Rowand44

If Uribe starts at 2nd, I'm going to be an angry person.

Inge is the best defensive 3b in baseball imo, but that's one position we're actually set at for a long time. No thanks.

QUOTE(gbuk @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 01:14 AM) Thing with mid-majors is that their recruiting is so much different than high majors I never have any clue what's going on unless one of them lands a big time recruit (hello Anthony Booker!) it's more of a diamond in the rough type thing, and I legitimately don't know about these guys unless I hear it straight from a hardcore mid-major fan (which I don't know many of, and I enjoy hearing about). It's tough for guys like Bone when expecting so much so quickly...they're thrown right in because they have to be, there's no one else. I didn't take what you said about Bone taking over Tatum's role completely as meaning that because that's a whole different thing. Tatum was one of those special guards who did EVERYTHING...a guy anyone on any team needs. Although it's never necessarily entertaining to watch SIU play, watching Tatum was a pleasure, a nice change of pace. But I digress. I totally forgot about Young...him, Tatum, and Mullins made the sickest backcourt defense, oh man. Losing 2 of those 3 and replacing them with guys who don't necessarily understand the system or have to be made into good defenders is very hard to do, and that's certainly what it feels like with you guys. I agree with throwing the freshmen out into the fire, because the problem is, if they want to be a good team right now, you have to find a remedy for your problem, and if those freshmen bring that, there's no reason to ease them in...let them get experience. It might be tough at first, but it's better than leaving a less talented, more experienced player out there. Good stuff, man. You hit a lot of things right on the nose. I'm sure people are tired of seeing me vent my frustrations here so this will be the last post on the matter tonight. I still believe this team has a lot of talent and can make a run some time along the way but right now it's ugly and it might not get better for a while.

QUOTE(gbuk @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 12:55 AM) Well if a guy like Bone, (who I know nothing about and won't pretend to) who played sparingly last year is supposed to take over a lot of Tatum's role, it's going to be tough...I don't know what kind of talent this guy possesses, but putting a guy in a spot to take over for one of the best (the best maybe?) point guards in school history is rough. Transitions like this are never smooth, but I expect Lowery to figure it out, he's proven he knows what he's doing and he'll figure out a way to adjust to it. I've only seen this game play almost 2 games (MSU, USC), and the main thing that stuck out to me was their defensive breakdowns against USC, which aren't like them. And for a team who makes their living off of grinding it out and uglying their way to victory, it's clear they can't afford that to happen. They need more offensive weapons obviously, but that's seemingly always been a need. Falker can't do it all. Bone has a crap load of talent, that's why people expected him to be the scorer. I shouldn't have said that I expected Bone to take over the Tatum role but I expected him to be the scoring guard on this team and right now absolutely nothing is falling for him. He took it to the basket more today than he has been so that's a plus but he still can't get anything to go. And yes, I've been worried about the defense since the first exhibition game, it's not the same and it's not going to be as good as last year. Tatum and Young were just insanely good defensively and they were both in the system for a long time(Tatum for 4 and Young for 5 years). The defense is so freaking far off from last season. Oddly enough, the offense isn't too far off from last season at this point and I actually believe it's running smoother, nobody is making shots at the moment though, NOBODY. And the best catch and shoot shooter that we have imo can't find minutes right now. I know Lowery wants to ease the freshman in but they need to be thrown into the fire right now cause they're two of our better shooters.

QUOTE(gbuk @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 12:35 AM) People figured Mullins could step in for Tatum and it would be a seamless transition...clearly not though as Mullins was always known more for his defensive presence than his ball handling ability or his ability to lead a team...worst part about this team is that they're getting beat at their own game this year - slowing it down and a rough grind-it-out defensive style (ie USC game). People expected Mullins to pick up some of the slack but a lot of people were expecting Bone to kind of take over the Tatum role(I certainly did) and at the moment he can't hit a shot. The scoring role was supposed to be picked up by a bunch of people and nobody has settled into anything yet. You're right about Mullins, he's a true point guard, he's not a scorer. And for some reason Brandon Wood still can't find the court, I just don't get it.

QUOTE(MurcieOne @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 12:34 AM) Floyd made 30 million for this fight, and he's gonna take two years off... maybe by then someone will be able to challenge him? We can train Heads, I hear he has a six pack now.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 09:49 PM) Wait, are you telling me that a pitcher is rated by wins? ALL HAIL JON GARLAND!!!! Garland is a much better pitcher than Willis imo. I wouldn't even have to think twice on who I'd rather have.

QUOTE(Jimbo's Drinker @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 11:29 PM) KU sweet revenge on Depaul...i laugh at SIU Good to know that asshat Jimbo is back.

QUOTE(heirdog @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 09:25 PM) I think 72 wins for last years team was an aberration. Were they a 90 win team? No they were not. But expect a bounce back year from at least half of the players (Buehrle, Konerko, Thome) Buehrle was really good, Konerko was pretty much around his career averages and Thome did what you can pretty much expect out of him now a days(if he's healthy he's great, but he's going to have nagging injuries). I agree that this isn't a 72 win team but they aren't very good either.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 09:45 PM) He didn't automatically get the job. Its obvious to me that Sox management was looking for a certian level of commitment from Brian last spring, and once they got to Tucson, they didn't get it. Its not all about statistics. You know as well as I do that numbers can, and do, often lie. Just ask Anderson's agent how much of a commitment to baseball that Brian has made in years past. For whatever reason, that is important to the Sox. They don't care about guys who can pad their stats in garbage time, they want a guy who is willing to fight it out in the trenches, and Anderson has never given them that. I'm not getting into more Anderson arguments, I disagree, I'll leave it at that.

I'm at a loss for words right now. This team f***in sucks at the moment. Saint Mary's might beat us by 30 at home on Tuesday. I can't even have a positive thought about this team anymore until I see something to be excited about. Someone on this team better pay for the huge f***in hole I punched in my wall.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 05:50 PM) I'll never understand why SIU put Falker on Stemler. Don't get me started.

Nichols is ok, I just don't think any of the others are even in Andrews league.

QUOTE(He_Gawn @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 05:36 PM) IU looked damn good for not having their best player and their floor general. Stemler didn't play today?

QUOTE(Leonard Zelig @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 11:32 AM) Shingo couldn't throw strikes with his slow stuff and hitters were just teeing off on his "fastball". Yup, he lost complete control of the frisbee and it was game over for him.

For the SIU fans around here, in case you guys didn't know, you can watch the game tonight online through yahoo. It's 5 bucks to do so but it's the only way to watch this game.

Griffey is taking an official here on the 30th. I have no idea what our chances are with him but it's fantastic news that he's actually making an official visit. He'd be a huge get but I doubt it'll happen. At least there is a chance though.

The Bulls have had like 90 billion shots rim in and out here in the last few minutes.

Cheap beer is the coolest.

Who's up for a Pods-Willie-Owens of? That's the ticket.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 06:08 PM) The point I was making was use that as a reference when looking at these salaries, in a couple years, they sometimes look like bargains. Teams have to project out what a player is going to do. Maggs was a risk, and the Tigers won. Well, so did we.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 12:00 PM) Why does Owens automatically get the job? We know who the better defender is (when healthy) and there's nothing to say Owens will be a better hitter than Anderson. I'd think if it really came down to it, Ozzie could find a good amount of at-bats for both at the major league level, especially with Quentin in LF. Why did Erstad automatically get the job out of st last season? Ozzie doesn't like BA, he's not getting another shot here, he's just not.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 03:24 PM) And the White Sox lost out on their top 2 targets? Who else has? Probably a lot of teams that we don't know about.

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 01:12 PM) Big deal. Ya, I know. But he did get arrested.

QUOTE(Brian @ Dec 7, 2007 -> 08:46 AM) SIU needs to get into a flow and I mean hit their schedule. 2 games in the last 2 weeks is no way to build momentum or get into a groove. Let's Bring the Pain against Charlotte and hit the ground running. Yup, it starts tomorrow. We're changing a few things up to, which I love. Going back to the 3 guard lineup with Shaw at the 4 where he even admitted that he's more comfortable playing. Looks like the starting lineup for tomorrows game is going to be: Mullins, Bone, Clemmons, Shaw and Randal which is what I've wanted to see the whole season, so I'm very, very happy to see some of these changes. Still, everything is dependent on Bone and Shaw hitting some shots, I also get the feeling that you'll finally see Wood play some significant minutes out there tomorrow. I got a feeling this team is about ready to turn it around, I think you'll see them play significantly better from now on and it will start tomorrow.