weis21

I doubt where you will be playing for his junior year had that much bearing on his decision. I think that he liked Illinois, but not enough to leave home. No getting his brains beat in by UNC and Duke every year was what won him over. And NC State. Sorry in advance for being an irritating fan for a team that nobody probably cares about, but, homer or no-homer, I think NC State is for real. The talent really rallied around the first-year coach Gottfried last year and he has so far brought in 3 All-Americans this year and already the #9 overall player for the 2014 class. I know this is a big 10 board and I will never talk smack in regards to the ACC or NCSU vs Big 10 or any of their teams, but I love this board enjoy the posters here and their expertise in all sports. I just mainly want to hype them up while they are still an unknown. I admit, 5-7 national preseason rankings are a TAD optimistic. Hope I'm wrong. I guess you really just have to live in this NC culture to understand the excitement as an NC State basketball fan. We've been bad for SO long. In NC, for every 20 fans there are 12 UNC fans, 6 Duke fans, 1 NC state fan, and 1 Wake/other fan. The UNC/Duke crap is SO overblown and repulses any non-UNC/Duke fan.

Anybody that thinks they know the spread better than the oddsmakers is a fool. There is a reason the line is set as it is. To create betting. If a line seems too good, then that is a red flag. There is a reason Vegas is still Vegas and a reason the oddsmakers are oddsmakers. Blackjack is the only thing in Vegas that gives any odds to the gambler. ETA: That is not to say someone can't have a "hunch" about a game. Of course, there are always those types of bets. But no one can reasonably say a line is "crazy" or that betting for or against any set odds is crazy. Nobody knows more than the people setting the lines. It's a crapshoot at best.

That's that [expletive] i DO like.

As far as "coolness/recruiting desireability", NC has 3 McDonald's All-Americans in the 2012 class. A record for the state. All 3 signed with NC State. I think you may be selling NC State a little short. Which is understandable, because they were horrible under the former AD and for a really long time. But, there is a really, really strong fan base and the basketball culture is top notch once you experience it. Plus, with the [expletive] storm surrounding UNC (not that I expect it to be fully exposed as what it is) and Coach K impending retirement rumors swirling, I'm not surprised the play field has leveled out some.

I'm not saying they will dominate the ACC for years to come. I'm saying, for this year, there is a pretty good chance they are the best team. They have a new coach, a new AD, and a new vision. And they've pumped a lot of money into facilities and such. This was a team took over by Gottfried that already had pieces in place from Lowe (who could recuit, but do nothing with talent once there). Gottfried, at least to this point, can recruit just as well and seems to be able to translate that into talent and wins (e.g. Leslie was a "selfish" player, but has given Gottfried all the praise in the world to his new "team-first" attitude). Players have flourished so far under his regime. If he can continue to put a good product on the court - and his reputation as a player's coach - there is a good chance they'll continue to improve. They haven't been relevant in a long while, but this is hardly a University that is foreign to winning National Championships. This is college basketball, all it takes is a good coach. What was Duke before Coach K? (note: that's not an attempt to compare Gottfried to Coach K. Just a reference to how much influence a coach has in NCAA basketball)

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-05-22/college-basketball-rankings-2012-13-top-25-mike-decourcy http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/64064/three-big-things-nc-state They are actually featured on ESPN NCAA Basketball page tonight, by chance (above). This is a quote from that piece, "If Purvis is cleared to play, NC State is the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC. North Carolina is just as talented, and Duke is just as experienced, but neither team would combine the two like the Pack." Look, I never would say it's a lock - because it absolutley is NOT - but the pieces are there to make it happen. It's a possiblity and perhaps the best bet. I just get a lot of this "NC State will lose or choke because they are NC State" crap down here and it irritates me. Just like the "Cubs won't ever win it because they'll choke in the playoffs lololol, etc.". I have no clue if that was the angle you were playing, I just get a lot of that down here and I guess I'm a little defensive. If nothing else, I enjoy throwing my predictions/hopes out there and I'll either sink or swim in a few months.

Why?

NC State picks up #9 overall and #3 PG in 2013 class. Love, love, LOVE Gottfried so far. I don't know how to act now that NC State is relevant (and hopefully the class of the ACC). I have SO damn many obnoxious UNC and/or Duke fans as friends or family. IF they can live up to their potential, it's going to be hard to remain modest given how many dreadful seasons I've endured. Cubs fans can relate, I imagine. Oh, and Rodney Purvis is apparently now cleared and eligible to play this year. I was never too worried, honestly. I have a feeling this may be his only season at NCSU.

I took the triple u to indicate sarcasm. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Drinking and going back and forth between FaceBook/NSBB. I briefly looked for the Like button beside Treymon's post. New NSBB feature?

Best NSBB poster. He's extremely young and is already put in a position where he's the team's "savior" and has a lot of pressure on him. Baseball is all about up's and down's. Hot streak and cold streaks. He's young. He's got a good track record. He's athletic. Good defender. He has good leadership qualities per his teammates (not to mention how surviving cancer can - I can only imagine and appreciate - put things in perspective). The dude is legit and just getting settled in. He freaking MASHED AAA pitching something terrible and is by no means looking overmatched at all now in the big leagues. Just a typical transition period.

Oh my. That is so awesome. Also, I don't think it can be stressed enough that Vogebach - while clearly fat - is NOT unathletic. This is from several scouts that have seen him in person. He's basically a white Prince Fielder (maybe a touch less athletic). He's fine at first and is not predestined to only a DH. Plus, he's lost 30 lbs since high school. I'm not ruling put the possibility of him trimming another 20ish lbs and being acceptable enough LF given his bat. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Love that interview and love this move. I wish I could fast-forward 5 years when the Cubs are awesome and the system is stocked with talent. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

My mom always used to try to get me to read as a child (why?). But she won me over with "the spy on third base". Much love, MC. As an aside: I'm now listening to "I wish" by R Kelly. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2 Edit: Meant to quote SneakyPower. Stupid phone. Just disregard this post because it probably makes no sense. I'm sure all level-headed and rational persons have done that already. So, carry on. Additional Edit: Looks like I need a new signature. So sad. I created that when his stock was sky high and the Cubs looked unstoppable...

*resisting urge to make off-color joke*...

:lol:

well obviously they weren't going to wait around until there were 5 minutes left on the deadline for him to decide. His indecision was his decision. He knows that, regardless of what he says.

WILL HE WAIVE HIS 10/5 RIGHTS??????///??

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmvUvjo3fqg/T7uOcJ8YQrI/AAAAAAAAA9E/xJ54DNGzkGg/s1600/tumblr_lw7c78tikh1qz967z.jpg

According to Brett's article and updates (starting with Update 4), it sounds like the "3-team race" for Dempster was a tactic to squeeze a little more from the Dodgers. *sigh*

Well the two other bullpen arms were essentially for Johnson and Soto. I don't think anyone is jumping up and down over Chapman/Brigham (and now, apparently a PTBNL) for Soto/Johnson. I think most people feel that's a pretty even swap. But, as TT just pointed out, some people think Vizcaino could wind up in the bullpen based on durability issues. However, whether a shutdown reliever or TOR starter, it's still a great deal for Maholm. ETA: Kyle, as well

I was thinking the opposite. The Cubs would kick in money to pay for this year, but it sounded like the Braves would be paying his salary next year. I believe it was a quote from Wren, but I've read so many things the past 12 hours that I don't recall exactly.

You call it turning up their nose, I call it realistic descriptions of what we got. Sure we can use such things. But they aren't exactly tough to find. And there's no cause for celebration once you get them. The celebration is because while it may be realistic to think they'll both be bullpen arms, one could potentially be a legit #2 SP. And from reports that I've read, I don't think anybody would be surprised if Vizcaino wound up starting.

Agreed. I don't think anything really "new" will come out before Tuesday (with the obvious of Dempster agreeing to the ATL deal). We know the agreement between the clubs was finalized regarding Delgado, etc. We know Dempster has nixed it; either through no decision or a solid "no". All indications lead to a no decision at this point. Dempster wants to pal it up in LA with his BFF for a couple months and would rather be there. He's being selfish in that regard, but, in my interpretation of the situation (from what's been reported), he's basically just screwing the cubs if the braves move on and pick up a pitcher. That sounds obvious but the reason I bring it up is because if the Braves call his bluff or have no other attractive alternatives, I think they know Dempter will "settle" for ATL. Basically, we just have to hope other teams are asking a king's ransom for their pitchers and hope the braves don't find a suitable partner. Hopefully they don't take offense to this delay in the decision and are mature and understand a player's preference after having 10/5 rights ((not in any way defending Dempster - I think the whole situation blindsided Theo (hate Thoeyer, btw) and company - or else talks wouldn't have progressed to the point where a deal was leaked from either side)). Wren has not said the deal is off the table and I don't think they particularly take offense to Dempster's preference. Just a gut feeling hearing Wren's comments, Dempster's comments, and the info from "sources". With a situation as sticky as this you have to take each report with a grain of salt and assume the answer is somewhere in the middle. That's my estimation, at least. I mainly lurk here - most of my couple thousand posts are useless game-thread reactions - because there are many intelligent posters here that either convey my thoughts or know more than I can and probably assessed the situation more rationally and reasonably than I have. Just my humble opinion and I probably was too long-winded in saying that, but, in summary, I don't think the braves offer is off the table. In fact, I'd say it's at worst 50/50 and getting better by the minute.

Where do you guys get all your gifs?