July 10, 2008

by Corey McLaughlin, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

With the right combination of rarified air and an unparalleled fan base, the Denver Outlaws have this Major League Lacrosse thing pretty well figured out.

Heading into its game Saturday against Los Angeles, Denver sits atop the Western Conference with a league-best 6-2 record. The Outlaws have the MLL's second-highest scoring offense with 15.5 goals per game. They placed a league-high eight players in next Thursday's All-Star game - in Denver, of course.

Denver also attracted an MLL-record 20,116 announced fans to Invesco Field at Mile High on Independence Day for their game against the San Francisco Dragons, complete with post-game fireworks.

Outlaws general manager and head coach Brian Reese, in his first full year as coach and third season as GM, took time off from double duty - and between putting his kids to bed and watching an ESPN2 tape of the July 4 game - to discuss the Outlaws' success, the growing Denver lacrosse scene and what really goes on in the locker room before games.

If five years ago, someone said you would get 20,000 fans to Mile High for a pro lacrosse game, you would have replied with what?

(Laughter.) I would have thought it was the best idea in the world, but I wouldn't be sure it could happen.

Why has the game caught on so fast in Denver?

A lot people here don't have a preconceived notion of how the game should be played. Back on the East Coast and the hotbeds, the game is a little bit different, and people might be put off by it. Here in Denver, people go to the games. They see it. It's good entertainment. Also, we have a good organization that puts on a good show and a produces a good product. I think it's a combination of those things.

When you were playing with the Mammoth or Bayhawks, or even at Maryland in the `90s, was it ever a thought of yours to become a coach one day?

I love the game and wanted to be involved and stay involved as long as possible. When I couldn't play anymore, the next thing is to kind of coach. But I was GM before I was coach, so it was a different route, how it worked out.

Yeah, you're a combo coach/GM in the league. How is that role different from just being the GM or just the coach?

It's a little bit more to deal with. I go from worrying about flights, hotels and travel arrangements to scouting reports and the next game, and making sure we're ready to play. It's a little combination but we have a good structure in place.

How does first place feel? What's been effective for the team so far this season?

Besides the Chicago game [a 16-13 loss], we compete hard every game and play as a team every game. What's been most impressive is the ball movement on offense. Ten goals [against San Francisco] is a little below our average, but I thought we had good possessions. With as many star players as we have out there, it's great to see everybody contributing. We don't have three guys doing all the work.

Brian Langtry, one of your stars, I've heard he has an interesting personality. What's he like?

He likes to talk and keep everybody loose. He likes to hype himself up in the media a lot. No, just kidding, he's a good guy. He's a guy that, who if I didn't know, would be a complete pain in my side, I guess. He's always very loose. No matter what period of the game we're in, if we're down or up, he'll make comments that will make everybody laugh. No one is spared from being made fun of by him. He's a good guy to have in the locker room.

What is something he's done recently that you can share?

He's one of the first guys in the locker room and when guys come in, he's got something: about their wardrobe, the tattoos they have, always has something.

What's Josh Sims' status with an ankle injury?

The first six weeks of the season he was on injured reserve. He got off last week, but I'm not sure if we'll have him back for the season. But either way, I think we're OK.

Jesse Schwartzman appears to be one the best young goalies in the MLL. How's he done in his first full year as the starter?

He's been awesome - a great leader and big-time goalie. He can make plays and saves on anybody. He does a great job of understanding the other team's personnel, their shooters, what we need to do defensively.

It seems the other three teams in the West are looking at getting younger with some of the trades that have been made this year. What's been your philosophy as a GM when putting rosters together?

Really just try to build a team. Not to stockpile talent. You win games by having a good team, not necessarily just a talented team. You need guys who have roles and accept them and are willing to work. We have some superstars, but really you need to have a good team with good chemistry and guys who are willing to play for each other.

You have the most players in the all-star game - [Langtry, Schwartzman, Ryan Powell, Brendan Mundorf, Benson Erwin, Matt Hanna, Jeff Sonke and Lee Zink.] What kind of turnout, in terms of fans, do you expect in Denver next week?

It should be a good crowd. I don't know what the ticket numbers are, but we should be around 10-12,000. We'll see. It's a pretty special event for the fans to see the best players in the world. Our fans have been awesome. It's a way to give back to them for their support. I think they'll show up and it will be a fun time.

Corey McLaughlin covers Major League Lacrosse for Lacrosse Magazine Online. Check back to LMO each Thursday and over the weekends for more MLL coverage, or send feedback to Corey at corey.mclaughlin@gmail.com.