MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Chuck, the White Sox 2005 playoff pitching staff of Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Freddy Garcia absolutely deserves to be in the discussion of best staffs ever. 

Post-season stats:

Contreras: 3-1, 3.09 ERA
Buehrle: 2-0, 2.47
Garland: 1-0, 2.25
Garcia: 2-0, 2.14

These guys held the powerful Red Sox offense to 9 runs in the 3 game sweep...pitched all by 2/3 of an inning in the 5-game series vs the Angels including 4 consecutive complete games...and they all pitched at least 7 innings in each of the 4 World Series wins, including a 7 scoreless inning performance last night by the #4, Freddy Garcia.

You automatically think the "Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, etc" group is better because you know them.  We all do - they're household names.  They were in the post-season together every year in the '90s.  On the flipside, you probably still have no idea who these White Sox guys are.   The fact is however, this White Sox staff now has as many rings as the great (and they were great) Braves trio.

[Gregory Sager]

I'd still say "very good" rather than "great", Augiedad. When you look at their offensive statistics over the course of the year, the White Sox weren't all that impressive. They stepped it up in the postseason, though, hitters as well as pitchers, and that's what counts more than any statistical measurements. The starting pitching of the White Sox is certainly outstanding. I've gotta go with Chuck on this, though; the Braves staffs of the nineties were the best that I've ever seen, or at least the best since the great Orioles staffs of Palmer, Cuellar, McNally, Dobson, Watt, etc., back when I was a kid.

North Park's getting some nice media notoriety out of the fact that Ozzie Guillen's two sons are NPU students. I noticed that the school's electronic sign at Foster & Kedzie congratulates "Ozzie Guillen and the Chicago White Sox", and I don't think that the inclusion of the manager is an accident.

Also echoing Chuck, I too thank Bob for digging up the data on those key non-conference tilts. There's some other games that should be added to that list, though. Elmhurst could face Buena Vista, which received votes in the D3 Top 25 preseason poll, in the championship game of the Bluejays' home tourney on December 17. The 'jays will have to get by Marian and Buena Vista will have to get by Olivet in the prelims, both of which are likely to happen. Also, Elmhurst could face #8 Albion in the championship game of the Britons' tourney on December 29. Elmhurst will have to get by Wisconsin-Superior and the hosts will have to beat Concordia (MI) in order for that championship matchup to take place.

Also, the Carthage sked posted on this site is wrong. According to the Carthage site, the Redmen are playing two games against Concordia (CA) in the Maui Classic, one on Nov. 23 and one on Nov. 26. Those two games sandwich a contest between Carthage and Westmont on Nov. 25 in that same tournament. Westmont isn't ranked in the NAIA-1 preseason poll, but they're usually a pretty good team on that level. Combine those three games with the two against MIAA powers Calvin and Hope in the CCIW/MIAA Classic the following weekend, and the two later games against Lawrence and Gustavus Adolphus, and the Redmen should enter CCIW play just as battle-tested as Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst.

[Pat Coleman]

The Carthage schedule matches the schedule we were sent. If they've changed their schedule, it would be nice to know. With 800 programs we don't have the ability to go back and check to see if any schools have changed games, we would have to rely on notifications.

Please, fans, advise us if you see any other schedules that have changed since publication.

[Gregory Sager]

Sorry, Pat. I would've sent you an e-mail, but I only discovered the discrepancy after reading Bob's post an hour ago, because I remembered reading on the Carthage site that the Redmen would be playing Concordia (CA) twice in Maui.

[Pat Coleman]

Maybe Irvine is playing split-squad. UW-River Falls thinks it is playing Irvine on Nov. 26 also.

[Pat Coleman]

Irvine doesn't think it's playing Carthage twice, for whatever that's worth:
http://www.cui.edu/cui_shell.aspx?id=282

[dansand]

Hats off to the White Sox (yes, I'm a Cub fan). They had a tremendous year and one of the best post-season runs ever. However, I have a tough time comparing the Sox staff to the Braves based on that one post season.

Freddy Garcia 99-62, 3.93
Mark Buehrle 85-53, 3.63
Jose Contreras 35-18, 4.28
Jon Garland 64-61, 4.42

Greg Maddux 318-189, 3.01
John Smoltz 177-128, 3.26
Tom Glavine 275-184, 3.44

Maybe 10 (or even five) years from now I'll believe it, but they'll have to do it year in and year out to be considered in the Maddux/Smoltz/Glavine class. That trio was largely responsible (although only Smoltz remains) for much of the 15-year run of division titles. Yes, I know, only one Series title, but that's an incredible run. Just to keep things in perspective, Tony Womack has more rings than Ernie Banks.

[Gregory Sager]

UWRF just has the Maui Classic listed on their site's schedule, not the two specific teams they'll be playing there. And the Westmont site's schedule has them playing Carthage on the 25th (which is what Carthage's site says as well) and UWRF on the 26th.

When in doubt, I always go with what Steve Marovich says. He even has the three Maui games highlighted with a blurb on the Carthage men's basketball page.

[Pat Coleman]

UWRF actually does have the games specified:

http://www.uwrf.edu/sports/sports0506/mbb.schedule.2005.2006.html

I've sent UWRF and Carthage an e-mail suggesting they might want to look into things.

[Gregory Sager]

That's amazing timing, Pat. Just a few minutes ago I was on the UWRF site, and those games weren't specified.

[Pat Coleman]

UWRF does something silly with their web site -- they make a different front page for each season and abandon it at the end of the year, so you were probably looking at the 05-06 schedule that was linked from their 04-05 page.

Like I said, it's silly. Why would you have two copies of the 05-06 schedule on your page? You're asking for confusion.

[Titan Q]

The Titans will host the Battlin' Beavers of Blackburn Monday evening (10/31) at 7:00pm in their first scrimmage.  The second IWU srimmage will be against Luther College at a neutral site (some H.S. gym in Iowa) the week before the opener.

Between Blackburn and Luther, the Titans have a little exhibition in Champaign, Illinois. 

(Hard to believe the Illinois game is one week from tonight.)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Q,

As other posters beat me to, I'll grant that the Sox had one of the SINGLE best post-seasons ever, but it will take a few years until I'll grant them 'best staff' ever status (or even bother to include them in the discussion)!

[I count on a much more level head from you; I fear the euphoria of the Sox sweep has gotten to you!  If our Titans go all the way this year, am I going to have to discount your posts entirely?!  ]

[Titan Q]

I said "the White Sox 2005 playoff pitching staff."  And made statistical reference to one post-season. 

Right?

[Mr. Ypsi]

True, but you then said "deserves to be in the discussion of best staffs ever"; your statement can reasonably be taken to be limited or general.

If limited, yes, one of the better all-time performances.

If general, "best staffs ever", talk to me in 10 years or so!