bcl412

If this is a lie I'm not going to be happy (unless we sign a different good GM)

Am I getting too overzealous in saying that with the commitment to the farm Ricketts has had, this potential signing of Theo indicating a change in philosophy for the better and the fact that we are in a bigger market, in saying that the Cubs are on the cusp of being one of the best franchises in baseball?

After the Tampa game in 09, I haven't taken a single game for granted against any opponent. I'm not doing anything different with this one. Oh god, that game. :banghead: :banghead: Thankfully this one is at home, though. I'm more confident this game mainly because we are a better team then we were in '09. That season there were times where Green Bay was very inconsistent and they were coming off an incredibly emotional game vs the Vikings (it was Favre's first game back). This year, we have had our issues too but we very well may be the best team in the league, the Rams are awful and it's a home game.. That said, this is a funny league and you never know.

Related to that, the AFC North could have a 4 way tie at the end of next week. Both the Bengals and Steelers would probably be favored and Baltimore could easily lose to Houston and Cleveland could beat Oakland.

So the game of the week is probably the Lions vs the 49ers. If San Francisco didn't blow their lead vs Dallas this would be a battle between two 5-0 teams.

I think Green Bay against the Rams is probably the most confident I've been about a game in a long, long time. Which means the Packers will lose somehow.

Go Bears

Is it weird that I still hate Josh Beckett for going up and in on Sammy in Game 5 of that series?

Sammy's homer in Game 1 to tie it is still my greatest sports memory. I ran around my parents house screaming. My dad was pissed because he had to work the next day but I didn't care. I woke him up again a few moments later when I cursed obcenities at Guthrie.

I can't help but wonder if it's all due to their feelings that ND is just too good for the Big Ten. They downplay the geographical rivalries, dismiss any evidence of success, and quickly latch onto the SEC as the only conference worthy of calling themselves not terrible. It just can't be that you're overrating your own conference and that's my objection. It must be that I think it's terrible. From what I understand, everyone is arguing that the Big Ten is the 3rd best BCS conference. How is that overrating the conference? My discussion is related to "4 teams in the top 15" or whatever it was. Someone said the top of the conference is solid and I said how would you know. 3 of those top 15 teams are undefeated, there are 7 other undefeated BCS schools, 6 of which who played comparable non-conference schedules to Big 10 teams. The other one loss team, Nebraska I don't see who would be put ahead of them aside from Kansas State but they didn't play anyone non-conference schedule either so I don't really see what your problem with this is. My question is, who should be in the top-15 above any of the Big Ten teams who are already there? I don't see any argument that places any team squarely above the Big Ten teams that are there currently. Sure, arguments could be made, but they would already be made using what you've used to discredit the Big Ten in my opinion.

But based upon his arguments about the Big Ten, their only two undefeated teams combined have beaten a Auburn team who is good but not great so they aren't good either.

I can't help but wonder if it's all due to their feelings that ND is just too good for the Big Ten. They downplay the geographical rivalries, dismiss any evidence of success, and quickly latch onto the SEC as the only conference worthy of calling themselves not terrible. It just can't be that you're overrating your own conference and that's my objection. It must be that I think it's terrible. From what I understand, everyone is arguing that the Big Ten is the 3rd best BCS conference. How is that overrating the conference?

You seem to enjoy downplaying wins.

How would you know? They don't play anyone. What's the best OOC win? The squeaked against ASU or UM needing 4 TOs, missed FGs, and about 6 consecutive prayers answered to beat an average ND team? (A top ten team yet to play an away game finally travels 90 miles West this week) The entire conference starts with cupcakes and maybe 1 AQ school. Then 6 weeks in they look back and see which 4 teams are still defeated and say "but the top of the conference is solid." The argument is pretty much that the Big Ten is better than the ACC, Big East and Pac 10. Ohio State beat Colorado Iowa beat Pittsburgh Northwestern beat Boston College at their place Illinois beat Arizona State Wisconsin beat Oregon State Nebraska beat Washington The worst teams, Indiana and Minnesota almost beat Virginia (Virginia isn't good so that may not be relevant) and USC Time will still tell how impressive, or not impressive some of those games are but it shows that the Big Ten is playing and beating those conferences. The only loss I can find by the Big Ten to any of those teams is OSU vs Miami. Of the three teams in the top 15 they have beat good teams. Michigan beat Notre Dame who I think will finish in the top 25 and Illinois beat Arizona State. Wisconsin hasn't beat anyone outside of conference but I find it hard to argue that they aren't a top 5 team regardless. They would compete with and beat almost anyone in the country. The ND team that lost to Michigan would have lost to almost anyone in the country. That's not a quality win. My point is, it's difficult to look at the bigx records or schedules and conclude that it's a strong conference bc of the lack of quality games. If you claim that the top of the conference is solid, you need to base that on something. The wins those teams have aren't impressive though. So what's the conclusion based on? An undefeated record in games against bad teams isn't enough. Who has Alabama (Penn State is comparable to the Notre Dame win you keep trying to discredit) , Oklahoma (Florida State isn't impressive now), Boise State (Georgia hasn't beaten anyone in the Non-Con season), Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, Georgia Tech and South Carolina beat in the Non-Conference (all top 15 teams)?

How would you know? They don't play anyone. What's the best OOC win? The squeaked against ASU or UM needing 4 TOs, missed FGs, and about 6 consecutive prayers answered to beat an average ND team? (A top ten team yet to play an away game finally travels 90 miles West this week) The entire conference starts with cupcakes and maybe 1 AQ school. Then 6 weeks in they look back and see which 4 teams are still defeated and say "but the top of the conference is solid." The argument is pretty much that the Big Ten is better than the ACC, Big East and Pac 10. Ohio State beat Colorado Iowa beat Pittsburgh Northwestern beat Boston College at their place Illinois beat Arizona State Wisconsin beat Oregon State Nebraska beat Washington The worst teams, Indiana and Minnesota almost beat Virginia (Virginia isn't good so that may not be relevant) and USC Time will still tell how impressive, or not impressive some of those games are but it shows that the Big Ten is playing and beating those conferences. The only loss I can find by the Big Ten to any of those teams is OSU vs Miami. Of the three teams in the top 15 they have beat good teams. Michigan beat Notre Dame who I think will finish in the top 25 and Illinois beat Arizona State. Wisconsin hasn't beat anyone outside of conference but I find it hard to argue that they aren't a top 5 team regardless. They would compete with and beat almost anyone in the country.

Big Ten would have 4 teams in the top 15, not bad for a down year. People get too caught up with Minnesota, Purdue and Indiana, who range from bad to terrible but the rest of the conference is still pretty solid.

I do know it's fun to watch this team after watching whatever it was the Cubs were doing all year and watching a mediocre Iowa team and no Bulls.

There you go.

I'm reading it's because the Packers had too many people out on the change over. I don't think I've ever heard of that before.

I'm still trying to figure out what that personal foul call was all about.

It's only a 1 point game and we have not had much of a pass rush.

Crosby just hit a bomb. That 57 yarder would have been good from 10 yards further at least.

Iowa lost to Penn State which they don't do often so maybe they can reverse fortunes against Northwestern as they don't often beat the Wildcats.

Ahhhh....dammit Finley.

This feels like 08, when the Packers couldn't block anyone.