AddisonStSox

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jan 12, 2006 -> 04:32 PM) ^^^^ Let us know, and like quick. It's up and it's good. I just checked the site and wasn't held back from making the order. Looks good to go.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 12, 2006 -> 04:10 PM) This thread is the epitomy of home springs eternal. I hope that Zook can bring some respectability to the Illinois program, but I think that the best hope is that he gets the Illini to the middle of the pack, where hopefully they can get a better coach. It is not about recruiting with Zook, it is about coaching. At Florida, he had superstars, and he lost 13 games in 3 seasons, compared to Spurrier losing less than 30 in 12 seasons. Once again, you've hit the nail squarely on the head. Zook is a loser. He loses. That is his business...and business is good. You hope he brings some recruits in and proves the University of Illinois can compete with the likes of a Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio St. in the Big Ten, but it ends there. I have no faith in his ability to coach. He may be able to sweet-talk the best prospects in the nation, but, if you can not coach these prospects in a way that results in wins, what good is it? The University of Florida realized this and realized it early. You can take a look at his recruits and recruiting classes, they were top-notch at Florida. The Florida brass pegged this guy as a loser early on and they were quick to give him the boot. Who did they bring in? Urban. A guy that has a reputation as both a great recruiter and an exceptional coach/play-caller. If the University of Illinois is happy being a basketball school and they are serious in competing with national powerhouses like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, NC, etc. year-in-and-year-out and they are very satisfied with an average or below average football team, Zook is their guy. I have no faith in him on Saturday mornings. Zero.

Great find, Kev. Well done. It's times like this when Soxtalk comes through.

Chris Singleton is one of the top-rated radio broadcast prospects in the system. He's a four-tool broadcaster. He has above average range, a pleasant voice, he's excellent defensively, and can talk for some power. He was a second-round draft selection and a lot is expected of him. He also shows nice speed out there on the :30 readers. I think the organization showed their confidence in Singleton when they traded both Rowand and Young. I'm pretty confident he'll be able to step in and contribute. I am worried about his bat-speed though.

You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait till' you get to college, kid. It seems each and every college professor is an ultra-liberal and they simply relish every opportunity to throw their left-wing agenda in your face. I really don't care if you are a liberal or not; diversity is what makes a college campus so great. But, if you are a paid professional, don't you f***ing dare preach to me. It's low. It's classless. And, I think they end up turning more students off then they do "rally for the cause." You are a professor paid to teach students on a given subject. You are not paid to soapbox your political beliefs.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jan 11, 2006 -> 03:01 PM) cool. i'm a huge carpenter fan. i've watched him play since his freshman year of high school, put back some beers with him from time-to-time and think he's one of the real gems in this year's class. as a bear fan i'd love to see him on the strong side, but i think he'd be a great fit as an olb in a 3-4 somewhere. dallas would be nice, because his dad played for parcells and he's a family friend. f***ing a', doc. Carpenter would absolutely thrive as a Sam for the Bears. Could you imagine...Brian, Bobby, and Lance? Ouch. Stay tuned for the Sweethearts, they are a lot of fun. A lot of folks bring up some real good names. Pound for pound, the knowledge we have in the War Room ranks up there with some of the better draft sites on the net.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jan 11, 2006 -> 02:42 PM) what is the "sweetheart" list? Commonly referred to as "darlings." These are the guys that may or may not get the attention they deserve but in one's opinion are the real deal. Completely subjective. QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 11, 2006 -> 02:42 PM) Looking at Addison's IMO, Ive got. (Notice this subject to extreme change due to combine and other factors.) QB 1. Young RB 1. Deangelo Williams 2. Lendale White 3. Reggie Bush 4. Brian Calhoun The rest Im to lazy to go over with enough time, but I think the RB rankings will be shocking enough. In my opinion, Calhoun and Bush are practically the same, they are both undersized at rb for the NFL level. That does not mean they wont excel, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, but it does mean that the road will be much harder. Bush is good, but he looks like an undersized S. Alexander. I would not be able to in good conscious draft him ahead of White or Williams, who are more likely to have have immediate impacts in the NFL. Williams is good and a work horse, but I think the real suprise could be White. When I watched USC, I saw Ricky Waters/ Bettis or more close to our time, Ronnie Brown / Cadillac. The difference is, I feel Bush/White resemble Waters/Bettis more than the other pair. Bush is the Waters, break away back. White is the Bettis punishing back. It is a shame that the Bears f***ed themselves by drafting a RB last year, not even the best one available, and now will be probably looking atleast 1 top 5 rb available at their draft slot. I always, always look forward to what you have to say SB. You are most certainly one of my most-respected posters when in the Sports Bar. You make a few good points, but, you know I'm going to blast you for being a Wisconsin Apologist. -Young, without a shadow of a doubt, may top the list come draft day. Talking to Scott and others around the game, scouts still drool over Leinart's "intangibles" and the dude can straight thread-the-needle. He'll be around for a long, long time in the NFL and in my opinion, and in the opinion of many scouts, his shot at longevity trumps that of Young. Vince Young is a guy with the highest ceiling in the world, but, can just as easily fall flat on his face. -Reggie Bush and Rory Calhoun in the same breath? C'mon, bro. You were dead-on with your assessment of Carnell Williams, but, Reggie Bush is the top RB in this draft. His game is a near-lock to translate to the NFL--yes, this is pretty mindless for the RB position--and he will be a premier back for many years. I, too, worry about his size, but his vision, cuts, and groove on the field are just dreamy. He is also a return-threat, though, the Texans have a guy that I told you would be a big time player in Jerome Mathis. -LenDale White is for real and I think he is the second ranked RB in the draft. I know I have Williams above him, but, the more I think about it, the more I want White. I'll concede this. If he falls to Pittsburgh, he is going to blow up the league.

Admittedly, I haven't put as much time into prospects this season as in the past, but, I have kept a very serious watch on the quarterback, running back, and defensive back positions. QB 1. Matt Leinart USC 2. Vince Young TEX 3. Jay Cutler VANDY 4. Omar Jacobs BG 5. Darrell Hackney UAB RB 1. Reggie Bush USC--No question. 2. DeAngelo Williams MEM 3. LenDale White USC 4. Maurice Drew UCLA 5. Laurence Maroney MINN--Beware. This kid is a serious product of a system and although he looks to be drafted in the first round, he is not a standout player at the next level. FB Who Cares--Nothing worth noting, Mid-rounders at best. TE 1. Vernon Davis MARY 2. Leonard Pope UGA--Looks to top the Sweetheart List. 3. Marcedes Lewis UCLA--Stock may rise after combines. 4. Joe Klopfenstein COL 5. Anthony Fasano ND WR 1. Santonio Holmes OSU--Not crazy about this WR class at all. Below Average. 2. Chad Jackson FL 3. Martin Nance MIAMI(OH) 4. Derek Hagan ASU 5. Hank Baskett NM OT 1. D'Brickashaw Ferguson UVA--He's the balls. 2. Winston Justice USC 3. Eric Winston MIAMI(FL) OG 1. Max Jean-Gilles UGA--Not saying much, very underwhelming class. 2. Jason Spitz LOUIS C 1. Nick Mangold OSU 2. Greg Eslinger MINN DE 1. Mario Williams NCST--He, too, is the balls. 2. Mathias Kiwanuka BC 3. Tamba Hali PENNST 4. Kamerion Wimbley FLST 5. Manny Lawson NCST DT 1. Haloti Ngata ORE 2. Brodrick Bunkley FLST 3. Rodrique Wright--His stock will improve despite that poor showing at the Rose Bowl. OLB 1. AJ Hawk OSU--No question. 2. Chad Greenway IOWA 3. DeMeco Ryans ALA 4. Bobby Carpenter--Will be on the Sweetheart List. 5. Ernie Sims FLST ILB 1. Abdul Hodge IOWA 2. D'Qwell Jackson MARY 3. Kevin Simon TENN 4. Kai Parham UVA 5. Tim McGarigle NW--ESCC boy, fun guy to drink with...that's about it. CB 1. Jimmy Williams VT--This pains me to put him up this high. 2. Tye Hill CLEM 3. Ashton Youboty OSU 4. Anwar Phillips PENNST 5. Antonio Cromartie FLST S 1. Michael Huff TEXAS--Pro-Bowler 2. Ko Simpson USOC--Pro-Bowler 3. Jason Allen TENN--Bounce back from injury? 4. LaRon Landry LSU 5. Bernard Pollard Purdue K 1. Andre Kristacovitchlalinski Jr

Anyone that has had a hernia can attest to its discomfort and annoyance when it comes to physical activities. I think this is a pretty good indication that Podsednik's ineffectiveness on the base paths down the stretch was a result of physical discomfort, not a mental lapse. Now that he's had the surgery, I expect him to be stealing bases at his regular rate once again. That's always a positive.

EDIT: Addy's preliminary rankings to come a bit later. Rankings will change upwards of ten times from now until the Texans are on the clock.

Although I haven't been posting as of late, I live a block off Addison on the Northwest side of Chicago; born and raised deep within the heart of Cub country, my allegiance has never wavered. I dig it.

It appears Scott and I are on the same page once again. Scott's newest mock LINK

1# Houston 2# New Orleans 3# Tennessee 4# New York Jets 5# Green Bay 6# San Francisco--coin flip w/ Oakland decides order 7# Oakland--coin flip w/ San Francisco decides order 8# Buffalo 9# Detroit 10# Arizona 11# St. Louis 12# Cleveland 13# Baltimore 14# Philadelphia 15# Atlanta 16# Miami 17# Minnesota 18# Dallas 19# San Diego 20# Kansas City He we go. Now, we'll start seeing many more mock drafts in the weeks to come and will start getting a better idea of the direction a lot of these teams want to go. Of the top five draft selections, we may see as many as four new head coaches...will that affect matters? This is when it all starts getting interesting. Lot's of fun in the weeks to come. Preliminary Projection: #1 Houston-Reggie Bush(the sexy selection, but, not necessarily the correct selection) #2 New Orleans-Matt Leinart(a franchise quarterback and someone to groom for a year with a new head coach...this is an absolutely ideal selection for a team like New Orleans desperate to get a face for their now embattled franchise) #3 Tennessee-Mario Williams(a great selection here and someone that will become a Pro-Bowler in no time...could go with Ferguson the OT here or may trade the selection) #4 New York Jets-Vince Young(a little too high for a Vince Young selection in my opinion, but, with Pennington and his arm troubles fresh in everyone's memories after an absolutely dismal season, the Jets make the big splash and draft the quarterback of the future, a fine choice) #5 Green Bay-AJ Hawk(a great selection here for the Packers...Hawk is about as NFL-ready an OLB as ever there was one...the size, speed, and instincts this guy has are second to none at his position...he should go here and will become the face of the Packers defense in two years' time)

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jan 2, 2006 -> 11:02 AM) Um . . . it's January. Yes. Yes it is. And it's 2006. I always start off slow in the new year. I'll be writing 2005 on checks for another two and half months.

The thread designed to support Brett and plea for his return... I was pretty confident after yesterday's game that I would be able to see #4 play one more professional season. He can't want to go out like that. I know Brett doesn't have anything to prove, but, if he is able to get his injured players back, gel with some free agent signings, and rally the troops like only Brett Favre can, I think he is primed for a much more successful 2006-2007 campaign. Although I'm a Bears fan through and through, I've always had a special place in my heart for both Brett and the Packers. As a quarterback in both grade school and high school football, Brett was always my favorite player and will go down as my favorite player of all time. Those able to watch Brett strap it on week-in-and-week-out are truly blessed. He was just the best and I know I don't have to justify that. He is truly one of the best players of his era. I'll miss him like hell if he goes, but, after Sherman's firing, I'm left guessing. Come back Brett. One more year. Come back.

This is bloody Chicago!!! It's t-storming!? In December!? Not only do I love snow, but, I'm big into skiiing and this is just downright depressing. Global warming!? What the hell is going on!?

QUOTE(farmteam @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 06:21 PM) I didn't think he was grouping all tOSU grads together. I thought he meant that, if convicted, he could go to the Ohio State Penitentiary...sort of a play on words. I could be wrong, but that's what I got out of it. Naturally. Thanks, farm. Didn't think I had to articulate that. :rolly

THE Ohio State Penitentiary

Well, at least now he can develop into the perennial all-star we all felt possible. Oh, wait, he's also going to platoon with the Division I-AA Rockies? Never mind.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 30, 2005 -> 10:32 AM) I have said it a few times before, and I will say it again. Bruce SUCKS when it comes to rumors with teams outside of Chicago. But when it comes to the Sox and Cubs, Bruce has been pretty good with the news he breaks and rumors he has. He has broken national stories as well...the Andy Pettitte signing comes to mind. Sorry, but, he's a lot more in the know that some of our internet "baseball experts" would like to believe. Whenever you are in his position, you are going to get burned. He reports the Sox are a lock to sign Vizquel, then, Saben comes in with his guarnteed third year and sweeps him up. It happens. But, to say the guy has no credibility and to dismiss him as some yuck is just foolish. Soxtalk's AndyTheClown reports... I'll take Levine.

If you think Bruce Levine is reporting falsities simply because the Cubs organization now has interest in Tejada, I really have no rebuttal. The guy reports what he hears. It's known the Sox are currently over-budget, the Sox would be hard-pressed to trade similar contracts, and Tejada would almost surely mean yet another raise in payroll. Even if the guy is just connecting the dots, it makes an lot of sense to me.

If he is used as a fourth outfielder, this is not as poor a signing as some of you are making it out to be. The fear would be Dusty using him in a platoon or starting role.

In an attempt to stop these threads, ESPN 1000's Bruce Levine is reporting that although Kenny Williams and company have interest in Tejada, they are in no position to add to a payroll that is already over-budget. I think he said the acquisition of Tejada would mean for roughly $8M per year. Kenny is looking to cut pay-roll, not add to it. These rumors are now over.

Hmmmm... See I was just thinking of the security of my fair city, tax increases, the flood of people, and the sheer chaos of the event that would make downtown Chicago nearly intolerable for weeks on end. I think I'll just pass on this one and suggest they consider Trenton, NJ.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Dec 29, 2005 -> 10:33 AM) If I had to guess I would say that this thread will be repeated 5 times by tomorrow. Thats all I've got Well played, K. Had me laughing out loud.