Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 10:51 PM) Quality win tonight for the 5th best team in the state. Vandy is a good team and Illinois really controlled the entire game. Mccamey was great, along with Richardson and Tisadale Is this Scott Powers? Get out of here with that 5th best nonsense. That was a very solid Vandy team that was clearly not in the same league as Illinois. The game was really never in doubt (save a 2nd half run to get it down to 7). Illinois was able to get basically any shot it wanted on offense. Still too many lazy passes and careless turnovers, and the defense is just not what fans of Illinois/Weber are used too, but a win is a win. If we can somehow pull out wins against georgia, missouri, and gonzaga, I think the two horrible losses to utah and bradley will be forgotten.

Oh law school finals, how I miss thee not. Unfortunately that's all I have to contribue to the thread. I only do contract/real estate/tort litigation.

This has gone from a slight dent in his reputation to a major accident. Is he going to recover from this? Can his sponsors really afford to stand by him (even though most say they will)? Does this ruin his legacy? Or is it forgotten in 2 years if he keeps winning? I'm not normally one to judge celebrities or professional athletes for their private lives, but I think Tiger is a little different. He's one of, if not the most, famous professional sports figure in the world, and he didn't just cheat, but he cheated with a bunch of skanky, gossip/tabloid style women, while his wife was at home with their two young kids. I dunno. I vote he screwed up his legacy big time with all this.

So I ended up getting a 2010 Ford Escape XLT (v6, 4x4, moonroof/sync, cargo package and 17" rims) priced at $29,650 for $24,250. They took off about 3k and gave me 2k for my old beater (shocked by that). 0% for 60 months too. We got everything we wanted, so I feel like it was a pretty good deal, except for the 5 hours spent inside that dealership. Al Pielmonte Ford in Melrose Park is where we went. Nice guys there. If they know what your price is they'll basically do anything to get you to buy it. The only "sell" was to try and get us to extend out to a 72 month deal but at 3.7% to lower our payments. I said thanks but not thanks and that was the end of it. All and all a pretty cool experience.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 02:36 PM) It just doesn't end does it? The argument of being lucky to win one is gone, you lost to Bradley and Utah. In a top 25 coaches poll done the same way the the real coaches poll is done just with mid majors coaches Illinois state is 5th.. Bradley and Utah are worse the ISU and Illinois lost to them two nights in a row. That alone is enough to tell me that ISU would win 2-3 games(but then again you guys would just blame them on Jordan getting to much PT). Rock and everyone else I'm not saying that the Valley should get the same amount of bids as the big conferences I'm just saying the the 2nd and 3rd teams in the Valley are better then the 6th and 7th teams in the Big Ten. So when the Tournament gets picked leave the 6th and 7th teams of the Big Ten out, and put in the 2nd and 3rd teams in from the MVC. You saying that the top MVC teams wouldn't be able to compete for the Big Ten is true(most years) but ISU, UNI, and Creighton could finish higher then 7th in the Big Ten which according to the committee last year is tourney worthy. Those loses were flukes. They were up big, stopped playing and couldn't regain momentum. That's what happens with true freshman on their first road trip. But whatever, they shouldn't have lost. And I agree with everything Soxbadger said. There's no logic in saying the 2nd or 3rd best teams in the MVC would be 7th or more in the Big Ten, unless you're talking an incredibly good year for the MVC. There's a gigantic difference between playing 1-2 games against big ten teams and playing 22. Would there be upsets? Sure. But they wouldn't be enough to make them better than anyone except maybe Iowa and Indiana. My earlier argument was that on occasion there are really really good mid majors that could compete for a major conference title. But we're talking 1, maybe 2 teams every few years.

well that didn't take long: http://www.break.com/games/tiger-woods-wife-outrun.html

lol, zing!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 12:09 PM) I'd like to know who these mid majors are that would compete for a major conference title. I'd like to see one of the come in and play some away games at Purdue, Wisconsin, Duke, UNC, etc and see if they survive that schedule. Here are some of the best ones this season: Gonzaga, Butler, Portland, Richmond, Northern Iowa, Missouri State and Siena. Some of these schools could compete for a BCS conference most of the time like Butler and Gonzaga. However most of the time they would end up somewhere in the middle of the pack most likely, which according to some, makes them "mediocre." And the question is, are there multiple teams outside of these in the conference that deserve an automatic bid over a mid range school in the ACC etc. I think the 02(?) SIU team would have competed for a major title too (whatever year Weber took them to the sweet 16). Throw a team like Davidson from last year or george mason in a weak major conference and I could see them winning. But that was my point. Obvioulsy 95% of the time it's not going to happen, but every few years there's a good mid major that could compete. And I don't think the road games matter that much. The ultimate winner of the conference more often than not loses those tough road games anyway.

QUOTE (JuiceCruz16 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 10:54 AM) I'm not a big ten guy, but c'mon the Valley is NOWHERE near the big 10. They are a solid mid major conference, but night in night out playing the step up in competition every game I doubt any team would finish in the top 5-6 in the Big 10 if it played in it, let alone have two or three teams that would compete for the confrence title. The Valley might have won 2 games tops in a Valley/ACC challenge. Maybe 2 tops. Top to bottom night in night out playing in the ACC, BIG 10, Big East, Big 12, etc. is just a totally different animal them playing in the Valley or the MAC. etc. I have more respect for 6th/7th in a typical major confrence season then 2nd or 3rd in a typical mid major confrence season in most years. Just a much tougher road to go through night in and night out. I dunno that I'd agree with this. Take a really good Valley team and they could compete for the upper echelon of the big ten (or any other major conference) with the chance of winning it if the stars align. I think every few years there's a mid major team that is really, really good (teams with 4-5 four year players). But in an average year, no, they probably would not be able to compete on that high of a level. And despite the bad losses to Utah and Bradley, I would still bet lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of my money that if Illinios and ISU played 10 games ISU would be lucky to win 1 (let's keep this retread argument rolling!)

And if anything I think Gonzaga has proven that the NCAA isn't stopping mid majors from becoming regular contenders. Have 2-3 solid years, win a game or two in the tourney each year, schedule a good non-conference schedule and you'll become an annual consideration even if you don't win your league. SIU was like that for a number of years.

This game reminded me a lot of the IU-UI game in 2004 when Dee and Deron were sophomores. No one bought into playing Weber’s scrappy, tough, man to man defense until it brought them back from a game they should have lost. Hopefully the same realization happened last night. No doubt Clemson choked, but Illinois simply out played them for the last 18 minutes. I think the most impressive thing was that they came back from 23 points (pretty damn quickly), but then had another 5 minutes of a really tough back to back game and still pulled out the W. Jeff Jordan is awful. I don't see a "great" defender (average at best), I don't see a good ball handler (3-4 turnovers last night were on him and he picks up his dribble every freakin time); i see an athlete that occasional gets a good rebound. Apparently Legion just refuses to play any defense, or he's horrible at dribbling, because I'm confident Weber sees that Jordan is a liability out there. But he's stuck with him until Legion shows he's a better option. Maybe now we know why Kentucky didn't really care that he wanted to leave? Also, I think Bill Cole might become one of those Roger Powell style glue guys this year and next year. I'm really impressed with his defense. He's just a lengthy guy that messes up the offensive rhythm on the other team. Great win. Now we gotta take care of Gonzaga, Missouri, Vandy, etc and we'll have a pretty solid tourney resume. Edit: Oh, and Bo Ryan is the s***. In every other sport but college bb I hate opposing coaches. But I love the way he always has his team ready to play. I consider Wisconsin and Michigan State to be Illinois' biggest rivals, especially recently, and I'm a huge fan of both Ryan and Izzo. Can't really say that about any other sport.

I do. An old beater of a pontiac sunfire that my fiance has had since college. It's got some dents and dings, so I'm not expecting much. KBB says $1200-1600, so I'll be happy with $1500.

I read the edmunds thing and it had some great advice. It's a little dated though (9% interest?!). Anymore it seems the dealers are being more competitve with each other to sell the car, for anything, just to get them off the lot. I'm looking at a 2010 Escape with an "internet price" of $27,798. The incentives/rebates right now are $1,000 promotion discount, $500 recent grad discount, and 0% financing for 60 months. So, right there I'm down to $26,298. According to edmunds, the invoice price is closer to $23-24,000, which is about my max of what I want to pay. I plan to basically ask the guy/gal what their price is, tell him i've checked with a few other dealers for the same car and been quoted at $23,500 or so and see what he can do.

I'm a huge fan of Izzo and the MSU program but... when was the last time MSU won a meaningful pre-conference game? Seems like they always have a craptastic dud of a game against an inferior opponent and also a loss to a quality opponent that they should contend with. Obviously by the end of the season, when it matters, they turn it on. Just strange though that they never seem as ready out of the gate.

What? If I drove a Porsche I wouldn't actively seek out a s***ty beater to ride in. If i was forced to I might ride in it, but I'm not going to CHOOSE to do it. i'm going to look for other high end vehicles to drive. Preferably ones that wouldn't give me crabs.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 02:48 PM) Heh. I have the 2008 Escape Hybrid. I even posted a whole spiel about my math in deciding whether or not to go for the Hybrid, back then, somewhere in the Buster. I do like the FEH a lot. I'm surprised how much I like it. Its given me basically no issues - the only thing is, on occasion, something happens behind the dashboard that sounds like its percolating coffee. Weird. Otherwise, its been great. Anyway, for me, the hybrid equation worked out nicely. By the time I got my tax credit in March of 2009, the difference had already paid for itself - 15 months pay back period. But that was also covering 2008, when gas prices got truly insane. The math would be different for you, as I'd say its more likely you will average like $3 a gallon for gas over time (instead of $3.50 or $4), and also importantly, I am not sure if the FEH has reached the production threshold where the credits are gone. Leaving aside the hybrid/non-hybrid part, the Escape is the same car, and I've liked it a lot. Can't speak about the V6 though. My car before that was a Saturn VUE V6 AWD, which had the Honda-made Red Line engine in it (265 HP), and was very fast for an SUV. So the FEH was notably slower, but honestly, I just don't care about that, and its never caused me a problem. I'm not drag racing - my wife uses it to commute with the baby. If you have other specific questions on the Escape, let me know. ETA: Forgot to add, mine is the AWD version of the Hybrid, which i thought was a good idea for Chicago (and my camping trips). Just note that the AWD version subtracts a few MPG clicks on either hybrid or non-hybrid. Two things appear to be the "main" complaints: (1) how's the wind noise? I didn't really notice it on the streets. On the highway I did, but no more than any other car I've had/been in. (2) how's the passenger fold down seat situation? It looked a bit clunky having to fold up the bottom of the seat, take off the head rests and fold down the back of the seat. The KIA sportage it was a one lever, 2 second motion. I don't think this is a major negative, since I don't see a big difference in a 10 second process versus a 2, but wondered if that became tiresome after a while. And how is it in the snow.? I'll be getting the 4wd version. I'm not crazy about the automatic 4wd (just another automatic function that will eventually breakdown), but I've heard it handles really well in snow/off road conditions. I'm not planning to do jeep trails with it, but it would be nice to get off road a little.

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 02:31 PM) I'll piggy back the question, with one of my own. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm about to purchase a GMC Terrain. It's MSRP is 28,325, and I'm trying to figure out what offer I should make and what offer I should stick to for the "out the door" price. Also, since I have been looking at smaller SUV's for a while, I would recommend looking at the Equinox one more time. You might be able to get them down to closer to 20k, but keep the 22/32 mileage. Ha. Yeah I'm actually going to test drive a Terrain this weekend if I can. I really like the look and all of the standard features. Prob is it's a new model and I've been advised that new models can be really hit or miss. Might get screwed if no one buys them and they drop the line after a year or two. Plus if I get a new Ford I get the 0% for 60. GMC isn't offering any kind of financing. I'm just not a fan of the equinox look. Too cross-overy for me. I want an suv that looks like an suv but isn't a tank. Plus it's Chevy. The Escape gets 18/24 (the v6 4x4), which is essentially what i get now. I thought about the hybrid with that 41 mpg city, but i need to get a v6. I'm tired of having little to no power.

So now that I finally have a job it's time for a new car. I'm looking at a 2009 or maybe 2010 Ford Escape, but have never gone car shopping before. Anyone (1) have any experience with this model? If so what do you think? I test drove about 4 "compact" suv's this last weekend and this was the one I was most impressed with (Escape, Equinox, Sportage, Xterra...no interest in the CR-V or Rav-4). It's got the perfect mix for commute driving on the weekdays and hauling/off-roading on the weekends. It's basically a small version of the explorer, which i wanted, but my fiance thinks is too big for her. (2) any advice to share about how to get the best deal at a dealership and/or things to avoid or be aware of. I made it pretty clear up front i wasn't buying, so I didn't really get into much talk about prices. It seems like most places were willing to work with me though. The vehicles i'm looking at are ~24-26k on the webpages, but with a sticker price on the lot about ~2-3k less and they kept telling me they'd work with me. I'm hoping to spend no more than 20k. I dunno how realistic it is for them to drop 4-6k off the price, but I'm hoping they will.

A human with horrible tastes for a mistress. Why on earth would you bang that after banging a perfect 10 swedish model for years?

Anyone else think the timing of Weis' firing is stupid? Why not wait until after the bowl game?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 25, 2009 -> 01:57 PM) I still cannot believe we don't have a do-not-mail list like the do-not-call list. We could save consumers all sorts of time and annoyance, save millions of trees, and help marketing firms save a ton of money, and reduce the size and cost of a government agency (USPS) if we had a centralized opt in/out system for junk mail. Really is a win-win all around. Amazing this doesn't exist yet. Wouldn't that destroy a large chunk of revenue of the USPS?

If people can't make the connection between a HUGE political push for environmental measures (i.e., lots and lots of money for "study" to scientists, and lots and lots of money being made by people who invested in green energy years ago) then you're crazy. I don't think that makes the debate more or less relevant, but there IS a political and financial gain from this debate. We're talking hundreds of billions that the government will spend to fix a problem we don't yet clearly understand. Yes, we're suffocating ourselves with pollution. But we don't know yet what that's going to cause. We have models, and theories, but all of that is pure conjecture at this point. And the problem isn't that we don't have a conversation going on about the seriousness of the problem, it's that the scientific community has already decided, unequivocally, that man has caused his own destruction and it's going to happen tomorrow. Anyone who disagrees with the severity or the timing is quickly dismissed, thrown into the "nonbeliever" camp, and forgotten. And if anyone thinks that the government is going to fix this problem you're nuts. On one side of the aisle you have people that believe God would never let them die from their own doing, and therefore global warming is a myth. And on the other you have an entire party in bed with an industry that relies on the energy base we need to change. At best we'll get a bunch of initiatives for energy conservation which we should all be doing anyway.

QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 10:01 PM) Illinois looks bad against Wofford. Ties with 13 mins left. Paul in foul trouble and looking out of it. What game were you watching? I was really impressed with Wofford. A very well coached team that played with a lot of intensity and hit a lot of big shots. I think Illinois can look back and feel good about the win. They didn't break down, they didn't panic. They were forced into a slow-down, half court game (which is a weakness), but still managed to shoot 57% and pull away in the 2nd half. Overall a solid win over a pretty solid team. And I can't say enough about Paul and Richardson. Richardson was solid for the 3rd straight game, playing good defense and hitting some big shots. Paul didn't have a great game, and he's got a knack for getting himself into trouble with the ball (picking up his dribble/jumping in the air with no where to go with it), but he's going to be a special, special player. I can see why Weber thinks he can be a Dwayne Wade type guard. He can drive, make some seperation, and then hit a jumpshot in your face. Also props to McCamey. I think this is the guy Illini fans saw in flashes the last couple of years. If he can be consistent I think this'll be a really good year for Illinois.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 02:55 AM) Ya I played around with it a bit, the side you start on is easier I think. I just grabbed some guns and then pressed either button and ran and hide behind the tank in the vehicle room. Grenades always get me. I assume you get an achievement for it, that's why I keep trying. Twice I've beaten the "easy" side (where you start), but then I start the other side and die from that huge dude in the armor (who I don't remember from the game). I'm too lazy to google it, but I also thought there was another airplane style level you can unlock. It's an insane time to be a gamer, which more than makes up for the awful summer. Dragon Age, MW2, L4D2, GTA Ballad of Gay Tony, Uncharted 2, God of War pack, and the new Mario. I just don't have the time to play them all, though each has been fantastic (except GTA - the formula is old and boring and I think that could be one of the last GTA games I'll pick up unless they change the structure of the game).

Of those that played MW2, has anyone beaten the extra museum level? It's insanely difficult.