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Oakland's baseball facility is not very good. Western is playing there in the SL tourney at the moment. They give baseball some stability but if you need the Leathernecks to help just call us up  Facilities are so hard to invest into when you have an entire campus arms race to fight. http://www.ougrizzlies.com/facilities/ou-baseball-field.html If Western had a players clubhouse it would be a legit baseball facility after the recent seating, press box, and dugout upgrades. I feel Western has put terrible pics of the field up or at least the display of them is poor from my perspective. http://www.goleathernecks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=623290 This is better. http://www.flickr.com/photos/westernillinoisuniversity/2379665281/# I am a big baseball fan so don't get too mad. I can just get a little 


Kampe will keep basketball at a high level in the HL, he finally be able to recruit talent comparable enough to compete for March Madness wins.... so watch out. Seriously. Support for them will increase on and off campus as well, the HL move would be big time for any SL school honestly. I know Western would prefer to see itself there with the MVFC affiliation.

PS, Western's AD is out and Leatherneck club membership is up almost triple digits in 72 hours ha. I'd love to see Valpo on the schedule soon.

Oakland is no joke, they will be an immediate player because they were getting it done without being able to recruit all the talent they wanted. Now all I have to say is look out!

Suit and tie means something with Kampe means he is going to polish this one for a while. Just from joking with people at Oakland I know the Griz want to break it off in Detroit.  Let em know were they really rank if you can see where that is going. Years of hassle and ludicrous matchups because of that boycott has to chap the arse. It is going to be intense, Detroit is in for a very very rude awakening. I wouldn't be socked to see Oakland get the MVC invite if they have 2 years of success in the HL. They could be asked to join with Valpo... 

No football drama, hoops schools, decent market place awareness, Detroit & 'The Shot' joining to make the MVC 12. Dayton and SLU having just committed to the Big East. Not too far fetched... RPI it and tell me I am crazy.

It was just a typing error, obviously I know who and what IUPUI is but just didn't take the time to read it thoroughly. IUPUI just catches me for the way I type too it seems. My bad. "I feel shame" Slapshot: You feel Shame


I wanna do it one last time tho so I can get it out of my system UIPUI... ha when I typed it things felt so natural. Am I the only one that feels a name change should be in order for these schools? Just for marketing at least. Was Ft. Wayne State really that bad?

Personally, I feel the new coach at UMKC will have their program stomping the competition in the WAC and then they will try to re-enter the market as a squad that has accomplished something. All I know is if they are willing to drop $ that means they are better than most. I feel KC is a traditional Midwest market too while Pittsburgh is not. RMU is legit but they try to attract students for the eastern coast.

WIU would be able to improve the level of recruiting and support with a move to the HL. That is a fact. Shieza, I'd send in 10K alone right now if they announced it.

Also, the state of IL pass the new road project list. Macomb actually did well and there will be access directly to St. Louis (Alton, IL all the way up to the Quad Cities). With that major addition Macomb isn't as far out of the way. Peoria phase I of construction also got fully funded including the initial roads.

Ten years from now nobody will complain about access to Macomb IMO. Now if the hotel and beach in that picture could just be completed 

Edit: I will still complain actually, they really need access to Peoria asap. STL and QC interests got the most recent four lane access done. The road is fully funded. Whether or not we see those checks bounce is on the state. It is an improvement at least, I am not saying it deserves a parade. It will likely be 15-20 years from now before the entire area of Macomb has much easier access.

#68, I did mean to put UIPUI and IPFW without adding UMKC but honestly they and Chicago St. are all the same thing IMO for what they bring to a conference. They are simply the closest school to WIU that matches the HL foot print (metro city & new focus on hoops).

WIU is a better option than UMKC (same as UIPUI/IPFW) but I have been surprised to see the money UMKC has spent recently to upgrade their reputation. UNK does make the most sense but I have been brain storming on a logical option to get WIU in the mix too so bare with if I seem too loony. At this point I want out of the SL. There is no easy add aside from Chicago State due to football and who wants to see that mess in their league? New arena or not Chicago State is the team that when you lost to them your coach makes you run the next day all practice. That applies for any sport they sponsor. 

UMKC does have a nice market. I wouldn't have even mention UMKC before this year but moving to a legit basketball home and acquiring a competent coach were smart decisions. When the MVC considered them I was floored but aparently they are an option for several leagues just because they are on the geographical line where the Mid West trails into the Rocky's. KU and KSU would have had Big 12 issues and Wichita State seems to be stuck alone in the MVC. UMKC is just a buffer but it added one that WIU could easily travel with.

Robert Morris express any interest in a move? I am more curious than anything.

WIU..... and UMKC to the HL. We are 4:20 minutes apart and they are putting $ into sports finally. They will begin playing games at the Municipal Arena as well rather than on campus. I feel UIPUI and UMKC have shown too little support to be worthy of an addition. Say what you want but the last home game I saw in Macomb had over 4,500 people and a co-SL regular season championship celebration was had. UMKC was horrible but could offer a nice market which HL likes with WIU as a decent travel partner since that was mentioned before as an issue.

Travel Partners. UMKC/WIU, GB/UWM, UIC/Valpo, Oakland/Detroit, Wright St/UNK, YSU/CSU Obviously that is 12 members though. Baseball would be fine at least, so would the foot print and getting games which can be hard for a relevant mid major conference. 

I know people will wait on the MVC but they may be very content to stay where they are due to NCAA credit sharing. I doubt many HL want to give that up themselves in the conference transition period we are having.

For what it's worth, I enjoyed playing against/beating WIU in baseball as well  .  Oakland will be good for the conference, and get us to the desired 6 baseball programs again. 

Ouch  Baseball has a new coach that was a long time assistant at Iowa. He has a good feel and will have success IMO. These issues with baseball numbers are goofy. I almost thought the SL & HL may do a coop for baseball but both have the minimum currently allowed. Add us to the HL at this point so we can win back some of those Mid Con memories. Until then I am stuck 

Now UDM can go belly up like their AD went heels up for former Leatherneck Head Coach and huge flippin embarrassment Derek Thomas. He derailed our program for a number of years  and is one of the main reasons people say things like... Umm Western hasn't proven anything for so many years etc etc. Derek Thomas come on down.... we have a prize for you it is a career win % of .28!!! Ohhh what a recruiter he was, he had about as much discipline as a guy who would get fired for sleeping with his boss in front of student athletes. 

Keep it classy Detroit. Double birds' for hiring that guy.

Gee fellas, nobody told me we could crap on UDM and I would have a free DT shot. This board is great. 

Macomb has enough hotel capacity etc. The square is classic America and has a lot of places worth visiting. I can't argue the access because it is limited (however much better than the Mid-Con days for sure). Macomb is a quality place that honestly lacks a lot of the problems larger cities have. Macomb's size allows it to cater to the needs of the school better than most communities as well IMO. A little splash of money and a new face or two and Western like any school can have legit success. Within the next 15 years Western and Macomb will increase what they have to offer but so will everyone else. The main point I want to make is we are understanding of our own issues but none of them should limit us from joining any mid major conference. Some schools and leagues constantly forget unless you are in the BCS there isn't a lot of opportunity out there to make a huge impact. Western is focused on producing scholar athletes and seems to do a good job with those goals in mind. I hope that would help us in this process for what it is worth.

Hypothetically, what would change the perception of Western? Macomb growing by 5k-10k in population? More access to Peoria/Springfield? New arena? NCAA/NIT appearance and run? All of the above lol?

FYI, if you swapped DU and UMKC which we will next year the SL would have jumped four spots higher in the ranking. Add UIPUI and Omaha are improving and the SL is on the uptick. No more Southern Utah or Centenary. The Dakotas offer some stability and the SL could always add Chicago St. if worst came to worst. I just want to see more success and stability for Western, I believe that lies in the Horizon. Less travel and more natural rivals.

I do understand the travel partner issue. I am not sure if any other micro region team could do. EIU would be a good squad for us to team up with to join but they have the football issue (MVFC is too legit). Western won't go to the OVC because the step down in football but I had hoped we had a shot in the HL. With UMKC gone and adding DU the SL will bump considerably in RPI etc so I am not here begging. I just feel WIU could be better off in the Great Lakes area rather than Great Plains of the MidWest.

We will see, I wouldn't mind seeing Valpo and WIU have a home and away regardless.

There are a few people who disagree, but most on here would say that the #1 seed (or highest remaining seed) hosting the HL tournament makes the most sense to protect seeding.  It makes absolutely no sense to play an entire regular season conference schedule, and then to only allow one of your worst performing teams the chance to steal an NCAA bid on their home court, simply by 'buying' the rights to hosting.  The team that has the best record through 16-18 games is much more deserving than the team that gets hot over 2-4 games...
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That is fair, I like rewarding the regular season champion in some manner. I am not sure what would keep Western from being capable of hosting such an event. Games saw over 4k fans on numerous occasions this year and students have begun to show up which is a difficult task for any Mid Major. If we played Valpo next year you'd see over 4k fans there easy, book it. Same with UIC.

I like playing Valpo, I can get to the school easy and respect the institution. We would offer a good game and you'd be able to get to Macomb without as much hassle as I think it is made out to be.

And finally, this... Just sayin' http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1273.0

Hold off on smashing Macomb too much, we are more of a classic college town than most. Pros and cons to everything. I support the watch and wait mentality as the program has gotten better for hoops and the coach isn't going to leave anytime soon. WIU will show they can compete. It will give the school time to get a new AD and football renovation completed. Hopefully a new arena plan will be on the table as well sooner than later. If a new AD is put in charge IMO I could see a lot of donors coming back that have been a little too quiet as of late. That could be another positive with a move, I keep looking for things to sell us on. We won't all be pros but the cons shouldn't qualify us for a veto IMO.

PS, Hearing a lot of chatter on those UIPUI and IPFW boards...  Overwhelming fan support from what I have read.

I am simply arguing that before UIPUI and IPFW the Leathernecks are a FAR better option. We aren't moving back on campus rec centers like commuter schools etc. Many of the mentioned teams would be great additions but considering all factors like football etc (no OVC member with football is gonna get in the MVFC). The SL isn't as bad as you think and we have a great recruiting class coming in. Will we beat out Robert Morris? No. Can Murray St. get football done? No. Do we have history? Yes sir.

WIU is on the upswing in terms of hoops, we are coming around for our facility upgrades in turn, and we offer all the right sports without horrible travel. We aren't going to change the globe but Quincy, Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, and Springfield offer us areas to recruit from. The four lane from Spring field to connect Macomb is under way. You can already go north through Galesburg or southwest to Quincy. It is the route for KC to Chicago. I'd love to see a four lane to Peoria done but we aren't on another planet.

The HL teams should not host their own tourney IMO. I am not sure what the popular opinion on that is here. A fun destination city seems like the way to go. Even the SL has huge ticket sales etc hosting in Sioux Falls.

If I were driving to Macomb I would use the four lane high way? By next year the new bypass exits will be completed if you want options on where to enter the booming city of Macomb    I must point out that Macomb is a classic college town and we have support when the product is worth it. I am not going to apologize for being a teachers college, direction school, or anything else. To be blunt the way I see it is if you are not in the BCS you are the rest...

There hadn't been much reason to attend basketball games before Molinari addressed the programs issues. It took time but we are very solid now and I don't see that changing. Basketball is what we are talking about here right? The improved hoops at Western put a smile on the new school President's face. His focus is on athletics to market the school better so don't be shocked to see some major changes and not just promises. I will be shocked if we don't have a new AD within the next few months as well. Western has spent tens of millions to make the campus more efficient (mostly steam lines) and savings will now propel the next projects. Western does have priorities though, that being football. The basketball arena would be next.

It has been a while since I have heard anyone drop Forgottonia, I suppose something from the 1960's & 1970's like that would be relevant though in 2013. Its not like the state system we are involved in is about to go bankrupt, focusing on the hippie era sounds just about right  I would question the legitimacy of anyone with a college degree in the Chicagoland area that doesn't know how corrupt politics are and how much of a slant Chicago has against the rest of the state of IL. Are we left behind at times? Yes. Has it become much better? Yes.

Between other colleges and professional sports teams in HL markets it doesn't seem like that big of an issue IMO. Recruiting is helped by markets but national acclaim? Is the HL missing just one final school addition that will land the HL a 50 game ESPN contract? Nope. There are a lot of options, it will forever be changing. I just wanted to offer my ideas, it would be good for Western and I think in time the HL would see a lot of benefit from adding us as well.

I have been reading for a while about the HL's need for new additions.

Oakland makes too much sense not to invite. However, do Valpo fans really think UIPUI and IPFW are better than WIU? None are elite but really? We are projected below both when we have higher attendance than both combined and a far better overall program currently. WIU would be an ideal fit because of so many reasons. Sadly I don't feel consideration will be given. Replace an IL school with an IL school. Keep travel simple with WIU. Football would be fine considering we are patched into the MVFC already (like YSU). Baseball at Western has a new coach and should see improvement. Soccer is competitive, a new field house will fix track/cc & tennis issues.

Western has a capital campaign that will put over 15 million into the football stadium renovation (completion finally) in the next year or two. It is already slated that a new arena for basketball will be built in the next capital drive (2020 roughly). Playing on campus this year whilst competitive we had a very solid number of people showing up.

Come on' I freaking miss the Valpo games. I know we both have bigger and more traditional rivals but seeing the Crusaders in Macomb again would do me some good.

Keep the possible additions logical. Murray St. can't move football so they are a no. UNK is promising. Robert Morris won't love the travel included and I dare say all schools need to bring things a little closer to home (travel for students is way out of line IMO). XDSU are great competition and such but horrible locations to travel too. Just a fair warning.

I hope Western can get in on this conversation a little bit more. With a more reasonable conference affiliation recruiting etc will be so much easier. I just don't see the SL making it through all of this. Honestly, I don't even seen Valpo staying in the HL, as soon as the MVC knows they can't get SLU/Dayton expect a call with UIC or Belmont.