illinilaw08

Illinois basketball... winning ugly.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 1, 2005 -> 11:18 AM) I don't like the idea of Mueller as a utility man...I think Pablo proved pretty well to me that there are decent backup options out there for less money if you're willing to look. I also think that's a lot of money for a backup...and there are enough teams that would probably give Mueller a starting role that I doubt it'll happen anyway (would he really be a downgrade for the Twins?) I really like this idea of Mueller as the utility guy (assuming he buys into it) because even though Mueller is not a GG guy at 3rd, I cringed everytime Ozuna played there last year. If Crede goes on the DL at some point this year, would you rather have Pablo or Mueller at 3B. In addition, Mueller handles the bat very well which would slot him into the 2 hole when he plays allowing Gooch to swing away lower in the order. A Mueller signing would make this an amazing off-season for KW IMO.

Pruitt would have to be on Killingsworth, Augie on White at the start

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 30, 2005 -> 10:02 PM) I'd put 3 guys on Marco and 2 on White and hope their guards miss open shots i guess I would zone the hell out of this Indiana team, make the guards beat you.

QUOTE(He_Gawn @ Nov 30, 2005 -> 08:41 PM) MARCO is the best big man in the big ten. I cant wait for the matchup vs Davis. Based on what I've seen so far, he will kill Davis in the post. I've always thought Davis was very soft.

Killingsworth looks like he can score on Shelden Williams anytime he wants. Indiana's gonna be really good in the frontcourt when they get White back.

Awesome thread, Frank is why I became a White Sox fan, my favorite player of all-time. While it may be time for him to move on, I'm thankful he was part of a team that brought a banner to Chicago.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 30, 2005 -> 11:53 AM) Looks like the line right now is Duke -6 That should be a pretty good basketball game. I havent seen IU play yet this year and am looking forward to seeing Killingsworth play.

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ Nov 30, 2005 -> 01:30 PM) He is earning more respect everyday from me.. People just think of the 3-4-5.. DYE Paulie Thome.. Can anyother team be able to match that? Only if Manny goes to the Angels. That being said, HELL YES on PK signing

QUOTE(spiderman @ Nov 29, 2005 -> 01:01 PM) Go for the undefeateed season. Rembember people, they have the bye week after Week 17 so it's not like their players won't be getting rest. I dont think the issue is rest, the issue is injuries. Keep them sharp, have them play a half, and then take out Manning and Edge (at least) to insure that you are healthy enough to chase a SUper Bowl.

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 29, 2005 -> 12:56 PM) Iguchi also gave up way too many ABs when taking those pitches from Pods, and ended up striking out cause he was down in the count. Uribe is the type of guy that if you force him to go the other way with pitches, you could really end up helping him. I don't think either guy should be batting 2nd, to be honest. Iguchi should be batting 6th, and Uribe 8th. I agree that Gooch would be a better hitter 6th and Uribe 8th, on an ideal Sox team next year that would be the order. Last season I think Gooch struck out a lot more as the season went on. In the first half he was great in the 2 hole, lots of productive outs, moved the runner consistently. In the second half it seemed he failed to get Pods over too often because of K's. That being said, on the current roster I would still take Gooch as my 2 hitter.

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 29, 2005 -> 12:50 PM) I still think it will be Juan Pierre (who I don't want on the Sox). And for people saying Uribe K's too much....SO DOES IGUCHI! Yes but Iguchi handles the back well in terms of hitting the ball the other way, not being a free swinger. Based on Juan's swing mechanics, I just do not see him as being a hitter who will go the other way and move the runner over. Most importantly I dont see him fitting into the role where he will take pitches to hit so Pods can run.

QUOTE(White Sox Josh @ Nov 29, 2005 -> 12:42 PM) My Ideal Lineup for next season: 1. Pods LF 2. Uribe SS 3. Thome 1B 4. Thomas DH 5. Iguchi 2B 6. Dye RF 7. Crede 3B 8. Pierzynski C 9. Anderson CF I would rather spend money on Frank and strengthen the bench than pay Konerko $14 Million now that we got Thome. Sign a good bench player like LeCroy or trade for Stairs. Both of those can step in if Frank gets hurt again and they both have a lot of pop. I really hope the Sox do not begin next season with Uribe hitting in the 2 hole. Far too many strikeouts and too much of a free swinger. He is a good hitter at the bottom of the lineup. Unless someone new is brought in either from outside (Pierre, etc.) or Owens from within the system, Gooch will be in the 2 hole again next year. As far as Knonerko goes, I love Frank Thomas and he is the reason I am a White Sox fan, but with Thome's age and past health issues, I would feel far more comfortable with Thome DH'ing and PK at 1B than Thome at 1st and Frank and DH. I also think it's a stretch to assume Frank will be healthy all season.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Nov 29, 2005 -> 12:24 AM) See, I don't want Nomar as our everyday thirdbaseman. He's a HUGE downgrade defensively from Crede, and that alone is worth a lot of runs. The reason I like Nomar is because (IMO) he'd be able to play one positions pretty well (1B, with a whole Spring Training there under his belt), DH (duh), and two other positions not extremely well, but he wouldn't kill us out there (3B, and to a lesser extent, SS). He's versatile in not just where he can play in the IF, but also where he can be put in the lineup. You could probably pencil him in anywhere from the #2 spot to the #6 spot. I do not want Nomar as an everyday player (except MAYBE as a DH). He is not a great fielder, but more importantly he has not been the same hitter since he hurt himself in 2001. He has not played more than half a season since 2003 . I do not believe that Nomar should play in the field due to this injury risk. That being said, I also feel fall more comfortable with Thome DHing (age, past injuries), so I will say no thanks on Nomar unless the White Sox can sign him for very very cheap to play be a 1B/ super utility guy.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Nov 28, 2005 -> 11:40 AM) Gordon is a major committment, and if he gets Rose too that would go a long way toward ending his recruiting issues. However, he still needs to show that he can consistently get some of these guys. So far I see 2 top 50 guys for a team that has ambitions of hanging with the big boys. Weber just got a legit top 10 player from out of state, something that hasnt been done by Illinois in my lifetime (I dont count the committment of Vilanueva since he never actually played here). Last thing to say here is that high school rankings do not mean much. Look at the freshman class at Illinois this year, Smith, Frazier and Jackson were not highly recruited, but as freshman Smith and Frazier look like they are going to be good players and I have high hopes for Jackson after he red-shirts this year.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 27, 2005 -> 08:10 PM) Agreed on all counts. Orton has done what the Bears asked and for a rookie, hasn't been all that bad. But it doesn't change the fact that Kyle Orton is the worst quarterback in the NFL, according to both stats and the eye test. I agree Orton is not going to win games by himself, I just disagree with the fact that he is the worst QB in the NFL. The fact of the matter is that there are three areas on this Bears team that need massive improvement: QB (needing a veteran... give Orton or Grossman a few years experience and they could get there), a second receiver (unfortunate that Bradley got hurt, need more consistency from Gage), and TE (self-explanatory). It will be interesting to see what might happen when Grossman or Orton get some weapons other than Jones and Moose, and a bit of experience under his belt. It is just unfortunate for the Bears that their defense is so far ahead of the offense now.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 27, 2005 -> 07:56 PM) The Bears story is incredible. They have the worst starting QB in football (by far) and the worst offensive coordinator in football (by far) and they are STILL 8-3 because of this defense. It's so unreal I can't get really excited about the Bears because I think everything is going to catch up with them, but GREAT win and 8-3 sound so sweet. Worst starting QB? Brooks Bollinger, JP Losman, Gus Ferotte, Ken Dorsey, Joey Harrington. There are plenty of awful QBs in the NFL, the fact that Orton is a rookie that has not made many mistakes recently does not make him the worst starting QB in the NFL. He isnt great but he has done what the Bears have asked him to do this year The Bears are a year or two away from being legit Super Bowl contenders because they do not have a veteran QB and they have major problems at the second receiver.

We actually got Seahawks-Giants in Champaign. Hell of a football game, especially with Joe Jurevicius making my fantasy team say TO who? (at least for a week).

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 11:11 AM) Corey Patterson's ability alone makes him worth a look with a team. His cost will never be lower, and who knows if a guy like Ozzie could get through to him. Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to wake a guy like this up, and its not like he has washed out with 3 or 4 teams. If you don't pay to much, his potential makes him worth a shot. Patterson is, I believe, only 25 years old. It takes awhile sometimes for things to sink in with highly thought of prospects (Derek Lee and Jon Garland jump immediately to mind). For the right price, I wouldnt mind the Sox taking a chance on Patterson.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Nov 25, 2005 -> 04:11 PM) Where are all the Mike Williams backers who absolutely slammed Jerry Angelo's ass for picking Benson over him? I admit, I really really wanted Mike Williams over Benson. Far too early to make a judgment on either of them, and I hope that I continue to be wrong about Mike Williams, but let's be honest, Benson has shown flashes this year and that is about it (limited playing time and missing camp probably a lot to do with that). Honestly, the best reason to like the Benson pick at the moment is that it seemed to light a fire under Thomas Jones.

I agree that it is foolish to say that anyone can come straight out of AAA ball and be Rowand in CF defensively. As been said here already, Anderson has the tools to be that type of player defensively down the road. To me however, Rowand was the most expendable everyday player the Sox had. Part of the reason I felt that way is because Anderson can step in offensively and do what Rowand did last year at the plate. While the Sox did lose a top 5 defensive CF, you have to give something to get something. I also think that having Anderson, a guy likely to be a good defensive outfielder next year lessens that blow even more. That being said, I am sorry to see Aaron Rowand go, he was one of my favorite players this year and a class act, and I will miss seeing him give up his body to make a play. Baseball is a business though, and KW made the team better with this move.

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Nov 16, 2005 -> 02:17 PM) How is Pods/Pierre hitting back-to-back as well as playing defense next to each other intreguing to anyone? Pods/Pierre have 2 of the worst arms in the Majors. You can hide 1 arm, you can't hide 2.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Nov 16, 2005 -> 11:06 AM) that's true. the combination of this and the stuff that happened right after self got there ought to at least require a bit further review. No doubt. I can't believe how quickly this resolved itself. KU is a big money program and the NCAA just further exposes its hypocrisy in dealing with different schools. I would love to be at the Illinois appeal of the Mason decision when the two situations are compared and the NCAA describes why the discrepancy in punishment.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Nov 16, 2005 -> 10:47 AM) yeah, you can't blame self. this sounds similar to what happened with marcus mason and illinois football. a rogue booster decides to go and hand-out some cash on his own. not much a head coach can do about that. The only difference I can see between the Mason situation and Jackson is that Mason was listed as a major infranction against the University of Illinois. KU is not penalized at all for this. (Not saying they should have as the university had no knowledge of this, just some inconsistency in punishmet). I guess the NCAA has always had their favorite schools and Illinois has never been at the top of that list.

I think the thing that frustrates me most about the NBA is the officiating. There are so few good refs. Now I know certain officals are going to call the game differently, but there are so few crews that are consistent. Set the tone early and call it the same way for 4 quarters. (Steps off soap box) Go Bulls!