Below are some of the smaller items making news in the National Lacrosse League and beyond, including trades, rumors, odd facts and injury updates.

6 February 2010:
      It's been an unusually active week for trades in the National Lacrosse League, rivalling the trading deadline for the number of moves...

      The Rochester Knighthawks traded Jamie Ronney to the Boston Blazers, also exchanging first-round picks in this year's entry draft. In a related move, the Knighthawks signed longtime defensive standout (and last year's GM) Regy Thorpe and placed him on the active roster.
      The Boston Blazers traded goaltender Mike Poulin to the Calgary Roughnecks for a 2011 first-round draft pick. The Riggers then shipped backup netminder Chris Levis to the Colorado Mammoth for a 2011 second-rounder.
      The Buffalo Bandits today traded Chris Driscoll to the Rochester Knighthawks for second-round picks in 2010 and 2012. The Bandits also signed defenseman Clay Hill and goaltender Mike Thompson, and released goaltender Angus Goodleaf.

25 January 2010:
      The Philadelphia Wings have acquired 2009 first-round draft pick Max Seibald, trading their 2010 first-rounder and future considerations to the Boston Blazers in exchange for the holdout prospect. Seibald, the 2009 Tewaarton Trophy winner as the nation's top collegiate lacrosse player, is a player the Wings set their sights on last fall. "I have known Max since his freshman year at Cornell [University] and I saw how he was capable of single handedly carrying that team on his back," Wings vice president Mike French said. "He is a player we wanted to get at the draft, it didn't work out, but we are delighted to have him as part of our team now."

 

25 December 2009:
      Those eager for another season of NLL Fantasy Lacrosse will want to spruce up their Facebook presence (or sign up for the social networking behemoth). The league announced earlier this week that the 2010 edition of FantLax will take place on Facebook, where participants will fill their rosters with eight runners and two goaltenders. FantLax will have a salary cap format, with points earned for goals, assists, loose ball recoveries and saves and points lost for goals allowed. To sign up, visit Facebook's NLL Salary Cap application.

 

2 December 2009:
      A three-way Western Division trade earlier this week has landed Chad Culp with the Colorado Mammoth. First, Colorado dealt Ryan Powell to the Edmonton Rush for Callum Crawford, then the Mammoth swung Crawford to the Minnesota Swarm in exchange for Culp. An eighth-year pro, Culp has 101 goals and 154 assists in 91 career regular-season games and is Minnesota's alltime leading postseason scorer (11 points in three games). Powell (119 goals, 207 assists in 100 games) rejoins Derek Keenan, his one-time coach in Portland and the Rush's current coach/GM, while Crawford (47 goals, 52 assists in 43 games) is expected to add right-handed depth in Minnesota.

 

12 November 2009:
      The Calgary Roughnecks and Edmonton Rush will play an exhibition game on Saturday, 19 December at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta (7:30 PM Mountain / 9:30 PM Eastern). For tickets, call 403.329.7328 or visit enmaxcentre.ca.

 

7 November 2009:
      The Philadelphia Wings have traded transition player Rob Van Beek to the Calgary Roughnecks in exchange for a 2010 second-round entry draft selection. "[Van Beek] is a blood and guts character guy who possesses the intangibles we look for in a player," Roughnecks head coach Dave Pym said. Van Beek, a five-year veteran (all with the Wings), scored four goals, dished out 10 assists and scooped up 83 loose balls last season. For his career, he has 22 goals, 59 assists and 390 loose ball recoveries.

 

22 September 2009:
      Thoughts and prayers go out to Colorado Mammoth transition player Jim Moss, who has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system and can cause paralysis within days or weeks, has no known cure. There are, however, several therapies to reduce the severity of the symptoms and speed up the recovery process, which can range from a few weeks to several years. The disorder is not life-threatening but is considered a medical emergency, due to the possible impact on breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. "Jim is in good hands and is battling hard," Mammoth GM Steve Govett said. "His doctors think they caught it early in the process, which should help Jim in his recovery."

 

15 August 2009:
      Earlier this week, the Washington Stealth acquired transition player Jamison Koesterer from the Buffalo Bandits for a second-round selection in this year's entry draft. Koesterer appeared in eight games last season for Portland, tallying two assists and 39 loose ball recoveries, then was selected ninth-overall by Buffalo in the LumberJax dispersal draft last month. Washington also receives a fifth-round pick in this year's draft as part of the trade.

 

5 August 2009:
      In the second trade this week between the two teams, the Buffalo Bandits have dealt transition player Pat McCready (and a third-round pick in this year's entry draft) to the Toronto Rock for a 2010 first-round selection and second-rounders this year and 2011. A fourteen-year veteran, McCready played the past eight seasons in Buffalo, tallying 71 goals and 135 assists. For his career, which began with the hapless Charlotte Cobras and includes five seasons with Rochester, McCready has scored 127 goals and dished out 212 assists.

 

1 August 2009:
      Proving that you can go home again, the Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock have swapped defensemen who've each previously played with their new club. In the trade, Buffalo acquires Chris Driscoll, whose prior MILL/NLL stops include a three-year run with the Bandits (1999-2001). He had 7 goals and 15 assists last season for the Rock, adding to a 17-season total of 233 goals and 362 assists. Sanderson had one goal and 11 assists last season for the Bandits, boosting his career numbers to 24 and 85, respectively. He previously played for Toronto from 2005 to 2007.
      Edmonton Rush coach/GM Derek Keenan has named Todd Lorenz and Jeremy Tallevi as his assistant coaches. Tallevi, who will run the defense, is a longtime Keenan sidekick, having coached with him in both Anaheim and Portland. Lorenz, meanwhile, takes a unique route to the offensive coach's job, working previously as an NLL official; he has played and coached in the Canadian junior and senior leagues.

 

30 July 2009:
      The Philadelphia Wings yesterday traded newly-acquired Derek Malawsky to the Edmonton Rush for Dan Teat in an exchange of veteran forwards. Malawsky, selected by the Wings in this month's Portland dispersal draft, had 19 goals and 33 assists for the LumberJax this past season. For his career (which includes stints with Ontario, Buffalo, Rochester, San Jose, Arizona and Portland), Malawsky has 233 goals and 160 assists. Teat, meanwhile, had 28 goals and 41 assists in 2009 for the Rush; he has 283 goals and 311 assists in a thirteen-year career spent with Rochester, Albany, San Jose, Buffalo, and Edmonton.

 

23 July 2009:
      Are the New York Titans finished in the Big Apple? League sources indicate that the club has been sold and will relocate to Orlando for the 2010 season. In addition, the domain name orlandotitans.com was registered just last week -- but it was registered not by the Titans, but rather by NLL commissioner George Daniel, listing a New York City adddress and his Easton, PA, law office's phone number in the contact information. Stay tuned.
      The Edmonton Rush yesterday traded forward Mike Hominuck to the Toronto Rock for a third-round pick in this year's entry draft. Hominuck, a six-year pro, scored 31 goals and dished out 49 assists in 22 games for the Rush, spanning a season and a half. In 2009, Hominuck was third on the Rush in assists (32) and points (47). He previously played for Buffalo, Portland and Minnesota.

 

26 June 2009:
      The Philadelphia Wings have expanded head coach Dave Huntley's job title to now include the role of general manager. "The ownership has conducted an extensive study of the positives and negatives of our organization," Wings owner Russ Cline said. "All the players and staff participated in an open and honest evaluation of where we are today and what it will take win a league championship. We are convinced that with the right changes to the organization we can reach that goal. We determined that Dave Huntley deserves the opportunity to lead us." Huntley, who was the Wings' GM all the way back in 1987 and 1988, replaces Lindsay Sanderson, who had held the job for five seasons before being fired in April.

 

24 June 2009:
      Bob Hamley, recently fired as coach and general manager of the Edmonton Rush, has filed a $200,000 (Canadian) wrongful termination lawsuit against the club and team owner Bruce Urban. Hamley, who joined the Rush in February 2008 and subsequently relocated his family there, claims he was fired without either just cause or adequate notice and says he had a signed contract. The suit claims that Hamley was twice asked to sign a separation agreement, refusing both times, and was then immediately terminated and paid two weeks' salary.

 

11 June 2009:
      A week after head coach Troy Cordingley resigned, the Calgary Roughnecks announced today that assistant coach Terry Sanderson is leaving the oil patch, as well. Cordingley wants to be nearer to his family, and that's the word on Sanderson, too. "Losing Terry is unfortunate, but we understand that he wants to be closer to his family," Roughnecks owner Brad Banister said. "The Calgary Roughnecks wish him the best of luck." It just so happens that home, for both men, is southern Ontario -- where the Toronto Rock have vacancies at general manager (reports say Sanderson is a leading contender) and head coach (Cordingley?).

 

17 March 2009:
      The Edmonton Rush and Toronto Rock hooked up over the biggest name to change teams today, the NLL's trade deadline. Edmonton transferred goaltender Steve Dietrich to Toronto in exchange for the Rock's second-round pick in this year's entry draft. "Chugger" had a 1-4 record with the Rush this season, including a 14.00 goals-against average and a 74.2 save percentage. Edmonton followed that with another trade, sending Andrew Biers to the San Jose Stealth for a 2009 first-round pick. Biers was scoreless in two games this season.
      The New York Titans also swung two trades today, first by picking up Keith Cromwell from the Minnesota Swarm for a conditional second-round selection in this year's entry draft; Cromwell had not appeared for the Swarm this season, due to work commitments. In their next move, the Titans traded forward Jamie Rooney (7 goals and 7 assists in 10 games) to the Rochester Knighthawks for defenseman Bill Greer (0 goals and 2 assists in 8 games).

 

3 March 2009:
      Philadelphia Wings transition player Geoff Snider will miss an undetermined amount of time after suffering a fractured trachea (windpipe) in Friday's game at Edmonton; however, surgery will not be required. Snider was struck accidentally by a stick in the first quarter but continued playing. Although Snider reportedly was being treated for the injury throughout the game, no one (least of all Snider) realized the severity until the Wings arrived in Portland on Saturday, by which time he was having trouble breathing. Snider spent two nights in a Portland-area intensive care unit, until swelling in his throat went down, and has been sent home to rest.
      As result of Geoff Snider's injury and assorted ailments to other players, the NLL announced that four alternates have been selected to play for the Eastern Division All Stars in Saturday night's All Star Game. Three of the newly-appointed are members of the New York Titans -- forward Brendan Mundorf and defensemen Jarett Park and Stephen Peyser -- while Philadelphia Wings forward Drew Westervelt also got the call. Aside from Park (second selection), they will each be making their ASG debut. Bowing out for the East are Snider, New York forward Casey Powell, New York defenseman Greg Peyser and Toronto defenseman Cam Woods, all of whom missed action this past week.

 

25 February 2009:
      Edmonton Rush owner Bruce Urban very much wants to sell out Rexall Place for a game, and thinks he has a way to make it happen for Friday's contest against the Philadelphia Wings -- he's selling tickets for a buck. "We feel we have the team to make a run for the playoffs. We need that extra player on the field, which is the fan," Urban told the Edmonton Sun. "People get strength from people, players get strength from fans and a sold-out house is going to help give our players the strength to win this Friday night's game." Urban also acknowledges that the promotion is an attempt to get locals to check out the Rush. "For one dollar, it's great entertainment. Four quarters for four quarters of entertainment," he adds.
      The Philadelphia Wings announced today that they have signed free agent Jon Harasym. In four games earlier this season with Toronto, Harasym scooped up 14 loose balls but recorded no points. For his career (55 games), Harasym has scored 28 goals and dished out 41 assists. Philadelphia will be his seventh NLL team, following stops in Columbus, Rochester, Minnesota, Buffalo, Chicago and Toronto. In a related move, the Wings released Jim Borell.

 

20 February 2009:
      Defensive mainstay Dan Ladouceur announced his retirement yesterday, ending an eleven-year career spent entirely with the Toronto Rock. Never to be confused for an offensive weapon, Ladouceur tallied six goals and twelve assists in 150 regular-season and playoff games. Ladouceur made his name on defense, joining with Pat Coyle to anchor a stifling defense that defined the Rock for its first half-decade. "Laddy" retires as the NLL's alltime leader in penalty minutes, 428.

 

19 February 2009:
      Searching for something (anything?) to break out of their 1-5 start, the Rochester Knighthawks today traded Aaron Wilson and a conditional draft pick to the Minnesota Swarm for forwards Craig Point and Dean Hill. Wilson was second on the Knighthawks with nine goals this season and fourth in points (15), while Hill has done little since scoring 32 goals in 2007 (injuries haven't helped). The key to the trade, though, is Point, the reigning NLL Rookie of the Year. His sophomore season hasn't gone well -- two goals and six assists in four games -- but K'Hawks GM Regy Thorpe couldn't resist. "Craig is a young, strong and versatile player that has a huge future in this league," Thorpe said. "We were lacking some punch on our right side and we felt Craig would give that to us."

 

18 February 2009:
      A scheduling conflict at HP Pavilion has forced the San Jose Stealth to change the dates of two upcoming home games. San Jose's home game against the Edmonton Rush, originally scheduled for 10 April, has been moved to Saturday, 21 March. The Stealth home game scheduled for the 21st, against the Minnesota Swarm, will now be played on Friday, 3 April.

 

17 February 2009:
      One of our eagle eyes here at the Outsider's Guide has turned all Mythbuster on the Rochester Knighthawks' Steve Toll. First mentioned by NLL Insider's Paul Tutka and later picked up by the Knighthawks and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, this Saturday's game between Rochester and New York will be the 164th consecutive game played for Toll, supposedly one more than Kevin Finneran. The problem: Finneran's total of 163 includes five games played before his streak -- 138 regular season games, 158 including playoffs -- while Toll's have all been consecutive. In reality, Toll broke the regular-season record in last season's finale and snapped the overall mark in this year's opener. The Outsider's Guide wishes to be the first to congratulate Toll on his accomplishment... sadly, well after the fact.
      The NLL today announced two schedule changes involving Edmonton Rush home games. In order to free up Rexall Place for a possible NHL playoff game on Saturday, 18 April, Edmonton's game against the Portland LumberJax has been moved to Friday, 3 April. However, since Edmonton was already slated to host the Calgary Roughnecks that night, the Battle of Alberta has been pushed back to Saturday, 11 April and is now the Rush's home finale.

 

5 February 2009:
      Veteran forward Jake Bergey announced his retirement today, just after being re-acquired by the Philadelphia Wings in a trade. Bergey, who played ten seasons with the Wings (256 goals, 301 assists), was selected by the Boston Blazers in this summer's expansion draft, but did not play for the team. "I approached [Wings GM] Lindsay Sanderson and [owner] Russ Cline and told them that I planned to retire," Bergey said. "They asked me to wait on making an announcement so a deal could be worked out to ensure I officially ended my career with the Wings. I think it is a pretty good ending to a career." If Bergey returns to play for an NLL team, the Blazers will receive an undisclosed draft pick.

 

27 January 2009:
      The NLL has signed a licensing agreement with Wall-U, a maker of life-sized vinyl decals similar to those pumped out by better-known rival Fathead. According to a report in Crain's Detroit Business, Wall-U has developed a niche for itself by allowing customers to submit their own images for creation as a vinyl cutout. No word yet on what Wall-U will offer (or when) as an NLL product line.
      Philadelphia Wings transition player Geoff Snider will be featured in an upcoming episode of the Tru TV series Most Daring, a program which bills itself as "the ultimate 'caught-on-tape' reality series." The Snider episode debuts tomorrow night at 9:00 PM Eastern and will reair at midnight Eastern. Tru TV is the channel formerly known as Court TV and is available on DirecTV (ch. 246), Dish Network (ch. 204) and most cable networks across the United States.
      Hobbled by a nagging back injury since the start of the season, goaltender Gord ("Gee") Nash has been placed on injured reserve by the Colorado Mammoth. "It's incredibly disappointing to lose someone of the caliber of Gee," Mammoth GM Steve Govett said, "but right now the focus needs to be on his health." Colorado has signed veteran netminder Curtis Palidwor to fill in. Palidwor has previous played for Columbus, Montreal, Calgary, New York and Edmonton in his eight-year career.

 

20 January 2009:
      The Colorado Mammoth today fired offensive coach Russ Heard, replacing him with Coquitlam Adanacs (BCLA Junior A) coach Dan Perreault. Heard joined the Mammoth's coaching staff in 2006, under then-head coach Gary Gait, and stayed on when Gait was succeeded by Bob McMahon. However, Colorado's offense has dropped since the beginning of last season, falling from 200 goals during the 2006 championship season and 209 the following year to 184 in 2008 and just 17 in two games this season.

 

14 January 2009:
      The Toronto Rock today officially gave up on Ryan Benesch, trading the 2007 Rookie of the Year and defenseman Derek Suddons to the Edmonton Rush for a first-round selection in this year's entry draft and a second-rounder next year. Benesch rapidly fell out of favor in Toronto late last season and did not dress for either of the Rock's games this season. Suddons, meanwhile, has not yet signed for 2009.
      When USA Today went in search of an explanation for why the NLL continues to draw big crowds as other second-tier sports leagues struggle, reporter Seth Livingstone found just the right person -- Outsider's Guide Assistant Editor Deb McAllister. "A lot of the success here has to do with ticket prices," she said, speaking in her other role, president of the Bandits Brigade fan club. "This is the most reasonable ticket in town. But the biggest thing is the atmosphere. A Bandits game is one big party with 18,000 people — music playing and the crowd chanting the whole game." The article is available online by clicking here.

 

6 January 2009:
      Three members of the 1997 MILL championship team have been selected to the inaugural class to the Rochester Knighthawks' Hall of Fame. Forwards Tim Soudan and Duane Jacobs, as well as assistant coach Paul Day, will be inducted on Saturday, 31 January, prior to the Knighthawks' home game against Toronto. Soudan and Jacobs both began their professional careers elsewhere before joining the Knighthawks in 1995, remaining in teal for eleven and nine seasons, respectively. Jacobs ranks third in team history with 169 goals, while Soudan is tied for fourth (156). Day, meanwhile, became the Knighthawks' head coach following the 1997 championship, compiling an overall record of 80-47 in eight seasons.
      Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Philadelphia Wings assistant coach Chris Sanderson, who is battling brain cancer. In his blog on wingslax.com, Wings owner Russ Cline wrote that Sanderson "had extensive surgery at Duke University [on] 26 December. Chris will enter an experimental treatment program starting this Monday. He and his wife Brogann have shown great courage and determination to beat this disease. Chris will continue to coach with us and added to his infamous 'red blazer' outfit will be a helmet."
      In his blog, Philadelphia Wings owner Russ Cline reports that reigning NLL Most Valuable Player Athan Iannucci is close to returning from an torn ACL suffered this summer. Iannucci will get a knee brace this week, then will be examined by team doctors. If cleared, Iannucci could be back in time for the Wings' home opener on Friday, 23 January.

 

3 January 2009:
      Courtesy of an eleventh-hour signing, the New York Titans have their 2008 leading point-scorer for tonight's season opener. Casey Powell, who tallied 86 points in 2008 (on 32 goals and 54 assists), came to terms with the team late this week, ending a holdout that threatened his participation in tonight's neutral-site game against Toronto, being played in Sunrise, Florida. So far, so good for Powell -- he scored the game's first goal, 33 seconds in.

 

18 September 2008:
      The Portland LumberJax traded forward Spencer Martin to the Edmonton Rush on Monday, acquiring the suddenly much-travelled Matt Brown in exchange. Brown played three games for Colorado last season, tallying three goals and three assists. Brown was selected by Rochester in the Arizona dispersal draft in June (as Brown's permanent playing rights were, at the time, held by the Sting) and immediately dealt to the Rush. Martin has 62 goals and 104 assists over a seven-year career, which includes stops with Columbus, Philadelphia, San Jose, Minnesota and Portland.
      In other trade news, the New York Titans have dealt defenseman Anthony Kelly to the Boston Blazers for goaltender Kurtis Wagar. Kelly, entering his third season, has appeared in seven games, tallying an assist, five loose ball recoveries and a 7-6 record on faceoffs. Wagar, also a third-year pro, dressed for nine games with Edmonton, seeing just 31 minutes of game action. He turned aside 20 of 26 shots faced in 2008, for an 11.44 goals-against average and a 76.92 save percentage.

 

11 September 2008:
      The NLL announced today that the Board of Governors has referred the idea of instant replay to its competition committee for further study. Video replay would be used only in specific cases, all involving goals -- whether the ball cross the plane of the goal, whether a goal was scored prior to the end of a period, or whether a crease violation occurred prior to a goal being scored. Officials would have access to any available camera angles, although the committee still has to decide on issues such as who reviews the video (the crew chief, like an NFL referee, or an off-field official) and how a play would be designated for review (a coach's challenge system is one possibility).
      The Colorado Mammoth today signed unrestricted free agent Gary Rosyski to a two-year contract. Rosyski, who has played the past nine seasons for San Jose (including four years when the team was located in Albany), has 263 goals and 305 assists in 138 career games. "Gary is among the 500-point club, and not many in NLL history can say that," Mammoth GM Steve Govett said. "He consistently generates offense and we expect more of that when he puts on the Mammoth uniform." Rosyski is coming off a relatively subpar 2008 season, during which he scored 18 goals and 22 assists.

 

27 August 2008:
      Newly-installed Rochester Knighthawks general manager Regy Thorpe has added two familiar faces to the team's front office, naming Tim Soudan as assistant GM and Tom Cincebox as director of player personnel. Like Thorpe, Soudan was a longtime Knighthawk, playing with the team from 1995 to 2005 after four seasons with the original Boston Blazers. Soudan ranks fourth in Knighthawks history with 156 goals, as well as sixth in assists (161) and points (317). Cincebox has been with the Knighthawks since 1996, serving continuously as an assistant coach; he is the only coach to have worked with both Knighthawks championship teams (1997 and 2007).

 

25 August 2008:
      New York Titans forward Jeff Ratcliffe retired today in order to spend more time with his family, ending an eight-year career primarily spent in Philadelphia. Ratcliffe was a member of the NLL champion Wings in 2001, his debut season, scoring 21 goals and dishing out 25 assists. This past season, his only campaign with the Titans, Ratcliffe recorded 12 goals and 13 assists. In 123 career regular-season games, Ratcliffe scored 240 goals and assisted on another 165 tallies.

 

20 August 2008:
      With Boston joining the league as an obvious addition to the already overcrowded Eastern Division, the National Lacrosse League announced yesterday that the Minnesota Swarm will move to the Western Division for the 2009 season. All other teams will remain in the same division they played in this past season. As for the Swarm, sources indicate that the team wavered for quite some time over whether to accept the realignment. The league made no mention of whether, or how, Minnesota would be accomodated for agreeing to the switch; it is possible the Swarm will get more games against East teams than their divisional foes will. Stay tuned.
      Veteran Rochester Knighthawks defenseman Regy Thorpe retired today, ending a 14-year career (all with the Knighthawks) to become the team's general manager. "I am excited and look forward to the challenges that lies ahead. I feel confident that I can help build on the past success of our organization," Thorpe said. Thorpe is the Knighthawks' alltime leader in games played (180), loose balls (910), and penalty minutes (353), and has appeared in all 23 postseason games in team history.

 

9 August 2008:
      The Toronto Rock made the first big move in free agency this summer, signing former Philadelphia Wings forward Jason Crosbie to a two-year contract. "[Crosbie] is a smart, proven player that will compliment our offense," Rock director of lacrosse operations Mike Kloepfer said. Crosbie scored 11 goals and dished out 40 assists in 16 games in 2008, his only season with the Wings. In an eight-year career that also includes stops with Rochester, Montreal, Arizona and Buffalo, Crosbie has scored 124 goals and chipped in 209 assists.

 

1 August 2008:
      The Boston Blazers continued building their roster Wednesday by trading two of their expansion draft selections back to their original clubs. First, Boston sent defenseman Taylor Wray (2 goals, 9 assists in 13 games last season) back to the Calgary Roughnecks for defenseman Travis Gillespie (no game action since 2006) and a 2009 third-round entry draft pick. The Blazers then flipped Gillespie to the San Jose Stealth, along with forward Tom Johnson (8 goals, 7 assists with the Stealth last season) and a 2009 third-round selection, for forward Sean Morris (2 goals and 6 assists in three games in 2008), defenseman Steve Panarelli (51 loose balls in '08) and San Jose's second-round pick in 2010.
      In other trading action this week, the Boston Blazers dealt defenseman Kyle Laverty, selected from Buffalo in last week's expansion draft, to the Rochester Knighthawks for defenseman Jack Reid. In 118 games over eight seasons, Laverty has tallied 10 goals, 37 assists and 484 loose ball recoveries. Reid, entering his third pro season, has no goals, four assists and 53 scoops in 16 career games.

 

9 July 2008:
      The Calgary Roughnecks and Edmonton Rush exchanged goaltenders Tuesday, with Steve Dietrich headed to the Rush for Matt King and defenseman Kris Hartzell. The Alberta rivals also swapped first-round draft picks, with the Riggers now drafting seventh-overall and the Rush sliding down to eighth. The veteran Dietrich has a lifetime 12.14 goals-against average and 76.8 save percentage in sixteen seasons with Rochester, Buffalo and Calgary. King, meanwhile, has moved around a bit since breaking in with the first-year Roughnecks in 2002, winning the Champion's Cup as a Rigger in 2004, shifting to Portland a couple years later and landing in Edmonton in a midseason trade last year. In seven seasons, King has a career 13.59 goals-against average and a 72.2 save percentage.

 

7 July 2008:
      The Portland LumberJax reacquired Brad MacDonald today, shipping forward Matt Holman and a 2009 second-round entry draft pick to the Chicago Shamrox in exchange for the veteran defenseman. MacDonald appeared in twelve games for the 'Jax in 2008, tallying a goal and 24 penalty minutes, then was selected by the Shamrox in last week's Arizona dispersal draft. Holman, a third-year pro, has scored 19 goals in 19 career games.

 

2 July 2008:
      The Minnesota Swarm yesterday traded newly-acquired defenseman Chris McKay to the Edmonton Rush for a second-round pick in this year's entry draft. McKay played for the Rush last season, scooping up 56 loose balls in seven games, but was selected by the Swarm in Monday's dispersal draft (for the permanent rights to former Arizona Sting players). McKay has eight goals, 49 assists and 253 loose ball recoveries in 49 career games.
      In another trade, this one announced today, the Edmonton Rush acquired defenseman Greg Hinman from the Buffalo Bandits for a 2008 third-round entry draft selection. Buffalo's lone selection in the Arizona dispersal draft (held Monday), Hinman tallied two goals, five assists, and 59 loose ball recoveries in eleven games for Calgary in 2008. For his three-year career, Hinman has scored three goals and dished out sixteen assists while collecting 159 loose balls.

 

1 June 2008:
      Curt Styres paid $5.575 million (US) to purchase a majority stake in the Rochester Knighthawks, the National Lacrosse League announced this week. It is a record price for an NLL franchise, the league says; we wouldn't know for sure, as this might be the first time the league has revealed the purchase price of an existing franchise. Expansion franchises, however, have long had public price tags, and they haven't always been so high -- less than ten years ago, for instance, the Albany Attack (now the San Jose Stealth) came into existence for a mere quarter million dollars.
      The Portland LumberJax have fired assistant coaches Jeremy Tallevi and Jeff McComb, although head coach Derek Keenan apparently will remain on board. No reason was given for the dual sackings, although it's easy to suspect the team's 10-22 record over the past two seasons was a factor (this year's run to the finals notwithstanding). Tallevi and McComb served as Keenan's assistants for all three years of the LumberJax's existence and previously held the same posts under Keenan with the 2005 Anaheim Storm.

 

17 April 2008:
      The Toronto Rock announced today that due to a scheduling conflict at Air Canada Centre (the NBA's Toronto Raptors), the regular season finale against the Philadelphia Wings has been postponed to Sunday, 27 April, at 1:00 PM (the game had been scheduled for the previous evening). Toronto-Philadelphia is now the league's regular season finale, as everyone else will be done by the previous evening. The Rock will still honor the retiring Jim Veltman at the game.

 

10 March 2008:
      The NLL announced today that Saturday's postponed game between the Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings will be played on Sunday, 6 April at 8:05 PM -- or, in terms of other events at the Wachovia Center, two hours after the completion of the Flyers' regular season finale. The hockey-lacrosse twinbill was caused by a winter storm last week which prevented the Rock from traveling from Ontario to Philadelphia. It will be the second game of the weekend for both teams, with Toronto hosting Rochester and Philadelphia at Chicago (both the night before).

 

29 February 2008:
      The National Lacrosse League is within 500 goals of the 30,000th goal in league history, and just as we did with the 15,000-goal plateau in 2002, Lacrosse-Network.com is commemorating the milestone with a Pick The Scorer contest. The winner will receive a replica NLL jersey of the team of his/her choice. For more details and to get in the game, click here. Good luck!
      Unable to squeeze him into their lineup, the Philadelphia Wings today traded forward Brendan Thenhaus to the Edmonton Rush for a 2008 second-round draft pick. The pick was originally the Wings'; they traded it to acquire a draft pick that became rookie forward David Mitchell. Thenhaus played three games for the Wings this season, totalling one goal and one assist. In related moves, the Wings activated forward Drew Westervelt from injured reserve and the Rush placed Ben Prepchuk on injured reserve.

 

19 February 2008:
      As if team owner Steve Donner wasn't staring at enough problems with his upstate New York sports empire, the state tax department has filed a warrant against the Rochester Knighthawks for nonpayment of sales tax collected between March and May of 2007, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports today. The US$27,078.53 warrant, essentially a lien against assets, was issued after the state and the Knighthawks failed to negotiate a settlement for repayment.

 

5 February 2008:
      The Chicago Shamrox have traded forwards Andrew Lazore and Rusty Kruger to the Buffalo Bandits for both of the Bandits' second-round picks in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft. Both players fell victim to the numbers game on Chicago's roster, as the Shamrox needed to make room for returning forward Cody Jacobs and defenseman Mike Hobbins. Lazore had an assist and three loose ball recoveries in two games this season, while Kruger (already released by Buffalo) had not played.

 

30 January 2008:
      The Edmonton Rush today traded transition player Chris Seller to the Calgary Roughnecks for a 2008 third-round entry draft selection. Seller, an eight-year veteran, has 53 goals, 61 assists and 549 loose balls in his career, but just one assist and three scoops this season with the Rush. "I'm really not sure what went wrong [for Chris in Edmonton]," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. "I guess he just didn't fit into their system and defensive philosophy... We anticipate that it will take a bit of time for him to adjust to our system but it really does suit his style of play." Edmonton filled the roster spot by signing former Buffalo defenseman Troy Bonterre.

 

15 January 2008:
      The troubles of Toronto Rock head coach Glenn Clark worsened yesterday with word from Toronto police the he has been charged him with simple assault, after all, and that he faces a 25 February court date. As reported earlier this week (see below), Clark and Minnesota Swarm forward Sean Pollock were involved in an altercation outside the Rock's locker room following Friday's game at Air Canada Centre. While there are questions as to why Pollock was anywhere near the Rock's locker room, he (by all accounts) did not fight back after allegedly being hit by Clark and does not appear to be facing any discipline by the league for the after-hours incident. (Pollock's ejection from the game for instigating a fight? Another story.) Clark, on the other hand, is awaiting word, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, on a suspension of his own, and it could be lengthy.

 

13 January 2008:
      Toronto Rock head coach Glenn Clark may be in a heap of trouble with the team and league after this weekend's bloody home-and-home series against the Minnesota Swarm, and not just for dropping both games. Following Friday's overtime loss at Air Canada Centre, Clark, upset over a hit by Sean Pollock during the game, reportedly went after Pollock outside the locker rooms. Details are sketchy, as would be expected right now, but the word is that police had to restore the peace (no charges were filed, we hear). Clark did not coach Saturday's game at Minnesota, replaced behind the bench by assistant coach Terry Bullen. Stay tuned.

 

31 December 2007:
      Scott Evans scored four goals, including the game-winner with a minute to play, giving the Rochester Knighthawks a 14-13 exhibition win over the Toronto Rock Friday night in Barrie, Ontario. Rochester led 13-8 in the fourth quarter but allowed the Rock to rally for a 13-13 tie, setting up Evans' dramatics. John Grant scored three goals for the K'Hawks and Shawn Evans added two goals and five assists. Aaron Wilson finished with four goals and two assists for the Rock.

 

26 December 2007:
      The Buffalo Bandits suffered the first significant injury of the 2008 season when forward Sean Greenhalgh, acquired this summer from Philadelphia, tore his anterior cruciate ligament during practice this past weekend. The injury almost certainly ends Greenhalgh's 2008 season, as recovery time for a torn ACL tends to be at least six months. With Brett Bucktooth recently placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List, the Bandits enter the 2008 season without two young guns, but they still have managed to retain almost all of their top scorers of a year ago, so the overall impact remains to be seen.

 

25 December 2007:
      Mike Thompson allowed just two first-half goals Saturday night, leading the Buffalo Bandits to an 11-6 exhibition win over the Chicago Shamrox at Six Nations, Ontario. Roger Vyse led the Bandits' offense with three goals, while Andrew Lazore and Callum Crawford had two goals each for the Shamrox.

 

19 December 2007:
      It might seem odd that a team named after oil workers would wear pink jerseys, but the Calgary Roughnecks will do just that for their home opener against San Jose on 12 January. The one-time uniform adjustment is part of a fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, with all game-worn jerseys and an additional 75 authentic jerseys up for sale throughout the evening, via live and silent auctions. The jersey is identical to the Roughnecks' usual road jersey, except that the base color is pink instead of red. "If you had told me that one day I'd be playing professional lacrosse wearing a pink jersey, I'd have told you you are nuts," Roughnecks captain Tracey Kelusky said. "But this is a fantastic cause, and considering the circumstances I'm proud to wear it."
      The Philadelphia Wings have finally signed transition standout Geoff Snider, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal. Snider, who started for the East in the 2007 NLL All Star Game and went on to be selected to NLL's All-Rookie Team, was a force in many different areas for the Wings, leading the team in penalty minutes (62) and loose balls (180) and dominating the league in faceoffs (201 wins, 67 losses). To make room for Snider on the roster, rookie defenseman Brett Moyer was released, although he is expected to be signed to the practice squad later this week.

 

16 December 2007:
      Led by six goals from Ryan Benesch, the Toronto Rock defeated the Minnesota Swarm, 17-12, in exhibition play last night in Oshawa, Ontario. Craig Point and Andy Secore each scored four goals for the Swarm. From the "We Might Hear About This One Again" file: Toronto and Minnesota combined for 175 penalty minutes.
      Last night at Six Nations, Ontario, the Rochester Knighthawks edged the Chicago Shamrox, 15-13. John Grant scored five goals for the defending champs, now 2-0 in preseason play. Bill McGlone, Mat Giles and Tom Montour each scored two goals for Chicago.
      Jamie Shewchuk scored four goals in the Colorado Mammoth's 13-9 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks in a scrimmage last night in Richmond, British Columbia. Tracey Kelusky recorded a first-half hat trick, then sat out the second half.

 

10 December 2007:
      The Rochester Knighthawks overcame an 8-5 halftime deficit to defeat the Minnesota Swarm, 14-10, in preseason action yesterday at Six Nations, Ontario. First-round picks Matt McLeod and Matt Lyons each scored three goals for the Knighthawks. Craig Point had a hat trick for Minnesota, while Andy Secore added a pair.
      The Philadelphia Wings used a balanced attack to clobber the New York Titans, 12-5, in a Sunday morning scrimmage at Rahway, NJ. Dan Marohl, Taylor Wray, Thomas Hajek and Rob Van Beek each scored twice for the Wings, who got excellent goaltending from Rob Blasdell and Jay Preece. New York's goals, meanwhile, came from ex-Wing Jeff Ratcliffe, Pat Maddalena, Matt Poskay, Hunter Lochte and Greg Peyser.
      At HSBC Arena, Dan Teat scored three goals to pace the Buffalo Bandits to an 8-3 win over the visiting Toronto Rock in preseason action yesterday. Delby Powless added two goals for Buffalo, while Ryan Benesch paced the Rock with two of his own.

 

7 December 2007:
      Former Columbus Landsharks general manager and head coach Ron Roy passed away earlier this week after a year-long battle with leukemia. The St. Catharines, Ontario, native spent more than fifty years in lacrosse as a player and coach, including the first half of the 2002 season with the Landsharks, compiling a 4-5 record before resigning in a dispute with team ownership. Despite his brief tenure, Roy brought in many of the core players that went on to the NLL Finals with Arizona in 2005 and 2007. "I never had as much fun in my life," Roy said of his time with the 'Sharks. "We shared a lot of laughs during our trips from Whitby [Ontario, where the team practiced] to Columbus." Prior to joining Columbus, Roy was with the Buffalo Bandits, two years as a scout and three as assistant coach. He was 71.
      One year after their particularly physical preseason scrimmage, the Philadelphia Wings and New York Titans will do it again (the scrimmage, that is, not necessarily the gratuitous violence). They'll meet this Sunday at 9:00 AM Eastern, at the Center Circle in Rahway, New Jersey. The scrimmage is open to the public and admission is free.
      In perhaps related news (or perhaps not), the Philadelphia Wings will practice at the Wachovia Spectrum tomorrow, one day ahead of their scrimmage with New York (see previous item). Many of the Wings' greatest moments happened at the Spectrum, the team's home from 1987 to 1996, but it was also the scene of one of indoor lacrosse's most infamous games, the 1994 brawl between the Wings and Detroit Turbos. The practice is not open to the public.
      The Calgary Roughnecks reacquired Ryan Avery this week, sending a 2009 second-round entry draft pick to the Minnesota Swarm for the third-year netminder. Avery split time in goal for the Roughnecks in 2007, posting a 4-0 record and a 10.64 goals-against average in ten games. Since the end of last season, Avery has moved a couple times -- he was exposed in the expansion draft and quickly snapped up by the Boston Blazers, but when Boston later opted to sit out the 2008 season, Minnesota selected him in the dispersal draft.
      A familiar name in Big Apple lacrosse has arrived in New York Titans camp. Michael Gongas, whose father Mike owned the now-defunct New York Saints, was signed to a one-year contract earlier this week. The younger Gongas was an All-American at Adelphi University, ranking sixth in the country with 2.15 assists per game his senior season.

 

30 November 2007:
      The Rochester Knighthawks today signed forward Shawn Williams to a five-year contract, securing their alternate captain through the 2012 season. While the contract length might not seem noteworthy in today's sports market (Rick DiPietro, anyone?), the deal keeps Williams in Rochester until he is 38 years old -- and it is the longest contract in league history, surpassing a slew of three-year deals. Williams, who rang up 91 points for the Knighthawks in 2007, is the league's ninth-leading scorer with 299 career goals and is eighth alltime with 352 assists.
      The Toronto Rock will debut its new tenth anniversary jersey against the Minnesota Swarm in a preseason game on Saturday, 15 December (7:30 PM Eastern). Prior to the game, which will be held at General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario, the Rock will host a player meet-and-greet. Tickets ($22.50 Canadian for adults, $15.00 for children and seniors) are available at the GM Centre box office, Durham Region Ticketmaster (905.433.9494 or 416.870.8000), and online at ticketmaster.ca.

 

27 November 2007:
      In separate trades today, the Edmonton Rush acquired defensemen Ian Hawksbee and Mike Grimes, both of whom could bolster the team's transition game. Hawksbee, who scooped up 124 loose balls in 2007, comes to Edmonton from the San Jose Stealth for a 2008 first-round entry draft pick. Grimes, acquired from the Minnesota Swarm for a 2008 fourth-round selection, was drafted sixth-overall by Arizona in the 2006 entry draft and appeared in eleven games last season.

 

12 October 2007:
      The New York Titans announced yesterday that their home game against the Boston Blazers on Saturday, 22 March will be held not at Madison Square Garden, but rather at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut. This marks the first time in the NLL era -- if not in Eagle/MILL/NLL history -- that a regular-season game will be contested at a neutral site. The announcement was not unexpected, with persistent rumors that the Titans planned to move this game to another arena within the greater New York City area.

 

3 October 2007:
      The Buffalo Bandits filled out their coaching staff yesterday by resigning Ron Henry and bringing Derek Graham and Jeff Dowling on as assistant coaches. Henry, in his second year as an assistant coach under Darris Kilgour, will be in charge of the Bandits' defense. Graham will run the team's offense, while Dowling, who coached Calgary into a playoff berth last season, handles the scouting.
      The Portland LumberJax have reacquired forward Scott Stewart, sending a 2008 second-round entry draft selection and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2009 to the Boston No-Names in exchange for the six-year veteran. Stewart played for the LumberJax during their inaugural 2006 season, appearing in four games before being traded to Minnesota. Boston then claimed Stewart in this summer's expansion draft. Stewart has 109 goals and 111 assists in an 83-game career which began with New Jersey in 2002.
      The Boston No-Names have acquired forward Ryan O'Connor from the Edmonton Rush for a conditional 2009 entry draft selection. O'Connor had seven goals and fifteen assists for the Rush last season, but missed the last seven games after suffering an ankle injury. O'Connor (72 goals and 111 assists in 85 career games) has also played for Toronto, Vancouver and Rochester since entering the league in 1999.

 

19 September 2007:
      The Calgary Roughnecks had two of their recent entry draft selections voided this week; 22nd-overall pick Jamie Lincoln is headed to the University of Denver, while 52nd-overall selection John McClure is returning to Dowling College for his sophomore year. That's not the interesting part, nor is Riggers GM Kurt Silcott's admission that he erred in selecting McClure. "I regret what happened with McClure because that was a mistake," Silcott told the Calgary Sun. "I would do what happened with Lincoln 100 times in a row. The kid is doing what's best for himself... We were worried somebody would put bad ideas in his head, so we stopped that from happening." Silcott didn't elaborate, but we will -- there was a persistent rumor that the Colorado Mammoth would draft Lincoln and offer him big bucks to skip college in favor of the crosstown Mammoth.
      In other Calgary Roughnecks news, GM Kurt Silcott went long -- real long -- for his latest free agent signing, Japanese forward Shinya Maruyama. Believed to the first player signed from Japan by an NLL team, the 32-year-old Maruyama has won four National Club Championships in Japan, was twice named the league's most valuable player, and has played for the Japanese national team in the last three ILF World Lacrosse Championships. "It was Shinya’s play at the world games in London (Ont.) a couple of years ago where he impressed me with his skills," Silcott said. "We’ve been working on this for approximately two years now and I’m really excited to have him at this year’s camp to see what he can do."

 

31 August 2007:
      Knee injuries have finally caught up with Calgary Roughnecks defenseman Andy Ogilvie, who retired earlier this week after being limited to just six games played this season. "We're going to miss him," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. "Andy was a tremendous player, a fierce competitior and a great leader. It's a shame that a player of his caliber never got to hoist the Champion's Cup during his tenure in the NLL." Ogilvie, 42, scored 14 goals, dished out 77 assists, and scopped up 545 loose balls during a nine-year career with Buffalo and Calgary.
      The recent trade between the Toronto Rock and Boston No-Names (News and Notes, 1 August) has been reversed by the NLL, due to a conditional consideration not being met. As a result, Brian Croswell returns to Boston and the Rock regains third- and fifth-round selections (35th and 64th overall) in tomorrow's NLL Entry Draft.

 

24 August 2007:
      After one year as president of the New York Titans, George Daniel has returned to his former job as the NLL's deputy commissioner. "I enjoyed my experience with the Titans and the challenge of bringing lacrosse to Madison Square Garden, but I am thrilled to return to the NLL office and serve all of the NLL franchises and Commissioner Jennings," Daniel said. With the Titans, Daniel oversaw all aspects of the team's business operations, including an impressive draw of over 13,000 fans for the team's season opener and success with local game telecasts, in one instance pulling a higher viewer rating than two local NHL telecasts airing at the same time.
      Arizona Sting forward Craig Conn has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List and is expected to miss the entire 2008 season after suffering a serious knee injury. Conn was the Sting's second-leading scorer in 2007, tallying 76 points on 21 goals and 55 assists and helping the team to its second NLL Championship Game in three years.
      Reacting to Conn's injury, Arizona Sting coach/GM Bob Hamley had some interesting comments about the state of affairs with players' contracts. "Sting ownership and management are very disappointed to hear of Craig's injury playing summer lacrosse," Hamley said. "In light of this incident, we are deeply concerned about the lack of restrictions in off-season activities in NLL player contracts. The league needs to work to restrict such activities as playing in summer leagues." Stay tuned.

 

15 August 2007:
      The NLL announced today that it will not realign for the 2008 season, making the two-division setup even more lopsided with the addition of expansion Boston to the Eastern Division, where it will join holdovers Buffalo, Chicago, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Rochester and Toronto. The league, which had been considering a three-division alignment, further announced that each team will have at least two games against each divisional opponent. This means that the Eastern clubs will have no more than two games against the Western Division, which will continue to include Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Portland and San Jose.
      The Edmonton Rush has signed free agent forward Kyle Goundrey from Calgary. Goundrey had played the last six seasons with the Roughnecks, serving as assistant captain. Last season, he had 11 goals and 28 assists, improving his career numbers to 89 goals plus 204 assists.

 

8 August 2007:
      It's official -- Portland LumberJax owner Angela Batinovich and transition player Adam Bysouth were married Saturday in California, marking very likely the first wedding in American team sports history of an owner and player. Defenseman Richard Morgan served as the best man, goaltender Dallas Eliuk was a groomsman and NLL commissioner Jim Jennings was among 100 guests in attendance.
      In another return-to-sender trade, the Boston No-Names have dealt Mike Grimes back to the Arizona Sting in exchange for forwards Andrew Lazore and Mark Tinning. Grimes, selected 11th in Boston's recent expansion draft, had a goal, three assists and 38 loose ball recoveries for the Sting in 2007. Lazore (4 goals and 3 assists in 4 games) and Tinning (2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games) had only bit roles with Arizona over the past few seasons.

 

1 August 2007:
      The Boston No-Names traded another expansion draft selection today, sending Brian Croswell to the Toronto Rock in exchange for third- and fifth-round picks (35th- and 64th-overall) in this year's entry draft plus conditional considerations. Boston claimed Croswell from Rochester, where he had appeared in eleven games (5 goals, 4 assists) over the past three seasons. Croswell broke in with the Rock in 2004, appearing in one game (1 goal).
      The Buffalo Bandits satisfied the "future considerations" part of their recent three-way trade by sending forward Joe Walters to the Philadelphia Wings today. Walters, the Bandits' second-round pick in last year's entry draft, is the University of Maryland's alltime leader in goals (153) and points (227) but has no NLL experience.

 

31 July 2007:
      The Edmonton Rush today traded forward Jason Wulder to the Colorado Mammoth for a second-round pick (20th overall) in this year's entry draft. Wulder scored ten goals and dished out 35 assists for the Rush in 2007, his only season playing for his hometown team. Wulder broke in with the New York Saints in 1995 and later played five seasons with Calgary. He has 200 goals and 294 assists for his career.

 

18 July 2007:
      The Calgary Roughnecks will back rookie head coach Troy Cordingley with one of the winningest coaches in NLL history, hiring Terry Sanderson as an assistant coach. Sanderson, who was an assistant with Philadelphia last season, was the head coach for four NLL teams - Albany (2000-2001), Montreal (2002), Ottawa (2003) and Toronto (2004-2006), compiling an overall record of 53-51 and winning the 2005 NLL Champion's Cup. "Terry has been a great coach in this game, and the NLL, for a long time," Roughnecks GM Kurt Silcott said. "He has a knack for getting the most out of his players, and has the resume to prove it... I feel that with Terry and Troy behind the bench we have a dynamic tandem that will lead our team to the Champion's Cup."
      In a trade everyone has been expecting for upwards of two years, the Colorado Mammoth today traded forward Ben Prepchuk to the Edmonton Rush, picking up a second-round pick in this year's entry draft in exchange for the Edmonton-area native. Prepchuk appeared in thirteen games for the Mammoth last season, scoring 15 goals and dishing out 16 assists. For his six-year career, spanning 84 regular-season games, Prepchuk has 120 goals and 121 assists. Prepchuk broke in with New York in 2001, played one season with Calgary, and spent the past four years with the Mammoth.
      Rochester Knighthawks minority owner Randall Latona has filed another lawsuit against his partners, this time attaching a dollar amount to his claims -- over $3.1 million (US). Last month, Latona sued to have Steve Donner removed from decision-making powers with the Knighthawks and the AHL's Rochester Americans, providing a laundry list of alleged mismanagement. In the latest legal action, Latona demands the return of $2.1 million in financing he and co-defendant Walter Turek helped arrange in 2006, when the Knighthawks and Americans were experiencing cash flow problems; repayment of a $145,000 loan made to the teams by Latona's T&L Funding Group; and an additional $898,000 from Donner, a figure which may represent the amount Latona paid in 2004 for his 20 percent stake in both teams plus damages.