Taking The Field With Stevie Mac

On the latest episode of Taking The Field With Stevie Mac , I spent a segment of the show talking about something I was asked during the Eastern Michigan vs Youngstown State lacrosse broadcast.  Eagles ESPN+ broadcaster Tom Helmer asked me for my thoughts on women's lacrosse players eventually wearing pads.  First, EMU head coach - and guest of the show - Maddie Dugan told Helmer before the game, "I hope it never comes to that." In short, I completely agree. As I stated in the episode, there is something beautiful about every form of lacrosse - whether it be the men's game, women's game, box, or sixes. I went on to say,  “This version of where we are at with the women’s game right now is probably the best version we’re ever going to get without taking it to an extreme…” Other Things You Might Have Missed I later talked about the Mid American Conference women's lacrosse. The MAC has largely been dominated by the likes of Central Michigan and Robert Morris. Howe...

On episode 127 of Taking The Field With Stevie Mac , I was joined by Denver Outlaws beat writer Topher Adams. During segment one of the show we focused on the offense. I asked Adams specifically about midfielder Sam Handley who is entering his third season. "I think Handley - in a lot of ways - is the missing link for this offensive structure," Adams told me. "I think the talent is there. It's just a matter of will he ever put the pieces together at the PLL level?" Adams answered his own question by stating it's something the Outlaws are asking themselves of Handley heading into 2025.  Through two seasons in the PLL, Handley has played in 20 games, compiling 34 points (1.7 per game) on 21% shooting. In 2024, Handley had four games tallying three or more points - including a playoff game - but also had three games with zero points. Can the 2023 fourth overall pick take a step forward this season? Let me know in the comments and I will read them on the next ep...

On the latest episode of Taking The Field With Stevie Mac , I was joined by Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) writer Caitlin McDonough.  During the segment, McDonough gave her thoughts on what is next for the WLL after a successful first run during the Championship Series. "The time is now for lacrosse," McDonough said. "I can definitely see the WLL taking on a summer role." She mentioned the league - in small steps - expanding to more teams and moving out west where the league currently has the California Palms as the lone representation.  First things first would be to see a summer season. Once we see that - coupled with the success of the Championship Series - I think we could see a fifth team added for 2026. This would be similar to what the PLL did in year two, when they added the Waterdogs to their existing lineup of clubs. In this case, the team that finishes last in a WLL summer season in 2026 would miss out on the Championship Series in 2027.   For the full...

On the Latest episode of Taking The Field With Stevie Mac , I was joined by California Redwoods writer Phil Shore.  Last week was a tough one for Redwoods fans - as news came out that Offensive Coordinator John Grant Jr., Chris Gray, and Isaiah Davis-Allen would all be departing the team. There have also been reports that Rob Pannell is eyeing a departure in free agency. "I think that's one of the things that the fans have latched onto," stated Shore. "The changes have been big changes in a short amount of time." We also discussed the draft, where the Redwoods hold the No. 2 and No. 10 overall picks. Shore says he sees the Redwoods going offense with both picks as things currently stand. He believes Chris Kavanagh is the favorite for the No. 2 pick, but also points out players like Coulter Mackesy from Princeton and Andrew McAdorey from Duke. I'd imagine Mackesy and McAdorey would be in play for them with that second rounder. The Redwoods also have two picks...

Now that the Championship Series is over, it's time to take a look at a few more tweets from the final days.  Leading off is the Women's Lacrosse League itself. New York Charging backup goalie Molly Laliberty did not see action during the Championship Series, but that didn't stop her from making an impact on the games. Laliberty was in charge of the video review IPad for the Charging, and she was perfect on challenges during the week. It's rare to see a player become a crowd favorite without ever actually stepping between the lines. Next, Caitlin McDonough - a WLL beat writer - made a simple post regarding a two point shot in the WLL. I spent the first half of episode 125 talking about my desire for a two point shot. On Monday after the Championship Series ended, Megan Carney herself tweeted a video of her drilling a shot from distance asking the WLL for a two point shot next year. Keep an eye on this as the WLL will likely meet with players at some point in time to d...

This is something new I want to do with the podcast, so I thought it would be fun to try it out here.  Over the first few nights of the Championship Series I've seen a lot of really good posts on Twitter/X that I would like to share my thoughts on. If you listened to episode 124 of the podcast , you heard the first comment I found. It came courtesy of Coach Benoit on Twitter. I gave my thoughts on the episode, but I completely agree with everything he says here. The Charm got robbed, and lacrosse Twitter was in agreement on that. Coaches in the WLL compared to the "facilitators" in Athletes Unlimited is a very big difference - and in the best way. Finally, Sydni Black's game was built for Sixes lacrosse.  Next, I really enjoyed this post by Diggs. I mean I have no notes here. The post itself is fantastic, including the use of "trenta'd". TJ Malone did TJ Malone things, only to be one-upped by Matt Campbell in the same game. I also found the reply to the ...

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Championship Series begins Tuesday, Feb. 11 as the New York Atlas and Maryland Whipsnakes square off at 9 p.m. eastern.  I had PLL fantasy expert Paul Lamonaca and lacrosse betting expert Hutton Jackson on the podcast to break down the Championship Series. Here are my three big takeaways from the episode.  Championship Series An Audition For Steven Brooks While talking with Lamonaca - who will be covering the Atlas during the sixes event - we got to talking about acting head coach Steven Brooks. I asked Lamonaca what he thinks of Brooks being a head coach in the PLL in the near future. "He's a player's coach," Lamonaca said. "He's one of the best minds in professional lacrosse right now."  To give my own perspective on Brooks, I compared him to new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson was considered one of the best young offensive minds in football like Brooks is to lacrosse. Further, many people believed it was...