bigruss

It's a hard balance between not being viewed as a white male hero and trying to do good. Most of these movements need to take a page from the LGBTQ one and encourage allies more. Don't need champions, the leadership, message, etc should all come from those who have the experiences, etc. But you need allies. They also need to do a better job at explaining the reason behind it to white suburbia, it's unfortunate but white suburbia tends to be really ignorant to these problems (or at least the scale of issues is different).

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 28, 2017 -> 11:41 AM) My friend was there, said he didnt even notice We had heard from some people that it was on lockdown for a long time, just glad it wasn't worse. The Bellagio Rolex store robbery is one of the stupidest heist stories I've heard.

How was the Bellagio/Cosmo area with all the s*** that went down? Or maybe you just missed it.

The walkways help to the MGM, but even then it took about 15 minutes to get between the places. It's crazy how far out everything is there.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 27, 2017 -> 11:08 AM) MGM sig is great, just a bit of a hike from the main drag via foot. But I liked that it was set back. Honestly, if the Sig just had an entrance on the NW corner to the compound it would help immensely. That corner isn't too far from the strip, but having to walk down the street and then back up their driveway for any in/out is annoying. For a non-bender trip, the Sig would be a go to for me.

Well I'm glad I didn't stay on the strip this time in Vegas, avoided that mess. Staying downtown was definitely very different, some good things and some bad things. Good: Cheaper tables: during the day you could play $5 craps pretty easily. Pool: Golden Nugget pool was heated, and lounge chairs were in excess and free. No worries in getting a spot or having to pay to sit. Walking: Never had to leave a 4 block radius unless you wanted to. Food: Some great places for reasonable costs. Vic and Anthony's never disappoints. Drinking outside of casinos: Cheap drinks were in abundance. Bad: Crowd: Size was good, not too busy and not empty, but VERY different from the strip. Don't do a bachelor party there or if the goal is to hookup then it won't be your scene. A lot more old people (just guessing that around 10% were under 30). Variety: Not as many options as the strip for shows, food, entertainment, etc. Overall, it was pretty much exactly what we expected. Had a great time, it was definitely a nice change from the strip though if that was our first trip to Vegas we probably would've been disappointed. The Golden Nugget Spa Suite was a great hangout place as well. The only real downside is that it only had 1 king bed and the couches were big but not ideal for sleep, so it's really not meant to be a multi-person setup. If you're staying downtown, the Golden Nugget definitely seemed to be the nicest place over there.

My 2012 Ford Focus hatchback is starting to have issues again, bluetooth crapped out on me and it's having issues changing gears more and more often (it had an issue with the TCM which had to be replaced last year) so I'm starting to get serious at looking for a replacement. Was hoping to get some time without payments but the whole transmission stuff scares the crap out of me. So far I've test driven a 2017 Infiniti QX30 and a 2017 Audi Q3. The QX30 is super sharp, sporty, handles well, and has nice features all while priced extremely well (4wd premium at 28k-ish). But man, it was small, had less driver room than my Ford and about the same legroom in the back. So I'm crossing it off. The Q3 was a great ride, not quite as sporty but handled well and just felt well built. Had enough space and felt much better in the driver seat, but it's also a lot more money. With the Costco program, a Q3 premium with quattro was about 34k still (because they always throw at least one package into the car). I've really wanted this car since coming out, I'm just not sure if I want to spend that much on one. And used car inventory for it is very slim and doesn't provide much savings, a used one may be 31k. Now I'm thinking of going for a used Q5, Acura RDX or Lexus 350. 2012/2013 models are at about 25k with under 40k miles, which is pretty attractive. Those are a bit larger than I thought I would go for but probably going to at least test drive them.

Not looking into the Ford CMAX? And I'm interested to hear your reviews of those 2.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 20, 2017 -> 10:40 PM) Shane Heirman. Dude is really good at what he does. I really want him, but Underwood wants someone more experienced (at least that's the initial buzz). Would consider him in a support role which means no Bowen, not really sure if that makes sense (not that Bowen would be a lock if he was an assistant). I'm all for someone who is a stud recruiter, but Shane seems like a really good up and coming coach/recruiter.

Ghost recon wildlands was a bad purchase.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 18, 2017 -> 03:24 PM) Very good coach, it's definitely an upgrade but not sure he can recruit Chicago I'm honestly not worried about that with a coach that has an identity and doesn't rely on better talent to win. He needs to find his players, and have recruiters who can help land them. It was also interesting that the Mac Irvin Fire twitter account supported this move, didn't really expect them to. Walker is being retained, so that should help. Still wouldn't mind Heirman.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 17, 2017 -> 02:01 PM) Wasn't Drew voted dirtiest coach by his peers? Calipari then him I believe.

Scott Drew keeps popping up as someone who would be interested in the Illinois job, I'm torn on him. He is a fantastic recruiter, decent coach, and turned that Baylor program into something. As far as coaches go, he would be a great fit for those attributes. But, his somewhat gray past/reputation (whether fair or not) still stands out, and would go against what Whitman would look for in a coach.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2017 -> 02:54 PM) If you included LaLumiere in that list, it makes a pretty big difference. I think he can get some more work done in the area too if he wins something. There's been some small rumors that the HC at LaLu, Shane Heirman, would be interested in an assistant job at Illinois. That may not be a possibility with the new hire but would he really seems like a good coach/recruiter and would be a solid hire. Plus, Bowen is still not committed, he could follow.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Mar 16, 2017 -> 02:04 PM) This. I'm definitely Team Alford to Indiana. I'd be surprised if the resident Indiana fans on this board agreed. He'd recruit well, especially in the midwest/indiana area and that would hurt Illinois, but for the most part he still hasn't gotten the results to match the recruiting.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2017 -> 01:53 PM) That's just it. In another state, he is just another Coach. In the state of Indiana, he IS IU. He would own this state. Hell he was getting borderline division 1 prospects to a D3 when he was at Manchester. He was convincing D1 kids who weren't getting enough playing time to leave their schools and come play for him at Manchester when I was there. He would have every single advantage in the state of Indiana. He's already recruiting it better than Crean was, he stole Wilkes (who loved Indiana but not Crean).

The connection is there, but I agree that leaving UCLA for IU is tough. I hope it happens though, I love to hate on Alford.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 16, 2017 -> 09:34 AM) Sam Snelling talked about that. Apparently that assistant is promoting himself as someone who comes with Tilmon, but there isn't much of a connection outside that. However, lots of smoke that Mark Smith, a 4-star guard from edwardsville is likely to follow Martin. Does Walker guarantee Tilmon at another school? No, but it gives you a big edge. And Mark Smith is also being recruited heavily by...Walker. EJ Liddel is being recruited really well by...Walker. He's a good recruiter, and knows the St. Louis area really, really well. Smith will go to Illinois with a good hire, kids loves Illinois but obviously we've thrown a lot of obstacles at him.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Mar 15, 2017 -> 11:37 PM) Saw this a bit ago on the insider board and just thought it was a slip by him and that he meant Archie. Wasn't the case. No way that happens I think, but it sounds like any guy the Illini get at this point is going to be exciting. One of Bennett, Archie, Bryce Drew, Marshall would be phenomenal for this program. Missouri had a great day, and I mean a really f***ing good day for them, but I will feel 1000% better about our future with one of those guys at the helm over Cuonzo. Substance over splash, and our splash would still be pretty big.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Mar 15, 2017 -> 04:00 PM) I've heard similar things from more Illinois connected news outlets (though their sources could easily overlap). I will say this does sound a lot like the hubris that was spewed from the donor crowds during the search for the new AD. "I'm going to go out to Rick George with a blank check, and I'm not going to take no for an answer!" And then he publicly denied them several times. My concern is that it is enough for Bennett to be interested in, but UVA makes a counter that is enough to keep him there and we are left at the altar again. Just like Groce and recruits, Whitman needs to know who he can actually get. Even as tight of a ship as Whitman has been running, any of these leaks can still make us look bad and it's critical right now that we don't have the same dilemma as last time.

Nova over Arizona UNC over Kansas UNC over Nova

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 14, 2017 -> 02:10 PM) Whitman is not f***ing around, women's basketball coach was fired today Reports were saying Whitman didn't want 2 active searches going on...

1. Have you ever been to Japan? Do you want to go? Visit absolutely. 2. What's your favourite Japanese food? In regards to this favourite Japanese food, how do you like it (meaning: What type of sushi do you like? Or how do you like your Ramen?) - Sashimi rolls with some variation of shrimp tempura, avocado, tobiko, unagi sauce, tuna, spicy mayo. Don katsu is amazing. Ramen with salt broth and pork. Examples: Sushi, Ramen, Udon, Tempura, Tonkatsu 3. Do you enjoy anime/manga? If so which ones? If not, what do you think of anime/manga? I don't read much manga, just never did it. But I watch a ton of anime: Cowboy BeBop is by far the best one. Trigun, GITS, Deathnote, Princess 9, Sword Art Online, and a few others that I'm forgetting about right now. And any of Hayao Miyazaki's. 4. Is there any strange opinions you have on Japanese culture and would like to share? Not sure if I have anything that is strange. 5. Do you play any popular Japanese games? Or Have you? If so, which ones? Not sure on this, nothing specific to Japan but I'm sure I've played games developed there without really knowing. examples: Kingdom hearts, Final Fantasy, etc

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Mar 14, 2017 -> 09:40 AM) Do you have Keatts in the top targets? I really, really like the idea of Keatts if Illinois misses on Miller and Marshall. I do, I think he'd be a really good fit here. I love that he turned around a terrible program into 25+ wins in 2 of 3 seasons. He also knows the recruiting game very well, I think he would do well. I'm also a little stunned that NC St hasn't swooped in yet on him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 14, 2017 -> 09:48 AM) I don't know about the others, but I can't see Drew leaving Vandy after one year. He got a 6 year/$16 million deal and was the 14th highest paid coach when he signed it, and my guess is that they have a big poison pill in that deal at the beginning. Illinois apparently has $5 million for the "right" coach, now how accurate that is and who that booster (Shahid Khan) views as the "right" coach is the question. But if we could offer $4 million or so, and from what I've read about Bryce being open to the job, I think it would get done. And thinking about it more, I'd be stoked. He checks off a ton of boxes, get him a dynamic recruiter (or keep Jamall Walker), bring Powell over, and choose between an experienced x-o guy or another recruiter for Chicago and I think that would be a great direction. And reports are out there saying Bryce Drew will be at the Edwardsville vs Simeon game scouting/recruiting, which seems a bit odd to do right before the tournament... (Mark Smith, a big time players who just so happens to love Illinois plays for Edwardsville, Vandy hadn't recruited him up to this point). Could be nothing, could be something.