bukie

Oh, the MAC isn't going to be happy about that.

Here's a good read: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44875232/ns/sports-nfl/

Basically, I need 5 of 6 from this group: Hillis @ OAK Green-Ellis v DAL Starks v STL Nelson v STL Garcon @ CIN Maclin @ WAS

Keep in mind, this was back when Eckstein was undervalued, prior to 2002.

Why not? Because he's not expensive, he's a league-average player, there's nobody waiting at the gates internally to take his roster spot, and he's not here long-term anyway? What's the upside to keeping him, though? I couldn't care less either way whether he was traded in a Jose Ceda type deal or he stuck around. One less roster spot to have to fill, basically. Jackson and Byrd can play CF/RF without hindering Jackson's progress if he's ready. The Cubs already need to find a SP or two and a quality 1B (and likely a 3B).

Why not? Because he's not expensive, he's a league-average player, there's nobody waiting at the gates internally to take his roster spot, and he's not here long-term anyway?

Winning 90 games in back to back seasons? (last done in 1929-1930)

I hadn't realized before that Epstein started as GM of the Red Sox the same year Hendry started as GM for the Cubs. Two roads diverged.

I'll go with white, maybe with a touch of dark blue. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5dDQwFp_ItU/SYI9JhsFShI/AAAAAAAAADI/DYnmrP9Kmh0/s400/win-flag1.jpg

I like where the depth of the roster is overall, but I'm really concerned about the team's ability to finish opportunities. They're just not the type of team that is going to be able to be successful by overwhelming the opposition with scoring opportunities against first-tier competition, and only Dempsey looks to be able to create any decent shots on this roster.

Last thought of speculation from me until this all becomes official. If Tom Ricketts made the Cubs organization going forward sound like a better place to be for Theo Epstein than the Red Sox, despite Theo's dream job being GM for the Red Sox, that makes me really excited about the Cubs organization going forward. Also... Tom Ricketts

Some times I feel that way, but then other times you see the guy go out and trade for a legit #1 QB. He ignores the offensive line in the draft, then he spends 2 #1 picks in 4 years on linemen. He got arrogant on things like the Bazuin and Wolfe picks, thinking he could overspend on his own diamonds in the rough. But then he also went out and got Peppers when his pass rush picks weren't panning out. Cutler fell into his lap. Peppers was a great fit (and on defense where Angelo seems to have some intelligence). But O-line only becomes important when he has no other choice. If he had been drafting O-lineman the way he drafts safeties, you'd think we wouldn't be in this situation. Also, he apparently cant judge a safety from a hole in the ground with his recent picks. Cutler fell into everyone's lap. Angelo actually made the move to get him.

So does this mean that, once official, Ricketts starts getting the Geovany Soto treatment?

Better than zero, less than 100%.

Barney makes up a bit with his defense. WHIP/ERA is heavily influenced by the Cubs' abysmal defense. I'm not following your logic. Walks, hits and ERA are not impacted by errors. Am I being overly simplistic? If a defender gets to a ball and boots it/airmails it, it's an error. If a defender has bad range and can't get to a ball, it's a hit. Both are affected by the defender.

I think Illinois would be in great shape for a BCS bid if they went 11-1 beating Michigan and losing to Wisconsin. I'm sketchy on the BCS rules, because unfortunately it hasn't applied to my teams since the Illinois Rose Bowl: Are there obligations to take the higher ranked team from a particular conference? If not, I'd imagine a bowl would prefer an 11-2 Michigan team over an 11-1 Illinois team who beat them or an 11-1 Wisconsin team over a 12-1 or 11-2 Illinois team who beat them. There was the Kansas State rule, but I'm unsure how high you have to be ranked in order for that to take effect (either top 4 or top 6).

I was going to go with @Minnesota, but yeah. I think the ultimate Zooker would be to somehow go into the Minnesota game at 11-0 and lose.

I think Illinois would be in great shape for a BCS bid if they went 11-1 beating Michigan and losing to Wisconsin.

Bah, used the AP poll results instead of the Coaches poll results in the calculations. Here's the BCS ratings with the correct poll. I'll include every team that has accrued at least some semblance of a score: |------------Overall BCS----------|--Coach Poll--|----Harris----|----------Computer Ratings-------| |---------------------------------|--------------|--------------|---------------------------------| | # Team Score| Rank Score| Rank Score| JS BI MA CO AH Score| | 1 Alabama 0.9613| 3 0.9485| 2 0.9489| 1 2 1 1 2 0.9867| | 2 LSU 0.9512| 2 0.9553| 1 0.9784| 2 1 5 4 3 0.9200| | 3 Oklahoma 0.9498| 1 0.9722| 3 0.9440| 3 3 3 2 1 0.9333| | 4 Oklahoma State 0.8240| 7 0.7919| 6 0.8000| 5 5 2 3 4 0.8800| | 5 Boise State 0.8039| 6 0.7932| 5 0.8184| 7 4 6 7 5 0.8000| | 6 Wisconsin 0.7542| 4 0.8434| 4 0.8459| 6 7 14 14 15 0.5733| | 7 Clemson 0.7498| 8 0.7092| 8 0.7270| 4 6 4 8 7 0.8133| | 8 Stanford 0.7181| 5 0.8353| 7 0.7990| 15 9 23 12 12 0.5200| | 9 Michigan 0.6100| 10 0.6041| 10 0.5993| 13 17 12 5 6 0.6267| |10 Georgia Tech 0.5832| 12 0.5458| 12 0.5638| 10 23 9 10 10 0.6400| |11 Arkansas 0.5796| 11 0.5905| 11 0.5882| 9 10 10 21 16 0.5600| |12 Illinois 0.5110| 15 0.4298| 14 0.4365| 8 13 11 9 8 0.6667| |13 Oregon 0.4894| 9 0.6746| 9 0.6602| 16 8 26 26 26 0.1333| |14 Kansas State 0.4447| 18 0.3132| 17 0.3541| 11 12 8 6 9 0.6667| |15 South Carolina 0.4251| 13 0.4597| 15 0.4157| -- 20 13 15 13 0.4000| |16 Nebraska 0.3814| 14 0.4549| 13 0.4494| 17 11 24 22 21 0.2400| |17 Virginia Tech 0.3122| 17 0.3546| 18 0.3287| 21 18 18 23 20 0.2533| |18 Texas 0.3067| 21 0.1647| 20 0.1955| 14 -- 7 11 11 0.5600| |19 Arizona State 0.2600| 20 0.2325| 19 0.2543| 18 15 19 19 19 0.2933| |20 West Virginia 0.2582| 16 0.3580| 16 0.3899| 24 -- -- -- 23 0.0267| |21 Baylor 0.1956| 24 0.1254| 21 0.1948| -- 24 15 17 17 0.2667| |22 Michigan State 0.1548| 19 0.2922| 22 0.1722| -- 25 -- -- -- 0.0000| |23 Houston 0.1481| 22 0.1356| 24 0.0953| -- -- 22 13 14 0.2133| |24 Texas A&M 0.1115| 23 0.1342| 23 0.1203| 25 21 20 -- -- 0.0800| |25 North Carolina 0.0980| 28 0.0292| 32 0.0115| 23 -- 16 18 18 0.2533| |26 Auburn 0.0964| 29 0.0224| 26 0.0668| 12 16 21 -- -- 0.2000| |27 Penn State 0.0943| 25 0.0522| 28 0.0306| 19 -- 17 20 24 0.2000| |28 Florida 0.0579| 26 0.0488| 25 0.0717| 20 22 -- -- -- 0.0533| |29 Notre Dame 0.0215| 30 0.0210| 29 0.0303| -- 19 -- 25 -- 0.0133| |30 Washington 0.0195| 27 0.0353| 30 0.0233| -- 14 -- -- -- 0.0000| |31 USC 0.0178| -- 0.0000| -- 0.0000| 22 -- -- -- 22 0.0533| |32 South Florida 0.0171| 31 0.0203| 27 0.0310| -- -- -- 16 -- 0.0000| |33 Rutgers 0.0119| 36 0.0054| 38 0.0035| -- -- 25 24 25 0.0267| |34 Wake Forest 0.0096| 32 0.0149| 31 0.0139| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |35 Georgia 0.0071| 33 0.0102| 33 0.0111| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |36 SMU 0.0060| 34 0.0075| 34 0.0104| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |37 Texas Tech 0.0042| 35 0.0061| 35 0.0066| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |38 TCU 0.0026| 38 0.0027| 36 0.0052| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |39 Southern Miss 0.0018| 37 0.0047| 40 0.0007| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |40 Cincinnati 0.0009| -- 0.0000| 38 0.0028| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |41 Louisiana-Lafayette 0.0002| -- 0.0000| 39 0.0007| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |42 Hawaii 0.0002| 39 0.0007| -- 0.0000| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |43 Florida State 0.0001| -- 0.0000| 41 0.0003| -- -- -- -- -- 0.0000| |---------------------------------|--------------|--------------|---------------------------------|

Now I want someone to shop a coupe with Theo driving and Ryno riding shotgun.

Jim Bowden apparently wrote an insider article about how Theo should beware of the GM spot in Chicago, because it's nothing like Boston. I haven't read it and won't link to it, but if Jim Bowden thinks it's a bad idea, I'm driving the Epstein bandwagon.

Now that all the ratings are updated for the current week (except Wolfe, who won't release his until next week), here's a far more accurate estimate of the BCS ratings as they stand now: |---------Overall BCS-------|---AP Poll----|----Harris-----|----------Computer Ratings-------| |---------------------------|--------------|---------------|---------------------------------| | # Team Score| Rank Score| Rank Score| JS BI MA CO AH Score| | 1 Alabama 0.9627| 2 0.9525| 2 0.9489| 1 2 1 1 2 0.9867| | 2 LSU 0.9605| 1 0.9831| 1 0.9784| 2 1 5 4 3 0.9200| | 3 Oklahoma 0.9381| 3 0.9369| 3 0.9440| 3 3 3 2 1 0.9333| | 4 Oklahoma State 0.8258| 6 0.7973| 6 0.8000| 5 5 2 3 4 0.8800| | 5 Boise State 0.8156| 5 0.8285| 5 0.8184| 7 4 6 7 5 0.8000| | 6 Clemson 0.7575| 8 0.7322| 8 0.7270| 4 6 4 8 7 0.8133| | 7 Wisconsin 0.7540| 4 0.8427| 4 0.8459| 6 7 14 14 15 0.5733| | 8 Stanford 0.7027| 7 0.7892| 7 0.7990| 15 9 23 12 12 0.5200| | 9 Michigan 0.6048| 11 0.5885| 10 0.5993| 13 17 12 5 6 0.6267| |10 Arkansas 0.5909| 10 0.6244| 11 0.5882| 9 10 10 21 16 0.5600| |11 Georgia Tech 0.5687| 12 0.5024| 12 0.5638| 10 23 9 10 10 0.6400| |12 Illinois 0.5020| 16 0.4027| 14 0.4365| 8 13 11 9 8 0.6667| |13 Oregon 0.4905| 9 0.6780| 9 0.6602| 16 8 -- -- -- 0.1333| |14 Kansas State 0.4713| 17 0.3932| 17 0.3541| 11 12 8 6 9 0.6667| |15 South Carolina 0.4093| 15 0.4122| 15 0.4157| -- 20 13 15 13 0.4000| |16 Nebraska 0.3749| 14 0.4353| 13 0.4494| 17 11 24 22 21 0.2400| |17 Texas 0.3006| 22 0.1464| 20 0.1955| 14 -- 7 11 11 0.5600| |18 West Virginia 0.2878| 13 0.4468| 16 0.3899| 24 -- -- -- 23 0.0267| |19 Virginia Tech 0.2867| 19 0.2780| 18 0.3287| 21 18 18 23 20 0.2533| |20 Arizona State 0.2761| 18 0.2807| 19 0.2543| 18 15 19 19 19 0.2933| |21 Baylor 0.2234| 20 0.2088| 21 0.1948| -- 24 15 17 17 0.2667| |22 Houston 0.1350| 25 0.0963| 24 0.0953| -- -- 22 13 14 0.2133| |23 Auburn 0.1242| 24 0.1058| 26 0.0668| 12 16 21 -- -- 0.2000| |24 Texas A&M 0.1235| 21 0.1702| 23 0.1203| 25 21 20 -- -- 0.0800| |25 Michigan State 0.0983| 23 0.1227| 22 0.1722| -- 25 -- -- -- 0.0000| |---------------------------|--------------|---------------|---------------------------------| The computer ratings are missing Wolfe, but just as the BCS does, the best and worst computer rating are removed for the score calculation. Other than that, these ratings are completely accurate. Team most helped by computers: Texas (13th in computers, 22nd in polls) Team most hurt by computers: Oregon (24th in computers, 9th in polls)

Can you link this up for me? I'd love to share it with this yahoo Steeler fan that came up to me with about 3 or 4 minutes left to go in the game and explained how bad of a QB Cutler is. His comment left me so angry, I berated him loud enough for everyone in the building to hear me and basically shoved him away rather than just knock him out. And it's more because he's a bandwagon fan rather than a legit fan. He would NOT be able to name off the front four of the Steel Curtain if I asked him. And we sort of got a small peak on Sunday night what can happen when even Aaron Rodgers has no offensive line to speak of. There were back to back sacks at one point. His saving grace in that game however, as was already mentioned, was Jennings, Driver, Jones, Nelson and Finley. All better receivers today than ANYONE on the Bears team that played last night. That's not to say that I think Cutler is anywhere near the level of Rodgers. It's just a sad commentary that Jay Cutler is our brain surgeon and he has been given a butter knife and a spoon as his only tools. In other words, an absolute mess. http://www.footballoutsiders.com/quick-reads/2011/week-5-quick-reads

From today's FO Quick Reads: When we invent BVOA (Blocking-adjusted Value Over Average), Jay Cutler will be its patron saint. It was remarkable watching him survive on Monday night, let alone thrive, evading one Lions lineman after another and picking up first downs. Cutler was like the hero in a zombie movie, fighting valiantly and alone against wave after wave of relentless attackers, until finally he was overwhelmed and Ndamukong Suh ate his brain, which drew the requisite 15-yard penalty.

Big East to consider adding 6 football schools The list of possible schools? Memphis, Temple, Central Florida, East Carolina, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Villanova.