watchtower41

I'm kinda surprised that the Sox didnt release a statemtn regarding which games have sold-out so far.... I know they were joking on ESPN 1000 this morning about the May 12th game against the Royals selling out, even I couldnt believe that, but sure enough... they gone. I guess random Saturday's against the worst team in professional baseball is "good enough" for some people nowadays

I'll take these anyday over our previous Spring Training caps with the Silver bill... those looked so cheap for some reason, especially with some wear... it looked like loose paperclips popping out of the brim. I actaually like the 3D Sox logo on these new caps, matter of fact, I may just go purchase one

Congrats to all the SIU fans.... you got quite the team there. Easily the best game I watched all weekend. I'm pulling for you guys to get that 3 seed

Glad to see Lunardi toned it down a bunch from having 9 teams from the ACC get in last week, to this week's 8. (the most any one conference has ever got was 7) Sure bracketology is fun to look at, but this guy has never even been close to predicting a damn thing. Let alone, a first round matchup. Last year I think he had Syracuse going from a bubble team to a 4 seed in one week. Probably the best job at espn, with the best security... if he's wrong, who gives a s***??

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 14, 2007 -> 12:23 PM) Boo this man. If I wanted ot talk about valentines day Id call my girlfriend. Isnt it pretty clear by the fact Ive wasted all this time arguing about Kansas basketball that talking about valentines day, or any sort of happiness is exactly opposite of my agenda. After I leave work I probably wont evne get to think about sports for fear of yelling So much happening while away at my meeting.....I can almost taste and feel MARCH. Badger man, no need to get all super defensive on your team here. I'm sure Bo Ryan appreciates your efforts, espeically for recruiting purposes, insisting that the Badgers are a perinnal elite team. Look, I really like your Badgers team this year, and I was even sticking up for them a few days ago saying that they would be #1 out of the Big Ten. I'd hate to think you got this bent out of shape just because I stated that Kansas could easily handle Wisconsin at a neutral court. Bill Self would probably want the game to be played in Madison instead anyways, better record there. Didnt intend for you to have dig deep into Naismith bios to get any type of upperhand. Which btw, he started Kansas basketball in 1899. http://www.naismithmuseum.com/naismith_drj...mesnaismith.htm

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 06:36 PM) This post is some what mind boggling. Do you have any reason to say this beyond your pure homerism? Wisconsin has had 70+ points scored on them: 3 times Kansas has had 70+ scored on them: 5 times, including 2 times in the last 2 games. The only good defensive teams you have played this season have beat you, yet you think you are going to beat arguably the best defensive team in the big 10? Im sorry but if Kansas had the ability to beat Wisconsin they would have beaten AM or Tech. Does Kansas outside of the Florida win even have a victory against a top 25 opponent outside of the Big 12? Its one thing for you guys to come here and knock Illinois, but come on if KU is in the Big 10 you are fighting for 3-4 spot with indiana. You are no where near OSU or Wisconsin in terms of winning. You may have more McD's etc, but that does not mean that when you show up that they are just going to give you the victory. Its clear that you guys have not watched Wisconsin play, and are still relying on the old "Dick Bennet" style. I think there is a reason most of the national media is saying that Wisconsin is one of the top 4 teams, where as they are not saying it about KU. Can you please make a point or argument that makes any kind of sense?? You sound like a Badger fan that hasnt seen an elite team in over a decade. Wait nevermind.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 09:31 PM) I'd hardly consider that an upset, it was at Tennessee, Tenn was actually favored by 2.5 and you get 3 points for being at home. So basically, it was a wash and it was not an upset. Becoming quite the fan of UK here over the past 2 seasons, and fresh off my first game at Rupp this weekend... that loss last night was kinda rough to grasp with all the turnovers, especially because they took a 1 point lead, coming from 16 back. Bobby Perry is a joke. I'm finding out what it is like to be a Kentucky fan all too quickly here.....Tubby needs to right that ship ASAP. The team has the talent. Luckily I can re-coup on the pair of Wildcat losses by a nice 40 point Buff azz pounding by the Jayhawks tonight.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 05:45 PM) Ya, that. Nothing behind it besides what Brian said. I will say that I'm pretty surprised to see us getting that many points but I figured Mo State would be a few point favorite. Well then, GO SALUKIS!

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 04:40 PM) Only in Southern Illinois and yes, Mo State is favored by 5. Well are they THAT good or is their homecourt ad the reason behind this??

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 03:53 PM) I like you kid....lets do the wagering over PM's...WE dont want to spam anymore do we??? took you long enough to show up...thanks support system. Roy was a good recruiter, but he decided to do every other year. He goes from Gooden, Hinrich and Collison and follows it up with Nash and Niang...I mean cmon. Can I blame it on the snow?? Roy fell in love with certain type of players with recruting..... the crappy inmobile white flaky center (ie. Eric Chenoworthless and David Padgett) and the mcdonald's all american that won dunk contests but cant play D or shoot a consistent jumper. ie. Kenny Gregory, J.R. Giddens btw, Kansas would easily handle the Badgers on a neutral court. Badgers havent seen D like that in the Big 10. Not this year. Quick question(s) not related ...is SIU on tv anywhere tonight?? Missouri St favored by 5?? Is this right??

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Feb 13, 2007 -> 02:29 PM) haha Self better than Roy...that must have WsoxShuf you were talking with. Jimbo hates Self with an ubridled passion. Benedict Roy is miles ahead a better coach than Self. Not with recruiting however, where Self may not have the mind to put together a an actual team that will gel, I'd rather have him recruit for me before anyone else. I don't know what he tells these kids, but they sure LOVE his Kool-Aid. Let's make not Roy out to the next Pitino or Coach K though.... he's had plenty more talented teams than the one whe FINALLY won with at UNC. I still cant forgive him for his crap gameplan against and letting Miles Simon burn us in 1997. Ohh well, he's a liar anyways.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 04:17 PM) First of all the Big 10 tournament ends moments before the selections are made, which gives the committee no flexibility to wait it out and see what happens. Second of all if Wisconsin and OSU split, I would have to say that it would be very hard to deny Wisconsin the 1 seed. Good point here, and you are correct... however, if Wiscy/OSU face off in the finals, the winner of the Big Ten regular season will get the #1... no matter who has more quality wins. There is no way enough room to make 2 Big 10 teams #1 seed of course this is all a what if scenrio... but what I was trying to say, lets say Wiscy wins the Big Ten regular season title by a full game, but then goes onto lose in the 2nd round of the Big Ten tournament to lets say Mich State and Ohio State looks dominant all weekend.... The Buckeyes would get #1. With the selction committee, its all about what have you done for me lately.... looking good at the right times

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 04:07 PM) Either Rock is being sarcastic. Or its the fact that OSU has not beat anyone in the top 25 on the road. So far their best win would be, Indiana at home. Not really a resume a top 5 team would generally have. Most of their ranking comes from the hype surrounding their freshman. Im not saying OSU is not a great team, just that at this point (prior to them beating Wisconsin @ OSU) its hard to understand how they are ranked above UNC and Wisconsin who both beat them, albeit on the road but what else can you compare? Also the higher ranked you are the harder the teams play against you. Works out well for Wisconsin because we play PSU and Minnesota, so hopefully they are all excited about taking down 2 ranked OSU, and not 3 ranked Wisconsin. I don't see 2 Big 10 teams going into the tournament at Top 5 teams, but the winner og the Big 10 tourney will get that sought after #1, runner up having to settle for #2 (not neccessarily close to home) It would take Wiscy or OSU to lose 2 out of 3 to get down to a #3 seed stauts.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 12, 2007 -> 02:23 PM) New rankings out: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankingsindex The coaches poll is out too, not sure why espn doesn't have it up there yet. EDIT: Here's the coaches poll http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/men...ll/usatpoll.htm DUKE: Step 1. out of both polls Step 2......ahh I can just hear the Cameron Crazies chanting it now. N-I-T, N-I-T, N-I-T

So just got back home this morning from my first Rupp Arena live game experience (was there for midnight madness once before) this weekend. Unbelieveable atmosphere, and coming from a former Jayhawk, the energy even exceeded some of my expectations for such a large arena. Big Blue fans come correct and Rupp is really a fantastic venue to watch a college hoops game. I won't say it beats Allen Fieldhouse, I'd have a tough time comapring the 2... very different venues as far overall size, proximity, ect. Rupp is actually connected to a mall and a couple hotels. The game was a good game, despite the outcome... Kentucky would have problems beating anyone going 3-22 from behind the arc, let alone Florida. Kentucky is a team that is gonna live and die by the long ball though, and will be very dangerous oppenent when they fall. Randolph Morris has finally turned into the player he is capable of down on the block, and will keep them close in games no matter how poor the outside shooting is like Saturday night. As tough as the Gators are though, Kentucky could have easily beat them had a few more free throws fell down, 1 more 3 pointer. Could have/ should have, but point being, I don't see these Gators repeating.... a good shutdown/trap D like Kentucky can get them completely out of rythm an offense and force them to pretty much play streetball to get by. Noah with 6 points and fouling out is hardly an inspired effort for such a big game for them....but the rest of their frontcourt bailed them out. Looking forward to be heading back there in a month and go with my friend to the 1st and 2nd round of the tournament. I'd imagine because Columbus is close, there is good chance of landing Oden for that bracket.

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ Feb 8, 2007 -> 07:41 AM) Cubs and Red Sox (until they won the WS) are always big bets in Vegas. Every dumb Cub fan wants to have the winning ticket if it ever happens. Means nothing. The Cubs could go 0-162 this year and next year their odds would still be one of the 10 best next year. Hit the nail on the head righ there. Betting on the CUbs is like betting Notre Dame, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers. It's a phenomenon. Last year the Cubs went off at 6-1 to win the WS. True fact.... Cubs fans pay a good 25% of all electricty costs in Vegas.

Anybody think that Morris could possibly still be a mole here.... I'm thinking that he sent the message that his brother was going to the hospital to CTU himself. McCarthy also mentioned that he needed to use an outside source to get a hold of the picture that he uploaded for Fayed. Also nice that we finally get to meet the new VP. Looks like Lennox and him will always have underlying agendas past Palmer's control.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 04:49 PM) I am cheering for UNC......gag me but i hate hate hate duke who do u like in the battle of Texas tonight?? Rock Chalk needs Durant to come up BIG.

QUOTE(chimpy2121 @ Feb 5, 2007 -> 04:32 PM) Dook only drops to 16?!?!?! They lost to two different unranked teams, once at home, and they only drop to 16? watch them somehow beat UNC this week and magically get boosted back into the Top 10. In a year where many traditional powerhouses are weaker than usual (ie UConn, Arizona, Mich St, ect) the voters refuse to let go of Duke. Less than a handful of quality wins this year, perhaps this is the March we don't see them advance past the opening weekend?? Not related... but how bad of a dropoff has LSU having?? Final Four to NIT?? Big Baby is doing his part, but this team looks like crap with a bunch of sweet 16 talent in the SEC.

So I read today that AXE body spray bought this chick and 2 of her girlfriends 3 tickets to the game, with their date to determined tonight on some on-line contest. Weve seen selling pregnant stomachs for tickets, whoring out on ebay for tickets.... all have suceeded. I'd imagine selling kidneys can't be too far down the road.....

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 30, 2007 -> 11:13 PM) I mean it goes wihtout saying that the worst game is UNC-Miami, but lord knows that we couldnt go a night with out the shining light that is ACC basketball. Well, it is called "ACC Wednesday" on ESPN. They are the one conference that ESPN has exclusive rights to in hoops, but also have shared contracts with Big East, Big XII, SEC, and Big 10. Ever wonder why they televise every single ACC tourney game even a crappy Florida State/Wake Forest matchup that nobody could give a crap about. Truth is, ESPN does make these television schedules well in advance.... Wisco was not supposed to be as highly ranked as they are, where Purdue was supposed to be a lot better and somewhat of a sleeper in the Big Ten. At this point, ESPN is banking on more casual college hoops fans are more likely to tune in to see Oden. Tucker is a stud, and where a lot of people know about him...more know about Oden.

tick....tick....tick Monday is finally here.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jan 29, 2007 -> 02:24 PM) What did you want him to say to your friend? How about the other 300 people who likely said the same thing to him yesterday? And I'm still not seeing any greed or envy in this situation like you mentioned in the final sentence. I didnt even go see Crede, I guess I was just taken back by the "I'm gonna need him...." comment. Crede doesnt NEED an agent to make his payday, we already know he has one of the best gloves at the hot corner...if he has another year at the plate like he did last year, he could have Scooby Doo as an agent and get ARam money. I don't know how the whole conversation went down or how many people told him to fire Boras, but again... most of these fans waited several hours for a chance to meet him. Not that Joe owes them anything, including an answer for what was asked.... but why laugh at the person and make a comment like that to a fan and then back off in any media interview like on the Score yesterday. But enough about this, we both have our points.... and we both agree that Joe has earned and will get his payday after this season, its just how he goes about in getting it.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jan 29, 2007 -> 12:26 PM) Joe Crede may not be longed for this game and Scott Boras is just the man to maximize Joe Crede's value in free agency, the man will set up Crede and his family for a good portion of thier lives with the contract he gets him after '08. It's not his fault the Sox don't negotiate with Boras, that's their problem, if they're serious about keeping him around then they'll make it work with Scott Boras instead of just pretending he and his clients don't exist. Wow the Sox drafted him and let him work through his hitting problems for the first part of his career, so would have most every club in baseball considering how immensely talented Joe Crede is. Joe's not going to fire his agent and sign to some discounted price just because he was drafted by the Sox. If they want to keep him then they'll have to give him a deal similar to what he'd get on the open market, if this is something they're not willing to do then I don't see why Crede should take less. He does care, he cares about getting a pissload of money on his first big contract, the guy is 28 and entering his prime therefore he's due a nice long term big money contract and it's absolutely his right to do that. How many people do you think have told him to dump Boras over the past few seasons? Hundreds? Likely. Maybe he just laughed off a question which he's been asked countless times since hiring his agent. I agree with most of what you have to say here, and never did I mention that Joe hasnt earned the right for the big money deal, entering the prime of his career. But this is at a "fan fest", he didnt have to act like a jerk if he didnt want to be there. (which is evident) As for "most" teams being as patient with a player like Joe Crede, we'll have to agree to disagree on that topic. Sure, Joe had unlimited potential, playing a prime postion.... but waiting around 4+ years for a player to develop while playing in the majors is a LONG time. There are plenty of teams that would have shipped him off well before then, and we had our opportunities. The Sox gave Crede every chance to turn into the star he is becoming today, because he is still not there. Do I expect some big hometown discount for a long term contract?? No, Joe would be a fool to at least see what kind of options he has and what the market entails. Can Joe be a little bit more considerate with a fanbase and an organization that has heralded him?? Absolutely. Greed and envy only go so far at the ole ballpark. QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jan 29, 2007 -> 02:19 PM) Enough debating about Boras/Crede already! More pics/stories/recaps! whoops sorry, I will post some pics later... though I'm not sure how good they turned out...havent got a chance to look at them yet.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jan 29, 2007 -> 12:04 PM) Did you see what Kalapse posted? Take notes. He said "way to make him (Joe) feel loved" The way I look at it, Joe is the one that came off the wrong way with ignoring a fan... and then laughing at him while saying he "needs" Scott Boars. Joe Crede does not need Scott Boras for sh*t. Sounds like a guy that could careless about how many opportunities the White Sox gave him to get his swing right and being patient with him to become a servicable MLB player that can hit over .240 I love Crede as much as anyone, but the second I start hearing selfish comments like that, how I can defend him as a team guy??? He needs him as a agent. What a joke. Yeah, Crede isnt a stupid guy. He's not stupid enough to realize that the Sox will not negotiate with Boras?? Or maybe, he just doesnt care??