RockRaines

pirates blog info on Casey Rogowski: http://buccoblog.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/200...y_rogowski.html

And more news from cub-dumb: The cubs have been in contact with Julio Lugo and want him to play CF for them next year. I guess their new philosophy on the OF is to pick up former middle infielders and make them play the OF.

bueller?

Maybe the O's will do something stupid and trade us Roberts.

Im not too upset at the contract levels. This is just one of those years where that is the trend, it has happened before. It just makes our players more attractive in trades, and makes our stars like Konerko, look like bargains.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 11:46 PM) To be fair you don't know what is better to have. Weber coached Self's recruits to a national title game. Weber only made the 2nd round last year and isn't looking great talent wise this year. This year will be a telling tale for Weber because it's almost all his recruits. People in IL are saying its a "rebuilding year." Well the only reason it is that, is because Weber cant bring in the same talent level as he inherited. I do not plan on seeing U of I in the national title picture for several more years, unless he gets lucky. QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 07:35 PM) And it's clear on what is better to have. Not sure who you meant.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 11:21 AM) Quality pitching should be. It doesnt look like there is much of a market for that unfortunately. Something needs to be done, somehow though. We need a lead off hitter, some bullpen help and possibly younger SP's.

QUOTE(GreatScott82 @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 10:35 AM) Thats the last of the so called 'lead off hitters' on the free agent market. So if the Sox want to upgrade the leadoff spot it will have to be done via trade. No surprises there. At this point its Carl Crawford or bust! Winter meetings are around the corner. It shall be interesting to see what KW plans on doing.... Crawford should be the number one target regardless of anything.

I thought maybe KW was going to take discounts on SP's for the next 4 hours.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) Other than the fact that Dallas has a better QB, WR's, OL, defensive front 7, and coach than the Bears....I'd agree. Hahahaha. QB I will give you. Even claiming that their front 7 is better ruins any point you may have tried to make. Its tough to say that any team's defense is better than the best in the NFL.

QUOTE(Wedge @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 10:54 AM) I'm not sure we lack speed as much as quality defensive coaching. Trust me, we have fast guys in our secondary... but if you're fast and running the wrong way, you're just getting to the wrong place quicker. Up front is where it starts and we just don't have guys that can beat their man and get pressure in our front 4 or front 7. I'm hoping Minter is fired and we pick up either the former Miami DC or Trent Walters from the Eagles. The secondary is extremely slow, and should be apparent by now. I have mentioned it before and all ND fans could come up with is that Zibikowski is fast. If he is the speed and quickness you hang your hat on, then it will be a long game. They just do not have the team speed to keep up with teams like Mich, USC, OSU.

I tried searching for the thread but I cant find it. Does anyone have the extension link?

QUOTE(Leonard Zelig @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 09:13 AM) Not true. On an electric guitar a new nut would have to be made and the bridge would need to be re-intonated. On an acoustic guitar the entire saddle slot would need to be filled and re-routed to set the intonation properly. Not to mention a new nut & saddle made as well. Correct. I have "flipped" maybe 2 guitars in my life, and they never seemed to feel right, so I gave up on it.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 10:37 PM) Cowboys will for sure beat the Bears, and in Chicago. It's what the Bears do, they did it in 1986, 1988, 2001, 2005, and now 2006. Lose at home in the playoffs, it's a tradition!! Dallas is pure crap. You came to this conclusion after the Bears lost to one of the best teams in the NFL at probably the toughest place to play? Please.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 09:54 PM) I'm basically going against your earlier statement that says Smith is the better pro prospect than Quinn. I'm using opinions that are better than either of our opinions to make a case. Smith is a pro prospect of some sort, but evaluating the guy more on wins/losses and 'leading a championship team' is not the criteria to really use here. Which is exactly why I mentioned his cannon arm, his ability to stay in the pocket, his completion rate, his touch on the deep ball, his vision on the field and then finally his ability to use his legs.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 07:37 PM) I guess we'll just wait for the nfl draft, or if you like people can start posting nfl draft rankings from various places. so, basically you are forming your opinion based on NFL draft projections. Cade McNown would have LOVED you.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 11:44 AM) I liked the poll idea, however you're only allowed three questions on a poll, so we couldn't fit all the games into one poll/thread. I can see Michigan beating NC State Monday night. That would require the Big Ten to get five more wins in the next two nights. I don't see us winning more than two on the next two nights. It's frustrating how the Big Ten can never win this thing. It has to be a very down year for the ACC to get beat by the Big Ten. The ACC is just too deep, and there are too many patsies in the Big Ten to make them a powerhouse. I feel pretty good about the Bucks chances vs UNC however. QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 12:53 AM) I wasn't angry he left, I thought he was a horrendous coach when he was with Illinois. I'm glad he recruited the final 4 team, but I don't miss him in the least. Bad coach but a great recruiter. Bruce Weber is the opposite.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 06:46 PM) Yeah, I wouldn't exactly say we had a chance when one generous passing interference call led to 7 points, and another -- less questionable but still iffy -- led to a field goal. I'm confident the right team won. I'm just concerned about Grossman. When does it come to the point when people stop defending him and perhaps realize he's, well, not that good? he doesnt need to be that good right now. He hasnt even played a full season yet, he will improve. At this point he just needs to keep in mind that we need him to manage games and not lose. He doesnt have that state of mind however, as he is a risk taker and wants to go for the big play.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 06:48 PM) There's a difference between a great college qb and a great nfl qb. Brady will go before Smith in the draft, no doubt. Ok, what is it that Smith lacks? He has a cannon for an arm, has shown he has gret decision making skills, completes a large amount of his passes, has great touch on the deep ball and has shown he is the best big game QB in quite some time in college football. What part of that doesnt translate to the NFL? Too many people just place Troy Smith in a category without actually seeing him play, he is not a run-first QB with so-so passing skills like Vince Young. He is a pocket passer who has shown he is more dangerous through the air than on his feet. He has completed 67 percent of his passes this year and has thrown 30 TD's. Please explain how running a Pro-style offense, in a tough conference, against 2 #2 ranked teams, and leading your team to a national championship doesnt translate to the NFL.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 06:34 PM) Yes, that was a game we probably should/could have won. If Rex didn't fumble in the redzone and throw 8 picks, that game was ours. And if the Pats didnt drop every handoff and get called for phantom inference calls that lead to 45 yard penalties, the game is most likely theirs.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Nov 25, 2006 -> 09:19 PM) what were your other acoustics, if you don't mind my asking. I had a Martin that I really liked, a couple of Washburns, a great Ibanez, an older Gibson, an Ovation was my first acoustic/electric. And I have had 2 fenders including the one I have right now. A fire in my house in college destroyed a couple of my favs. One wrinkle in my evals though is that I am left handed, and the stock available to me is a little less than if you are right-handed.

QUOTE(MinnesotaSoxFan @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 06:28 PM) Rex Grossman isn't gonna recieve the standing ovation next week when we are at home. Did anyone really think that we were going to go into Gillette and win this game? I thought we would be lucky to go 1-2 on this trip. Maybe you should wear purple next weekend then.

QUOTE(He_Gawn @ Nov 26, 2006 -> 04:00 PM) Not even close. Is Smith even going to go in the first round? Quinn is the most NFL ready QB to come out of college since Manning. Hahahaha. I think the ND blinders have carried over to the NFL for ya. If Troy Smith goes in the 2nd round of the draft, you can have my season tickets for the sox. If you have your choice of QB in the most important game of your season, anyone who does not pick Troy Smith is blind. Brady Quinn has played against 2 good defensive teams this season, Michigan and USC. Throwing up yards and TD's vs the service trio doesnt apply to how you will do in the NFL.

Bad decisions by Rex, but the knee jerk reactions are a little over the top. Brady wasnt much better.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Nov 25, 2006 -> 11:12 PM) Haha...I love people who think Brady Quin is the best QB in the country. Troy Smith is the best QB in the country and is by far the best pro prospect in the country. The guy has absolutely every tool an NFL team would want for its QB. He has a strong, accurate arm, has proven he can take a beating, and can use his feet very well to buy time or take off and grab the occasional first down, and is a proven winner and a proven leader. Fixed