A little story
Paraphrasing from Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen’s song, as sung by Frank Sinatra: It’s a quarter to three, there’s no one in the place except you and me. So, set’em up, Joe, I got a little story you should know.
We’re drinking, my friend, to the end of a brief episode. So, thanks for the cheer; I hope you didn’t mind bending your ear. But this torch I found must be drowned, or it soon might explode. Make one for my buddy and one more for the road; the Uber is waiting.
Okay, it’s not all that bad, and we’ve all had time to reflect on the Bandits’ 14-13 OT loss to San Diego last Saturday night.
It took me until 3 a.m. to discuss the Bandits game with my buddy and barkeep. It’s done. Over. And drive on, Mr. Uber. It was a great 16-0 run since last season. Noting that the previous loss, March 22, 2024, was an overtime thriller to the now-defunct Panther City.
Call the game what you want. San Diego came out and played an intense, fast-paced game, and the better team won last Saturday night in front of 18,244 Banditland citizens.
“It would be easy to stay it’s the bye weeks; we’ve had so many and had success so that it would be contradictory. It’s a part of the game,” said Bandits coach John Tavares
“I tell the guys we attack by committee, just turn the page, unite, and get ready for a new game. Come up with a plan, watch some videos, refocus, rest, eat right, and be ready.”
7-1 on the season and still leading in the NLL standings is excellent, and there are 10 more games to go, including getting right back at San Diego this Saturday.
Wait, what?
But before we go further, I want to go back to the point in the game where Matt Spanger went down with an injury. It was a freak incident with Spanger’s ankle twisting in the turf. He went down hard, in pain, and unable to move out of the San Diego zone.
With a Seals possession, play continued down the floor into Bandits territory, and eventually, San Diego scored. Okay, and I understand rule 28.5 that play can continue until the “injured player’s team has secured possession of the ball.”
Buffalo Bandits vs San Diego Seals, February 15, 2025 at KeyBank Center.
But…
Rule 28.5 also states: “In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the referee may stop the play immediately.”
As I noted on the broadcast, Spanger was down and unable to get up and contribute to a lacrosse play and, indeed, had sustained a serious injury. But the officials decided not to stop the play.
It’s not a good look, and I don’t care that San Diego scored; they should have stopped the game.
The Milkman
Huge congratulations to Connor Farrell for scoring the first goal of his National Lacrosse League career. It was a beauty and enough to shake the dust off the sound sheets and banners in the rafters of Key Bank Center.
I wish I had a better call on his goal, coming out of a senseless nugget by me and not following him in on his stride to the net.
This Week with the Captain
The Bandits prepare for a two-game western road swing to San Diego and Saskatchewan before returning home on March 8 against Calgary.
Bandits captain Steve Priolo has a good mindset and has experienced 15 seasons of ups and downs.
“It was nice to go 7-0 in that first chunk; it breaks the season up. Our record is 0-0 right now, and we are going forward,” said Priolo, who has eight points on the season, 44 loose balls, six caused turnovers, and seven soakers.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement. Our mechanics are nice, but the execution could be better by pushing out and getting in hands. We feel confident and are all on the same page now.”
In the Know
One of the benefits of playing a home-and-home series, even though it’s 2,500 miles apart, is 1) getting right back at the team that beat you and 2) Now you know how athletic and talented the Seals are.
“Nice to know the tendencies of teams with certain plays to break down of defense and how you like to play. Defenses are a lot about picking up tendencies and what they like to do over and over,” Priolo said.
“We’ll review the video of special plays. We are pretty dialed here, even if the doubleheader this past weekend was a lot to prepare for.”
The Bandits captain understands the fitness needed to play the NLL game successfully and the cognitive demands of understanding how the game works. He’s been in the league long enough to know everything but has yet to adjust.
Todays NLL Game
“This game is more athletic than it’s ever been. Watching some of these goals, like Brennan O’Neil’s goal (last week with Philadelphia), where he gets underneath, the execution of that goal is beautiful.
“The game has changed with cross-picks, vacates, crease dives, and guys going behind the net; it’s getting complicated, so we need to keep it simple as best we can.”
I asked him about never winning Defenseman of the Year honors, a question I’ve raised for several years. Does it bother him?
“No, I’m just about winning lacrosse games. Statistics are what people talk about. It’s about wins and losses. I am fortunate to be on winning teams.”
And the road will do this team some good.
“I’m excited to get on the road here. Some cool trips are coming up, with San Diego, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Colorado, and Atlanta. That’s part of the fun of playing in this league.
“It’s just being calm and focused, putting life aside, and traveling with the team; you’re just with the guys playing your game.”
From the GM’s Desk
I had a pleasant conversation with Bandits general manager and defensive coordinator Steve Dietrich about the chemistry of this team and the success they’ve had with it.
“It comes from Scotty Loffler, who allows us to pay these guys and keep them in Buffalo and move some of them to Buffalo to join the camaraderie,” noted Dietrich, now into his 13th at the helm.
“Forget the talent aspect because this is as talented of a team that I’ve been around, and I’ve been in this league since 1992, but the cohesive unit that these guys have become and built over time, always with open arms and everyone is treated great.”
Leaders
Dietrich said Priolo, Nick Weiss, Dhane Smith, Matt Vinc, Kyle Buchanan, and Josh Byrne are the leadership group responsible for much of the above.
“Guys are so selfless and play such a role that they are willing to become secondary guys when they could be studs on other teams,” said Dietrich.
From the outside looking in, I always worry about bringing a new player into the fold. What would it do to the team’s makeup? Of course, I’m old school and play off the adage, “Don’t kick a sleeping dog,” but sometimes it’s imperative because of the team’s health.
“It’s health. There is lots of depth here. It’s good to have. We might also have some good news on the Bryce Sweeting front.”
But, what about…
Dietrich constantly reviews players from all levels and does his homework by talking with people about what kind of teammate they would be with the Bandits.
“I don’t worry so much about our group. I worry about the player coming in. Is he willing to accept the role that will be asked of him? I never worry about our group, I worry about the player coming in.
“Our two best players are our most warming and welcoming, two of our best leaders.”
So, set’em up, Joe; the bullseye just got bigger.
Radio Free Bandits – and CW23 TV
Radio coverage of the Bandits/Seals game Saturday night from San Diego will start at 9:30 pm with the pregame show on 1520 AM The Bet and audacy.com.
TV coverage on ESPNU, ESPN+, TSN+, and NLL+ will begin at 10 pm. If you want to listen to the radio audio while watching the game, pause until the opening faceoff, then unpause, and it will sync.