FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

More unrelated news to the bethel, SJU, Central struggle on the board.  Looks like the twins are going to deal Santana to either the Red Sox, Yankees or Angels.  Also, trade rumors of garza and rincon to d-rays for delmon young to replace torii hunter.

Delmon young hit .289, 22 bombs and 98 ribs this season.  His high point in career came a couple of years ago when he threw a bat at an ump and receive a stiff suspension!  Way to Go Twins!

Good luck selling tickets!....I will still go though and i don't know why!

Well it was Garza snd Bartlett for Young & Harris...I liked Bartlett, but Harris might be an upgrade.

Dark Starr says expect Santana gone within 48 hours.... LE Neal III says Nathan will follow in a week or 2....like you CN, I will still go to games and wonder why I am....

[stanbob]

Breaking News---Garza and Bartlett to Tampa Bay for Delmon Young.

[stanbob]

+K on the 39 second scoop maniac.   

[finsleft]

That's a good trade. Bartlett was deer-in-the-headlights at short, so upgrade there, Garza was long on potential, short on performance. Could still end up being a great pitcher...or a Kyle Lohse. Delmon will turn heads here. The end of 2008 it'll be Torii who?
We needed a shakeup and we have players others want. Standing pat wouldn't do. This makes me wanna buy tickets.

[stanbob]

Agreed there Fins, this is the best and really the only way the Twins should go.

[Knightstalker]

If the Twins got Young then they don't need Cabrera and hopefully the Yankees will bow out.  I doubt it though, Hank Steinbrenner seems to want to act like daddy used to.

[OzJohnnie]

So, I guess it all comes down to this: You, oldbethel27, don't care what I or any other Johnnie says and no self-respecting Royal would care anyway.

I did not use such broad terms (re: what I/we do/don't care about).  I, nor any self-respecting [insert affiliation here] do not care whether anyone (not just Johnnies or Johnnie Wannabes) gives recognition.  In other words, my point only concerned caring about recognition - it did not concern caring in general.

You just can't let it go without a cheap shot of 'Johnnie Wannabes'.  Kinda like twisting the seeds on the bottom of the pile or giving that nice hard shot just after whistle, isn't it?

I guess old habits die hard, no matter how much they are denied.

[Pat Coleman]

Any win in the postseason elevates the entire conference, especially here where the MIAC has a shot to shed its one-trick pony status.

Pat,

Your comment above from the other day had me review playoff results referenced above.  The first thing I would like to point out is the record listed for the MIAC on the front page is inaccurate.  It should be 25-13, not the 23-13 listed.  That would be a winning percentage of .658 moving it ahead of the NWC for second place.  That said, the SJU record for that period of time is 20-7 for a .741 winning percentage.  The 20 wins is more than any other conference minus Mount Union.  During that time SJU accounts for 80% of MIAC playoff wins while Mount Union (31-3) accounts for 74% of the OAC wins.  On a percentage basis both conferences must have one-trick ponies

I'll have to check it in the offseason. Can't add two wins without adding two losses elsewhere.

[chewey]

MUC is sort of an accident by location.  They get great players that could not cut the grade at D-1 programs or who were injured and d-1 programs lost interest in them and they are in the heart of football country.  Think of all the d-1 and d1AA programs in Ohio and PA and MI.   

Chewey,

As much as you may want to believe this entire statement, nothing could be further from the truth.  Yes they are located in the heart of football country....as are all the other schools in the OAC, PA and Michigan.  The notion that Larry is winning with drop downs is completely false.  I would challenge you to find more than a handful of transfers over the years at Mount that had an impact....none of which were grade related.  Most of their stars over the years have been at Mount start to finish in their careers....Borchert, Kmic, Smeck, Moore, Marino, Pugh, Knapp, Adamson etc...

Chuck Moore for instance was originally recruited by Penn State right?  Did he not get injured (knee) and then Penn State lost interest and he went to MUC?  I remember much being made of that one animal on the d-line in 2003, a big black guy, who had been recruited by Ohio State but got injured or something and then went to MUC.  I'm not trying to cut MUC.  Kehres has obviously done a great job and he has some great  connections, one being the old Detroit Lions head coach.  If I remember correctly wasn't Adam Marino in the d-1 drop down category too? 

Chewey,

Your two examples; Moore and Kinnard (actually an OT) don't help your "could not cut the grade" statement.  The fact that Moore blew out an ACL as a senior in HS and Penn State didn't offer him a scholarship does not mean he was a drop down....and certainly not a scholastic slouch....graduated in Dec 01 the week of the Stagg Bowl and immediately went to work for a financial firm in Cleveland as a Securities Analyst....past on an opportunity to play pro football, instead gave a kidney to his younger sister.......PURE CLASS KID and one I want on my team.

Kinnard originally enrolled at OSU....during pre-season camp one of his parents falls in ill in Alliance where he is from and he decides to come home to take care of the family and play at Mount....hardly a drop down without a valid reason.

I did not say that the guys could not cut it academically at OSU, PSU or elsewhere.  I think it probably takes more smarts to get in to a smaller college like MUC than OSU.  The point is that MUC has a lot of players who are borderline d-1 players.  Such kids probably go to a recruiting visit and are more or less told that they're good but that they won't get a lot of playing time for 3 years or ever so they choose to go elsewhere.  From what I understand, MUC has been the beneficiary of that phenomenon due to its location and the connections of Kehres.  During the 2000 Stagg, 2001 loss in Alliance and the 2003 Stagg, more than one MUC backers more or less acknowledged this.  It's a tribute to Kehres that he has such connections.  If a D-1 coach knows of a kid that is a good player but just not good enough or just not quite fast enough to do much at PSU or OSU, the line is dropped to LK who gives the kid a call and brings him to campus.  

There is more population out there and, therefore, more such kids.  Much of LK's system, in addition to very good coaching, is his networking abilities.   Someone, a MUC backer whose name I forget now, told me that LK was good friends with Steve Mariucci and that's why he has good connections among the coaches.  Yes??

[chewey]

There really needs to be a salary cap in professional baseball.  Santana wanting 120 M for 5 years?  No need to rehash the A-Rod lunacy.   No wonder small market teams are at a disadvantage.  Some formal anti-trust action needs to be taken up, too.   

[OzJohnnie]

That's a good trade. Bartlett was deer-in-the-headlights at short, so upgrade there, Garza was long on potential, short on performance. Could still end up being a great pitcher...or a Kyle Lohse. Delmon will turn heads here. The end of 2008 it'll be Torii who?
We needed a shakeup and we have players others want. Standing pat wouldn't do. This makes me wanna buy tickets.

You make a convincing point, fins, but I'm still frustrated.  It seems like the Twins are continually trading away proven talent (next up Santana) and prospects to fill holes (which opened from other trades for prospects).  What I would like to see is holding the proven talent and trading for more proven talent to make a run.

Yes, yes, it's expensive, but Baseball isn't a business.  Baseball is a passion (what's a guy gonna do with his billion dollars anyway?).  The Twinks work their farm system to maintain a bit above average team with trades for almost-superstars and developed surprises.  The new ballpark needs a big team.  I wish the Twins would make a go of it like Toronto did when they picked up Morris after '91.

[finsleft]

HEY! Now I'm trying to talk a little baseball and you guys insist on bringing up football...

If the Twins got Young then they don't need Cabrera and hopefully the Yankees will bow out.  I doubt it though, Hank Steinbrenner seems to want to act like daddy used to.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah...Young will play left field so we still need a CF. But Melky may not be the answer. Santana, and probably Nathan will go to the NL. Bet a Hamm's on it.

[finsleft]

Oz- Sure it's a business, but it's a big business flush with cash. I don't begrudge the players the salaries. The money's in the game, the tension is always in who should get it, players or the owners. The passion comes from the players and the fans.
I do like the luxury tax though and think it shoulsd be expanded. Parity is good for the game. Who the F wants to watch the Yankees vs. Dodgers every year?

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

HEY! Now I'm trying to talk a little baseball and you guys insist on bringing up football...

If the Twins got Young then they don't need Cabrera and hopefully the Yankees will bow out.  I doubt it though, Hank Steinbrenner seems to want to act like daddy used to.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah...Young will play left field so we still need a CF. But Melky may not be the answer. Santana, and probably Nathan will go to the NL. Bet a Hamm's on it.

Both will be gone, hopefully to NL for a good CF and help at 3B and at least one ready-now SP (we cant bank on Liriano yet...eventually, but lets make sure he's 100% first)..
Fins-- are you getting a suite this year?

[OzJohnnie]

Man... Nathan, too?

We're in agreement on parity and a salary equalizer of some sort.  But, as they say, "If 'if's' and 'but's' were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas."  We got what we got and Polahd (where's the 'h' go?) sure does frustrate by not spending $.  The ground has been broken on the new cash-cow stadium.  The concessions contracts have been agreed.  Spend the bucks in the system we got until we get the system we want.