By BILL FLEISCHMAN, Daily News Sports Writer
Staring at the overhead television monitor, Brad Kotz appeared to be mesmerized.
On the screen at Ovations in the Spectrum yesterday was the Major Indoor Lacrosse League promotional film, complete with goals, body checks, an occasional slash and a few near beheadings.
“This sport is so much more exciting than the field game,” said Kotz, a former Syracuse All-America and a new member of the Philadelphia Wings. “Once you get playing it, you get the adrenaline going. The intensity level is what attracts a lot of the players.”
Money obviously isn’t the reason the Wings and the other three league teams play their eight-game season that begins in January. Kotz, who played last year for the league’s Washington entry, and his teammates receive $150 a game, plus expenses. Since all the Wings either live in the Philadelphia area or in Maryland, expenses are limited to car mileage, I-95 tolls and meals.
Kotz, now a student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, says lacrosse gets in the players’ blood. For many players, too much of their blood has been spilled on the indoor carpets. What Dave Brown, of the Flyers, did to the Rangers’ Tomas Sandstrom the other night was vicious, but in the MILL it has been almost routine.
“For the game to succeed,” Kotz said, “those guys have to be weeded out and we have to get more of the finesse offense-defense-type players in there. That’s what they’re attempting to do this year. I don’t think there will be as many blatant assaults as there were last year.”
Mike French, a full-time accountant who is moving into the Wings’ general manager’s chair after leading the team in goal scoring last season, and new coach Dave Evans are aware that indoor lacrosse cannot eliminate all the hitting and expect to attract good crowds. The 14,903, 12,212 and 9,397 who paid to see the Wings’ three home games last season at the Spectrum would have been disappointed if the games were minus body checks and a few fights.
“I have two main goals for the team,” said Evans, a Canadian coach who will work full-time with the Wings through their season. “I want a winning team and an entertaining team. To be an entertaining team to me means two things: We’re going to be a running team and a hitting team.”
Added French: “I think there’ll be a lot less blind-side hitting and moving picks, things any goon can do. Our franchise is eliminating all those types of people.”
Last year, the Wings were a Maryland-oriented team. They still are practicing in Edgewood, Md., near Baltimore. But French, 34, is concentrating on bringing in Philadelphia-area players. The former Cornell All-America said there are 25 Philadelphia players in the Wings’ training camp.
WINGING IT: The returning Wings include captain John Tucker, Paul French and John Conley. Draftees include goalkeeper Vinnie Pfeiffer, who played for the New Jersey Saints last year, Tom Haus, the NCAA Player of the Year at North Carolina last year, and Mike Page (Penn) . . . The Wings (3-3 last season) will play four games at the Spectrum, all on Saturdays, beginning Jan. 16.
(Philadelphia Daily News, October 29, 1987)