Mikey Powell - Douche Stats

A History of Baby Mikey's MLL Douche Baggery

April 26, 2006
Bayhawks DNR Powell
Baltimore Bayhawks place A Mike Powell on the Did Not Report List.

April 3, 2009

The Boston Cannons place A MIKE POWELL on Waivers.

Note: The Boston Cannons are awarded a compensatory 1^st Round Collegiate Draft Pick in exchange for the release of Mike Powell. As a DNR-Contract player, neither the Cannons nor another MLL team can re-claim this player during the 2009 season; the next opportunity for a team to claim his rights is the 2010 Supplemental Draft this fall. All compensatory picks will occur at the end of the indicated round and in the case of multiple picks, are subject to the current waiver order.

National Douche

Mikey is such a douche that the US Men's National team did not invite him to their 2010 tryouts! Since he is not playing in the MLL this summer, he would no longer be eligible anyway, but the decision was made before he announced he did not want to play.

My Flagged & Removed Commentary on the Lacrosse Forums

(for "profanity")

Responding to this: Mikey has absolutely no excuse, that kid has all the talent in the world, talent many players would kill for, and he wastes all of it. I understand how many MLL players have other professions, but Mikey Powell is a musician and he works for a lacrosse company. He could be playing he is just to lazy.
With this: Which is why I openly admit to disliking him. He is one of the few people who are fortunate enough to have lacrosse as a career (something most MLL players wished for) and he squanders it. That is top notch douchebag material.
Mikey's behavior is a huge stumbling block to the success of the MLL's goal of making pro lax a full time, sustainable career. As lax fans there may be things you dislike about the MLL (2 point line), but in the end you should realize that having a pro league means that the sport will continue to grow. Do you think football would be as huge as it is without the NFL? Baseball if the NCAA was the top level? Hockey? Basketball (although NCAA is much better to watch)? No b/c the best players would never have picked up a ball without believing that one day they could make serious bank. Do you think LeBron would be playing if the NBA didn't exist? Doubtful...
We need the MLL and the Powells, especially Mikey, need to get their act together and support it or get out the industry all together.
My official warning said this: Look, I get that you don't like Mikey, we all do. But you still need to be mindful of how you decide to describe him on TLF. If IL can't print it in their magazines, it can't be posted here.
I responded to the moderator's message with this question:Am I allowed to repost it without the inflammatory statement? Or is it a no go b/c he is sponsored by an advertiser?
Inside Lacrosse runs the Lacrosse Forums. Brine is an advertiser in IL.

Major League Douche - Mikey Powell

Considering how much I support Major League Lacrosse, I think that it is very important for the game's alleged "best players" to be active as long as they are in their athletic prime. This is especially true for players who not only endorse, but have a signature line of equipment from one of the league's sponsors (Brine). I am of course referring to former Boston Cannon, Mikey Powell.
Born in October of 1982, Mikey Powell should be at the peak of his professional lacrosse career. Following in the footsteps of other pro athletes like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Powell has an endorsement deal (including a signature line) with one of the sport's biggest manufacturers, Brine. His deal is so lucrative that he is one of the few laxers in the position to be involved with lacrosse full time. Unlike many of his peers, Powell does not have to work a "regular" job. At 26, he should be heading out for his sixth season as a pro. Instead, he is sitting out for the third time.
At Syracuse University, Powell was a stud. He was a four time all American. He remains the only player to ever win the Jack Turnbull Award four times. He was a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist four consecutive years, and won the sports' most prestigious award twice. As a senior, he set the all time leading scorer mark at 'Cuse with 307 points (tied fourth all-time NCAA). When Mikey decided not to go pro at the end of the 2004 college season, people were shocked.
Ultimately 2004 would be merely the first time Mikey sat out a pro season. After being signed by Brine (with his brothers) to a very lucrative contract in 2005, Mikey rejoined the league. As part of the endorsement deal, all three Powells had to play pro lacrosse. When Warrior & MLL owner New Balance bought Brine, everything looked secure for Mikey. Unfortunately, Baby Mikey had other plans; he sat out the 2006 season.
In 2007 he agreed to join MLL, this time with the Boston Cannons. Brine moved forward with an exclusive Mikey Powell line. 2008 saw Powell joined by Hopkins standout Paul Rabil. With this level of talent, the future looked bright. When the 2010 shake up reduced the MLL to six teams, Powell & Rabil looked to be joined by some more strong talent and Boston had the potential to be the team to beat. Unfortunately, Mikey decided for the third time to not play lacrosse. Brine still unveiled its new version of the Mikey Powell line (to be released this summer) despite the fact that the 26 year old is not playing pro lacrosse at all this season and will not be playing for the US team at the 2010 World Championships.
Mikey Powell's behavior is a major reason people don't take MLL seriously. He has the power to turn on the lamp and draw more fans yet chooses to be a douche. Thanks Mikey!

SOLL This Week

After a positive start to the Summer Open Lacrosse League, I am eager to keep the ball rolling.
Tomorrow night (Thursday 5/28) will be just like last week with us meeting at 5:30 at Valley Southwoods. Just like last week I will probably be a couple of minutes late, but please get there and get ready so we can maximize our time. We will pull out one or both of the goals as needed. Just like our first two games, plan on wearing full pads and helmets.

Unfortunately Saturday will be a little different this week due to graduations and other obligations, but I still want to play! Based on the responses so far, our numbers may be small so I am declaring this Saturday (5/30) an official Toss Around event instead of a SOLL game.

What does that mean? 1. Pads and helmets will not be required. 2. We may or may not have access to the goals. 3. We will be playing a non contact game with or without goals. 4. This is a great opportunity to get new people out since pads, etc are not required. I know that some people have extra sticks and I am asking them to bring them, if they are willing. Younger players will also be welcome this Saturday. I have been contacted by a few and would like to get them going.

We've had some good times in the past at the Toss Around events and they seem to be an excellent way to introduce the sport to new people. Granted the Toss Around games are different from regular lax, but they provide an excellent opportunity to learn the fundamentals.
In addition, due to prior engagements and other obligations, we will be moving this Saturday's start time up 30 minutes to 11:00 AM.

There will not be a scheduled lacrosse game next Thursday (6/4). We are having the year-end team dinner for Valley Lax.

After that things should be back to normal. Full pads will be required for Thursday (5:30 pm) & Saturday (11:30 AM) events. Hopefully there will not be any hiccups for a while, but we all know how hectic life can get...

Having said that:
We will not play on Saturday July 4, for obvious reasons
I will not be there on Saturday July 11, but encourage people to get together if they want.

Contact me with questions or concerns.

First Two SOLL Games

After our first two Summer Open Lacrosse League games, I have to say that the league is a hit!
On Thursday we had something like 10-12 guys show up. Only five of us were affiliated with Valley (Cam, Zach D, Van Dyke, Coach Zach, and me). A couple had participated in CILA Toss Arounds and the rest were all new - including two middle school kids. We divided into teams and played some half field shooting on the tarp. The session lasted about two hours.
Saturday saw a huge jump in attendance despite the NCAA semis being on ESPN2 (thanks again for ruining it for me Sugar Rush! Ever hear of TIVO?). We had about 15-16 guys come out to play and I was the only one connected to the Valley team. Most of the other guys from Thursday showed up and brought new people with them. We had another future freshman and a current high school student join us as well. Despite never playing before, both showed great promise and some natural ability (as did the two on Thursday); both will be valuable additions to the team next season. We also had guys that graduated from and played for Michigan Tech, Cornell College, and the University of Southern California.
Unlike Thursday, we got out both goals out. We played a short field with the tarp guarding one net and former CC laxer Darrell Aaron guarding the other. Teams were chosen at random with one face Darrell and the other shooting at the tarp. After the water break, the teams switched sides. We started around 11:30 and left around 2. Definitely not too shabby.
Thursdays will remain at 5:30 for the time being. Based on the temps, we will probably keep the Saturday start time at 11:30. However, of it starts getting too hot too quickly, we may consider moving it. This Saturday may see us short of people who want to play. Please contact me by tomorrow (Wednesday 5/27) to let me know if you plan on coming Saturday. An official announcement should be posted by Thursday.

The Importance of Major League Lacrosse -part 2

Unfortunately the economic downturn and eventual recession of 2008 and 2009 made an impact in the sporting world. For the MLL, this meant some drastic changes. With the league losing modest amounts of money owners no longer wanted to shoulder the burden. The league assumed control of the New Jersey Pride and the Philadelphia Barrage last year. Then the league turned the 2008 defending champion Barrage into a season-long away team to test expansion markets last year, resulting in their players' referring to the team as the "Garbage." Though the host cities provided promising attendance numbers...
Unfortunately the financial downturn continued as AEG decided it no longer had interest in the Los Angeles Riptide and the owners of the San Fransisco Dragons also walked away. Not long after the league announced that it did not intend to run four franchises itself and suspended the Pride, Barrage, Riptide, and Dragons for 2010. To add insult to injury, the 2009 champion Rochester Rattlers also shut their doors.
Fortunately there is some light at the end of the tunnel. An ownership group in Toronto purchased the Rochester franchise, including staff contracts. The Toronto Nationals are a pseudo expansion team; basically the league maintained the rights and history of the Rattlers for potential future use (click here for an explanation). With six teams in place, the league returned to a single table much like its days before the 2006 westward expansion; the key difference being that teams are spread out more rather than just on the east coast. Play started last weekend and the league's first televised game was on Thursday night (Bayhawks over Lizards in OT). Rosters are stronger with the reduced number of teams and everyone involved seems to be more appreciative of the opportunity.
Franchise reinstatement and relocation talks are still underway. The league is focusing on expanding areas with big/growing lacrosse populations and few competing major league sports teams (even though Boston and Denver lead the league in attendance). Soccer-specific stadiums used by Major League Soccer and United Soccer League teams seem to be ideal locations for MLL franchises (Toronto plays at BMO & Chicago at Toyota Park) which indicates hotbeds like Dallas and Columbus may be on the list. You might notice that many of the "expansion cities" mentioned already have or are planning SS stadiums...
Locating in stadiums with more intimate seating in areas where the fans will have less competition for their dollars should be a good idea. The strategy worked well for MLS; their growth in 13 years is phenomenal. Forming a relationship with that league would certainly help stabilize the MLL. It might even lead to a return to California. Both leagues operate under a single entity structure; both realize their status as a lower tier sport. Like the MLS, the MLL has the power to greatly spread the game.
One last thing to draw your attention to - check out the USL proposed stadiums. Anything catch your eye? Being a long time Menace fan, I already knew about LBS. Still, how cool would that be if the soccer team moved up to a higher level? How awesome would it be if we some one with the money bought a MLL franchise to play there as well? Think of the marketing - Iowa's only Major League sports team! Think of the lax explosion we'd see in the state! A pipe dream, I know...