XZero771679666304

To be fair, Davis was actually worth a [expletive] last year also Isn't that the truth. He's been almost completely neutralized this season.

You're not allowed to call anyone else a homer. Ever.

And Dempster shouldn't be as distracted as he was in t he first half last year, we won't have the closer controversy in waiting to deal with, the pen should be better, and Aramis probably won't miss half the season (hopefully only a quarter of it). We should be better at 2B with a platoon, and hopefully Soriano not playing most of the season on a bad leg will help. And I have to believe Soto will be at least a bit better, and Marmol will be closer to Marmol than Ricky Vaughn. If Nady is healthy, I have to believe will help the OF overall. The Defense will probably be better overall as well. The bench looks to be much stronger as well, even if Tracy doesn't totally pan out. On the downside, Lee probably won't be as good. Same with Wells. Harden is gone, but I don't think that will hurt us a much as some think. I also have a feeling one more move is coming. IMO, 85-88 wins is very realistic.

There's nothing to suggest that the Cubs do want to dump Theriot over this... just that they aren't happy about it. And while we can all agree that Grabow's contract is a mistake, the situations aren't really comparable. Grabow gets paid at market value. First year arbitration eligible players like Theriot are supposed to get paid about 40% of market value. Right. And Ryan has no leverage to demand more, either. It's really stupid on his part. The Cubs have several shortstops in waiting, one nearly ready, and he wants to play hardball in arbitration?

I'm not going to discuss the merits (or complete lack thereof) of Grabow. But while I would like to get something for Theriot, he's totally expendable. I don't think it's a matter of the money so much as it is principle. Hendry apparently values the perception of being someone who doesn't take any crap in the arbitration process. His lack of fiscal prudence in other areas makes it seem a bit silly, but if there's anything consistent about Hendry, it is his maddening inconsistency when it comes to the quality of his decision making.

It's Illinois homerism when almost all of the comments were from Mizzou/Kansas fans? Do you think before you post?

Illinois has been there a lot more than KSU has. Yeah, that's pretty ridiculous. And where are we talking about having been? The arse end of the Big XII? In that case, he's right.

i like how dick was whining about the safety of the refs as they were casually walking off the court with no fans anywhere near them On second thought, Vitale is probably still traumatized by the time he almost got trampled to death back in the nineties (it was UCLA fans, if iirc).

I actually thought Vitale made good points against rushing the court: people can get seriously hurt, and Illinois has had too much success in basketball for this to be a shock. I have a feeling if it weren't Gameday, though, the fans wouldn't have rushed. I don't agree with court storming, really ever. It's stupid, and generally unlike Illini fans. You're probably right about the gameday part, but it's no excuse. Vitale probably would have overlooked it had it been an ACC game, though.

whew. No need to rush the court.

Make your free throws, please.

Hold it, you bastards.

Wow.

Got a break there.

Says the guy who is probably the worst out of everyone. I haven't posted in or read this thread too much the last couple weeks but from what I see Illinois runs away with it and its not even close. sulley's not a homer. He's an drama queen who whines like a team of mules, but he's no homer. At least not in the "I'm going to act like my team is way better than it actually is" sort of way. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of us have been pretty understated this season, for obvious reasons. In fact most of us have been decidedly down on the Illini. And I'm pretty sure you have the market cornered for outlandishly homeristic claims regarding favorite cbb teams.

I have always said he could struggle to get in for awhile. One problem will be like you said his career numbers aren't going to be quite as high as others retiring around him. However, the thing that has always really bugged me is who he has played with. He plays with one of the best offenses ever accessibled and with two of the best WR's in Bruce and Holt. Bruce starts to slip, as does everyone else other than Holt and Warner starts sucking. He goes to the Giants who have little to work with and sucks on epic proportions (something like 13 fumbles in 5 games). He then goes to Arizona where they have two of the best WR's in the league and once again he is one of the best QB's in the league. To me he's a borderline because he had the time in New York of blowing chunks and even with struggled at the end in St. Louis when he still had Holt and a decent Bruce. I'm not convinced he was anything other than some who could chuck it deep well. That said I'm fine with him getting in eventually and fine with him not. Like I said I'm borderline with him. He started sucking in STL because the o-line went downhill and in Martz's system he started getting pounded harder than Sasha Grey. He was just bad in NY, but I think that was in part because he still had the jitters from being killed in STL. And he is remembered as being bad in NY in large part because of his propensity to fumble, which I think is the only real knock on him. But having great WR is no guarantee of anything. A great WR needs a great QB more than vice versa. Warner has/had great accuracy and a great, quick release. A lot of his success was a result of YAC (not so much over the top deep balls), but for your receivers to have a lot of YAC, you have to know the routes and hit them on target and in stride. Kurt Warner did that about as well as anybody ever has. And Bruce/Holt never went on to have nearly the success after Warner as with him (and do you even remember Az Hakim?). How Fitz and Boldin do remains to be seen. and don't forget the success he had in Arizona came without the benefit of a running game. And Warner was lights out in the playoffs, and could easily have three superbowl rings instead of one (not that I put a lot of stock in rings as a way of judging a QB), in which case there wouldn't even be a discussion here.

Yes, but the critical difference is that you have far more of the "best" players opting out with the Pro Bowl than with the ASG. It's simply not the same thing. There's basically no point to the Pro Bowl because more often than not most of the truly best players in the NFL have nothing to do with it. That, and that the pro bowl is completely half-assed. And it should be. I wouldn't want my team's best players in it, going full speed. No one really lays out, hits hard or really turns on the speed. It's easily the least compelling major sporting event there is. It's a glorified walk-through. That MLB asg, while not the height of competition by any stretch, is much, much more interesting to watch.

Beer and nubile young women on a college campus? Inconceivable.

The two moves today potentially turn the bench from a weakness to a real strength. It hasn't been an earth shattering day, but it has been a (again, potentially) productive one.

If you have the attention span, you should read this article by Posnanski. Iron Fisk Good luck. Wow. Fantastic article. Yeah, about as square on the head as you can get. Echoes my thoughts exactly.

It's not inexplicable at all. Your skill players were loose with the football, and it cost you a game you should have won. The blame should be easy to place.

That and we need to quit playing D2 level players like Bill Cole and Jeff Jordan who bring nothing to the table. Absolutely agree on Jordan. He adds nothing positive. I don't feel your Weber hate (yet), but I am sick of seeing Jordan on the floor, taking minutes from Paul/Richardson. Conversely, I'd like to see more of Tyler Griffey. Maybe I'm crazy. But there is a lot wrong here. The defense stinks. Mike Davis has gone from being Mr. Double-Double to being the invisible man. The Illini don't have a real floor general out there. Very little post presence.

This has been a pathetic display, our defense is just awful. The Illini really need a Frazier/Sergio type of player. Or two.

The officiating isn't helping, but yeah. stupid turnovers, sloppy defense. Same story, different night.

Those all suck majorly. It's just a matter of time before they make them with unbendable bills and stickers that can't be removed.