RockRaines

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Nov 18, 2010 -> 04:46 PM) Haha yah Illinois some how always does well in Wisconsin. Not many teams do if any. Wisconsin is almost unbeatable at home and if you are seeing them for the first time, their offensive sets can drive you nuts.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Nov 18, 2010 -> 03:30 PM) Interesting I would have thought it was slightly less than 50%. I just consider a team to be overrated if they were constantly rated top 15 or so, and then generally didnt even make the tournament or were out in the first round. I dont see a team that is ranked in the 20s who makes it to the second round as overrated. The second round game they would likely be an underdog if they were worse than a 5 seed. I would bet on Wisconsin against ANY team in the country if they played in Madison. And I would bet large.

Boxee Box on its way to my house as we speak!!!!!

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Nov 18, 2010 -> 04:05 PM) It's both. It's the fact that it's in a neighborhood surrounded by rooftops, next to the el, with the chain link fences in the outfield, the old scoreboard and of course the ivy. And those bleachers. It's a piece of history. So of course if you stuck in in the middle of a field in Schaumburg--what would be the point? You might as well build anew if it's out there. Point being: if they were to take it out of Wrigleyville and build it anywhere but right on the lake, it would lose all its tourist/casual fan value. Also don't forget that the location means you're just steps away from dozens of bars and restaurants for before or after the game. Another argument for why it wouldn't survive like that elsewhere. As opposed to the Cell, where you step outside and your choices are either Cork n' Kerry (now) or hoofing it over to Halsted. Although, at the Cell you can tailgate whereas with Wrigley that's impossible. My point is that the location is a large part of the "Icon" status. If they tore it down and built a new stadium, there would be some unrest, but eventually it would be fairly forgotten quickly. The location is 100% of what new Cubs fans appreciate.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Nov 18, 2010 -> 02:07 PM) Wrigley is a Chicago icon. It should go nowhere. I live in Lakeview. Don't like the Cubs, but it's a part of Chicago history. Ultimately I think what you do is keep the outfield bleachers (which are new anyway) and rebuild the other 2/3s of the stadium. Keep the old sign out front, keep the old-school scoreboard. It's just so retarded that some people want to turn it into a modern park with video screens and all that kind of stuff. That's not the appeal of it. BTW you may hate it as a baseball park but it certainly is a kickass concert venue; saw the Police there a few years back. Sorry, the appeal of it is the location and not the park itself. If you picked up that park and moved it to Evanston, Lake Forest, Schaumburg or even 35th and Shields, it wouldnt have the die hard fans that it does today. You could drop anything in that location and in 10 years it will be an "icon."

QUOTE (kev211 @ Nov 18, 2010 -> 01:21 AM) Haha what a joke if you don't think every Big Ten fan has overrated the Big Ten the last few years you're crazy. At the beginning of every year even if the national media says nothing about the Big ten, every single B10 fan thinks its the greatest conference of all time when in reality they end up under the ACC and Big East. This has nothing to do with the Valley and little brother syndrome its just fact. I dont think I've ever said the B10 is the greatest conference of all time, so there goes your "every Big Ten Fan" theory. The worst part about his post which apparently you are now defending is mentioning how every team outside of MSU is inconsistent, when in fact the top of the conference has been very good consistently.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Nov 17, 2010 -> 09:22 PM) Nope, I feel like every year people believe the Big Ten is the best conference when year in and year out the ACC and Big East are always stronger top to bottom. MSU is a top notch program but every other program in the Big Ten is very inconsistent. It's probably a product of living in the midwest around Big Ten fans. OSU has made the tourney 4 out of the last 5 years and 7 out of the last 10. Until last year, Illinois had been going into the tourney pretty consistently since 93. Wisconsin hasnt missed the tournament since 1998. Thats even better than the tarheels.

Just think about what the score would be if Boozer is taking those shots instead of Gibson.

Amir Williams commits to the Buckeyes, HUGE get.

QUOTE (Cali @ Nov 17, 2010 -> 03:05 PM) He's a head case... Last season was too damn frustrating to watch him... I'm sure KW would get something good in return, because a change of scenery would probably help him.... He's so damn mechanical at the plate its frustrating to watch. He changes his hands, his feet, his crouch, he seems to tinker with everything never showing long term success.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 17, 2010 -> 02:12 PM) Oops, you're right. Fixed. I still think it's unreasonable. I'm fine with taking my shoes off, going through a metal detector, having my bags scanned/searched, etc. But I think its unreasonable to have to choose either a naked body scan or being physically groped. All indications are too that these aren't just basic pat downs you might get at a Sox game. Given the goals of this (to find bombs/other dangerous materials) I don't see how it can be. You can hide those materials in body cavities. No pat down is going to find that. So unless we're willing to go that far, this is a pointless and invasive new measure. And really, I find the whole airport security notion pretty stupid. 9/11 will never happen again simply because people are now aware of what's possible. There are other potential targets with hardly any security that could result in far more damage and/or lives. This idea that we're somehow protecting ourselves by being screened like this is ludicrous. How about the quality of people they have staffing some of the TSA stations? I saw one lady barely looking at the screen on my way to SF because she was too busy chatting up her co-worker. You cant tell me that lady would have been able to find a packaged bomb inside of a laptop moving through a machine.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Nov 17, 2010 -> 11:33 AM) I'd love Juan Pierre, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rios outfield, but to me we would have to find a masher for 1B, and have Quentin and Viciedo split DH duties while both of them could use occasional playing time one in RF and the other at 1B. Focus on bullpen and a stopgap 5th starter until Sale is ready in the minors. EDIT: Jason you pretty much beat me the punch with your second post. If you completed that trade you'd have to sign an Adam Dunn type player for power production since your OF isnt going to be much in the mashing category. However that is a very quick OF.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 08:20 PM) I like the jerseys too. Loved the combat uniforms from last year. The U ones look nice this year too. Too bad the team blows. I really liked the OSU ones last year agains UM as well.

QUOTE (T R U @ Nov 17, 2010 -> 03:44 AM) There will always be campers regardless.. However if you complain about people camping in Search and Destroy or Capture the Flag when they are clearly defending either the bomb/flag then I hate you and you need to learn how to play defense in a game type like that.. Thats different. The camping snipers that never move from hidden spots are gay. The worst game for camping I think I can remember is Counter Strike. The MP was almost unplayable at times.

So, initial predictions on the ACC/Big Ten Challenge? I think this is finally the time for the B10 to shine.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 11:11 PM) That's really all that is being said. Yet, somehow you decide to interpret my remarks about Cody being a good smart kid and the kind of kid IU needs after all of the idiots Sampson recruited, as me saying a high GPA is... whatever. That was a stupid comment and you know it. If you would have left that out of your reply, the rest of your post made halfway decent sense. But lead with that and no one will take your "I'm a fan of the program" crap seriously at all. Thanks for the criticism, I'll make sure to put it in my notes on how to be a decent poster. I honestly dont give two s***s if you take me seriously when I say I am a fan of the program, I know I am and thats all that counts. I still think its funny that you are putting so much emphasis on this kid's GPA in High School now as another reason on why he's so awesome. Clearly thats enough on this subject and we'll let it all play out on the court moving forward.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 04:27 PM) I cannot stand Demolition anymore, people camp wayyyy to much. I started off 16-2 in a game and ended up 25-20 because they camped our spawn and the only 2 ways to the bomb site, isn't Black Ops supposed to be the opposite of that? Like you're supposed to move around and be shifty, not this camping bulls***. Campers are gay and they know it.

Ran you off your own court Donovan. Aaron Craft single-handedly embarrassed that full court press, even a guy draped on him most of the game.

Well, lets see if these Buckeyes are for real.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 02:06 PM) And no one is saying were going to be the top recruiting team.... I believe that the out of state schools days of picking and choosing who they want in Indiana are over. Obviously there is still going to be talent leftover. BTW, Zeller is the best high schooler in IN. Teague and Dawson have the most upside by far, but they are not there yet. That is why they are rated higher. But thats exactly what was said. And if you think that all of a sudden some of the best programs in the country are going to be shut out of Indiana you are very mistaken. Zeller is the #3 ranked prospect in Indiana regardless of where you personally think the development is for the other players.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) I would be more then willing to open negotiations with a package around John Danks. That's how much i value a player with the potential of Justin Upton. Agreed. That would be a win/win for both parties.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 01:14 PM) But it's not like there were zero top recruits interested before Zeller committed. There were plenty, and I think people are saying the Zeller commit might have nudged a few to IU. I think people are mistaking my posts for saying there is no talent at IU. I know there is talent, and more is coming. I just dont agree with the notion that Zeller for some reason is going to automatically turn IU into the top recruiting team in the conference and will influence all top recruits in Indiana to want to play for IU moving forward. He isnt even the top kid in the state in his class. I still believe that alot of other teams are going to continue to raid Indiana the same way they have for the last several years.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 11:01 AM) Who are these supposed Buckeye leans? If you're refering to Harris and Hollowell, thats comical. Purdue is not pulling any of the talent that IU, MSU, or OSU want. Painter has pulled one player since 2007 that I would consider an impact player, and that is Terone Johnson. OSU has always been a strong pull since the Oden days in Indiana, but it's starting to change with the amount of people in Indy who just do not like Matta. To many people think he "sold" his soul after he left Butler and inherited OSU. Yes, thats who I was referring to, and I said from the OSU boards. Even if they arent correct, alot of the top talent is going to go out of state. And Matta just pulled in Mr BBall from Indiana, when did people start hating Matta again? Matta was at Butler for ONE year, and you are saying that now, 10 years later, people are starting to hate Matta? That literally make zero sense.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Nov 16, 2010 -> 10:53 AM) Met Tommy Hamilton and Jabari Parker Friday night. They were at an event my company helped execute. Didn't want to ask them about recruiting. But Jabari is a really really nice guy. Hamilton less talkative, but a big dude. And saw the Whitney Young freshmen, including Jahlil Okafor who is going to be a five-star. Dude is so tall too. I have never seen a team with as much talent as Whitney Young. They have three five-star caliber freshmen/sophomore (Hamilton, Okafor and Paul Turner) who are all 6'7" or bigger. Just not fair. They are a fun program to watch year after year. My running route takes me right by WY, and I'll see a group of just giant kids that I know are bball players.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Nov 13, 2010 -> 06:31 PM) Rock several times you you have referred to "cream of the crop" but it was never mentioned in the context you are using. The original comment... "Indiana's upcoming recruiting classes are shaping up to be the cream of the Big 10" Personally, I interpret that to the recruiting classes in the next few years are shaping up to be at the top of the Big Ten. A lot of things can change in recruiting, but if you look at existing commitments and the upcoming expected pull for 2012, I think it is hard to make an argument against it. Zeller was a huge get for Indiana for many reasons including... 1. He's a great player that is likely to be a 4-year player. 2. He's the kind of player you want in your program. A great kid with a 3.99 gpa that AAU teammates love playing with. 3. The IN class of 2012 is loaded with top 100 players and IU could pull in as many as 5. 4. Lastly, and maybe more importantly, he is the first marquee name in the state that did not go elsewhere in quite awhile. It was big time important for Crean to get back in consistently with the state's best players. He won't get them all, but there can't be an open floodgate every year if IU expects to return to competing for Big Ten and potential National Championships again. Combine all four and Zeller was the biggest get for IU in MANY years. He doesn't have to be the greatest player to earn that label. So Zeller's good GPA in High School is going to open the floodgates on recruiting at IU? I dont buy it. I understand and am excited about the prospect of IU returning back to form in BBall, as I stated before I am actually quite a fan of the program. However, I still dont think that all of a sudden a middle of the road team in the conference is going to gobble up all the top talent in a state based on one player who wasnt even the #1 or #2 player in his state, although apparently a "marquee" name. And if he truly is this dynamic player that everyone seems to think he is, there is no chance he is a 4 year player at his size. If he stays 4 years he will be a Tisdale-caliber player and thats still good, but not quite the star he is being built up to be. I agree that 2012 is shaping up to be a good year for IU recruiting-wise, however in Indiana alone you possibly have 4 out of the top 5 kids in state going to schools other than IU. 2 of those I know fairly well because on the OSU forum they are being called Buckeye leans, and you can bet MSU, Ky, and Purude are going to take their fair share of the top kids as well. I'm happy and all that they are finally getting out of the dumps of the conference, but automatically assuming they are going to take over Indiana from the likes of MSU, Purdue, OSU, Kentucky and even Butler, seems to be getting ahead of yourselves quite a bit.