Fox College Sports will be broadcasting four of the MCLA tournament games live this weekend. Both Division 1 semifinals, the Division 2 championship, and the Division 1 championship will be shown. Fox College Sports is available on Direct TV channel 617. Mediacom subscribers with the Digital Plus package or the Sports Tier can watch FCS on channel 172 (Atlantic), 173 (Central), and 174 (West).
Here is the broadcast schedule for this year’s tournament. For your convenience, I have listed our local time. All games are LIVE from Denver:
Friday, May 14, 2010
6:00 pm - Division I Semifinal Game #1
8:30 pm - Division I Semifinal Game #2
Saturday, May 15, 2010
5:00 pm - Division II Final
7:30 pm - Division I Final
Best Place to Find Low Prices - Discontinued Gear
Friday, May 14, 2010
MLL Fantasy Challenge 2010.
After taking the year off last summer, the Major League Lacrosse fantasy game has returned! Participants in the MLL Fantasy Challenge score points based on the on-field performance of their chosen team of MLL players. Near real-time scoring updates will allow Fantasy Challenge participants the opportunity to track their team's progress on-line following the conclusion of each MLL game.
The scoring for the 2010 Fantasy Challenge system will take into account offensive production, defense, face-offs and goaltending to provide for a realistic and exciting fantasy lacrosse experience.
As in past seasons, weekly winners will receive prizes from MLL partners such as Warrior, Brine, Cascade and New Balance.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a complete Major League Lacrosse Player Equipment Package, including helmet, authentic game jersey and shorts, arm pads, shoulder pads, custom gloves, stick, cleats, socks and a gear bag.
The Major League Lacrosse Fantasy Challenge is free to join.
The scoring for the 2010 Fantasy Challenge system will take into account offensive production, defense, face-offs and goaltending to provide for a realistic and exciting fantasy lacrosse experience.
As in past seasons, weekly winners will receive prizes from MLL partners such as Warrior, Brine, Cascade and New Balance.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a complete Major League Lacrosse Player Equipment Package, including helmet, authentic game jersey and shorts, arm pads, shoulder pads, custom gloves, stick, cleats, socks and a gear bag.
The Major League Lacrosse Fantasy Challenge is free to join.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
...And That Team Shall Be...
IV. The Franchise
In the first post of this series, I talked about which teams are currently suspended. I even said that I would purchase and relocate one of those franchises for roughly $1 million rather than buying an expansion franchise. From the beginning, I have had one franchise in particular in mind - The New Jersey Pride.
While relocated franchises are often renamed, I am choosing to retain the Pride's name and iconography. The lion's head logo is easily identifiable and is arguably one of the best in the history of the league. It has been adopted by several youth organizations and travel teams across the country - primarily lacrosse programs, but other sports have begun using it as well.
With the relocation to Des Moines, I would officially rename the team The Pride of Iowa.
To help market the team and connect with the community, the Pride would adopt the African lions at the Blank Park Zoo. Along with the positive press involved, the team would genuinely be giving back to the community by ensuring that the major animals in our local zoo receive adequate care. The Pride would also work with the Zoo for publicity events including autograph signings and zoo tours put on by team members. The zoo's male lion (pictured; name unavailable) would serve as the official team mascot, although he would not be present at games.
V. Colors
One of my biggest philosophies in professional sports is honoring the concept of identity. Teams have identities and communities have identities. Pittsburgh is a great example of a city whose teams recognize both; the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins share the black and gold color scheme. That color scheme comes directly from the city's flag and seal.
Every major team in Des Moines except the Energy makes strong use of red: Barnstormers, Cubs, Menace, Bucs, and Chops (well, they did). Three of them use black as a primary while the other two use blue; the Barnstormers also use gold. It is the Stormers' color scheme that speaks the loudest; it incorporates the schemes of both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa with a tweak to the shared gold. As the capital city of the state, honoring both of our major universities is a great way to connect with fans. The Pride's color scheme is nearly identical to the Barnstormers, so it also achieves this.
VI. Uniforms
With a firm color scheme, I was able to produce some uniform mock ups courtesy of the Alleson Athletic Sublimation uniform creator. Alleson produces the official Warrior, Brine, and New Balance uniforms under license. This includes the official Major League Lacrosse uniforms. Based on last year's MLL uniforms, I chose the Spire jerseys (KJ162A) and shorts (KJ213A).
I modeled my uniforms after the Pride's previous looks, choosing red as the primary road color and secondary home color (as pictured above). Both kits feature sparing use of Vegas gold trim and logos as they currently appear on MLL uniforms. I did not include sponsor logos, but they would most likely appear on the front left leg, upper left chest, and on the back of the jersey.
The first helmet I made up is based on the last used by the Pride. Up until around Christmas, examples could be found online at various retailers, despite the team's suspension last March. It is simple - a black shell with red visor and Mohawk stripes. I added the red chinstrap to complete the look. The Pride logo would appear on the side of course.
To compliment this helmet, I made an updated version that utilizes a Vegas Gold shell. The black chin and Mohawk sharpen the overall look and the red visor and chin strap bring it together. Again the Pride logo would appear on the side. Given the trend to have both a home and road helmet, I intend this helmet as the home bucket and the black one is primarily meant for road games.
Previous
In the first post of this series, I talked about which teams are currently suspended. I even said that I would purchase and relocate one of those franchises for roughly $1 million rather than buying an expansion franchise. From the beginning, I have had one franchise in particular in mind - The New Jersey Pride.
While relocated franchises are often renamed, I am choosing to retain the Pride's name and iconography. The lion's head logo is easily identifiable and is arguably one of the best in the history of the league. It has been adopted by several youth organizations and travel teams across the country - primarily lacrosse programs, but other sports have begun using it as well.With the relocation to Des Moines, I would officially rename the team The Pride of Iowa.
To help market the team and connect with the community, the Pride would adopt the African lions at the Blank Park Zoo. Along with the positive press involved, the team would genuinely be giving back to the community by ensuring that the major animals in our local zoo receive adequate care. The Pride would also work with the Zoo for publicity events including autograph signings and zoo tours put on by team members. The zoo's male lion (pictured; name unavailable) would serve as the official team mascot, although he would not be present at games.V. Colors
One of my biggest philosophies in professional sports is honoring the concept of identity. Teams have identities and communities have identities. Pittsburgh is a great example of a city whose teams recognize both; the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins share the black and gold color scheme. That color scheme comes directly from the city's flag and seal.
Every major team in Des Moines except the Energy makes strong use of red: Barnstormers, Cubs, Menace, Bucs, and Chops (well, they did). Three of them use black as a primary while the other two use blue; the Barnstormers also use gold. It is the Stormers' color scheme that speaks the loudest; it incorporates the schemes of both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa with a tweak to the shared gold. As the capital city of the state, honoring both of our major universities is a great way to connect with fans. The Pride's color scheme is nearly identical to the Barnstormers, so it also achieves this.
VI. Uniforms
With a firm color scheme, I was able to produce some uniform mock ups courtesy of the Alleson Athletic Sublimation uniform creator. Alleson produces the official Warrior, Brine, and New Balance uniforms under license. This includes the official Major League Lacrosse uniforms. Based on last year's MLL uniforms, I chose the Spire jerseys (KJ162A) and shorts (KJ213A).
I modeled my uniforms after the Pride's previous looks, choosing red as the primary road color and secondary home color (as pictured above). Both kits feature sparing use of Vegas gold trim and logos as they currently appear on MLL uniforms. I did not include sponsor logos, but they would most likely appear on the front left leg, upper left chest, and on the back of the jersey.
The first helmet I made up is based on the last used by the Pride. Up until around Christmas, examples could be found online at various retailers, despite the team's suspension last March. It is simple - a black shell with red visor and Mohawk stripes. I added the red chinstrap to complete the look. The Pride logo would appear on the side of course.
To compliment this helmet, I made an updated version that utilizes a Vegas Gold shell. The black chin and Mohawk sharpen the overall look and the red visor and chin strap bring it together. Again the Pride logo would appear on the side. Given the trend to have both a home and road helmet, I intend this helmet as the home bucket and the black one is primarily meant for road games.
Previous
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday Morning Tiger Report - Week 7
After a bye last week, we spent the last six practices gearing up for Creighton Prep. As it was our last game of the regular season and our inclusion in the playoffs was already confirmed, this game only held real importance in determining who we play this week. A win would have made us the number one seed in the North while a loss would make us number two.
The game was extremely close and the lead changed couple of times. We knew their game plan going in, and they knew ours. Both teams kept the penalties to a minimum - four for us, five for Prep - and alternated quarters acquiring them; ours were all in the evens and theirs in the odds. Our biggest issue was confusion on some of the more complex offensive schemes. Hopefully the boys will be a bit more attentive at practice for the rest of the season...*
Final score: Valley 7, Prep 10
With the loss, we are the number two seed. Barring a major upset by Westside (5-7), we will be facing Burke (6-7). The Bulldogs have proven to be very formidable, despite our wins (12-8, 14-10). In lacrosse, four goals are not necessarily indicative of commanding wins. In addition, Burke came within a goal of Millard West (13-14) and within a pair in their second meeting with Prep (5-7).
Prep faces the winner of the play-in between River City (1-12) and (most likely) Westside. The Warriors have won all three of their games since back-to- back losses to us, although two of those games were against the Black Knights and Millard South (0-13). They split their games with Burke - including last week's win. Like Burke, Westside is not a team to be taken likely.
The winners of Saturday's games will advance to the finals tournament. The semi-finals will be held on Friday night (May 21) with the consolation and championship to be held on Saturday (May 22) in Omaha. Finals tournament seeding will be determined following this weekend's games.
The JV team played its final game of the season Saturday. Last time we played prep, we got blown out 12-1. The difference in our teams' depth was a major factor in that game and we knew heading into this one we would have the same issue. Following the varsity loss, the odds were against us.
While Prep could run three full lines, we had four guys on the bench. Our only defensive sub was also our JV LSM and an eighth grader (W Tornberg) to boot. An eighth grader also sat in net and the field was stocked with freshmen. We knew we were in for a heavy battle.
Just like the varsity game, the JV game was a tight battle. The score flipped back-and-forth while our guys gave it their all. Cramping issues took out one of our attackmen at half time. JV captain and middie Goertz left in the third due to a potentially dislocated thumb. We were left with only two middies on the bench and a tied score. After calling a time out with just under two minutes to go, the boys were able to get a breather to make a push for the game winner. Regulation ended with the score tied.
Although we told everybody to hang tight, one of the starting middies did not hear that we had a five minute sudden death overtime and took off his gear. This caused a last minute personnel adjustment and a change in the offensive scheme. In the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After Arends won the face off off, the guys kept the ball in the offensive zone. Daniels backed up every shot taken by Symons and McDougal and continually fed it back up top. Delsol quickly and confidently grabbed every deflected ground ball and sent it promptly back to McDougal to reset. In the end, our youngest offensive player snagged a wobbly pass from McDougal and hit a powerful that went far side bottom corner.
Final Score: Valley 7, Prep 6 OT
The JV finished 2-5. All but two of those games were decided by one goal either way. We were significantly outnumbered in every game. Their overall performance was admirable and shows great promise for the future of our program.
*Forgive the lack of major details, but my time is very limited this morning. Also, I do not want to give too much up considering we will most likely be playing Prep again in two weeks.
The game was extremely close and the lead changed couple of times. We knew their game plan going in, and they knew ours. Both teams kept the penalties to a minimum - four for us, five for Prep - and alternated quarters acquiring them; ours were all in the evens and theirs in the odds. Our biggest issue was confusion on some of the more complex offensive schemes. Hopefully the boys will be a bit more attentive at practice for the rest of the season...*
Final score: Valley 7, Prep 10
With the loss, we are the number two seed. Barring a major upset by Westside (5-7), we will be facing Burke (6-7). The Bulldogs have proven to be very formidable, despite our wins (12-8, 14-10). In lacrosse, four goals are not necessarily indicative of commanding wins. In addition, Burke came within a goal of Millard West (13-14) and within a pair in their second meeting with Prep (5-7).
Prep faces the winner of the play-in between River City (1-12) and (most likely) Westside. The Warriors have won all three of their games since back-to- back losses to us, although two of those games were against the Black Knights and Millard South (0-13). They split their games with Burke - including last week's win. Like Burke, Westside is not a team to be taken likely.
The winners of Saturday's games will advance to the finals tournament. The semi-finals will be held on Friday night (May 21) with the consolation and championship to be held on Saturday (May 22) in Omaha. Finals tournament seeding will be determined following this weekend's games.
***
The JV team played its final game of the season Saturday. Last time we played prep, we got blown out 12-1. The difference in our teams' depth was a major factor in that game and we knew heading into this one we would have the same issue. Following the varsity loss, the odds were against us.
While Prep could run three full lines, we had four guys on the bench. Our only defensive sub was also our JV LSM and an eighth grader (W Tornberg) to boot. An eighth grader also sat in net and the field was stocked with freshmen. We knew we were in for a heavy battle.
Just like the varsity game, the JV game was a tight battle. The score flipped back-and-forth while our guys gave it their all. Cramping issues took out one of our attackmen at half time. JV captain and middie Goertz left in the third due to a potentially dislocated thumb. We were left with only two middies on the bench and a tied score. After calling a time out with just under two minutes to go, the boys were able to get a breather to make a push for the game winner. Regulation ended with the score tied.
Although we told everybody to hang tight, one of the starting middies did not hear that we had a five minute sudden death overtime and took off his gear. This caused a last minute personnel adjustment and a change in the offensive scheme. In the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After Arends won the face off off, the guys kept the ball in the offensive zone. Daniels backed up every shot taken by Symons and McDougal and continually fed it back up top. Delsol quickly and confidently grabbed every deflected ground ball and sent it promptly back to McDougal to reset. In the end, our youngest offensive player snagged a wobbly pass from McDougal and hit a powerful that went far side bottom corner.
Final Score: Valley 7, Prep 6 OT
The JV finished 2-5. All but two of those games were decided by one goal either way. We were significantly outnumbered in every game. Their overall performance was admirable and shows great promise for the future of our program.
*Forgive the lack of major details, but my time is very limited this morning. Also, I do not want to give too much up considering we will most likely be playing Prep again in two weeks.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Registration now open! 2010 Sumer League
Registration is now open for the 2010 Central Iowa Lacrosse Association Summer Lacrosse League. There is a $30.00 fee this year to cover the cost of a reversible jersey, goal maintenance, and ball replacement. Neither I nor anyone else is taking any form of compensation from the league.
Teams will be assigned by the league with some considerations based on travel concerns. Our primary goal is to create fairly equal teams based upon experience and age.
Jersey fees are due by May 22, 2010.
Registration forms & waivers are due by May 26, 2010.
Visit the registration page for more information, to pay your fees, and to download the registration and waiver forms. Contact me with questions or if you are unable to view the CILA website.
Teams will be assigned by the league with some considerations based on travel concerns. Our primary goal is to create fairly equal teams based upon experience and age.
Jersey fees are due by May 22, 2010.
Registration forms & waivers are due by May 26, 2010.
Visit the registration page for more information, to pay your fees, and to download the registration and waiver forms. Contact me with questions or if you are unable to view the CILA website.
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