Rex Hudler

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 8, 2006 -> 12:47 AM) Awesome works perfect. Does this actually mean I'm getting a true high def picture on my computer? What kind of file is it? Is it something that can be emailed or is it personal? Too big? I'd love to check it out and see what it would look like on my monitor.

QUOTE(Soxy @ Mar 8, 2006 -> 03:11 AM) I think Melissa and Kinnik are gone. Although my sleeper pick to go home is Lisa. Ideally, Kellie Golly-gee Pickler would go too. Girl is like fingers on a chalkboard to me. Edit: Holy hell can Mandisa sing. She was awesome. So was Katherine. Going into tonight I thought it would be tough for anyone to go besides Kinnik and Melissa. I think Melissa is the better of the two, but I believe there is a definite division between those two and the next six. I think it will be interesting to see in what order the girls depart once the Top 12 begins. I like Kellie Pickler because she is real. Her problem now is that she is SO real she is becoming irritating as hell. I mean, other than Bucky, can anyone really be THAT dumb?? For some reason, I am still not sold on Mandisa being that great. I am not sure what it is about her, but to me she isn't any better than Lisa, Paris or Katharine. I really like Ayla (feeling like a dirty old man) but I don't think she fits with the above. I wouldn't put it past her to last a few more weeks than one might think, though.

Anybody want to make me an IU sig? I'd take anything, but something showing the program's history would be kinda cool.

QUOTE(Jimbo's Drinker @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 10:44 PM) Is his image flawed based on his constant spouse abuse?? Depends on how you look at it, but as far as I know, no one knows to what degree it was done. He was never convicted of anything, so it's hard to say. I think it is fair to say that he was a good man that had a very tough time after he retired. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to be a man on top of the world, at the top of your profession and loved by everyone, to having an illness take the game and your world away from you. Imagine feeling bulletproof one day and the next barely being able to see and being told your existence as you know it is gone. Obviously he struggled with the real world outside of baseball. While not condoning any of his transgressions, whatever they may have been, I will personally choose to remember him in his better days, when the world loved Kirby Puckett.

Nuthin wrong with Thomas visiting. Just as long as he isn't coaching.

Exactly. You would just go ahead and seed the 16 seeds as you do now and the winner of the play in game gets the final 12 seed (or 13 if that is the way it works out in a particular year)

I heard a suggestion regarding the NCAA Tournament yesterday that I really liked and had never heard before. It was suggested that instead of having the play-in game in its current format with two also-rans that no one pays attention to, to have the play-in game involve the last two at-large teams selected for the tournament. Think about it for a second before judging it.... -- having a Missouri State vs. Maryland (or whoever the last two teams in are) play would give us a game people would actually watch. -- although they would still get hammered, it would give all of the teams that qualified automatically the experience of playing in the tournament for real, rather than the trumped up play-in game. -- While it would bump up some other teams one seed line, it would make the real "last two teams in" play for that right. It is not perfect, but I think it would make things a heck of a lot more interesting than the current format and give us a game we would actually watch on Tuesday night.

See Indiana in 2002..... Everything depends on matchups, how a team plays on a particular day and a little luck. Indiana pounded Utah in the first round, then seemingly got a break having to face UNC-Wilmington in the 2nd (although I am not so sure USC was that good). Then they beat Duke, the # 1 seed and then got another break by getting Kent State in the Elite 8 after they had beaten OK St, Alabama and Pitt. They beat Oklahoma pretty good in the Final Four before finally losing to Maryland. As a 5th seed, only the blindest IU fan thought they had a chance to do what they did. So there is always a chance to survive and often times, that chance depends on what others in your own bracket do as well.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:44 AM) I'll chip in $100 for the surgery myself. He should have done that right after he bailed on the USC job. A little late now, unfortunately.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:32 AM) Well they are in already. And obviously they are going to have a tough first round game that they could very easily lose, but they are also one of those types of teams that could end up like a #7 seed and do some serious damage. I certainly hope so. But I hope you can pardon my hesitance to look at ahead at all after this up and down season. And FWIW, I think there are going to be some really, really good 7-10 and 8-9 first round matchups. Better than in most years.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:28 AM) George Mason, Wilmington (already in of course), and Hofstra should all get in. Hopefully they do, I have a bad feeling that Hofstra will get left out due to the blowout loss tonight and George Mason's being ranked earlier this year. Just a hunch though. Oh, and I'd love to see Indiana play somebody like George Washington or Gonzaga in the 2nd round. They could definitely beat those guys, hell even if you gave them another shot at Duke and put it on a neutral floor with the way Duke is playing. Let's not jump the gun on Indiana here. I'll assume at this point they are in the tourney, but let's go one game at a time. I expect IU to have a tough first round matchup.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:25 AM) All great scorers do it. Hell, MJ pushed off on what may be THE signature shot of his career (if you could only pick 1, it's the shot that won ring #6). It's just some do it more than others and can get away with it more because of how subtle they are. I think Majerus is more saying guys like Morrison and Reggie can push off more and get away with it because they have the skill of being subtle about it. Exactly, Larry Bird made a living at it. A pretty nice living too.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:21 AM) Let's try this again. Despite Indiana and Wisconsin beating OSU one a piece during the regular season, I don't think either team can beat OSU come tourney time. Is that better? There you go! Much better. An opinion offered with nothing added that can easily be picked apart. You're learning.

QUOTE(illinilaw08 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:23 AM) Majerus just called out Morrison for pushing off to create space off the ball. Compared him to Reggie Miller. That's not a bad thing. Great players know how to gain advantages. I don't think he meant it as a bad thing at all.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 02:11 AM) Thanks for that bit of info. I already knew that. Indiana beat them AT HOME by all of two points. Wisconsin beat them AT HOME by all of 5 points. I don't think either can beat OSU in the tourney. And OSU beat both Wisconsin and Indiana AT HOME. I'm not disputing that OSU has proven they are the best team of the three, but your point as you make it means nothing. You may think OSU will beat both of them, but to act as if neither could, and that the previous wins by Indiana and Wisky are meaningless, is pretty narrow-minded.

I'll bring it up. I really believe Kirby's problems after he retired only show that he is human. A lot of athletes have a problem dealing with life after the spotlight is no longer on them. Sometimes what makes them great is what makes them struggle so much once their time in the sun is gone. I will not judge another person's life without living it. We know he wasn't a perfect person, but how many among us are? We do not know what he was going through or why he may have had problems coping with everyday life. I'll choose to remember Kirby as the guy who was electrifying to watch. Who always had a smile on his face and gave people joy watching him do his thing. Who made teammates better. Who did many great things with charities. And so on....

Congrats to Brad Brownell and UNC-Wilmington! Brownell used to kick my ass on the neighbor's 8' goal when we were kids. We used to have some really cool 3-on-3 games in the driveway!

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 01:49 AM) Rex, any news on Davis down there in the south? He's being mentioned as a candidate at Ole Miss, but nothing hot and heavy. I hear Andy Kennedy is a top candidate for Ole Miss also if he doesn't get the UC job. I think he would be a candidate for UAB, but not sure how serious of one. The one thing that many people may underestimate is that despite being from the same university system, the University of Alabama (Davis' alma mater) and UAB cannot stand each other when it comes to athletics. Not sure if there would be any issues there.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 11:16 PM) They should have a fairly easy road to the title game. No disrespect to the Hoosiers or Badgers, I just don't think either can take OSU. It's much tougher in the other bracket. I think whoever comes out of it could be worn out. Especially when you consider the crazy scheduling. OSU should definitely be favored. Ummmm..... They BOTH already have beaten OSU.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 01:04 PM) LOL, what kind of gaurantee is that Rowand? Thats like saying "Tomorrow, I gaurantee that the sun will come up" Still taking $20 bets they WILL make it to the Sweet 16. No takers yet for so many that seem so sure they won't.

QUOTE(AssHatSoxFan @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 11:40 PM) that last statement about a #1 if they win the tourney is laughable especially since it is a proven fact that the winner gets no added seed benefit How do you figure it is a "proven fact"?? I think it is quite safe to say that OSU will be strongly considered for a #1 seed should they win out and a couple of teams from (Duke, Villanova, Texas and Memphis) lose in their conference tournament. Still curious where the "proven fact" comes into play.

Kirby Puckett is dead at age 45

The comparison between Indiana and Michigan State brings up an interesting point to me. It shows how much playing in an exempt tournament can help a team's resume. For the record, I am using Michigan State as an example here, but my argument is intended to be more general about this topic. MSU played in the tournament at Chaminade this year, giving them two extra games. They were also granted an additional exemption to play Hawaii before that tournamet started, giving them a third extra game and their 20-10 record. I know they lost to Hawaii, but if you break down the schedules, take away Gonzaga and Arizona who they played in Hawaii, their non-conference SOS takes a major hit. You could certainly argue that if they didn't play in Hawaii, they would have scheduled a tough non-conference game in its place, but it still has helped them and helps other teams occasionally. Apparently the rule limiting the frequency of appearing in these tournaments is no longer in place which can be good and bad. I hope the change doesn't make these tournaments a party for big conference schools and squeeze out the mid-majors.

Play nice kids

Not sure what the big discussion is all about. Minny is not playing at home. They have ZERO chance of winning this thing. Now can we please move on?