MLL far from ‘major league’

Lacrosse fans — but Boston fans in particular — got a rude reminder this summer that their favorite sport is not yet in the big leagues. Oh, they can call it Major League Lacrosse and fans can love the game at the professional level, but anyone who thinks that lacrosse will soon be "the fifth major" — joining football, baseball, basketball and hockey at the top of the North American sports scene — got a glimpse of just how far away that is from reality in the wake of the Boston Cannons’ botched trade of Will Manny.

To see why, you have to first understand the events surrounding the deal that sent Manny — the face of the Cannons and the team’s leading scorer — to the New York Lizards at the trade deadline.

The deal, announced June 27, swapped Manny and midfielder Joe LoCascio for midfielders Dave Lawson (Westford, Mass.) and Chris LaPierre.

It’s never easy to trade fan favorites, but the deal made sense on paper.