Staudt: Rethinking the Crosstown Showdown

Michigan State has always wondered what playing baseball might be like in the fall and the Spartans have three exhibition games now scheduled once school resumes at summer’s end. The 11th annual Crosstown Showdown has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 6. It was weathered out in early April, a futile time to schedule such an attraction in the first place. Either the parent Toronto Blue Jays have got to get with the program or cancel the Lansing Lugnuts’ involvement altogether. Few people want to sit through lousy weather for what has been a good drawing card in the community.

The Lugnuts will either stay one day past the end of the regular season or it will be an off day prior to the playoffs. If the date works this year, then I’d advise to keep playing the game in September until it doesn’t hold fan interest. The Spartans also will host the Brigham Young baseball team before or after the football game between the schools on Oct. 8. The Oct. 1 MSU at Indiana football game may also feature a game between the baseball teams beforehand, as well. If all three games are played, MSU can schedule 53 for the regular season in 2017.

TURNING PRO: MSU baseball coach Jake Boss is bracing himself for the major league amateur draft, which begins Thursday. Juniors are eligible and MSU has as many as six key players who could be chosen and then sign. Infielder Jordan Zimmerman could be chosen as high as the fourth round in Boss’ mind and starting pitcher Cam Vieux, he’s heard, might go anywhere from rounds four through eight. MSU’s 36-20 record this past season was built in large measure by its juniors, and the roster would take a major hit if many of them turned pro.

INDOOR GOLF FACILITIES: Northern schools are now building indoor facilities for the varsity golf teams, and that’s all nice, but in Michigan State’s case I claim the Spartans’ success in recruiting is a result of the quality of the coaches as players themselves. The MSU women’s coach, Stacy Slobodnik Stoll will play another competitive schedule this summer, sometimes in tournaments featuring her own players and oftentimes, in the past, she has beaten them. Let’s be honest, the best sun belt players won’t head north to chip and putt indoors in the winter no matter how much these buildings cost. And the northern players staying home have often headed to MSU because they know they’ll become better players from coaches who have credibility themselves and aren’t 18 handicappers. And I see that as the key factor for both MSU teams remaining competitive in the future.

BASKETBALL LEAGUE: The Moneyball Summer Pro Basketball League begins at Aim High on June 28 — a six-week run of games Tuesday and Thursday nights, no admission charge. Six teams will compete with many Michigan State players involved. This year, a four-team women’s league is being added with one game scheduled for each team per week. NCAA rules prohibit more than two current players from the same college team on the same summer league team and MSU women’s coach Suzy Merchant is allotting a full complement of eight of her players to be divided up. It’s a great place for autograph seekers. Former Spartan Draymond Green a year ago stayed after games one night until midnight signing for fans who brought kids.

SATELLITE CAMPS: If Michigan’s satellite football camps do nothing else this month, they will generate incredible June publicity. The Detroit newspapers have sent reporters on the road to follow coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff. While in Atlanta on Thursday, Harbaugh met with baseball hall of famer Hank Aaron. He was later seen speaking to campers wearing a Michigan baseball cap. And on Wednesday, one Detroit newspaper featured five Michigan football stories in its sports section. If, as Alabama coach Nick Saban calls thse camps “the Wild Wild West,” then Harbaugh is Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy combined.

GOLF TOURNEY: The 105th Michigan Amateur Golf Championship will be played June 21 to 25 at Eagle Eye, which I found earlier this week to be in its usual pristine condition. I would advise the tees be moved up because some in the field will have trouble keeping balls out of harm’s way. There are 13 players from the area who have qualified — Sam Abood, Cole Caswell, Dan Ellis and Dean Holland from Lansing; Carson Castellani, Dominic Choma, Steve Nichols and Mike Tungate from East Lansing; Casey Lubahn from Williamston; Jacob Johnson from Holt; Nathan Clark from Charlotte; Owen Beyer from DeWitt; and Chris Beltzer from Haslett. You better hit ’em straight boys!

VALENTINE: Former Michigan State basketball player Denzel Valentine is working out these days in Santa Monica, California, in advance of the June 23 NBA draft. Valentine is with other players practicing all of whom are represented by the same agency.

RECRUITING: Rod Brind’Amour was a terrific hockey player at Michigan State for one season in 1988-89, scoring 27 goals and 32 assists in 42 games. He then turned pro and played much of his NHL career for the Carolina Hurricanes. His son, Skyler, has verballed to play hockey at Michigan State for the Class of 2018. He played this past season for the Carolina Junior Hurricanes of the U-16 AAA league.

DAL CORROBO: John Dal Corobbo was a teaching golf professional at Michigan State for 11 years through 2006 after he failed to make enough money to play on the Web.com tour. Dal Corobbo still plays professionally and he finished as the top club pro in last week’s Senior PGA Championship at Benton Harbor — seventh place at 11-under-par.

CONGRATS TO WEGENKE: Congratulations to Haslett’s Emily Wegenke, the Penn Station East Coast Subs Greater Lansing area high school athlete of the year. Emily is headed to Central Michigan University after playing soccer, volleyball and track for the Vikings. But it was her litany of non-sports activities that stood out from the other five finalists. She wins a $1,000 scholarship, a trophy and a party to celebrate with her family and friends.

EMU FINE: Let me see if I understand the Detroit Free Press story this week correctly. It reports Michigan legislators may well fine Eastern Michigan University $400,000 in state aid for next year because it raised tuition this year 7.8 percent when the ceiling was supposed to be 3.2 percent. Did Michigan’s lawmakers see the HBO story last month about EMU students paying more than $900 per year that goes to the athletic department to remain in division one despite a shortfall of about $27 million per year for the Mid American Conference school? What about that charge? Are there any Michigan lawmakers who believe EMU students should have the option of paying an athletics fee in exchange for admission to all events? Or all of their fees should go toward their degree? And if EMU can’t afford to be in division one then it needs to move to a smaller NCAA division it can afford without gouging its students whose tuition this year rose at an unacceptable rate? Just a thought.

CLASSIC SEMIS: The 55th Diamond Classic features the usual suspects at Cooley Law School Stadium for the semifinals Monday night beginning at 5:30. Make it defending champ Grand Ledge 6, DeWitt 4 and Holt 7, Mason 3. Grand Ledge 4-3 for the title on Wednesday night. The teams I picked to lose now have motivation to prove me wrong.