IlliniKrush

I was actually a Cubs fan growing up due to my Dad being a Cubs fan. This was up until I was 6. We didn't go to many games or anything so I wasn't really die-hard yet, the only team I was really attached to were the Hawks, as we had season tickets there and I was going since I was 4. Then the new park was built for the 1991 season. My Dad's 2 brothers are Sox fans, so he split 4 season tickets in the Club level with them. Not the best idea on my Dad's part as far as keeping me a Cubs fan, but he saw it as a great family opportunity for the summer (which it absolutely was). I started going to 20 or so games a season in 1991, 1992, 1993 - you go to that many games, you start to become a fan and have a much stronger allegiance. 90% of my friends growing up were Cubs fans, so I wore it as a badge of honor and loved being on the other side.

Everything you post about the restaurant comes off like: "I think I can hit .300 in the big leagues. I just need to be given the chance. Since I believe I can do it, no doubt that I would." Yet the only swings you've taken are at the slow pitch at the batting cages.

Aaaaaaaaand we're a top 10 team. We won't end that way, but I don't give a f***. We completely deserve to be there right now. There's your "Illinois hasn't beaten anyone" win. No way I thought we'd win this game, completely set up for a loss. 12 point dogs. This team is for real. Thoroughly satisfied.

12 point dogs, should lose. Not expecting too much.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 8, 2012 -> 07:23 PM) Apparently it's been around for 10+ years, I just heard of it last week but a ton of my friends have done it the past few years. It's the Unofficial for Wrigleyville essentially. Let's not try to imitate Unofficial. There's only one.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 8, 2012 -> 06:41 PM) Tbox it WTF is with you young people. Somehow never heard of this mysterious thing, then there's drunk people out at 8am.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 8, 2012 -> 10:03 AM) I haven't followed this closely enough to even know what the points of contention are. Who is RIGHT in this deal? I have always had the sense that hockey isn't making enough money for the players to get paid the way they do. Neither. Seriously. Neither. They are paid fine, NHL was doing quite well in revenue over the past 7 years (not all teams, but the league overall was making a lot). The issue is on how to break up the large pie (HRR), contract lengths, make whole provision, on and on and on.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 11:58 AM) If Wisconsin thinks one 4-4 season in the Big 10 after 2 legit Rose Bowl appearances is grounds for firing, good luck to them. They will be going through more coaches than Al Davis. Reminds me of when Self left Illinois. All of a sudden Illini fans said he wasn't a very good coach, couldn't win big games, slept with cheerleaders, good riddance. I think Self is a better coach than Bielema, but like him or not, his record at Wisconsin speaks for itself. His successor will have his work cut out for him just to match. LOL, of course there are idiots out there that would say that, and that goes for every team. That was not the feeling of the majority of Illini fans, however. Anyone with a brain said "f***" because they know we could become a national power if he stuck around.

Maybe, but for the players to accept another bad deal doesn't do them any good. Owners had to come way off. They "fixed" everything last time, the players took a terrible deal, owners throw around more money, then expect to just fix it by taking it all from the players again. Two way street here. To throw it on Fehr isn't fair. Owners got themselves into this mess, they need to compromise to get out of it. I'm more with the players than I am the owners, though both are ridiculously stupid at this point.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 6, 2012 -> 08:12 PM) What the f*** happened today? That's it, I am finally done following these negotiations. I'll be back when there is a season, either this January or next fall. Straight backwards. f***ing idiots, all of them. Shame on us for having a hint of optimism.

It's also hard to have a "bad game" as a defensive player. Aren't in the spotlight and the stats aren't there for it to be a bad game, besides # of tackles which I guarantee no one knows how many tackles he had in what game. It's comparing apples to oranges. Silly to use "bad games" against him. Much tougher measuring stick.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Dec 6, 2012 -> 01:15 PM) I'm the Commish of a standard Yahoo! FF league. Today, I locked the rosters of the non-playoff teams because some owners were still adding/dropping players despite the fact that there were no more games left to play. One owner is really upset, claiming he paid his league fees for 16 weeks of FF, not just 13 and that if a playoff team wanted the player they could pick him up first (which isn't really true if it is off waivers). I made an exception for potential keepers. We have a system were you can keep a player depending on the round in which they were drafted, so there is some value in picking up hurt star players or potential up and comers. My view is that their season is over by virtue of not making the playoffs. The owners still playing have a chance to win some decent money, and they shouldn't be shortchanged by some bored owner picking up and dropping random players. Any thoughts? Anyone disagree with my decision? If this was a single-season, I'd say locking is OK. Since it's a keeper league, you absolutely can't keep guys from picking up players. If someone turns into an idiot and wants to drop superstars for kicks, just lock that team and put the players back on the roster as to not ruin the integrity of the league. Then kick that person out for next year.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 05:08 PM) Well, crushed is subjective. Games have been tight against Stanford and VCU, and we just have not dealt well with pressure at all. BUt also it's a perspective shift, because this time last year, we were beating teams by like 40-50 points. Well, what's your opinion of crushed then? And we've eeked out wins at home against Gardner-Webb and Western Carolina. QUOTE (danman31 @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 08:34 PM) Other things will come with time given the turnover from last year's team. They just need 3-point shooting. Dixon was the team's best shooter. Hopefully Brown will be. I actually had a nightmare where Illinois beat Missouri and it actually woke me up. Talk about being a hardcore fan, ha. Also, in case anyone didn't know or forgot last year's Mizzou team was playing without its best player, Laurence Bowers. If he was on that team, man, the possibilities. It's fun to see him back, but it just makes me that much more sad that he was out last year. Hopefully you don't sleep much after the 22nd.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 04:21 PM) Mizzou vs. U of I will be quite the game, as it used to be (and was last year, great game). I think mizzou will get crushed. Our team I thought would get better at guarding the perimeter on 3s this year, but our rotations are just horrid. I'm anxious to see Jabari Brown's addition to the team, a lot landed on his shoulders with Mike Dixon's departure. We need a second ball-handler, a dynamic one. Keion Bell and Webster-Chan are just at best capable. Our turnovers are extreme and our 3 point shooting is gone. But there's so much there, it just needs to come together. There's a 0% we crush you. Honestly if I had to put money down today, I'd pick Mizzou to win by a few.

Article from this morning http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/...x-at-third-base

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 07:34 AM) Yesterday's meeting went into the night and players sound a bit optimistic, not to get anyone's hopes up. Something positive, but hard to be optimistic about anything. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 07:34 AM) That doubleheader at Soldier Field could be fun, although it will be super f***ing cold in mid-February. Yeah, I'll be there.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 10:37 PM) I'm all for anything that gets Gruden off MNF. Bulls***. I like learning things every week. Like why each particular guy at each position on every single team is one of the best players in the league.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 12:32 PM) With the lack of the NHL, I was still able to get a little taste of hockey the other night. Went to the Minnesota vs. Nebraska-Omaha game on Saturday. The Gophers have this kid who was drafted by the Panthers in the first round in 2010 (Nick Bjugstad), man is he a big boy. I've been DVRing college games the past month, I just wish there was more of it broadcasted.

Western Carolina offensive rebounds: 16 Illinois defensive rebounds: 16 Eek.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 02:22 PM) Yeah it is, unless the money is ridiculous. Upper-level B1G program to a lowel-level SEC team. I'm sure the money is ridiculous, but depends on your definition of lower-level. They were great the 2 years before the Petrino circus, seemed really on the rise. Plus we all know SEC and B10 aren't exactly on the same level right now anyway.

I guess Badger will be...happy? Depending on who replaces him I guess?

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 01:36 PM) I've heard that their internet is very fast, and I've been tempted. Overall, I think it's terrible how much consumers have to pay for TV service. I wish there was an a la cart option. I'm sure I'm like most people who have a "200" or "300" package and only watch 1/3 of the channels. The price per channel would be outrageous to try to make that work. Everyone pays for channels they want and channels they don't - but someone else wants those ones and don't want your favorites.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 3, 2012 -> 02:59 PM) Oh. Then in a just world, I stop talking. FINALLY

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Dec 3, 2012 -> 01:18 PM) "You're about color on Lily's dress, JB. Hehehe."? You're about the color of

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Dec 3, 2012 -> 01:04 PM) No, the problem is the way that people try to boil everything down to one or two special stats to try to evaluate an offensive player or a pitcher's overall performance level. Baseball is a beautifully complex game and the constant overuse of certain statistics just dumbs it down. And "adapt" why? Maybe I'll just starting listening to horses*** music and watching American Idol all day since that's adapting too. OPS is the simplest of the combination type stats where people take several different stats and try to make them all into one thing. This isn't special. It's not that difficult to look at the OBP number and the SLG number individually while taking into account the overall skillset of the player. Both Dunn and Napoli walk. Great. Both are also slow DP candidates whose walks can turn into double plays and force plays. Their walks only mean something when/if someone drives them in or if they drive in a run with a walk. To a lesser extent, working a count and taxing the pitcher counts too. Dunn has a career .370 OBP while Napoli's is .356. Dunn is better there but I'd much rather have both guys get on a .330 clip if it meant that good speed and baserunning skills came with it. The power is the only area where both players are special, since neither can defend well enough anywhere. Dunn has a career .499 SLG while Napoli has a career .507 SLG. If you look at SLG then Napoli is a better player, but he's actually not, since Dunn however hits the ball over the fence a lot while Napoliu doubles. This isn't rocket surgery. Hitting the ball over the wall is the greatest outcome any hitter can ever have in any at bat. Dunn's power makes more runs & he's a more dangerous hitter overall. There's no comparison between the two if you look at the players individually, but OPS says they're pretty close. This is why I hate these stats. They dumb down the game and really aren't worth the arguments. The worst is when people try to make comparisons between low power speedsters who get on a decent clip but steal bags with mashing K machines and in doing so completely ignore an entire element of an offense. So yeah, f*** OPS. Yes.