I don't know how to take this news...

[Madtown Bomber]

I was just listening to a baseball chat with some guy on Sirius Radio and he said that the NCAA, NAIA, and the National Baseball Coaches Association are finalizing an agreement that would push back the start date for all college baseball games to the third weekend of February and limit the number of non-conference contests a school can play so that Northern Universities can save money on travel budgets and to be competitive.

 

My question is WHY?

 

Are people honestly going to believe that pushing the start date back is going to start to make teams like Michigan, UW-Milwaukee, and Minnesota into being national powers? This is rediculous to think that is the case.

 

What this agreement is going to do is rob college baseball fans and MLB scouts into seeing great non-conference matchups and seeing how top prospects perform against the best competition. Like how Rohlinger would stack up against Rice or Long Beach State. In my eyes that is a little better measuring stick then seeing Rohlinger stack up against Kansas State or the token mandatory blind sisters of the poor teams that come into Norman to make Oklahoma money.

 

Just leave the season the way it is. It is already frustrating enough not to have a team in Madison but this would just throw me over the edge. Ok, I just needed to vent...

 

On a side note, has anybody heard the talk about Whitewater exploring the possibilities of moving up divisions and into the baseball conference with Northern Illinois? I doubt it is true but have heard it wispered louder over the past month.

[colbyjack]

Madtown, I wrote about the uniform start date in my most recent Crack of the Bat column:

 

PG Crack of the Bat: Uniform Start Date

 

I agree, I think it takes away from the game from a fan's point of view more than anything else. Reportedly the Big Ten threatened to leave D1 baseball if the NCAA didn't so something about this. As I note in the column, I think the Big Ten, and other northern conferences, should be more pro-active in their quest to improve their own college baseball programs.

 

The good thing is that it doesn't start until 2008, so we get this year and next year to enjoy college baseball as is. Also, that's a lot of time for it to start, as you never know how that ruling may change between now & then.

[Blazer25]

Quote:

---

On a side note, has anybody heard the talk about Whitewater exploring the possibilities of moving up divisions and into the baseball conference with Northern Illinois?

---

 

Can't and won't happen...a few reasons:

 

1. Teams that offer D1 competition in any sport must offer at least 1AA programs at all other sports. Whitewater doesn't have the $ to do this I don't think.

 

2. Why go from being a perennial power in D3 to a doormat in D1?

 

 

 

As for the uniform start date...I too think it is asinine. Chalk it up to the NCAA doing what it does best and that is mandate the nonsensical.

 

The stuffed shirts in the NCAA always pretend to do what is best for the "student athlete" but really only look out for the bottom line.

[Madtown Bomber]

Quote:

---

Can't and won't happen...a few reasons:

 

1. Teams that offer D1 competition in any sport must offer at least 1AA programs at all other sports. Whitewater doesn't have the $ to do this I don't think.

 

2. Why go from being a perennial power in D3 to a doormat in D1?

---

 

1. I did not know that was the case. I guess that makes sense. It is such a shame that Madison doesn't have a team now. It isn't a monatary issue anymore it is strictly a title 9 issue which is kinda stupid in this day and age.

 

2. Do you really feel like this would be a doormat team? Lets be fair and say that the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's talent level is that of a glorified division 3 school? It would be hard pressed to say that UWM could have defeated last years Whitewater team. Plus UWM's facilities are horrible for baseball. I think kids in this state need a stronger altenative in this state than UWM. Granted the top kids will always head south like they should but these kids that go to UIC or Bradley or these small other division 1 kids need to be kept in state. It is frustrating to watch college kids like Zink, which I am sorry to hear about his injury leave this state to go play at a small northern division 1 university when we should be able to keep them in house. Whitewater could allow that or any possible alternative. I like you agree it is highly unlikely but just look at the possible team you could put together with the instate kids.

 

with the already in college talent from Wisconsin...

 

C Brandon Hall, Sophomore, Lake City CC, Brookfield Central High School.

Committed to UW-Milwaukee if not re-drafted this year.

 

1B Tyler Beranek, Sophomore, Lake City CC, Waukesha South High School.

Commited to South Alabama University.

 

2B Andy Becker, Junior, Concordia (WI) University, West Allis Nathan Hale High School.

Left UWM to play for Doug Gonring and Willie Mueller.

 

SS Grant Berkovitz, Sophomore, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sheboygan North High School.

Honestly should be at a bigger D1 school then UWM.

 

3B Ryan Rohlinger, Senior, Oklahoma University, West Bend East High School

Rohlinger was 2nd team all big 12 behind Alex Gordon, the national player of the year.

 

OF Tim Schlosser, Sophomore, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Oconomowoc High School

Should be a division 1 player.

 

OF Adam Rohlinger, Senior, Concordia University (WI), West Bend East High School.

Older Brother of Ryan Rohlinger, injuries have slowed Adam down but his talent is still top notch.

 

OF Joe Nowicki, Senior, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Thomas More High School.

Led almost all hitting lists at UWM.

 

DH Ryan Schweikert, Sophomore, University of Illinois-Chicago, Brookfield Central

Reputation preseeds itself.

 

Pitching Staff would be near dominate!

RHP Kelby Mack, Junior, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lodi High School

Pitched very well at MATC.

 

RHP Ryan Zink, Junior, University of Illinois-Chicago, Madison La Follette High School

Anything else said?

 

RHP Daryl Maday, Junior, University of Arkansas, Westosha Central High School

Same as Zink

 

RHP Jason Berken, Junior, Clemson University, DePere High School

Can he finally stay healthy?

 

RHP Dan Luczak, University of South Carolina, Kenosha Tremper High School

Can he get a chance this year?

 

RHP Travis Kempf, Sophomore, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Kewaskum High School

Transfered in from UIC

 

Probably missed others and maybe you feel that these players don't warrent it but I think that you could field a competitive team Big Ten, maybe even a tourney worthy team.

[Madtown Bomber]

and on the subject of this later starting date, I was talking to a few people about this afternoon and ultimately this hurts the student athletes in this situation. It hurts their developmental time and also exposure to top flight competition. That article written was correct in saying there are definatly alternatives that were not addressed. Let the Big Ten leave. Their baseball programs for the exception of Ohio State and Minnesota stink. There are plenty of talented ball players in those states but they leave to go south because they can't recruit.

[Blazer25]

Bomber,

 

No one knows more than me the strength of the talent in WI...

 

Problem is you're not going to keep the kids like Berken and Rohlinger from going to Clemson and Oklahoma...no matter what the state of the program is at UWW.

 

And to say that UWM is not an NCAA baseball doormat is not being realistic...

 

I'm as pro WI baseball as anyone and you can mark me down for saying that no one from the Horizon League will ever get out of the regional save the occasional flier every 10 years or so.

 

UWW would be in the same boat and now you would be dividing an already thin talent pool between 2 D1 programs.

 

Ask the state of Iowa how their D1 baseball programs have fared in the past years...not well.

 

Whenever this debate comes up, people point to the relative success of Northern IL, Bradley, and UIC...people forget though that IL dwarfs us in population. Chicago is in fact the nation's 3rd largest city.

 

More people = more potential college baseball prospects = more relative success

 

UWM (or UWW) if they were to go to D1) will never be able to recruit on the national level...no matter what their facilites are.

 

UIC with all their recent success has done it mostly with local kids...but then again

 

More people = more potential college baseball prospects = more relative success.....

[Madtown Bomber]

Excellent points Blazer! When you look at it like that you are absolutly right. I guess more then anything I might a little anti-UWM. It is just frustrating to me that they can't have a more productive team and I for the life of me can't figure out why they play at the field they play at. There are high school fields that are better then that place. I guess that is frustating for me.

 

For arguement sake Blazer, look at the strength of the WIAC, and selected private schools from this state, do you feel that there are players on teams that UWM missed or that should be playing division 1 somewhere? I know this is a whole new debate away from the started topic but I look at Whitewater with the 2 kids drafted last year, Brady Endl the year prior and the other that signed an independent deal is the talent pool at Whitewater comaparable atleast last year to a Horizon League team? Just wondering you thoughts.

[colbyjack]

I think a D1 team in Wisconsin could be successful, if that was their intent. I think any time a university places any program as a priority more than likely it will enjoy success. Madtown brings up a great point about UWM's facilities. Why would anyone want to play where they do? The field is horrible. UWM has done a good job putting more money into their basketball program over the past 7-10 years, as their success didn't happen overnight, and hopefully that success may spill over to some of their other athletic programs.

 

The Big Ten used to be a lot more competitve in national play. Talent-wise, you used to hear about players like Winfield, Molitor & Larkin coming out of Big Ten schools. Why don't you anymore? You can argue that both Winfield and Molitor were MN natives and wanted to play close to home, but if you use that argument, why is it unrealistic to expect guys like Berken to stay close to home? As for Rohlinger, he didn't go to OK straight out of HS. Obviously Blazer would know his intentions better than I would, but if Wisconsin had a legit D1 program he may have chose that over Clarendon College. Same goes for guys like Zink, Beranek, Schweikert, etc. Even Hall is returning to UWM should he not sign this summer. Minnesota also has been known for prying away some of the better WI talent, such as Dusty Brabender, and Chris Roberts committed to Michigan State, not exactly a warm-weather team.

 

There is also no reason why a strong Wisconsin program couldn't dip into northern Illinois and other surrounding states. If the reputation was strong enough the players would come.

 

This is all separate of UWW becoming a D1 program. I have no idea how this would work, and Blazer's points make a lot of sense. I do agree with Madtown that with their commitment there is no reason they couldn't compete with some of the better schools in smaller conferences, such as UIC, if they did indeed make that jump.

[Blazer25]

I guess I agree that if WW really wanted to they could be as good as UIC...

 

I guess my point is why? UIC is not going to win the CWS...never.

 

WW has won 2 straight D3 CWS titles.

 

In a non-revenue sport why would you want to go from a perennial championship contender to a team that has no shot at ever winning a title?

 

That was my point. D1 schools make no money at baseball. (many lose money) There really is nothing to gain for an Upper-Midwest school to move up to D1 baseball.

[RyDogg66]

Why dont teams like UW-M and Minnesota take advantage of their major league teams in the area and cut a deal to play some early season series in doors? It might be rough on the grass in Miller Park in late February/early March, but it coud help out with scheduling.

[colbyjack]

Minnesota does play quite a few games in the Metrodome. In fact, I think their entire home schedule might be played indoors. If not the entire season, most of it.

 

I have suggested that the Brewers approach the Brewers about more games at Miller Park, but it may be a financial issue more than anything. The Brewers look for revenue when they bring in outside events to the stadium, such as the Miller 150th anniversary late last summer and other concerts, and I'm guessing their sponsorship/partnership with UWM doesn't cover the operation expenses.

 

Although UWM did play a DH vs. Butler at MP after yesterday's Brewer game.

[Katuluu]

Minnesota does play quite a few games in the Metrodome. In fact, I think their entire home schedule might be played indoors. If not the entire season, most of it.

 

A few years ago only the pre-season was played at the dome, but over the past few seasons pretty much all the games have been moved there. In fact, I think only one game is scheduled to be played at Siebert Field this year.

[CportBadger]

The Brewers may not be real crazy about allowing UWM on the field in Feb and March before the field is ready for the big league team.