badgercub

It's all about the Benjamins. Double headers put a dent in your revenue stream.

Lineups?

it is odd that they would postpone it so early. usually they like to get as many people into the park as possible and let them hang out for a couple of hours so as to boost concession sales.

We all are dumber for just having read this. No wonder this country is going to hell in a handbasket, Oh he fell down, that isn't fair, let's give him a hit instead so it at least makes him feel better. Sack up and get a pair, you're out, no hit.

I love tailgating, and that is about the only thing I like about Miller Park. To me it is quite a sterile environment, even when the roof is open you still feel like you are indoors. I would take the wrigley experience with all of the wonderful bars and eateries in close proximity to the ballpark than Miller Park.

That Gallagher would get hurt a month later? That was meant to be a little tongue and cheek as everyone always says Beane must know something everyone else doesn't when he unloads his pitchers. With Harden's injury history I think most people would have thought it more likely that Harden would be the one to the DL before Gallagher. Best of Luck to Sean - glad to hear it doesn't sound structural.

per rotoworld: I thought it would be Harden that went to the DL first. Maybe Hendry knew something that Beane didn't.

I am hoping for an early blowout tonight. My softball team is meeting out tonight to watch the game - and being in Brewer country - they love to put the crap on me when the Brewers beat the Cubs, so the sooner the Cubs can put this one out of reach the better.

Lou may want to get that extra lefty in the lineup and move Derosa to LF and start Fontenot. Theriot Fukudome Lee Ramirez Soto Hoffpauir Derosa Edmonds Fontenot

Feels like an off day with no new game thread. What's the deal?

Game Thread for today? Is there a pinch-hitter to fire up today's thread?

how's the math today? 12 outs, four have been used up while he's at-bat. Right? I think only 3 have as he singled his first at bat.

I would do the following: Soriano Fukudome Lee Ramirez Soto Derosa Edmonds Theriot Soto is just hitting too well not to have him bat behind Ramirez. Maybe I would put Edmonds between Soto and Derosa but definitely not higher than sixth in this lineup.

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My brother and I used to get together and go every year, it was tradition. As we have gotten older, we just decided the weather is too unpredictable that early in the season, and it isn't very fun when it is 30 degrees out and you are freezing your gonads off. The year John Cusack sat in front of us on opening day was pretty cool though.

I can pretty much guarantee every player is thinking that. A lot were probably promised all kinds of things during recruitment, so phone calls don't register. I didn't want Sampson hired because of those phone calls, and I wanted him dismissed because of the same. But, again, it was phone calls. Not paying players, not academic fraud, not point shaving. Phone calls. Sampson deserved his fate, but the players have every right to be frustrated by the situation. It wasn't "just phone calls" though. Sampson was already sanctioned for the same offense once, and if he would have come clean it probably wouldn't have been so bad. It is the Lying to the NCAA and Indiana that has gotten him in the most trouble.

Here was my analysis of Wisconsin at the beginning of the year. Not too bad of a prediction. Looks like they will finish a little better than I expected, anywhere from Conference champs to 3rd. and probably a 3-4 seed in the tourney when all is said and done.

Dave Kingman is my most hated of all time. I remember when I was a kid, one of the first Cubs games I ever went to, it was Dave Kingman day, I think Kingman was hurt but he didn't even show up for his own day. What a jerk!!!!

Purdue had eight more fouls called on them than Wisconsin. We all know how terrible Big Ten officials are, but I'm confident in saying that they aren't favoring Purdue every single game. When you consider Purdue has won 12 of its last 13 games and is 6-4 in road/neutral site games this season, it's obvious that the Boilers are doing something right. Of course there have been fouls that haven't been called, but there is no denying that Purdue is a damn good defensive team. They are a great defensive team, quick as hell. They are so deep, they can afford to play that aggressive in your face pressure defense that disrupts the other team from getting into their offense. I didn't mean to diss Purdue, I think Painter has done a wonderful job of getting this young team to buy into his philosophy and execute - they simply outplayed the Badgers from the get go. I was just pointing out that they could also be called for a foul just about everytime they setup in their half court defense with all of the handchecking and grabbing that goes on. It could come back to hurt them in the tourney though as a lot of that will not be allowed.

Its funny that Purdue took a page out of the UW book to beat them twice this season. They hustle, they're deep, they're versatile, don't make many mistakes, and they get in your face defensively. Seems like a team that will have trouble in a more closely called NCAA tourney game. They have a clear edge in the title race, being they only have 3 tough games left vs. MSU and on the road at IU and OSU. MSU has to go on the road to the other top B10 teams and has IU at home. Wisc. only has 3 more at home and 1 is MSU. IU has 5 tough games left, but 4 of them at are home. Purdue is gonna be a very touch matchup for IU, because they do a lot of the same things well that IU does well (shoot the 3, FTs, run the floor). The difference will be the major differences, Purdue's defense, IUs rebounding. I think it all comes down to the Calasan vs D.J. White match up. Can Calasan contain him defensively enough that he won't go nuts on the interior and can Calasan get his 3point shot going enough that it spreads IU's defense out? Calasan is no match for DJ. He does have some size, but he's weak on the boards, has no offensive game, and is foul prone. After him, their only "big" is 6'10", 210lb Johnson, who would get destroyed. I don't worry about a big man shooting the 3 with the zone we've been playing. In fact, I'd dare Calasan to shoot all night. I do worry about the slashing and them being able to get DJ in foul trouble on some help defense. Calasan does like to bang inside though. So we'll see how effective he can be. Calasan won't be shooting all night but he will be one of many 3 point threats on the floor. DJ will be key for IU and should have a big game. The Badgers went away from the inside game and didn't get nearly enough touches in the post, although part of that had to do with the fact they were constantly getting fouled and taken out of their offense. The Badgers shot 30 freethrows and just as easily could have shot 60, the refs allowed Purdue to grab and handcheck on the perimeter all night long making it virtually impossible for the Badgers to get into their offense.

Wasn't Farnsworth alleged to have fallen asleep out in the bullpen due to being hung over? I think Farns' nightlife affected his ability to perform at times and I think that is probably what the article is referring to.

Attendance what it is in Tampa Bay I would imagine you could walk up and get tickets for face value or cheaper the day of the game or if you want tickets in hand before the game just buy them off of the Rays website when tickets go on sale. I would imagine you could find lodging for as inexspensive or as expensive as you like. When I have gone to Florida in the past I usually have rented a vacation home - 3 bedrooms, your own pool in the backyard, etc.... for very reasonable rates (around $100 a night for a min of 5 days).

I believe the word you are looking for is naivete, and I am not even sure I spelled it correctly.

I would have thought the game against us was your worst of the year. That is two subpar efforts in a row. Even though Indiana won, it has to be a cause for concern with how horrible they looked last night. Neither team deserved to win that game. How can you possible find anything positive, other than the win, from that game if you are Indiana? 26 turnovers, and wild passes and shots left and right.

Penn State can rebound, but they can't shoot foul shots, so Wiscy just needs to "hack-a-shaq" them and they'll win Unless the Badgers are down towards the end of the game, they just don't foul. They are very sound fundamentally, don't reach, and move their feet. They play great man to man, position defense. I hate them. Wisconsin has always been fundamentally sound. I think Bo Ryan could coach a team of walk-ons to 20 wins. Always a tough matchup for IU because they don't make mistakes. Bo Ryan is the best coach in the conference. Wisconsin is superbly coached. Interesting games for both 3-0 Big Ten teams this week. Wisconsin at Penn State tonight, and Indiana at Minnesota Thursday night. The Barn has been a veritable house of horrors for IU historically, and Tubby has had great success against the Hoosiers (though mostly against the incompetent Davis). This will be IU's toughest, most likely loss since playing Xavier. If either team moves to 4-0, they'll be ahead of the curve. Ohio State at Michigan State tonight is also a big game. Minnesota really hasn't beaten anybody to date, unless you count Penn State, which didn't play very well. I think IU wins that game easy, D.J. White and Gordon will have big games.