farmteam

Zoologists probably know how many chromosomes donkeys have.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 1, 2011 -> 08:14 PM) The sad thing is that no matter who takes over, it is going to be a massive step down, even factoring in the Daley corruption. Really? Will Rahm be that much of a step down from Daley? How so?

I'll be graduating from IU in May, and likely heading to law school after that. I'm not keyed in to any specific types of law or anything -- I sort of just plan on seeing what I like the most in school, and then more importantly, seeing what I like the most in the "real world."

That first single I heard off the Decemberists' album (Down By the Water or something like that?) had a distinct REM meets Gin Blossoms vibe to me. I'm really looking forward to the next Foo Fighters album, which should be out sometime this year. Grohl hinted they're going to to tour soon, as well.

Dear Hoosiers, Please stop giving the opponent open looks. Sincerely, Angry Man Dear Ed Hightower, Stop thinking that everyone wants to watch you. All you do is whistle, wait several seconds so you know everyone's attention is focused on you, and then make extremely over-exuberant movements. It's really annoying. That's also disregarding the fact that you typically make terrible calls. Sincerely, Angrier Man

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 08:55 PM) They had something like 4 scholarship players when Crean got there. I have no idea how you would be expected to compete in the Big Ten in a situation like that without cheating. Actually they had zero. Well, they might have had 1 -- Kyle Taber, but he started as a walk-on, and averaged less than 2 points per game the year before.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 06:20 PM) And that Bobby Knight was that amazing. I'm withholding judgment until this massive recruiting group that is still in HS starts to get there. Ding ding ding. Honestly, I can't think of any coach in America (any clean coach, anyway) that would have them be playing substantially better. For all intents and purposes, there was no basketball team when Crean came in.

IU loses to Penn State. I'm coming back early and will be at IU-Ohio St. I don't expect it to be even remotely close. We have absolutely zero legitimate bigs, and Ohio State probably has the best ones in the conference. They can go low all game and the Hoosiers won't have an answer.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Dec 23, 2010 -> 04:07 AM) I figured recruiting was the answer, but in his third year on the job you would expect an Indiana coach to have made the tournament. I understand he started with nothing, but he now has 3 years of players. My point about Calipari was that he only needed one year of players. I feel like recruiting isn't a good enough answer though. Having these players is great, but if Crean can't field a decent team by the third year I have serious questions about him. Typically I would agree with you on the third year being a key year in terms of judgment; however, I think that the IU situation was so much worse than normal, he sort of gets an extra year or two...and with the talent coming in, he seems to be sticking to that, then.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Dec 23, 2010 -> 02:57 AM) At what point does the Indiana fan base turn on Crean? He's done a pretty awful job there. Calipari turned Kentucky into a #1 seed in a year and has them ranked the following year with a brand new team. Crean is looking at the NIT (at best) in year three. Year three! Why haven't I heard more hot seat rumors about him? Because he came into what was damn near an unprecedented scenario, what with the mass exodus of players and whatnot. The situations Calipari and Crean inherited were very, very different. There has been significant improvement in the team each of the past two years. For the time since the 07-08 season, teams will have to at least respect IU when they come to Assembly Hall (that is to say, while we still may be heavily favored against in some Big Ten contests, it won't be a gimme like it has been the past few years). The biggest reason there's been zero hot seat talk, though, is recruiting. Crean is bringing in Zeller (as well as Austin Etherington, who should see minutes as a freshman) for 2011, but after that is when it really picks up. He has two 5 star recruits for 2012 (Hanner Parea and Yogi Ferrell), both of whom are in-state players which is huge. There's been a feeling over the past decade or so that the top players are leaving the state en masse; Crean is starting to get some of them to wear the candy stripes. He has two players for 2013 (who by all accounts will be 4 stars), and two for 2014. Obviously a lot can change in four years, but earlier this fall the two players Crean landed (Trey Lyles and James Blackmon Jr.) were ranked #1 and #7 in the country, respectively.

IU loses to Northern Iowa. On a neutral court against the 2nd or 3rd best team we've played all year, I wanted a win...but I'm not entirely surprised. Crean said it best recently...Oladipo needs to focus on being a great player, not making great plays.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 10:15 PM) I concur. Ross, just to add to what BMags has stated, you never know where life is going to take you. I have a career in an industry now that I hardly knew existed 3 years ago. I'm doing things I never thought possible, even more astounding, never even knew were possible, when I graduated from law school. So don't necessarily worry about particular fields or areas or paths, but rather focus on finishing your schooling, making good connections in any way possible, and just being open to as many possibilities as you can. Very few people know exactly what they want to do, or what they will ultimately end up doing, when they graduate college, let alone before that. Sure, there are cases where someone always knew they wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor or an actor, but for the most part, we all just go through life trying to make the best decision we can, with the information available to us, at that particular time. This is really all you can ask of yourself. And as long as you work hard, try to be friendly to those who treat you with respect, you'll find your way to something that you like doing and that pays reasonably well. Considering I'm planning on being in law school, would you mind telling me where you ended up/how you got there? You can do it in a PM if you like.

Went to Kilroy's for $2 Tuesday. Was fairly drunk by 8pm on a Tuesday night. IU people completely understand.

Ahh, unfortunately I'll be headed back down to Bloomington before New Years, or else I'd definitely show up. Could swap some high school stories with some people I think (Northside and maggsmaggs).

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 11:01 PM) Clearly my sarcasm delivery needs work. Still, hope you had a good birthday. As does mine, apparently.

Who knew my avatar was loved so much?

I've been listening to a lot of Tim (by the Replacements) lately. Such a great album.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 1, 2010 -> 12:51 PM) The majority of states now basically ignore recreational use. If you're caught, you're given a ticket. They're after the big growers, not the small time users. The problem is that some states (Indiana I believe is one) go crazy. If you carry anything more than dust you're considered a drug kingpin. I was about to disagree with this, but then I remembered I live in essentially the only liberal stronghold in the state (Bloomington...you could also make a case for the areas near Chicago, but that's about it). If you get caught with a small amount or less (basically anything under an ounce, I think), it's more or less the same as an underage drinking ticket.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Nov 30, 2010 -> 09:49 PM) Dear drunken student, It's only 6pm and you're drunk out of your mind at a restaurant, you look like your 16, and you just threw up for 10 minutes in front of me at the restaurant. You also were in the bathroom for the next 2 hours. Please learn some respect and not go to a public place of eating just to throw up, and maybe learn not to get blacked out drunk before 6pm on a Tuesday. Sincerely, Hungry turned sickened student Hey, I enjoy $2 Tuesdays as much as everyone. Err... Dear cold that is currently wreaking havoc on the pressure in my head, Go away. Sincerely, Mr. Angry

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 11:48 AM) So Zeller's good GPA in High School is going to open the floodgates on recruiting at IU? I dont buy it. I understand and am excited about the prospect of IU returning back to form in BBall, as I stated before I am actually quite a fan of the program. However, I still dont think that all of a sudden a middle of the road team in the conference is going to gobble up all the top talent in a state based on one player who wasnt even the #1 or #2 player in his state, although apparently a "marquee" name. And if he truly is this dynamic player that everyone seems to think he is, there is no chance he is a 4 year player at his size. If he stays 4 years he will be a Tisdale-caliber player and thats still good, but not quite the star he is being built up to be. I agree that 2012 is shaping up to be a good year for IU recruiting-wise, however in Indiana alone you possibly have 4 out of the top 5 kids in state going to schools other than IU. 2 of those I know fairly well because on the OSU forum they are being called Buckeye leans, and you can bet MSU, Ky, and Purude are going to take their fair share of the top kids as well. I'm happy and all that they are finally getting out of the dumps of the conference, but automatically assuming they are going to take over Indiana from the likes of MSU, Purdue, OSU, Kentucky and even Butler, seems to be getting ahead of yourselves quite a bit. But it's not like there were zero top recruits interested before Zeller committed. There were plenty, and I think people are saying the Zeller commit might have nudged a few to IU.

The refereeing in the IU-Wright St game was hilariously bad. It didn't favor one team or the other, there were just some awful calls all around.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 12, 2010 -> 06:34 PM) I'm not going to read it, but then again, I don't think I have ever paid for the right to read about a politician slobbering all over their own knob. Ding ding ding! I'm never really interested in these things, be it from someone on the right or the left.

My years as a Bears fan have paid off well for IU has games like today. I just sort of laugh it off.

Frankly, I haven't seen anyone say we're back this year. When people say IU is back, they mean Zeller's commitment legitimately made them relevant again in terms of recruiting, and in a few years it is quite possible IU could be back near/at the top of the Big Ten. They don't mean landing a 2011 player means IU would be relevant this year -- that's nonsense.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 11, 2010 -> 06:18 PM) Indiana's upcoming recruiting classes are shaping up to be the cream of the Big 10, and you can't underestimate the impact Zeller's commitment is going to have on players like Yogi. No offense jenks, but I find this ironic coming from an Illini fan who belongs to a fanbase that compares Jereme Richmond to Magic Johnson and M. Leonard to Dwight Howard. My sentiments exactly. Not to mention that two top 10 2014 recruits have already committed to IU. Obviously, I take that with a grain of salt given how far off it it is, but it is an encouraging sign nonetheless.