Wednesday, November 12, 1986

The Philadelphia Wings, a franchise in the newly created professional indoor box-lacrosse league, will play its home games at the Spectrum, officials announced yesterday.

The competition begins on Jan. 10, and the Wings will play their first home game on Jan. 31, meeting the New Jersey Saints, marking the first time professional lacrosse will have been played in Philadelphia since 1975.

The league will include four teams - the Wings, the Saints, the Washington (D.C.) Wave and the Baltimore Thunder - each of which will play a six-game schedule.

Dave Huntley, a former all-American at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, will serve as the coach and general manager of the Wings. He will be assisted by former college teammate Steve Wey.

Saturday, January 10, 1987

The Philadelphia Wings begin play in the new Eagle Pro-Box Lacrosse League tonight with an 8:30 game at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., against the New Jersey Saints.

The four-team league also includes teams from Baltimore and Washington. Each team will play each opponent two times, once at home and once away. All four teams are owned and operated by the league.

The Wings are coached by Steve Wey and include Peter Scott, a four-time lacrosse all-American from Johns Hopkins; goalie Mark Moschella, and Peter French, an all-American at Virginia.

The league's other teams, the Baltimore Thunder and the Washington Wave, also will begin play today with a 1 p.m. game at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md.

Thursday, January 29, 1987

By MIKE KERN, Daily News Sports Writer

As far as field lacrosse was concerned, Mike French realized his prime had been behind him for some time now.

Then the Philadelphia Wings of the newly created Eagle League offered him an opportunity to get one last fling - in box lacrosse - out of his system at the age of 33. And even though he had been retired for four years, the competitor in him simply couldn't resist.

"It's a funny game," said French, a former NCAA Player of the Year at Cornell who now works as a manager for a major Philadelphia consulting firm. ''Sometimes people (continue to) play it just because they have played for so many years. I'd like to see some more money in it, but that's not the reason we do it."

He can say that again. For at least this initial season, the league's four- team stockpile of roughly 100 players, many of whom are in the same position as French, will be moonlighting as part-timers to help start things off on sane financial ground.

"I think they're definitely going about it the right way," said French, a native Canadian who was drafted in 1976 by the old Philadelphia Wings franchise of the National Lacrosse League, just before that circuit folded after two seasons of operations. "I'm only in it for a one-shot deal, at least as far as playing.

"To be honest, I thought Huntz (general manager-coach Dave Huntley) was joking when he asked me if I was interested. But I've gotten a big kick out of it. I figured they'd only use me sparingly, but as it turns out, I've been playing a regular shift, plus I'm on the power play (unit)."

Saturday night at the Spectrum, the Wings (0-2) will host New Jersey in their home opener (every team plays each other home and away during the regular season, and all four clubs are then seeded into a one-game semifinal and championship game format). The home opener also will mark the Wings' first appearance in town, since each team has been forced to hold its weekly full-squad practice in Baltimore because the majority of the league's players live in that area.

So, for French and several local teammates such as his younger brother, Paul, paying the price entails four-hour round-trip drives on I-95.

"Once you commit yourself, you have to be prepared to go all the way," French said. "I'm obviously not the future, but I can still do my small part."

Actually, there are three others on the club who are older than French, including John Grant, a fan favorite with the old Wings. But in the team's first two games - a pair of losses, 11-8 at New Jersey and 20-19 in overtime at Baltimore - nobody has been more productive. After scoring a goal against New Jersey, French had five goals and two assists vs. Baltimore.

"The only problem with that," French said, "is that now they expect me to do that every time out. Hey, I have no idea why that happened. I'm just trying to survive and contribute. After that first game, I was really broken and beaten. Usually, I'm the first one to the Gatorade bucket. But it's not doing me any harm. I'm a little selfish. As much as I hurt, I'm having a few laughs, a few beers after the game. It was like going back in time.

"I was playing squash today at lunch, and I told the guy I was with, 'Maybe once in a while you ought to cross-check me with the racket, just to make me feel right at home.' "

Just over a decade ago, the old Wings drew an average of around 10,000 fans per game. Nobody is predicting this team can equal that from the outset, but Huntley is confident the Wings can match the approximate crowds of 7,000 they have seen on the road.

"This is a great sports town, and I think a lot of people are going to say, 'Let's give them a chance and see what they've got,' " Huntley said. ''There will certainly be interest out of curiosity's sake, but after that they want to see an honest effort. They want to get their money's worth. And that's where I believe we've got what it takes to stick around.

"It's just like going to a movie. If you take somebody and put out say $20, and you like what you see, nobody comes out complaining about a refund. All people ask for is entertainment value. If they're satisfied, that's the bottom line.

"We're not a major league yet. We know that. You can't just put something together and call it professional just because people are getting paid to do it. We have to earn that distinction. And the thing is, even if we had unlimited funds to work with, I don't think you could assemble any better group of players in the entire world. And that's a fact.

"To me, the Spectrum is like the Yankee Stadium of our sport. Before, the league failed, not the Wings. Philadelphia supported the team. And once they see what we have to offer, I think they'll do it again."

"I've talked to people from the office," French added, "and they seemed intrigued with the idea. I really believe that Philly is an expanding market. I think the fans will be receptive, and it could serve as a flagship for the league.

"Hey, maybe they'll just come out to see an old man get his."

If it sells, keep that corporate rocking chair on momentary hold.

Sunday, February 1, 1987

By Robert Seltzer, Inquirer Staff Writer

In a game that marked the return of professional box lacrosse to the city, John Grant scored three goals and added an assist to lead the Philadelphia Wings over the New Jersey Saints, 17-11, last night at the Spectrum.

Grant, 35, a member of the Philadelphia franchise that lasted two years with the National Lacrosse League in the mid 1970s, relived his younger days, although he admitted he wished he had his "old legs" back.

"This was great," Grant said.

Philadelphia (1-2) avenged a 10-3 defeat to the Saints in the season opener on Jan 10. New Jersey dropped to 2-1.

The Wings and the Saints are part of the newly created, four-team Eagle Pro-Box Lacrosse League.

The game represented the first time in more than 10 years that a pro box lacrosse team had called the Spectrum home.

A crowd of 14,189, a healthy figure even by Sixers or Flyers standards, was loud and passionate, cheering and yelling at every shot, goal and check by the Wings.

It was the largest crowd for any game in the fledgling league this year, beating the previous mark of 9,216 for the Washington-Baltimore game on Jan. 10.

"This was the greatest feeling in the world - all those fans," said Grant, who played with the old Philadelphia Wings in 1974 and 1975.

Complementing Grant for the Wings were Mike French and Pat Hanley, each of whom also scored a hat trick. For the Saints, Kevin Cook scored a hat trick.

Friday, February 13, 1987

By MIKE KERN, Daily News Sports Writer

For John Grant, it seems like old times.

Grant, a native of Peterborough, Ontario, became one of the big fan favorites when he played for the Philadelphia Wings of the short-lived National Lacrosse League in the mid-1970s. Now, at age 36, Grant has returned to try and help the Wings of the newly created Eagle League get off the drawing board.

And, really, there is no place else he would rather be, particularly at this stage of his career.

"I appreciate the opportunity," Grant said. "I guess maybe that's why they called me. It's like having some more ice cream on the cake. I consider it an honor that they still thought this much of me."

What's not to like? Despite missing an opening loss at league leader New Jersey when his flight was snowed in, Grant is tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals and eight assists.

The Wings (1-2), who are fresh off a 17-11 win over New Jersey in the Jan. 31 rematch at the Spectrum, will attempt to even their record when they host the Washington Wave (1-2) tomorrow night.

That first home game against New Jersey attracted a league-record 14,189 fans, almost 5,000 more than the second-largest crowd so far. And since the advance sale for tomorrow's game already is approaching the 9,000 it was for New Jersey, it is likely the Wings will draw very well again.

None of which surprises John Grant.

"When the old league went under, it wasn't because it failed in Philadelphia," Grant said. "We averaged close to 10,000 a game. To me, it's the sports mecca of America. The people there are quality fans. You can't sell them an inferior product. But if you give them their money's worth, then they'll support you with everything they've got.

"There's unbelievable pride involved. I know some of the Flyers, like Kerry Huffman and Glen Seabrooke, from back home. And they say the same thing: If you can't play in Philly, you can't play anywhere. It's special."

As far as Grant is concerned, just being back in the Spectrum is special. The entire experience has rekindled a lot of fond memories.

"I brought about seven kids down with me (from the pee-wee team he coaches) last week, to see how well sports get received in that country at the pro level," Grant said. "I mean, you see the enthusiasm in the stands, it's amazing. Most of these guys are used to playing in front of maybe 300 in the field (as opposed to the indoor) game.

"Just coming down the ramp into the arena, talking to an electrician who worked there 10 years ago, if I closed my eyes it would've been like I hadn't lost any time at all. But my bones tell me differently."

When does Grant finally envision himself putting down the lacrosse stick for good?

"Coming from such a small town, I get asked that question everywhere I go," said Grant, who has competed as a top amateur both nationally and internationally for the past decade. "Canada is basically a two-sport country. It's hockey in the winter, and lacrosse in the summer. As soon as you can see the grass come up through the snow, people start saying, 'John, are you playing again this year?' It's almost like a community thing. It's the same guys you've played with since junior, and you just sort of get into a habit. It's hard to say no.

"It's a great sport, and some day I hope I can turn the TV on and see my young boy have a chance to play. I wished it would have come back sooner. We always had confidence in the quality of it. It's the kind of sport where you'd play with the same intensity no matter how many people show up to watch. A lot of these guys would play for free, because it's the kind of thing you can't play if you don't love it.

"At my age, I can't do as much as I used to, but (coach Dave Huntley) knows what I can and can't do. I think I can also have a positive effect in terms of what I know about how the game's supposed to be played."

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a packed house behind you, either.

"The crowd set the tone right from the start (against New Jersey)," Grant said. "The reception we got was just unbelievable. I was trying to think what it might be like, but I never dreamed it would be quite that overwhelming.

"I think the American public is getting sick of hearing about arbitration and big salaries. When it comes back to reality, hey, it should be a sport first. If our owners all closed up shop tomorrow and none of us got a cent, they would all be back playing somewhere for fun.

"And perhaps more than any other group of fans, the people here seem to understood that. I don't think that will ever change."

WINGING IT: Even if the Wings do not advance to the playoff final, the game will be played at the Spectrum March 14. Russ Cline, the league's executive vice president, said the choice was based on the availability of arenas on that date, but the fact that Philadelphia is considered the league's flagship franchise no doubt figured into the decision as well . . . For those same reasons, there is a chance the Wings might wind up hosting a first-round playoff game March 7 even if they don't finish as one of the top two teams during the six-game regular season.

Saturday, February 14, 1987

By Robert Seltzer, Inquirer Staff Writer

As a member of the Philadelphia Wings, the new professional box lacrosse team, Mike French is "going back in time."

There is only one problem.

French is visiting the past with a body from the present, a 33-year-old body from the present.

And that means his itinerary includes unscheduled stops to the trainer for treatment of aches and pains and bruises.

No matter - the exhilaration of the trip, he believes, is worth the hurt he experiences along the way.

"Our first game was very physical," French recalled. "I felt stiff, uncomfortable. If you're not comfortable, the normal things like catching the ball don't come easy. The first time I got knocked down, it shook me out of it.

"Getting knocked down wasn't fun, but it got my juices going. I didn't bounce up as quickly as I might have liked. But everyone will say that you have to get whacked now and then. Besides, I did want to go back in time."

French was a three-time all-America lacrosse player at Cornell. The Wings planned to draft him in the third round in 1976, but it never happened. The National Lacrosse League folded that year, after only two seasons, and French was left with a dream he could not fulfill.

"I was disappointed, very disappointed," he said. "I went on to do other things I wanted to do, so I was covered. The initial disappointment didn't last long. But I knew Philadelphia was a great lacrosse town, and I really wanted to play here."

Well, French is playing here, and only 11 years after he thought he would. He is playing here thanks to two guys with dreams of their own, Chris Fritz and Russ Cline, both of Kansas City, Mo. After studying and restudying other professional sports leagues, both successful (read NFL) and unsuccessful (read USFL), the two men launched the Eagle League Pro-Box Lacrosse in January, with Fritz as president and Cline as vice president.

"Oh, this makes me feel younger," said French, a consultant for hotels, restaurants and amusement parks in the area. "I knew from the get-go that I would not make any money playing on this team. I just enjoy playing the game. I don't mind the bumps and bruises one bit.

"I'm very satisfied in knowing that I can still play," French said.

The Eagle League is starting modestly, with a six-game regular season for each of its four teams, and Fritz and Cline think it will survive because of players like French - players who do not equate success with mega-buck salaries, incentive clauses or Nike contracts. French earns $100 per game. He uses the money to buy his teammates six-packs of beer after the games.

"Somewhere down the road, we might make some good money," said Dave Huntley, 30, coach and general manager of the Wings (1-2), who will play the Washington Wave (1-2) at 8 tonight at the Spectrum. "But not right now. If we're in it for the money, we should be committed to an insane asylum. But I think everyone feels that we are on the ground floor of something that could turn out big."

Away from the arena, the Wings are bankers, opticians, stockbrokers, management counselors. They do not need the puny salary they get as members of the team. What they have grown to enjoy, if not need, is the camaraderie, the excitement, the sense of satisfaction that comes from being a box lacrosse player.

"When Dave Huntley called and asked if I wanted to play, I jumped at the chance," said Dave Tasker, 36, an optician in Wilmington. "I'm doing it to play a sport I've always loved playing. I'm from Canada, and over there, lacrosse is what baseball is here."

Of the 20 players on the team, 13 live in Baltimore. Which means that, while home games are played at the Spectrum, practices are held in Baltimore. Which means, further, that the Philadelphia-based players have to drive to Baltimore once a week for practice sessions.

"The players are good people, with good character," said Huntley, a three-time all-American at Johns Hopkins. "I knew most of the guys before the league was formed. There were maybe two guys I didn't know. I don't have to nursemaid them. It's my job to make sure they attend practices and are able to get transportation to the game, but I don't have to keep after them. They're reliable."

Although the league began operating this year, the idea was born in January 1985, when Fritz and Cline launched a box lacrosse exhibition series between two "all-star" teams they had assembled - "Team USA" and "Team Canada." The matches were held in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Rochester, N.Y., Norfolk, Va., and Washington. These cities became the test markets for the league that followed.

"The exhibition games told us there was big interest in box lacrosse," said Cline, who spent 10 years doing marketing and promotional work for the Kansas City Chiefs. "We were excited."

The two businessmen poured approximately $500,000 into the exhibition series, losing $40,000 of it. They will lose some more money with the newly created league. They know that, and they do not care.

"I'd rather not say exactly how much money we've put into this, but it's in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands," Cline said. "We knew at the outset that we would lose something. We just don't know how much it will be. All we're really doing this year is building the market. We don't want to overextend ourselves."

Fritz and Cline own all the teams in the league - the Wings, the Wave, the New Jersey Saints and the Baltimore Thunder. They acknowledge that the situation creates the potential for a conflict of interest. What, for example, is to prevent them from favoring one franchise and letting the others remain grounded in mediocrity?

They considered that possibility, and they developed a two-pronged system to avoid it. First, the players were selected through an internal draft, with all four coaches meeting to reach agreement on the athletes they would pick. And, second, every player in the league makes the same amount of money, $100 plus expenses, which removes the threat of a "star system" developing.

"The league will own the teams so that we can control our own destiny," Cline explained. "We don't want to bring in a bunch of owners who just want to make money at the expense of survival. . . .

"We learned a lot from the mistakes of the old National Lacrosse League," Cline said. "We're trying to move along slowly. They literally tried to become a major league immediately. They sold franchises. They paid salaries that averaged $18,000 to $20,000 a year. They would lose a franchise, add one, lose one, add one. Then, finally, they folded."

The name Wings was selected so that Philadelphia fans could identify with the franchise that went under - an identification that is made easier because John Grant, who played on the old team, has returned.

"This is great," Grant, who lives in Peterborough, Ontario, said recently. "When I played here in the 1970s, the Flyers won two championships, and the fans carried them to the title. Philadelphia fans are tremendous."

Yet, for all his marquee value, Grant, 35, receives the same $100 per game that the other players do.

"I would love to see astronomical salaries one day," Cline said. "But that wouldn't be smart right now, and the players have accepted that. They're in it because they love the game."

OK, so Cline and Fritz have done their homework. But why box lacrosse, a game that differs from field lacrosse in that it is played indoors and uses six players instead of 10? Why a game that many ardent sports fans have never seen?

"A friend of ours suggested box lacrosse, and that's how it started - just an offhand remark, really," Cline explained. "Chris has always been very astute. We're good friends. We're partners in four other companies, and when he got interested in this, well, I had a feeling it would work."

It does seem to be working, at least in Philadelphia. The Wings attracted a crowd of 14,189 for their first home game, against the Saints, on Jan. 31. Of those fans, approximately 800 were season ticket-holders.

"This season is basically a learning experience," Cline said. "It's not a destination, it's a journey.But we've been very pleased with the response in Philadelphia."

Cline said the league would expand - but slowly.

"We are not going to expand the league next year," he said. "If we do not overextend ourselves financially, if we do not bring in a weak franchise that drains our money, if we can get this on a solid footing, then we can expand. Right now, our goal is to make it work in the four cities - and give the players a small raise next year."

French, like the league executives, is taking it one year at a time.

"My brother Paul kind of laughed when I told him I was going to play," French said. "After all, I hadn't played box lacrosse in 15 years. But I started running and lifting weights, and I'm very pleased that I've been able to help my teammates.

"My initial reaction was that I would just play this year. Now, I think I would like to play in the upcoming season. I'm just going to measure how this season turns out and how well I feel."

Whatever he decides, he has the satisfaction of knowing that his brother Paul, who also plays on the team, has stopped laughing.

"He was a great player in the past," said Paul, 26. "But he was a little overweight, and he hadn't played in so long. I think he was expecting to help out more with leadership than with ability. But he's been playing real well, real smart."

Thursday, February 19, 1987

 By Gary Miles, Inquirer Staff Writer

 In the old days, J.R. Castle had plenty of time for lacrosse.

 A graduate of William Penn Charter School and Drexel University, the 28- year-old Wyndmoor resident played for four years at Penn Charter and was an all-East Coast Conference midfielder at Drexel. After college, Castle joined the Eagle's Eye amateur club in Philadelphia.

 But then Castle started growing in other directions. He married Leah King in 1982 and took a job as a stockbroker. A son, George, was born in 1984, and on Friday, another son, James Rutherford Castle 3d, entered Castle's life.

 Because of these developments, it seemed that the amount of time Castle spent playing lacrosse would decrease. But instead, it has increased dramatically.

 Late last year, former collegiate stars Chris Fritz and Russ Cline organized a four-team professional box lacrosse league and invited players such as Castle to compete. Encouraged by David Huntley, a former player at Johns Hopkins University and the general manager and coach of the league's Philadelphia franchise, Castle signed up.

 Now, instead of playing recreational field lacrosse on weekends, Castle is a bona fide professional in the indoor game.

 On Saturday, Castle scored his first two goals of the season, and the Philadelphia Wings evened their Eagle League record to 2-2 with a 15-12 victory over the Washington Wave at the Spectrum.  

"I don't look at it like I'm a pro football or baseball player," Castle said. "For one thing, I don't make their salaries. And for another, I have a regular job during the day. I couldn't make a living playing lacrosse.

 "But I do get a kick out of kids coming up to me after a game and saying how much they like the sport. It's fun to be appreciated. I'll admit that."

 To hear Castle's schedule is to appreciate his dedication to lacrosse. Although the Wings play in Philadelphia, most of the players are from Baltimore, and the team practices there. Because of that, Castle makes the 2 1/2-hour drive to Baltimore every Tuesday for practice from 8 to 10 p.m. 

"The last thing I feel like doing after a day's work is to drive all that way, then run five miles at practice," Castle said. "But I have always liked lacrosse. The passing of the ball and the speed of the game always intrigued me. Sometimes I wonder about all the travel, but playing for this team has given me an opportunity to play against some great competition."

 Despite the bone-crushing hits that are vividly displayed on the television commercials that promote the Wings, Castle said he had yet to suffer a serious injury.  

Box lacrosse is different from field lacrosse in that it is faster, does not limit the deepness of the pocket on the stick and has a 45-second shot clock. Box lacrosse also allows moving picks, slashing with the stick and intimidating opponents.

 A namesake of the Philadelphia Wings played in the National Lacrosse League in the early 1970s. That league disbanded in 1976.

 In addition to Castle, Mark Moschella, Paul French, Mike French, Bob Powers and Scott Growney make the trip to Baltimore from Philadelphia for the weekly practices. The Eagle League is composed of the Wings, the Wave, the New Jersey Saints and the Baltimore Thunder, all of which are owned by Fritz and Cline.

 Castle is paid $100 for each home game and $150 for each away game plus some travel expenses. The team pays for equipment, but the players pay transportation costs. 

The Wings lost their first game, 11-8, to New Jersey on Jan. 10. They lost to Baltimore, 20-19, in overtime on Jan. 24 and then avenged the New Jersey loss with a 20-17 win over the Saints on Jan. 31. About 10,000 fans attended Saturday's game, according to Spectrum officials. 

"We know we're a proving ground for leagues and teams to come," Castle said. "But we're willing to make sacrifices in order to get it all off the ground. And it can be successful. For me, this is a payoff for all that sweat and all those miles I've run over the years."

Thursday, February 19, 1987

 By Michael Bamberger, Inquirer Staff Writer

 By day, Scott Growney is a lawyer at the old-line Philadelphia firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. As a lawyer, Growney draws up documents that are precise, even delicate. Every semicolon is given care.

 By night, Growney is a professional lacrosse player for the fledgling Philadelphia Wings. In that role, he runs around the field willy-nilly in pursuit of a heavy white ball.

 He loves both occupations.

 Being a lawyer exercises Growney's mind; lacrosse exercises the rest of him. Being a lawyer keeps Growney in three-piece suits; lacrosse pays for his socks.

 On Saturday night, the Wings played at home, at the Spectrum. The Wings are members of the four-team Eagle Box Lacrosse League, which began last month. The other teams are the New Jersey Saints, the Baltimore Thunder and the Washington Wave. The teams have a six-game schedule; playoffs begin in March. The Wings are 2-2.

 Box lacrosse differs from field lacrosse in two significant ways. It is played indoors, on a field the size of an ice-hockey rink, covered with artificial grass. And box lacrosse has six players on the field at a time, four fewer than in field lacrosse.

 But the most significant difference is this: while field lacrosse is a highly physical game, going into a game of box lacrosse is like going into battle. In field lacrosse, checking happens occasionally and often results in a penalty. In box lacrosse, checking happens all the time, to all parts of the anatomy, and almost never results in a penalty. Whacking is part of the game, much to the delight of most spectators. But not all.

 "I worry about him when he's out there. How could I not? I'm his mother," said Scott Growney's mother, Dorothy Growney, who was at the Spectrum Saturday night. "When there's a pile-up, I just hope that it's not Scott who's on the bottom. Scott's father is a physician, so I always rest a little easier when he's here."

 "Sometimes I worry," said Anne Burch, Growney's girlfriend, "but it's always exciting." Burch is accustomed to watching Growney play lacrosse. Her brother Bob is the sponsor of the Eagle's Eye Lacrosse Club, the amateur lacrosse team with which Growney used to play.

 The amateur game is relatively civil. "This box game is rough," Growney said in the locker room after the game as teammates tended injuries. It's the same locker room the Flyers use. "But it's my idea of fun."

 Lacrosse has been Growney's idea of fun for a while now. He was a high school all-American at Harriton, where he was a member of the class of 1977. As a senior Growney was elected captain and most valuable player. At Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, from which he graduated in 1981 with a degree in history, with honors, Growney was a Division III all-American in lacrosse.

 These days, Growney leads a double life. While he makes it plain that his law practice is more important to him than his lacrosse practice, Growney takes his life as an athlete seriously. As a player in training, Growney watches what he eats, he works out every other day, and he goes to lacrosse practice once a week. The practices are in Baltimore, where a majority of the players live. The Wings are coached by Dave Huntley, who was a star player at Johns Hopkins and, after that, coached at Loyola, which is also in Baltimore. Many of the players have ties to Hopkins, which has long been a national lacrosse powerhouse.

 While the commitment is significant, the compensation is not. Growney is paid $100 for home games and $150 for away games, plus expenses.

 "We were told that they were trying to keep salaries down so that there would be money for promoting the league," said Growney. "They're taking a long view."

 But Growney's not so sure he is.

 "Even if you could make a living at this, and I think that day will come, I'm a lawyer first now. I've been through the bar exam, and going thorugh that was more nerve-wracking than playing before 10,000 people, which is nerve- wracking enough," said Growney.

 Growney, 27, is about 5 feet, 9 inches and 160 pounds, which makes him small by professional lacrosse standards. There are players in the league a half-foot taller and 100 pounds heavier. But few, according to his high school coach, Nort Seaman, have more energy.

 "That's the thing that separates him," said Seaman, who is an assistant principal at Harriton. "In high school, when the other kids were getting tired, Scotty was getting stronger and stronger."

 Growney was energetic a decade ago, when he ran on the lush green grass of Harriton's playing fields. And he's energetic today, running on the tired, pale green mat the Wings are renting from the estate of a defunct professional soccer team.

 For Growney to lead his double life, being energetic is a must.

Friday, February 20, 1987

 By MIKE KERN, Daily News Sports Writer

 Until his freshman year at Penn Charter High, baseball always had been J.R. Castle's spring pastime. Then he had an opportunity to watch the Philadelphia Wings of the old National Lacrosse League practice at the school.

 Quicker than you can say cross-check, Castle traded in his glove for a stick.

 "I fell in love with the fast pace and the competitiveness," said Castle, now a member of the new Wings of the Eagle League. "It involves a unique skill.

 "I'd played football, and it does incorporate some things from that, but basically there's really nothing else like it."

 Perhaps that explains why a 29-year-old man of presumably sound mind and body still is playing the sport. Most guys would have been content with a career that included two seasons each at North Carolina State and Drexel, and has continued on a part-time basis at the club level in this area.

 Yet Castle remains hooked. And when the Wings approached him about playing, he was only too happy to respond.

 "My wife thinks I'm crazy," said Castle, who works for a Canadian financial company as a regional wholesale representative. "I've already got two busted fingers to show for it. This is three times rougher than anything I've ever played before. It almost seems like legalized assault."

 Castle, whose wife gave birth to a boy - the couple's first child - last Thursday, celebrated two days later by scoring his first two goals of the season. That "outburst" helped the Wings rally from a 9-2 deficit to defeat the Washington Wave, 15-12, and even their record at 2-2.

 "I guess I should become a father every week," said Castle, whose younger brother, David, was an All-America at Johns Hopkins but was unable to play in this league because of business commitments.

 The Wings play their third and final home game at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Spectrum against the Baltimore Thunder. So far the Wings have received a warm reception, and Castle is anticipating another large crowd this time.

 "I can't explain the thrill of playing in front of so many people in my hometown," he said. "Looking back, I think the timing of the original league was premature. The interest and development of the game in the 10 years (since the NLL folded) has been tenfold.

 "When I was in (high) school, there were only seven or eight other teams playing the sport. Now, there must be at least 20 to 30 in the greater Philadelphia area. It's become a classic sport, with the exception of the inner city."

 Though Castle never will be mistaken for the most dangerous forward on the club, he is one of the more diligent.

 "He does all the little things that the fans and the press might not notice," said Wings general manager-coach Dave Huntley. "He's the first guy going into the corner for the ball, and even though he might not always come up with it, he's the one willing to take the shot (hit) to get it."

 In other words, a mucker.  

"Hey, I'm playing with the best, so I have to do what I can," said Castle, who plans on playing several more years - the league willing - before taking off his pads for good. "Just to be able to compete at this level is very gratifying. It's been rewarding in the sense that I'm playing with a lot of people I always dreamed about playing with. 

"In this game, everything usually gets broken down into roles. There are checkers and scorers. If I can mesh somewhere in between, then that's pretty much where I probably belong. A lot of times, it's just a matter of waiting for an opportunity to arise." 

WINGING IT: Baltimore (1-3) beat the Wings last month in overtime, 20-19 . . . The New Jersey Saints (5-1) have clinched the regular-season title and a home date for one of the playoff semifinals. The Wings, who are all alone in second place, could just about wrap up the other host slot with a win either tomorrow or next Wednesday in the finale at Washington.

Sunday, February 22, 1987

 By Mayer Brandschain, Special to The Inquirer

 The Philadelphia Wings had high hopes of clinching second place in Eagle League pro box lacrosse last night at the Spectrum, but they came up decidedly short.

 When the confrontation with the resilient Baltimore Thunder ended, the Wings had lost, 14-8, and the Thunder had moved into a second-place tie with the Wings at 2-3. Each team has one regular-season game remaining.

 Louis Delligatti and Jim Darcangelo scored three goals each as Baltimore outshot Philadelphia by 60-39. They each played a role in the six-goal, second-period flurry that gave the Thunder a 6-2 lead.

 John Conley scored successive goals 48 seconds apart as the Wings trimmed Baltimore's margin to 7-6 in the third period, but Philadelphia trailed by 9-6 entering the fourth.

 The Wings, playing before 11,583 fans, enjoyed a good start, finishing the first quarter ahead by 1-0 on Paul French's 10th goal of the season, which came at the 6-minute, 48-second mark.

 John Tucker paced the Wings with two goals - his seventh and eighth. Dave Huntley, Mike French and Tom Singleton also tallied for the Wings, while Pat Lamon saw his apparent goal in the fourth period disallowed. Huntley had stepped down as head coach in order to play but had retained his position as general manager.

Thursday, March 5, 1987

 By Glen Macnow, Inquirer Staff Writer

 ''Lacrosse is really a game of beauty, a game of great finesse." - Russ Cline, commissioner of Eagle League Pro-Box Lacrosse.

 "Imagine an almost celestial sphere of precision-molded hard Indian rubber screaming through the air at almost 100 miles an hour - heading straight for your face." - Text of an Eagle League radio ad.

 OK, so it isn't exactly beauty and finesse that Russ Cline is selling here. But sometimes you have to give the people what they want. Sometimes you sell the sizzle, not the steak.

 In this case, the sizzle is violence. In aggressively marketing pro-box lacrosse, the Eagle League is portraying the game as something of an amalgam of hockey, pro wrestling and roller derby. The television ads feature checking and slashing brutal enough to make Dave Schultz cringe, while an announcer promotes the game in a voice usually reserved for tractor pulls.

 "Pro-box lacrosse. America's oldest - and most vicious - game." - Text of a television ad.

 The challenge is difficult. Cline and partner Chris Fritz are trying to sell a new league in a sport that remains unfamiliar to the vast majority of Americans. The Eagle League has started small - with franchises in Philadelphia, East Rutherford, N.J., Washington and Baltimore - but it still must compete with a plethora of popular winter sports that have gained from years of history and network exposure.

 "A lot of people think we're nuts," says Cline, who was director of marketing for the NFL Kansas City Chiefs for a decade. "People figure all America needs is another new sports league to go out of business. But you never know what Americans are going to respond to. We're trying to get a feel for what's sellable.

 "Granted, some of the methods we've used so far are rather dramatic, saying, 'Lookee here. This is exciting, this is violent, this is fun.' "

 So far, those methods have worked. During the abbreviated regular-season schedule that saw each team play three home games, crowds averaged 6,500 in Baltimore, 8,000 at the New Jersey Meadowlands, 9,500 in Washington and 12,000 in Philadelphia - which is almost as much as the 76ers' average of 13,687. Given the league's low-ball economics (every player is paid $100 per game, plus expenses), there is hope that it may break even the first year - something unheard of in professional sports.

 At the Spectrum, home of the Philadelphia Wings, seats cost between $10 and $15 and, Spectrum officials insist, almost no tickets are discounted or given away. The Wings are hoping for a turnout of 14,000 for their playoff game against the Washington Wave at 8 p.m. Sunday. 

"We've been thrilled with the fan response," says Spectrum general manager Ed Rubenstein. "We knew there was some interest in this town from the old days of the National Lacrosse League (which died in 1976, during its second season), but we had no way of knowing people would fill the arena. There are even 500 people who have already joined a fan club." 

Rubenstein, who directs local marketing for the Wings, purchased radio time on such rock stations as WYSP-FM and WMMR-FM, as well as during sports talk shows on WIP-AM and WCAU-AM. In addition, he bought about 50 television slots promoting Sunday's playoff game. The TV ads run during professional wrestling, Late Night With David Letterman, movies on independent stations and such syndicated comedies as M*A*S*H and Taxi.

 "Those are the shows," Rubenstein says, "that our audience is watching."

 "The Philadelphia spirit lives on in the red-hot Wings. . . . The Wings need you, the fan, for the seventh-man advantage. . . . Pro-box lacrosse - fast, fearless and unstoppable." - Text from a radio ad.

 The audience, according to Rubenstein, is primarily young (18 to 34), white, male and suburban. "In many ways," he says, "it resembles your typical hockey crowd. They want an exciting, fast-paced, competitive, physical game. They want to get up and yell and scream."

 Adds Cline: "The biggest cheers come with the biggest hits. We like that. We like to see the toughness come out."

 But is that lacrosse? True, the game has its roots as a violent sport played by Canadian Indians, but in recent decades a more civil version of outdoor lacrosse has gained popularity in American high schools and colleges. Checking is allowed, but fights and excessive slashing are outlawed.  

Even the Eagle League games themselves are somewhat less brutal than the ads suggest. Cline says there have been "about four or five fights all season, certainly nothing like in hockey." 

Cline concedes that some "Ivy League purists have complained that we're too aggressive in the ads, that we're bastardizing the sport."

 "Well, we're not changing the sport at all," he says. "It's still a sport that combines the skills and beauty of several sports - basketball, football, hockey. We're emphasizing the roughness of the sport, the macho appeal, because in America today there is a passion for contact sports.  

"Certain fans may feel we're overemphasizing that. But we're getting 14,000 to 15,000 people showing up. If we put a gentle ad on TV, maybe 4,000 or 5,000 people would come." 

 "Pro-box lacrosse, the season finale. The game is to win - and survive. Eeeaaayyyhhh." - Text from a television ad.