Date Posted:05:18:17 06/28/06 Wed Author: Neckfansince71 Subject: Just my opinion!
Based on the information that Rabbit has supplied on this site, especially the article from Tulsa and the comment from Van Alstine about Douple, I really think the Mid Con is going to be and stay in pretty good shape especially with the additions that should be named sometime today. It really does not sound like ORU is looking to move anywhere and why should they at this point. If you listen to the WIU podcasts and read Van Alstine's comments it is obvious that his goal is to make the conference stronger.
Lets face it Necks, we are not going anywhere. Remember when the Midwestern City league, or what ever it was called collapsed, and everyone thought the AMCU would absorp the teams, which included Butler, UWMil, and instead that group created another league and took UIC and a couple of other schools with them to create the Horizon League! We ended up with balloons and streamers and no one at our party. That began the era of alphabet soup for the conference and of course EIU got tired of getting there tail wacked in football and joined the OVC. So lets see, the MVC......might have been an option in 1982 but the athletic department had little leadership and was more concerned about equal $ for women's programs which resulted in the name the Westernecks, or Leatherwinds, or crap, I get so confused........There is absolutely no advantage to being the most northern school in the OVC, and why play Tennessee Martin in football. The Horizon league,well even though MikeWIU thinks its pretty good in most sports I am going to take a risk and say that if WIU competed against them all in most of the other sports, WIU would do awfully well. Heck, Oakland would kick butt in swimming, Oral Roberts in baseball, they are not real competitive in track. But they did not want us a number of years ago, and they don't want us now. And boy, hasn't Youngstown State really turned it up a notch in the Horizon. Heck, they were not even competitive in the MidCon. They happen to have a similar problem that we suffer from........1AA football! Why do you think Oaklands swimming program is so good????? Scholarships, $$$$$$$$$. ORU's baseball team??????? Scholarships, $$$$$$$, why does Mike Stevenson have a tough time competing in men's track (he does a great job) at WIU? Lack of money!!!!! Swimming and diving at WIU, men's, lack of money!!!! Heck, it wasn't until Derrick Thomas arrived that the basketball budget was increased!!!!! Women's programs will remain strong and will get stronger because most of their programs are fully funded because of football. $$$$$ I am not suggesting that we drop football, move to DII, or anything like that. I am just stating that WIU will remain a major part of the MidCon, and should welcome IPFW, NDst, and SDst, with open arms. I learned a long time ago to concentrate on who is there and who wants to be there, and to forget about those that don't show up! Once in a while when I start my class, someone will say, hey where is everybody???? My comment is always, everybody thats important is already here!!!!!
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Re: Just my opinion! -- MikeWIU, 08:15:15 06/28/06 Wed
I would say the Horizon has much more national exposure than the Mid-Con, even if solely based on basketball, helping in the other sports as well. I live in TX now, and no one around here has heard of my school or the conference, yet they know the Horizon & can name more than one team; if they know of Mid-Con, it is just stinkin Valpo.
I agree that you need to be happy with what you have though.
Yes, the Mid -Con is what WIU is sentenced to. I don't like it- the Mid-Con is mocked in most media discussions when talking D1 athletics, and even among coaches when discussing if there is any real difference between a good D2 program and the lowest D1. Becoming the magnet for new D1 schools won't help either.The money spent on the Mid-Con travel etc. gains little for Western's publicity in this region.
However, it's going to be the only game in town. Western really can't expect much better, when you look at the travel problems to Macomb, no media outlets to speak of, low populated area, and poor economic region. I'm just being realistic. Maybe in the future they can progress and when other opportunities present themselves be in a position for a better regional conference- at least the money spent might generate state and regional coverage.Which isn't happening now.
That being vented, this might be a good opportunity for the Mid-Con to grow and gain some respect in the athletic world.
