As the PLL season begins to approach its end, it’s clear that one thing the PLL has done to elevate pro lacrosse this summer is put out an extremely high-quality broadcast. For me, the best part of that broadcast is that players are mic’d up.

Mic’ing players for a game isn’t necessarily a new idea, but the PLL interviewing a player on field during a game or getting instant interaction with these players is a level of access and analysis that has been really fun to watch. Mic’d up in football is often a couple grunts and a guy yelling “Let’s Go” or something else that feels mundane at this point. PLL mic’d up is “Send your check to me”, “Put you in my pocket, bring you home”, or Trevor Baptiste scoring a goal while having a full conversation with Ryan Boyle.

This is fun. Yes, there are big ideas at play here and this type of content, especially the Baptiste play, can impact the future of sports broadcasting. That’s a discussion to have that’s worthwhile, and I hope pretty soon I can turn on an NBA game and see Steph Curry hit a 30-footer right after he tells Mike Breen to get ready to yell BANG on the broadcast. I want that to happen because that’s fun, and it makes sports fun, and it makes my experience as a viewer more fun.

For now, I get that experience that when I watch the PLL. And as the season approaches its end, there are definitely certain players that I like to have mic’d up, and I genuinely look forward to it when they are. A few caveats to my list:

It is 100% correct and factual and above reproach and you’re wrong completely if the list of things you like for reasons that matter to you is different from my list of things that matter to me. I’m a washed defenseman.

With those two things in mind, here are the absolute best people for PLL “mic’d up” in a somewhat particular order.

1. Ryder Garnsey

Garnsey SKYROCKETED to the top of the list in the last week, when we got two GREAT trash talk moments from Garnsey.

🗣 “YOU CAN’T GUARD ME. YOU GUYS NEED TO SWITCH RIGHT NOW”⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

🎙 MIC’D UP @rsgarnz pic.twitter.com/5B7uS8hbVP — Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 7, 2019

Garnsey suggested that Archers coaches should be fired if they didn’t switch his matchup and that is very high quality content. There was also this moment:

This did not go as Mark McNeill expected. Garnsey is already laughing before McNeill hits the ground. Ryder is the perfect guy to mic because you know you’ll get scoring with decent celly’s, you know you’ll get highlights, and he has demonstrated his capability as a shit talker. For an offensive player, that’s the mic’d up trifecta.

2. Jarrod Neumann

YOU SHOULD’VE SLID AGAIN!

Hitting a two bomb then pointing at the person who didn’t prevent you from doing so and blaming them is EXACTLY the kind of content I want a microphone to catch. Neumann is also consistently drawing a top matchup for Chaos, and you’ll get to hear him battle with the best attackman in the league.

3. Eddy Glazener

Jokes aside, this guy should be on everyone’s list. Glazener mic’d up segments are case studies in quality defensive communication. Just listen to this:

Defense is all about communication.



So we mic'd up Eddy Glazener, the leader of the Redwoods defense.



🎙️Listen in @justglaze pic.twitter.com/KGbYzPbfHU — Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 25, 2019

Glazener tracks his own matchup and responsibilities while diagnosing what’s going on around and him putting his teammates in a place where they can be successful. That is REMARKABLY hard to do well at just about any level, let alone against the offenses in the PLL. It’s not a shock that the week Glazener missed with an injury, the Woods defense struggled in a big way.

4. Jake Bernhardt

It’s not often he’s actually mic’d or interviewed during the games themselves, but the mic’d up videos for each week on YouTube all feature some truly delightful chirps from Bernhardt. From the above linked “send your check to me”, to this past week yelling at the Chaos bench after Chanenchuk hit a two, suggesting they should, “get him a f***ing sticker”. Even fans aren’t safe:

Exchange between a Chaos fan and @jak3bernhardt 😂 pic.twitter.com/woQEU0BLqL — Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) September 8, 2019

I know the league tends to mic attackmen, defensemen and goalies most often, leaving the midfielders out to dry, but this is a guy I would love a little more instant feedback from.

5. Trevor Baptiste

An obvious one, given that he scored a goal while on an open mic:

Trevor Baptiste didn’t choose the Speed Life.



The Speed Life chose him.@trevorbaptiste9 pic.twitter.com/KGzOOGrV3T — Pro Lacrosse Talk™️ (@ProLacrosseTalk) August 25, 2019

But he also gave us “step in, motherf***er” and we cannot thank him enough for that. Trevor and Joe Nardella are the two guys who are most likely to win a faceoff and then, just, not leave the field. Baptiste has a hit a two this year and has stepped in plenty of decent shots. Nardella has 6 goals and 6 assists. A faceoff man running a break or getting a quick answer to an opposing teams goal fires up an entire team in an instant, and that’s what makes these guys so good to mic.

6. Justin Guterding

It’s really a special moment when you fire back at someone and all they can say is, “okay, good chirp”, but that’s exactly what happened when Myles Jones was telling Justin Guterding to tell his coach to switch Jones’ matchup.

Myles Jones: “Yo 14 you might wanna ask your coach to switch the matchup, dog.”



Justin Guterding: “That your 3rd goal all year.” @MylesJones_15 @guterball14 💀 pic.twitter.com/Lz1hqDEajG — Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) June 30, 2019

This is my favorite clap back of the year. Chrome hasn’t had a great season after a rough start where they just couldn’t wind up on the right side of a one-goal game, but Guterding has been outstanding this year. Rapinoe celebrations, skills competition wizardry and quality mic’d up chirps is the best way to find yourself on this list.

7. Andy Towers

I don’t know where Andy Towers is right now. He may be in front of a buck hunter machine. He may be in the gym. He may be ripping phone books in half. Who knows. But there’s a good chance he’s not using his indoor voice. He’s operating at a 10 for 24 hours a day. Just listen to this after last week’s loss:

We're not giving up. Not even close. pic.twitter.com/UIfVONNxic — Chaos Lacrosse Club (@PLLChaos) September 8, 2019

You can see why he’s up for coach of the year. You can pick the clip you want, Towers commands the huddle and commands the room, not just with his physical presence (which is considerable), but with a voice that immediately draws attention and respect.

8. Joe Walters

Let’s get another middie on here. Joe Walters was, without a doubt, the star of Week 6 mic’d up. He was ruthless.

Wire to wire hate coming from Joe and that’s the kind of content we’re after. The best part is the singular target on just Dominique Alexander. Joe may be getting up there in years for pro lacrosse, but his mouth hasn’t lost a step (that makes sense don’t read it again).

9. Jack Rowlett

Alright, stay with me on this. Mic Jack Rowlett so you can hear other players talk to him. Rowlett plays with a ton of physicality to say the least. He’s throwing checks, he’s going over the head, and if you shoot the ball he’s putting you on the ground. Everyone know this will happen, and occasionally in a manner that the other team will take exception to. Hence Eric Law calling him a tough guy as they share a moment in the penalty box.

Such a tough guy buddy! pic.twitter.com/cX6CX9QLTk — PLL MICD (@PLLMICD) July 19, 2019

There’s plenty of moments just like this one from week to week. Take a guy who’s likely to be near some high intensity plays, mic him, and wait for the goods to be delivered.

10. The Refs

Final spot on the list goes to… the refs — particularly when they talk to Brett Queener. Look at this stuff. This was perfect. I love this. I want more of this.

Grow up and be a pro! pic.twitter.com/X6CqaYOXmK — PLL MICD (@PLLMICD) August 29, 2019

That’s the ten best. Although there are guys I always wanted to hear and still haven’t (please put Jerry Ragonese in the booth for a game), these are the most fun guys to listen to on gameday. And it makes watching the PLL that much more fun.