whitesox61382

I think thats a perfect reason TO put Maggs in the 3 hole. The one thing that Thomas still does well is get on base with a high walk total. That means he will be on 1B a lot of the time, which is one of the reasons why Maggs has so many DP. However, if you switch them, than you would probably have fewer DP's because Thomas hits more flyballs than Maggs.

I have been telling you guys in the past that Gload is a very good player. I have seen him over a dozen times in the majors and minors and have come away impressed every time. I am surprised that he has never stuck in the majors. All he has done is hit...hit....hit...and hit some more. He reminds me a lot of a Mark Grace/John Olerod type player. Good line drive swing, with gap power, and good plate disipline(although he could draw a few more walks). He is also a very good athlete and can play 1B or the corner outfield. He also runs very well for a 1B type player. I have very little doubt that he will make the team as the back up 1B/corner outfielder and a lefty bat off the bench(Dauback's role last year), and don't be surprised if he puts together a solid year.

Is it wrong to start losing on purpose to improve their draft status? As a former college athlete I know that you never want to lose no matter what the reward, but NHL tonight was talking a little about the draft and they said their were 2 Russians that were suppose to be unbelievable and head and shoulder above the rest of the draft group. Pittsburgh will certainly get one of those picks, and the Hawks are currently tied with the Capitals for 2nd least amount of points. I actually like what the Hawks are doing and think they are heading in the right direction. For the previous 5 years the Hawks have been filling their roster with overpaid overrated veterans that got them nowhere. Now they are starting a youth movement and have a solid core of young players. Add a very good draft with 6 picks in the 1st 2 round, and the Hawks are laying the foundation for a very good young team. The questions will come when some of these young players develop into good players and start looking for more money. Will Wirtz be the cheap guy that he has been in the past or we he realize that he has a solid foundation that could lead the Hawks to the promise land? On a side note, here is an article about a rookie named John Michael Liles(We use to call him JML in high school). http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...erry&id=1748130 I brought it up because I use to be a teammate of his when he played at Culver. He was a year older than me and left Culver for the under 18 national team after his sophmore year, so I only played 1 year with him. I think it is pretty cool when a teammate of yours makes it to the pros in a sport. He is also doing a very good job as a rookie after a great career at Michigan State. I always knew that he had the offensive game to go far, but I thought that the fact that he was a 5'8(listed at 5'10) defensive would hold him back some. Congrats JML.

Thats great in theory, but you know that it is going to never happen. The Bulls have had a ton of cap space for the past 5+ years with the idea of going after the big name FA, but none of them want to play for the Bulls, and I highly doubt that Kobe is any different. I also doubt that the Bulls get Okafor. Right now the Bulls would have the 2nd pick(assuming the lottery doesn't mess that up), but they will get some competition from the Hawks now they they gutted their team. Washington and Phoenix are also one long losing streak away from moving the Bulls down in the draft. Furthermore, I hear great things about Dwight Howard, but I don't see how the team with the 1st pick won't pick Okafor(I realize that most mock drafts have Howard going #1). IMO, IF Howard develops into the player that most think he will be, than he will be almost similar to Okafor now. Okafor is much further along in the development and is a much safer/proven pick. I truely believe that he is the best big man to come out of college since Duncan. His defense is remarkable. Not only does he block almost 5 shots a game, but the number of shots that he alters and the reluctance of guards to drive to the hole because of his presence is amazing. I don't know if I have ever seen such a fundamentally sound defensive big man, especially the ability to play D/block shots without fouling(usually a problem for big man). His offensive game has improved by leaps and bounds over the last 2 years. His freshman year his offense came from garbage points. This year he has developed a decent mid-range jumper and some solid post moves(much improved foot work down low). He is Ben Wallace(a true 6'9 though) with a much better offensive game(and maybe even better defense). If the Bulls get Okafor you guys should jump for joy, and it would allow the Bulls to trade either Curry or Chandler for a scoring forward/guard. The Bulls are in a tough situation. They have a bunch of youngsters with good upside, but who haven't lived up to the potential, and a mix of veteran role players. This was suppose to be the year the Bulls started to put it together, but instead they have regressed some. It will be a couple more years before they are good again, but they are starting to put the pieces together. I really like Hinrick at the PG. Crawford could be very good if he had better shot selection and played some D. Curry/Chandler are both talented big man that could put it together. Add a top 5 pick(likely) and a decent FA(scoring forward/guard), and you have a decent foundation.

Wake Forest - This is my semi sleeper team. They have all the key ingredients. Good PG(Paul), good scorer(Gray), good low post player(Williams), and good bench/depth. Duke - This team also has all the key ingredients, and they might be the best team in the country. UConn - This team has the most talent on paper. Okafor might be the most dominating big man since Tim Duncan. They are extremely deep and have great size down low. I still consider them a risky pick, but they also seem to play to other teams talent level, and this is a team that could get upset. Stanford - Living in Pac 10 country I have seen them play multiple times and they are for real. The fact that they have gone almost half the season without their top big man(Davis) and still gone haven't lost is remarkable. This team is extremely deep and has great chemisty. Other teams to watch out for. Texas - One of my preseason final 4 picks. They are really starting to play well and have enough talent to get to the final 4. Their PG play could be the only thing that holds them back. Missouri - Another one of my preseason final 4 picks. After a terrible start they have caught fire and won their last 6. This team has a ton of talent and are getting hot at the right time, which could spell a long run in the tourny. Kentucky - They really show that cats have 9 lives with all their close wins. They have a veteran team and have shown that they can win the close games. Georgia Tech - Have cooled off a bit, but I have a hunch that this team could be very dangerous in the Tourny. They are very deep and very athletic. Pittsburgh - They have flown under the radar for most of the season, but it is hard to ignore their 24-3(their 3 loses by a combined 7 points) record. Carl Krauser is one of the best kept secrets in the college game.

I disagree completely. FSU is one of the rising basketball schools in the country. Hamilton is one of the best recruiters in the country(not to mention that he has a beautiful campus, weather, and women to help sell recruits), and last year he beat out Indiana for 3 of the top prospects they were after(Wafer, Romero, and AJohnson) on his way to the #1 recruiting class in the country in 2003. They have another top 25 recruiting class coming in this year, and are fighting with Indiana for Tello Palacios(a top 25 big man). If they get Palacios, than that will take their recruiting class to the top 10. Losing Pickett will hurt, but back-back great recruiting classes will help easy the pain. The ACC better watch out because FSU is no longer a push over.

Gray really put up a good year and I think he could be a sleeper. His numbers are pretty impressive, although as a 22 year old college player he should be able to put up big numbers at advanced rookie ball. It will be interesting to watch him at A ball this year. I know that it is early and this comparison might be a little bit of a stretch, but based on his college/rookie ball numbers he reminds me a little of Marcus Giles. Both are smallish 2B, that slipped under the radar, and have a bunch of power for a small middle infielder. I really like those 49 BB in 277 AB's, which helped him post a .406 OBP.

The facts hurt don't they. Danman, how many Arizona games have you seen? Based on your comments it appears that you haven't watched one game because you have no clue what you are talking about? If you watch any Arizona games you would know that they are extremely athletic and love to run the floor, which helps explain why they are averaging 88+ PPG and is one of the reasons why Shakur doesn't lead the team in assists(since he isn't necessarily the player with the ball if the team is on a fast break). Because they have players like Adams and Iquodala playing the two forward spots(when they are natural guards/wing players) they have 4 players that can consistantly handle the ball, and thats another reason why the assists are evenly distributed and you don't have one player with 8+ assists. They have no depth/talent up front besides Frye, yet this team is a top 25 team, so who is responsible for that(hint: the guards)? Please watch a few Arizona games before you spout off about s*** you know nothing about. Shakur is an extremely talented young player(you would know that if you watched any Arizona games). He has a decent assists to turnover ratio of 1.5:1, however, he is a true freshman and sometimes doesn't make wise decisions(will get better with experience). Furthermore, way to base your opinion on 1 game. I am sure that I can find a couple of games when Jason Kidd had 1-2 assists, but does that mean he is a terrible PG? Danman you need to get a clue and watch some Arizona games so you don't look like a fool by calling the teams strength its weakness.

I am not sure. It happened recently so there wasn't much info available, and the basketball team tries to keep everything in house. I didn't hear about it till game time. I talked to one of my friends and they said it was indefinately, however, I have a feeling that he will be back sooner rather than later(unless it is something really serious). danman, will you please watch an Arizona game before you make statements about the guards. I will repeat that Arizona's problem is their frontcourt and not their backcourt. Arizona actually has one of the deeper backcourts in the country. Stoudamire - One of the best pure shooters in the game. Averaging 16.8 PPG and 2.9 assists. He is shooting .469 FG%(pretty good for a SG), .777 FT%(he made close to 90% last year), and .438 3PT%(one of the tops in the country). Shakur - He is probably the 2nd best freshman PG in college basketball(to Paul of WF). He is averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.3 assists. He is shooting .526 FG%(amazing for a guard), .818 FT%(one of the better FT% in the Pac 10), and .390 3PT%(above average for a college guard). Rodgers - Is the best defensive player on the team, which isn't necessarily saying much. He is averaging 9.1 PPG and 2.2 assists. He is shooting .413 FG%(which isn't great), .852 FT%(one of the better FT shooters in the country), and .417 3PT%(which is well above average). Adams - Is a natural SG/wing player, but is being forced to play PF because of the lack of depth/talent up front(which is their major problem). He is averaging 16.8 PPG and 1.6 assists(plus 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks). He is shooting .542 FG%(which is unheard of), .692 FT%(around average), and .393 3PT%(which is above average) You can also make the arguement that Iguodala is a SG/wing player, although with the lack of depth up front he is forced to play SF/PF. The point is that Arizona has a very talented backcourt. If this isn't the definition of a good backcourt, than please show me what a good backcourt is? Like I have said many times, their problem is up front. Frye is their only proven big man, and he has a tendancy to get in foul trouble at times, which really hurts. Like I said above, they are forced to play Adams and Iguodala in the front court because of this lack of depth. There only semi-reliable big man of the bench is Radenovic, but he is extremely inconsistant and is more of a typical European perimeter player. Please watch Arizona play before you start making statements that simple are not true. Arizona's lack of frontcourt talent/depth and suspect D are there 2 major problems.

I highly doubt that Reed ever steals 40+ bases. I am guessing that the guy that wrote that article has never seen Reed play and is basing his projections on his minor league stats solely. The truth is that Reed has only slightly above average speed, and that his sucess rate in the minors was very poor. I can see Reed getting 20 SB, but not much more than that.

As a Hoosier fan all I can say is WOW. I have been seriously following IU for almost 15 years now, and I can say that this is the most pathetic excuse of a team that I have seen at IU. With each passing day Davis moves closer to the unemployment line. 4 home loses in a row, including the last 2 to the bottom feeders of the Big 10 is simple unacceptable and someone is going down for it. IU alum and boosters aren't going to stand for this. I seriously doubt that Davis will be coaching IU after next year.

Well you have to start with arguable the best rotation in baseball. Look at the Dodgers last year. They had the worst offense in baseball with a so-so defense, yet they still won 85 games because of their pitching and I would argue that the Cubs have a better pitching staff than the Dodgers(not to mention an offense that is 10x better). Their offense is also one of the best in NL(maybe baseball). Here is a comparison of the Sox 3-6 hitters(Thomas, Maggs, Konerko, and Valentin) versus the Cubs 3-6 hitters(Lee, Sosa, Alou, Ramirez) Sox - 2099 AB 310 R 561 H 126 2B 117 HR 343 RBI 254 BB 352 SO .267 BA .437 SLG .350 OBP .787 OPS Cubs - 2228 AB 348 R 613 H 120 2B 120 HR 392 RBI 255 BB 440 SO .275 BA .496 SLG .354 OBP .850 OPS The Cubs 3-6 is SIGNIFICANTLY better based on last years stats. You have to assume that Konerko will be better, but even if Konerko gets close to his career averages that alone won't make up the .063 difference in OPS. The fact is that the Cubs have one of the best 3-6 hitters in the game. The combination of the best staff in baseball and one of the best middle of the orders in baseball is a deadly combination. Few people understand how good DLee really is. I would argue that he was the best pickup this offseason(I am not forgeting ARod). Their defense isn't as bad as you make it out to be. - Barrett is an above average defensive catcher. - DLee is a GG 1B. - Grudzielanek/Walker are both below average, but not terrible defensively. - Gonzalez is a GG calibur defensive SS. - Ramirez is below average at 3B. - Alou is decent in LF. - Paterson is above average in CF. - Sosa is terrible in RF. There defense isn't among the best in baseball, but it is around the league average with an even mixture of above average and below average defensive players. Furthermore, the Cubs defense is probably the least used in baseball. Their rotation had the most strikeouts in the majors BY FAR(Cubs -1404 and the 2nd highest - 1291), so even if they had a weak defense it isn't a significant problem. Average bullpen? If they have an average bullpen, than I would love to see what you think a great bullpen is? Like the Cubs defense(not being as important when compared to other teams), the Cubs bullpen is similar considering that all 5 of the Cubs starters threw for over 200 IP last year(a pretty impressive stat). That means their bullpen will be used less than most teams, however, I would ask you to find me a better 1-4 bullpen than the Cubs(Hawkins, Borowski, Farnsworth, and Remlinger). These 4 combined to put up the following stats: 291 IP 229 H 26 HR 109 BB 316 SO 2.85 ERA Those are some pretty impressive stats if you ask me. Only 229 hits against in 291 IP, more SO(316) than IP(291), and a very impressive ERA(2.85). Like I said, I would like you to show me a better 1-4 bullpen than the Cubs. The fact is that the Cubs have one of the better pens in baseball to go with their great rotation. Team speed and strikeouts are overrated stats in todays game. The fact is that the Cubs dangerous 3-6 hitters will provide plenty of offense to offset the lack of speed and high strikeout totals. Their top of the order should be pretty solid with Patterson healthy and Grudzielanek, and if Grudzielanek struggles they have Todd Walker who is very good offensively and was one of the better bargains this offseason(I wish the Sox weren't so cheap and would have given him 1.5M to play 2B for them). The fact is that the Cubs won 88 games last year, and they drasticly improved their team. Having Maddux as their 5th starter instead of Estes/Cruz is a drastic improvement. Having DLee instead of Karros/Choi is a drastic improvement. Having Ramirez for a full season is a drastic improvement over the revolving door that they had before he arrived. Having Hawkins in the pen is an improvement over guys like Guthrie/Alfonseca/Veres. They also improved their bench with the additions of Hollandsworth and Walker. Its clear that this team is probably the best team in the NL. You can continue to ignore this with your Cub hatred that blinds you from reality. If you are foolish enough to bet that the Cubs won't win more than 84 games, than I will be happy to take your money. A fool and his gold are easily seperated.

I really think that Chris Thomas of ND is one of the most overrated players in the college game. He isn't a good shooter, and more importantly his shot selection is awful. I don't know if I have ever seen one player throw up so many horrible looking shots, and its not as if he makes them on a consistant basis. I also think he is selfish and not a great team player. He would rather take a terrible contested shot instead of dishing it to a player with a better shot. He turns the ball over way too much. He is also very suspect on defense. I really think he is extremely overrated, has no future in the NBA, and I might even argue that ND would be better off without him. He does as much harm as good. ps He has airballed 3 shots today. I didn't think that was possible for a D1 guard.

I will bet my life savings that the Cubs win more than 85 games if you want to take that bet. I hate the Cubs as much as everyone else on this board, but I also know when a team has the goods and the Cubs have the goods. I would hate to take your money in a bet that supports the Cubs, but if you are unwilling to open your eyes to reality(that the Cubs are a very good team), than you deserve to lose your money. Enough with this defending/supporting the Cubs stuff.

Are you talking about Arizona's guard play? As a U of A student I can tell you that their guard play is by far their strength. What Arizona lacks is size and depth up front. They usually have Hassan Adams, at 6'4 200 lb, starting at PF. He is a freak of an athlete so he does a decent job of handling the role, but besides Frye and Radenovic, they have no quality big man over 6'6. This along with a lack of defense at times is going to hurt Arizona in the Tourny. Arizona is going to be a dangerous team come Tourny time. They could go out in the 1st round or go to the Final 4, but teams would like to avoid them based on how good they are when they play well.

I agree. At the worst he will be the 2nd receiver taken and a certain top 10 pick. Living in Pac 10 country I can tell you from 1st hand experience that this guy is a freak. He has a TE type body with WR skills. I still think Fitzgerland will be taken before him, but I got a feeling that Williams will be the better pro when all said and done. I hate the idea of underclassman leaving early(thank you Clarett for being a dumbass and not being able to hack college), but Williams is definately one of the few guys that could leave early(has the size and ability to leave early).

I would disagree across the board. The Sox at 82.5 is a tough pick, but at this point I would go with under. The Cubs at 92.5 is also a tough pick, but with the addition of Maddux and DLee I think the Cubs will win around 95 games. The Royals at 79.5 is probably the easiest pick. I am the first to point out that they were a fluke last year, but with their additions and the fact that they won 83 games last year, its an easy pick to go over. Picking under 79.5 for the Royals is a fools bet.

Am I the only one that likes this trade? Zhamnov is a solid player(when healthy), but is no star(never scored more than 23 goals or 67 points with the Hawks). Furthermore he is no spring chicken at 33, and if I am not mistaken is a FA after this year. I think that Hawks got some solid players in return. From what I hear, Vandermeer is a decent defenseman, and most Philly fans are sad to see him go. Fraser is a talented youngster whos stock is really rising. Not to mention that they also added another 2nd round pick(giving up a 4th round pick). For once it appears that the Hawks are aheading in the right direction. They are trading aging players and getting young players and draft picks in return, not to mention that they are letting some of their own talented youngsters play. I think this youth movement is 10x better than the typical overpaid, overrated, veterans that have filled the roster the past decade. Give this team a few years and the Hawks could have a very talented young team, especially if some of these high European draft picks that Smith made live up to their hype.

Buddy, you are missing the whole point. What he did in high school has absolutely nothing to do with how he is drafted, and at no point did I suggest that(please read a little more carefully). I am just pointing out that he was very highly touted coming out of high school and never really lived up to those expectations at OU. Take it for what its worth. His numbers aren't impressive, his size isn't impressive, and he has performed below expectations, so barring a good showing in the combine I don't think he will go any higher than the mid 1st round, and a team like the Bills, who have no need for a DT, aren't going to take him just because you think he is the best player available.

Who's fault is it that IU was picked 8th? Davis puts the talent on the roster through recruiting, so using the fact that they weren't suppose to be that good this year is complete BS buddy. You are not understanding that he is the reason that they weren't that good to begin with(with a lack of recruiting). What has his great coaching gotten IU this year? If he is such a good coach, than he should be able to perform a little better than expectations, right? Isn't that the definition of a good coach? To get the most out of the talent you have? Yet IU has been embarassed this year with mutiple blowout loses, constantly losing at home, struggling to a .500 record, and not making the Tourny(unless they win the Big 10 Tourny). I find it funny that you are quick to give Davis credit when he does something well, but ignore the negative things that have occured(sounds a little like a Manuel supporter trying to justify keeping him). danman, please read my previous post about the Tourny run. Basing your opinion of a coach on something like that holds no water buddy.

What is your point? Apparently people didn't get the message the first time, so I felt that it was important to restate this. As someone who follows recruiting and the draft religiously I can tell you guys that you are drasticly overrating Harris. Because most of you thought he should have been drafted you had the Bills who have absolutely no need for a DT taking him(even though its for fun). That just doesn't make sense.

Then how do you explain his sucess at Texas Tech if he was falling off? Texas Tech was the doormat of the Big 12 for years, and since he has arrived he has turned that program around. Knight wasn't a great recruiter(Davis did a good amount of the recruiting), but he got the most of the talent he had, which IMO is the true definition of being a good coach. You give me 8 MAA and i could probably win 20 games. Davis doesn't get the most out of his talent, has a bad reputation with the players(numerous players have complained about him), mismanages games, and barring a miracle is about to end the run of going to the Tourny since 1985(which is 10x worse than going 1 and out). Knowing that, can you look me in the eyes and tell me that he is a better coach than Knight? Not to mention the history/records/ect that Knight has. Your IU faith has blinded you from reality. Davis just isn't a good coach, and if he doesn't turn things around next year, than he will probably be fired. The IU fans/alum are not going to except losing.

Come on greasy! Open your eyes to reality. I love how Davis supports are so quick to point to the Tourny run in 2002. He should get some credit for that, but the Tourny is a crapshot to some degree. It just so happened that IU got hot/lucky at the right time. How much credit does a coach deserve for that? You have to also realize that you are basing your opinion on an extremely small sample size that occured 2 years ago. Not only am I the type of person that ask what have you done for me lately, but if Davis is so good, than how come he didn't lead a more talented team in 2003 to a similar Tourny run? If you want to give Davis credit for his coaching during the 2002 Tourny run, than you have to critize his 2003 run(or lack there of) followed by no Tourny in 2004. Or you can point to IU being hot/lucky in 2002 and not in 2003(not giving Davis much credit, but not crtitizing him either). I think it is a mixture of the two, but it is starting to appear that his 2002 run was more of a fluke than the norm, so using that to support him holds little water. Furthermore, I also don't think he is as good of a recruiter as some make him out to be. He has brought in a few very good players, but has failed to address IU's major weakness. Since JJ left IU has lacked frontcourt talent/depth and Davis has done nothing to address this issue. I see mid-major schools and bottom feeders in the big conferences landing top 100 big man the past 3-4 years, yet Davis has brought in nothing. He has a good recruiting class coming in, but from what I have heard from a friend close to IU, Smith is for sure going pro after high school, which takes away a lot from this recruiting class. Furthermore, he has brought in only 1 true big man(White), and AGAIN the lack of talent/depth upfront is going to really hurt this team next year. With Smith going pro, and Leach(IU's top big man) and Moye(there emotional leader and a key player) graduating, I question how much better IU will be next year. We assume that all the recruits will live up to their hype, but how often does that happen? They have some big shoes to fill, and I don't see IU being that much better next year, which should bring an end to the Davis run.

My prediction: coach Davis is fired within 2 years. IU fans/alum will not stand for this team not making the Tourny for the 1st time since 1985. He better hope that his recruiting class lives up to expectations or he will be looking through the help wanted ads next year. As an IU fan I have never thought that Davis was a good coach, and watching another lead fall by the wayside in the final 5 minutes of a game(when the coach has the biggest influence) only further proves my opinion. I hate to admit this, but Knight made IU what it is, and without him IU is going to fall off as a national power(if it hasn't already happened). I wish they would have gotten Pitino instead. He was the one guy that could have followed Knight's footsteps. My sleeper, Wake Forest, is giving Duke a good run. I really think that Wake Forest has all the components to make the Final 4.

Why do you guys think the Bills will take Harris? Please tell me that you realize that they had one of the best defenses in the game last year and are relatively strong at DT. I truely believe that Harris is all hype. He came out of high school as one of the top players and never really lived up to the hype. He was part of a great defense, but he never put up impressive numbers. Furthermore, at about 280 lb he is undersized for what today's coaches want at DT. I really think Harris's stock will fall unless he impresses at the combine. If they have a choice between Williams the receiver from Washington and Harris, than I have little doubt that they will take Williams. Not only is Williams rated higher in most ranking systems, but he addresses more of a weakness than Harris.