hitlesswonder

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Feb 13, 2008 -> 08:41 AM) i have to say it's really great watching mccamey come into his own with this team. although he didn't have a great shooting night last night he found other ways to contribute and almost had a triple-double (10 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds). he, legion, and smith should make a nice backcourt next year. I agree...it's fun to see a player improve and he definitely has significantly both in terms of looking like he belongs on the court and conditioning. He's a better player than I thought he would be this year, and if he can improve his defense he really could an excellent college basketball player.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 10, 2008 -> 01:55 AM) I was more talking about this comment: "whose basketball program is rather "class-challenged" to be politically correct." Coming from a fan whose once proud program hired a known cheater? You probably won't believe me, but I'm not a fan of IU. I'm old enough to remember Knight coaching there and in keeping with the desire for more civility around here I'll just say I wasn't enamored with his style either. I don't have anything constructive to say about their current coach, except that I find it funny that when he was president of the NABC he was instrumental in forming the ethics committee. And also, you would also probably enjoy the wikipedia entry on Kelvin Sampson. Someone that dislikes him has obviously edited it recently....

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 10, 2008 -> 01:29 AM) From an IU fan. Really, hitless, really? When Ron Guenther feels the University needs to apologize, it's pretty clear things aren't going well. I guess I just don't understand why it's so difficult to not do embarrassing things like Frazier's chest bump or Weber not shaking Gordon's hand at the end of the game. As an outsider, to me it makes the program look bad. Probably worse than is actually case.

QUOTE(knightni @ Feb 10, 2008 -> 01:16 AM) Thanks for cleaning that up some hitless. I like your edit, too. I probably should hire an editor for all my posts

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 9, 2008 -> 11:35 PM) Bruce Weber can't even get it right when he gets a top 10 national recruit apparently. Then Richmond will fit right in at Illinois, whose basketball program is rather "class-challenged" to be politically correct. It's too bad Frazier will have graduated before Richmond gets there, otherwise he could teach Richmond how to be a complete jerk to players on the other team as well as players on his own team.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 9, 2008 -> 10:28 PM) it's also clear that Matt Painter is one of the fastest rising coaches in the nation (and certainly the best coach in the league with SIU ties) and that Purdue might win the league this year. Purdue got very lucky that Weber went UI...he was in line for the Purdue job when Keady retired otherwise. They dodged a bullet there.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 8, 2008 -> 05:58 PM) No offense, but your wrong. I believe in second chances, but not for everybody, and certainly not everybody (in fact, hardly anybody) has been convicted of a felony. I'll be glad to throw stones, because my house is not made of glass in the sense that I have yet to be convicted of a felony, or any crime for that matter. But yeah, second chances are deserved, but there is a line and Jamar crossed the one where you even deserve a second chance. I guess I wouldn't go that far. I think this country takes drunk driving way too lightly, but it's not clear to me that a lengthy prison term would have been appropriate. Anyway, I won't pretend to know what should have happened with Jamar Smith. But if UI decided he shouldn't play basketball for them anymore, I hardly think that's draconian. He'd be free to play ball someplace else and I'm sure there's some school that would give him a ride. Or UI could have kept him off the team but allowed him to keep his scholarship if he wanted; that would have been nice since it punishes both Smith and then program.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 8, 2008 -> 03:57 PM) Whoops. I'm sure Weber planted those people to throw those beads. I wasn't suggesting that. I was referring to the numerous(4? or more?) times that Illinois basketball players have been arrested while Weber has been there. Sorry if the writing wasn't clear

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 8, 2008 -> 03:34 PM) Maybe not, but being arrested 15 times before the age of 14 and having cocaine and an illegal weapon on you is pretty comparable. No, it's not. Driving drunk and leaving someone to die is actually much worse. It's like if he took that illegal weapon, fired it randomly and hit someone and then left that person to die. I don't want to be hyperbolic, but I agree with whomever said that Weber and the Illinois program make Sampson look classy. Recruiting phone calls against NCAA rules are crap compared to what has happened at Illinois under Weber. The basketball program and the fans that pelted the Gordons and the IU fans with beads and ice and threatened them last night are an absolute embarrassment.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Feb 8, 2008 -> 10:06 AM) Maybe, but Forde's article also didn't let the Indiana fans off the hook talking about when Sean May came back to Bloomington. I see nothing wrong with what the fans did until they started throwing things at the Gordons and the Hoosier fans. That's overboard. But chanting? Come on...these guys hear worse on the playgrounds then "Liar" and "Cheater." In fact, they say worse to each other when talking smack. One reason that Forde's article is good is mentioning May -- it gives context to the story, unlike something that a Sun Times columnist might write. The chanting is lame, but expected and pretty inconsequential. It was the throwing stuff, Tisdale and Frazier acting like they were on roids and Weber being a baby and refusing to shake hands that make Illinois look bad. Moreover, Gordon changed his mind about what University he wanted to go to. Big deal. He didn't make the Illinois basketball team bad -- he just didn't make it better by going to UI. To get that worked up about a guy deciding to go to school in Indiana is just silly (although unsurprising). If the UI students want to get upset about something, they should focus on the fact that state funding of UI is down around 20% of it's overall budget and is declining rapidly. Hello higher tuition....

There's a decent article by Ford on the UI IU game on ESPN's website. Makes Illinois and their fans look pretty pathetic for the way they treated Gordon and his family. I think it's a little too easy on Weber -- not shaking Gordon's hand seems pretty classless.

QUOTE(heirdog @ Feb 4, 2008 -> 03:03 PM) Depends on how you characterize Jordan Danks: top 10 talent or pyrite? But isn't nice not have a lot of worry over who the Sox will draft? You don't have to spend time looking at all the columns about draft prospects because the Sox decision is already made....

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jan 31, 2008 -> 06:28 PM) Crisp if healthy (and that's a BIG if), would probably hit around .290 and have an OBP around the .350-.360 mark, with decent pop. But I doubt Boston is going to settle for that, and we don't have much else to deal. Crisp's career OBP is .329. The last 3 years it's .332.

QUOTE(almagest @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 01:05 PM) Who, in your estimation, would be worth getting for Danks+Fields+say, Shelby? I don't know if we should go after a CF for all three for 2008, as you've already got Quentin/Swisher/Dye, and Owens/Anderson if Quentin fails. So what SP would be worth that package, to you? I don't think Cain or Lincecum are good investments at that price, due to Cain's road splits and Lincecum's probability of injury. I'd take Cain or Lincecum for that package; I think we simply disagree about the relative worth of the players involved. I'm more impressed with Cain and Lincecum than any single player in the Sox package. It's almost ridiculous to mention, but the Sox could always inquire about Bedard....I don't know about a CF...I honestly can't think of one rumored to be available that would be worth it or a good fit for the Sox. I think Fields is likely to outproduce Crede at the plate, but factoring in defense I think Crede has a reasonable chance of being more valuable this year. I am concerned about Crede's back, but I'm also concerned that the AL will figure out that Fields has trouble with fastballs this coming season. They both have question marks. Longer-term I'd rather have Fields. But the Sox seem to be building for 2008. I agree that Cabrera is a good glove, but if Richar is at 2B the Sox may not get good D at that position -- he didn't show very good range last year.

QUOTE(BureauEmployee171 @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 04:48 PM) The Fed is trying to make sure the lower middle class simply can "keep their home & barely get by for the next 2-5 years", but at the cost of actually losing their homes, jobs, and cars after that point. Really? I don't think so. The latest rate cut seems like a direct response to the worldwide drop in financial markets; it was a special cut made to stave off a crash on Wall Street. That's actually a big departure from the Fed's historic role of keeping inflation low while trying keep unemployment from being excessively over the "natural rate". I don't think it was done with the short-term prospects of the lower middle-class in mind. I also read that the recent market-surge was partly based on rumors that there would be a federal bailout of MBIA and Ambac. Again, if that happens, the direct beneficiaries will not be the lower middle class. I'm not smart enough to say anything with any authority about a stimulus package, but I do think that borrowing more money to give a few hundred dollars to taxpayers is unlikely to be useful. It also would be nice if US government policy would stop screwing over people who hold cash and save. I'm tired of repeatedly reading about how the US savings rate needs to climb while at the same time virtually every monetary and fiscal policy announced discourages saving.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 10:23 AM) I don't think thats the case AT ALL, at least not for me. What I see is a team that still has a few holes to fill, and the Sox cupboard is empty. They just don't have any more assets to deal that hold much value. The only one that does is Fields, and the only reason he would be made available is because Crede is still on the roster. I think that's right. The truth is that Fields can't play defense (at least right now) at 3B. And his K numbers and trouble hitting fastballs make him far from a sure thing. Crede has a good chance of being a more valuable player in 2008 than Fields. The Sox have holes at SP, CF, and 2B. If they really are trying to contend in 2008 and they could trade Danks+Fields+prospect for a solid starting pitcher or CF I think they have to look into that.

If the Sox want to deal with the Giants, I'd rather see them try Fields+Danks+Shelby for Cain or Lincecum...

My guess: 1. Owens (CF) 2. Cabrera (SS) 3. Thome (DH) 4. Konerko (1B) 5. Dye (RF) 6. Swisher (LF) 7. Crede (3B) 8. AJP C 9. Richar (2B) Fields and Quinten in AAA Rotation: Buehrle, Vazquez, Contreras, Floyd, Danks Bullpen: Jenks, Linebrink, Thornton, Masset, Aardsma, Logan, MacDougal Bench: Ozuna, Uribe, Hall

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jan 14, 2008 -> 01:09 PM) All I know is I really like the fact that BA mentioned Poreda was hitting 98 and touched 100 a few times... I'm not saying this isn't true, but BA routinely seems to inflate gun readings. Still, if this means his fastball sits at 95, that's not bad IMO. He could be the next 2006 Thornton which would be OK.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jan 13, 2008 -> 05:37 PM) really? illinois has lost four straight including to tennessee state at home. indiana has won 26 straight at home. we've been talking for two years and agreeing that bruce weber hasn't recruited top talent. with all that in mind, your first two best observations of this game are that illinois isn't physically talented? ok. maybe you just aren't good at providing good objective analysis at basketball. that's ok. few are. I was just saying that one reason for the foul differential (which was a topic here) was the disparity in athletcism between the teams. That's all. You are right -- I'm probably not a good particularly analyst. If I'm not adding anything worth talking about, I'll stop. My apologies.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Jan 13, 2008 -> 05:23 PM) my question would be why a team that is so outclassed isn't getting tihskicked by a team that's won 26 straight at home. to me, that would be a more salient observation and one that actually took some thought, not just regurgitating something you read on a message board. I didn't think I was regugitating anything. So about another topic. McCamey has shown some good court vision and has looked faster on defense than in previous games. In the 2nd half he's seemed reticent to control the ball as much as he did in the first half. He's picking up his dribble quickly. I don't know if that's being tired or just Basset's defense. Either way it was a good game for him.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Jan 13, 2008 -> 05:06 PM) Ratliff didn't get touched and Ellis just shoved Brock out of the way for IU's putback. But yeah you are right. I agree about Ratliff...edited my previous post. But Illinois is just physically outclassed and they are starting to look tired (Brock especially).

QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Jan 13, 2008 -> 05:03 PM) IU getting all the calls. Ratliff didn't even get touched there, just flat out blew the layup. May have helped us though. IU is faster and more athletic at every position. Those calls are fouls....although yeah, Meacham didn't touch him there...

QUOTE(Markbilliards @ Jan 12, 2008 -> 03:25 AM) Oh gosh I'm sure there was much more than just Shaeffer involved in Poreda's draft and yeah I'm sure he was canned for more than just Poreda, that being more of the final straw is what I figured. I just mentioned him and his case to say that not everyone thinks alike. I guess I'll wait to let Bureau answer this question though, I don't really know what I'm talking about. I think the Sox fired the West Coast scout responsible for recommending Poreda as draft pick. Bureau mentioned that in a previous post I believe. In a related note, I also read elsewhere that the Sox scout who looked at the Rangers high minors (read Danks & Masset) is no longer scouting for the Sox either.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jan 11, 2008 -> 12:42 PM) "Most likely he will improve". No, that isn't most likely until he shows he can hit the fastball -- but that's just my thought on it, and you have the right to make whatever predictions you'd like about our players. Melky Cabrera posted a .751 OPS as a 22 year-old. At 23 he posted a .... .718 OPS. Young players aren't locks to improve, as you say. Cabrera is interesting -- he's a bad comp in that he and Fields are very different hitters, except that Cabrera has a rep as a good breaking ball hitter. Sort of like Fields.