Chisoxfn

QUOTE(qwerty @ Nov 7, 2005 -> 01:40 PM) They already lost a game. I highly doubt it. This board seems to overate the spurs to no end and think this is the greatest team in the history of the nba. I still think three teams from the east can beat them in the finals. Pacers, pistons, and heat... in that order. I put them in that order because you need to beat the spurs at their own game. I view think the pacers and pistons defense will be very similar except i give the nod to the pacers on defense. I still don't know what to think about the heat, it is far too early to tell for me. After the spurs bounce back loss they might beat the s*** out of us. On the other hand we play up to our opponents pretty well... as well as playing down to an opponents level. I agree with your assesment qwerty. That said, the Spurs will run away with the West and I'll be shocked if they aren't in the NBA finals. The east is much more of a battle and with that my favorite team in the east is the Pacers. That said Detroit and Miami both have the weapons and skills to win the championship as well. Still its too early to see how teams will do. How will Detroit play defensively (will they be as good as in years past) and how much better will they be offensively (Flip Saunders is a very very good offensive coach and the question is if he can keep that defense in sink, if he can, the Pistons may end up being better this year than they were last year). And Miami, its gonna be a while till we know how good they are. They had so many pieces change that its going to take some time for Van Gundy to realize the players he has and the rotations to use and its going to take the players a long time to get comfortable with each other.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Nov 7, 2005 -> 09:28 AM) Westbrook signed a 5 year extension yesterday, btw. Is it me or did they drastically overpay and overrate Westbrook. Westbrook is a solid all around back, but he's slated to make quite a bit of money now (i'm assuming the deal is backloaded and that he'll make somewhere around 3-4 million the first few years and will never reach the latter part of the deal).

I could probably pitch in some stuff. I've helped out on a pretty large draft site before.

QUOTE(SoxFan562004 @ Nov 4, 2005 -> 08:40 PM) Boers and Bernstein talked about this subject for a little today, and they made some points I agree with. Basically they said that teams that have won for awhile have been fluid. It would suck to see PK go, he has been great for this team, but I will trust KW, I think he's earned that from me. If they lose PK and he can bring in an Overbay and Matsui, I think that goes aways to make up for the loss. Also, over the past few days Boers has been saying if the Sox trade someone from their staff it would be Garcia. Haven't heard this elsewhere, but I imagine he would be worth something pretty good. They mentioned Blaylock from Texas To be honest, out of all of our starters not named Duque if I were to trade from the big 4, Garcia would be the guy as well. I'd do a Tex for Garcia trade, assuming the Sox would go out and sign themselves another starter to replace him.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 07:55 PM) It is starting to sound a little more like Hideki isn't a lock to stay in NY..... If Hideki becomes a FA, I'd give him a really nice 3 year deal to come join Iguchi on the southside of Chicago. Resign Paulie and move El Duque (heck maybe just trade Duque for Matsui and than work out a 3 year deal with him). That would give the sox just enough flexibility to bring back Paulie and give Matsui a few year deal.

Pretty good. Friday night was awesome, tons of fun. Finished 3rd in a pool tourney and than went out. Got home at 5:30 and had to get to a place at 8 AM to do some community service (for my frat we have to do a certain amt of hours of community service and its an honors accounting frat, so its not that kind of frat). I ended up sawing down a couple trees during community service (1st time I can say that happened). Saturday night played some cards and won some cash (paying for my Friday night and Sunday night costs). Got tons of sleep Saturday and than watched the Bears game on Sunday. Started off with a bang and ended with lots of sleep, which is something I love.

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 07:13 PM) Overheard in a bar in Minneapolis: "So, who do you think our MVP is this year? Pat Williams or Chris Kluwe?" That's right, folks. Vikes fans think their punter is the MVP. Well, Maynard has long been one of the Bears MVP's.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:52 PM) I'll give you Penn State and Miami as teams that might be better than Notre Dame, but Alabama and Virginia Tech have shown me nothing to think they would. Sure they COULD beat them, but to act as if they are that much better is a bit much. And UCLA? Yeah right! Lol, I didn't catch UCLA, but they aren't even a top 20 team in my book and I don't think they'll finish the season in the Top 25 (although that may be a little harsh). They are garbage. They haven't played anyone thats that good (I think Cal and Oregon are both over-rated).

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:49 PM) As much as I hate Tennessee, I'll give their defense some credit. Notre Dame had a great first drive, but then Tennesse basically shut them down until the 4th quarter. ND's second TD came on a short drive after a Tenn. turnover. ND's third score was on the punt return. Tennessee's defense did their job, but their offense and special teams made it next to impossible for them to survive. Any defense will wear down if they are constantly fighting turnovers and bad field position. Personally I think Fullmer and there assinine two QB idea is what put this team in such a bad position. This is the most talented squad he's had in a while and I agree, Tenn's defense played well and ND did get quite a few points on non-offensive posessions. I really haven't seen enough Alabama games to comment too much on them. From what I have seen they do have a good defense and a solid enough offense (nothing potent though).

QUOTE(Brian @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:44 PM) Isn't it amazing what a good backup QB can do when needed? Brad Johnson can easily lead that team on a big winning streak. Right now, Minny is the team I fear most in the division. They got more talent than any of the other teams in our division (aside from the Bears) and have a veteran QB at the helm. Plus Michael Bennet looked pretty good. As long as the Bears take care of their own business, I think they will be alright. Especially if they can take down Minny when they meet next in 2 weeks (I think thats who the Bears play after San Fran).

QUOTE(THEWOOD @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:42 PM) OSU is a much better team. All this talk about how ND only has two losses, what about Ohio State? They lost by 4 to Texas and played like s*** against PSU in Happy Valley, and PSU still squeaked bye. I think that UT is a BETTER team than USC. Texas is much more complete. USC is much like ND in the sense that they too can be taken advantage by a good passing team. That said, USC will always be in the game because they have one of the most talented and balanced offenses in NCAA history. They have two great RB's, a really good WR, and a hell of a QB. I so hope both teams stay undefeated because I think its going to be the best two teams meeting each other in a national champsionship game in some time. These two squads are both incredibly talented. Texas has a better defense and a great offense, but USC has a solid defense (good at stopping the run, not very good at stopping an above average passing team, but they do have some athletes on the defensive side) and an amazing offense. I agree OSU is a similar team to ND. ND with the better offense, OSU with the better defense. If Troy Smith is at his finest I think I'd probably give OSU the nod because I think they are a pretty good team. That said I think that game comes down to where they play, the weather, all that good stuff. Both are borderline top 5 teams, imo. They rank ahead of Miami, Alabama and some of the other teams in my book.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:33 PM) Which is why I honestly would hesitate to put Alabama ahead of them. I think the next two weeks will expose Alabama and being a very good team, but not an elite team. As good as Bama's defense is, and it is VERY good, I don't think they could score with ND. I hate to compare scores, but I think they type of game each played against Tennessee tells a lot. The way I see it, a team that can pass the ball can give ND fits, but most of the teams that are leading the way right now are teams that rely on rushing and good defense. Thats great and its working for them, but at the same time Notre Dame plays the run well and there offense is very well balanced and Quinn is playing near flawless football. Plus Weis flat out prepares this team week in and week out and calls outstanding offensive games. Hell, Tenn is supposed to have this great defense (and while there record is very poor) they still have a talented defensive unit and they got pretty rocked by the Irish (especially early in the game).

QUOTE(White Sox Josh @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 05:22 PM) they aren't better than Va Tech or Penn State. Lol at Penn State. I'm sorry, Penn State is over-rated. They have made there name against a watered down big 10 (and I'm a big 10 backer, but the Big 10 is weaksauce this year). I still am in shock at how Penn State pulled off the upset against OSU because I think OSU is a superior team. Yes, Va Tech is a good team, but I just don't think they have the capabilities against ND. Plus after watching them against Miami, I just don't think they are at that caliber. They are good, but not that good, imo. I could be dead wrong and of course on any given Saturday anything can happen. ND has a very very well balanced offense (and a damn good one at that..I'd say its one of the 5 best in the country) and has an improving defense (not a great one by all means though and it is one thats susceptible to an above average passing team..such as USC and MSU). None of those teams you listed are above avg passing teams, so they play right into ND's strenght when it comes to defense (imo).

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 04:36 PM) These are the only teams I would put above ND... 1. USC 2. Texas 3. Miami 4. Alabama 5. Ohio State Thats it for me, and this is coming from someone who will never be known as an ND homer. ND will be 9-2 heading into bowl season and will have one of the best offenses in the nation. Their only two losses were to two very good offensive teams in shootouts by a combined 6 points. Also in both of there losses key turnovers and plays cost them the game. No knock on the loss to USC (cause Texas is the only other team in the country that can go out and beat USC, imo) but if they don't turn the ball over in the redzone thats the game. And in the MSU game, to this day I think they were jobbed on a fumble by the Irish fullback where he reached his arms out to extend the ball and ended up coughing it up. The replays I showed made it look like a touchdown to me and the few people I was watching the game with felt the same way. That said, no excuses and one of there losses was to the best team in the country and the other loss was to a MSU that always plays Notre Dame good and it was in an overtime shootout no less. Aside from that they have pretty much rolled.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Nov 4, 2005 -> 12:06 PM) He's a joke in terms of a baseball owner. What he is doing is...he saw a team that was not making as much revenue as it could every year. A team with quite a legacy, a team with a great ballpark, etc. So, he's immediately finding new ways to add to the revenue stream. Higher fees for things around the stadium, new seats in the stadium for much higher costs, little marketing tricks to try to bring people in, new staff, etc. Once he gets all these things in place, if he can hire someone who can build him a playoff team 1 year on a nearly $100 million a year salary...he can look at the Forbes list and discover that he's increased the value of the team like $50-$100 million. And then sell and cash out. He's not in that for the baseball. Sorry balta, you couldn't be more wrong when it comes to McCourt. He's came in and fired guys that have been doing an awesome job in LA for 15-20 years and replaced him with his wife, who knows nothing about baseball. This is a team that has been totally dismantled by ownership. McCourt owns nothing but a piece of land that he lucked into and that he hasn't been able to sell for 15-20 years because of continuos lawsuits on the land. He was lucky enough to finance the Dodgers purchase off the equity in his land (essentially). He will probably make some money on the franchise, but thats because he's going to eventually say he can't put together the resources to win at chavez ravine (even though they consistently draw 3 mill plus, 3.6 this past year) and that he needs a new stadium downtown. He'll get a new downtown stadium and than develop the land which sits on Dodger stadium, making a huge profit in that area. The guy is a total jag when it comes to running the team and has done nothing right when it comes to the management of the Dodgers. If he doesn't get the land to develop, he's not going to make butkus as an owner and the Dodgers will not consistently win. He has no idea what he's doing and he's continuously gotten rid of good baseball people (and treated long time members of the organization like s***).

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 09:36 AM) So you think ND is better than Georgia, VTech, Penn State, Florida State, and LSU? That should be obvious. Of course I do.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 01:27 PM) I'm pretty sure there was time left when LJ crossed the goal line. Oh well. Ya, that was pretty s***ty. Not that it would of made a difference, but you never know.

Umm...CBS reported earlier today that Owens was listed as inactive and is not actually suspended. So I am kind of confused as to whats true and what isn't. But that was reported today so I'm guessing he isn't suspended.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 04:07 PM) VASHER! BEARS WIN 2 game lead in the divison, but really 3 with the tiebreak. Well we don't hold anything on Minny yet. Technically were three up on Minny as well, but at the same time, there is still a game yet to be played with them so we might as well say we are 3 up on the Lions, 2.5 up on Minny (who looked good).

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Nov 6, 2005 -> 09:09 AM) LSU? Georgia? Florida State? Penn State? Virginia Tech? Do not forget ND has 2 losses to all the above teams 1, and ND's signature win is the #22 team in the land. While LSU beat Florida, FSU beat Miami, Penn State beat Wisconsin and Ohio State, VT beat BC and GT. So all those teams have less losses than ND and better signature wins. Convince me a 2 loss teams deserves to be top 5 when they have only beaten one ranked team...please. I didn't say they would be there. I just said they are the 5th best team in the country. By all means, ND at its highest would be 7 in the new polls and for sure 8.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Nov 5, 2005 -> 10:11 PM) I think one of the big keys to our success during the season will be Michael Sweetney. As the season goes on he needs to keep being a bigger role of the offense and he really needs to cut down on the fouls. Im liking what im seeing from all our guards they have done their share.... One thing that needs to change and I hope Skiles does this is give Deng a significant more amount of time at SF than Nocioni...... I love Nocioni but he cant be a starter. He looked really solid today. Even had some decent help plays on defense. Give Skiles some time with this guy. I expect a MONSTER season out of him next year (i'm talking all star). I love Sweetney's offensive abilities...LOVE. The guy is so smooth in the low post (Curry was a good low post player, but Sweetney is better offensively). Doesn't have the body or explosiveness Curry had, but hands down he's more polished around the hoop.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Nov 5, 2005 -> 08:10 PM) Yeah, like we drafted Jacob Rogers in the 2nd round from USC 2 season ago, chronic shoulder injuries, didn't play 1 game for us and got released. As for the Colombo pick, just another example of Angelo's poor drafting record. Wrong...he has done a hell of a job in the draft. For cripes sakes Orton and Bradley both look like winners, Chris Harris a starting safety..another winner and thats just this years draft. Verdict is obviously still out on all of them, including Benson. Peanut Tillman, Lance Briggs, Nathan Vasher, Tommie Harris, Tank Johnson, Ian Scott, the list goes on and on and on. Angelo has done an oustanding job. The only real knock you could say he had was the trade for Grossman/Haynes for Dewayne Roberson and I still think that was the right move. Roberson hasn't reached his potential and the Bears saved a lot of money trading down and did get themselves two quality players. Haynes would get significant snaps for a lot of teams and well Rex has looked like a quality QB when he's on the field, but the GM can't control injuries. Da Bears >>> Dallas

I thought he was suspended with pay.

QUOTE(HighHeat45 @ Nov 5, 2005 -> 03:39 PM) On ESPN Radio this afternoon they were talking that the eagles might release TO and if they do would the Bears be interested. As much as i hate the guy, he is an amazing reciever, and with a team of Moose and TO we would go from having one of the worst group of WR's the one of the best. His attitude would probably f*** up the team though. If Philly were going to cut them they might as well wait to the end of the season. No reason to let another contender potentially pick him up. Simple answer, yes, I'd sign him in a heartbeat if I were the Bears. Although he'd never come to Chicago and play with a rookie qb.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Nov 5, 2005 -> 11:22 AM) Eagles season is officially over. They have an injured QB, no receivers worth a s*** and no running game. This is comical. I honestly do not blame TO for all of this, as the Eagles are one of the most thrifty franchises in the game and other players like Trotter and Westbrook feel the same and have said similar things to TO in regards to the money situation. As far as McNabb goes, he hasn't been very good this year and TO has been great. No argument there from me. More or less, he was suspended because Andy Reid and some of the Eagles players cannot stand the fact that he is in fact bigger than the team at times. The Eagles should have dealt him prior to the season. Now after this latest episode his value continues to fall. I fully expect an interview with Rosenhaus to be the lead story on Sportscenter tonight. Yippee. Also, seems some Eagle fans are pissed. http://www.igglephans.com I pretty much feel the same way you do. I'm interested to see how long they stick with this because they aren't a playoff team without TO, especially with McNabb all banged up. I've never ever seen TO take a play off on the field. Thats something that can't be forgotten.