It's not baseball season yet, but with my revered Detroit Tigers signing Prince Fielder it got me thinking of the MAC community is interested in baseball/softball coverage. I'm not sure if it's going to be watchable on MAC-Sports.com, maybe, but I'd like to gauge the interest of the community. Be honest; if you don't care, don't pretend ya do.

You most likely saw last night's punch-scuffle this morning and pretty much assumed there would be more collateral damage than just the two ejections. And now we know.

The MAC handed down its final judgment For CMU, and it's a bit steeper and more prolific than at least I expected. Central Michigan starters Jas'Mine Bracey, Crystal Bradford and Jessica Green were all given two game suspensions. OHIO's Porsha Harris will also sit out two games to cool off and think about what she did. Possibly even call up her enemies and make up.

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Any positive news involving a 2-16 team is welcome around these parts; unfortunately this is not one of those news items. Senior forward Tim Toler, known for his burly non-basketball body and his penchant for shooting 3-point shots in a streaky fashion, was dismissed from the team. Coach Mark Montgomery gave no reason. They never do.

Toler was averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, both team highs. He also shot a team-best 36.1 from three, also attempting/making the most of them. And who knows why he's gone. But we know they lost 90-54 last night at Kent State. That would rankle any senior.

And while it's too bad to see a kid's career end like this, Montgomery is in a position where he needs to purge the negative energy out of the program and make it his. There are four upperclassmen left on the team; Brandon Hayes is in a transfer redshirt year, DeMarcus Grady is a bench-riding guard, Tyler Storm is a senior forward who will probably see a few more minutes, and Tony Nixon is a contributing junior guard. So what's left is youth and more youth. This is why it's going to take at least the 2013-14 season before this team can contend.

So until then ... uh, enjoy!

Notes from a mostly punch-free night in MAC basketball, men's and women's combined:

OHIO 56, WESTERN MICHIGAN 51 — The score says most of it, but missing from the Broncos side was big burly center Matt Stainbrook who didn't make the trip on what's being called a "coach's decision" and we know nothing more beyond that. Shayne Whittington is no Stainbrook, at least not yet (although nine points and 13 boards ain't bad). D.J. Cooper led scorers with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jon Smith added six big offensive rebounds to go with six points, but with this slog of a game everyone did just enough to weather WMU's weak shooting night, led by freshman Austin Richie who danced on the ceiling for 16 points.

OHIO improves to 4-2; WMU is down to 3-3.

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Update: We have video. The blurry one always surfaces first.

Update 2: The MAC Digital Network released a version which misses the initial swings but you can see the ensuing pile-on on the court after the jump.

I was not expecting the CMU-OHIO women's basketball game to be the story of the night, but my expectations are continuously in flux. The Chippewas handled the Bobcats easily 67-53 to keep pace in the MAC West but that was not the big reason. In the first half, with 11:08 to play, OHIO forward Porsha Harris was called for a foul. And then [insert details here].

With me so far?

This somehow led to Harris getting into a fight with CMU forward Jas'Mine Bracey, and according to a bunch of Twitter eyewitness accounts, punches were thrown like the wind. And not "girl" punches either. Both ladies are at least six feet tall.

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MAC divisional play began with a small free sample with two games:

AKRON 70, BALL STATE 58 — We haven't done a power rankings lately but I have to say UA is at the top right now. It's easy to say that because they're 5-1 and standing alone atop the MAC standings. But a 12-point win at Ball State? That's even more impressive. And yet it's only their third most impressive road victory: Mississippi State and Marshall were both road victories by double digits.

Both teams matched each other jab-for-jab ... until I fired up the ol' ESPN3 machine and suddenly Akron landed a gut punch, hitting a three and then starting an incredible breakaway layup off an Alex Abreu steal/pass. And then it was over.

And the efficiency! Quincy Diggs had 16 points on seven shots, as did Brian Walsh, and the aforementioned Abreu had 12 points and seven assists. And this is why they're so strong: so many points from people not named Zeke or Nikola.

Jarrod Jones did all he could for Ball State, leading the way with 25 points and nine rebounds. Despite the loss Jones again had the performance of the night. But unfortunately UA shot 9-for-18 from three and that was just too much. BSU tumbles to 4-2. But they're still on pace to win the MAC West because...

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I don't enjoy fawning much over attendance figures, because it can sometimes be one of the sadder aspects of the entire conference, not to mention a bragging point among fans. But I noticed something rather curious.

When I went to the Bowling Green-OHIO game a couple weeks ago I noticed that it wasn't ... well, packed. And yet this was the Stroh Center's first year in existence. Attendance has always been small for the school given its tiny location and general neglect from citizens in Lucas County. This year BG basketball ranks eighth in men's basketball attendance at 1,856 per game. Central Michigan basketball is tenth at 1,506.

Both teams have been straddling the .500 fence for a while, now, so that could factor into the number of butts in seats.

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