Major League Lacrosse 2009 All-Star Game Highlights

Old School Edges Out Young Guns in OT, 22-21

This past week’s MLL All-Star game drew over 10,000 fans to INVESCO field in Denver to watch the best players in lacrosse.   The game featured the “Young Guns” vs. “Old School” players from around the league. The Old School squad won the game in overtime in a high scoring battle that ended up at 22-21.

The Old School team was led by game-MVP Brian Langtry who netted 3 goals, 3 two-pointers, and an assist.  Anthony Kelly and Brendan Mundorf had equally impressive performances, posting up four points apiece.

The Young Guns were led by Merrick Thomson who had 4 goals and 1 assist, and Paul Rabil put up 5 points as well.  Kenny Nims, Kevin Huntley, and Matt Danowski all tallied 4 points in the effort, while Jesse Schwartzman and Brett Queener put on a great showing in the cage.

Bud Light MLL Skills Competition Results

Fastest Shot Competition:

Each player got two chances at the fastest shot from 10 yards out.  The shot had to be on goal for it to count.

Max Seibald started things off by cranking a record-breaking shot, clocked at 110mph.

Not to be outdone, Paul Rabil stepped up and ripped a blistering shot that registered 111mph on the radar, taking home the victory and new record for the fastest shot in the MLL.

Matt Donowski, Anthony Kelly, and Brendan Mundorf all had shots coming in at 107mph.  Kelly had won the competition last year, with a 109mph shot.

Freestyle Competition:

Love him or hate him, Brett Queener knows how to put on a show.  For his first act, Queener, who is a goalie, came out riding on the back of a John Deere motorized cart that was racing around the stadium as he filmed it on his camcorder. The cart circled around the field as he got the crowd on their feet, before finally diving off the cart and sticking the ball in the net as he was doing a “header” into the pipe.

For his final act, Queener took home the bacon with a Michael Jackson tribute, donning one glove and dancing to “Thriller”.  Words cannot explain, so here’s the video:

All-Star Game Side Notes: Langtry Interview

There was some fan controversy over the sideline interview with Brian Langtry, during an in-game discussion with ESPN’s Quint Kessenich. Langtry made some sarcastic comments to Quint during the interview, jokingly stating: “I only care about the money”.

It’s a well-known fact by most lacrosse fans that the players make very little money for playing in the MLL.  There’s apparently a misconception by some that these guys are well paid for playing in the league.  The facts are that each 19-member team has a salary cap of $175,000 – puting the average player compensation at about $9,000 for an entire season of play.  Some make slightly more, many make less.

Clearly no player in the league is “in it for the money”.  Langtry’s attempt at humor was apparently missed by many, even though he followed up with second interview where he clearly displayed he was joking.