Transmogrified Tiger

To clarify, I'm not saying Ripken shouldn't be in the Hall. I'm just saying that it's not so crazy that people think he shouldn't be a "First ballot" or "Unanimous" selection.

Seriously? Career .276/.340/.447/.787, 112 OPS+ doesn't exactly scream baseball legend to me, even accounting for his position.

When someone responds to a line of posts that begins with "BA sucks", it does not mean they think BA is the be all end all of minor league information. What other scouting services are better than BA?

My goodness, Border War part I on Monday does not look promising. Mizzou played a much better second half(outscored by 2) but ultimately lost by 20. Poor first half shooting from the arc(2/10) combined with Texas' hot first half shooting from the arc(8/15) was the difference. Mizzou hosts the Huggycats Saturday to try and get their first conference win before heading to Lawrence.

Marquette beat UConn. Vandy beat Tennessee. UIC is in OT with Butler.

An interesting comparison. 2004: 113 ERA+ 2005: 103 2006: 73 Signs 3/21 contract at 28.5 years old 2004: 106 ERA+ 2005: 117 2006: 62, has major shoulder surgery Signs 2/13 contract at 29.5 years old EDIT: Won't be coming back from surgery until midseason of '07.

Mizzou gets 7 steals and gives up 0 points in the paint, but they're getting taken behind the woodshed. At least I won't get to see the second half.

Oh cripes, Texas shooting 5 of 9 from the arc to start. 23-12 with 12:14 in the half. Mike Anderson in the huddle: "You ain't guarding nobody!"

My favorite FJM ever. I still can't beleive that article is real. This is too long, but it's sig worthy. "Once and for all: I don't think -- NO ONE THINKS -- that scouts are worthless. EVERYONE who watches baseball and knows about baseball knows the value of scouting. It has value. Okay? It has value. It can tell you things about a player's constitution, and hustle, and all that stuff, which is definitely important. But what has as much, if not more, value -- in nearly every single [expletive] possible scenario -- is the analysis of statistical information. If you seek to invalidate the use of statistical analysis...if you denigrate it, mock it, or look down your nose at it...if you write terrible mock-poetry articles declaring the objective superiority of gut instinct and old-fashioned "stare tests" over numbers-based research...then you are a far bigger snob, a far bigger ignoramus, and a far more provincial person than those whom you target with tripe like this. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to drive 1600 miles on a pack mule to St. Louis so I can give Albert Pujols a little look-see. Want to be able to speak up tomorrow when the Boss Man asks me if we should try to trade for 'im."

Last year's Florida team started out like 16-0 and was ranked #1 for an extended period of time. Villanova and NC State are both power conference teams.

Clearly Shelden Williams wins. No contest. Also, don't forget Popeye Jones. And this thread weirds me out. It seems like it's mostly people just talking about their own teams, with no one really responding. Maybe it's just that I'm so used to talking about the Cubs with other people who want to talk about the Cubs on this board, I don't know. Also, the Tar Heels rule. Raisin, it's too bad we won't play in the regular season. I'd really like to see a UCLA-Carolina matchup. I kind of hate that, in order to stay competitive for the tournament, teams have to fill their schedule with powder puff games. You just have to wait until those teams meet each other, like the bragging rights game. Also, with conference seasons getting into gear(and the better matchups that come with that) and the end of college football, I think you'll see more unified interest in some games. On another note, Mizzou takes on Texas tonight in Austin. Hopefully the press can be effective or at least force UT to hurry their offense into rushed shots, or it may be a long evening. A win would pretty much erase the ISU disappointment in almost every sense.

Cavs come back from a 15 point halftime deficit to win in Sacramento. They really seem to be hitting their stride. Big game at Phoenix tomorrow.

I think I'm going to go read FJM's take on Plaschke's piece about the Dodger scout who found the diamond in the rough of Oakland's system, also known as their Minor League player of the year.

hahaha, Hannah Storm, Jay Buhner, Greg Hibbard, Jason Alexander, it's like Retro night.

Another reason is the dynamic of football v. basketball. Pulling off an upset in football requires performance from dozens of different players. In basketball it's half a dozen if not fewer. The individual has a much larger impact on a basketball game.

Argh. I just get back to school and for whatever reason the only channel that has any picture or audio is MTVU. I want to watch this game, not crappy music videos plz

That was terrible. The guy on the Fox Soccer Report last night called it "swimming" It almost looked like an elaborate fake. I laughed when I saw it.

Yes, getting throttled by good teams does not prove much. Needing to come back from down 3 scores against a bad team doesn't prove much either.* * - You can't have it both ways. Either GT sucks (ND beat them on the road while everyone else not named USC was playing I-AA caliber teams) or they're good (they almost beat WV). Pick one. Both teams narrowly beat GT. Notre Dame got whacked by the ranked teams it played. West Virginia split Louisville and Rutgers. Their ability to actually beat a ranked team makes them more qualified IMO.

Yes, getting throttled by good teams does not prove much.

and run-on sentence . . . ND did not deserve a BCS berth this year. they played three good teams and got annihilated by all three. Funny how no matter how obvious I make it that I'm kidding, ND haters feel the need to attack the Irish anyway after kidding comments. This treatment is getting ridiculous. I think I'll say it this time so you don't have to ndistops. Under the current rules of the BCS (only 2 teams per conference allowed in the BCS) Notre Dame was the most deserving at large team after Michigan, and LSU. no, they weren't. they weren't good enough. I didn't understand your comment anyway - I was more kidding because I have read all the ND fan complaining about being picked on all season without comment all year. anyway, I'm just kidding around. we can beat it to death some more either way Who would you put in place of ND then? West Virginia actually beat a team in the Top 25.... With Slaton hurt there is no way WVU puts up any sort of a fight against LSU. If Slaton was healthy it's a different story, but not with him out. So if Troy Smith had ripped apart his ACL against Michigan we should've sent OSU to the Insight Bowl? Slaton's health is irrelevant to WVU's bowl worthiness.

My dad's an alum, my mom has been a fan since birth, and all of my grandparents and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins all root for (and some have also gone to) ND. I couldn't stop rooting for them if I tried. We have free will, learn from the mistakes of your family. I could say the same for you, MSU fan :D I don't want to post the picture of Izzo with all those trophies, but I will. And besides, I gave them up for the most shafted football program in the history of time when I arrived at Columbia.

and run-on sentence . . . ND did not deserve a BCS berth this year. they played three good teams and got annihilated by all three. Funny how no matter how obvious I make it that I'm kidding, ND haters feel the need to attack the Irish anyway after kidding comments. This treatment is getting ridiculous. I think I'll say it this time so you don't have to ndistops. Under the current rules of the BCS (only 2 teams per conference allowed in the BCS) Notre Dame was the most deserving at large team after Michigan, and LSU. no, they weren't. they weren't good enough. I didn't understand your comment anyway - I was more kidding because I have read all the ND fan complaining about being picked on all season without comment all year. anyway, I'm just kidding around. we can beat it to death some more either way Who would you put in place of ND then? West Virginia actually beat a team in the Top 25....

My dad's an alum, my mom has been a fan since birth, and all of my grandparents and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins all root for (and some have also gone to) ND. I couldn't stop rooting for them if I tried. We have free will, learn from the mistakes of your family.

I could see that with Florida and LSU, but I can't follow you there with Arkansas or Auburn.

and run-on sentence . . . ND did not deserve a BCS berth this year. they played three good teams and got annihilated by all three. Funny how no matter how obvious I make it that I'm kidding, ND haters feel the need to attack the Irish anyway after kidding comments. This treatment is getting ridiculous. oh poor you. Ouch, and from a mod at that. I'm with NDI here, people are a little ridiculous. And as a mod I think you should be held to a little higher standard. please clarify what you are talking about. He made a point about ND and I refuted it. I'm just teasing on the last part. And I am not a mod. anyway, its not a personal attack - or not meant to be. That's what I'm saying - IT WASN'T A POINT! I was just making an elaborate joke, helped out by the coincidences of ND and OSU playing in the same bowl last year and both losing in similar fashion and by the same score to SEC teams in bowls this year. I wasn't making any sort of judgment on the Sugar Bowl. I can't believe my parenthetical finish to the post didn't make it obvious enough that I was joking. Simple solution: stop rooting for Notre Dame And for those discussing Texas, McCoy was injured in the last drive of the aTm game. Snead came in and immediately threw a pick to seal the game, but there's a strong chance they would've lost that game with him.