AddisonStSox

Aren't you like 30?

Ultimately, I think it will play out like this. If the team's play dramatically regresses while Crede's outstanding offensive and defensive production does not, he will be moved at the deadline. If the team's play remains at this level--a level that suggests the White Sox will be in the hunt for the AL Central division crown--and Crede preforms as he has in the past (when healthy), he will be kept for the final playoff push. If he stays with the White Sox for the remainder of the 2008 season, the Sox will undoubtedly dust-off their old chestnut and claim Assistant GM Rick Hahn or someone else within the organization entered contract negotiations with Boras, but could not come to terms per usual--in this instance, terms such as "market correction" and "market value" will be used by Williams until he feels he has convinced both himself and the media. In any event, I am a fan of Williams, Crede, and Fields. It's a good problem to have right now and if I were Williams, I would enjoy having it. Also, I think it would be rather wise to start working Fields at both the hot corner and 1B.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Apr 15, 2008 -> 01:53 PM) Heeeey Addy, where you been? Wasn't sure if they were going to give Jordan the scholarship...not like he needs it or anything. And I thought Meacham already was on scholarship? Hey, Corn! Last month in Champaign. So, I've been Still been reading the boards an awful lot. If I'm not mistaken, Trent was on scholarship for 06-07, was a walk-on last year, and will be getting one of the two open scholarships for next year. Jeffery may very well get the other scholarship. But, like I said, I think there is plenty of red tape to get through and I just don't know if that is something they are interested in doing. The light never seemed to turn on for Rodney. I thought he could, at the very least, have been a marginal contributer next year; but, not really losing a whole lot here. It's just unfortunate that they are going to have to eat a scholarship.

QUOTE (thedoctor @ Apr 15, 2008 -> 12:36 PM) since it's only for a year, probably jeff jordan. Well, here's the thing on that...Jeffery is already on an academic scholarship (very funny, I know). And, though I'm not well-versed in the NCAA bylaws, moving a player on academic scholarship (a "walk-on") to an athletic scholarship may be very tough to do. Trent is getting one of the two open scholarships for next season. Unfortunately, I think the staff will have to eat the other. Thinking they will get a "one and done" player to fill the other is too pie-in-the-sky.

The fact that this is a "major" story provides yet another reason to hate everything that is Red Sox/Yankees.

QUOTE (Big Hurtin @ Apr 11, 2008 -> 02:30 PM) I couldn't find the Sox / Tigers one (youtube took it down), but in the process I found this one with Tigers and Royals. It has a good Farnsworth takedown of Affeldt. Tigers Royals fight Took it down, huh? Anyone have Tigers v. Sox? Gotta see that one again

I'm an unabashed Ozzie Guillen fan. He's good for the White Sox and he's good for Major League Baseball. Love him.

Well, Keith, that answers your question about the prominence of the Marquette basketball program. Buzz Williams? Ouch.

I forgot how much I love Nuke Winner threads. Always puts a smile on my face. We may just have something going on with this team right here. Stay tuned. Sing it, Nuke

...so am I the only one that throughly enjoys the irritability of the board at large? Hell, that's why I read.

Hollar' atcha' boy

I GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!

Keith, to answer your question...or, at least my answer for your question: I think this specific hire is going to be awfully telling in terms of how desirable a destination Marquette may be viewed in a national sense. Is it considered a "destination job"? Is it considered a stepping stone position? Is it simply considered a Big East meal ticket? Well, I don't know. If I had to guess, I would say while it is not yet a "destination job"--a term we are all familiar with given its mass over-use by the sport media outlets--it is considered a truly fine job in a fine conference. Milwaukee is a cool, little city and I don't care what anyone else really has to say on that. Marquette does have some significant history while still the Warriors and more recently with the Wade Final four. And, the Catholic schools usually know how to treat their coaches right (Notre Dame not withstanding..another delusional fanbase). So, we'll see how prominent your program is in the near future. You won't have to wait long. Personally, I think you will see a hire the likes of a Chris Lowery. I think you'll see a younger coach from a lesser-known school or an inferior conference that really views Marquette as an opportunity and not a soft-landing. That doesn't out-and-out condemn Marquette as having not yet arrive on the national stage, but, it may suggest there is still a ways to go...let's see how the next guy does, kind of thing. But, the pressure is certainly on MU to make a splash. If it wants to continue its upward trend towards the tops of the Big East, it is going to have to hit a home run here.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 11:59 AM) Lol, this just makes me laugh. It makes no logical sense. Why would a guy be interested in returning to a school he never attended, to a city he grew up in but left 30 years ago, leaving a conference he's worked in for 30 years, all for a school with less tradition and distinction on a national level? Grant it I don't know what he thinks or how he feels, but I would be shocked if he bolted for the Marquette job. Absolutely shocked. And how can he not be happy with the current state? He's led one of the top programs in the nation over the last 5 years. Yeah he's been burned by some big time recruits. He knows he's f***ed up, he knows the team was devoid of much talent this year, but look at how he's rebounded. Next year he'll have a 5 star player on his roster (Legion) and each year thereafter he has nothing but top 100 talent. I'd say the future of Illinois basketball is better than it has been for years. Steady stream of in-state and out of state talent, a coach that's finally comitted to being there for the long haul, and talks of a new or renovated Hall. This entire discussion about Crean>Weber is ridiculous. Crean has done nothing to warrant the god-like status people in this thread are giving him. Again, his one good year he had Dwayne Wade. Dwayne f'n Wade. That's like saying Jim Boheim did his best coaching job when he won the national championship because he coached up Carmelo Anthony so well. Give me a break. And who else has he recruited? Are IU fans sure he can even recruit? My prediction is that he'll be just like Weber and people will be calling for his head within 2 years because he can't land the big fish. He's stepping into a different world of recruiting. He's stepping into a different league with a different level of coaching (which in turn makes that recruiting even more difficult). The reason he got paid so much by IU is that he understands how much it's going to suck to be the coach of that program for the next 2-3 years. Lack of talent on their current roster, lack of knowing what the NCAA will do and a new coach = rebuilding the program, which takes years. :notworthy :notworthy

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 11:08 AM) in the interest of objectivity, at least one person close to the program does think weber has interest: champaign news-gazette again, i stand by my thought that weber will be illinois's coach this year. but perhaps it is just more than the blind speculation i initially thought. If he were to leave for Marquette, it would undoubtedly be for the soft-landing. Suffice to say, with his resume, he could probably finish out his career at a school like Marquette with little or no job insecurity. Again, this is highly unlikely. He won't be going anywhere.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 10:34 AM) All that being said, I'm sure the biggest recruiting advantage any school can have is a coach that players think will get them to the show. On that much, we are in absolute agreement. I don't know if that applies to D-II schools or for the lesser D-I basketball programs (i.e. a school like Rice, for example, in which the basketball student-athlete would most likely be attending for the free, world-class education and not exposure or an increased likelihood in making it to the NBA), but in regards to the prominent programs, I would think that is absolutely spot-on...maybe not thirty years ago, but certainly today.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Apr 1, 2008 -> 10:56 PM) I don't know if Weber would, but he's from Milwaukee and supposedly loves it -- it would be a homecoming for him. Plus (and correct me if I'm wrong) Marquette would pay significantly more. And the facilities are better. UI may have more money in the athletic department, since they have a football team, but they are stuck with what many people view as a poor and antiquated venue in Assembly Hall (although I think it's still a good place to see a game). I'd just be surprised if recruiting someone to UI is easier than Marquette but maybe the academic standards do make a difference. Update: Salary figures: Weber $750,000 and Crean at Marquette $1,650,000. That's just base salary, but it's still twice as much...that being said I doubt Marquette will go after him and I'll now stop hijacking the thread. This is just hilarious. Leave the basketball program at the University of Illinois for, who, Marquette? Get real. That comment was made by an oblivious Pat Forde on an even more oblivious sports outlet. If he is your source for speculation, you have problems. Furthermore, better facilities, eh? While many feel the Assembly Hall needs to be either renovated or replaced, I think 9 out of 10 coaches would prefer a facility of AH standards on their own campus that they can call their own over a facility like the Bradley Center, which, while quite a pleasant builiding, they essentially rent out. How about practice facilities? The Ubben Basketball Complex is a brand new, multi-million dollar facility that rivals the best in all of college basketball. ...and you'd be surprised if recruiting to Illinois is easier than Marquette...um, really? Per the most recent US News rankings, Illinois #38, Marquette #82. Use whatever ranking mechanism you wish, although, I think the US News flaws are wildly overrated, the University of Illinois is a world class institution while Marquette is a fine, Catholic school in the greater Milwaukee area. Surprised if recruiting someone to UI is easier? In terms of academics or qualifying? I hope that's not what is being implied or even contested. That's something. QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Apr 2, 2008 -> 01:02 AM) Since Webster left and Jerrance was hired Weber has landed Legion (top 40 07 transfer from Kentucky), Simpson who is an 08 big man from Simeon who has a lot of upside, Griffey/Paul/Richardson/Bertrand who are all top 100 type talents in 09, Dominique Keller a JUCO I don't know much about, and Richmond/Head who are both top 25 type talents in 2010. Between Paul/Richardson and Richmond/Head Weber has also landed the top 2 players from the state in consecutive classes. Those following closely know that Weber's 09 & 10 class are going to be top-25 classes and perhaps even top ten or eight when all is said and done. The hiring of Jerrance Howard has already paid dividends and the staff has even made some serious in-roads with the top freshman from the state of Illinois. The days of losing the state's top recruits are over. Weber has overhauled the program's recruiting philosophies, and with Howard on board, they will continue to reel in more top recruits than they have room for. It's just such a cheap and easy target for Weber-bashers. Sadly, the facts no longer support the Weber-can't-recruit movement. But, this board tends to overlook facts. Case in point: Weber can't recruit.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Apr 1, 2008 -> 07:18 PM) And wow -- I agree with just about everything Addison has to say in this thread (outside of the IU/UofI squabbling). SIU's coach was the first person that popped into my mind as well... Keith, if I'm not mistaken, Lowery spent at least three seasons under Weber while at SIU and you would be hard-pressed to find any intelligible collegiate basketball fan tell you Weber isn't one of the top Xs-and-Os coaches in the game. When handed the reigns, Lowery hasn't done anything to make me think he couldn't handle a bigger and better program. Granted, he's not exactly playing with Rhodes scholars down at SIU and the caliber of students he has been targeting may find it difficult to qualify at MU; but, the good coaches know who to recruit and how and with his already strong Illinois in-road, I think he would be an excellent hire...not to mention he's young and relate-able for your budding Milwaukee athletes--something I have underestimated until the hiring of UI assistant coach Jerrance Howard. As for Crean, he comes from the Izzo (one of the best in the game) coaching tree--although I guess you could say they were compatriots for at least awhile--and is about as clean as one could get in the college coaching ranks. IU could have done much worse. But, it is satisfying to see these IU maniacs come to the realization that their program doesn't carry the prestige it once had--not by a long shot. As soon as they get electricity in the greater part of the state, they will really have things rolling. This is, of course, unless Crean holds a slobbery, tear-filled press conference to announce he is staying at Marquette and has no interest in leaving.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Apr 1, 2008 -> 07:09 PM) Just like IlliniBoard represents everything Illini fans stand for, right? Please... Go eat a hat. I mean, it's a better hire than Indiana's previous two, eh? Then again, I suppose that would be by default. Not a bad hire for the state that invented the game... I'm more interested in what Marquette is going to do. Justin, any worry your guy from SIU gets a phone call? He has a great thing going in Salukiville, but, a jump to the Big East is an undeniable promotion. I know he recently signed an extension and may or may not have turned down the Michigan gig, but, you can never trust the contract extensions in college sports. For what it's worth, I think Lowry (Chris Lowry, that right?) would be an excellent hire for the Golden Eagles.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Apr 1, 2008 -> 07:02 PM) I don't recall anyone saying it was "the most coveted vacancy in all of sports" but you just now. ...ever heard of Peegs? They represent you all well.

Lateral move for Crean at best. He's stepping into a program that's in shambles. And a nice big serving of humble pie for the Cream and Crimson idiots. Way to make a splash. Fine coach. Nothing to write home about. So much for having the most coveted vacancy in all of sports, huh?

My take... You would be hard-pressed to find any of my past posts condemning blown calls or actually blaming the umpires for effecting the literal outcome of the game, but, in this instance, the White Sox were on the bad side of not one, or two, but three blown, incorrect calls. Furthermore, anyone condemning Cabrera for his slide is just trying to stir the pot for pot-stirring sake. That was well within his rights as a base-runner and 9 out of 10 officials have allowed slides five times more blatant than that. However--and, in my opinion, this is the key...well, my key--these things happen in the game of baseball. Emailing the head of umpiring, or calling talk shows, or writing letters is just ridiculous. The game of baseball, like most games of professional sport, is a game of human error. Calls like that will happen and they will undoubtedly effect the outcome of the game. But, there are 161 more and these things tend to even themselves out. On a positive note, it looks like the offensive will be back this season and Masset was outstanding--good for him, considering many felt he was handed the last spot.

Prospects!!!!1!11!!!11!!!!11

If you want voice inflection at the end of every sentence, Singleton's your guy. Replacing one of the worst with one of the best. Outstanding. ...and for those of you that watch BBTN...um...why?

He'll go down as my favorite football player of all time. Growing up a QB in Pop Warner and high school, he was my guy. Like the Bears? Fine. Hate the Packers? That's fine too. I'm just going to miss watching him play football on Sunday. That was a treat for many years.