LittleHurt05

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 10:53 PM) Versteeg possibly getting the Bickell treatment. Never trade for a guy that is the lesser version of one of your current players. He played last night, but a healthy scratch tonight with Nordstrom back from suspension. Darling in net.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 11:46 AM) You don't have to wait long to find out. Also, I didn't know there was such a thing as a survivor pool for the NCAA tournament. Usually you have to pick two winners Thursday, two Friday, then one every day after that, and you can only pick a team once. It's possible to not have any available teams left come the second weekend, but just making it that far turns out to be a lot harder than it looks.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 02:55 PM) I was curious if there was ever a year that all four Iowa D1 teams had made the tourney together. Drake has only been to the tournament once since 1971. That year in 2008 they were actually a 5 seed (!!!), but were upset by the 12 and lost first round. Their one appearance in 40+ years - how depressing. And no other Iowa teams even went that year. That's still one more than Northwestern

QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 01:59 PM) I literally would ban that song. Pick a new one or GTFO. That song is the best thing about his signing and makes me reconsider my opinion on it. It's a classic.

All non-MLB baseball talk (like the WBC) is usually in The Diamond Club, so I merged them both into the Diamond Club thread. I just saw that Illinois is ranked #27. I think they are getting good at everything except football and baseball.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 11:05 AM) Which is exactly what the franchise has done over the last year and a half. Gordon Beckham himself has gone from a starter and #2 hitter, to fighting for the 25th man on the roster. Yet they felt the need to bring him back after shipping him off. Just accept it was a failed draft pick and move on. He's gonna start moving into Roberto Alomar territory. KW always gets his man.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 12:17 PM) It really has been. Shutting down that 5 minute PK last night while only giving up one shot was a thing of beauty. The Isles had more shots during the Hawks power play than they did on their own 5 minute PP.

Alright Mike Brey, my survivor pools depend on you winning just one game in this tourney. You can be trusted in March, right?????

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 09:51 AM) This is it exactly. The reality is the Sox don't care if Gordon stinks as 25th man. This allows Saladino and Sanchez to play every day as starters in Charlotte and work on their games. They don't want them rotting on the bench for 150 ABs over the course of a season. The other reality is that if a player is good, he wouldn't be a 25th man. No matter who you bring in to do that job, they are going to have some major holes in their game. I am guessing with Gordon, the Sox went back to him because they know him, they know he won't cause problems in the clubhouse, they know his teammates like him, etc. Looking at another similar player in Jeff Keppinger, there were a few hints that he didn't meet a few of those things. The Sox like their stability, so why bring someone in from the outside who might upset the applecart? When you haven't made the playoffs in 7 years, maybe you need new horses to pull the applecart?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 18, 2015 -> 08:04 AM) Boras exploits every loophole he can. This time he gets burned by one. File a greivance. It won't work. I'm sure it won't change anything for Bryant, although it may lead to changes in the next CBA. It's just slowly turning into a publicity nightmare for the Cubs. The smart fans know the benefit in holding him back a few weeks, but a lot of frustrated fans don't care, they want see to the best players now.

Jack Haley, 51. 90s Bulls mascot and bestie of Dennis Rodman

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 11:22 PM) there were other options avail. options that were and will be backup next yr. as i said, i do not want to bash the owners nor beckham, but this loyalty things the owner has is a little too much sometimes. I agree. I thought the Sox had turned a new leaf with Hahn, but the Beckham signing showed it's still kind of the same old White Sox. Might the other 25th man options suck too? Sure. But I'd rather watch someone else swing as hard as they can and pop it straight up, than see Beckham do it for the 485th time. He's the poster boy for the Sox struggles the last six years and their inability to develop any position players whatsoever, yet they don't want to get rid of him

This Kris Bryant service time drama is starting to become a thing, shots fired by Boras.

QUOTE (Joxer_Daly @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 08:28 PM) Long, long time since I've shown my face around here. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you too, Sir! Cheers to you stranger!

I was at the UC last night, so I didn't se any of the Illini game. What did I miss?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 11:36 PM) This team has held it's own very nicely without Kaner. Would be huge if they could stay alive in the playoffs long enough for his return. Target return still the Cup Finals? I think the 12 week projection has always been a return during the conference finals. Crawford has been the MVP of this recent hot streak, although he's no Hamburglar, 11-0-1 now to start his career.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 02:41 PM) The one advantage is that Bryant is even more cost controlled that either Abreu or Sale. The advantage that Sale and Abreu have is proven production. And he's 5 years younger than Abreu. Either way, you pick one, I'll happily take the other. Sale never gets any love in these types of polls because of his injury concerns that have yet to come to fruition while everyone else visits Tommy John. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 02:56 PM) With the money owed Cabrera and the fact that he is coming up lame annually now, he is the one guy on the list I think is questionable at best. I don't think many teams would trade for Miguel's Cabrera's contract right now even if they had to give up nothing. Agreed, he should not be on this list at all. Maybe if I had to pick a player for one single AB I'd pick him.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 09:44 AM) DePaul took advantage of the Public League's hostility to the Kruger hire back in the late 90s when they landed Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons, and Lance Williams. I think that group made an NCAA tournament appearance. Seems like that was DePaul's last relevant team... Also had Steven Hunter and Paul McPherson, but even they only made that one tourney appearance and lost in the first round. I used to go to some of those games since I lived about 10-15 minutes away. Free pizza slice at Suparossa if they scored 80 points!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 17, 2015 -> 08:19 AM) It's really going to be interesting to watch this unfold the next decade, because I agree, I think there are kids now that won't play football because of the possibility of head trauma, that would have turned into stars. I think any talk of the NFL's demise is light years away, but if the better athletes go to other sports, they may be able to close the gap a bit. Unless fantasy football is banned, the NFL is always going to be popular. The question is, how diluted can the talent get before people stop enjoying fantasy football and/or gambling? If people still enjoy it even with lower class athletes, then it might not matter as much.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 09:18 PM) Also, 49ers ILB Chris Borland. Top rookie last year is retiring. Wow. Only 24. Retiring because of concerns over the long-term effects of head injuries. He has had two concussions, one inn 8th grade playing soccer and one as a high school sophomore playing football. This is the biggest potential roadblock for the NFL, future players not even wanting to play due to long-term injury worries. Then again, given the money involved, someone will always be willing to play. http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/124...injury-concerns

All these injuries make you think about Theo's plan to acquire ALL THE INFIELDERS! You do need pitching, but if your hitting prospects come through, it's way less likely they suddenly miss 15 months.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 12:52 PM) ND won @UNC, @Louisville, @NC State, plus beat Duke and UNC on consecutive nights in what were pretty much road games. Not saying that ND should be a #1 seed, but there really isn't that much difference between the two. If the seeding in recent years had told us anything, it's that the major conference tourneys only matter for bubble teams. For the top seeds, they barely change much.

QUOTE (Brian @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 11:36 AM) Purdue's size vs Kentucky could be interesting. I'm sure Kentucky will be thinking about it while they play Cincinnati.

Good stuff. Grantland has become a must-read site for sports analysis. (as long as you don't click on the Simmons articles)

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 16, 2015 -> 09:11 AM) Torn UCL for Mets starting pitcher Zach Wheeler @WayneRandazzo: Torn UCL for Wheeler. That's why you keep as much pitching as possible. #Mets depth will help bail them out here. These elbow injuries are just getting out of control