ZoomSlowik

Barring something truly disastrous the Illini route will be through Indianapolis and Chicago. They are a virtual lock for a #1 seed and they would likely place them in the nearest region because of the pod system. The only way they could not end up in that region is if the are the 3rd or 4th ranked one seed and they put Kansas as the #1 from that bracket, but I doubt the Illini will do anything to cause that.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Feb 3, 2005 -> 03:39 AM) So I could sell tickets for $32.00 (let's assume that is face value) and charge $100 shipping and handling? lol Actually the real trick people try to do is include a program or sweatshirt so they can claim that it is not merely the tickets being bid on. They have some kind of rule that other items must have real value. I'm sure that there is something similar regarding shipping. I don't have a lot of experience with it, I just remember the hassle in getting those damn Stones tickets, ended up having to make a deal with an E-bay seller without going through E-bay.

I actually have two tickets but don't think I will be selling them. Get back to me if you are going to be looking for Regional Finals tickets at All-State Arena though. I'm going to have some fun figuring out what to do with those.

Look on Ebay for a seller that is in Illinois. They can't legally sell the tickets for over face value (shipping doesn't count). In fact, Ebay won't let them accept bids over face. I ran into this issue while trying to get Rolling Stones tickets a couple of years back, they won't let anyone selling tickets that is from Illinois accept bids for over face or anyone from Illinois bid over face.

I'm wondering if any of you guys can help me. I didn't get to watch the game and have only read a limitted amount of stuff about the game/practices. Has there been any news whatsoever on Noah Herron?

I'd personally be shocked if he ran a 4.55 or less. He's not a speed back. As long as he doesn't run something horrendous like above a 4.8 (although who knows with this guy), I think someone takes him in the 4th or 5th. However, I think if by some miracle he runs a sub 4.5, some stupid team takes him on the first day somewhere.

Awesome sig, and I actually got it to work! Thanks a lot!

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Feb 2, 2005 -> 03:02 AM) That's so wrong...and yet it's so funny. I'm conflicted.

Here's an interesting question, do you think anyone is going to break the rushing record? It's going to be tough. I don't think most of the players that are playing now would play long enough. Smith is finally retiring at 35, I don't think most runningbacks are going to play that long. Tomlinson and Portis would have the best shot, but they have to play at least 8 more years each and kick some ass. If Curtis Martin is dedicated to breaking it he might make it. He's a little less than 5000 yards short, but is 31 already, and I'm not sure he can get 1000 yards a year for 4 more years.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 09:49 PM) Slowik, Can you find that about Walter wanting Barry to break it? Smith and Payton were really tight, Smith even had Payton's family at the game where he broke it I believe. Also Jared talked about Smith in very high regards. Ive never heard of any Sanders Payton connection though. Smith and Paytons Family Also I dont think many would consider Smith out classed by Campbell, Dorsett, etc. SB No, I can't. I read it a long time ago. One of my friends constantly reminds me about it, but I have no idea where it was. I never said he was outclassed by those guys, I mentioned them because those are the guys generally considered to be a tier below Payton, Sanders, and Brown. A quick search is not yielding any results. I wish I could remember where I saw it.

I feel a little bit better now. ESPN has a poll: Who is the greatest runningback of all time? Emmitt is getting only 8.6% of the vote. Barry is leading at 38.6%, Payton is at 32.2%, Brown is at 20.4%.

I've been on here a while and finally decided I need a real sig. However, I am virtually computer illiterate, so I'd appreciate some help. I'd like to have something with Shoeless Joe, but I am open to any other good ideas. Thanks in advance to anyone that helps me out.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 09:02 PM) Part of being a running back is being able to handle the work load year in and year out. Sanders and Brown may have been more talented, but they quit. So we can say what might have been, or what should of been, but Smith will always be remembered because he never gave up, and maybe it took him longer, but he accomplished it. Also I believe he was the person that Walter Payton would of wanted to have the record, maybe not the most talented guy, but the guy who would out work every other player to make sure that when it was time to play that they never missed a down. ::Shrugs:: There is a lot of Payton in the way Smith played, and maybe hes not a top 5 back, but he certainly is a top 10. And when you think of how many RB's there have been in the history of the NFL, does it really matter if some think hes top 10 as opposed to top 5? SB Actually, before he died Walter stated that he would rather have Sanders break the record than Emmitt. I can't really say that Sanders quit, the guy played 10 seasons. That's a lot longer than most players. He stopped playing when he wanted to. He may have left under strange circumstances, but he gutted it out a lot longer than Ricky. I definitely can't fault Brown, the guy didn't have anything left to accomplish. He had the titles, and he owned every rushing record known to man when he quit. I don't think that there is any doubt that they could have played longer, neither of them left because of injury. The difference is that Emmitt was stubborn enough to stick around when he wasn't the same player. Yeah, it does matter where your place in history is, even if it is just to pundits and sports superfreaks. A player's legacy determines who is going to be remembered 40 years from now. Statistically there isn't much difference between guys like Mel Ott and Stan Musial and guys like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle, but there is a definite difference in their stature. There's a big difference between being mentioned with the absolute elite and being grouped together with Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Earl Campbell, and some of the others.

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 08:16 PM) eh id say after barry sanders their is a big drop off. I know im a big Walter Payton fan and all but Sanders was utterly amazing and on a bad team too. Also idonno about your Nolan Ryan comparison i hold Ryan in higher regard than i do Emmit. Mainly because Ryan might of played a long time but he was good the whole time. Nolan was a great pitcher, but I don't think he should be mentioned among the top 5 or so pitchers like he often is. I know he was stuck on some bad teams most of his career and that affects his wins and loses, but he wasn't really dominant as people think. He led the league in walks as many times as he led it in strikeouts and only won 1 ERA title. He's probably in the team picture, but I can't put him in the same class as Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax in his prime (absolutely unhittable for about 5 years), Lefty Grove(doesn't get the credit he should), Tom Seaver, Christy Mathewson, and Warren Spahn.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 07:43 PM) The best fast food without compare is Popeye's Cajun Spicy Fried Chicken. It pisses me off that I have to drive to Peoria to get it. Ohh well I'm going to be moving closer to one too. NOTHING ELSE CAN COMPARE. NOTHING! POPEYES IS KING! Popeyes with the Cajun Fries and a Coke. Done deal. BEST EVER! .....Now I need to go to Peoria this weekend, thanks alot. Amen! How good I forget the great Popeye's too?! I hate the fact that I can't get fried chicken down at school. Big fan of the spicy recipe. I keep intending to order some of the other cajun items but it never works out.

I'm just going to say in advance that I know this is going to sound bitter. Emmitt is a very good runningback that had a hell of a run with the Cowboys. But he held on too long due in large part to getting the all-time rushing title and wasn't even the best RB of his generation (Sanders). He gets credit for being one of the best runningbacks ever, but I really can't put him in the same class as Walter, Brown, and Sanders. I think he is going to be the Nolan Ryan or Pete Rose of football, a guy that is mentioned with the very best because he holds a couple of career records, while people fail to notice that he played quite a few more games than the previous record holders or played on a stellar team with an awesome line for most of his career. Much like Pete Rose and Nolan Ryan, I don't think Emmitt is the peer of the other greats at their position. I won't argue that he is a hall of famer, and I would probably grudgingly have to put him at #4 on my best RB's list (there seems to be a hell of a dropoff after those top 3 in my book at least). But when I here the greatest RB of all-time talk, I'm going to get a little nautious(probably spelled wrong) and start questioning the speaker's credibility.

I love the article, I just wish one of the big name Scrubs ass-kissers had wrote it so I could wave it in the face of my Scrub fan friends for a few months. I might anyways.

QUOTE(TheDybber @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 03:58 PM) Real quick, back to Weber and recruiting. Remember, this is a guy who took SIU to 3 tournaments. And they weren't a 16 seed. Weber knows how to coach. He knows how to get kids to buy into his system. And his system works. If he can keep getting players in the 3 star range, this team will always be dangerous. I think Deron might come back next year. he's still in the low first round - high second round right now. Yes, Illinois loses Head (will be replaced by McBride), Powell (replaced by Warren Carter), Ingram and Smith (replaced by Marcus Arnold). Plus, we get Brian Randle back, Pruitt for a second year, Augustine, Calvin Brock and whatever freshmen play. i still think this team is 2nd or 3rd in the Big Ten next year just based on coaching. You might find a few hidden gems in the lower levels like Devin Harris and Alando Tucker, but if you take a look at the elite players around the country a large number of them were very good recruits. I don't think anyone can consistently win major conferences with 3-star recruits (by the way, McBride, Randle, Carter and Pruitt were top 100 recruits, who were probably recruited by both Self and Webber. They desperately need those guys to step up). Think of the great coaches and they had monster players. Wooden had Alcindor and Walton plus a parade of other All-Americans, Dean Smith had Jordan, Perkins, and Worthy among others, Knight had Thomas and May, and we know the caliber of players that Coach K gets. You don't dominate consistently without star players. The same is going to be true in our conference. MSU(Davis, Torbert, and Brown were all McDonald's All-Americans and Ager, Nietzel, Grey and Rowley were all good recruits) and Wisconsin(Butch is McD's, Steitsma is solid, Krabbenhoft might be McD's) have been getting pretty good players the last couple of years, and Michigan(Horton and Harris McD's, Sims excellent and Coleman pretty good) and Indiana(Wright and White McD's, Strickland and Vaden top 50, Hardy pretty good too) have done better than the Illini the last couple of years. Williams and Brown are the two guys powering this run, before that it was Williams and Cook. 3 of those guys were McDonald's All-Americans and Williams was top 50. You might sneek out a couple of decent years if McBride, Randle, Carter and Pruitt play like their rankings in support of whichever PG is back and Augustine, but unless he starts getting some studs, they're going to need some help when Brown and Williams go. Randle, Pruitt, and McBride are likely solid support guys, but I doubt any of them are good enough to carry the team like their predecessors. They certainly haven't shown it in their brief stints thus far. Hopefully the program will start recruiting for itself, because Webber can't seem to keep the studs (Livingston, Wright, Shannon Brown) in state at this point and isn't exactly killing outside of Illinois.

I'm pretty big on non-chain fast food places, although I like Buena Beef and Portillo's. Ino's is a smaller Mexican food chain that I also like a lot. They have good burritos and decent tacos, but the real winner is the Bistec A La Mexicana. It's steak cut up with onions, green peppers, and jalapeno pieces. It's so good. The absolute king of fast food has to be Gene & Jude's though. It's a little place that serves nothing but hot dogs, tamales, and fries, but it's just awesome. Great dogs, awesome fries. There's always a line no matter what time it is.

After further thought, I had to edit my selection because I listen to plenty of different genres and it's hard to chose. Rock- The Rolling Stones- "Paint it Black" Rap- Tupac- "Only God Can Judge Me" Salsa- Son By Four- "A Puro Dolor" R&B- 112- "It's Over Now"

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Feb 1, 2005 -> 02:57 AM) We won't be near what we are now, but a final four/national championship will help the school recruit itself. Recruiting has been disappointing thus far, but hardly any new coaches to the big-time recruited real well off the bat. It's going to take a little while, but i don't see us dropping off the map anytime soon (or for that matter, much below IU, which was the original claim). Let me clarify what I meant. They aren't going to "drop off the map." That would require going from their current level back to somewhere in the bottom couple spots in the Big Ten. But unless Webber gets Jamont Gordon or can keep Brown and Williams here, I see them struggling for a tourney bid next year. It's a little early to guess the quality of the 2006-07 team, but I think it would take at least two McDonald's All-Americans to keep them out of the same position. Webber will probably eventually get some better guys in here, but right now he is nowhere near the recruiter Self proved to be in his short tenure. That's going to hurt them in the immediate future. As for the Indiana part, they could be pretty solid next year, but they need more talent after Wright runs out of eligibility. They'll need another strong option outside of Vaden and White.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Jan 31, 2005 -> 09:27 PM) Every year is going to be a rebuilding year with Davis around. If you haven't noticed, we've been better than you for a few years now. I have confidence that Illinois will be as good if not better than IU for the foreseeable future. I wouldn't bet on U of I dominance for the next couple years just yet. They lose Head, Powell, Smith, and Ingram, probably more. If by some miracle Brown, Williams, and Augustine are all back (Augustine should be, but they'll probably lose at least one of the first two) they'll be pretty good but not stellar. They could definitely struggle in the next couple of years because Webber hasn't exactly been doing well in recruiting (and there is only one uncommitted impact guy even considering Illinois left for next season). They'll need at least 1 player next year and at least 3 players in two years from guys like McBride, Randle, Brock, Carter, and Pruitt to become major contributors (at least double figure scoring) to avoid a slide in the near future, or some of the newcomers who currently don't include a single 4 or 5 star player.. They need to start reloading big time starting with the Class of 2006, otherwise the next 3 years could be rough. They'll be helped by a conference that is declining in strength over years past, but not that much.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 29, 2005 -> 11:03 PM) Duke just doesn't have the talent this year, wake and unc play 0 defense, out of all those teams Illinois has the best chance imo. I agree on Duke and Wake, but I think you are a little off on UNC's D. They play in a very strong league, which is a major reason that their average points allowed is about 70 compared to Illinois' 63. There is a major difference in averaged points scored throughout the league however. Only 6 of the 11 teams in the Big Ten average as much as 70 points per game, while every team in the ACC is averaging at least 70. Here's a very telling stat: U of I Field Goal Percentage Allowed- .421, UNC Field Goal Percentage Allowed- .397. Plus a good number of their points allowed come in garbage time after amassing huge leads (I know this happens to the Illini too but it is not as pronounced because their starters play more. Every U of I starter averages at least 24.8 minutes per game with Williams, Head, and Brown well over 30. Only three of UNC's starters average that much, none over 30 minutes). I think both teams are very good and look like Final Four teams, but to claim UNC plays NO D is an exaggeration.

Is it just me, or does it look like the rookies are going to get smoked? They're going against a team with two superstars in James and Wade, a couple of other really good players in Anthony, Hinrich, and Bosh, and some other decent players. As long as James and Wade don't drop out, I see a huge margin of victory.

I'm a huge fan of South Park, although I think it has slipped A LITTLE. In my opinion some of the episodes in the last two seasons have been hit or miss. There are still plenty of classic moments, but I actually enjoy watching the re-runs more than the new ones most of the time. The two episodes you mentioned were solid. I'm a big fan of the episode where Cartman starts the Christian rock band. The songs are absolutely hilarious! For the more classic episodes my favorite is the one where Chef tries to change the South Park flag. So many good lines!