Who Wins the MVC in 2017-18?

[BCPanther]

So I heard from the WSU announcers during a WSU baseball game that there is rumors of another MVC team looking to leave the conference. They wouldn't say who, but just there was a lot talk in their circles.

It's gotta be somebody looking to move 'down'. Maybe Evansville to the Horizon or Indiana State to the OVC? Missouri State to the Sun Belt?

I mean Illinois State and UNI would take a MAC invite in a heartbeat but that doesn't seem likely until the MAC gets it's TV situation figured out. UNI would give it's left nut and sell its soul to the devil to get into the Mountain West, but again they're full in football and at this point don't want to come this far East.

The rest of the league doesn't seem like they'd be in a spot to go anywhere...
I wouldn't think

[Rogers101]

So I heard from the WSU announcers during a WSU baseball game that there is rumors of another MVC team looking to leave the conference. They wouldn't say who, but just there was a lot talk in their circles.

Hopefully Drake or Evansville wanting to move down. I doubt it, but why not.

[Drakey]

Why is the Horizon moving down? If you truly want Drake out of the conference you're just stupid. Drake won't always have an AD who screws up everything. It is the best market in the Valley. It's not like we are spending half of what everybody else does. I'm expecting Drake to be competitive in two to three years. I'm expecting more after that, but certainly would understand why nobody else does.

[DUBulldog]

Why is the Horizon moving down? If you truly want Drake out of the conference you're just stupid. Drake won't always have an AD who screws up everything. It is the best market in the Valley. It's not like we are spending half of what everybody else does. I'm expecting Drake to be competitive in two to three years. I'm expecting more after that, but certainly would understand why nobody else does.

Drake's market (Des Moines) is better than Loyola's (Chicago)?

Otherwise, I agree with you. It's not like Drake is failing because they're not putting the resources into it.

[Play Angry]

What you see as disrespect - I see as pride that a savage assault occurred to a UE athlete and the other University was basically cold hearted and not ashamed.

Just to paint a more complete factual picture - the offending pitcher was suspended immediately and never played again for WSU. The pitching coach was suspended for the entire season and was prohibited from even attending games that year, with corresponding penalties in pay.

Criminal charges were looked into but not pursued by the government because the case was lacking. The victim of the incident publicly rejected the apology of the coaches and the offending player, which he was certainly entitled to do. He did accept a undisclosed settlement amount rumored to be in the mid-six figures. Per reports, he never regained full vision in the damaged eye, effectively having a substantial "dark spot" in his field of vision. Unfortunately, a decade later he sexually assaulted a second grader by touching her private parts repeatedly over a lengthy time span and was sentenced to a significant term in prison.

I do not understand how a mature adult views the above scenario with pride, as you claim to, from any angle. It is both unfortunate and sad.

I'll hang that hat you mentioned on UE defeating WSU twice in the season that WSU made an unlikely trip to the Final Four.

I didn't mention a hat and have no idea what you are referring to - you seem confused. No argument that UE beating WSU twice that season ranks as perhaps its highest achievement in hoops in nearly two decades.

The Final Four itself is, however, much, much more impressive. Amazing, even.

Go away WSU - I have no other hard feelings towards any other MVC members.

Sorry for your hard feelings. I think your anger would be more appropriately directed at your own school for its shortcomings and frankly pathetic efforts to stay competitive in athletics. There are very few schools which have witnessed such colossal fan attrition as Evansville over the last 30 years without a catastrophic gambling or murder scandal. I guess you could count the mass suicide of season ticket sales in that category if you want to stretch a bit.

[uniftw]

Why is the Horizon moving down? If you truly want Drake out of the conference you're just stupid. Drake won't always have an AD who screws up everything. It is the best market in the Valley. It's not like we are spending half of what everybody else does. I'm expecting Drake to be competitive in two to three years. I'm expecting more after that, but certainly would understand why nobody else does.

The issue is Drake has been trying, and failing, for 60 years. Yes, there was 07-08 (celebrating their 10 year reunion this year, BTW) but you can't fault fans from other programs looking at Drake and doubting that they will ever get it together.

They have the second smallest enrollment. Sure, they have the second biggest market but they are nothing there. Des Moines is 75% Hawkeye, 20% Cyclone, 3% Huskers, and I'm pretty sure there are actually more UNI alums in Des Moines than Drake. Every single UNI/Drake basketball game has just as many - almost always more - UNI fans than Drake fans. The times UNI has played Drake in football in Des Moines it's been 80% UNI fans. Drake is as relevant in Des Moines as UN-O is in Omaha or UM-KC in Kansas City.

It's much the same reason many feel Evansville will never be anything more than they already are.

It's why many fear Valpo. Valpo has a smaller enrollment than Drake. Would be the second smallest arena (and by only 500 seats) in the conference. Drake was only successful under Maury John and for one year under the Davis reign. Vaplo had success under the Drew Family but that entire family is now gone. They lost their only player that was a difference maker in the Horizon League. Many things about the scream Evansville circa late 80s and early 90s

[UEACES80]

@ Play Angry:

Factual - who suspended Christensen and Pitching Coach Kemnitz? Not WSU the MVC did - WSU didn't own their assault on Molina. And Christensen still thought it was still part of the game months later.

What is sad is your twisted mind tries to justify it because 1) it was a WSU player who committed this act and 2) you seem to think it is justified since Molina later in life committed a horrible crime (that no UE fan tries to defend and nor should we)

http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvii ... ialik.html

Only in a sports world gone mad could Ben Christensen be allowed to continue playing the game of baseball.

On Fri., Apr. 23, Christensen, Wichita State's star junior pitcher, fired a ball at Evansville second baseman Anthony Molina. The ball struck Molina in the eye, causing damage which could possibly ruin his vision for life.

Baseball can be dangerous. Other players' careers have ended on errant pitches or batted balls. But Molina was standing 30 feet from the batter's box at the time, and Christensen was warming up before the game. The ball he threw at Molina was a bullet, timed by an anonymous scout at 91 miles per hour.

Christensen claims that Molina was edging too close to Christensen and timing his pitches. The fair response, as taught to Christensen by his pitching coach Brent Kemnitz, was to throw at Molina to deter him from trying the same tactic again—much like a soldier would shoot at an enemy to deter him from trying to steal signals.

This analogy made sense to Kemnitz and Christensen, which is what is so troubling about the incident. Their sport had become like a war to them, and they were willing to engage in war-like methods to ensure victory.

The Missouri Valley Conference, of which Wichita State and Evansville are members, suspended Kemnitz and Christensen for the remainder of the season. Problem solved: two wayward sportsmen, taught a lesson and set back on the right track. Surely this incident did not reflect on mainstream baseball.

The right track for Christensen ended up taking him to the Chicago Cubs, who picked him in the first round of the amateur draft in July. He reflected on the Molina incident after being drafted, "It's not right what I did. But it's also part of the game. The people around baseball understand that, and it's sad the people not around baseball don't." I don't think Anthony Molina understands it.

[Born2Shock]

What you see as disrespect - I see as pride that a savage assault occurred to a UE athlete and the other University was basically cold hearted and not ashamed.

I'll hang that hat you mentioned on UE defeating WSU twice in the season that WSU made an unlikely trip to the Final Four.

Go away WSU - I have no other hard feelings towards any other MVC members.

Think Baker playing in those 2 games makes a difference? History says yes, since UE never beat Baker.

[BirdsEyeView]

Why is the Horizon moving down? If you truly want Drake out of the conference you're just stupid. Drake won't always have an AD who screws up everything. It is the best market in the Valley. It's not like we are spending half of what everybody else does. I'm expecting Drake to be competitive in two to three years. I'm expecting more after that, but certainly would understand why nobody else does.

The issue is Drake has been trying, and failing, for 60 years. Yes, there was 07-08 (celebrating their 10 year reunion this year, BTW) but you can't fault fans from other programs looking at Drake and doubting that they will ever get it together.

They have the second smallest enrollment. Sure, they have the second biggest market but they are nothing there. Des Moines is 75% Hawkeye, 20% Cyclone, 3% Huskers, and I'm pretty sure there are actually more UNI alums in Des Moines than Drake. Every single UNI/Drake basketball game has just as many - almost always more - UNI fans than Drake fans. The times UNI has played Drake in football in Des Moines it's been 80% UNI fans. Drake is as relevant in Des Moines as UN-O is in Omaha or UM-KC in Kansas City.

It's much the same reason many feel Evansville will never be anything more than they already are.

It's why many fear Valpo. Valpo has a smaller enrollment than Drake. Would be the second smallest arena (and by only 500 seats) in the conference. Drake was only successful under Maury John and for one year under the Davis reign. Vaplo had success under the Drew Family but that entire family is now gone. They lost their only player that was a difference maker in the Horizon League. Many things about the scream Evansville circa late 80s and early 90s

[Horn28Clem30]

@ Play Angry:

Factual - who suspended Christensen and Pitching Coach Kemnitz? Not WSU the MVC did - WSU didn't own their assault on Molina. And Christensen still thought it was still part of the game months later.

What is sad is your twisted mind tries to justify it because 1) it was a WSU player who committed this act and 2) you seem to think it is justified since Molina later in life committed a horrible crime (that no UE fan tries to defend and nor should we)

http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvii ... ialik.html

Only in a sports world gone mad could Ben Christensen be allowed to continue playing the game of baseball.

On Fri., Apr. 23, Christensen, Wichita State's star junior pitcher, fired a ball at Evansville second baseman Anthony Molina. The ball struck Molina in the eye, causing damage which could possibly ruin his vision for life.

Baseball can be dangerous. Other players' careers have ended on errant pitches or batted balls. But Molina was standing 30 feet from the batter's box at the time, and Christensen was warming up before the game. The ball he threw at Molina was a bullet, timed by an anonymous scout at 91 miles per hour.

Christensen claims that Molina was edging too close to Christensen and timing his pitches. The fair response, as taught to Christensen by his pitching coach Brent Kemnitz, was to throw at Molina to deter him from trying the same tactic again—much like a soldier would shoot at an enemy to deter him from trying to steal signals.

This analogy made sense to Kemnitz and Christensen, which is what is so troubling about the incident. Their sport had become like a war to them, and they were willing to engage in war-like methods to ensure victory.

The Missouri Valley Conference, of which Wichita State and Evansville are members, suspended Kemnitz and Christensen for the remainder of the season. Problem solved: two wayward sportsmen, taught a lesson and set back on the right track. Surely this incident did not reflect on mainstream baseball.

The right track for Christensen ended up taking him to the Chicago Cubs, who picked him in the first round of the amateur draft in July. He reflected on the Molina incident after being drafted, "It's not right what I did. But it's also part of the game. The people around baseball understand that, and it's sad the people not around baseball don't." I don't think Anthony Molina understands it.

When I was first reading this, I thought it was an actual fight or something, not something that happens many times throughout the course of a baseball season.