of him going through some growing pains and that's not helping? Sure. But again, we're not talking about a a dip in form. We're we're looking at like a Warren Hill falling off the cliff level of play. So the idea that it's as simple as, ⁓ they're missing Jeff Teat, or ⁓ they're missing Gavin Adler, or they're missing both Jeff Teat and Gavin Adler, I think is an oversimplification of the issue. And like you said, I I think they're they're going to need some some synergy. They're gonna have to figure some things out. ⁓ but but then once they do that, what's the ceiling? Because again They're not we're not talking about a mid level team right now. We're talking about a bottom of the barrel level team right now. So I don't know. ⁓ I I did wanna push back slightly on Matt Rambo. I feel like he had a good first quarter. @HootSportsMedia: That's f that's fine. I I just had to make sure we give him props because last week I felt like I didn't give him much of a chance and he did score. So I you know Yeah. Yeah. I mean he only touched the ball sixteen times. ⁓ only one turnover. So it wasn't like he was, you know ⁓ a main distributor or anything, so I'll give him the credit where credit's due. ⁓ I think it was his first goal in like six hundred and Neil Barrett: Scored i he had one and two, is that what it was? I know he had three points. Was it one and two? Okay. @HootSportsMedia: thirty something days or something like that, which is is crazy to think about, but yeah. Neil Barrett: That is crazy. So you're telling me that all his points last year were assists? ⁓ not all of his points, but four. @HootSportsMedia: I'm pretty sure that was what yes. We can go back and look at at the at the stat sheet, but I'm almost certain that they put that out. Neil Barrett: It's funny because I looked at his stats and I I just looked at the the point total. I didn't I didn't look at the breakdown of what it was. That's funny. Because yeah, he played it he only played in six games and he had four points. ⁓ it's crazy to think that all four of them were assists and none were goals. Yeah, no, I mean ⁓ that that was that was mostly forest. Wow, that's c @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I'll I'll look it up while you're talking about ⁓ Yep, yep, four assists. He was over sixteen shooting last year. ⁓ he took sixteen shots and eight of them were on net. But yeah. But yeah, all all apples. So I don't I don't know what game he scored in in twenty four. That was like the last time he he scored, but ⁓ Neil Barrett: I that's not that's not That's cr that that feels crazy. It I mean it it does and it doesn't, I guess, because on one hand I'm like, he he played six games, he looked like a shell of of the player he had been. It shouldn't be that surprising, but when you say when you say when you boil it down to Matt Rambo has not scored a goal in, you know, two seasons, b two years, basically, it's like, ⁓ that's crazy. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah. Neil Barrett: one of one of the three MVPs on this team has not scored a goal in in two years. Just is crazy. Trevor Baptiste has more goals in the last two years than Matt Rambeau. The Tawariton winner, the PLL MVP, Matt Rambo. @HootSportsMedia: Yep, yep. Hey, maybe not for long. Maybe he's ⁓ maybe he finds a nice little streak to go on here. Neil Barrett: Well, one thing to to your point, ⁓ I I think I think the fact that Matt Rambo isn't having to be the guy. He doesn't have to be the main initiator. That ball is in Shelley's stick, and they just need they need a guy that can hit a shot when he gets it when he gets pass to, ⁓ and and can, you know, score that fast break goal that he scored at the beginning of the game. And then otherwise you don't you don't have to feed him that much. I I think, and I should have been paying more attention. I think they rotated him some in that second half. I don't think he was out there the whole time. I I don't quote me on that if if listeners are like, no, he was there the whole time. Like I'm I apologize. ⁓ I I think they rotated him some though. @HootSportsMedia: I think so because they dressed five attackmen. Because they had Reed Bower at least Reed is listed as attack. I he plays MIDI a lot too. And then is it Hunter Druin as well, made his debut? And Druin took three shots. Rambel took four. Bowering took one. So I'm sure at some point they were splitting it up. I'm I I just don't see how you play how you started attack and only have sixteen touches, but who knows? Neil Barrett: Yeah. Hunter drew in you. Yeah, move moving around a little bit. Yeah. Well some of that probably was some some rotation. You know, he wasn't well and when I say rotation, it really would have been him sitting 'cause they're not pulling him out of the box. ⁓ he's not he's not coming out of the box. So so yeah, he he just wasn't on the field, I think, at and in some parts of the game. Not not like they binged him or anything, but I I think they were just trying to rotate him and keep him fresh. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: No, no. Neil Barrett: And I and I think that that probably helps Shelley a bit. this was the first game it felt like he was he was trying to make things happen. He was he was trying to be that that initiator that we know him to have been at Virginia, that he hasn't really had to be i in New York because of Jeff Teat. ⁓ he he could kind of be that secondary guy. It looked like that. So maybe they maybe they do start to figure it out. ⁓ I I I don't want to say I hope they do, like I it's not like I'm an Atlas fan, like it's whatever, but you know, it's it'll be more fun, I think, if they do. And ⁓ I I wouldn't I wouldn't be too mad at seeing Matt Rainbow do a little bit of something. You know. I I don't I'd never really like even w even if it's a guy that I'm not necessarily a fan of, I'd never really like when like big name guys just like fizzle out. So ⁓ Yeah, I guess that's it on that game. We'll move over to Saturday, where your boys, the Denver Outlaws lost to the Carolina Chaos 12 to 11. ⁓ For me for me, this was this was the Chad Palumbo game. @HootSportsMedia: This was a Chad Palumbo game. Neil Barrett: Ha ha Well, this one felt like the one and I know it's crazy to say this considering how much attention he's got. Well I I'm I'm saying it it's crazy to say because of how much attention he got at Princeton l this past season, how much attention he got during the national championship run, you know, ⁓ how much attention when when when the Tawariton finalists were announced and he wasn't on it, how much attention he got there. @HootSportsMedia: It's not crazy. Neil Barrett: This felt like a game where he like really announced himself, ⁓ in in a in a weird way. A as w as strange as it is to say that like I said, about someone who who was being talked about all spring. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, that's that's fair, I guess. I don't know, I just think I mean, I know he didn't statistically maybe have his graded game last week, but I feel like that was a pretty big at least debut for someone. ⁓ and then to come in I I didn't take note of what he did the first game, but he was great in this one. And it's it is kind of I don't wanna say questionable, not or puzzling rather, but just like you look at who they have at attack specifically and it's like He could honestly just play attack. Like he I I'm not necessarily saying he's, you know, better than an Owen Hilts or anything, but the dude's ballin' now. Like he's on a crazy heater. Obviously we saw the the clips of him today at USA ⁓ training camp and stuff, and that's I the heater he is on right now is just another level, and it's it's fun to see for sure, but Neil Barrett: ⁓ Well and I I was there a lot with I I wasn't there for in fact I was not there for this game with the Red Legion. ⁓ I was hiding in the shade on the other side of the stadium. but ⁓ it I've never seen a a guy come into the PL @HootSportsMedia: Can imagine. Neil Barrett: And embrace the team that drafted him, the way that Chad Palumbo has embraced the Carolina Chaos, and vice versa. They have obviously embraced them, him as well. and there's just something about the way that he plays. I don't I don't know that any team in the league wouldn't want a Chad Palumbo, but there's just something about the way that he plays that you're like, Of course you play for the Cli the Chaos. Like, you know It's almost it's almost Kavanaugh like the way that he rides ⁓ and and fights for ground balls and then still has the like creative pizzazz to, you know, score insane goals. ⁓ it's really funny to me. I saw a compilation, I don't remember where that was. I w I wanna say maybe it was Princeton posted it. ⁓ a compilation of all of like all his BTBs over the last like year or whatever. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, when he was in like high school. Neil Barrett: Not just in high school, but like all through Princeton. I think they even included the clip of him at at the in Carolina. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: I just saw the short one that they posted of him in high school and I like, This isn't even like this is not fair anymore. This is what he does, like all the time. Neil Barrett: Yes. Yeah, no, I I somebody put I I think it was Princeton, but maybe it was somebody put together a a compilation of him just doing it over and over and over at Princeton and it was like Wait, is this has this been like his like secret weapon the whole time and we just never noticed? ⁓ But yeah, I you know There's just like you said, the USA clips came out and he's doing the same stuff. ⁓ I don't know if you saw ⁓ I'm gonna forget who it was. I I can't remember if it was Terrence Foy, maybe, that that was ⁓ tweeting about ⁓ the the USA camp ⁓ and how so many of the guys were were tired. today on on day two, especially as the day got later, and he was like the one dude that was out there just like still zipping around, fighting for every ground ball and everything. ⁓ there's just something about Chad that it's been I think he has really endeared himself to ca to the Chaos fans and and players and and team. ⁓ but I think he's also just kind of endeared himself to to anyone who who's really watched him play. I don't know that anyone has ⁓ anything really negative to say about him. ⁓ he's been he's been that good. ⁓ elsewhere, nine different players ⁓ for the chaos scored in this game. ⁓ How how did you how do you feel about this game as a as a Denver fan? @HootSportsMedia: Well, funny story, as soon as they lost Saturday, I was like, They're winning tomorrow. That that's this is this is already a team that, like I said earlier, has beaten Denver like every time I can remember in recent history. So it was kinda like, okay, this is like set up for them to win. and to me it's just like again, it's the same issues over and over with in Outlaws losses. It they're nearly identical. and Neil Barrett: Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: It's just there's no midfield scoring. Hardly at all. Like, thankfully Graham Bundy got a couple one point goals, which is crazy to see. You know, he's a two point guy, but the the one that he had that I like, How why was he cl that close to the goal? Like what but ⁓ just just in general, there's just no there's no creation, there's no you know Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. Ha ha ha. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: passing that I think shares the ball well. I think you see Evan Plunkett taking seven shots a game right now or something like that. He took seven in this game and then you have guys like Donville, Anderson and Young who have three combined. I'm like, why like those guys aren't involved at all. ⁓ you know, Pasino aga like I love Pasino. I love when he's scoring and and you know picking up points, but when he's top three in our in our scoring, we I feel like we lose a lot. And it's not It's not on him. It's just like he cannot be your second leading scorer. You know, point producer. And ⁓ Brennan is still just air mailing shots for some reason. I don't I my I've chalked it up to he has to be injured in some way. I I I don't maybe that's totally off base, but I just don't see how he went from being an ⁓ VP forty plus points to whatever we're watching now. And the couple two point goals that he has. ⁓ I thought I I liked what I saw from Cav. I mean it's first game back, it you know it's gonna happen. ⁓ Wiz with two goals was fun. Trying to think what else I really took note of. ⁓ I mean McNanny I thought was fine. I mean you make thirteen saves. I don't Some of these goals they gave up, I was like, This is like you're you're giving him no chance at all at the cage. And on top of that I just felt like they were sloppy overall. Just just very, very sloppy. Just like that's that second quarter, especially just how you get blank and give up six, I just don't understand. Like that's inexcusable. and Blaze was locked in too, which was Of course like he d Neil Barrett: Yeah, I th I thought Blaze was especially when you look at the previous night, I th I thought Blaze was just ready he @HootSportsMedia: Literally every single thing that I that went wrong Friday night, I was like, This is they're gonna turn around now because that's how this works in this league and sure enough, that's what happened. Neil Barrett: He started he started a little bit slow. I think it was I think it was like three one, if I don't if I remember correctly, Denver if like really early, four one, four one. And I was like I was like, ⁓ man, Blaze is Blaze is gonna have another bad game. And then it like literally as I was thinking that, he made a save and he just took off. And it was like okay, all right, he's back. Five one. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: It was it was four one 'cause Brennan hit the two. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And actually now that I'm looking at it, it was five one, which made it even worse. Because it you like you're the less tired team, quote unquote. You should have just gone on to win it. And you know, it's just it's just w it's like you were talking about what the archers. I don't understand what it is about certain I it's not even a matchup. It's just franchises that just sometimes just can't get over that hump. I don't really know what it is. ⁓ I mean credit to chaos, it was from what Neil Barrett: Cruised. Yeah. Right. @HootSportsMedia: Aside from when the broadcast cut out in the fourth quarter, it was fun to watch him go back and forth, ⁓ relatively I s I guess in the second half. but yeah, I was just like I don't I you know, and and again I'm not gonna say like, ⁓ they didn't have Jerry Bernhardt, 'cause sure that hurts, but like we just we we need midfield scoring. Every every game, if you go back and watch the last couple of years of the Outlaws, when they have midfield production, they win most of their games. And when they don't, it looks like this where you l you lost a one goal game. Get your middies involved and maybe they're on the other side of this. Which is what's almost more frustrating is just like you have three shots between your your three midis. No disrespect to Evan Plunkett, but why is he taking seven shots? Graham Bundy took four shots. Graham Bundy's been there for two or three years. Like W you know, and it's again when when Chaos went on that run in the second quarter, you could tell there was nothing changing. There was no adjustment, there was no maybe we need to slide early to guys, maybe like it was just the same stuff and then all of a sudden they go down at halftime. And I'm like, So you just walk watched them do this to you? Never responded, just n Okay. I I'm not a player, I'm not a coach, but These losses make me more upset than getting bl I would rather get blown out than lose like this, personally. Neil Barrett: ⁓ yeah, no, I I think I don't want to shoot the argument that we just made about Jeff Teat and Gavin Adler in the foot, but I certainly think that this Outlaws team is very different when Jared Bernhardt is in the midfield. He he is that party starter that they don't they don't have when he's not there. ⁓ you know, I I think Shelley can do a lot of what Jeff Teat does. Maybe @HootSportsMedia: Yep. Which is which is which is totally Yeah. No, go ahead, sorry. Neil Barrett: No, no, no, you're fine. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: I w I was just gonna say that it's it that's totally fine to make that argument and it's it's accurate. But if your offense and team relies on one guy that's been there for one season and you have three other Touritons on it, I I have some more some bigger questions. Neil Barrett: Well, I think I think part of the problem is Brennan's inability to to to hit a shot right now. ⁓ Because if he could if he can hit a shot, he because like we like we talked about last week, it's not that he's not getting to his spots. He's getting looks, he's getting shots, he just can't hit them right now for whatever reason. He's got he's got the yips or whatever. He can't hit them. And so that that changes a lot of things. And then not having Jared Bernhard. able to to be that party starter in the midfield hurts a lot of things. And then like you said, I don't think that Pat Kavanaugh was bad, but he was clearly not a at his level. You know, like he he it's going to take him a a week or well, they're off for the next three weeks, so it's gonna take him a series of games to get up to game like I thought he just looked @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: Not rusty in that he was like making mistakes, but just like out of rhythm with the game, basically. ⁓ in in soccer, we talk about he's not up to game speed. Like he just it was a little bit slower. It was almost like he was he was having to think about things because he's just not quite used to the the pace of play or whatever. ⁓ and and so you know, those three things I I really think we we talked about it. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: Not last week. I think it was the week before when Jared was playing in the attack line. And then what after maybe in the second quarter or whatever, they bumped him up to midfield and all of a sudden like everything started opening up for everybody. ⁓ it's w it's one ⁓ and I hate to I hate to bring this up every month. It every week, it's one of the things that frustrates me about Miles Ro Miles Jones, Miles Robinson. What? Miles Jones is like I've always felt like he was that guy. He's that party starter in the midfield. He doesn't necessarily have to score or or have the direct assist, but he dodges hard, beats a man, moves the ball, bang bang, on the backside, somebody's now wide open, and and you get a good look or whatever. Jared Bernhardt just seems to do that kind of thing for the outlaws. my my question for you is. Are you concerned? ⁓ you know, I think I think ⁓ I I don't know the exact numbers, but I think I I I feel safe in saying that I I think the outlaws were were probably seen as one of the title favorites, ⁓ a and obviously now they're sitting at one h at five hundred. This is this is for me one of those okay, we're you're a mid level team. Are you are you worried that this is just kind of who they are this year, or do you think they'll they'll get back? @HootSportsMedia: No, I still think they should be a favorite. I just think they're just struggling right now. And again, it's just like Brennan like you said, Brennan can't hit a shot. I I don't like you know and and to an extent it's like okay If it also relies on just him hitting shots, like that is also an issue. But at the same time, when you have another guy hitting shot, like that's why New York was so good last year, was because Jeff T didn't have to hit every single shot. But guess what? He can hit every single shot as well. And so then it was like well you can just bounce it off, and that's that's why Denver was so good last year. And this year, between, you know, Pat Cab missing two game three games, ⁓ they've managed to weather that storm, but then Jared Bernhardt goes out, all this is happening while Brennan can't hit a shot to save his life. I'm like I think it's fine. To me it's more so just like how how long does it take for the midfield to to wake up outside of JB ten? And if it doesn't, then I'm gonna be a little bit more concerned. ⁓ obviously right now they're they're fourth in the West 'cause they played one more game than California, but four score differential plus four, like I you know, that that's fine with me. ⁓ I just I honestly I would like to see them just be more consistent, I think, game to game and and I mean you just look at like even that like you said, that first half last week was just like, What are doing? And then all of a sudden second half was like, ⁓ wait, we can just score. It's fine. Like and and like even this game they lost because of one quarter. One horrific quarter, but ⁓ you know what I'm saying? So it's just like they gotta figure that out, ⁓ I don't know. I w I talk about Miles Jones. He's a free agent, is all I'm saying. Not saying they should or shouldn't sign him. ⁓ wink wink. But I I am just kind of fr it's to me this is more of a frustration just 'cause it's the second year in a row that this has happened. Like I feel like I'm a big fan of all of our middies and yet there's no production. And at some point we have to look in the mirror and be like, Hey, this isn't going well. Like You know, so I don't know. I'm not worried long term though, 'cause I mean, I think every team this year is kind of having one of those years so far where it's just like one week they look awful and the next they look outstanding. I mean we just saw Boston get, you know, demolished. Or was it Philly got demolished and then they came back and won? ⁓ so y yeah, it's you know, if if they were to replay Chaos this week, what I think they'd they'd lose, I'd probably still pick ⁓ to win, but Neil Barrett: Well And they demolished it like it was literally a flip of that game. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: It's just one of those years, I guess. Neil Barrett: For for all the things that we have laid out, we're we're talking about a one goal loss. @HootSportsMedia: The r yeah, but that's but that's to me is like where it's like you're a title favorite. These things can't you know, it you should be better than them. You you shouldn't you shouldn't lose this game. They're on a back to back. The second day of a back to back. Neil Barrett: Yes, but it but again, JB Tin's out, Pat Kavanaugh doesn't look fully back into it. @HootSportsMedia: Yep, I I get it. I get it. I get it. Matt Rambo came back after two years and put up three points. Alright? There's no excuse. Neil Barrett: Matt Rambo did it. @HootSportsMedia: I'm also I'm also just gonna overreact for the sake of overreacting because it's like, come on boys, like we should not have lost that game. We're up five one to start but you know what I'm saying? Like come on. Neil Barrett: You You know what that speech was right there? You know what that speech wa right there was? That was you you know the the part in Iron Man when ⁓ Obadiah Stane is like, Tony Stark built this in a cave @HootSportsMedia: Yes, yes, that's exactly what this is. Neil Barrett: That's what y that's what you just did. Matt Rambo did this. ⁓ man. @HootSportsMedia: Come on then. Co like Yeah y I'm just you know it's a fair point. Neil Barrett: I mean it it's not wrong. Let's let's move on to the final game of the weekend from the PL, the that we were just talking about a minute ago that saw the Philadelphia Water Dogs absolutely demolish the Boston Cannons. The final score was 17 to 10. This was not a 17 to 10 game at all. ⁓ Boston scored, I think, four or five goals in the last like Four five minutes of that game to make it look semi-respectable when it was not respectable. CJ Kirst had six goals on 11 shots. It was his first career sock trick. ⁓ Matt DeLuca had 20 saves. He set a Water Dogs franchise record and finished with 69% in goal. And rookie Kyle Lewis. was very impressive in his debut. ⁓ Joshiago also looked pretty good in this game, though as we have already said, I don't think any water dog looked bad in this game. So yeah. I I have a deeper question in a minute, but I I guess right now, what, if anything, can we take from this game? @HootSportsMedia: What we could take is that if a team plays another team twice, I am bound to get both pick'ems wrong. Because I always flip them. I I I seriously like and and and I was talking about this yesterday with someone too. Like, I gotta stop second-guessing myself on both fantasy and pick-ems. Because every time, especially this weekend, I switch something, and then that player had a great game fantasy-wise. I'm like, why? Or even in even in my pick'ems, I switch stuff and then it Neil Barrett: Yes. Yep. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: And and I picked Philly last week, they laid an egg. I picked Boston this week, they lay an egg, like this is ridiculous. shout out the Water Dogs rookies, that was fun to see. ⁓ Jack Hanna finding his footing again. I know he was two for nine shooting, but he got points on the board. And the the one that he had, that was just I mean he he I can't even I don't have the words to describe it. Everyone knows what I'm talking about if you watch the game. That ended up in a twister was wild. Neil Barrett: Yeah. The yep. The tw the twister. Yep. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. ⁓ CK had a point. ⁓ I'd like to see him get some more, but I mean Kyle Lewis was great, Josh Yalgo was great, C J Kirsch was great. ⁓ and then I know we talked about DeLuca and he was great as well. Neil Barrett: Ky Kyle Lewis Yeah, yeah. Kyle Lewis ha you and I talked about it ⁓ in text last week. ⁓ Kyle Lewis was so good it it was like, Yeah, why didn't you play him last week? @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: I still for the life of me, I I still don't understand why they didn't play last week. And Dana Restia told was kinda snarky a little bit and and said ⁓ you know, they they wanted to rest him after the pro day and give him a break. And it was like then why have him do the pro day? Like just don't have him do the pro day and you could have played him last week if if you were so worried about his his ability to @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: to follow that up, because @HootSportsMedia: Well and whose whose spot did he take this week? Like I know they released Miles, but Miles wasn't on the protected, so Neil Barrett: ⁓ yeah, Mileswell yeah, he w he hadn't been playing at all. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: And I mean Zed wasn't playing like it I don't know. We c we can we can look that up, I guess, but I mean he he he play he looked like a natural that knew what I mean even even some of the passes I thought he made that didn't end up going in or some of the shots I thought they were good looks and I was like th I like that look. Neil Barrett: Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna kinda bug me that I can't think of who it was. But Yeah, he had he had the one to He had one to was it Kieran, I think? And Kieran missed and even Kieran was like, ⁓ my gosh, I cannot believe that I missed that. Because it was such a good look. He he looks and I I almost hate to use this comparison because it it's almost lazy that @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: the black midfielder gets compared to Kyle Harrison, but like he looks like Kyle Harrison. That he has that explosion and he and he just gets past people. He's got that quickness. And then he has the he has the vision. He can find that pass. He can hit a shot. He can do whatever needs to be done. And the only the only thought I had @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: And I I I almost don't even want to say it because I I don't even want to put it in the atmosphere. But the only thought I had was, all right, that's week one. Now some guys have got some tape on you. You know, we we watched, speaking of the cannons, we watched Brian Kelly have five points in his first game. In his second game, he had three. This game he had zero. Now, nobody in this game on the Boston Cannons looked particularly good. So I don't exactly want to hold that against him, but You know, what's what's Kyle Lewis gonna look like in the next couple of weeks as guy, you know, I don't know if he drew a pole in this game. ⁓ I don't think he did. Yeah, I don't think he did. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: It didn't look like it. I'm pretty sure he got like Goodrich quite a bit. I think I think I saw Dugs put out a video that was kinda talking about it and he was like exposing all the short stakes and was like, That's Zach Goodrich Neil Barrett: Yes, yes, 'cause Yes, 'cause he had it he had he went against and th and to be fair, they have very good short stick defensive midfielders. Like it's not like he's going against nobodies, but what happens when somebody starts p putting a a a pole on him? ⁓ the flip side of that conversation too is Are you being gross? Or did you ask me to pause the @HootSportsMedia: No no no, I just was saying pause, but keep going. Neil Barrett: Okay. Alright. Alright. I'm like, hold on. Wait a second. I because I'm also like, I don't know what I said. What did I say? ⁓ immature. Okay. All right. That's that's no, that's fair. like I said, I don't I don't even know what I said to draw a pause. Like I I was literally replaying it in my head, like what ⁓ what did I say? A ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: No, I was being immature. I'm sorry. You said what happens when they put a pole on him? Neil Barrett: This guy. @HootSportsMedia: So I just I just said pause, but I apologize. This is why I can't be a pod a pro podcaster. It's it's not serious. Neil Barrett: The thank thank goodness we're this is not a pro podcast. ⁓ but he ⁓ you know the the flip side of that conversation though is ⁓ if he draws the poll, does does that free up Josh Iago now? ⁓ I thought Josh Iago looked significantly more comfortable in this game. I I don't think he looked bad last week. I think he missed a couple of shots. He had a couple opportunities to to maybe get ⁓ to be more productive ⁓ that he actually hit this week. So ⁓ maybe maybe that'll be ⁓ a ⁓ that's a good sign for them. But yeah, ⁓ you also I mentioned and then you mentioned but we haven't actually talked about it. Matt DeLuca looked so much better in gold this week than he has, I think, all season Maybe that's just Boston, ⁓ but hopefully it's not for their sake. he he looked incredible. ⁓ Yeah, ⁓ that's that's kind of it. I guess the the last thing kind of transitions us into the the kind of bigger question that I had. ⁓ I don't know if you saw James Hogan tweet it out this week, CJ Kirst is an early favorite for the PLL MVP. ⁓ In the immediate th aftermath of me reading that, I was like, what? There's no way that CJ Kirst is the the early favorite. And then yeah, then I kind of looked at it and I was like, well, based on ⁓ he's only played two games, and they were two very good games. ⁓ I believe he had six and five. ⁓ actually I know he had six and five because he had six in this game. Yeah. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Mm, there's a way. Yeah. He had f he had five week one. Neil Barrett: And he had yeah, because his he he leads the league in points per game at 5.5. Again, that's only two games, so we'll see how that holds up. ⁓ and then he's leading the league in goals per game at 4.5. ⁓ so ⁓ I did see that he has five or more points in five of his eight career games. Is that right? Has he only played eight games? @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, 'cause last year he had some crazy numbers. I remember people were talking about, should he should he not put up those numbers 'cause they were losing when he was putting ⁓ up or like if he was the problem. And it was like Neil Barrett: Right, 'cause he had the broken hand. @HootSportsMedia: He just needs some some better teammate play. And you see what's happening now where w when he gets help, even when he when he's putting up six points himself, then he gets his other teammates involved too. It's it's crazy. Neil Barrett: Yeah. So here here are the other guys that I think right now have a case for the MVP. If if it was if it was decided this week, obviously things are going to change. Michael Sowers, hit CJ's teammate, leads the PL in points with 14. He is first in the league in assists. Mike Siselberger is technically not the highest performing ⁓ face-off specialist. I believe he's third, if I remember off the top of my head. ⁓ The the person who beat there's two the two people in front of him are Andrew McMeekin, who pla who has played one game, and then Trevor Baptiste who's only played two games. ⁓ so that was part of my thinking. It Michael Siselberger has been there all season. ⁓ so that was part of my thinking. But he's at fifty eight point seven percent across four games. Trevor Baptiste is at is at sixty point eight, but in only two games. So I I lean slightly more towards cis, but if if you think Baptiste ⁓ I'm not totally against that either. Brett Dobson Is doing exactly what he was doing in the NLL. He is currently running with a 64.3% save percentage. The flip side of his argument is that Nick Washuda is right behind him at 63.7, I think it was. and so a lot of that, not so much that that splits the vote, even though the Nick Washuda played two games and now Brett Dobson has played two games. ⁓ so not so much that that separates the vote. I don't think anyone would say Nick Washuda should Be it over Brett Dobson. But my thought was okay, both goalies have put up nearly identical numbers. To me, that tells me there's a very good defense playing in front of them. If there's basically no drop-off between the starter and the backup, even though Nick Washuda is a good goalie, like I'm not trying to trash him, but you would expect there to be some drop-off between the two, and there there basically isn't. ⁓ and then the last guy, we talked about him earlier. Dylan Ward is Incredible. He has been at i above sixty percent in all three of California's games this season. ⁓ so I I I think he has a a good as good a case as anyone else in the league right now for for ⁓ the ⁓ VP race because Yeah, technically he's a little bit behind Brett Dobson and and Nick Washuda. ⁓ I apparently I didn't write it down. ⁓ I believe he's at sixty two something. So ⁓ Brett Dobson yeah, so Brett Dobson's at at sixty four point three, Nick Washuda's at sixty three point seven, I think, and then Dylan Ward's at sixty two. So in my mind he's right there and he has played three games all above sixty percent the whole the whole time. So @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, sixty two. Neil Barrett: ⁓ to be honest, if I was going for a goalie right now, I'd probably go ward, but Dobber's been great too. ⁓ so ⁓ but so then the question for you is the the the question for you is i i is CJ your favorite? Right right if if we were ending the season today, would would you have CJ as the winner or @HootSportsMedia: Great pick, great pick. ⁓ I mean, yeah, probably. I ⁓ it's hard I don't know, it it's hard because some guys have only played, you know, two games or whatever, including himself. But he he had great games. ⁓ to me it's almost more impressive like goalie wise that you're at sixty two percent in front of not that California's a bad defense, but compared, like you're saying, to Utah's, that's almost more impressive to me. Sours, he's played four games, I wanna say, right? Neil Barrett: Yeah, yeah. @HootSportsMedia: And he has fourteen points. Still very good, but like I'd have to lean siege. I can't I I have to. ⁓ I just realized Brennan O'Neal has twelve points. He's top six. That's surprising. ⁓ anyway, ⁓ yeah. I didn't I I I saidn't I didn't realize that he was diming like that. That's good to see. ⁓ but also like I ⁓ this has seven. Neil Barrett: I I think that's right, yeah. Yeah, 'cause so many so many of them are assists. Does he have eight assists? Seven. Okay. Okay. I knew I knew Sours had eight. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, what the two point goal One one point goal. These don't ⁓ he he said two two point goals, that's what it was. ⁓ anyway. I think Costabile has been having a r a really great season too. ⁓ Neil Barrett: Brian? @HootSportsMedia: I mean who knows who knows? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is he's the only Costo Bill in the league right now, right? Isn't ⁓ CJ gone? Neil Barrett: Probably, but when you say Costa Biel, my brain goes to CJ. I don't know. No, it's it's me. I'm the I'm the idiot here. @HootSportsMedia: I think so. Sorry. Yeah, it's that Duke Bis. ⁓ and and one more person too I wanna throw out there that's a long shot, will not win it. Maybe I can curse it like I did Sean Light. Brett Maikar, I think, is making a a a heck of a an attempt. ⁓ Neil Barrett: I I thought about Brett Maycar and then I was like, ⁓ is he I I feel like I haven't really been watching Brett Maycar. And and so I was like, ⁓ is he just one of those dudes that's like he has the stats? Clearly he has the stats. He's he's incredible statistically. But, you know, we talked we used to talk about that with like Garrett Epple ⁓ about like not not that he was not that he was bad, but it he was almost you know, his stats were almost inflated. ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, yeah. Neil Barrett: And so I I I I hadn't watched enough Brett Maycar to to really know whether or not that was a difference. So that's why I hesitated. But I I agree with you that at least at least statistically, he's got a case for sure. Cause he's cause turnovers, he's got a he's got a good margin on on cause turnovers, right? Like through f through @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah, he's at ten. And the I mean I mean Ajax has eight, and so does ⁓ Mitchell Dunham in Utah. So only two more there. But he has nineteen ground balls. Ajax has four. Dunham has eleven. And and he has two two points because he has two assists. So statistically, he's by far in a way leading that category. Again, I don't think he ever wins it, but just to loop it back, I do think CJ's probably the favorite just because he's at two good games. Team success, I think, will hinder him though. Neil Barrett: Okay. Was it okay then okay, that's what it was. Then that was Nice. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: You know, it it's gonna come down to how how how cuse he had five points in that game against they played Boston last week too, right? That was the bad loss. I I want to say. hang on. No, I lied. That was against ⁓ chaos. So disregard that. ⁓ But but the point still stands that I just think it's gonna come down to how many how many games they win. Do they look good doing it too? ⁓ Neil Barrett: Yeah, that was I thought about that too. Was it last week? It could have been. I c I honestly can't remember. But yeah. Okay. @HootSportsMedia: Especially 'cause like we saw last year where I said like I thought Brett Dobson should've won it because he like dragging his team. It obviously voters don't feel like that's very big of a deciding factor. And if that's the case, then it doesn't really matter how many points he puts up. Unless he's doing a sixty four point Jeff T type of year. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. Well, he's he is gonna have I mean even missing the first two games of the season, he'll he'll still end up with ten, right? 'Cause it's a twelve game season this year, right? Yeah, so he'll still end up with ten. So ⁓ you know, at at his current pace, he wouldn't get to sixty-four, he'd get to fifty-five, but that would still be an ⁓ VP yeah, that would still be an ⁓ VP season. I I think right this second @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Which is still incredible. Neil Barrett: I would if the season ended today, I would probably go Dylan Ward. ⁓ there but I I think like I said, when I when I read James's tweet, I was like, no way. And then when I started actually looking at it, I was like, ⁓ I mean, like like we just said, he projects out to have 55 points right now. Even if there's a a slight fall off, he'll still end up forty plus, you know @HootSportsMedia: Which would be four a game, basically, for him. Neil Barrett: Well it w Right. Right. So it it @HootSportsMedia: And he's shooting over fifty percent, only one turnover on the year two. Neil Barrett: Yeah, I I think I think it will depend on where exactly he finishes. If he finishes over fifty, I think you're I think I think team performance won't matter as much. If he's more in the in the mid to low forties where where most people kind of generally end up in previous seasons, I think it will really depend on how good that Water Dog's record is. ⁓ Compared to a guy like Dylan Ward, if if Dylan Ward is at or or around sixty percent and the water dogs are or ⁓ the Redwoods are, you know, seven and whatever five or better, you know, I I I think that could that could really sway things. So ⁓ there's some things in play. ⁓ but yeah, right right this second I would say Dylan Ward, but i if if you look at where guys are potentially heading. I I think you're right. I think it I think it probably is CJ looking out. But ⁓ another question that I had for you about about these games watching Watching Kyle Lewis, watching Chad Palumbo, watching some of these guys really starting to to take their strides, and then watching all of the guys that we saw get pushed out last week. We talked about Miles earlier, but he was far from the only one that that got dropped from a roster. and I I wondered this is I I get ⁓ it felt like almost like a coming out party this week for the the rookies. And I think the PLL has always been a young man's league. It it gets harder and harder to do this like part-time weekend warrior thing. So the the warrior the the rookies and and young guys that come in that are are fresh out of college, they've got young legs, especially in their rookie season when they just came out of a highly structured lacrosse environment. You know, Chad Palumbo has had his stick in his hand every day for the last eight months, probably. ⁓ whereas, you know, Miles probably hasn't probably hasn't had his stick in his hand Two days a week for the last eight months, you know. ⁓ so so it there's always an element of like this league is for younger guys, but I guess I guess my question is are are are is this going to be the the trend that that's going to keep that's not even a good question because obviously it's the trend. ⁓ I don't know. I don't even know what my question is, now that I'm thinking about it. I'm like I I I feel like there's something here. There's something that feels different. But I don't I don't really know what the question is. I wrote is the is this the trend or is this or is this just a a a strong rookie class? ⁓ especially I think a a stronger rookie class than maybe we expected. But I I don't know that it's a trend ⁓ or that it's a new trend. Like it it's been that way. @HootSportsMedia: It's been that way, it just hasn't been shown 'cause I think they was kind of stuck in the ways of like this is our roster, you're gonna have to really shock the world to take someone's spot. Whereas now it's like guys miss time for all types of reasons. I mean, so far just this year, we've seen NL coaching, injury, personal time for like weddings or you know, baby like literally every possible way to miss time. you they guys him his time and I think then that gives players an opportunity to come in and show. And then once you win or you play well, well now as a coach and a GM it's like, wait, we can't you can't bench him. Like it's it's just like when when I watched ⁓ Mikey Bain week one in Utah and I was talking to some people and I was like you can't bench him. Like the way he played in that game, I don't care. Even when when when Cab comes back, when Garnsey comes back, like you have to find a way to keep him on the field. And sure enough, they did 'cause Neil Barrett: Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: He j he played too well. And so I think we're just seeing a lot of that now where it's just like hey, like especially like unfortunately my I'm gonna pick on Miles again, but he hasn't played in a while, so it's easier to let him go when you have a guy like Kyle Lewis waiting in the wings who you want to see play. You have Silas Richmond and all these other guys to where it's like, well, out with the old and with the the young, essentially. So like you said, it's I don't think it's a new trend. I just think we're seeing it a lot more in games as opposed to just like, ⁓ this guy's cracking the protected roster now or Whatever it is. So this is where I think we need to expand the game day rosters at a minimum. Cause there's so many guys that right now could be helping their teams. I think more guys would be staying healthy as well long term if we had a couple extra guys to say, ⁓ we can rotate in and out type of thing. So I who knows if that ends up happening soon, but I think it's kind of at that point where we need a couple extra spots per team. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Well Yeah. Yeah, no, I I I agree with you. I think I think to Two new roster spots i is is we're we're we're coming up on that spot where like it's almost necessary. Like you said, injuries are ⁓ becoming I think a a bigger deal, ⁓ and and happening probably a a little bit more frequently. At least it feels like it. Maybe maybe it's not actually all that ⁓ more frequent, but it certainly feels like it. And to like higher profile players, I think as well. ⁓ not that that is all that important when we're talking about the health of per these ⁓ athletes, but you know, in terms of selling the league it it matters. It it is it is relevant whether it should be or it shouldn't be. but I n I think you're you you do bring up a good point that I I wasn't really thinking about in in terms of the the shift in the season has given guys an opportunity because way more guys were out at the beginning of the season. And like you said, some of these guys have been really impressive. And and ⁓ you know what's funny, I I I I mentioned earlier that ⁓ I was talking to to Marie McCool ⁓ after the the the poems game and we talked about Mikey Bain and about ⁓ the the stat that he had had. We were talking about Kevin Rice and and the idea that he had he had exploded. In the ML, and then in the PL, he had just never really found the spot for him. ⁓ he was on the Archers team, but ⁓ they had guys that did what he did and s and like it so he just never quite found ⁓ I think they ran him out of the box when he was on the Archers and that just wasn't his his point. And and we started talking Mikey Bain and how Mikey Bain had two points in two seasons ⁓ in the PLL. And then this year he gets an opportunity in a position that is, you know, more natural to him and he's got twelve points in three games. actually he may even have more than that. He had twelve at halftime of game three and then I never actually checked on what he had after that. ⁓ and and so we talked just about the idea of like Sometimes you just you just have to be given the opportunity the not just an opportunity, but the opportunity, the the right opportunity in the right system, in the right position, to to really like showcase what you can do. And so I I think I think you're right. I think there is a lot of a lot of wisdom to that idea of like, yeah, the these guys are being given opportunities that they wouldn't have gotten. Even even a guy like Kyle Lewis may not have gotten an opportunity because he was a third rounder. He would have missed camp la you know, even even last year. He'd have missed camp because his team was playing in the the national championship. And he just he just may not have ever been given an opportunity. We saw that happen. I talk all the time. Last year, Christopher Davis was drafted out of Cornell. He was ⁓ I think an early third rounder. He was one of the first like short stick defensive midfielders taken last year. He missed camp because Cornell was at the national championship and never got brought in. I I think he did I think he did eventually get to a championship series roster this past year. ⁓ but he missed all of last season because he just He just wasn't there. He didn't fit, you know? And now and so you're right. I I I that's that's something I I hadn't really thought about with that. let's move over to the WLL where the California Palms got my pink jersey on, defeated the Boston Guard seventeen to fifteen. This was a really great, fun back and forth game. ⁓ every time it felt like one team was was getting a hold of the game, the other team would come roaring back ⁓ let's see It was hard to keep up with stats. I'm trying to find my stats. Here we go. ⁓ Ali Morena Ali Mastroaney had five points on four goals and an assist. Charlotte North had six points on four goals and two assists. Maddie Epke ⁓ went 23 for 29 on draw controls for 79% in her pro debut. That's an insane debut. ⁓ just absolutely everything. ⁓ Ali Mashroaney also I cannot remember the exact numbers. I know she she was like everywhere. I think she had several calls. Turnovers, a a good number of ground balls. Like she was everywhere. She is in my mind she is she's the Zach Courier of the WLL. ⁓ except scores more are often. I I probably because of the way that that that the women's game is played. She gets more opportunities to stay on it and run offense. But she's that same level of like do it ever do everything. ⁓ it was it was pretty good. But obviously the the headline of this game is going to be that Charlotte North tore her Achilles in the fourth quarter and went down and That's obviously a a b a big deal and something that we don't want to see happen to anyone of any level, but obviously ⁓ Charlotte North is the biggest lacrosse player in the world. ⁓ I don't remember the I think she has a hundred and twenty-nine thousand, I think was what she was. The only person that's bigger than her in the world of lacrosse is Paul Rabel himself. ⁓ short of that, she outdraws Lyle Thompson, she outdraws Miles Jones, she outdraws everybody. She is the biggest name in the sport of lacrosse right now. And when you're trying to establish the WLL, losing her is a big problem. ⁓ Perhaps the bigger problem is that the she will be out for the women's world championships later this summer. I don't remember exactly when they are. I think it's late July. ⁓ and obviously she's a big part of that US team as well. So that's going to be a big problem. I'm wondering what what do you think the WLL does now? I mean. You you lost your your LeBron James, you know. Maybe that's not a great ⁓ comparison anymore. I mean he's still he's still obviously very high on on the NBA list, but ⁓ I don't even know who who would who's the guy in the NBA right now. @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ right now it's Victor Embanyama. By far. Neil Barrett: Do they even have it? Well I guess that's true. Right right right this this moment, but him and him and Shay I guess but ⁓ Yeah, what do you what it what w what does the WLL do? @HootSportsMedia: Just pivot. You have other players that I think can can uphold the I think Charlotte gets the benefit of she was like the early she was in in the spot spotlight early, I guess, is the best way to put it, to where it was like, ⁓ she's just the best player and it's growing, so she's like the face. And not that she's gonna get that spot taken permanently, but I think there's a lot of other women in the league that are capable of doing that and to an extent have done that. Like there are a lot of even if you ask the casual women's lacrosse fan, they'll know a lot of these names that that we're talking about every week. ⁓ and so I think it's just gonna open the door for that, which automatically bumps everybody up. 'Cause all of a sudden now even even on the guard, someone's gonna have to replace her in the lineup. you know, I'm not ever rooting for an injury, but it does kind of have the benefit of now we get to see more players play and and that type of thing. And I think it's just gonna have to make the league be more intentional as well. They can't just rely on Charlotte being Charlotte. Like and and this isn't specific to the PL, but I do think there are times where leagues get lazy and just like the well we have this player, we'll just throw him on throw him or her on a graphic and it's just gonna boom. And to an extent that's fine, but I think now it's just gonna have to be like, okay where can we really generate storylines of, you know, former teammates playing against each other, playing with each other, like, ⁓ this person that no one's really ever heard of had a big game. How can we market them better and stuff like that and ⁓ so yeah, i it's it's all about pivoting and I I have no doubt they'll do it, but it's still a big loss when like you're saying it's she's the face of of women's lacrosse and that's I mean, I only own one WL L jersey and it's hers. So you know, that's it's w it j Neil Barrett: I didn't even know you owned one, that's nice. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, the All Star one from last year. It was sick. ⁓ but it just goes to show you that like people like myself who maybe aren't in tune with the women's game, I know she is enough and like her enough to want to own her jersey. And so that's where it's like a bigger loss to me. But overall I think they'll they'll do a great job pivoting and ⁓ funny enough she still had a crazy good game before going down. So that's just her being her, I guess. Neil Barrett: I know. I know and and I obviously obviously I was rooting for the poems, but I I just kept thinking like man if she if she's on that field this might this might have gone a different way. but I I actually I actually like your your point ⁓ about how Again, nobody wants to see anyone get hurt, but especially not someone like Charlotte North. But that hopefully this the silver lining is that that they can pivot and they can they can create an instead of instead of just continuing to pump Charlotte. Charlotte isn't going anywhere. She'll be back and she will be Charlotte North again. And maybe in the the remainder of this season we can see and and and build Izzy Skane, Ali Mashtruaney, you know, Emily Harrischuk, whoever whoever, like you said, ends up stepping in for the Boston Guard, ⁓ you know, Kenzie Kent or Rachel Clark or whoever it is, ⁓ could be great. Obviously, I cannot remember which team. Who pick who picked up ⁓ Madison Taylor? Do you know? Was it the charm? @HootSportsMedia: ⁓ off the top of my head I don't know. Neil Barrett: I feel like it was the charm, but I might be totally wrong. ⁓ 'cause like you, I I'm not prepared for that and I I I'm trying to remember off the top of my head and I I don't remember. But ⁓ honestly this this conversation's made me a little more hopeful. I was like, ⁓ man, it really sucks. Like it's really gonna not be good for the WLL. But now I'm like, ⁓ maybe Maybe it will actually be be pretty great because I do think I do think Allie is very good at the the public facing stuff that that Charlotte was also very good at. Cause 'cause as as much as I think it's important, you need someone that's good on the field, you also need someone that's good off the field. Like I think that's the other part that Charlotte was doing so well. She was she was doing what Paul Rabel was doing in 2010 in terms of like getting herself out there and @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: and doing all these public facing things. And I think that there are Generally across the board, I think the women are way more prepared for that stuff than the men are. The the PLL guys, so many of them don't want anything to do with the off the field stuff that comes with this. ⁓ going back to talking about Chad Palumbo, I think it's another reason why he has been embraced so well is because he has not been shy about sharing his story, sharing his personality, sharing like what makes him who he is. And and I ⁓ across the board I think the women are significantly better at that than the men are. And so hopefully that does kind of carry over. So ⁓ thanks for thanks for cheering me up, bud. @HootSportsMedia: You're welcome. That's what I'm here for. Neil Barrett: Yeah. Yeah. All right. ⁓ I I think I think that's pretty much it. Before we get out of here, what you got going on this week? @HootSportsMedia: I got some some very fun things in the non lacrosse realm involving one of my major four teams. So I'm not gonna I'm not gonna spoil that, but ⁓ I'll have some stuff out after the weekend. Both days. Two different events. But it's gonna be it's gonna be fun. I'm looking forward to it. other than that, it's just it is it's photography related, I'll say that. ⁓ other than that it's just Neil Barrett: Not gonna spoil it. @HootSportsMedia: Finishing out the work week and I hopefully will have my PL boxes of cards either tomorrow or Thursday. I plan on going live on my YouTube channel to open them, so I guess keep an eye out for that. At some point I'll put out a link, but the the you know, supposed to be here tomorrow and then all of a sudden I checked this afternoon and now it says Thursday, so we'll see. Neil Barrett: Nice. That's ⁓ that sounds fun. ⁓ you know, we'll we'll learn more, I guess. it is the end of the second period in game four of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Hurricanes and Golden Knights are tied three to three right now. So @HootSportsMedia: Of course they are. Why would they not be dead? Neil Barrett: Right? I don't the thing that I w @HootSportsMedia: Also, you definitely turned the game on the other night. That's why they lost. Neil Barrett: I did not turn the game on. Mm mm. No. I was I was kind of tracking it a little more and I was like, ugh. ⁓ I wanted to see I wanted to see what had hap why why do I keep present box score and then you keep reloading the box the game cast. I was trying to see if either team got up big early 'cause that's been like the the ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Ridiculous. Ridiculous. See. Neil Barrett: part of this game that has happened or ⁓ both of these games have been like, ⁓ someone took a big lead. ⁓ yeah. We did. It looks like. It looks like we were up 3-1 at the end of the first. And now it's 3-3 at the end of the second. I hate this. I hate this. Anyway, ⁓ I got nothing really going on. No no. Yeah, it'll be better if we can actually win the games. But I got I got nothing else going on, no no PL this weekend. Probably gonna work. And @HootSportsMedia: Hey, it's all right. Neil Barrett: Sit at home. Maybe I'll make some maybe I'll make some fun content. ⁓ I don't know if you saw the PL posted the very first ML game. ⁓ I've been thinking about doing some watch along stuff with the with just with content in general. And I was like, ⁓ that could be that could be a fun one to do. So ⁓ maybe they'll go live on your your YouTube, watch you watch you open some PL cards and then they'll go watch the original ML game with me. Who knows? All right, that is it. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: Potentially. I w I went I went back and watched ⁓ twenty two Natty this week. Fun fact. Not too much of a throwback. Neil Barrett: All the games? @HootSportsMedia: It was fun. No, just just just the natty final game with Cornell and and Maryland. Neil Barrett: ⁓ you the ⁓ the college game. When you when you said twenty tw I I should have no I should have I should have known because you said natty and you wouldn't have called the the ⁓ not the outlaws, the ⁓ mammoths championship, you wouldn't have called it a natty. So I should have I should have known. ⁓ but when you said twenty twenty two Yeah. That game that game was crazy. @HootSportsMedia: Sorry, yes. Yes, the college game. No, no, no. Although I have watched that game three or four times as well. Yeah. Neil Barrett: That that game three of the the twenty twenty two NL finals, that game was cr I I even now I'm I'm I I I play an NL fan on T V more or less. That game I c I could not take my eyes off of. Like I was like I was in it. ⁓ it it helped that I was sort of Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. I thought we were cooked after we were down three ⁓ Neil Barrett: Well and it and it helped that I was sort of rooting for for Buffalo just because they hadn't won yet and you know, they had had this this team and I knew Dane and I knew Josh and and I was kinda but then Dylan Ward was playing out of his mind in that game and it was so tense and the crowd 'cause that one that one was the one at they were at ball, right? @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. No, they were in Buffalo for game three. Neil Barrett: Were they in Buffalo? I either way. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah, 'cause they've they played in Buffalo first, Mammoth won, then they lost a close game at home, game two, and then went back on the road and won it. Funny enough, both of our championships have been won in Buffalo. Neil Barrett: Wait. Interesting. Okay. ⁓ no, I guess that makes sense because ⁓ 'cause I did a I did a graphic of Dylan Ward as the finals MVP and he's got he was wearing the white jersey. Which so yeah, you guys were on the road. That makes sense. That makes sense. ⁓ for some reason in my head I was thinking it was maybe that's what it was that I w ⁓ @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Yeah. Neil Barrett: It was the Buffalo crowd in Buffalo. And I was like I said, I I wasn't super cheering for them, but I was like, ⁓ you know, they haven't won yet. They've had this good team. I like Dane. I like Josh. Like I it'd be cool to see them win. And then I mean Dylan Ward was I that game. @HootSportsMedia: Best game I've ever seen from him. By far. By far. Neil Barrett: Yeah, that game was that game was w almost one of those like pitcher duels in baseball where like it could seem boring to some people, but like if you know what you're watch, you're like, holy crap, like just insane. ⁓ and y and I mean what halftime you knew Dylan Ward was gonna be the MVP. Like he was he was just incredible that whole game. Right, right, so @HootSportsMedia: Yes. Yeah. As long as we won, you knew it was gonna be him. That honestly, that series immortalized Zed as a Colorado Mammoth player, in my mind. Like that the w the w the way he got the scoring kicked off and I I could talk all day about that game. I that was But but yeah, I went back and watched the the collegiate national championship. and ⁓ it's funny how many of those guys came on to be, you know, not just PL players, but P L L stars. It it's Neil Barrett: Who'd you who'd you watch? I honestly I'm right now I c I'm not even sure I could name anyone that was on those team. I mean I guess CJ was probably on the team in twenty twenty two, right? Yeah. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: It was great. freshman freshman CJ, freshman Hugh Kelleher, I believe he was a freshman then as well. ⁓ freshman McNaney, ⁓ Brett Macar, Gavin Adler, Zapatello, ⁓ Luke Weirman, Wasnowskis was still there as well. Neil Barrett: That twenty two that twenty two Maryland team is insane. Yeah. Yeah, that twenty two that twenty two Maryland team is @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Well and it was we were I w I didn't realise how many of them were still there at that point in time. I think that was like one year removed from like Jared Bernhardt and some others. ⁓ and I mean McNaney, I was I was actually really impressed with how well McNaney played as a freshman too. I was like, This dude is ballin' and then and then Cornell started coming back too and C J I mean C J was drawing the Makron matchup as a freshman, which I thought was you know, knowing what we know now is wild to me, but ⁓ Neil Barrett: Mm-hmm. Yeah, he was on the twenty one team. @HootSportsMedia: But yeah, it was kinda fun 'cause I like, ⁓ I know this guy, I know that guy, I know th ⁓ wait, I know all these players that now are stars in the league, so ⁓ I may I may have to go back and watch more of those old games. Neil Barrett: Well it's funny, it's funny you're like Well it's funny you're like you're like, ⁓ you know, he was drawing the Brett Maycar one and it's like, okay, what did you want to put Zappotello on him? What did you want do you want like none of the matchups were good? That team was so loaded, like at every position. Yeah. Yeah. @HootSportsMedia: Right. Yeah. And he and he he was playing well, dude. I was like whew Yeah. Yeah, it was fun. Neil Barrett: All right, that is all for this week. If you enjoyed this episode, the Lax Lifers Club is where our community lives between episodes. It is a Discord for the fans watching lacrosse year around, not just during the national championship or It's for it's for people who watch the 2022 National Championship game in 2026, not just people who watch it in May. How about that? aka a lifer. The link to join is in the description. Across social media, you can find me at IM Neil Barrett and Brandon at Hoot Sports Media. Be sure to keep an eye on his social media looking for that link for the PLL card opening. If you haven't yet, rate and review the show on whatever platform. @HootSportsMedia: Yeah. Neil Barrett: you are listening on. It takes about 30 seconds and it genuinely helps people find us. We will be back next week with more run out. Until then, we'll catch you in the comments. That's that's it. I gotta change this outro. @HootSportsMedia: There you