RockRaines

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 04:23 PM) My prediction for this year's Big Ten: 1. MSU 2. ILL (within a game of winning the conference) 3. MINN 4. PUR 5. MICH 6. OSU 7. WIS 8. NW 9. IOWA 10. PSU 11. IND MSU loses some games it shouldn't early on, making the race for the title closer than expected. Illinois has a somewhat favorable schedule, so they come within a couple of games of winning. Basically 2-7 are a toss up, but I DO think Purdue is going to take a step back this year, while Michigan and Minnesota become really tough outs. OSU I'm not sold on. Unless you've got 3 NBA ready players (not just NBA potential players), you can't just plug in 2-3 blue chip starters each year and expect to be good. They have the names, but I dunno, its a wait and see for me with them. I also think one of the bottom three is going to have a suprise win or two against one of the top three. They're all not very good, but I think they'll be competitive. Come tourney time I expect the top 6 to get past the first round, 4 will get past the 1st weekend, 3 will be in the elite eight, and at least one will be in the final four. Depends on matchups, otherwise I'd say which teams. Pretty good prediction IMO. The league is going to beat up on itself however and i think that will hurt the overall records, but they will surprise some people in the tourney. On OSU, you are right, they have had some trouble reloading under Matta so far, but they do have 2 NBA players this year, 3 if Lauderdale wasnt hurt. However I am still not sold on Matta developing these young players.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 25, 2009 -> 02:20 PM) Who's better? Here's how Rivals rates them. Ferentz has NFL teams all over him every winter. I really think if you put any of the other guys in Iowa City instead of where they are at, the Hawkeyes don't win anywhere near as many games as they do. I also think Zook is way too high on this list and Fitzgerald way too low. Honestly Dick, I expected more from you being a poster I generally really respect. Posting a pretty laughable list from rivals.com isnt really up to your standards. As far as the "talent" debate. A good coach makes his school a destination for talent. Being a college football head coach isnt 100% about the x's and O's, that would be a debate about coordinators. I agree Ferentz is a great coach, and I think he does alot with his school. But recruiting and developing talent is part of what he does as well, so you cant use that as something to discount someone like Tressel and Joe Pa just because they bring in better talent. If you look at straight results over the last 10 years or so in the Big Ten (because Joe Pa has been around for 80) you would have some problems finding a coach more dominant than Jim Tressel. If you think that he hides behind the OSU flag and that anyone with those facilities can win as many games as he does, take a look at what he did at YSU while he was there. There is only one other active coach in the country with more National Titles than Tressel. He was also a 4-time national coach of the year when at YSU. In case you were wondering only 18 other D-1 coaches have reached 200 wins in their careers. Pretty good company there. In D-1a he was only the second coach to make 4 consecutive appearences in the title game. obviously NOT dependant on how great his facilities were. I know alot of people hate OSU and thats fine, but if you sit down and look at the accomplishments of a coach that I criticize on a weekly basis, you would clearly see that currently he is the class of the conference and is in the top tier of coaches in the country. Ferentz is a good coach, and does ALOT with his team on the field, but you would be hard pressed to consider a man with a 73-53 record at his school as the best coach in the country, regardless of the sentiments on this board that Iowa is now better than the 72 dolphins. And that NFL stuff makes no difference. Every top College coach from Carroll on down are pinged for NFL jobs every offseason. And for the record, for all the stuff we say about Joe Pa and his age, the man has adapted to college football for DECADES and still is out recruiting, out coaching and out developing most of the coaching staffs around the country. He ABSOLUTELY should be part of the discussion.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 25, 2009 -> 11:43 AM) Not to mention they have been playing without their #1 running back all season, and lost their All American tackle for a few games. They are solid, and probably have the best coach in the country. LOL. He isnt even the best coach in the conference.

QUOTE (East Side Z @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:28 PM) Look.........Im not advocating moving Alexie,but Kenny will make a splash and Alexie is the obvious choice.By the way I think Beckham will be just fine at short. It's Alexei, and many many scouts disagree with you, not that they are correct, but I agree with their assessment. Becks can be a plus 3B or an avg at best SS.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:24 PM) Thats because Nike isnt going to make an entire uniform for him because that would also be contract violation. This is bulls***, and this is only the beginning if it happens. All the kids coming up through AAU with Nike, Adidas and Reebok sponsored teams are going to be pulling the exact same s*** and nobody is going to be able to stop it because of this. Well, how many of the kids coming in have a father with his own brand of shoes?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:33 PM) I could care less how short he is. I just think its funny that you and other posters are so very, 100% sure, that he's not the height that he is listed at, based on one video. Based on the video, thats how it looks. Have you seen him in person, stood next to him or something, give me something of substance that tells me he is really 5'10" Because in that video he is the shortest guy on screen. Of course all the other players couldnt be 6'+. Maybe he is shrinking? Apparently he lost an inch between ASU and minor league ball, so maybe he is even smaller now.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:25 PM) Your post: Right, based on the video. Why is that ridiculous? Watch the video, tell me he doesnt look more than 4 inches shorter than both the ump and the catcher and the guy who hits behind him. He also looks shorter than the 2B on the other team when rounding the bases. Are you guys upset that he may be shorter than he is listed or something? Plenty of short guys can play in the majors, its not a knock on him.

QUOTE (East Side Z @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 07:38 AM) You'd get a LOT more production for less money with Beckham at SS.............And yes he (Alexie)pisses me off with his lackluster play too! Offensively that may be the case, but defensively I dont see Beckham being better at SS. And with our pitching staff, I'd rather have Alexei in that spot and Becks at SS. Also, nobody cares to look at the horrendous start Alexei had this year to finish the way he did. All it would take is an ok start and his numbers would be very good for his position.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:18 PM) Exactly - its hilarious that people here, who have seen him in 1 video, think they know for sure that the guy is 6 or 7 inches shorter than his listed hight. Ridiculous. I assume you are referring to me, and I said he LOOKS that way. Why is that ridiculous? He looks like a midget in that video. Both the ump and the catcher most be way over 6 feet tall. And the opposing 2B is taller, and whoever hits behind him as well.

QUOTE (scenario @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) How is it that his JUCO team roster had him listed as 5'10", ASU had him measured as 5'10"... and the Sox have him measured as 5'10"... and that you've never seen him play... but you know he's 5'6"? I just said he look 5'6" from the video, was that not clear?

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 12:14 PM) Nope, that would be me. The Illini are just afraid. Ha, too similar of SN's.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 17, 2009 -> 10:34 AM) Since I watched them both in high school, would be nice to watch Turner and Lenzelle play together for a year. What are your thoughts on Lenzelle? I have never seen the kid play. Turner is going to play PG for the Bucks this year which should be interesting.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 11:08 AM) Last night's episode was a wee bit disappointing. agreed, was a downgrade from the last two weeks.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 02:26 AM) I really wish they scheduled each other just once. A home and home over two years. Not saying ISU would win just saying it would be really fun, and that ISU could potentially pull off an upset at Redbird Arena. Your post count would cut itself in half then.

QUOTE (scenario @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 10:26 AM) 5'10" 190 is a midget? Not sure most people who see him on the field could tell the difference in size between CJ and either Jayson Nix or Lillibridge (both 5'11" and around 190). And fellow former SunDevil Dustin Pedroia is shorter than CJ. There is zero percent chance that CJ is 5'10" He looks about 5'6" and yes that is a midget

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 21, 2009 -> 04:30 PM) This s*** happens all over the place, at all successful companies that happen to employ egomaniacs...you just hear about the ESPN personalities because they are famous. Truth. If anyone wants to see this x100 walk on over to the Merc or the Board and chck out how many of those people have their runners in the offices after hours, or before hours, or in the middle of the day. Corporate sleeping around is as old as time, it happens everywhere.

I understand he wanted to bag a 22 year old, but it shouldnt be one that looks like THAT.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Oct 22, 2009 -> 10:17 PM) I hope you punched him in the nuts..."out of respect." I just flat out laughed. He was one of those people that try to make their voices have the chicago accent and tell people how they were the first person to ever try Lou malnotti's.

Man, he is a midget. Any video of Danks HR?

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 22, 2009 -> 08:16 PM) Getz is yet to prove he has the skills of a leadoff man. His OPB trends suggest he will never get that close. Furthermore, with below-average defensive skills and no pop at all, he is far from an ideal option for an America League club competing in a home-run hitters park.. I'm yet to see why people thing Getz will be so good, must arguments suggest he'll turn into a radicaly different player.. I understand he's a smart guy, with great speed, but he's not much of a hitter and he's not much of a fielder. I'd let CJ Retherford compete for the job, and hope like hell, Nix can hit for a sustained batting average. So you would be happy with a team full of swing for the fences guys just because of our park and the fact we are in the AL?

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Oct 22, 2009 -> 06:00 PM) Did anybody else get the impression that Getz has a noodle arm at 2B? I'm still in the Pro-Getz/Hope CJ Is Amazing category, but I don't think he is very good defensively at all. No, in fact he turns a mean DP. Getz is more valuable to me because their defensive differences at 2B are negligible and Getz is more valuable offensively because he fits a niche that we have lacked for several years and we grew envious watching on other teams like the Twins. He could develop into a good lead off man or be seriously dangerous at the bottom of the lineup.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 23, 2009 -> 09:08 AM) OK, I'll take this point by point as I have experience with both the Zune (my sister owns one) and the Touch (I own one): Something that not only plays music but also games and videos: At the moment, advantage iPod as the Zune app eco-system has not developed yet. But will in time. It might take a while though. The iPod Touch apps are really great and robust. Something that I can play hulu on: Last I heard, neither can play Hulu as neither device supports flash. There have been rumors for a while now of a Hulu app for the Touch, but nothing has come to be just yet. I have not read anything about a Zune HD Hulu app, but that doesnt mean they arent working on one. Watch shows for free and movies/shows on the road: Irregardless of which you get, millage may vary on this depending on your locations Wi-Fi speeds. THere are several apps on the Itunes store that allow you to watch TV shows streamed to your iPod. Overall, at this point in time, it's a win for the iPod Touch. Maybe in 6 months or a year it will be totally different.But it looks like for you, the iPod touch is the best option. I will say this, having played with my sister's ZuneHD, I was VERY impressed. I wanted to dislike it, but I didnt. Like I said, it has a ton of potential, it's just not there yet. You can watch shows for free on the road if you download them first, but the streaming feature depends on alot of outside circumstances. I usually download something via VUZE and then transfer it to my IPOD for easy viewing.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Oct 21, 2009 -> 09:55 PM) You did say "maybe." He/we should miss it. Nothing compares. As far as UC, 300 level is pretty good. Everywhere else is a glorified Cubs crowd that will cheer when a horn blows. I had good seats down near the ice and a guy told me to be quiet during the anthem "out of respect"

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Oct 22, 2009 -> 04:22 PM) Thanks for all the info. If I do buy the touch Ill prob just mess around with it for awhile and see if I really need/want to jailbreak it. The Zune looks like it has a ton of potential, but as pointed out its just not at the same playing field as the touch for stuff other than music. I have heard that combined with the monthly Zune Pass that it is epically awesome for music listeners, and although I love music I want more than an mp3 player for this kind of money. Its already so far behind the IPOD that its impossible to catch up to it. The user adoption wont be there.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Oct 21, 2009 -> 11:27 PM) Vintage Campbell tonight. Not only the turnovers, but he just gets beat to every puck in the corner. Any Canuck that put a body into him in the corner or behind the net got the edge on the puck. When I saw him out there for some of the 4 min kill, I did a facepalm. 31 gave up a softie, but kept the Hawks in a game they had no business being in. It was the total opposite of the Dallas game. Hawks controlled the play almost the entire way, but had to climb uphill because of Huet. Tonight, after the first, it could have been a 3 or 4 goal lead for the 'nucks. I could tell he was going to give up a goal, you can clearly see when Campbell is going to do something boneheaded at some point in the game. I just dont understand how he can be so soft on the puck, he's not a small guy. Barker played fairly poorly as well. Big Buff continues to improve in his role however which is a nice sign.