MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Knightstalker]

Actually the Yankees won three more world series while the Twins went home and Knoblauch was a big offensive piece to that puzzle.  He can't help it the spirit of Steve Sax possesed him at second.

Chuck Knoblauch postseason stats
As a Twin: 12 games, .326 avg., .407 OBA, .391 slugging pct., 5 RBI, 7 BB, 6-for-7 SB
As a Yankee: 54 games, .242 avg., .323 OBA, .308 slugging, 4 RBI, 20 BB, 4-for-7 SB

Yeah ... big, big offensive piece. He may have helped the Yankees get there but he did not have an impact in October. In fact, his two best postseason series of the 12 he played with the Yankees were the sweeps of the Padres and Braves, series I dare say the Yankees may have figured out a way to win without him.

I was aiming more at the impact he had in getting them there, not everyone can be Brian Doyle.

[Gregory Sager]

Also a big defensive piece before he forgot how to throw...

It's weird how on occasion a veteran second baseman such as Chuck Knoblauch or Steve Sax will suddenly and inexplicably develop a total inability to make the 4-3 throw that is the easiest routine play in baseball that involves two fielders. But it's even weirder -- and much funnier, unless it affects your team -- when a catcher develops a phobia about throwing the ball back to the pitcher after a pitch.

I can think of two catchers in MLB history who were afflicted with this, the catcher's variant of Steve Blass Disease (also known as "the Little Man" or "the yips"). One was Mackey Sasser, a journeyman backstop from the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s who was best known as Gary Carter's understudy (and projected successor) for the Mets. Sasser had a cannon for an arm -- for a long time he was the only Mets catcher who was able to cut down Vince Coleman on a steal attempt -- but in mid-career he suddenly became unable to throw the ball back to the pitcher cleanly. He'd pop the ball in his mitt three or four times before throwing, or double-, triple-, or even quadruple-pump his arm before throwing the ball. And when he did manage to throw it back to the pitcher, he'd have to throw a lazy arcing lob. Sometimes it got so bad that he'd roll the ball out to the mound, or walk it out to the pitcher. It never affected his throws to 2B to cut down basestealers, just his throws back to the mound. Nevertheless, baserunners took advantage of it to get a jump on him, and made hay when Sasser was behind the plate. Derisive Mets fans used to chant "chow-chow-chow!" when he'd pump his arm, after the Purina Cat Chow commercial that featured a cat moving back and forth through reverse editing.

In the mid-'50s this same sort of thing briefly affected a journeyman catcher for the Senators named Clint Courtney. He got around it by throwing the ball to the third baseman instead of the pitcher. But it cleared up after a few weeks, just as mysteriously as it had appeared.

This bizarre syndrome also affected the course of two other major-league careers, those of Mike Ivie and Dale Murphy. Ivie was picked by San Diego as the first overall choice in the 1970 amateur draft. The expansion Padres, who were really awful and would stay that way for a long time, tried to promote Ivie as quickly through the minors as possible. There was only one problem: Ivie had developed a phobia about throwing the ball back to the pitcher. He'd hold on to it for several seconds, or he'd throw it back quickly and it would miss the pitcher by five or six feet. He even turned down a promotion to the Padres because of his affliction. He eventually made it to San Diego, but only because they had turned him into a first baseman. He only caught nine games in a MLB career that never lived up to its early promise.

Murphy's story is the one that had the happiest ending. As a young player coming up through the Braves system in the mid-'70s, scouts and baseball analysts were calling him the next Johnny Bench. However, Murphy became another one of those players who suddenly found that he had the Little Man sitting on his shoulder and whispering in his ear that he couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher properly. Murphy's specialty was in lofting balls back to the pitcher that sailed ten feet over the pitcher's head and into centerfield. The Braves cured it by moving him into the outfield when he became a full-time starter for them in '78. He went on to win back-to-back NL MVP awards, two NL home run titles, and was probably one of the two or three best hitters in baseball for much of the 1980s. He also won five Gold Gloves as the Braves CF, proving that the Little Man had left Murphy for good once he switched positions.

Those weird little mental blocks that interfere with an athlete's ability to do something that should be so routine that it's practically a reflex are both fascinating and insidious.

[Gregory Sager]

Incidentally, if anyone has seen the movie Major League II, the character of Rube Baker is based on Mackey Sasser. In the movie, Baker is a catcher for the Indians who can't overcome a mental block about throwing the ball back to the pitcher. Veteran teammate Jake Taylor (played by Tom Berenger) helps Baker overcome the problem by telling him to memorize the interests listed by the centerfolds in Playboy and to recite them to himself while he's throwing the ball back to the mound.

[emeritusprof]

My biggest 'mental error' as an athlete was thinking I was better than I was.

Every missed shot in basketball was a 'mental error,' as I thought it was going in or I wouldn't have made the attempt.

Every swinging strike was similarly a 'mental error' as I always thought I'd hit the ball.

[titan2000]

I heard Grotberg passed on the NBA draft.

[Gregory Sager]

I heard Grotberg passed on the NBA draft.

You're looking for the MWC room ... next door on the left.

[True Basketball Fan]

Speaking of small college players seeking a shot at the NBA..........The only small college player that has a remote chance of getting drafted is a 7-2 guy from Southwest Baptist (NCAA D-II), but he actually previously played at Oklahoma State for three years before transferring, so he hardly qualifies as a small college player.

As much as I would like to see a small college stud make it big, I can't see it happening.  If you look at the list below, you'll notice that there are very very good players ranked towards the bottom that will most likely not playing in the NBA.


Below is the link to the top 100 players in the world for the upcoming 2006 NBA Draft.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/prospects;_ylt=Av8fw5tDLThLYN3oXRufvia8vLYF?rank_type=1

[proudofLU]

I heard Grotberg passed on the NBA draft.

You're looking for the MWC room ... next door on the left.

Sorry.  I've fallen and I can't get up.

[BeastMaster]

Millikin has just added there 3rd post player for this year's recruiting class.  The latest addition is 6'8" Joscar Demby from Romeoville.  He chose Millikin over Carthage.  Joscar is the brother of former Millikin player Darno Demby from the mid-90's I believe and who is also a Hall of Famer at Millikin.  From what I hear, Joscar has the potential to be as good or better as former Romeoville star Anthony Simmons.  If that holds true, I think that Millikin has the young kids in place to make a run for a CCIW title in a few years.  Put these recruits along with current returners Drew Gensler, Mitch Ade, Mike Gavic, Korte Long, Bryon Graven, Keanon Harrington, and Matt and Tyler Nohren.   

Current Big Blue commitments:

Robert Rexroade-6'8" Seneca
Zach Ott-6'7"  East Peoria
Joscar Demby-6'8" Romeoville
Bob Burton-6'5"  H-F
Heath Houser-6'5" Macon Meridian

[Pat Coleman]

News of CCIW interest on the front page.

[diehardfan]

yessssssssssssssssss

[diehardfan]

Okay, on a more serious note, I already thought Wheaton could be pretty good next year. Yes, Kemper and Bollier were totally the foundation of last year's team, as the senior leaders, who played with tons of class in that difficult situation of almost everyone around you leaving. 

But Standard is awesome, and was having an incredible year before he was sidelined with that injury. And Andy Wiele and John Mohan really grew up a lot last year and played fantastically in all the key games, (an opportunity, incidentally,  John may not ever have had if it had been Bollier and Raymond).

Between Mohan and Raymond, and Wiele in the middle, with a healthy Johnnie, and stuff... well yeah, it's going to be a great year for us. I can just feel it.

Man it's gonna be fun to see how the two sophomores, Gensler and Raymond (by eligibility) do on the court at the same time, huh? Maybe even as good as the Dauksas - Nielson days.

[Mr. Ypsi]

As I understand the d3 no-redshirting rule, unless Raymond dropped out of school he is still a junior by eligibility.

I always thought he would be back.  I'm skating on thin ice here, so PLEASE don't misunderstand me.  I believe he was sincere in his reason for not playing last year, but figured it was either a short-term issue, or that he had misunderstood - to not continue with such God-given talent seemed a waste (or even a rebuke).

Welcome back, Mr. Raymond, and with the graduation losses other teams have suffered Wheaton is right up in the title mix again.

[Pat Coleman]

You misunderstand the d3 no-redshirting rule. Kent Raymond did not practice with the team last year, therefore he is a sophomore by eligibility.

[diehardfan]

I believe he was sincere in his reason for not playing last year, but figured it was either a short-term issue, or that he had misunderstood - to not continue with such God-given talent seemed a waste (or even a rebuke).

Have you ever seen Chariots of Fire? There's an Olympic caliber athelete who took a stance even though it would have been just one day, not a whole year worth of hours each day spent working in a sport.

I know you don't share my beliefs, or Kent's, so I do definitely appreciate you taking them seriously. But I totally believe that God sometimes has different plans for out talents than we think He does. I think quote I put up last year about the whole thing still stands... "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" which was stated by a man from Wheaton named Jim Elliot who died reaching out to one of the most violent tribes in South America.

Basically, I guess I think D3 athletics are awesome, I love them, but it's fleeting... this is not what really matters in life. If he had permanently moved on to other things, I really wouldn't have minded one bit. But if Kent can fully live out the callings God has for him and play basketball too? Awesome, more power to him, I'm super excited to have him back!