Rex Hudler

QUOTE(Be Good @ Mar 11, 2005 -> 12:50 PM) Well with Georgetown's lost to UConn they are going need a lot of help to get in. The only way Georgetown will see an NCAA Tournament game is by buying their whole team tickets.

Well fotop your boys did not help themselves at all last night. Everyone now seems to think the Irish are out, but I am not so sure. The thing that will really hurt them is that they have lost 4 out of their last 5. If it comes down to splitting hairs, that will hurt them. But overall, I like their resume. Other than last night they only have one bad loss and that was to Michigan in the first few games of the season, when Michigan still had Horton and hadn't gone into their freefall yet. They have quality wins over UConn, Villanova and BC. They also had wins over West Virginia who will likely be in and Indiana (@ Indiana), another bubble team. If they don't get in, it will be because of the way they ended the season and it will be because they are splitting hairs with another team or two. I think they have a better resume than a lot of other bubble teams I have looked at, even after last night.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 06:22 AM) Ya, those posters at WSI are mistaken. No player knows where they will be at this point. They may have a feeling or have been given indications but in a lot of guys, how they do in big league camp or elsewhere will have a great effect on where they start. For example Bmac probably had a good shot of coming back to Bham prior to ST but thus far he's making a very good impression and will now likely start in Charlotte, although its still too early to say at this point. My guess is Anderson will play in Charlotte but I think the Sox are making a mistake and should give him some more time in Bham. Just my opinion, especially since they have OF depth are in no real rush. I'd go as far as to suggest that players often think they know where they are going, and are sometimes right and other times quite surprised.

QUOTE(BHAMBARONS @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 05:26 AM) Again that is what i am hearing doens't mean a thing until April 3rd when rosters are finalized Tom That is exactly right. ST rosters are like an amoeba, ever changing.......

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 12:39 AM) according to a few posters on WSI they said they talked to anderson and he confirmed that he would begin the season in triple A. Anderson may very well start in AAA, but there is no way he knows that right now. That may be where he thinks he is going and where he is being told he will likely end up, but it isn't that simple. The guys that make the decisions generally do not tell the players this early because too many things can change. Someone could get hurt, performances can be less than expected, etc. Basically, minor league rosters change daily in ST. What looks to be the AA roster this week, could have 3 or 4 changes a week from now. And 3 or 4 more a week later, then a couple more the day before they get on the plane out of Tucson. Changes do happen this often.

Davis should just shut up and let his team do the talking......

QUOTE(Fotop @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 06:57 PM) Let me expound a bit.... If a big conference team is not .500 in their conference I feel as though they probably shouldn't be in unless there are some real extenouating circumstances. I agree with you on this Rex, but take ND for example this year (9-7 BE, 70something RPI) they played UCONN, Pitt, Syracuse, Villanova, G-town all TWICE this year in conference play as well as BC once. They finished with an above .500 record even with that brutal conf. schedule yet we're going to sweat it out come sunday. Why? friggin' RPI and a non-bloated record (17-10). These are the types of teams that should be in, even though I may be biased...but of those 10 losses they've come at the hands of: Syr x2, Pitt x2, Uconn, Gtown, Villanova, Depaul, Michigan (only bad loss, but a road loss), Ucla. As for Sleepywhitesox's post, my point was that teams like Gonzaga and SIU are gaining NOW because of the inherent advantages in the system. However, Gonzaga has been going at it for god knows how long before any of this was in place. They're the prime example of building a solid program in a mid-major conference and then causing some noise in the tourney...then after a few years of riding their auto-bid, they earned the respect of possibly receiving an at-large. SIU is the same as well, they won the MVC a few years ago (auto-bid), made it to the sweet sixteen and now are gaining the respect their program (which has been built up) deserves. Point being, programs need to be built from the ground up...all schools have experienced this. As a mid-major you can't expect everything to be handed to you just because you're the "little guy". Don't get me wrong, I love the whole David v. Goliath thing in the NCAA tourney. Bryce Drew hitting a last second three or Kent state making a deep run give the tournament some great history. It's just that auto-bids are good enough to achieve this. We don't need whacked out RPIs as well. I think you are worried about nothing. Unless Notre Dame just flops in the Big East Tourney and gets blown out, I have no doubt they are in. They are on the bubble, yet about as close as you can to being in at this point without being a lock. I don't think you will see the Holy Crosses of the world take a spot away from the Irish.

I also disagree with you guys. I'd much rather see an upstart team from a solid conference like the MVC get their shot in the tournament than see a underacheiving, middle of the road team from one of the big conferences. Those teams had their chances to win more games as well. All that said, I hope there are not too many upsets this year, because selfishly I want to see IU get in. But if a deserving mid-major got a bid instead, so be it. That is what makes this tournament so great. It is what used to make the Indiana HS basketball state tournament so great. It allows the David's to get a shot at the Goliaths. If the big schools want a bid, then they should earn it by finishing .500 or better in their league. Lastly, I think you will see this new RPI formula tweaked again, but I don't think RPI plays as big a role with the tournament committee as the media plays it out to be. It is just one thing they look at and rarely the deciding factor.

QUOTE(whitesoxin' @ Mar 8, 2005 -> 11:29 PM) I've got a cable modem, so that is no problem. The adaptor is about $50 isn't it? Hell, the new PS2's come with the adaptor for the $149 price tag.

QUOTE(whitesoxin' @ Mar 8, 2005 -> 09:19 PM) CLASS 4A 1. MICHIGAN CITY Concord (22-1) vs. Gary West Side (17-4). South Bend Clay (13-11) vs. Valparaiso (21-2). It looks like it will be a Valpo versus Concord matchup. Last year we beat Concord in this same game in Michigan City as well. I sure hope its a repeat this year. So how does the state tournament in IN work now that they have those stupid classes? It used to be sectionals, then a 4 team regional, a 4 team semi-state and then the Final Four. What's the current slate?

QUOTE(Hall of Famer @ Mar 8, 2005 -> 09:54 PM) Illinois would still not be #1 in the old system either. Hence the reason I said "perhaps"

QUOTE(He_Gawn @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 12:42 AM) I guarantee he wont, even if he does, were still top 10/15. No way in hell IU is preseason Top 10.

I just put together a custom TV schedule for myself on Friday, so I knew what games were on, at what time and on what station...... There are 28 freakin basketball games I can get on TV here on Friday, from 11a to 11p. FREAKIN 28 GAMES

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Mar 8, 2005 -> 06:09 PM) Isn't it basically 1.4 for a road win and .6 for a home win since majors don't like to go on the road against competitive mid-majors? I obviously didn't read the article. Read it

I kept hearing the formula of the RPI had been changed this year so I did a search and found this article. IT is very informative and interesting. Perhaps this explains why the RPI hasn't had the Illini #1 this year...... Keep an eye on RPI - new vs. old formulas Here is a table within the article that shows the effects of the change...... Mid Majors Team New RPI Old RPI Change Vermont 23 42 +19 Miami (OH) 27 52 +25 Old Dominion 35 60 +25 Holy Cross 37 61 +24 Akron 38 71 +33 UALR 42 75 +33 Major Conference Bubble Teams Team New RPI Old RPI Change NC State 93 67 -26 Arkansas 84 63 -21 Iowa St. 79 58 -21 Vanderbilt 75 48 -27 Indiana 68 41 -27 Pittsburgh 46 29 -17

Creighton wins so that should keep the MVC at two bids. It is possible that Wichita St or Northern Iowa could get a 3rd bid, but I don't see it happening. Old Dominion also won, so the Colonial Athletic Association remains a one bid league for sure.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Mar 7, 2005 -> 03:43 PM) But isn't Priceline set up to where you book BEFORE you get to see the travel details? In other words, if they match your bid, you are stuck with whatever they give you. With Priceline (for hotels) you choose the dates, the level of hotel and the area you want to stay in as well as your price. Then if they accept your bid you will find out specifically which hotel you are staying in. They couldn't stay in business if they gave you a hotel worse than you requested. I always look for at least 3-star hotels and have landed in Hiltons, Wyndhams, Westins, Hyatts, etc. I have never had a problem with the quality of the hotel I got from Priceline. You just have to do a little research on the area you want to stay in. When I go to Chicago I look to N. Michigan Ave. first and then Loop-Grant Park areas. You can't beat their deals if you know how the system works.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 6, 2005 -> 12:12 AM) If they don't accept your first price you have to change your search? That sucks. I don't want to change where I am looking to stay. Any of the other travel sites any better for looking for hotel rooms? I can't find any deals. Dude, Priceline is awesome. They have to make you change something in your search because otherwise people would just start at $1 and keep trying until they found the lowest price. It would probably crash the system. You CAN do the same search 72 hours later..... they just don't want people flooding the system bidding a dollar at a time. Rarely have I ever had any problems with Priceline. There was one time I could not get a room in downtown Chicago. And last summer when I went up, I couldn't get a room in the North Michigan Ave. area at my price so I had to add The Loop-Grant Park area and landed a room at The Palmer House Hilton for $72. I have stayed at the Westin on Michigan Ave. for $65 and at the W Hotel (near the Sears Tower) for $65 as well. I have stayed in hotels with Priceline in Louisville, Memphis, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville and never paid more than the $72 I paid last summer. I generally stay in a Wyndham, Hyatt, Westin or Hilton. Learn the system and be patient and you can get mega deals. Note it is also easier to get downtown hotels in big cities on weekends, when business travel is less.

Darren Blakely is still with the org. That one kind of comes out of LF. Not sure that was the smartest move, but that's just my opinion.

Looking for wins from Creighton and Old Dominion tonight and Vermont on Friday night. All three of those conferences could affect IU's chances of getting in.

QUOTE(Cali @ Mar 7, 2005 -> 03:33 AM) Yeah I'll pass. It owns nothing. Check out some of these comments, gotta love the JTS: http://www.jumptheshark.com/e/extrememakeoverhomeedition.htm Opinions vary...... not all of us can be as cool as you, so throw us a bone and allow us to have a losers thread once in awhile without spoiling it with your coolness.

Just played my first game at All-Star level..... it was a ST game in my 2nd season against the Cubs. Gave up a leadoff triple in the first, then got two outs and gave up a 2-run HR. I gave up 12 hits so it was a struggle, but I held the 2-0 deficit until the 9th. I entered the 9th being freakin no-hit. I either hit it weakly or right at someone every time. I was getting really frustrating. Pierzynski led off the 9th with a single to left. Pinch hit Willie Harris for Andy Marte (acq. in a trade last season) and Willie singled to left. Iguchi doubled down the line to score one. Harris broke his freakin leg sliding back into 3B after rounding it hard so I had to PR Rocco Baldelli (anotehr FA acquisition). Podsednik flew out to deep RF and scored Baldelli, moving Iguchi to 3B. They walked Rowand bringing up Rafael Palmeiro (free agent acquisition). Raffy got jammed and hit a double play ground ball to Aramis Ramirez, who promptly booted the ball, allowing Iguchi to score the winning run. So I go from looking like I am going to get blown out, to scattering 12 hits to not having any hits in the first 8 innings to getting 3 runs and 4 hits in the bottom of the 9th to win 3-2. I need some work hitting All-Star level. LOL

As long as SMS doesn't win tomorrow, today won't affect bubble teams.

The episode for the house they built here in Birmingham for the Harris family is being shown tonight at 7:00 central time. The house looks really cool from the outside and there is a big kids play area in the back. The family has an interesting story. It should be good. The area they built it in is called Center Point, which is just about 10 minutes from the Birmingham airport. It is in an older section of Birmingham.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Mar 6, 2005 -> 09:16 PM) Only way UNC takes over the overall 1 seed is if UNC wins the ACC tourney and Illini don't win the Big Ten tourney. Otherwise Illini have it locked up for sure, atleast they should. I guess my point is, that I don't think there is any real difference between the # 1 overall seed and the #2.