BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[cubs]

Standings (Through 4/27/09)
Oshkosh 12-6
Whitewater 13-8
Point 11-7
Platteville 8-9
La Crosse 9-11
Stout 7-11
Superior 5-13

Pretty good day if your are a UWO backer, with both Point and Whitewater each losing a game today, while you're team is practicing.  Oshkosh would seem to be in pretty good shape if they could at least grab a split on Wednesday at Point, as they would stay a game ahead of Point, and remain in front of Whitewater going into the weekend.

The race for the #4 spot has REALLY gotten intersting, as Platteville will have their hands full this week with Whitewater and Point, while Stout and La Crosse will square off with each other.  While La Crosse seemed to play themselves out of the tournament over the last nine days, they could play themselves right back in with a good weekend.

[cubs]

Bench clearing brawl in Superior today, hopefully more info comes out soon.

Any details in the past few hours? 

Looking at the boxscores it  appears that there may have been a couple of ejections in the 8th inning of Game #1, after a play at 2B, with Spurney sliding in on Cummings.  Both Spurney and Cummings were ejected, along with Superior RF Lagadin.  Both Spurney and Lagadin played in Game #2, however Cummings did not see the field.

After looking at the boxscore, Point was 7 for 7 on stolen base attempts, yet were still only able to muster 2 runs. 

[brewcrew2008]

Although I wasn't there I heard there was a benches clearing brawl in game one of the Point Superior game yesterday, it sounded like Spurney went in hard to break up a double play which started it, not sure of any other details

[cubs]

Awfully quiet around here today.... 

Figured with what "supposedly" happened up in Superior there would be a bit more chatter on here today.

[BoBo]

Awfully quiet around here today.... 

Figured with what "supposedly" happened up in Superior there would be a bit more chatter on here today.

If a tree "supposedly" falls in the forest, but nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?     

[biggio34]

This was boiling from the start. Point has a guy who just sits on the bench and runs his mouth! Anyways..there was a homerun hit and then someone was hit, in my opinion unintentionally because it was a weak effort if it was on purpose. Later in the inning Spurney goes into second, spikes about belt high and gets Cummings. Spurney starts to get up and Cummings pushes him back to the ground. Within seconds Point is storming the field. UWS had no idea what was going on and hesitated leaving the bench, but soon did. At one point a kid from UWS is standing there not involved in anything and a Point player comes from the side and blasts him in the face.
Wierd that Point seems to have one of these a season. Maybe not having guys on your bench flapping their lips is a good idea.
I thought the WIAC really buckled down on this stuff, because it was getting emberassing...errrrrrrrrrrr  is emberassing.

[Pre16]

That's about what happened.  You could feel the tension between the teams on Saturday afternoon and it finally boiled over yesterday.  There's a difference between dugout chatter and being completely obnoxious and out of line.  Spurney went cleats up into second on a double play ball.  Cummings shoved him to the ground a couple times but it looked like Point was ready to go from the start.  They were on the field faster than the Superior 1B could get to second base.  There was a lot of pushing and shoving, with some punches thrown and landed.  I believe Cummings was the only player ejected from the game because Lagadin and Spurney both played in the 2nd game.  I think it fired Superior up, however.  Even though they lost that game, they came out and completely dominated the second game for a 5-2 victory with Lagadin pitching 7+. 

[cubs]

I believe Cummings was the only player ejected from the game because Lagadin and Spurney both played in the 2nd game.

As far as Cummings being the only player ejected, I would have to disagree.  From looking at the box score, it appears all three of them were ejected from Game #1.  All three of them would be able to play Game #2, since it is a completely different game.  Ejections don't carry over from game-to-game in a DH.

It will be interesting to see if there are any suspensions do to this recent skirmish.  If prior practice is followed, you will likely see some type of penalty, which COULD hurt Point if Spurney is out for their DH with Oshkosh Wednesday or the DH against Platteville this weekend.  What may be a saving grace for both teams in all of this is that I doubt there was a TV station their covering the game, so the Commissioner won't have anything to review.

[Dagger]

I do know that Gary Karner (commissioner) is not a big fan of these things happening, as he shouldn't be, so I would almost guarantee that there will be further punishment for certain players.  It's going to be on the umpires and the coaches, and superior SID/Athletic director if they were there to fill in Gary on the details.  I wouldn't be surprised if Point gets a little talking to after this one also! 

The funny thing about it is that Coach Bloom in no way ever encourages something like that, and if you ask the guys on the team, 90% of them would not ever want to get involved.  But we are taught, and rightfully so, to not back down and take other teams crap!  That doesn't mean that you are supposed to fight other teams whenever you get a chance, Coach repeatedly steered us away from any thoughts along those lines, but I would have been out there in that scenario.  It's about protecting your guys at that point.  Maybe spurney was bush league in his slide (I don't know I wasn't there, sounds like he was) but cummings needs to be the bigger person then and if anything just talk trash, but pushing him down to the ground a couple times is asking for a whole bunch of pointers to respond!  As far as the random punchings that I read about, that's never justified...but with that said who knows what was being said out there and what that kid may have done one second before you saw him 'doing nothing'.   You hate to see that stuff, but at the same time it is a part of competitive athletics.

[cubs]

Maybe spurney was bush league in his slide (I don't know I wasn't there, sounds like he was) but cummings needs to be the bigger person then and if anything just talk trash, but pushing him down to the ground a couple times is asking for a whole bunch of pointers to respond!  As far as the random punchings that I read about, that's never justified...but with that said who knows what was being said out there and what that kid may have done one second before you saw him 'doing nothing'.   You hate to see that stuff, but at the same time it is a part of competitive athletics.

Easier said than done....  According to that thinking, G. Bloom should have just got up talked a little trash and walked back to the dugout after the play at the plate last year.  Sorry, but that likely isn't going to happen no matter who you are!!!

[Dagger]

Bloom didn't say anything last year or start the fight, it was other players on our team who said something...and I have been cleated purposefully on three seperate occasions, one of which against whitewater (former team of course) which felt like my leg snapped in half and I was bleeding all over...I had some choice words for him, but that was it.  So it's not that hard to not push a guy down after a play.  I think it's more ridiculous that cummings did what he did than spurney doing what he did!  Not that spurney should have done that, because that's not cool, but it's also part of breaking up a play...I don't feel like he would do something like that on purpose.  Sometimes you tell yourself you're going in hard and stuff happens, it's a fast paced game out there.  Obviously Coach Morgan felt a similar reaction to cummings actions out there by not playing him the second game, that was a coaching call not a suspension!  I'm not justifying any of the actions by point, or superior for that matter, I wasn't there to see it all unfold...but from what I gathered, if Cummings doesn't push spurney down a couple times nothing happens.  Take the hard slide like a man and walk away, you play on the middle infield in a very competitive college conference, it's going to happen.   There's no need to react the way that he did.  Use that as motivation and go rip a line drive your next at bat to repay the other team! 

On a side note, I was never a big fan of the dougout talk at point...it is what it is, and is not the worst in the conference by any means but I agree that it is over the top and often times disrespectful!  So I can imagine there was some tension during this series. 

[cubs]

Re-read my post....  I never said G. Bloom did say anything last year.

[Dagger]

I did re-read your post and came up with the same conclusion...how else is that supposed to be read?  Not to mention I wasn't really going after you or your comment anyway, I was more focused on this current event. 

I have spoken with several people, both players and fans (neutral ones at that) that all said the slide was very hard but also very legal.  If it was an illegal slide Spurney would have been kicked out for it, but he wasn't.  Trust me the umps watch that stuff very VERY closely.  There's no way at all that the ump would have missed spurney 'coming in with cleats waist high!' they would have sent him packing immediately...so the dirty slide rumor is put to rest!  Now it was a hard slide no doubt and it did take him out, but it's his own fault for standing there and not getting out of the way.  There's no rule that says you can't slide into a fielder when he's standing right on the base.  What's unacceptable is taking your season's frustrations out by kicking and punching a player for coming hard, especially when there was no foul play involved.  and if you're going to start a fight like a big boy don't turn and run like a little one once your opponent gains his footing!  That's bush league stuff right there, and at a time that superior is trying to regain respectability in this conference.  If you're going to start a fight at least stick around to finish it.

[goldgloveOF]

and if you're going to start a fight like a big boy don't turn and run like a little one once your opponent gains his footing!

I don't think Cummings turned and ran like a little boy.  If he's going to start something he's not going to back down, and I don't think Superior is either.

[Dagger]

and if you're going to start a fight like a big boy don't turn and run like a little one once your opponent gains his footing!

I don't think Cummings turned and ran like a little boy.  If he's going to start something he's not going to back down, and I don't think Superior is either.

I've heard several accounts all from different people with different connections to both schools, and the almost all of them are identical in the key facts.  Those are as follows:
1. spurney went in very hard to second base on a slow grounder to third and contacted cummings
2. cummings did not get off the base, thus asking to get hammered by the runner
3. spurney slide straight into the bag, with his cleats at an acceptable height (if off the ground at all) as indicated by the umpire not calling any shenanigans
4. cummings didn't like the slide and kicked and punched spurney while he was on the ground
5. points bench immediately stormed the field, (as they should have in that situation)
6. superior looked confused and didn't do much of anything
7. after jumping on spurney cummings seemed to find his way to greener (safer) pastures

....and so on and so forth....

The only thing that is bothering me about all of this is that people are jumping on points butts about getting into fights, when this is clearly just a coincidence that cummings mugged one of our players.  No other team in the country would have reacted any differently in that situation, and if anyone disagrees I'd like to hear your opinion on the situation.