Brandon's out this week, so I brought in Jackson Van Vlake of Empty the Quiver to help break down a chaotic PLL weekend.

Boston beat California 15-12, and the story wasn't Boston, it was Owen Grant holding Dylan Malloy to one goal a week after he dropped seven, reportedly fueled by getting clipped in a social media post. The Outlaws throttled the Whipsnakes 13-7 behind their four Tewaaraton winners and what might be the best defense in the league. The Redwoods needed overtime to survive the Chaos, 14-13, on a Dylan Malloy game winner just hours after his quiet afternoon game. We spend a good chunk of the show trying to figure out who's actually the league's second-best team behind Denver, and it's a lot murkier than it looked two weeks ago.

We also get into the Archers' rough weekend. A loss to the Waterdogs came with the most penalty minutes we can remember one team taking in a game, most of them completely unnecessary. Jackson, an Archers die-hard, doesn't shy away from it. We talk through what CJ Kirst did to Aidan Maguire, why Ryan Steins might be the steal of the draft, and whether the number one pick conversation around Maguire has gotten unfair to him as a rookie short stick defensive midfielder.

The NCAA officially passed the five-for-five eligibility rule, and nobody, us included, fully knows what it means yet. We get into why guys like Bobby Van Buren could theoretically stick around college even longer and why Sean Light's decision might be the one that reshapes the whole thing.

On the WLL side, the Palms blew out the Charging 16-9 to take over first place, and did it without their number one overall pick, who hasn't even suited up yet. We close out with All-Star roster replacements, the new uniforms, and a debate about what actually counts as being an "all-star" when you're a late add because someone else got hurt.

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The Boston Cannons just cut Asher Nolting. A 4x All-Star, a 2x First Team All-Pro, a 2x AOTY finalist, and an MVP finalist, in his first 4 years in the league. One game into his season, two points, and he is gone. We get into why this feels like it has nothing to do with what is happening on the field, why it rhymes with the Connor Fields situation back in 2020.

The Whipsnakes were up 10-3 on the Atlas and lost 16-14. We try to figure out if it is the biggest collapse we have ever seen in this league, land on the Brennan O'Neill Archers game as the one that might still top it, and Neil describes taking your foot so far off the gas that it ends up in the backseat. Connor Schellenberger is starting to look like he gets it. Whether that says more about New York or about Maryland is the real question.

We also hand out the Dylan Molloy game. Seven goals to tie the single game record, back to back weeks of somebody doing it, and Brett Dobson calling him the closest thing to John Grant Jr. since John Grant Jr. We are not sure we see the comparison. We are pretty sure we see 2019 Matt Rambo instead. There is also a long, painful detour into fantasy lacrosse and the specific genius of benching every player right before he goes off.

On the WLL side, the New York Charging keep doing what their name suggests. Madison Doucette set a league record with a 63 percent night, the Charm shot 21 percent, and we are running out of ways to explain how anyone beats this team.

Plus the All-Star rosters dropped, voted by the fans, off two games, and we get into why that is a problem. Snubs, visa issues keeping rookies out, Trevor Baptiste making it as a face-off All-Star after playing two games, and the hot seat debate between Brian Holman and Chris Bates. We close on the Hall of Fame, Joe Tsai going in as the first contributor, and whether that is fair.

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The biggest name in the sport went down. Charlotte North tore her Achilles in the fourth quarter of the WLL game in Charlotte, and she is out for the season and the women's world championship later this summer. Neil was at the games, didn't know who it was at first, and ended up being the ones to break the news to a crowd of little girls waiting in autograph alley to meet her. We get into what it means, why it stings for a league still finding its footing, and the case for why a pivot might actually be good for the WLL long term.

The defending champion Atlas are in a full blown free fall. Three straight losses, last in the East, worst score differential in the league. Everyone wants to blame Jeff Teat being out and Gavin Adler being gone. We don't buy it. This roster still has three PLL MVPs on it, and we get into why the "missing guys" excuse only goes so far when you're sitting at the bottom of the barrel.

The MVP race is heating up and the early favorite might surprise you. CJ Kirst dropped his first career sock trick in a Water Dogs blowout and leads the league in points per game. We run through the whole board: Dylan Ward, Michael Sowers, Mike Siselberger, Trevor Baptiste, Brett Dobson, and a Brett Maycar long shot. If the season ended today, we tell you who we'd actually vote for.

Plus the Utah Archers keep doing the impossible on defense, Mac O'Keefe ties the single game goal record, and we ask whether any of it is real or a Carolina-shaped red herring. Chad Palumbo had his coming out party. Matt Rambo scored a goal for the first time in roughly 600 days. The rookies have arrived, and we make the case for expanding game day rosters. Also a fully unplanned pineapple segment, because that's just where we ended up.

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The waiver wire went absolutely haywire on Tuesday, and we break down the two biggest moves of the day. The Atlas claimed Matt Rambo off waivers using the three-games-unprotected rule, and he will suit up for New York in Charlotte this weekend. We get into why it happened, whether it makes any sense at all, and what it says about a defending champion that is already in scramble mode without Jeff Teat. Then the Outlaws signed Ryan Croddick from Princeton and immediately flipped him to the California Redwoods for a 2027 first round pick. Brandon had a reaction. We also get into the 5-for-5 eligibility question and what it actually means for the value of that pick.

Before any of that, we go through the full Week 3 slate from Baltimore. Joey Spallina's pro debut was everything you wanted it to be: five points, zero turnovers, and his first goal assisted by a familiar face. Rob Pannell passed John Grant Jr. for second all-time in professional field lacrosse history. Jim Stagnitta broke the all-time coaching wins record and had a moment postgame that was hard not to appreciate. Denver took down the defending champions 16-9, Wisnauskas dropped a sock trick, and the Waterdogs continued to look like a team that hasn't figured out what it is yet.

The WLL might have already played the game of the season. Maryland Charm 18, California Palms 17 in overtime. Three goals scored in the final minute of regulation. We watched it, we talked about it, and we also get into what the one-game-a-week format is doing to the league's momentum, because that conversation needs to happen.

We close with the Tewaaraton. Shawn Lyght of Notre Dame became the first defenseman in the history of the men's award. We talk about whether this is a one-off or a sign that the award is finally evolving, and what it meant that neither Spallina nor Kabiri was able to separate himself enough to take it.

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Princeton is national champion. We called it preseason. We are not going to pretend otherwise.

We break down both semifinal blowouts, the championship comeback from down 3-0, and what it actually means that Princeton went 11 unanswered to lead Notre Dame 11-3 at halftime. We also get into what comes next for Duke (better than you think) and what the legacy question really looks like for that Syracuse senior class.

Northwestern beat UNC 14-11 in the women's championship, and the conversation got hijacked by the rules. A crease violation reversed a goal. The shooting space call was a stretch. We get into both and why the issue is less about the refs and more about rules that just don't make sense.

The Tewaaraton ceremony is tonight. We made our picks. Joey Spallina or Nate Kabiri on the men's side, Chloe Humphrey or Madison Taylor on the women's side, and we got into Reagan O'Brien's caused turnover numbers, which are genuinely absurd. We also talked about whether seniority should factor into these things at all, because it probably does even when it shouldn't.

Jeff Teat is out for the season. Shoulder surgery. We get into what that actually does to the Atlas title defense, and then preview a Baltimore Weekend where a lot of rosters are finally coming together.

Plus: UVA officially hired Kevin Cassese to replace Lars Tiffany, and Cassese said something in his introductory presser that raised more questions than it answered.

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The Toronto Rock are your 2025-26 NLL champions. Two games, two wins, and a rookie class that delivered every time it was asked to. Sam English won MVP. Nick Rose finally has his ring. Now the real question: is this the start of something sustained, or just year one of a crowded league with seven teams that could realistically contend?

From there, the NCAA quarterfinals are done, and the Final Four is set. Princeton survived Penn State in a game that came down to one quarter. Notre Dame hung 15 on Hopkins. Syracuse held on against a banged-up UNC team. Duke beat Georgetown by 10 goals, which nobody saw coming. We pick apart every game, talk Josh Yago, Joey Spallina, and give our Final Four predictions.

Then the one that came out of nowhere: Lars Tiffany is out at UVA. We go through the full Matt Nestler timeline, the Jake Malesek extension report that briefly seemed to put it to bed, and then what actually happened. The parent influence rumors are something else if they're true. We get into coaching candidates, who UVA should call first, and where Lars likely lands next.

Also: the WLL played its first ever regular season game. Charlotte North scores the first goal in WLL history but the New York Charging beat the Boston Guard. PLL Week 2 produced some standout performances and one blowout that made Philadelphia look worse than 19-5 suggests. Colin Kirst was at 80% in goal. The whole league is somehow 1-1. And quick hits on the women's NCAA tournament Final Four.

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We're back after a month off, and the lacrosse world did not wait. NLL Finals are all Canadian, the NCAA first round produced three major upsets, and Lars Tiffany's future at UVA became breaking news mid-episode.

Plus, PLL Week 1 first impressions, the WLL kicking off its inaugural season, and Chad Palumbo chasing 70 points.

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The chase never stops.

We are officially back in the postseason hunt. With Toronto clinching and Buffalo absolutely demolishing Vancouver, the NLL standings are a complete mess, but the good kind of mess where every game actually matters. Buffalo looks like the team nobody wants to see in their bracket right now, while Rochester continues to be a total enigma. We also dive into the "Gordie Howe hat trick" of a performance by Jake Withers that honestly might be the performance of the season.

Over on the college side, the Big Ten is pure chaos, and the national rankings are anyone's guess. We break down Virginia's first regular-season win against Duke since 2004 and try to make sense of a Notre Dame team that scores eight goals in the first quarter and then essentially goes into hibernation.

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We’re breaking down a chaotic weekend where "the plan" officially went out the window. From the NLL's mid-season flip—where the Vancouver Warriors and Buffalo Bandits are suddenly surging—to the shocking news of the Philadelphia Wings' ownership transition, the indoor game is in a state of flux. We dive deep into what the Wings' move means for the league and whether the "open secret" of their relocation is a sign of growing pains or a necessary evolution for the sport.

On the field, the NCAA rankings continue to look like a game of musical chairs. With UVA knocking off Notre Dame and Syracuse edging out Duke in a one-goal thriller at the Dome, the question remains: Is there a true number one, or is the top spot simply cursed? Plus, the guys preview a massive Notre Dame vs. Richmond matchup, and they touch on the latest WLL Supplemental Draft results as the women's pro game begins to take shape.

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This week, I sit down with Will Stephens, the mastermind behind the Trailer Park Sports Network. Will shares his journey of discovering "niche" sports—from Paralympic athletics to the high-speed chaos of ski-joring—and why lacrosse eventually claimed the top spot as his favorite sport.

The conversation dives deep into the "no prototype" nature of lacrosse, where 5'7" receivers and 250-pound bruisers find equal footing. We also break down the latest upsets in the women's college game, the "reloading" culture of Notre Dame, and why the sports world needs more athletes who aren't afraid to be undeniably themselves.

Whether you're a die-hard fan or just looking for a new "door" to walk through, this episode is a masterclass in sports passion.

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If you want to jump in on the conversation, the best way to do that is to join the Lax Lifers Club. That's the home for our entire community.

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