The spice in the National Lacrosse League is not reserved for hard-hitting checks and occasional fights.
Bruce Urban, owner of the expansion Edmonton Rush, tried to manufacture a rivalry with Calgary by placing a taunting ad in the Calgary Sun prior to the Roughnecks’ 11-9 victory in the initial meeting between the teams from Alberta.
As the Colorado Mammoth prepares for its first meeting with the expansion Portland Lumberjax on Saturday in the Rose Garden, Portland owner Angela Batinovich and Mammoth team president/general manager Steve Govett do not belong to a mutual admiration club. In an article in the Portland Oregonian, Batinovich was less than complimentary about Govett.
She is quoted as saying, “Steve is very condescending to everybody. I think he’s a little bit scared. He’s got one of the highest payrolls in the league and all these great players, but he can’t make it work. When we (signed Richard Morgan), he told me it was the worst mistake I could make in my career.”
The Mammoth aggressively pursued Morgan, a left-handed free agent forward. When Morgan chose to play for the Lumberjax with his brother, Peter, he cited their desire to play together and his preference for Portland, which is closer to his wife’s family in Idaho and his family in British Columbia.
At the time, Govett bemoaned his inability to sign Morgan. And the Mammoth still lacks production on the left-hand side despite the strong play of rookie Dan Carey.
On Wednesday, Govett said he never spoke to Batinovich about Morgan: “I told him (Morgan), ‘I think you’re making a mistake. It’s a choice between playing in front of 17,000 fans or the unknown of an expansion team.’ No question we wanted the guy.”
As for the “condescending” remark, Govett said: “If you called all around the league, I don’t think everyone would say that. I could be wrong. I have my moments.”
As for Batinovich’s comment that he’s scared, Govett laughed. Batinovich did not return a call from The Denver Post. She has provided the NLL and Portland with plenty of media exposure, including an appearance on ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza,” as reputedly the youngest owner in pro sports at age 25.
“She’s got a lot to learn,” Govett said. “That has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a 25-year-old woman. It has to do with being new.”
