An Eastern game heads west

Sporting News, The, August 30, 2004 by Mike Kilduff

Before any bubbly was sprayed Sunday by the Major League Lacrosse champion Philadelphia Barrage, those atop the league masthead were bubbling over in anticipation of MLL's future. With four seasons now complete, the league is no longer a fledgling operation.

Philadelphia's 13-11 triumph over the Boston Cannons came at Nickerson Field adjacent to the Massachusetts Turnpike, the major artery heading west from Boston. The final venue of the 2004 season offered a splendid westward view of next season and beyond.

The MLL 2004 Wild West Tour tested the waters beyond the safe harbors of the Eastern Seaboard, where the sport has a solid base in youth, high school and college programs. When showcase games drew 9,000 fans in Seattle and 8,000 in Denver, the league office became confident there is significant potential for the sport to explore a new frontier.

Among the league's plans is the creation of four expansion franchises to form a new western division for the 2006 season.

"Since July 1, we've had 17 potential investors call. We're in a good position, but we're not going to do like some leagues and expand just to make money," MLL commissioner David Gross says. For now, the league won't reveal where the new teams will be based, but insiders point to Seattle, Denver and Los Angeles as sure bets with the San Francisco Bay area and Phoenix contending for the fourth.