ZoomSlowik

Some of those guys seem to fit the profile, but there are some interesting omissions and some weird inclusions. It seems to me like Rip and Rasheed would have been good fits for the national team, especially considering they wanted to emphasize shooting and team work. Ray Allen is another one, although some would argue that he doesn't fit as a good teammate. On the other hand, Ridnour isn't really a good fit for what they need because he isn't the greatest jump-shooter and isn't the greatest executer in the half court. The two Howards are fairly solid, but they have a similar problem with shooting. Jamison also surprises me, I don't get that at all.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 10:02 PM) By virtue of the sale contract, they agreed to never change the menu or way of making the pizza at the two Wabash St locations IIRC. Interesting, my Dad worked there until around a year after the ownership change and said otherwise. Either way, it's still my favorite by far.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 05:24 PM) Who do you guys think will win Big Ten awards? If tOSU takes care of business--I'd be shocked to see someone other than Dials and Matta winning player and coach of the year. I don't know the choices as well for freshman of the year, but Jamelle Cornley of PSU has 12 points and 5 boards on a better Penn State team. Thad and Cornley definitely seem like virtual locks. The POY and 1st team doesn't quite appear that way. For player of the year, the top candidates seem to be Dials, Brown, and Tucker. It all depends on how they weigh individual performance and team performance. Horton might be another sleeper candidate. As for who makes All Conference, that's a real mess. If I were voting, it'd probably be Brown, Horton, Tucker, Dials, and Augustine. You could also make solid cases for Foster, Ager, Davis, Killingsworth, Brunner, and Vukusic however.

QUOTE(iWiN4PreP @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 04:40 PM) and zoom, you dont have a bad team, pretty solid, I dont love the OF, but it deff aint terrible, pitching is on the good side. not bad. I really don't know about that team. I'm not a fan of Ichiro in the 2nd, although my other options were Soriano (I think he'll drop off) and numerous pitchers (too early). I also think Lee is going to come back to earth a little, although again my other choices weren't stellar. The only picks I was really happy with were Harden and Jones. I need to have 2 of my other 4 starters play well, and I need Schilling and Thome to get back to their old ways. I hope I can draft better once my Soxtalk drafts come up.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 04:55 PM) Ya, they'll be a top 15 team next year in my mind. I know Lowry is starting to get some looks by pro scouts but I think he's staying. There typically isn't much demand for a 6'0" PG with no outside shot in the NBA (unless your name is Sebastian Telfair). He'd be smart to stay.

He's definitely got the talent to be a major asset if he gets back to the old Expos' days. It's conceivable that he could be our best starter next season. I could see him winning 15-18 games with an ERA in the low 3's and around 200 k's. That would be huge.

Things are going to be really interesting for Illinois if they can't get Rose. They could really use a good, young PG, and it seems like the majority of the other potential instant impact PG's are either committed elsewhere or not interested in Illinois. It could be really rough for them if Frazier is the starting PG for the next 2 or 3 years.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 01:34 AM) Even if they do wind up with a worse record...I think it's ok if their draft ball comes up ahead of ours. Just looking at their lineup, I'm not sure they have a place for Aldridge. They would be much better fit with that guy from Uconn. And then of course, there's the fact that it's actually fairly rare that the worst team comes up at the top. Hopefully one of ours will wind up top 2. The Hawks would definitely take Aldridge. They have numerous SG/SF types on the squad already that they are trying to force into other positions. They have Johnson, Harrington (who I suppose might be on his way out), Childress, Smith, and Williams. On top of that Stoudamire is a 2 guard in a PG's body, which takes up even more potential playing time for those guys. They really need a PG or a big man. They'd be really stupid to take another SF (although they did take Williams over Paul last year, I can't see them doing it again).

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 04:13 PM) Smart move by Sumpter. For him to preserve any chance of playing professional basketball in the future (NBA or Europe), I think he pretty much had to. Too bad, I'm sure he wants to help this team go for a National Championship. They shouldn't be all that bad next year either I guess if Sumpter stays healthy. They should have him, Lowry (might go pro but kind of small), Nardi, Sheridan, and an improved Cunningham.

I need a second opinion on this team. I think it's fairly good, but it doesn't wow me. It seemed like every time it was my pick there wasn't really anyone I liked available. Anyways: C- Pierzynski 1B- D. Lee, Thome 2B- Weeks, Castillo, Hall SS- Rollins, Hall 3B- Jones, Hall OF- Ichiro, Hunter, Dye, Jenkins, Hermida SP- Harden, Schilling, Haren, Blanton, Bonderman, Lowe RP- Rodriguez, Street

QUOTE(maggliopipe @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 02:44 PM) What I find embarrassing is that Uno's is the nationwide representation of Chicago pizza. I've eaten at them a couple times and it's just awful. I'm sure the original and some of the related ones are top notch, but the franchised ones... seriously. It really gives Chicago pizza a bad name. There's a major difference. The original two locations on Wabash have been around forever. The chains are more recent and were once run by a different person. He bought the original locations once the original owner died, but the pizza hasn't degenerated to the level of the chain stores just yet. So far his changes (pretty sure the dough isn't made daily anymore and that the veggies are frozen now) haven't killed it. The sausage and sauce thankfully remain unchanged, and the crust is still pretty good.

We should have a full roster shortly. We already have 11 in the league, and I'm just waiting on the last person to join. (Get off your ass qwerty! ) On another note, I have a couple of questions for the league members. First, should we go with 4 keepers or 5? I know I originally said I'd do 5, but on further analysis, that might be too many. In my last try in a keeper league we were going to do 5-7, and I really only had 7 that I even remotely wanted back on my team even though I won it. I can't read minds, but it seemed like most of the other teams had about 6 guys that were worth keeping. I'm starting to lean toward making it 4 keepers to make things a little more interesting. Also, do you guys want me to set it for daily transactions or weekly? Personally, I could go either way. I'm active enough to keep up with daily transactions, but weekly means you have to make more choices. Let me know what you guys think. The second question is a bit more pressing than the first.

Gonzaga seems pretty similar to Wake Forest last year. Granted Wake was a better team and played in a tougher conference, but they also had the all-offense no D approach down cold, and we all know what happened there. Gonzaga needs to avoid getting really athletic and/or big teams in the 7-10 game. They can definitely be taken down by a few mid-level major conference schools.

For deep dish, Due's/Uno's laps the field. They're basically the same place. I love that stuff, I just wish I could get there more often (the Uno's chain doesn't cut it). For thin crust, I gotta go with Home Run Inn. That's a pre-Sox game tradition. Amazingly one of my other top pizzas is a Champaign classic, Papa Del's. I got hooked on the pan pizza with sausage, peppers, and onion toward the end of my senior year. I've never really gotten the fascination with Giordano's or Gino's East. I didn't think either was that good despite the fact that everyone seems to like them. I haven't had Lou Malnati's in a while, I should probably give that another shot.

We've finally got a full roster! Big Ed Walsh and THE WOOD have filled our open spots. Just a reminder, the draft is Sunday at 8:30. Good luck to all.

That sounds like it's right out of Major League with "The Duke." "He even threw at his own kid in a father-son game!"

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 04:46 PM) True thats not there standards, but thats a pretty damn impressive GPA none-the-less. I bet ND/Stanford and those type of programs all combined have more bright students with high GPA's than most of the big 10 and other major conference schools combined. No knock, but its something that I think should be respected. Maybe not the Big Ten since they have NU, and Illinois, Michigan, and Purdue have some high standards (although it varies based on the program). It definitely seems to be higher than pretty much anyone else though. It's also hard to say when I'm trying to figure it out based on info from one player. I know Emeka Okafor, Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva all had pretty impressive grades and test scores, that doesn't mean that UConn is an academic power-house. I'm also not so sure that Notre Dame doesn't let things slide. I know there were rumors going around that they wouldn't take Gerald Riggs Jr. and Jarrett Payton back when they were stud recruits, but one of my friends did a report on college athletics, and IIRC the average SAT on ND's football team was about 950. The average level for the school isn't really a good guidline because besides the fact that they probably let top-notch athletes get away with lower than average grades, most of them are also going to apply to LAS or Gen Ed (or whatever equivalent they have), which generally have much lower admission requirements than some of the top-notch programs like business or engineering. I had pretty good grades and test scores, but I wouldn't have had a chance at getting into business or engineering at Illinois, whereas I did get in for communications.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 04:24 PM) out here it is pretty slim pickings in regards to sox telecasts. i usually get one game each weekend on wgn, and the occasional espn broadcast. that, and the local fox affiliate does carry all indians games, so i do get all sox-indians games. Oh, if you can't get CSN with your cable provider that does limit your access to the Sox. I'd look into whether or not you can add that channel to your plan (maybe in some extra sports package or something), since probably at least half of the Sox games will be on their. If you can get WGN and Comcast, I'd imagine that's around 80% of the games if not more.

For those of you that I put in the roto league, I have a proposition for you. I have 2 open spots in League 5, and I'm giving you guys the option of joining. The roto league doesn't appear to be going anywhere, and I know a few of you didn't really care what kind of league you are in. I'm going to give priority to THE WOOD and Pauly8509CWS for that reason (Venom Sox would, but he's already in a league), although any of you can switch. Just contact me or post in the League 5 thread.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 03:53 PM) this was another option i was considering. in the past i never worried about this because even when games weren't on AM1000 came through clear as a bell out here most nights. that's not the case with 670, though, so i figured i'd better look into another option. the mlb radio option is intriguing, and inexpensive. I know in Champaign I rarely had problems getting the games. WGN obviously always comes in and Comcast wasn't an issue. The only games that we didn't get were on CLTV, and occasionally there was a CSN+ game, although those usually came in on one of the local channels. I'd imagine that most of the games will be on WGN or Comcast after last year, so I'm not sure how big an issue it will be this time around.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 04:01 PM) I have to LOL when I see announcers or others mention Duke along with other Ivy league schools, especially when it comes to basketball. Duke's basketball team is actually right in the middle of the ACC SAT wise, around 1030 combined most years. Duke's average student body is around 1350-1400. Sean Dockery on the other hand made it into Duke with an SAT of around 900. I'm still amazed that Corey Maggette got in. He went to a good high school, but he wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. They definitely let the team's grades slide a bit there if they have to, although they have had a few fairly smart players, and they try to have their guys go to summer school so they can get their degree in 3 years (although typically they all major in sociology, I'm not sure what that's going to do for them).

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 04:00 PM) Oswalt and Lorreta for Dunn and Polanco?? That would depend on which half of the trade you are getting I'd keep/get Oswalt as opposed to the other two. Dunn really only helps in homeruns, and is a major detriment to your batting average. I'd avoid/trade him unless you league counts walks or OBP. In that case, the BA isn't as big a deal.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 03:34 PM) Alright, what do I do here. I think I might be able to pull of Adam Dunn and mabye Castillio for Peavy(The guy with all the great pitching) Do I do it? I already have Felix,Webb, D.Davis, Livan, Vazquez and Liriano on my staff. I have an OF of Dunn, Abreu and Burrel, with Taveras as my UTL. Do I make the trade, and then try and get a decent OF for Webb or Davis? Or not make the deal at all? That'd be huge if you could add Peavy to the staff. Definitely try that. That would give you the flexibility to either keep those other two guys and have a deep staff or trade one of them and try to upgrade at another position.

It depends on what you want it for. Personally, I wouldn't use it all that much since I watch the Sox games above all else, limiting my chances to use it to watch other teams. If you're out of the Chicago market and can't get the Sox game however, it's worth a shot. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to get the games on the internet from MLB.com though. I think it's like $40 a year for the audio broadcasts and $80 a year for the video (hard for me to remember since I wasn't paying for it ). That works pretty well, although I think it's always the home broadcast team.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 27, 2006 -> 03:36 PM) Thanks for quoting a reputable source like a message board. If people used message board posts as fact we would all be as crazy and misguided like yourself. Once again, be gone. Thanks for catching that. I was so busy attacking the other stuff that I missed the easiest point.