MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Wydown Blvd.]

Slightly on the sketchy side using a facebook reference...

[Mr. Ypsi]

The Twins lost today, despite Peoria's own Jim Thome hitting HRs 573 and 574 to move into 10th place all-time.  Since Thome is one of the very few sluggers of his era to never be accused of steroid use, I gotta wonder how much higher he would already be if competing on a level field.

That means the Tigers can regain a share of first place with a win.  Which seems likely, as Verlander is being the 'Ace' Justin - after 5 innings he has a two-hit shutout with 8 Ks and 1BB, and the Tigers lead 6-0.

[BoBo]

The Twins lost today, despite Peoria's own Jim Thome hitting HRs 573 and 574 to move into 10th place all-time.  Since Thome is one of the very few sluggers of his era to never be accused of steroid use, I gotta wonder how much higher he would already be if competing on a level field.

...moving ahead of former Twin great Harmon Killibrew -- how appropriate!! 

...I would say he potentially could be as many as three or four positions higher -- past McGwire (he's only 9 behind him now), possibly A-Rod, Sosa, and the King of the tainted totals, Bonds. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

The Twins lost today, despite Peoria's own Jim Thome hitting HRs 573 and 574 to move into 10th place all-time.  Since Thome is one of the very few sluggers of his era to never be accused of steroid use, I gotta wonder how much higher he would already be if competing on a level field.

...moving ahead of former Twin great Harmon Killibrew -- how appropriate!! 

...I would say he potentially could be as many as three or four positions higher -- past McGwire (he's only 9 behind him now), possibly A-Rod, Sosa, and the King of the tainted totals, Bonds. 

Even with as much contempt as I have for Bonds, he'd probably be well over 600 even without 'roids.  A-Rod is an open debate.  I'm reasonably certain he would be ahead of McGwire and Sosa - ironic since their battle so soon after the strike may have saved baseball.

Verlander finishes with 10 Ks, 1BB, 7 hits, and 1 earned run in 7 innings.  Our first-place Tigers finish with a 6-1 win.

[knightrider123]

It will be interesting to see how the lineups go with the Knights. Supposedly freshmen Vallie, Kruis, and Brink will compete for major time, and there's always Fabiyi from Gary West Side but we'll see how complete of a player he is. All that and they have Green coming from Rockford and will probably have a few other nice recruits along with the JV club that was pretty good last year. I'll be interested to see how KVS does will time management. Wonder who sticks around from the varsity ball club from last year. Apart from the two guys just listed by HD, any other recruits coming in for Hope? Any word on Austin Eilling?

From what I have heard, the upcoming freshman will play a decent amount. Kruis will probly get the majority of the playing time of the freshman. Brink honestly will have a tough time following Salo and Powell since this year is more of an uptempo year and that is powell's strength. Green will get some tick at the wing position but again tough because of snikkers and Brad S, and even Matt Deboar. Lets not forget about John Mantels little brother Jake Mantel who I heard is healthy. Your right... THere are ALOT of talented players. In my opinion its who fits in the style of play this year best. My predictions for starters Salo, Powell, Snikkers, Rhodts, Schuster.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Not sure I'll bother with the "All? Star" game this year.  While Valverde and Cabrera were both selected (duh!), both Brennan Boesch and Justin Verlander(?! ) will watch from home.

Because of the starting time of the game, a smarter manager would have had Justin as the starter - he is virtually unhittable at twilight time!

[Knight2Day]

It will be interesting to see how the lineups go with the Knights. Supposedly freshmen Vallie, Kruis, and Brink will compete for major time, and there's always Fabiyi from Gary West Side but we'll see how complete of a player he is. All that and they have Green coming from Rockford and will probably have a few other nice recruits along with the JV club that was pretty good last year. I'll be interested to see how KVS does will time management. Wonder who sticks around from the varsity ball club from last year. Apart from the two guys just listed by HD, any other recruits coming in for Hope? Any word on Austin Eilling?

From what I have heard, the upcoming freshman will play a decent amount. Kruis will probly get the majority of the playing time of the freshman. Brink honestly will have a tough time following Salo and Powell since this year is more of an uptempo year and that is powell's strength. Green will get some tick at the wing position but again tough because of snikkers and Brad S, and even Matt Deboar. Lets not forget about John Mantels little brother Jake Mantel who I heard is healthy. Your right... THere are ALOT of talented players. In my opinion its who fits in the style of play this year best. My predictions for starters Salo, Powell, Snikkers, Rhodts, Schuster.

I think that Salo is a pretty big defensive liability and wouldn't mind him coming in as a support role. Powell will probably start at the beginning but Brink has a pretty big size advantage and I think is more of a complete player at the 2 from a rebounding and defensive point of view than Powell and will probably be the man by the end of the year, that's not to say Powell isn't an asset, I just don't see him as your go-to at the 2 spot. I think Schnyders might be hard pressed to find time by the end of the year with the likes of Green, Vallie, and the addition of a talented Jake Mantel coming in and the fact that he has proven to be somewhat out of control at times. Deboer isn't a legit enough outside threat to run the wing and is also a defensive liability playing the 3 from a quickness standpoint, I'd see him as an undersized 4, due to the fact that his post game is his biggest strength and I doubt the Knights will run into much size in the MIAA. Schuster, Rodts, and Snikkers will be legit enough starters, my question will be "where will the scoring come from"? The Knights are losing the 2 guys who could carry the team on a given night. At the PG, I'd like to see Rietema be the #1 guy by the end of the year. Nice outside game, nothing to amazing but solid, good build (can tell he used to be a football player bc he can take getting bumped), pretty athletic, and he handles the ball/distributes well. Once again, Salo's biggest downside is his size. He's a great leader on the floor and possesses great work ethic, but the size is something that shouldn't be overlooked as it hurt the Knights in non conference play last year. My prediction for starters/rotation would be 5-Schuster, 4- Rodts, 3- Snikkers, 2- Brink (with Powell being the man to start the year), 1- Rietema (with Salo starting at the beginning of the year), Kruis the backup 5, Vallie the backup 4, Mantel the backup 3, and the previously mentioned rotation at the 2 and 1 spots.

[goodknight]

Don't overlook Paul Campbell, who is coming back as a fifth year senior.  It's not certain that he'll be starting all season, but he'll get big minutes for the Knights.
I for one would be astonished if more than three of the freshman recruits make the varsity, although I expect that Brink and Vallie will get significant playing time during the varsity season.  Kruis may have to be rushed if Adam DeYoung and Brent Schuster can't handle the 5. 
By the way, another recruit from Rockford, Brent Henry, will likely be a JV player his freshman year at Calvin.  He's the son of a stellar MIAA player, Chip Henry, who played at Hope in the early-mid 1980s.   

[Knight2Day]

Didn't know if Campbell would be back but if it's true that he's back for another year, that will be a valuable addition. Maybe not a starter all year, but definitely a big time hustle contributor. Even if he doesn't contribute the most in the major statistical categories, he definitely gives the team a boost in heart and hustle and plays a big role.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Tigers and Twins both lost, White Sox won.  So, on the Fourth of July, we have three teams within 1 game of first place!  By traditional mythology, should be a helluva race!

[Pat Coleman]

Because of the starting time of the game, a smarter manager would have had Justin as the starter - he is virtually unhittable at twilight time!

Well that's unique.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Because of the starting time of the game, a smarter manager would have had Justin as the starter - he is virtually unhittable at twilight time!

Well that's unique.

Not sure if the shot was at me or Verlander?

While that time of night can be difficult in general, Justin seems particularly adept at taking advantage.  In his last outing, he struck out the side in both the 1st and 3rd innings.  While it is true that it was the Mariners, 2 of his 6 Ks were Ichiro Suzuki.

His e.r.a. is not yet that good, since he seems allergic to April.  Typically, from May thru September (and hopefully October ), he is Cy Young material.

[knightrider123]

It will be interesting to see how the lineups go with the Knights. Supposedly freshmen Vallie, Kruis, and Brink will compete for major time, and there's always Fabiyi from Gary West Side but we'll see how complete of a player he is. All that and they have Green coming from Rockford and will probably have a few other nice recruits along with the JV club that was pretty good last year. I'll be interested to see how KVS does will time management. Wonder who sticks around from the varsity ball club from last year. Apart from the two guys just listed by HD, any other recruits coming in for Hope? Any word on Austin Eilling?

From what I have heard, the upcoming freshman will play a decent amount. Kruis will probly get the majority of the playing time of the freshman. Brink honestly will have a tough time following Salo and Powell since this year is more of an uptempo year and that is powell's strength. Green will get some tick at the wing position but again tough because of snikkers and Brad S, and even Matt Deboar. Lets not forget about John Mantels little brother Jake Mantel who I heard is healthy. Your right... THere are ALOT of talented players. In my opinion its who fits in the style of play this year best. My predictions for starters Salo, Powell, Snikkers, Rhodts, Schuster.

I think that Salo is a pretty big defensive liability and wouldn't mind him coming in as a support role. Powell will probably start at the beginning but Brink has a pretty big size advantage and I think is more of a complete player at the 2 from a rebounding and defensive point of view than Powell and will probably be the man by the end of the year, that's not to say Powell isn't an asset, I just don't see him as your go-to at the 2 spot. I think Schnyders might be hard pressed to find time by the end of the year with the likes of Green, Vallie, and the addition of a talented Jake Mantel coming in and the fact that he has proven to be somewhat out of control at times. Deboer isn't a legit enough outside threat to run the wing and is also a defensive liability playing the 3 from a quickness standpoint, I'd see him as an undersized 4, due to the fact that his post game is his biggest strength and I doubt the Knights will run into much size in the MIAA. Schuster, Rodts, and Snikkers will be legit enough starters, my question will be "where will the scoring come from"? The Knights are losing the 2 guys who could carry the team on a given night. At the PG, I'd like to see Rietema be the #1 guy by the end of the year. Nice outside game, nothing to amazing but solid, good build (can tell he used to be a football player bc he can take getting bumped), pretty athletic, and he handles the ball/distributes well. Once again, Salo's biggest downside is his size. He's a great leader on the floor and possesses great work ethic, but the size is something that shouldn't be overlooked as it hurt the Knights in non conference play last year. My prediction for starters/rotation would be 5-Schuster, 4- Rodts, 3- Snikkers, 2- Brink (with Powell being the man to start the year), 1- Rietema (with Salo starting at the beginning of the year), Kruis the backup 5, Vallie the backup 4, Mantel the backup 3, and the previously mentioned rotation at the 2 and 1 spots.

I agree with you on most points. One point I cant agree on is the fact that you think Powell will be stripped of a starting spot. ThERE is NO way if (from what I hear of a fast pased team this year) that powell will lose that spot. And size difference, Powell is 6 foot 180. Brink is 6' 1" maybe 6 2" possibly 175. Im not seeing much differnce there, so I honestly am not worried about that. Where will the scoring come from? Every person on this team this year has the capability to score double digits. its an uptempo team trust me the points will come. I dont know if you have watched the Knights play this summer but it seems the whole offense runs around Powell. He seems to control what goes on offensivly. Another thing, KVS will start Trent. He is the captain. he was the captain last year and a bunch of people didnt think he shouldve started the whole year. KVS wont change that.

[knightrider123]

Don't overlook Paul Campbell, who is coming back as a fifth year senior.  It's not certain that he'll be starting all season, but he'll get big minutes for the Knights.
I for one would be astonished if more than three of the freshman recruits make the varsity, although I expect that Brink and Vallie will get significant playing time during the varsity season.  Kruis may have to be rushed if Adam DeYoung and Brent Schuster can't handle the 5. 
By the way, another recruit from Rockford, Brent Henry, will likely be a JV player his freshman year at Calvin.  He's the son of a stellar MIAA player, Chip Henry, who played at Hope in the early-mid 1980s.   

Paul Campbell is actually not coming back for a 5th season. Wish he was but unforchunatly that wont be the case.

[hoopdreams]

there is a difference between "running an offense through someone", and someone taking all the shots.  A great example of an offense running through someone was Hope's O going through Reimink 2 years ago. Someone taking all the shots is another beast entirely.  When he is hitting, things are great, when he goes 3-14 their team tends to struggle. 

Calvin now has the athletes to play an uptempo styleI I have noticed quite a change in the athletic ability of several MIAA teams the last 2 or 3 years.  Hope truly underutilized the athletic ability last yearand I think Neil eluded to it during his first pressor.  Fortunately most return for a second "run" at it.