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Sideline Chatter: December 2009 Responses

What pro athlete would make the best lacrosse player and why?

Could you picture LeBron James driving the lane with a lacrosse stick? Michael Phelps swim dodging the length of an entire field? Ray Lewis eating attackmen for lunch?

Now's the time to speak up.

LM wants to know: What pro athlete would make the best lacrosse player and why?

THIS MONTH'S WINNER

Alex Sheedy
Orange County, Calif.

Chad Johnson. Ocho Cinco. First off he has skills. The guy is fast, he has good footwork, he can jump, and he is just on all-around amazing athlete. He would be an amazing player. But the more important thing is with a personality and ego like his, lacrosse would finally get the recognition it deserves. If you have a guy as loud as him, and with skills to back it up, it’s gonna be on ESPN. It will give lacrosse national recognition, it will bring money, ticket sales and expansion teams. Whether or not he is the most talented, he is the one that will bring the crowds.

Alex will receive the Excel MH.210 Head from adidas. It's NCAA compliant for 2010 and features adidas' radical off-axis technology. The increase in the available stringing holes allows each player to customize their head the way they like it. The rigid sidewall and scoop provide excellent control and accuracy.

Alex Sabo
Homewood, Ill.
Ben Roethlisberger. The man is a machine, he’s huge and can give and take a hit like anyone out there. He has the correct arm strength to get some power behind his shot. May not be the quickest, but could definitely be a threat on either defense or attack.

Angelo Butturi
Evansville, Ind.
Kimbo Slice (UFC). Once Kimbo had the ball, nobody would dare get close to him, let alone breathe near him. He would gently walk (taking his time) to the goal and would shoot when he pleased. Players that would attempt to get close to Kimbo Slice would instantly be struck by him. Prize?

Auggie Buerkle
Austin, Texas
David Beckham, because he has good speed and endurance.

Joel Brown
Jacksonville, Fla.
The best pro athlete to be a lacrosse player would have to be Shaq. First off, middies and attackmen wouldn’t be able to run inside because they’d be too busy running away. Then if you put him at goalie, don’t even try to sneak by in the crease, ‘cause you’ll be in for a bruisin’. Last, his swim dodge would be amazing ‘cause it’s like him dunking the ball.

John Troyer
Farragut, Tenn.
Peyton Manning. He would be a great student of the game and respect its traditions. He can deliver the ball under pressure with great speed, force and accuracy to either score or put your teammate in a position to score!

Justin Hodges
St. Louis, Mo.
Brad Boyes of the St. Louis Blues. He would be a great lacrosse player because he has a knack for getting goals — sometimes in the craziest ways — on the ice. I’d love to see how he would put it in the back of the net on the field.

Kyle Voges
Bay Shore, N.Y.
Definitely would have to be Steve Nash. He gets it done on the hardwood. He can control the ball, has great dodges, and would be a great asset to a team as a middie. He’d have a wicked quick first step and his split dodge from up top followed by a hop-and-shot would trouble the best goalies out there.

Preston Hill
Newbury Park, Calif.
The professional athlete who would be best lacrosse player would be Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. He would be good because he’s so big, plus he has good speed and great hands. He would be good as a crease attackman or at X, similar to Will Yeatman or Grant Catalino of the Maryland Terrapins.

Zach Chew
Dayton, Ohio
Adrian Peterson of the Vikings or Darren Sproles of the Chargers.

Hudson Cassello
Wallingford, Conn
I could see Usain Bolt as a middie. He could probably zoom the length of the field and score before the defenders can move. That guy is just amazingly fast.

Nick Pope
Redondo Beach, Calif.
Usain Bolt. Who’s gonna keep up with him?

Adam Edgington
Des Moines, Iow
Alexander Ovechkin. Just look at him. The guy screams flow. Plus he has the sickest stick skills in the NHL, a wicked shot and deadly accuracy. Plus his antics might one-up Queener.

Conor Gibbs
Sterling, Va.
Steve Smith. He plays football for the Carolina Panthers. Some of the piles he gets out off are amazing. He would be a great midfielder because he hits hard, he can run fast and he doesn’t run around you; he runs through you.

Dan Bernstein
Germantown, Tenn.
Shaquille O'Neal, because a guy that big could do some damage if he didn't have to make any free throws.

Elson Lopez
Hialeah, Fla.
Probably Troy Polamalu. Have you seen him playing football? He's a beast! He sacrifices his body for a tackle. Imagine him playing lacrosse. He'll do anything to get that ball in the cage.

Jay Kemp
Sun Prairie, Wisc.
Martin Havlat, because of his agility, strength, speed and accuracy, along with his leadership. He is a true two-way player in NHL.

Josiah Maner
Aspen, Colorado
I would have to say Tyler Hansborough, because he is huge, but he can run fast. Also he can jump and has a great work ethic.

Kyler Pollick
Las Vegas, Nev.
Michael Phelps. With his tall stature, amazing wingspan and crazy lung capacity, he would rule the lax field. He'd stand over everyone on the field, get a ridiculously hard shot with his arms and core strength, and could run all over the field without getting tired. Ever.

Nick Garofano
Tampa, Fla.
Well, I would consider Bruce Lee a pro athlete at karate, so I would choose him and put him in the goal to stop balls with his hands.

Peter White
Pittsford, N.Y.
I could see Ed Reed as the classic "ball-hawking" LSM...terrorizing the midfield, playing stellar D, and creating transition offense off of turnovers just like he does in the NFL.

Rob Stukenborg
Memphis, Tenn.
First thing to do, count out Agent Zero. Sorry man, but if you can't take basketball, you sure can't take lacrosse. Get a wideout. They have quick hands for faceoffs and they're pretty tough. I'm gonna take Chad Ochocinco! Hey, lacrosse needs an attitude.

Spencer Lee
Alpine, Utah
I'd have to say Mikey Powell, because he already is a lacrosse player.

Tanner Lambert
Utah
Randy Moss. He is big and fast, but he can also catch. Just put that catching ability into a lacrosse stick and there you have it.

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Zach Jecklin
Richmond, Va.
Michael Jordan. Put him at crease attack. He could either drive to the goal or jump right over it.

Fritz North
Jersey Shore, N.J.
Alexander Ovechkin from the NHL would be an amazing attackman, because he is big and has excellent stick skills in hockey, which I think would carry in to lacrosse nicely.

Reed Stormzand
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Terrell Owens. He is a great athlete and he would bring excitement to the game. He would get tons of attention from the media and get lacrosse in the news. He would bring a lot of drama, but lacrosse would get tons of attention.

Eric Sanders
Philadelphia, Pa.
Lebron James could easily be one of the best lacrosse players. He is an amazing athlete to begin with, never mind if he worked on stick skills. 6’8”, 250 pounds and speed is a deadly combination.

Jordan Klunder
Philadelphia, Pa.
Steve Nash.

Zach Jecklin
T.O. would be a haus, but imagine some huge lineman as a goalie — he’s quick, but he also takes up the entire goal.

Jeffrey Berger
Burke, Va.
Any sumo wrestlers for goalie. They take up most of the goal and they actually have surpisingly good reflexes.

Dan Marut
Medford, Ore.
Pro basketball players. Even Shaq.

Brannon Price
Greenville, S.C.
Usain Bolt. Need I say more?

Joel Bonillanot
Saint John's, Fla.
Tom Brady.

Matt Madigan
Bay City, Mich.
Sydney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. Great athlete would be good at faceoff reaction time from faceoffs in hockey, in great shape, and can take a hit.

Ian Hewitt
Meridian, Idaho
Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners. He has great speed, agility and endurance. Not to mention his great hand-eye coordination. He would be a great middie.

J. Troy Dinkel
Barry Sanders.

Brad Bochesa
North Tustin, Calif.
Ray Lewis at d-pole.

Tate Bowden
Austin, Texas
Brandon Jacobs — big, fast, strong; he could play anything and truck everybody.

Drew Toney
Austin, Texas
Hockey players, because they’re built, they can take a hit and they’re all good athletes.

Noah Atkinson
Middletown, N.Y.
Sidney Crosby. The man is a god.

Eric Kagdis
Newfoundland, N.J.
It would definitely have to be Adrian Peterson. He is quick on his feet and is able to take multiple hits.

Aidan Walsh
Woodinville, Wash.
Sidney Crosby. He would be amazing. He’s so fast and can take some good hits.

Quinn Koches
Baltimore, Md.
I would have to say LeBron James would make the best lacrosse player. Not only is he athletic and a great size at 6’8” and 250 pounds, but he is also multi-talented. He was recruited by Miami, USC, Michigan and Ohio State for football. His speed and size alone would make him a dangerous LSM or attackman.

Trista Kuehn
Mason, Ohio
Serena Williams. Just imagine her tennis freak-out, but with a lacrosse stick in hand.

Adam Browning
North Granby, Conn.
Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins. He played before and he has the best combo of speed and strength.   

Jakob Hoogerhyde
Bothell, Wash.
Mikey Powell is already one of the best lacrosse players. Who needs to try getting a better player on their team when they have him?

Spencer Madden
Eugene, Ore.
Mike Tyson at FOGO! Fool is crazy.

Jack Sanford
Lynfield, Mass.
I’m gonna have to say Tom Brady at center mid. Let’s go back to the old days when he was Old Faithful. Great leader for the Pats. Very smart too. He knew the game backwards and forwards. His precision is amazing; he could sink a basket with a football from the full length of a basketball court numerous times in a row. Lastly, he was a reliable source and when he was under huge amounts of pressure, his teammates could still count on him to make the right decision and deliver the six points. If he applied these skills to lax, he’d be unstoppable.

Kyle Robert
Shaq as goalie. Need I say more? The man is huge.

Frank Benvenuto
Any hockey player would make a great lacrosse player since both sports go hand-in-hand and with all the similarities between them.

Jim Helie
Not John Daly.

Jordan Klunder
Nash played lax growing up in Canada!

Adam Browning
Thornton can ask his cousin, Zack Greer, for lax tips if he wants to make the switch.

Spencer Madden
Usually LOL is just an expression, but I actually did laugh out loud at that one.

Stephen Wierzbickii
Would have to say Brandon Jacobs, running back for the New York Giants, would make a great attackman, because he is big, strong and fast. I would feel bad for anybody who is sliding on him, because he is like a freight train speeding towards you. Also, he would finish every time he is fed on the crease. If he can run over 300-pound linemen, I think he will be able to take the ball away from a defender on a ride.

Kyle Robert
Actually, I think that Shaq might be a good defenseman. He would be very intimidating at 7’1” and 340 pounds! And with a defense stick, I don’t think that I’d go near him! I am a girl, though, so I guess that I wouldn’t be playing with him!

Kyle Oberholtzer
I say Lance Armstrong on middie. He has amazing stamina to bike the whole Tour de France and win several times, and if he really wants to do something, we’ve all seen him succeed. Think about cancer, and consistently winning the bike races!

Parker Beckett
Usain Bolt at middie.

Ana Horn
Randy Moss at defense. He’s fast enough to keep up with the ball and intercept.

Craig Modern
One would have to be the real “LT,” Lawrence Taylor. Strength, quickness, speed and nastiness! He changed the game of football and would definitely be a “crazed dog” on the lax field. I’ll second Tyson as a FOGO, due to his extremely quick hands and power!