Rex Hudler

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 08:20 PM) That was a hell of a brawl in that FIU/Miami game. But then again, those 2 teams are full of 305 thugs, so it's certainly not a surprise to see. And for the record, that's not racist, it's proven fact. I think it is safe to say that this cemented the firing of Larry Coker.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 10:05 AM) Missouri State should be better than UNI this year and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they finish higher than the Shocks either. Now if Hinson can actually get the Bears to the NCAA's this year, who knows but that team should be pretty darn good. If I had to guess right now though, I'd say: Creighton, SIU, Missouri State and Wichita State all get into the tournament this year. Hey, what about *cough* Evansville *cough*?

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 07:38 AM) If by survive, you mean lucky to be in top 25, then yeah, Illinois will have a shot at that. Anything more than that though, Illinois has gone down the crapper. While that may or may not be true, it seems to be a bit of an overreaction to me. You don't have to be full of 5-star recruits to win games. Granted, it's nice to have them, but in the overall scheme of things I'd rather have 3-4 star guys that will stick around for 4 years, than a bunch of one and done guys. IU has competed at a Top 5 or 10 level many times without elite recruits. I'm hoping that Gordon will turn out to be at least a 2-3 year player. That may be wishful thinking, but stranger things have happened.

I kinda like what they have going on between Jim and the girl in the Stamford office.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 01:55 AM) well im tired and just wasnt thinking straight, and yes im a bandwagon fan because i started watching the Illini when they went 29-1. But I check every so often on message boards and watch the games when i can. And wasnt Gordon committed to the Illini and usually when a player makes a commitment isnt he considered off limits. And than the coach from Indiana went and recruited him anyways, I remember reading about it b4 Gordon actually changed his commitment but that sounds like a pretty slimeball move to me. But sure, go ahead and be an ass all you want. Actually, Gordon gave Illinois a verbal commitment, which is non-binding. Generally, you do not recruit a kid that is committed elsewhere. In this case, Mike Davis left IU and Kelvin Sampson came in. Gordon always had interest in IU, just not in the situation with Davis, who was there when he gave Illinois his verbal. Two of Sampson's assistant coaches have ties to the Gordon family. One of them coached Gordon's dad, I believe. The bottom line is that the Gordon's contacted Indiana to see what it was like with the changes. At that point, you can't ask IU's coach not to recruit a kid that shows interest. IU did nothing wrong here. If you want to be mad at Gordon for changing his mind, his dad for possibly orchestrating or whatever, fine. But if the roles were reversed, I guarantee you Weber would have done the same. And he should. Look at it this way. Let's say a 4-star SG from Peoria currently committed to Missouri, calls Coach Weber tomorrow. He says "Coach, I always wanted to play a UI, but didn't have a chance when you had Gordon coming in. I know you sent me letters last year and I understand why they stopped when Eric committed. I think Illinois would be the best place for me to play if you would have me. I'd be close to home which would make my family happy and I think I would be more comfortable. Can I come talk to you next weekend?" Do you honestly think Weber would say no?? Now he might ask the kid to talk to Coach Anderson first and let him know he is coming up for a visit or he may respect the kid's right to take a look (like looking for a new job) without giving up what he has in his pocket (the Missouri scholarship offer). There is no way Weber would not talk to the kid. No way. And once again, nor should there be.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 12:54 AM) I agree with you...and i highly doubt Weber has no plan in place. However, it's hard to get certain recruits when they think Gordon's going here to fill a spot, you know? Also, there's such little time left before signing day. That's why it is a Plan C, or D, or whatever, at this point. I agree that it will be much tougher than it would have been. But in the grand scheme of things, you can't really blame a 17-yr old who is doing what he thinks is best for him in the long run. It hurts, just as if it were losing a key employee to a competitor, but at the end of the day everyone has to look out for themselves. I don't know the depth of the Illinois roster that well, but teams are not made up of one recruiting class (with rare exceptions). Surely, they can find a way to survive if they can't get a SG this class??

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Oct 14, 2006 -> 12:33 AM) wow..... that sucks big time... i was thinking Gordon was going to bring us back to the top. I bet the Indiana coach has to be thought pretty low of among his peers. How can you use "us" referring to a school in which you don't even know if it is IU or UI? And then to throw the IU coach into the mix? Whatever......

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Oct 13, 2006 -> 11:05 PM) Tupper says: So what happens now? Part of the problem for Weber is that many recruiting decisions have been made based on Gordon’s commitment 11 months ago. Other shooting guards have backed away, and some have been passed over, knowing Gordon would play every possible minute. So it’s impossible to instantly switch to Plan B. I only agree with you that it may be impossible to "immediately" switch to Plan B. But if there is no Plan B or Plan C, for that matter, in the works then something is wrong. He has to have other options in his mind. Options he has at least begun to explore before last week.

I think fathom, whitesox 61382, greasy and others have all made some good points but I feel the need to ramble..... Until "we" stop glorifying 17-18 year old kids and the recruiting process changes, these things are going to happen. Yes the kids milk all the attention, but we certainly put them on a pedestal I am not sure many 17-yr olds are ready to handle emotionally. It is not a shock to see a kid change his mind. Gordon's situation is pretty simple to see. 1. He committed to UI in a time where IU was not an option to him. 2. IU's situation changed, making a local kid wonder what the new situation will be like. 3. IU's assistant coaches are both Indiana natives and have ties to Gordon's father. There was immediate and natural connection to IU once Sampson and his staff were in place. 4. Since this has been played out in the media and the Internet, a 17-yr old kid has had pressure from every angle. Think about it: Everyone from teachers to coaches to friends to the media to strangers met in public had some kind of influence. 5. I am pretty confident in thinking that Eric's father had an influence in changing his mind. Parents can do that, and as parents have a right to. 6. While I began to think the longer this went on that he would end up at Illinois, it probably had the opposite effect. Imagine practically a whole state recruiting you, including the newspapers. 7. Once it became evident Gordon was looking at IU, none of this should be a surprise (nor would it have been if he stayed). The family never shut the door on the possibility of going to IU so you knew it was possible. Whether he "decommitted" or did what he did, Weber should have had Plan B scenarios working behind the scenes. In fact, I'd be shocked if he doesn't. That would be the biggest criticism I could have for Weber is if he were just sitting back with no backup plan. 8. Sampson did not hire coaches just to recruit one player. Both Coach Meyer and Coach McCallum are Indiana natives and have much experience as college coaches. Coach McCallum came from Oklahoma with Sampson and Coach Meyer was out of a job after Quinn Snyder got the boot. These hires were a no-brainer, with or without Eric Gordon. 9. I understand the idea that you do not recruit verbally committed players in basketball, but this situation was unique. I am willing to bet that Eric Gordon (or perhaps after his fater started the process) recruited IU to an extent as much as they did him. If the Gordon's shut Sampson down from Day 1, none of this happens today. So I don't think in this situation, you can blame the Indiana coaching staff. I would be very surprised if they make a habit of trying to poach verball committed players from other programs. There are exceptions to every rule and I feel comfortable that this was indeed one of those exceptions. 10. I know this sucks for Illini fans, but I have no doubt I would feel the same way if the situation were reversed. Not that I would like it, but I would understand it, without tossing accusations of unethical behavior. 11. I do agree that the Gordon family could have handled things better. I believe that a decision was just recently made. Hell, sometimes I can't decide what I want for dinner until the waitress is staring at me and everyone else at the table has ordered. I can't imagine having to make a decision that will drastically affect the next several years if not the rest of my life when people are pulling at me from all directions. Think of it as really liking one girl and proposing to her, and then another girl comes along that you really like. While you can only choose one, it doesn't mean you don't like both and are not conflicted in making the choice. 12. I think Gordon was hanging on to Illinois as long as he could not wanting to lose that option. Imagine if he "decommitted" as someone suggested and then Weber went and offered his scholarship to someone else, then he decided IU wasn't for him and UI had no room? Basically, by saying "as of today, I'm still commmitted to Illinois" he was basically using the Illini as a safety net until he knew for sure IU was the right move. Sure it's selfish, but it's human nature. He has to do what is best for him, not for everyone else. That's what we get when we hang the future of a program on the hat of one kid (I mean in recruiting generally, not specifically Illinois). Think about all the kids that have to wait to see where they will get offers from because they have to wait for the big dominos to fall first. The whole recruiting process is damned near out of hand, but I don't see it changing soon, so we all need to get used to it. Okay, maybe it wasn't so simple. But.... The bottom line is that the Indiana - Illinois rivalry is going strong and will continue to do so. Recruiting is fun for all of us, but developing players and having some quality seniors seem to allow many teams to compete right up there with the superstar recruits. Illinois will be competitive regardless. I'll look forward to the battles.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Oct 13, 2006 -> 09:03 AM) Oh man...the Crush is gonna have a field day with this one...that is, if IU comes to Champaign this year. I hope the NCAA digs into this...personally, I think they should investigate every situation where a kid verbally commits to one school and ends up signing for another...but of course, they won't. Why should they dig into anything? That makes no sense at all.

75 sunny and no humidity in Birmingham today

Champ is excellent. He will be a big loss to the Sox system. He is a class guy and very well respected in the game. Tito just missed by a year reuniting the 1994 Barons coaching staff. Don't know much about Wallach as far as being a coach. Just know the one time I dealt with him, he was cordial and easy to deal with.

I can see no reason ESPN would get fined....

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Oct 9, 2006 -> 12:35 AM) I wish we could see what Wolfe could do against SEC, Big Ten, etc defenses on a weekly basis over his career. Yes, i know they played OSU this year and he had a nice game. I just don't think he has a chance to win the Heisman playing in the MAC, whether that's right or wrong. and nice to see him run behind a Big Ten or SEC offensive line.........

Looking for an update for BamaHoosier. Might be under BhamAce. Can't recall which was account name and which was screen name.

I thought the season premier this year was some of the funniest TV I have seen in a long time. To go where they did, being as politically incorrect as they were I thought was hilarious. To those asking about Jim, I know no details, but my understanding is the consolidation they have been talking about off and on between Scranton and Stanford(?) will happen this season, which will change the dynamics some, but also bring Jim back into the mix with his former office mates.

Well Hoover met their match last night in John Curtis from Louisiana, losing 28-14. Hoover jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first 8 minutes of the game and then never scored again. John Curtis routinely rushed three or four and dropped everyone back into zone coverage and Hoover's QB never could find anyone to throw to. That also took away screens for Hoover, which they usually run pretty well. It seemed like everytime Ross Wilson went back to pass, he was in the pocket for 7-8 seconds, finally being forced to scramble and run or throw out of desparation on the run. John Curtis' D-line was strong enough to snuff Hoover's running game after the 1st quarter. The thing that seemed weird to me is Joe McKnight, one of the nation's top athlete recruit only had a few carries (they indicated he was a RB 1st). He had a 66-yard run and only finished with like 70-yards rushing. Granted, the 66-yard run was a TD and he caught 2 long TD passes (130-something yards receiving) but they didn't get the ball in the hands of their best player very often. I was surprised at that. Overall, JC stymied Hoover's high-powered offense, which I have never seen happen. The couple of games I have seen them lose, they still scored around 30 points, give or take a couple. It was a great atmosphere with about 12,000 there and the game on ESPNU. I fully expect Hoover to refocus and win another AL state championship, unless another team can duplicate the defensive scheme used to beat them tonight. Not sure any team in AL will have the athletes and the depth to pull that off, however. On a side note, Hoover signed off on a 2nd season of Two-A-Days this week, so you will see more of them on MTV. Apparently the show is getting excellent ratings, averaging about 1.8 million viewers each week.

got anything on BamaHoosier?

QUOTE(Brian @ Sep 26, 2006 -> 08:46 PM) I really hope Jamie Gold didn't win the WSOP. He is annoying/arrogant as hell. You're a little late Brian. He won it, way back in August. If it makes you feel better, half his winnings have been frozen by a judge presiding over a lawsuit. It's alleged he promised a guy half his winnings to help him recruit celebrities playing in the WSOP to wear bodog.net gear. The guy did so and apparently has Jamie's voice on his voicemail making the promise. We shall see how that turns out.........

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Sep 23, 2006 -> 06:37 PM) What kind of prospect is that LT on Michigan. I was watching the game and he was plowing down the DE's at times. Tait is naturally a RT and Fred Miller is old so was just wondering. Jake Long is an All-American candidate and an excellent NFL prospect. He has had some problems with injuries, but this year has slimmed down some, gotten faster and moved from RT to LT.

Am I the only one getting tired of the whining by Oklahoma about the referees from their game this weekend? So two calls cost them? Big damned deal! It freakin happens. Regardless of the two calls, it wasn't the referees that were playing defense that allowed Oregon to throw a wide open TD pass to score to go ahead. It wasn't the referees who couldn't block Oregon defensive linemen well enough to allow their FG kicker to make a 5th straight FG. The bottom line is Oklahoma still found ways to lose this game, referees aside. Perhaps they should look at themselves and quit yer b****in'!

I ran into a problem last night. When I tried to sign up for a new account, it told me I had previously registered an account and I needed to use that account. I have never set up a real money account, so it is my understanding I was still eligible for the promotion. The problem is, by the time I got my password reset, I could not find specific directions on how to use the promotional code with my existing account. I emailed Party Poker and have not heard back from them yet. So I have no idea if I will be able to access the promotional $50. Any thoughts?

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Sep 17, 2006 -> 11:17 AM) Here's where I diverged from everyone on the approach to this the last time. My list of the Top 10 Classic Rock Sounds would not be the same as my list of my favorite 10 songe from that era. For me, cracking the charts at least would be the minimum requirement to make the classic rock top 10. Songs like FZ's Uncle Remus, and Genesis' Battle of Epping Forest would probably make the cut in my favorites from that era, but I wouldn't put them in the top 10 classics because they didn't chart. Of course there are no rules here, and I just tend to suck the fun out of everything, so nevermind. Carry on. Love most of the songs in that list, btw. Did you just mean to add Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas??

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 17, 2006 -> 09:56 AM) IU taking the heat off the illini, thanks hoosiers. Not sure how you figure that. IU, who is a very shaky team in the first place loses a game in which they lose their head coach to brain surgery a few days before. Saturday's result certainly shouldn't shock anyone.