Jeff Reynolds Catches Up With LaxPhilly

In an Exclusive for LaxPhilly.com, Kevin M. Neibauer caught up with Wings face off specialist ans transition player, Jeff Reynolds...

KMN-"What was your injury and are you fully recovered?

JR-"I injured my ankle against Colorado the first time we played them in February. I rolled my left ankle. It's still sore however the Wings staff has done nice job in my recovery and I only had to miss two weeks. Once I got back into the line up, I actually received a concussion against Toronto. Luckily we had a bye the following week, so I'm good to go and have been cleared by the staff.

 

KMN-"How long have you been with the team?"

JR- This will be more 4th year.

KMN-"Who do you consider some of the best face-off guys in the league?"

JR-'It would be both of the Snider brothers. They're quick on the whistle, have great technique and do a nice job possessing the ball once they have it.'

KMN-"Season winding down, how big will it be getting Brendan Mundorf back?"

JR-" It's great having Mundy back in the lineup. He's obviously a great player, but he adds a different dynamic to the offense. He's extremely tough, quick and very difficult to defend by yourself, which should bode well for us during the second half of the season.

KMN-"Max Seibald and Brodie Merrill, any time frame for their return?"

 

JR-I can't really speak for Max, but Brodie has been feeling good and is currently back in the lineup. Losing both of those guys is tough, but that's a natural part of the game and we have to learn to react."

 

KMN-"Rochester on Saturday, travel back to Philly for Sunday afternoon game, two teams that need wins, How big is this weekend?" 

JR-"This is an extremely important weekend for us. It's a tremendous opportunity to get ourselves back on track and establish some confidence heading into the final part of the season."

 

KMN-"Brandon Miller is having a great season, does that take a lot of pressure off of having to win the face-offs?"

JR- " Brandon has been doing a great job, however as a defensive player, it's our responsibility to make his life easier. Whenever we have the opportunity to get possessions and get the offense on the field, we want to make sure we capitalize on those opportunities. The defense has shown moments of brilliance this year, but at the same time we have struggled during some stretches, if that's the case, face-off wins prove to be that much more important".

 

KMN-"The Philly crowd, What is it like to play in front of them?"

JR-"Playing in front of the Philly fans is great. They're passionate, excited, and always looking for a good time. We owe it to them to give them a better home record, so hopefully we can make that happen this Sunday.”

My View on Sports Related Concussions.

By- Kevin M. Neibauer


   Let me start out by stating that I am not a medical professional nor a person who is well versed in Concussions.

  With that being stated. I was pondering the world of concussions and the evolution of the awareness of the risk and damage.

 Being a half a century old, I have been a sports fans for over forty years, not just Philly sports, but sports in general. I vividly remember the Broad Street Bullies, The Big Red Machine, Larry Bird, The Steel Curtain and the list goes on.

What strikes me is the differences then and now, some clear, some subtle. Injuries in sports ar as old as the sports themselves. the nature of injuries seems, at least to me, directly correlated to the amount of equipment or, protection worn by the participants.

Allow me to start the diatribe as simply as this...medical personnel and experts all are cautioning everyone about the "hazards" of concussions.

To me, this is a new phenomenom. In the 70's, rarely did one see a hockey player brandishing a "helmet". In fact, even goaltenders did not don them, or in fact any type of facial protection, such as a mask. I remember one Philadelphia Flyer, Ross Lonsberry wearing a helmet. His reasoning?

He was balding and very vain about losing his hair and wore the helmet to cover his baldness. Only a handful of players ever thought about wearing a helmet. To me, this is when the game changed.

The influx of European players, who typically wore helmets, along with the advent of "eye shields", crept in and induced a growing lack of regard for the need to keep the stick "on the ice".

Helmets, which were intended to help the game, for me, brought about a certain callous attitude about the safety of others.

As the sport has grown to become a viable marketable commodity with players being bought and sold like stocks, and those players increasing in height, weight, strength, and body mass, the game has now become much more risky. More equipment, more rules, more concussions.

Football is the sport that one would expect the obvious, huge bodies crashing into huge bodies...concussions would occur. Again, more and more protective equipment. Once again, more and more injuries.

Baseball...the oddest of them all. For nearly two centuries, catchers and home plate umpires have had facial protection. In the beginning, needless to say, very primitive. As technology evolved, the catcher's mask evolved into a beautiful protective device.

The casual observer sees a catcher or umpire get hit with a thrown or batted ball and reels in horror when the mask flies off or gets twisted sideways. Bottom line, that means the device worke dlike a charm, they are designed to deflect the concussion of the hit of the cranium and into the padding and as a result, deflect the blow by ejecting itself away from the area.

Here in the 21st century, what do catcher's and umpire's (I am guilty) choose for the head protection? More and more, it is the hockey style goalie helmet. Unless the individual has it custom made, it is nearly as risky as going behind the plate with zero protection.

To show the irony of the world we live in. We watch and cheer wildly for two sporst which the same doctor's who warn against the dangers of concussion sit, within blood range and scream their well educated faces off.

Boxing and Ultimate Fighting. Only protection donned by the participants? A cup...no head gear....

So, my point may be made right there. The more protection you wear, the less protection you have....

Wings Lacrosse 2013 (4-6-13 at Rochester & 4-7-13 vs. Minnesota)

By Tom Hoffman

Looking to stop a four game losing streak and possibly clinch a spot in the 2013 National Lacrosse League playoffs, the Philadelphia Wings (5-7) embark on their final weekend of back to back games when they travel to Rochester, NY on Saturday to face the Knighthawks before coming home on Sunday to take on the Minnesota Swarm.  Game time Saturday is at 6 PM and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.  Sunday’s faceoff is at 4 PM and can be seen live at www.youtube.com/thelacrossenetwork.

History

The Wings are 16-27 in regular season play against Rochester with a 6-15 record at Blue Cross Arena.  In 2013 the teams have split their first two meetings, Rochester winning 20-10 on February 8 in Philadelphia and the Wings were victorious on February 23 in Rochester by a 10-8 score.  The Wings are 7-11 all time against the Swarm, 4-4 in Philadelphia. The Wings are 0-1 in 2013 against Minnesota losing last Friday 20-11 in St. Paul.

Last Weekend

The Wings were swept last weekend on the road losing 20-11 to the Swarm on Friday and falling 10-9 to the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday.  Against the Swarm the Wings were tied at 5 at halftime and took a 6-5 lead early in the 3^rd quarter before the wheels fell off and were outscored 15-5 the remainder of the game.  Kevin Crowley and Drew Westervelt each had three goals while Kevin Ross added a goal and six assists in his first game against his former team.  Brendan Mundorf made his 2013 debut for the Wings adding 4 points (2G, 2A).  Angus Dineley made his debut in goal as Brandon Miller served a suspension stemming from an altercation in the March 9 game against the Washington Stealth and made 31 saves.

Saturday’s game in Denver was a tale of two halves as the Wings trailed 10-4 at halftime after being outscored 7-1 in the 2^nd quarter.  The Wings owned the second half though as Brandon Miller and the Wings defense shut out the Mammoth while outscoring them 5-0 but could not get the tying goal.  Crowley was the offense again on this night with four goals while Ross added another four assists.  Miller made 39 saves in his return to the net.

Rochester defeated the Toronto Rock 12-8 on Saturday at Blue Cross Arena.  Minnesota will host the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday before heading to Philadelphia.        

On this date

The Wings are 2-1 on April 6.  In 1996 they defeated the Boston Blazers 10-8 in a playoff game at the Spectrum.  This was the Wings last game at the Spectrum before moving to their current home at the Wells Fargo Center.  In 2008 they defeated the Toronto Rock 11-9 at home and in 2012 lost at home 13-9 to Minnesota.  On April 7 the Wings are 4-1. In 1989 the Wings defeated the New York Saints 11-10 at the Spectrum to claim the first of their six championships.  In 1990 they again defeated the Saints at the Spectrum in the playoffs by a 9-8 score.  In 2001 they defeated the Columbus Landsharks 17-7 at Nationwide Arena and in 2007 beat the New York Titans 20-8 at the Wachovia Center.  In 2012 the Wings lost on the road 17-7 to Buffalo. 

Stat Leaders

Goals: Kevin Crowley (26), Assists: Crowley (32), Points: Crowley (58), Loose Balls: Brodie Merrill (88), Goals Against Average: Brandon Miller (11.54), Saves: Miller (420).

Next Game

The Wings will face the Toronto Rock on April 13 in the regular season home finale.

Max Seibald vs Kevin Neibauer

In an exclusive to LaxPhilly.com Max Seibald took time out to chat with Kevin M. Neibauer about his injury, the team and chemistry....

KMN-"When do you plan on coming back from the injury?" "What was the nature of the injury?'

MS- "Broke my 5th metatarsal and needed to get surgery. Return date still TBD".

KMN-"How much of an impact do you think you make when you join forces with Paul Rabil?"

MS- "Im just as interested to see as you. We played very well together on Team USA in 2010, but the outdoor game is very different."

KMN-"Despite not being able to participate in practices and games, how much imput do you have on team matters?"

MS- "Not much. Hard to have much of a say on whats going on day to day if you cant go out on the field and back it up or be in their shoes to know what is going on with the team on and off the field and on road trips."

KMN-"Every team has injuries during the season, the Wings in particular have been hit pretty hard. How does a team prepare for that adversity?"

MS- "Not much you can do to prepare for injuries. It happens every year to every team. The Wings have obviously had some bad luck this season with a number of injuries this season, but the team is more than just a few players. There is a large and deep group of committed players, coaches, and owners that have put in a ton of time from training camp, practices, film breakdown, etc. so that even with some bad luck and injuries, the team is still put in a great position to succeed."

KMN-"You play in the MLL, will the injury impact that at all?"

MS- "Still TBD."

KMN-"Favorite NLL city to play in?'

MS- "Philly for sure. Other than the home field, I love playing in Denver and in Toronto."

KMN-"Rochester has had the Wings number for a few years. With playoffs approaching, how much does the prospect of facing them affect the team?"

 

MS- "In this league, on any given night, any team can beat any team. Its just a matter of putting in the time to prepare, and executing on game day."

 

KMN-"What are your thoughts on the play of Paul Rabil and his ability to adjust to the box game?'

 

MS-"He is a great player, who has good size, athleticism and strength along with a great stick and understanding of the game. With that and his desire to win he will continue to fulfill his role with the Wings which makes the rest of the team better.'

 

KMN-"A lot was made of the American team ideal that was presented by the Wings....was it a lot of hype? What was the mindset behind that?"

 

MS- " I don't believe it is hype, I think we have a talented group of players who bring a different element of speed, strength, and pure athleticism to the floor that many other teams can't match, and is a little different than the traditional indoor lacrosse style of play. Its a matter of staying healthy, utilizing our strengths to our advantage, and continuing to build on team chemistry."

 

I want to thank Max Seibald for his generous cooperation !!!

Kevin M. Neibauer