Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 10:45 AM) Athome, You seem to be right. That he did indeed flash to the past. I just looked back at the episode information and there is a lot of hidden stuff in there (meaning Id have to rewatch it to really come to a correct conclusion.) It appears that there were similar scenes involving Widmore and Hawking. Im not 100% sure if the flashback to the past was the actual past, or if it was an alternative past. Without rewatching the episode it wont be easy. (The reason I say it may be an alternative past, is that the way the website is written, http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Desmond_Hu..._travel_to_1996. "Ms. Hawking, the jewelry store clerk, revealed that Desmond was not supposed to buy the ring, that he was supposed to have second thoughts and abandon Penny. She further claimed to know that Desmond's future would involve going to the Island and pushing the button in the Swan." From the way its written, it would seem that Desmond being told that information was the first time he had heard it. As he had already been on the island, this would mean that the 1996 he had gone to was not exactly the same. Furthermore the entire soccer scene and him being "wrong about the day", would correlate with the alternate time line that flight 815 was on a different date etc. Obviously at the time the episode aired there was no way to know any of this information. They've come out and said that was a prop error. The flight dates are the same.

A great Lost episode is normally one where you're completely engaged for the hour and still have no idea what you just watched. That's exactly how I felt about this one. I couldn't wait to get back from commercial break, and after 60 minutes, I'm still not quite sure what we just watched.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 04:21 PM) It's interesting that UNC's talent isn't supposed to mesh because it didn't last year, but Illinois' is supposed to despite not meshing last year either. Both teams will be better, but it's hard to pick against UNC with SO much talent again. Kansas will be fine as has been said. They're the early favorite to win the Big 12 again. They're so deep and Collins is quite overrated, they won't miss him too much. I think there's a major difference. Illinois' team did mesh, they just didn't play well in a lot of games, and they relied on some pretty average to below average players (including freshman). Those average players will be replaced by 5 star recruits (Richmond and Leonard in particular, who are every bit as good as the other top 50 incoming freshman), whereas UNC was just downright awful for the entire season despite having highly rated players. I totally expect UNC to be back next year, but i dunno about elite level. The more I think about it too, i'm not sure I buy the argument that OSU will be better than Illinois next year, given that one team will return it's starting 5 while adding highly rated freshman, and the other loses the national player of the year and gains some highly rated freshman. I think Turner is going to be a huge loss to that team, more than people expect. I think Kansas will be fine too, but they also lost Aldrich, probably the best center in the country. Yes, the have a lot of talent on the bench, but they haven't played as many meaningful minutes, so I dunno, I expect them to take a step back.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:50 PM) Nolan Smith is returning to Duke. If Singler returns, they're going to be far and away the #1 team in the preseason polls. I'd be shocked if Singler came back. Why not leave while on top? He's not going to increase his draft stock. He's a top 20 pick now, and he'll be that way next year too. I think even if he comes back Duke won't be back in the Final Four. Despite how well they played, I think they backed into the championship game this year, not really beating anyone of importance until Butler.

QUOTE (Felix @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:43 PM) It's impossible to choose between SportsNation, Around the Horn and Rome is Burning. They are all beyond awful and impossible to watch. +1 ESPN is awful these days. I miss the time when they weren't full of themselves. E60 is such a riot to watch with that camerawork. "Look at us! We're legit because we can pan the camera back and forth and in and out of focus!"

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 03:01 PM) I have Illinois in that 10-20 range, obviously depends on who comes back for various other teams. Florida had a very similar year to Illinois and the SEC won't be as tough as the Big Ten. McCamey is the best player on either team, but I trust a frontcourt of Tyus, Macklin and Young more than the Illini's guys, who don't always show up. As of right now, Parsons is also better than any of the wings on Illinois, though that can obviously change once we see how these guys improve. I agree that I went very high on UNC, I have that much faith in Barnes and Bullock upgrading their wing players. They had horrendous guard play last year, those two are major upgrades. As for Kansas and Kentucky, you've got to look at the talent on their roster. Kansas still has the Morris twins up front, who are both solid, as well as Taylor on the wing. They also have Johnson and Robinson, who are quite talented but couldn't crack their loaded roster this year. Even assuming Henry goes, they have 8 guys on the roster that were top-70 recruits and are still in on guys like Selby, Jones and Lamb. Kentucky I'm putting there largely based on players I expect them to sign between now and the start of next season. They've already added Kanter, who supposedly turned down 7-figure contracts in Turkey, and Poole, who's a pretty good athlete. Knight is widely considered to be a Wildcat already as well, so that fills their hole at PG. Add a couple more of the 7-10 solid recruits left and they could be fringe top-10. Could either of them flame out? Obviously yes, but this early I'm leaning towards where the talent is. As for OSU, they don't necessarily need Sullinger to be dominant to be great, they already have three solid wings in Buford, Diebler and Lighty. They do have to figure out who will handle the ball, but keep in mind that for all the good Turner did, he also averaged 4.4 turnovers. I suspect they'll end up with less of a scorer at the position and try to find someone to spread the ball around. I've got 'Nova slightly off the board right now because they still have question marks at PG and up front. If Wayans and Yarou both take major steps forward, I'd probably put them in the 5-8 range. However, right now all we really know is that Fisher and Stokes are solid and Pena is decent. I have a hard time putting them in the top-10 largely behind those three players. All good points. I'm excited for next year, not just because Illinois should be better, but there's really no stand out team right now. Seems like there will be 10 teams that have the potential to win it all.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 01:16 PM) This would be my personal top-10 (I'm only assuming that lock-lottery guys are gone): 1) Duke- I don't think they necessarily end up here, but Singler/Smith/Irving/Curry/Dawkins is way too good a perimeter to drop much farther, especially since the top two are proven go-to guys on a championship team. The Plumlees and Ryan Kelly will be key. 2) Michigan State- Assuming Lucas and Allen are back to 100%, that's an extremely balanced and dangerous lineup with two solid recruits (Appling and Payne) off the bench. 3) Purdue- Obviously Hummel has to be healthy, and it'd help a lot of someone besides Moore, Hummel and Johnson stepped up as a respectable scoring threat. 4) Ohio State- If they sort out their point guard/ball-handling situation, I like them a lot. They have much more depth than last year and a legit post option with Sullinger. 5) UNC- Yes, this is ridiculously high. I don't care, I feel like they have the most raw talent in the country by a fairly wide margin. I feel like Drew is a serviceable point guard, Barnes and Bullock have a ton of talent on the wings, and Zeller and Henson have a ton of potential up front. That doesn't even count a bench with Marshall, Strickland, McDonald, the Wear twins, and hopefully Graves (though it wouldn't surprise me if he started ). 6) Florida- Bring everyone back and add Patric Young, who looks like a beast up front. 7) Butler- I honestly think they belong lower on raw talent, but it's hard to argue with Mack, Heyward and Howard back and Nored continuing to be a gnat on defense. I think losing Veasley will hurt more than people think (though he sucked in the tourney) and they don't exactly leave much margin for error with their playing style. 8) Memphis- Obscene amounts of talent on the perimeter, but not as sure about their frontcourt. 9) Kentucky- A bit ambitious now, but they'll probably have a great class once the checks clear. I think they at least add Knight and Leslie, perhaps one or two more of the remaining studs. Obviously Kanter needs to be eligible as well. 10) Kansas- A lot hinges on how well Elijah Johnson and/or a yet to be signed recruit play in the backcourt. The Morris twins look solid, but they have to replace Collins and probably Henry (obviously bump them up if he comes back). On the verge if people above defect: Pittsburgh and K-State Add Georgetown somewhere around #3 if for some reason Monroe decides to return. Wow. Interesting top 10 here. Florida doesn't deserve the love, especially over better potential teams like Illinois (who should be in the 10-15 range). Ditto for UNC, who may have all the talent in the world, but talent means nothing if they don't mesh (see: UNC, 2009-2010). Kansas and Kentucky will be lucky to be in the top 25, let alone the top 10. Too much talent leaving. Villanova should be somewhere between 5-8. Agree Memphis should be pretty good if their freshman can make the transition. Not sold on OSU being so high, they have no PG. Sullinger might be the next OSU one and done, but if he can't get the ball he's not going to be very dominant.

Boeheim wins the NCOTY award. Not shocked, but wouldn't Stevens be the front runner after getting to the NC game and nearly winning it (beating a clearly overrated Syracuse in the process)?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 10:01 AM) Obviously no one else jumped on that grenade, because they sure tried ringing every doorbell they could, including a guy like Steve Lavin, who doesn't even have a job. According to Lavin, they didn't try. They never contacted him, despite his interest (which he made public).

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 09:00 AM) Come on, it sure as hell is a rotten job. It's a city school with no fan base, rotten facilities, they play their games nowhere near the damn campus....they've sucked for the better part of 25 years now. They've shown very little ability to keep City recruits from heading elsewhere....I mean come on, this is just like people saying St John's is a good job. It just isn't. 20 years ago it was a good job. Not anymore. I don't think it's the best job out there, but I think rotten is a little much. There's a lot of potential there. You could rekindle the traditional success of DePaul, I do think there's enough of a fan base that would come out if the team ever got decent again. The arena situation is clearly a major problem, but make a run for a couple of years and you can start throwing out new facilities as a plan. I just think if they got a young energetic guy that can recruit Chicago they'd be 10 times better.

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 5, 2010 -> 11:08 PM) BTW, great discussion in here tonight about the game. Thanks everyone, and stay strong palehosefan. Off to watch Gossip Girl. So, so wrong...

QUOTE (iamshack @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 08:51 AM) Who did you expect them to get? What a horrible job that is. It really isn't though. If you've got the right connections in the city it's a great source of talent, it's in a major metro area, and it's a program in a major conference. If i were DePaul I would have thrown millions to Jerrence Howard. At the very least you'd deal with 2-3 years of no worse than what they've been, but he's in on some of the best recruits in the midwest. He could at least build up the talent on the roster and then bring in someone who can coach em up.

how was this? can I get a recap?

What kind of grip does this thing have? Are there little rubber strips along the side? If it's anything like my iphone, the thing will slip right out of my hands unless I get a cover for it.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Mar 31, 2010 -> 11:10 PM) Walt was the most prominent motivating factor behind the end of the first season and the entire second season, How was he not that big of a deal? The kid was painted as being special, so special that the Others blew up a raft and kidnapped him, he got saved, and then went on to be a non-factor for the rest of the series. I think his story was overblown from the get go. I think they wanted to create an interesting angle with him having powers, but in reality that whole angle was never played out. The writers explained that the Others were interested in kids because of the difficulty the women were having giving birth, so to them the kids were the next generation of Others. I assume that's the end of it. I'd be surprised to see him again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2010 -> 08:55 AM) I had actually thought it might have been the Kwon kid. How cool of a twist would it have been for her to be the candidate? Wow. I didn't even think of that. That would have been cool. I forgot to add too that my major complaint about this season is how they really neutered a bunch of characters, Sayid being the biggest. He's just a walking zombie. Claire was never great, but she's just some crazy bush lady (and really I don't think she can play that part very convincingley... the craziness all seems really forced). I've never been a fan of Kate, but she normally has more than 2 things to say and now she's just got the same worried/angry look on her face as she delivers her lines. The lone bright spot - Frank. Couple of good zingers in this one.

The alt stuff was pretty boring until the Russian guy was shot in the eye. That made me go "oh!" outloud. As did Sun's "reveal." Pretty meh episode, but can't expect much after last week (and presumably next week). It's too bad someone posted that spoiler (with spoiler tags I know, but like I'm not going to read that!) otherwise the Desmond reveal would have been a little cooler. Really though the only choice for that "package" was Desmond, Hawking, or Faraday's ex-guinnea pig.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 30, 2010 -> 12:40 PM) Well, I said I didn't think you will see a "massive" price drop. The nature of new technology, and electronics particularly, is that the price of things do indeed come down over time. I would not be surprised either. I am not going to lose sleep over a $50-100 price drop from 1st gen to 2nd gen. I also wouldn't doubt if you are correct and the 16 gig does get dropped and a larger HD size becomes available. One of the points I was trying to make is I don't believe this is a situation like the iPhone where there is a price drop within months of literally 50% of the purchase price. Obviously, I have no crystal ball and I could be mistaken, but judging from the comments from the high-level designers at Apple as well as their marketing campaign ("A magical device at an unbelievable price"), it would seem to be a mistake for them to suddenly find a few hundred dollars to shave off the price tag. The other point is the open or soft format Apple uses. I am no IT wizard, so I cannot explain things as well as some others here, but by way of Apple's software updates, one can keep older generation iPhones up to speed pretty well when compared against their newer gen counterparts. My guess is the same will be true with the iPad. In terms of processing speed, this is not true at all. My fiance has the 2nd generation iphone (3G), and I have the 3rd (3Gs). The speed over everything from loading pages, loading programs, even screen swipes take twice as long, if not more. Hardware limitations are hardward limitations. There will be the same issue with the iPad, I almost guarantee it.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 29, 2010 -> 01:11 PM) Well first of all, their open or soft format allows most of the new capabilities to be enabled via software updates. Secondly, this is how capitalism and twenty-first century materialism works. This is certainly not something Apple is somehow only guilty of. Finally, I cannot see AT&T subsidizing this device, so I don't think you are going to see the massive price drops. Especially considering Jobs and others made it a huge talking point that they made the pricepoint as low as they could at launch. Like the IPhone?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 29, 2010 -> 01:34 PM) Really? I don't think a Butler/Duke final would even approach any kind of viewing records. Butler was a 5 seed so its not like they are some crazy Cinderella story, and the casual college basketball viewer isnt always interested in teams they dont really know about. You get the most viewers when its two awesome teams, that are from large markets or have huge alumni/fanbases, like your second point. A Kentucky/Kansas final would have had such a higher viewship than Butler/Duke or anything like that. The year George Mason made the Final Four, the year of the upset, I will remember for one main reason. It was easily the worst final four I have ever watched, just bad, bad basketball. Yeah, but it's Butler. It's the Hoosiers story played out in real life. Sure it's not that extreme, but no casual fan knows anything about Butler. I dunno, upsets/special stories are what made the tournament what it is. As viewers we remember awesome performances and huge upsets. I think Butler winning it all would be nearly as memorable as a 16 beating a 1.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 28, 2010 -> 11:58 AM) I couldn't agree more. I think Butler just making the Final Four makes the expansion more likely, but if they win the whole thing, (and they have a legitimate chance to do it) the powers that be will for sure freak out and expand the tournament. I'm so happy for Butler though. They've had a lot of things go their way in this tournament, but they are such a resiliant and good group of kids, and having followed them closely the last four years, I'm happy they got this payoff of playing in the Final Four in their hometown. Hopefully they can figure out a way to win two more games. If the NCAA had any brains they'd realize the exact opposite is true. I guarantee a Butler-Duke national championship game would not only beat viewing records, but would shatter them. EVERYONE who likes college basketball would watch the David v Goliath match, more so than two decent teams going at it. The best hope each year for the championship is that the two favorites make it (e.g., ILL-UNC, KAN-MEM, etc), or you get an unknown mid-major that makes a run for the history books. Those years become memorable and make the experience and history of the tourney 100 times more special.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 28, 2010 -> 07:10 PM) Stat of the day Coach K is now 12-1 in Elite Eight games. Is it really that tough when the majority of the time he's given the weakest region of the bracket? Duke has to be the most overrated tourney team the last decade. So many high seedings with pretty awful comparative results. Saw this nugget: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2...tory?id=5037873 Why on earth would Izzo want to leave? He's already rich, he's got one of the better programs in the nation contending on a yearly basis. Doesn't make sense.

Apple products: Good. Apple product launches: Awful. How many times is Apple going to do this kind of thing to their most loyal customers? Not shipping pre-orders, drastically cutting prices right after a product launch....instead of buying the Ipad in the next couple of weeks I'm going to save myself the hassle and wait for the 2nd generation.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Mar 26, 2010 -> 03:11 PM) nope Consider yourself lucky. Only thing you need to know: the 80's were the greatest (and most important) basketball period of all time.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 26, 2010 -> 01:23 PM) Considering how many innocent people tend to be found guilty and locked up nowadays, there are gonna be a lot of unhappy, undeserving dickless faceless people out there It continues to amaze me how peoples perception of "how many innocent" people this involves. It's an incredibly small percent. And clearly such a punishment is for those that are, beyond a doubt, guilty.