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Western Hall Makeover

sealhall74 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:55:24 GMT

Somebody in the Athl Dept tweeted something about a Western Hall "Makeover" for tonights games. Anybody know what that was all about?

Indiana Pilgrimage!

Neckfansince71 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:07:44 GMT

I took a basketball pilgrimage with a good friend of mine yesterday. We hit two Hoosier state basketball venues and I got to listen to the Western game on the 88.3 as we drove home. It’s funny though that in the last week, I have had the opportunity to attend 3 different college games from 3 different conferences at one might say was 3 different levels. I definitely enjoyed my time in Macomb last weekend, and I have played back Remy’s shot a number of times since I saw it in person last Saturday night. We left at 6:30 headed for Indy and Hinkle Field House. I have always wondered what it was really like inside ever since I saw Jimmy Chitwood sink the winning shot for Hickory in “Hoosiers” and after seeing it live a couple of times on ESPN. I was not disappointed. It is a huge barn of a building with rafters designed similar to bridge trusses allowing for a good view of the floor no matter where your seat is. It was built in the 1928, designed not only for use by Butler, but also for the Indiana State Basketball tournament. At that point its capacity was 15,000 and the floor ran north and south. A rehab in the 80’s created the alignment that you see in pictures and on TV today. It’s historical but its age truly limits things like the width of the hallways and concessions. It’s getting a 25 million dollar rehab which will help, but still there are limits to what can be done to expand the entrances and hallway access.

Some comparisons and comment regarding the Butler experience:
There are “Dog Pound” sections for students at the basket ends of the floor, but the area is limited by walls and overhang. The band occupies more than half of one end and the rest had about 40-50 students dressed in white dog pound shirts. At the other end was the same thing without the band, low bleachers that only stretched only a little further than halfway, with maybe 100 students max. That’s it for students! The rest end up sitting in the second level balcony area and are really removed from the action. The band was good, the students did cheer and made some noise, but the huge seating areas that reached to the rafters were pretty much filled with ticket fans sitting, yes sitting in seats with backs. The Butler cheerleaders were a tad bit better than Western’s but really not that much better. More on that later! There was a halftime/time out MC who got the crowd going and also served as the announcer for “games!” Say all you want about “rock, paper, scissors” but Butler brought a Tike Hike basket out at half time and had three kids ages 3-5 dunking. It was cute and in a way down right funny. They also had the half court shot contests, 3 shot contests, and other game “gimmicks” designed to create interest and enthusiasm. As far as I am concerned, nothing should be left off the table when it comes to time out entertainment. Announced attendance was 10,000 and could have been. But my key point is, most of the good seats were ticket seats and now reserved for students. If you ever took a game in at Robertson Memorial Field House (which was smaller than Hinkle) before it was razed, you understand the experience, razed floor and all. Finally, I thought the two people selling Butler jewelry was a quaint return to the simple life. Also, I had no idea that Butler is located in a north suburb of Indy, pretty much surrounded by residential and a large park. Buildings are all Indiana sand stone, and none are really more than 3 stories high, although there are some towers that are. It really reminded me of a larger Elmhurst or North Central College.

A stop at Mackey arena was next!

To be continued!

We Need a Pep Band!

WIU712 — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:12:21 GMT

We had no Pep Band for the big Oral Roberts game on Jan 12.

And we had no Pep Band for the double-header with Southern Utah on Jan 14.

We had no Pep Band for any of the games played during the 4-week semester break.

Western is a D-1 program. We need a Pep Band.

If we can't get a volunteer Pep Band of alumni, etc to play at these semester break games and if we are unwilling to bring in high school bands (like we have done in the past), then I suggest that we hire a Pep Band to play.

We need to get a D-1 atmosphere going at Western Hall.

Pep Bands

WIU712 — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:10:42 GMT

We have had played away Summit League games during the semester/holiday break at IUPUI, Oakland, and IPFW.

Each of those places had a Pep Band playing.

Why can't we get a live band playing for these semester break games at Western Hall if other Summit League teams can do it ????

And if you have watched any of the college games televised by ESPN, etc, there is almost always a band playing.

If we are reduced to recorded music, can't we at least play recorded music that was done by the Marching Leathernecks ????

The Western Band has recorded some CD's, so it should be an easy task to play that instead of the current Westec music that we are subjected to now.

SCC Forfeits Rest of Season!

WIU712 — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:15:04 GMT

Ten players from Southeastern Community College's men's basketball team have been kicked off the squad for violating college and athletic department rules.

SCC is the basketball powerhouse from Burlington, Iowa.

In addition, two other players have been declared academically ineligible, meaning the 14-player roster has been reduced to just two players.

As a result, the school is forfeiting the remaining 12 games of the 2011-12 season. SCC is 13-3 so far this season.

What are we thankful for?

western-101 — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:37:29 GMT

I am thankful for health, family, friends, and employment.

On the second tier: I am thankful for My friends at Leathernecknation that provide me amusement, information, fellowship, in my Alma mater.

I am also thankful for Jim Molinari, for turning around the Men's BB program.

I am hopeful that Coach H will find a top level Defensive Coordinator. (Hey you listening Santa?)

Oh well, time to get back to the Holiday Nog.

Peace

from yer brother 101.

Free Admission to Western vs Bradley BB

WIU712 — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:13:24 GMT

Wednesday, December 21

7:00 PM

Women's Basketball: Western at Bradley

Bring 2 non-perishable items to support the Peoria Area Food Bank and get in free!

This will be great for those Western fans who live in the Peoria area.

The Power of OORAH

sealhall74 — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:01:47 GMT

I saw a tweet from Beau Spencer about Monmouth-Roseville HS trying out their own version of the Taylor University (TU) Silent Night Game. That is one great annual tradition that uniquely identifies TU and shows how a little creativity goes a long way. Maybe we could come up with a similar annual game ritual as well.

I would really like to see WIU also have some sort of unique athletic ritual that is good for all sports and each contest. If we already have one, I don't know what it is. Our Fighting Leatherneck nickname is certainly unique and we could do a spin on it. For example, prior to kickoff or opening tip, all fans could be standing with arms raised and fists clenched. At the exact moment of kickoff or tip, everyone vocalizes a thunderous "OORAH!!!!" cheer. The "OORAH" battle cry is owned by the Marines (most service branches have one similar to it) and has much history behind it.

This is just of thought off the top of my head. You probably have even better ideas that could work and become a tradition as well.

2011-2012 commissioner's cup....

Leatherface — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:03:36 GMT

only five sports concluded.

Commissioner's Cup:
#1 NDSU
#10 WIU
All men's:
#1 SUU
Tied #2 WIU
All women's:
#1 NDSU
#10 WIU

Points only for MCC,WCC,V-Ball, WSOC and MSOC

Marketing Idea for BB Games

sealhall74 — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:29:28 GMT

This is not exactly original on my part, but I saw something similar at the Old Spice Classic. ESPN/Disney knows how to do things right. A lot of times, they know they don't have enough of a real crowd so they bring in volunteers and maybe even staff to look like interested spectators. So when they were showing the closeup of the fans going crazy during the timeouts, only about half of them were real true fans. The rest were standins and effective standins at that. One really neat thing that they did during the games with standins no less was to put them all in a "Generic" team rooting section. There were about ten people or so there. The key ingredient was the use of social media. The idea was this generic rooting section would root for whatever team base gave them the most text messages. After a few minutes, you would see them quickly changing from one team apparel to another. They used pom poms, pennants, whatever was the right color. Crazier the better. Interesting to watch them in action. One guy from group would run around the arena during timeouts with a big sign saying where and what to text to. A interesting spinoff on this would be to have a Greek and/or Residence Hall competition. The generic rooting section could be members of the Greek Council and/or Residence Hall council. Just a thought from the guy with too much time on his hands and not nearly enough money.

NKU to the Summit?

IlliNeck — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:42:01 GMT

With FB over for the year, thank goodness (nothing like going out with a good old fashioned arse-whipping). Rumor has it that NKU may be considering joining the Summit, since the OVC rejected their inclusion regarding furhter OVC conference expansion. I guess they would replce ORU, giving the Summit 10 members. Sure would be nice if the Summit picked up UND & Chicago St. (I know they have their issues, but at least you would then have a member school in the Chicago market). UND would probably be a good get, but their FB situation complicates things (would need to get them to go Independent after their withdrawl from the Big Sky; maybe all of the other FB playing Summit members could guarentee games along with one $ game for them with a BCS team and maybe they could play Drake, Valpo & Butler each year, that way they would only have to pick-up 1 or 2 games elsewhere). If this could happen the Summit would have a good blend of state flagships (Dakotas), regionals and urban markets, with the league breaking do like this:

West

1. UND
2. NDSU
3. SDSU
4. USD
5. UNO
6. UMKC - KC

East

1. Western
2. CSU - Chicago (ugggh)
3. IUPUI - Indy
4. IPFW
5. OU - Detroit
6. NKU - Cincinnati

Thoughts?

is the wiu holiday tourney next?

FINS#1 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:51:12 GMT

http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/mobiletopstories/x300720775/B-PC-A-drops-out-of-ineligible-tournament

will the wiu holiday tourney get shut down next?

Ideas for Western Hall

WIU712 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:12:17 GMT

It looks like we will be using Western Hall for home basketball games until further notice.

So maybe we should look at some ideas to make it more fan-friendly and to turn it into more of a home court advantage.

I threw one idea out for discussion:

The main parking lot for fans attending the games is on the east side of Western Hall (Q-Lot).

Fans then have to walk around to the north side to enter. This sidewalk to the front entry is poorly lit. It is very dark.

Why can't we turn the "East Arena" into the main entry way into Western Hall ???? This would be the ideal location for fans parking in Q-Lot.

East Arena currently is not very attractive even though that is where the concession stand is located. With a little effort and investment, it could be transitioned into the main entry point for fans.

Any other ideas ????

Happy Thanksgiving

WIU BB 31 — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:05:42 GMT

Hope everyone has a great holiday. Here's to better days ahead for all of our Leatherneck sports teams.

Alumni Needed on November 19

WIU712 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:29:53 GMT

Hey Leatherneck Fans!

The last game of the football season will be this Saturday at Hanson Field. Game time is 1:00 PM.

We are playing North Dakota State. They had been the #1 team in the country. But they got knocked off on Saturday 27-24 by Youngstown State. They will still be a top 5 team.

The Univeristy's Fall/Thanksgiving Break will be begin after classes end on Friday. So that means that most of the students will be leaving town on Friday.

Since we won't have the students at the game, we really need our adult fans and alumni to show up and fill the stands.

The long-range forecast for Saturday is sounding good with an afternoon temp in the upper 50's. Normal high for mid-November is low 50's.

The 1PM start time is perfect for fans along the Amtrak route to take the train to the game. The Saturday morning train will get you into to Macomb at 11AM. The evening train back north leaves at 6:15PM. So you will have a couple of hours before and after the game to find something to eat/drink.

The Macomb High Bombers got knocked out of the Class 3A Football Playoffs on Saturday. So we won't be competing against their game.

Any Alumni can make it to this game needs to show up and cheer for the team in this last game of the season.

The team needs your presence and support on Saturday!

Leatherneck Athlete Nominated for Rhodes Scholarship

catch212 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:51:58 GMT

Senior member of the track & field team Jenna Verity has become Western's first Rhodes Scholarship finalist. This is a huge honor for not only her, but the University as well. To have her name in the mix with students from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc. is quite an honor. She will interview later this week for a chance to win the scholarship.

The scholarship includes a year studying at Oxford University after graduation and is reserved for only the brightest students. Again, this is not only great for her, but Western as well. Good luck to her!

Story

wiki page

2 Games for Amtrak Riders

WIU712 — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:12:33 GMT

Hey Leatherneck Fans!

We finish the football seaon with two 1PM home games:
November 12 vs South Dakota State.
November 19 vs North Dakota State.

With the 1PM start time, these games are ideal for fans to come to the game via Amtrak.

The Saturday morning train from Chicago arrives in Macomb at 11:04 AM.

The Go West Transit buses stop right across the street from the train station in the Family Video parking lot.

Go West Route 16 (Northwest) and Route 14 (North) both will get you to the campus.

The game will end around 4PM. Since the evening train back to Chicago leaves Macomb at 6:18PM, you will have some time to find something to eat/drink in the downtown area.

Some places close to the train station are:
Aurelios Pizza
Sports Corner at 124
Chicks on the Square

The game on November 19 will be with the #1 team in the country (North Dakota State). Just like last year's Northern Iowa game, this game comes when the University will be on Fall/Thanksgiving Break. So most of the students will not be in town.

We could certainly use some of our alumni coming back for that game to give us a crowd for that game.

I can remember a game in the past when #1 Youngstown State came into Hanson Field. They went home in defeat.

YSU still talks about that game!

The Amtrak makes stops in Chicago, LaGrange, Naperville, Plano, Mendota, Princeton, Kewanee, and Galesburg on its way down to Macomb.

So pick out the station stop closest to you and make plans to join us on November 12 and/or November 19.

Congrats-WIU712...

Leatherface — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:27:19 GMT

I just noticed your user level has elevated you to supreme being!
You have added a lot of infomation to the board, along with some strong opinions. Hope you enjoy the banter. No one can question your passion for WIU.

Report to Normal on Saturday

WIU712 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:54:59 GMT

Hey Leatherneck Fans!

Our big football rivalry game will be this Saturday (November 5) when we play at Illinois State.

There is always a big crowd of Western fans at this road game--even in that crappy season of 2009.

Last year we beat them in that shoot-out game 65-38 at Hanson Field.

This year, Illinois State is fighting for a play-off bid.

Illinois State has been struggling in attendance this season. They only had 6,000 for their home game with Indiana State on October 22.

But our game will be their "Family Weekend" game. So the crowd will be bigger.

And since their south endzone seating was condemned this year, their seating capacity has been reduced.

The Western Alumni Association will be at this game. They will have a tent set up in the tailgating area. They will be serving a pre-game lunch.

You can order tickets for the game and for the lunch from the Alumni Association. So you can get your tickets ahead of time and avoid the rush at the ticket booth.

http://www.wiu.edu/users/webcal/index.sphp?id=17854

So even though this season is not going as we had hoped, we can still salvage some respect by knocking off those Redbirds.

Anyone in the Central Illinois area (Peoria/Bloomington) should make an effort to get to this game and support the team!

Oral Roberts to Southland Conference

keeper — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:00:04 GMT

Sounds like this is going to happen. Does the Summit have a replacement in mind?

http://www.summitzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=307

Criticism of WIU Student Organizations

WIU28 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:55:02 GMT

I have been reading through some of these posts and while most of them seem pretty positive, I cant help but notice the amount of criticism some of you have for WIU's organizations. If you do not know how the organization works or is set up, you have no place stating your opinion. ALL organizations work so hard throughout the year to entertain/support this university. Please do not just assume something about any organization, because if you have not done your homework and talked to the members about why they may or may not have done something a particular way, then you have no right to make rude comments.

For example:
I am a proud supporter of the Marching Leathernecks/pep-band. At times the pep-band may not show up to a basketball game becasue the same students are also involved in other music organizations that they are also performing at TO SUPPORT THIS UNIVERSITY. And the Westernettes Danceline is a part of the Marching Leathernecks and work very hard to entertain the crowd at all athletic halftimes. The remark made at the beginning of the season of them looking like "robots" was rather rude. The danceline was told to SING the fight song to the football team becasue that is a tradition they do every year to kick off the season.

Again, while I realize this is a discussion board, please be mindful of your comments as WIU students and alumni do read this and it is not always appropriate to critique an oganization when the students are working very hard for this university. Just like your mother always told you, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

-WIU Student Organization Supporter

An Academic Major for Sports Performance?

sealhall74 — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:38:00 GMT

This Washington Post article by Sally Jenkins caught my eye today. Even if you don't agree with Sally, you have to admire her "outside the box" way of thinking.

Web Site Makeover

Hail Leathernecks — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:22:48 GMT

IMO the website is much better and cleaner now that it has been changed. Good work.

Make sure to visit regularly to help boost add sales revenue. Finally it won't leave me with a head ache!

Union Bowling Center

WIU712 — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:14:39 GMT

Does anyone know what is going on with the Bowling Center in the basement of the Union ?????

Every time that I have been in the building this semester, it is always closed.

When I was there on Saturday for the football game, I did notice a sign posted on the door that stated that the Bowling Center was closed, but the hope was to get it opened as soon as possible.

Anyone know anything ???

Wetzel Hall?

Leatherface — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:52:35 GMT

Did I hear that Wetzel was being closed? Why is that? Enrollment isn't down . Is it because so many students live off campus? I know Macomb has built many nice apartments.

Just surprised me. Any other residence halls being closed?

Take a look at this!

Neckfansince71 — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:22:28 GMT

You have got to take a look at this picture! This is the largest freshman class WIU has had for years! And here is there picture!

http://twitpic.com/6a1dri

Can you imagine them all in the stands at Hanson or Western Hall!!!!

New South Dakota St Baseball Coach

WIU712 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:46:58 GMT

University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars baseball coach Brian Grunzke has resigned to take a position as the first assistant coach at NCAA Division I South Dakota State after getting UIS’ program off the ground.

The school announced Grunzke’s resignation today. A search for his replacement will begin immediately.

Grunzke was hired in 2009 to coach UIS’ fledgling program. The Stars played their inaugural season earlier this spring and posted an 8-35 overall record.

He was an assistant at Northern Iowa and University of Arkansas-Little Rock before arriving at UIS. Prior to that, he spent 16 years as head coach at Waldorf College in Iowa.

What's up with YouTube?

western-101 — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:47:28 GMT

Anyone else notice that YouTube basically is non functioning these days? I have tried multiple computers at my house, wired in directly and wireless router, My connection speed is better than average but not great, My connection is cable through comcast.

Brock Wissmiller

WIU712 — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:41:09 GMT

Brock Wissmiller is now the Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs at Upper Iowa University. Upper Iowa is a private institution with its campus located in northeast Iowa in the rural community of Fayette, Iowa, where around 900 students are enrolled.

http://upperiowaathletics.com/staff.aspx?staff=85

WIU upgrades....

Leatherface — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:28:30 GMT

Had the opportunity to drive through the WESTERN campus over the holiday. Very good to see University Drive ( I guess thats what it is still called) getting totally resurfaced. My shocks also appreciate that. It had gotten in very poor shape the past few years. The campus looked good. Some major work by the baseball field being done.

Leatherneck Club

meganeck — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:18:42 GMT

Got my Leatherneck Club renewal form in the mail today. In the pamphlet it says last year, there are only 455 members in the club, is that correct. It doesn't seem like many. If true and they want 1000 members, then they have a ways to go. I hope they get there and i agree theey are way behind, money wise to other conference schools.

Sporting News

Neckfansince71 — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:19:44 GMT

30 years ago, I use to anxiously wait for the the appearance of college football magazines in the summer. At first, WIU and the Gateway got little or no mention, but gradually this has changed. The Sporting News Football Magazine is still the best of these as far as I am concerned for both coverage of the FBS and FCS. Stats for both levels along with schedules are included. I would highly recommend it!

I have had limited involvement lately because I was vacationing in the islands with my wife. We took a tour of Pearl Harbor which included Schofield Barricks! Talk about tenacity, Japanese planes flew over the structure in route to bomb Hickman Field! 50+ soldiers braved straffing from these planes while shooting at them on the roof with Springfield bolt rifles! They actually brought down two planes! Amazing!

Geoff Alexander

WIU712 — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:22:43 GMT

Former WESTERN basketball player Geoff Alexander has been hired as Asst BB Coach at Eastern.

He had been an assistant coach for the last 5 years at Idaho State.

http://www.eiupanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=154

The EIU Athletic website makes the one at WESTERN appear very primitive by comparison. We need to get our site up-graded.

Missouri Valley Football Conference Google Map

sealhall74 — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:55:53 GMT

Interactive Google Map with member locations, links to athletic sites, etc.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=43.068888,-88.901367&spn=16.841677,43.286133&z=5&msid=212476335875304915756.0004a5e6c80a4f7d096d4

Summit League

Neckfansince71 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:51:44 GMT

RPI Rk Summit Conf All RPI SOS Rk SOS
52 Oakland 20-1 24-9 0.5756 138 0.5094
114 IUPUI 13-7 17-14 0.5304 144 0.5063
126 Oral Roberts 15-6 19-15 0.5216 167 0.4959
175 IPFW 11-8 17-12 0.4928 284 0.4529
187 South Dakota St11-9 17-12 0.4900 273 0.4552
213 Mizzou KC 9-10 15-14 0.4693 287 0.4524
243 North Dakota St 8-11 12-15 0.4548 265 0.4569
266 Southern Utah 7-12 10-18 0.4392 234 0.4679
336 Western Ill. 2-16 4-23 0.3686 312 0.4434
342 Centenary 1-17 1-27 0.3487 267 0.4566

Had the opportunity yesterday to play with the RPI a little bit. Just thought I would do some addition and subtraction just to see what the result might be. In other words, I calculated the Summit RPI without Centenary, without Centenary and with South Dakota, and without Centenary and SUtah with South Dakota. Of course, RPI is affected by not only who you play, but also by whom you play play. In the future you will see South Dakota’s RPI go up just due to the fact that they will be keeping company with schools from a conference with a generally higher RPI and SUtah’s will go down just because of the RPI of the Big Sky Conference. Confusing to say the least and I have no idea what it took to come up with this equation/computation.

Current RPI – .4691 10 teams 21/32 (conference rank)

W/O Centenary .4825 9 teams 17/32

W/O Centenary
W South Dakota .4735 10 teams 18/32

W/O Centenary
W/O SUtah .4773 9 teams 17/32
W South Dakota

Centenary leaving the conference gives the Summit an automatic boost from 21 to 17 and obviously at the present time swapping SUtah with South Dakota is merely an even swap with the RPI hanging at 17/18. Horizon and MVC happen to check in at 11 and 12 respectfully. The Summit is alive and well and obviously there are teams that want in. I say we stay and play for awhile since we all know that improvement is needed. I am truly looking forward to the discussion next year at this time!

Summit League Map

sealhall74 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:09:51 GMT

While the Cubs are in a rain delay, I was bored so put this map together. Will do the same for MVFC as well. Enjoy.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=212476335875304915756.0004a5c90b4bdb1a62eba

Georgia Softball

meganeck — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:50:37 GMT

I keep forgetting that Georgia is led by a former Leatherneck, Lu Harris, she has made quite the name for herself in softball and has the Bulldogs one of the top teams in the country.

Nice Recruiting/Incentive Tools

sealhall74 — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:06:11 GMT

I just came across an internet post about Drake sending their football team to Tanzania this month to play some football and tackle the 19,340 foot Mount Kilimanjaro and do some service projects while there. Kilimanjaro is on my bucket list and I hope to do it within the next year. I was thinking about how these kind of trips can be good recruiting and/or incentive tools for coaches. Excel on the field/court and in the classroom and enjoy a once in a lifetime trip overseas to put your talents on display and mix in a little community service work as well. With Obi Emegano joining the Leathernecks this fall, how cool would a trip to Nigeria be for Obi and the hoops team?

Yea, I know, someone is going to ask where the money is going to come from but there are ways to make it happen.

Hey, I might even want to go along on this one.

I love technology!

Neckfansince71 — Sat, 07 May 2011 20:17:05 GMT

So throughout the day, and because of the internet and the great technology that you can find on the WIU athletic website, I kept track of the softball doubleheader at Illinois, the baseball game at IPFW, and the track meet at Wisconsin. The new track coaching staff is doing wonders with the limited number of studs they have. They are in great shape in the weigths events, but in alot of the running events the Necks lack depth. I am sure Coach B will correct that in the very near future.

I think the baseball team is about to really arrive! Unfortunately a throwing error led to the run that gave the Furry Elephants the win, but I think the Necks are in the drivers seat for a bid to the tourney this year.

Softball obviously had a tough year. A lack of pitching has really hurt the Necks. Both pitchers are back next year and Holly has her best recruiting class ever. The softball Necks will be back, and very soon I might add.

I heard a rumor that there will be a webcam set up to watch the the synthetic transition of Hanson Field throughout the summer. I can hardly wait to watch the progress! ("This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen!")

Anyone alive?

Leatherface — Tue, 03 May 2011 06:33:06 GMT

I'll even argue with someone if you want.