Updated Roster

The roster is updated with all new player photos and 2006 summaries for each.

However, the team has not yet added any of the new players we have this year like:

Kevin Croswell
Dave Ellis
Eli Hill
Kyle Jamieson
Kevin Milkowski
Hughie Johnson
Matt Myke

Also, what about Kyle Ross? He actually has quite a following in the Twin Cities and I think that group of fans wants to see his new picture if not more.

Finally, that isn't a mole under Nick Patterson's lip, but it is decorative lip jewelry. The photo doesn't get a clear view of the ring in his right eyebrow.
Nick Patterson

And now that Eric Perkins has been added to the roster, there's no stopping us!
http://www.mnswarm.com/news/news.asp?news_id=200

My kids just love those Perky Bear Pancakes at his family's restaurant!
http://www.perkinsrestaurants.com/kids_menu.html

Start the chant with me:
HA HA, HO HO
Eric Perkins is so slow!

Just watch Perk at Play tonight on KARE 11 which had highlights from the press conference today. They caught Sean Pollock sleeping while it went on. Marty looked good but I don't think adlibbing is what he is good at.

He is supposed to play against the Shamrox on January 13th. Marty says the contract is official, so I would presume Perkins will be on the active roster when the roster deadline approaches on December 14th at the expense of an experienced player who will be exposed to the rest of teams in the league. If that is correct, that also means against the Shamrox, the Swarm will only have 15 regular runners compared to the Shamrox who will have 16 regular runners.

The press report says that Perkins is lefthanded and will be a forward. Does that mean that the Swarm will have only six regular forwards for the usual total of seven that night or will the Swarm be a defenseman short?

One possible concern is that Perkins was given a jersey with his name on back and the number is #11. If that is the number he will have that night, what does that mean for Kelly Hall.

Does it mean:

• that Hall just won't play that night?
• that Hall will have a different number this year like #7 which he wears in Victoria?
• that Perkins is actually wearing a different number for the game?
• that there maybe something up with Hall that may preclude him from playing much if any this season?

The roster still lists Hall as #11. Interesting questions I would like to have the answers too. I thought Perk was just going to play a shift or two and then leave the game. We'll have to get more information on this. We can't lose Hall especially if he's healthy.

Youve got that right WHT, actually we can't affort to lose ANY Swarm regular if they are healthy.
To my Count the Swarm still haven't officially signed KEMP DISHER OR POLLOCK and they have now officially signed 24 players for the season. WHo will be left on the outside looking in this year? If I was a pro player which these guys are, I would be very upset about somebody coming in to take my spot especially since there are only 16 games and they are all very important. If you want to pull these games do it in pre season when nobody really cares about the outcome of the game.

I am pretty disappointed that Marty would go and "Chearpen" the sport like he has done. Does anyone even know if this "Plug" has even played real lacrosse before. I see that he is 6'4 185lbs and from LA. Does the playoff future of the Swarm ride on a tall skinny sports broadcaster from the Sunshine Surf Lax league?

Listen Eric, if you read this message board, you will be playing against Chicago and if you play the O side of the ball you better make sure to watch out for Cam WOODS and Drew CANDY because I am sure they don't care who you think you are.


That is all from me for now on this topic and believe me I used an extreme amount of restraint in regard to this topic.

Someone please post what kind of skills this guy has, you know, I work in a media based business which actually includes lacrosse at all levels, maybe I should give Watters a call in Toronto and maybe I could play against "Perk at play" this weekend. The difference is that I actually played this game at a high level at one time in mhy life.

I truly believe that "Perk"ins will find out that in the NLL there is no "Play"ing around.

LW

I Agree LW.....

This makes the swarm look bush leauge at best. How can anyone take this team serious when they make moves like this?

I think the management should have thought about this one!

Wait is this Perkins thing a complete joke?

Where did he play his lax at before? Has he played in any competive pro league at all?

My first thought was "who?" and now im thinking "huh?"

Please Marty tell me this is a joke...for the love of god i hope this is a early april fools day joke.

If Perkins has played for quality teams i just want to know, cause right now this just doesnt seem cool!

I just watched the press conference where Perkins signed with the Swarm. I wouldn't worry about this too much. There was mention that Perk would play against the Shamrox. To me it sounded like he would only play against the Shamrox. This is probably the same thing that the Wild did when they signed Clay Matvick to a one-day contract and then he only played one shift and left the game. It doesn't sound like Perk has any extensive professional lacrosse experience so for this to be anything more than that would just be a really bad move by Marty and I don't think he would do something like that. I more concerned about the number 11 but then again, Perk works for KARE "11" so that is probably why they gave him that number. I don't think Kelly Hall has anything to worry about unless he is still feeling the effects of his injury from last season.

Was that really Sean Pollock sleeping. It looked more like Mike Kilby to me. That may have been set up also. Who knows?

I think you guys are missing the point.

KARE-11 is the only local television station that has even tried to lend some support and coverage to this sport, which I think you'll agree is seen by most as second-tier at the very least (this crowd not included in that sentiment).

Roster spots are prime commodities, and I applaude the Swarm for taking a marketing risk, yet I agree that it is a risk nonetheless to both the team and Perkins (remember the Campbell injury!).

As I'm always reminded, sports teams are a business first and entertainment second. The extra coverage should help both of these points of momentum.

In response to STX I think that you are missing the point, the NLL has struggled to become credible and this just set them back at least five years, this is worse than when that AHL team signed Manute Bol to play one game and he sat on the bench and took his skates off halfway through the game.
Just when it seems that the NLL is making some ground some management makes a mistake. During the NHL lockout Calgary Roughnecks drafted Gary Roberts which made the leage look pretty bush leage then, but at least Gary Roberts was a lacrosse player when he was younger.
This is horrible for the leage no matter what angle you try to look at the situation.

This is the last time I will post on this subject because I have already wasted too much of my life trying to make sense of the NLL and some of the dumb moves that they pull.

LW

I understand why, at first, there was some confusion about this. I was a little worried myself. I even took it upon myself to email Perk and see if he could shed some light on the situation. He suggested that I watch the Perk At Play segment and said to cheer him on come January 13th. I watched the bit on Kare 11 news and basically saw this move as a good marketing scheme to get more people interested in the Swarm (i.e. Kare 11 viewers, etc).

There is one other part of the situation that has yet to be mentioned. This is from the article on www.kare11.com in the sports section:

***Eric Perkins signed his first professional contract on December 5 with the Minnesota Swarm.

Perk makes his debut during the Swarm's home opener on January 13 at the Xcel Energy Center.

The first 10,000 fans at the game will receive a Swarm t-shirt.

As part of KARE 11 Night at the Swarm game, you can buy $11 tickets. All proceeds will benefit the Courage Center. You can purchase tickets by clicking here.

For more information, visit MN Swarm.***

Perk At Play

After reading that the news station is also promoting the Perk deal to benefit charity, I relaized that it's just for fun and for a good cause. My guess: He'll probably go in for one shift, gets some applause, and be done with it.

That's my two cents anyways.

I agree with Swarmer and STX (God, did I just agree with STX?? just kidding, STX!). I'm sure that Swarm coaches and management wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the Swarm's win/loss ratio...I bet that Perk will play a little bit, but will come out if the going gets tough. I'm also sure that the KARE-11 management don't want one of their top sportscasters laid up or sporting a broken nose on camera.

LW -- although it seems like a bad p.r. move from where you're sitting in Toronto, you know as well as the rest of us that the MN market needs a boost. Obviously, the Rock doesn't need to pull crazy stunts to fill seats. The Swarm still does -- and they're busting their butts to get that done. KARE-11 has been the only big media supporter, and they're doing their part to help out.

The press conference was classic cheesy Perk -- although he seems serious, you can tell that it's tongue-in-cheek. That being said, if we lose the game because Perk was in....there will be heck to pay.

OMG, I can't believe I am agreeing with STX.

The sport is not going to be set back 5 years.

This stunt, and I think that is really what it is. Will put fans in the seats, bring in new fans and benefit charity. We really need the press to embrace the sport. so I wont complain about it.

If the sport can bounce back after the inside scoop story about the hive... no worries.

Who care what the rest of the league thinks about us! Will they really care when we are putting 15,000 fans in the seats and kicking some major butt.

At least this will keep Perk out of the stands, causing a huge delay in the game. LOL!!!

I don't think Marty would ever do anything to "chearpen" [sic] the game that he loves and spent his entire life in. If you have ever spent a second with him you would know where his heart is. Shame on you for insulting him when you have no clue what his intensions are.

I am truly happy to see the publicity even before the season starts. This is great for LAX here in the Twin Cities.

I don't think I would worrry about that. I mean, how many people actually saw that show? Six, seven tops? And I think we were all sitting at the MN State Fair when it happend too.

Postergirl and kevlax are actually seeing my side of the opinion wheel...prepare for the apocalypse!

I'm guessing Perk will pull a hamstring in the days before the first tilt and he'll have to either be placed on injured reserve, or be wheeled out on the turf in a full body cast.

It's cheap...tawdry...and fun.

While some of you are cheering "chips and guac" -- the front office is chanting "butts in seats."

You know some of us will ask perk for his autopraph. When he plays for the swarm.

What's the over/under for how many seconds it will take Perkins to get levelled once he steps on the field?

Perk may trip over himself coming off the bench. I suggest that he keep running and running.

Kyle Ross, Eli Hill, Dave Ellis and Kevin Croswell are added to the website's roster. Ross is #20, Hill is #66, Ellis is #28 and Croswell is #43.

Hey that happened to me in my first indoor lax game back when I was 12.

And on a side, but not necessarily related, note -- Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of Skid Row, was overheard at the Guns N Roses concert last Saturday night saying, "Sebastian Bach is Jesus Christ...It's the first sign of the Acropolis!"

Bach was attempting to quote a review of his performance in Jesus Christ Superstar. Several minutes later, he said, "Uhhhh, Acropolis is a Greek city, isn't it?"

That's my factoid for the evening.

And it confirms that STX may, in fact, be smarter than Sebastian Bach. Yay!