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Pitt always plays a terrible schedule and is overrated. Maybe sometime this century the Big 10 will win a National Championship? Do you think? I think someone will this January. They should also be playing another Big Ten team for the title. I beleive we had a basketball team that would have won if not for standing within two feet of Sean May being a foul. Just because Illinois couldn't stop Sean May to save its life in that game doesn't mean you have to throw out untrue statements like that. Don't get me wrong, I was rooting for Illinois that year but there was no favorite playing by the refs in that game. I would agree with that-I was also rooting bigtime for Illinois, but I thought that game was called very fairly.

What? Schilling wasn't "liked" by the Boston media, until the sock. Before that he was a cocky guy who provided great quotes. A consistent .900 OPS player is unlikely to succeed? I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he'll hit in that lineup in that park. True, but the fans liked him. For the most part, they already hate Drew. He won't put up enough in the "traditional stats" to change their mind, and if he gets hurt again they will really hate him. What the fans think is not important for some players success, but for a player like Drew who is somewhat sensitive to those sorts of things that constant pressure will wear on him-he has probably 2 productive seasons there, maybe 3, and then he will probably want out and be traded. If he gets hurt, that could cause him to be forced out even quicker.

Dewan, in the Fielding Bible, said Taveras should have won the gold glove in 2005, and Taveras ranks near the top of most advanced metrics. I'm not saying I want him - far from it - if the Cubs trade for him, I'm selling all my tickets again this year - but defense is the one positive he brings. Which would then make perfect sense for Colorado to keep him, since they have the most spacious CF in the big leagues. That's what I don't understand. In Colorado (and to a lesser extent Houston) and a few other ballparks he has value because of his defensive range in CF. He might have the most range of anybody in the NL now. However, if he comes to Wrigley, his biggest asset is mostly wasted, and that just further exposes the things he cannot do with the bat.

Rotoworld: That's a whole lot of cash. I think it's smart for him to take it now. There's no way to know what the market will be like next year, especially with some other really good CF's on the market. I agree. This is the largest signing of the offseason of position players (by amount per year). Looking over Wells's numbers, I'm not sure he is guaranteed to get 20 million per year-in fact, if he had a year like 2004 or 2005 his number could go at least a little down from this contract. Also, two other things to remember-this makes him a substantial raise this year, and the amount that he is going to make after this contract even at 35 years of age is likely going to be higher than the amount he would have been paid this year without an extension, so that helps. Also, it says he has an opt out clause-if he can opt out at 32 or 33, he might be able to get another huge deal on the market, which makes this deal even better for him.

This Guy Thinks MVP Throw his name among the top rookies, but he's not the ROY in my book and no way is he MVP worthy. I would agree with that. I didn't support Dante Hall for MVP a few years ago, and I don't think Hester deserves it now. He may deserve ROY-right now the top 5 candidates (in no particular order) are probably Bush, Colston, Hester, Vince Young, and Addai-any of those 5 probably could win the award (although I think Addai is a little behind the other 4 at this point). One thing to remember also is that Hester has given 1 or 2 TD's to the other team as well- he basically gave up a TD in the Miami game on a fumbled punt (and he might have had one other, or maybe the other one was just a close call that he fell on, I can't remember), so that should be factored into his TD totals as well.

Krivsky has to be rapidly getting there as well.

I think we need another backup middle infielder more. Right now the team has one backup that can play both MI slots, one guy that can back up all the outfield spots, one guy that can back up the corner OF and first base, and a backup catcher. 3B is covered with our starting second baseman, but we still need a second backup middle infielder that can make sure that we have at least one left on the bench on the days when DeRosa plays 3rd. If we could get somebody that could back up 2nd, SS, and 3rd though, that would be very good.

Which is generally why I prefer college basketball. Don't get me wrong. I love my Bulls and seeing former players from your college in the NBA (Wade) is awesome, but college hoops in March is just about as good as sports can get. College hoops in March on TV is awesome, but as far as atmosphere in the stadium, the NBA playoffs are better than college regular season, NBA regular season, or college playoffs (this is from somebody who has been to all 3 all the way up to Final Four games). I'm not saying it's not fun to go to the tournament-it is. It's been my experience that it's a great deal more fun to go to NBA playoff games though, especially Knicks games :D .

:shrug: Career records aren't the best of things to look at in terms of a pro prospect. Both Quinn and Palmer didn't play with that many playmakers at other skill positions and Quinn hasn't played with a good defense. And, of course, Carson Palmer was coached by Norm Chow for just the last two seasons...and really had one good year at USC - his senior season. Looking at stats isn't the best idea - gotta look at the overall picture. Being able to run a pro offense was good for Carson and it will be good for Brady at the next step. Brady doesn't have the arm strength that Carson did, I think their accuracy is about equal. When coming out of college, Carson was a better prospect than Quinn will be. But in this era where franchise QBs are king, no way Brady Quinn shouldn't go with the top pick. I was just responding to BigSlick's post that Quinn might end up busting because he "can't come through in big games". Of course, I don't consider 22/45, 330 yards, 3 TD, 0 INTs, and 70 rushing yards (his USC stats) when your team is letting you down repeatedly with dropped balls and no blocking "not coming through", but that's another thread. I would agree with that. Brady may very well bust because of his sometimes questionable accuracy, but he won't bust because he can't show up in big games. Brady's biggest strength is his ability to make good decisions with the football. That is what caused him to have so few INT's on the year (and remember, 2 of the 3 INT's against Michigan were a ball off the tight end's hands, a ball where Brady tried to throw it deep, got hit as he threw, the ball sailed about 12 yards and was picked off, and the third INT was Brady trying to force it into coverage trying to make a play down by a bunch in the 4th). With the huge emphasis in the NFL on ball security, Brady's decision making will keep him in the league-if his accuracy can become more consistent, he could be one of those true franchise QB's-if it doesn't, he could flame out and be a consistent backup after a few years. Oh, I forgot, Brady is as tough as they come. Forget the "Brady is courageous" talk during the USC game-that was simply ridiculous. If you want to see toughness, Brady's freshman year when he played USC was unbelievable. They hit him with shot after shot after shot in the second half, and Quinn kept standing up and staying in the pocket-I have no idea how he came out of that game alive. He's not afraid to stay in the pocket and make a throw, and that will help him on the NFL level as well.

Darius Walker + Rhema McKnight = little chance of pro success. Jeff Samardzija = slightly overrated pro prospect. Anyone on our defense not named Victor Abiamiri or Derek Landri = terrible pro prospect. Maybe exception for Zbikowski. Chew on that. :D The funny thing is, it seems like most fans that are not ND fans really want Zbikowski for their pro team-I think he's one of the most overrated players in the country, and it seems like you do as well. I agree with you about the different players projections.

Oh, they were just too afraid to take the floor against the bulls :wink: It's possible-apparently those 3 went to the same place to eat last night, but Jermaine did not and neither did some of the other crew members, and they all got sick Monday as well. They're calling for a conspiracy of food service workers. :D

I think I might have to stop reading your posts for a while Raisin because of that sig-I think I have nightmares of Jones-Drew running all over the place when I try to close my eyes, and seeing him with my eyes open doesn't help:(. Oh well, at least it is happening to what seems like a very quality individual-I'm just worried about him being on that team who likes to take a great deal of cheap shots.

Ouch. I've had food poisoning before. NO FUN. And that's for real. Steven Jackson: when are you guys going to accept he's a criminal and cut him loose? Alright---he can shoot the basketball. There are others who can do that without the rap sheet. The Pacers would love to get rid of Jackson, despite their protests to the contrary-he has 4 years left on his contract is the problem. I think they are hoping he gets convicted on the charges he is up on, and then they can find a good way to terminate the contract without having to pay it.

BTW, have fun Bulls fans beating whatever Indiana team actually is able to stagger on the floor. Jermaine is going to miss the game with a hamstring injury, Jackson has been suspended for a violation of team rules, and Al Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley, and Marquis Daniels have food poisoning and might all not go. What's left of the Pacers starting lineup if all 5 miss the game? Here it is-Darrell Armstrong, Sarunas Jasikevicius at guard, Jeff Foster at center and Maceo Baston and Danny Granger at forward. Once again, have fun with this decimated Pacer lineup-it's been all too common to Indiana fans the last 3 years.

It's actually even worse-Pierre's worst SLG number in the last 4 years was .354.

Of all the likely scenarios, the most likely is that more than 5 guys will start for the Cubs next year. That's certainly true-but it looks like the Cubs will at least have that option covered next year, as there will be a few pitchers ready to step in if one of the first 5 get injured or falter (barring trades that really clear out some of those arms).

I don't see how anybody could justify claiming the player would be getting punished in this scenario. The fact is he is not a free agent. Any claims that he should get more based on the current free agent pitching market are absolutely without merit. He isn't a free agent. He is owed nothing. He deserves nothing. He needs to come down on his price or go back to Japan making comparitively nothing. Free agents are making lots of money. He is not a free agent. He knew the rules going in. As did Boston when they bid 51 for him. He has choices unlike an arby guy. Yes, and his choice is to make a lot of money in Boston for the next few years or make a lot less in Japan. Arbitration always have the choice of not playing, but that's not a smart choice either. Boston knew he had Boras for an agent before they bid and should have realized that he'd want a big deal. IMO they have to pony up to at least 12 or they did this to stop the Yanks. If he signs for 5/40 he loses money. He could go back and make 6 and then get 5/65 at the least as a free agent. The problem with that line of thinking is-he only made 3 in Japan last year, so I'm not sure how he's going to get a raise all the way to 6. Second-who says his contract will be any higher next year when he gets posted again? The next team may do the same thing for him, expecially if the market deflates again just a little bit. So let's say Daisuke gets Seibu to raise his salary to 5 per year, and then signs a 5/65 deal after 2008. He will make 75 in 7 years, and he'd probably make 65 in 7 years here (5/40 plus the start of a new deal after those 5 years are up). For a guy who's been desperate to go to the U.S. for years, is he really going to turn down a chance over a possible 10 million dollars in 7 years? I'm saying possible because if he doesn't pitch well 1 of the next 2 years, he might not even get 5/65 after 2008. I just cannot see how that would make sense for him.

So the Bears have tie-breakers over New Orleans? I didn't think that was the case. Isn't the first tiebreaker conference record? The Bears are 1+ on NO in that right now, but if they lost tonight, obviously they would be even there and move to the next TB. Have no idea what that is? Common opponents? Here's hoping they make it a non-issue and take care of business against a team they should pound on. If the Saints tie the Bears in record, there will be no need to go past the conference record tiebreaker. Both teams only have NFC games left (the Bears went 2-2 against the AFC, the Saints went 1-3). If the Bears lose 2 more games and the Saints win out, they will both be 12-4, but the Saints will get the 1 seed due to only having 1 conference loss while the Bears will have 2. The Bears have to win 3 out of the last 4 to make sure of their own destiny-otherwise, the Saints can win out and take HFA away.

even if the cardinals lose most of their rotation, our rotation is still really capable of being zambrano + 4 guys with an era around 5.00. The chances of all our rotation being 4 guys with ERA's around 5 is still about the same as having all 4 guys with ERA's under 4. Both could happen, but it is not likely that all of them will have that bad or that good of years at the same time. The team will likely have a couple go 4 or under, and a couple be 4.4 or above, with one likely closer to 5 or worse. It's just hard to tell which one will be which right now.

I think it was safe to say the Chargers were the best team in the AFC before the Colts embarassing performance today. Bleh, whatever. I still hate them, because they've always played one-dimensional football and people have been praising them for years for doing it. The NFL has taken severe measures to get Peyton Manning a Super Bowl ring, and now that window of opportunity is closed. (I'm still suspicious of that call in the playoffs against the Steelers. ) Enough of that noise. The Colts are done, and the world is right again. You have to be able to run the ball and stop the run to be competitive in football. No more 49 touchdown seasons. I feared for a watered down version of arena football after 2004, but thankfully that didn't happen. You do know the Colts run the ball more than they pass, don't you? They have had one of the leading rushers in the NFL most of the last 9 years, and possibly could have had one this year if they didn't go with the 2 back system. In 3-4 games this year, they've had to pass the ball a great deal because the running game has been completely ineffective, but that hasn't happened very much over the last few years. The 49 TD thing? The Colts ran the ball if I remember right about 55-60 percent of the time in the red zone that year-it's not their fault the first time they dropped back to pass it was a TD almost every time.

I'm going to say now that the IU-SIU game will end will less than 110 points combined. I have no idea who will win, but the defense played in that game may be incredible, with the best offense coming off of steals leading to transition baskets. It's more than likely going to be very similar to the SIU-Arkansas game a couple of weeks ago. We're off for 7 days, so hopefully our legs will be fresh. It's our next game as well-should be a good one. I hope IU can get one good win in non-conference-they've played the close game twice now, but they need to finish one of these games.

Sorry if this has been mentioned already. I'm just back from an X-mas party. How old is Marquis now? He's not been outstanding for at least 5 years. Give me a freaking break. I guess it's fine to be a contrian but at some point it becomes absurd. That particular post was sarcasm by jjgman to try to prove a point from a different argument. In response to your question, he is 28-and if he can put up numbers close to what he did his first 2 years in St Louis (2004-2005), his contract will be a bargain-it's just a huge gamble if he can repeat that or not. Personally, I think the contract is close to an average gamble-if it's 3/20, I think it's a good enough gamble, if it's 3 for 28, I'm skeptical of gambling that much-he still has a decent chance of living up to his contract though, and hopefully the gamble actually works.

I'm going to say now that the IU-SIU game will end will less than 110 points combined. I have no idea who will win, but the defense played in that game may be incredible, with the best offense coming off of steals leading to transition baskets.

From Hendry's comments both about Hill's value and about Prior being a "#6 starter to start the season", I don't think Hill could knock himself out of the rotation unless he tanks the first couple months of the season, and then it would be a possibility if everyone was healthy.

There are other rationales to that one to think that this signing "could" be a good one. Have they found the flaw in his mechanics? Is that the reason for his 2006 numbers? If he pitches like he did in 2004/2005 for at least 2 out of the 3 years he's here, it's a good contract. If he pitches closer to 2006 for 2 out of those 3 years, then it's a horrible one. If he pitches somewhere in between, it's a poor contract, but not terrible. do you really think you should have 3/20 or 3/28 or whatever for a guy who was TERRIBLE last year because you think you might have figured out how to fix him? and that YOU figured out how to fix him after dave duncan couldn't? if you want to throw a small one-year deal at him and be willing to cut him loose if he pitches bad, that's one thing, but there's absolutely no reason to sign him to this deal. if some other team desperately wanted him, let him go and don't think twice. go sign some other terrible guy if that's going to be the way you want to do things this offseason. It's an absoutely huge risk, I agree. It has a decent chance of paying off, but it could completely blow up in their face. My guess is that they probably think Marquis is their best chance to put up a good (around 4 or less) ERA next year. Could he be terrible? Definitely-but if you think you need a very goood performance next year from a starter, then Marquis gives you that potential best for next season out of the starters left available. This will be one of those moves that labels the GM as either a genius or an idiot, and I'm really not sure which way it's going to go with a guy like Marquis.