Mike Aller

So it should be Oregon and TCU? Exactly. Just because a team has 1 loss doesn't mean it should be a higher ranked team. Especially with Ohio State, you can make a strong case. Ohio State's strength of schedule is the 3rd toughest in the nation compared to 49th in the nation by Oregon and 69th by TCU. With Notre Dame at the 39th for SOS you might have a legit beef. Ohio State, with a much tougher schedule than Oregon beat their opponents by an average of 17.73 points per game while Oregon with a schedule that is much weaker beat their opponents by an average of 12.63. (I used Points For Per game and Points Against Per game to come up with that).

Location: Tempe, AZ

Location: Atlanta, GA

Location: Miami, FL

Location: Pasadena, CA

I'll go with the Colts just because the colts don't have nearly as many 'gimme' games as the Trojans do. Look at it this way: Take the worst team that the Colts face and the worst team that USC faces. Which would be a bigger upset loss? Obviously the Trojan's loss. Any NFL team can beat any other NFL team on any given week. It's not likely, but it's not like we'd be "blown out of the water-surprised" either.

He's welcome back. :P

As said above, saying Maddux is only a number 5 pitcher is ridiculous. Yes, maybe on this team he is, but getting 4.2 out of a number 5 is very good production. Especially when you look at the rest of your pitching staff.

You seem to think Howry has turned a corner in his career at age 32. No one here disputes that Howry had a career year, but do you actually believe that one year represents what he is likely to do in the future? Yes, I do. 2005 was a career year, no doubt, but look at 2004. 44IP with 2.74 ERA. Far above average. Then the next year he further improves. If you can get anywhere in the ball park of his 2004 numbers, you'll have a very successful relief pitcher. He pitched 79 games at a 31/32 year old, so I hardly think he is wearing down yet. As far as the contract situation: Howry simply was a benifactor from a market that desired relief pitching. It would have been the same no matter who you went after. You could have gotten a pitcher for lesser money, but it would have been a lesser pitcher. It just seems no matter what happens, something negative is always found in it. I'm not just saying this situation, because there are some real reasons for complaining, but this isn't the only example. It's not like the Cubs just made a move and people decided to think of something negative. Relievers have short-shelf lives. Outside the best of the best (Wagner, Rivera, Hoffman etc), your typical reliever's career is extremely up and down. They don't get 3 years until after they've had some success, but then after they've had some success, their peak is probably already past. The Cubs are paying guys for what they did before as opposed to what they are likely to do for them in the future. You may be annoyed by all the perceived negativity, but I for one am quite annoyed at all the pleas for people to just be happy with whatever they do. It's been explained over and over why there are drawbacks, and why those drawbacks can't be ignored. This is a very risky move without a ton of upside. It's not like they are overpaying potential superstars. And while it's fine to pay a guy like Howry what they are supposedly paying him, it's not fine to just do that with several players, as the Cubs have done. If $5-6m of your payroll goes into overpaying role players, then that is $5-6m you can't spend on a player who can be an actual difference maker. And we Cubs fans are all too familar with the Cubs tendancy to fall a few million short of signing or otherwise acquiring difference makers. Did I say that you should be happy about anything? Remember, you are complaining about a free-agent signing, not a trade. Huge difference.

You seem to think Howry has turned a corner in his career at age 32. No one here disputes that Howry had a career year, but do you actually believe that one year represents what he is likely to do in the future? Yes, I do. 2005 was a career year, no doubt, but look at 2004. 44IP with 2.74 ERA. Far above average. Then the next year he further improves. If you can get anywhere in the ball park of his 2004 numbers, you'll have a very successful relief pitcher. He pitched 79 games at a 31/32 year old, so I hardly think he is wearing down yet. As far as the contract situation: Howry simply was a benifactor from a market that desired relief pitching. It would have been the same no matter who you went after. You could have gotten a pitcher for lesser money, but it would have been a lesser pitcher. It just seems no matter what happens, something negative is always found in it. I'm not just saying this situation, because there are some real reasons for complaining, but this isn't the only example.

You guys complain too much. :( The Indians had one of the top 3 bullpens in the majors (probably #1) last year, and Howry was a huge part of it. He made 79 appearances, which set a club record for the tribe. I'm upset that he's gone, and I come here and find that you are upset because you have him. Or, well, you 'overpaid'. You have yourself a very good relief pitcher that can pitch you 60-70 games. I realize you have to focus more on offense, but Jesus, be positive for once.

So they shouldn't try to score and they should shut their offense down? You can't blame the other team. And you can't blame the team that gives up the TD either. It just happens.I don't blame anyone. It's just a mild annoyance. ND wins. One step closer to Tempe. Ahh, understandable then. If ND wins out, and we meet in the Fiesta, good luck. It should be a great game. :D

Personally, I love Mark Cuban. He treats his players like kings, and players love to play for him. He isn't just an old guy sitting in a luxury suite demanding success, he's a fan who lives and dies with his team. Great owner.

So they shouldn't try to score and they should shut their offense down? You can't blame the other team. And you can't blame the team that gives up the TD either. It just happens.

Go Michigan State! :)

This game is far more important for the Panthers. Plus, the Panthers have the better team. Carolina wins it, but I don't see any chance of a blowout, and it wouldn't surprise me to see a Bears upset.

:shock: That isn't correct. Anyway, arguements could be made either way.

Combined win lost of OSU opponents faced so far this year: 59-40 (.596) Combined win lost of ND opponents faced so far this year: 48-40 (.545) OSU has 1 game left with Michigan. ND has 2 games left with Syracuse and Stanford. Syracuse is going to lose to Louisville, and just for humor's sake, lets say that Stanford beats Cal. That would mean, if both teams win out, their final win loss of the teams they face would have been: ND - 55-55 (.500) OSU - 66-44 (.600) While I'm upset that ND is currently ranked higher than OSU, it would be a joke if they ended the season that way. (Given that OSU can beat Michigan) In all fairness, they could get a chance to prove it in the Fiesta Bowl, or, if they don't play each other, OSU could lose their bowl and ND could win, and then it would not be a joke. True.

Combined win lost of OSU opponents faced so far this year: 59-40 (.596) Combined win lost of ND opponents faced so far this year: 48-40 (.545) OSU has 1 game left with Michigan. ND has 2 games left with Syracuse and Stanford. Syracuse is going to lose to Louisville, and just for humor's sake, lets say that Stanford beats Cal. That would mean, if both teams win out, their final win loss of the teams they face would have been: ND - 55-55 (.500) OSU - 66-44 (.600) While I'm upset that ND is currently ranked higher than OSU, it would be a joke if they ended the season that way. (Given that OSU can beat Michigan)

No offense, but I can't see Wade getting the MVP. Only because of the people on his team that will take away some of his numbers. Plus, there is a guy out in C-town that will be posting numbers that threaten triple-double average.

How 'bout them Buckeyes. :)

I'm not even a cubs fan and that is disappointing.

Cleveland is a great place if you are 25-35 and enjoy going downtown to drink and have fun. Outside of that, it's nothing special.

It was a great game, but I'm going to have to strongly disagree here.

Yeah. :( But if Texas and PSU keep doing really well, we'll still get a lot of love from the BCS.