Exile on Waveland

That's encouraging, at least. (The 80 pitches, not Izturis up)

Screw you Dunn.

Dumb.

WE could have a 200 page thread on the wrongnesses of Billy Packer. And that wouldn't even come close to enough. Billy Packer=Joe Morgan. Neither is ever wrong.

Mike Davis is gone. All is well now. Yeah, future is bright. But it's hard for me not to dwell on the past (at least until IU does something in the tournament again).

I'm not really sure I can stomach Oden/Conley winning a title for Ohio State two years after Sean May won a title for North Carolina. Damn IU's apathetic administration.

Oden isn't. Not this year. This is absurd. Oden is clearly the best player on Ohio State. He leads them in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and points per shot. He's also their best defensive player -- by a wide margin. Even if he didn't score at all, his defensive presence makes an enormous, though unquantifiable, difference. Plus, until the last three tournament games, he hasn't been in foul trouble at all. Mike Conley Jr. controls the ball all the time. He's their point guard. It's easier for Oden to get a ton of points/rebounds/blocks when he's primarily guarded by and guarding guys that are a couple inches shorter than he is. It's also easy to rack up a high field goal percentage when you don't shoot from more than eight feet out and a lot of your scores are dunks and layups. That's why they are called high percentage shots. Yes he is probably the best defensive player on his team and one of the best in the nation but his offense leaves a lot to be desired. Trust me, I love Conley Jr. He's very good and does control the game. But he doesn't impact it the way Oden does. Yes, of course Oden takes shots that lend to a higher field goal percentage. So? Does that make him a worse player because he can lead the team in scoring mostly dunks and short hooks? It's like the argument Shaq isn't good because all he does is dunks. Ignoring the fact Oden is double-teamed most of the time, I'd say, again, who cares if he's doing it against smaller players? He's still doing it. He scores more, rebounds more, blocks more, is a more efficient offensive player, and better defender (though Conley Jr. is also outstanding in that facet). Therefore, he's a better player. PS If you're trying to say Oden is raw offensively or is less polished than Conley Jr., I don't disagree. But that still doesn't mean he isn't the teams best player.

Oden isn't. Not this year. This is absurd. Oden is clearly the best player on Ohio State. He leads them in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and points per shot. He's also their best defensive player -- by a wide margin. Even if he didn't score at all, his defensive presence makes an enormous, though unquantifiable, difference. Plus, until the last three tournament games, he hasn't been in foul trouble at all. of course he did. The dude is 32 and playing against 19 year olds Ha ha, be that as it may...

Oden isn't. Not this year. This is absurd. Oden is clearly the best player on Ohio State. He leads them in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and points per shot. He's also their best defensive player -- by a wide margin. Even if he didn't score at all, his defensive presence makes an enormous, though unquantifiable, difference. Plus, until the last three tournament games, he hasn't been in foul trouble at all.

It's funny, I look at that prediction and think it's realistic -- even though I expect a higher finish. But, still, I find fifth place to be very pessimistic. I guess mainly because the top three or four teams are likely to be bunched very closely.

I do understand where you are coming from and you're right Wood is not making crazy money relative to what he was making in previous years. We'll see if the guy will be able to pitch again. Hey, I'm probably every bit as cynical about Wood's chances as you are. I hope I'm wrong, but I'd be surprised if he's more than ephemerally effective before another injury. That said, I am rooting hard for him and completely agree with the decision to re-sign him.

I understand the emotional complaints, we're all Cub fans and want the team to do well and have been disappointed by Wood's injuries in previous years. What I don't get, is why the Cubs should release him. They spent a relatively measly $1.5 million on him, which is already a sunk cost. Think of some of the terrible players the Cubs have paid more than that recently (Neifi Perez for one). It was gamble -- but it was/is a gamble on greatness. If Wood is remotely healthy, he could be dominant in his relief role. If he's not and/or he's hurt all the time, they're out $1.5 million. Either way, it was a good gamble. They have a backup plan. The Cubs gain nothing from releasing him, except for your peace of mind -- which, frankly, isn't worth a damn thing to the organization, nor should it be. Oh, and there's no reason the gamble is a failure yet. There is still plenty of season and it doesn't sound like Wood is out for anything but a few weeks.

While I wouldn't go that far, he did a very poor job this game (and season I'd argue). Launching 3s while ignoring Hansbrough is inexcusable.

yah, and they also know that if anyone on the court looks at him funny he gets to shoot free throws Exactly. He's basically protected like an NBA star sometimes, even more reason to pass him the ball.

Does UNC know that Tyler Hansbrough plays for them?

It certainly shouldn't. What's going on?

I just don't understand this. James Brown is a good studio host, but a terrible play-by-play guy. Meanwhile, Gus Johnson is great -- especially with Len Elmore, who is very good. Who made this decision?

Ahem. Second most talented team in the country. The most talented team in the country is going to lose to Georgetown in a few hours. ETA: Not that I didn't choose UNC to win the whole thing. I just think Georgetown is a more consistent team. Agreed, at least about the talent part. I picked Georgetown, too, mainly because UNC's defensive effort fades during games in my opinion. But UNC has the deepest roster of talent. It's a hard question to answer -- Florida has the best starting five, but UNC has more good players. Kansas is right there, as is Ohio State, mainly because of Oden.

Didn't know, but figured. And, yes, I'm very jealous. Jerk. :wink: Good showing for the US, I thought. Donovan's good.

Congrats. Impressive performance. I'm a little upset at myself -- I went against my golden rule of picks. When a game is basically a tossup, I go with the better coach. I picked Kansas. Oh well.

Damn. We're totally not going to get the 2018 World Cup. England? Could still get it in 2014. Columbia has no shot in hell IMO which pretty much just leaves Brazil. They are probably just 50-50 too. If it goes to England in 2018 that would be pretty nice to go to. If that happened I would think the US would be a lock for 2022. It's possible but if FIFA is saying the rotation might end in 2018, that implies it won't end in 2014. I agree that Columbia has no shot, but I've pretty much assumed it'll be Brazil, as FIFA seems intent on South America. It'd be quite fun to go in 2018 to England, agreed. Let's hope the US gets it back in 2022, if so. With security being the #1 concern by FIFA now I am not sold on Brazil being able to have things in line within 2-3 years which I am assuming will be FIFA's deadline. The 2018 bids between the US and England will probably be the most impressive bids FIFA has ever recieved which is why I think both countries are a lock for 2018 & 2022. Its just a matter of what order they will be in. Both countries being on the front lines of economy, security, and the potential venues will be amazing. Dallas might not be the high profile city for the US, but the new Texas stadium will be the mecca of US stadiums. I hear you on the Brazil concerns, and I've always questioned the rotation as Africa and South American simply can't match up with Europe, Asia and North America/US in all the amenities needed to host. However, I still think one way or the other South America will get 2014, which basically means Brazil. Agreed. England and the US bids for 2018 will be mighty impressive and I'm sure those will two countries will host 2018 and 2022. The new Texas Stadium looks amazing. Don't sleep on Indy's new stadium either, I'm hoping maybe they can get in on the World Cup action. Problem is, by 2022 or even 2018, neither stadium will likely be state of the art.

Prepare to be surprised. Not saying I agree with it, I vehemently don't, but everyone places him that high. Some guys I'd prefer to McRoberts: Greg Oden Kevin Durant Brendan Wright Al Horford Joakim Noah Corey Brewer Jeff Green Roy Hibbert Nick Young Acie Law IV Spencer Hawes Julian Wright (whoops, just saw snood's post) Brandon Rush There are a couple other players I'd consider before McRoberts too - especially since I expect a few of these guys to return. And I know some of the foreign guys like Jianlian and Splitter are considered lotto picks. I don't disagree about any of those names. Still, since it seems Wright is staying, even including the two international players mentioned, you only named 14 players. If one of those guys doesn't come out, or one team likes McRoberts more, then he's in the lottery. I'm sure there will be other surprises that move up the draft charts, but I just mean you barely listed enough to keep him out of the lottery. Again, I want to stress that I wouldn't pick McRoberts very high -- I think he's a role player at best -- but he's likely to be a lottery pick.

Damn. We're totally not going to get the 2018 World Cup. England? Could still get it in 2014. Columbia has no shot in hell IMO which pretty much just leaves Brazil. They are probably just 50-50 too. If it goes to England in 2018 that would be pretty nice to go to. If that happened I would think the US would be a lock for 2022. It's possible but if FIFA is saying the rotation might end in 2018, that implies it won't end in 2014. I agree that Columbia has no shot, but I've pretty much assumed it'll be Brazil, as FIFA seems intent on South America. It'd be quite fun to go in 2018 to England, agreed. Let's hope the US gets it back in 2022, if so.

Hopefully we won't let you down, but KU is a better team. I also have 7 out of 8 Elite 8 teams - missed on Memphis (sadly, I had Texas A&M all the Final Four). Ditto. I'm still a little surprised Memphis beat Texas A&M. Still, 7 of 8 is pretty good (though not as much in this, the year of the favorite).

Damn. We're totally not going to get the 2018 World Cup. England?