The marathon is about to turn into a sprint for the Major League Lacrosse championship.
While the MLL has found a way to persevere with its 20th season amid the coronavirus health crisis, it will certainly be a season like no other starting Saturday, when all six teams travel to Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md., for five games over seven days before a two-day playoff to determine a champion.
Gone are the two weeks of training camp and 10-12 weeks of regular-season games that have typically spanned the spring and summer the past two decades. This year will be a whirlwind of intensity that begins with two practices today and Friday, features all games aired nationally on ESPN’s networks at a time when lacrosse is practically the only live professional game in the country, and is slated to end with a champion crowned on July 26.