February 2008 Archive
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 "I love that chopper, man," Theriot said. "That's classic. I've been
waiting for it and expecting it. It's classic. I'd like to think if I
would've hit left-handed, I'd hit like that. It was cool to watch him
go out there and play."
-- Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot in reference to Kosuke Fukudome's base hit that he chopped over the third base bag in the third inning.
If our #3 hitter starts hitting like Ryan Theriot we could be in trouble.
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Other than Mark DeRosa's heart issue, which was cleared up yesterday hopefully, things really couldn't be going better at Cubs camp. They opened up their Spring slate with a thorough 12-6 pounding of the Giants and showed a patient, explosive...
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So much for the days when the Bulls would play tough defense and grind out victories....now it seems they have no defense and....well, they still grind out victories. Anyways, a couple of interesting notes from this game against the Pacers....
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The St. Louis Cardinals started their spring schedule yesterday with an exhibition game against the St. Louis University Billikens. Staying true to their new youth movement the Cardinals starting lineup consisted of a slew of spring chickens as listed below....
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I apologize for my weak attempt at using the Paint application on my computer...I'm at work and it's the best I can do right now.Are people seriously outraged about the possibility of the naming rights to Wrigley Field being sold?...
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The Cubs have their first game today with Ryan Dempster taking the mound against the Giants at 3:05 pm (EST). The Giants will counter with Noah Lowry so that will be an early test for Kosuke Fukudome. Not too much...
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I may have mentioned it before, I can't remember. Bruce Paine suffers from acute insomnia. I have struggled with it since I moved to Bloomington about ten years ago. Where I am from, it actually gets dark at night. I...
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Scott Spiezio is once again in trouble because of his substance abuse problems and the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to cut ties with the player. Spiezio, a fan favorite missed over a month of last season while trying to...
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For those of you that like to listen to radio calls of football games, it is a sad day. Myron Cope was not just the voice of the Steelers, he was the voice of Pittsburgh. For those of you...
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News out of Chicago this afternoon is that Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa is going to undergo heart surgery:Mark DeRosa will undergo a surgical procedure on Thursday to stop the irregular heartbeat that’s been affecting him on and off since...
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Let's keep this short and sweet. The woman who sits next to me is sick right now. She's sneezing, coughing, hacking up whatever, etc. If I were a normal person, two days from now I'd be sick, too. Look, I...
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The Cubs open their Arizona schedule with the Giants on Thursday and for those of you who are keeping score at home, here is the Cubs lineup and projected pitchers.Shortstop Ryan Theriot will lead off followed by third baseman Ronny...
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Thank God for Armon Bassett. Could you have imagined saying that at the beginning of his freshman season? If not for Bassett, IU very well could have seen their Big Ten Title hopes slip away last night instead of grinding...
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Well, in case you don't have the NFL Network and you haven't been paying attention to NFL news, The NFL Scouting Combine is in Indianapolis this week working out potential draft picks. The Combine is a fairly over-rated thing as...
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Ah yes, time to get back in the groove a little bit before the Big Ten Tourney.....Indiana hosts Ohio State tonight in what should be a very good test for the Hoosiers. OSU is coming off a tough loss to...
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Yesterday was Photo Day in Mesa where all the prospective Cubs players got their pictures taken with their pearly, clean uniforms on. Still, there was some news yesterday, so let's get to the rundown.Also, if any of you are headed...
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To follow up on the post from this morning about Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa who was put in the hospital because of Atrial arrhythmia, it looks like he's now headed back to Chicago for a possible outpatient surgery:Mark DeRosa...
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Sorry for my delayed reaction to this, after Friday I wasn't really interested in doing any reading or writing so I put this off for awhile.In short, this trade was horrible for the Bulls. Sure, getting rid of Ben Wallace...
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Today I begin my off-line fantasy baseball draft with a group of ten guys that have played in the same league for about seven years. That thing to the right.....that thing made of 100% pure gold*.......that is what we play...
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Mark DeRosa and his trip to the hospital because of Atrial arrhythmia was the big news of Cubs camp this weekend, so let's take a few minutes to run down that story and along with some others....
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Heidi Klum attended the Oscars this year and as always looked stunning as you can see. I intended to watch the Oscars this year for the most part, but was sidetracked by a new episode of The Wire. I think...
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After a very long and somber Friday, hell make that a long two weeks, the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team had to travel to Evanston to take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. Questions swirled in every direction as Friday night...
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Well, by now you have all heard about the debacle that is the re-signing of Dallas Clark. I sigh to think of it. It is the first re-signing that I really scratch my head at. The Colts signed Lilja in...
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I appreciate all the support we received while we were attempting to live-blog the end of Kelvin Sampson's era at IU. Many of you don't know me personally, but if you were to ask those that do, they would tell...
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Bruce Paine, pictured up top but now without that goofy 'stache, is at Assembly Hall. Stay with us as he's going to be sending pictures from the scene and.....at the press conference, one way or another. I'm at Cobra Brigade...
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Again, thanks to Thermocaster for passing along this info. There is a 2pm press conference at IU regarding Kelvin Sampson and one way or another, Bruce Paine will be there. More to come:"IU will hold a press conference at 2:00...
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If you thought there were a lot of crazy rumors running around yesterday.....before we get to that, let's stick to what I've been hearing. The holdup, if you can call it that, is that IU would first like to buy...
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Special thanks to Thermocaster for passing this along.....IU Athletic Director Rick Greenspan met with the basketball players tonight:The Indiana University basketball team met with athletic director Rick Greenspan tonight at Assembly Hall. The players exited without talking to the media...
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Marc Stein of ESPN.com and apparently Chad Ford (thanks Brian) in an online chat have talked about a deal that would send Ben Wallace to Cleveland:Two of my most plugged-in sources say that the big trade Cleveland is pursuing, as...
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(By phone, by email....details coming in. We'll update as needed)This just in on the Sampson situation:Indiana University is making plans to finish the basketball season without Kelvin Sampson. The coach of the Hoosiers is not expected to be with the...
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I love this picture for some reason. I think shortstop, not center field, is going to be where the battle is waged this Spring. Ryan Theriot better stay healthy because if he goes down, Ronny Cedeno is more than ready...
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The Cubs would like another starter who is more reliable than Jason Marquis to slide in between Ted Lilly and Rich Hill in the rotation and Ryan Dempster would like to be that guy. Can he do it? Time will...
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I'm not here to criticize you guys but if you aren't checking out MLB Trade Rumors on a hourly daily basis...you are an idiot. There is not a better place on the net to find all the rumors surrounding MLB...
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Whether you think Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith is 100% full of shit or 100% crazy, he does answer questions from readers and this week there is one about the possibility of Scott Skiles becoming the next coach at IU:With Kelvin...
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I found this little nugget of information while scrolling through all the new Cubs news this morning:The Cubs are considering bringing back the alternate blue jerseys for select games. No word on whether they will only be used when Carlos...
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I was going to analyze things a little deeper, but have decided to cut these posts shorter. More complaints about length and such. If I cover more at one go and say less we can get ready for the combine...
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Just when it looks like everyone is trying to get in on the Sampson reporting act, former 'Cowgirl', now 'Sportsbabe' Jenn Sterger has a 'Sampsonite' video out over at Epic Carnival. I can't say I've ever been a fan of...
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The Summer before his senior year in high school I had the pleasure of playing pick-up basketball with Butler star A.J. Graves. At the time he was the BMOC for Southern Indiana as every Dad wanted his daughter to date...
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Valued commenter, Extra P, recommended that we run over what 'The Shooter' is once again and since he's shilling t-shirts on his site today.....I figured I'd give a brief tutorial over what 'The Shooter' is, how it's done and why...
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I'm way behind on this one because of the holiday/Kelvin Sampson/life/etc., but this week marks the 10 year anniversary of Harry Caray's death. While I was more of a Steve Stone fan, I have to believe Harry was kind of...
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Yep, as you toll away at your computer this morning there are grown men in Arizona and Florida making their living and starting out their mornings with a good stretch, maybe some leg lunges and some wind sprints with palm...
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Ah yes, see, this is exactly what I was talking about yesterday when I said the IU fans really annoy the heck out of me sometimes. After Kelvin Sampson helped IU beat Michigan State and Purdue over the past week.....IU...
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I can't go into detail now, I am already late for work. The Colts put the tag on Dallas Clark and signed guard Ryan Lilja to a 5-year deal. That leaves Josh Thomas and Jake Scott as the only unsigned...
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It was a close game and a fun game to watch. It was a rivalry game. It was civil war. It was tin hats and fixed bayonets and elbows and chicken-wings and I loved every minutes of it. It was...
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Pat Forde of ESPN.com just dropped a story on their website during the second half of IU's battle against Purdue. Here is the quotage:A source close to the unsettled coaching situation at Indiana University told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the...
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Other than saying...."He's the guy in the picture to the right," I figure you'll need a little bit of an explanation. While perusing through my Cubs websites this afternoon I came across this little nugget of information:One of the most...
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(It literally took me twenty minutes to come up with a title for this post that wouldn't be offensive, so that was my best effort)A New York Times story last week talked about how Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez is...
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If, like me, you want to keep up on all the MLB teams throughout Spring Training but find it difficult remembering all the websites to go to.....Brian from Depressed Fan has come up with a grand idea. Spring Training '08....
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It's time for a little confession. I don't care who wins this basketball game tonight. I live in Bloomington.....I have a degree from Purdue....and to me, it doesn't matter who wins. I've always hated those people who were Cubs AND...
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Spring Training is off and running and things seem to be going pretty well for the Cubs. As you can see to the right, Big Z came into camp in very good shape, which was very important after signing that...
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I wrote about it in a joking manner last week, but it looks like an actual reporter is hearing rumors about Scott Skiles ending up at IU. (Thanks for the link from esteemed commenter Hank)Look for Scott Skiles to become...
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What a strange week this turned out to be and the weekend continued that apparent form. "Jesus, bad waves of paranoia, madness, fear and loathing - intolerable vibrations in this place. Get out. The weasels were closing in. I could...
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With every human being associated with Hoosier basketball reeling at the continued developments threatening the coaching situation, the fellas found some guts and soundly thumped the 9th ranked Spartans of Michigan State. With thirteen and half minutes to go the...
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Oh where oh where has Mark McGwire been? Since his run in with Congress a few years back, he has been ehhhh..... scarce. If you're wealthy enough to own a membership at the Shady Canyon Country Club then maybe you've...
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Into the fire.....IU is going to announce today that they will be running a new probe into the Kelvin Sampson allegations...sounds uncomfortable, no? Indiana University President Michael McRobbie will announce today that the school will launch a new investigation into...
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Welcome back to the lovely world of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Today the Cardinals begin their Spring Training journey with the official return of pitcher's and catcher's. It's also a welcome back for myself as in case you haven't noticed I...
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Thanks to commenter 'Jackie Treehorn' for this idea but since people are talking about Bob Knight coming back to IU, what about Scott Skiles as the guy who finishes out the season with IU once Sampson is let go? Kind...
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ESPN.com is now reporting that Kelvin Sampson's status as IU Head Basketball coach will be evaluated on a game to game status:Discussions about whether Sampson would coach Wednesday night's game against Wisconsin went on as late as the afternoon preceding...
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Today is the first workout day for the Cubs pitchers and catchers, so let's run through what the most important things will be for the pitchers in this camp....
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Oh yeah, we're having a Valentine's Day post here....how could we not???? Man, I can just remember my perfect Valentine's Day memory.....I'm kidding. Really, this is just one of those 'Update' posts to let you know that I'll be in...
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Remember last year when Carlos Zambrano said that the Cubs would not only win the World Series but that he'd also win the Cy Young Award??? Well, Ryan Dempster decided it was his turn to throw out predictions this season:"I...
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Now back to your regularly scheduled program.....there was actually a basketball game last night and it was a pretty damn good game.....a heartbreaker for IU fans as 'the biggest underachiever in college basketball' banked in a three pointer to win...
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In the midst of watching the IU/Wisconsin game on my computer I decided to surf around the net and found this little nugget from The Big Lead:According to a media source, the buzz in college basketball circles is that Indiana...
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I understand that this is terrible for the game, but the public "hanging" of Clemens is quite intriguing. If you haven't heard, Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee are going toe to toe with the Representatives on Capital Hill today. Jayson...
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I guess its fitting that within a week of Bobby Knight retiring Indiana University is going to make public its list of allegations from the NCAA this week. So, while it looks like the basketball team from West Lafayette is...
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Third times charm, after a couple of failed attempts to get this started, here I go.I will take the next couple of weeks and go through the Colts squad position by position and grade them out. After that I will...
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Shaq's basketball skills may have deteriorated but his interview skills certainly have not. Two things about this video....1) it's hilarious. If you don't find Shaq funny, you're dumb. 2) Don't people realize that Shaq is just looking for reasons to...
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You know, for you guys who are looking to pick up a Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day or Easter gift for your significant other you can now check out the SI Swimsuit pictures and figure out which one would look...
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The last I remember of her, besides from this pic with Rampage's parents, is when she ran on the field during the first night game at Wrigley Field and tied to smooch Ryne Sandberg (he then hit the next pitch...
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Ahhh, this one is easy. I love when a patient comes into my examination room and tells me this. I always ask, "Does it feel better after about 20 minutes of walking around a bit?" If the answer is yes,...
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Sometimes I kill me. I really do. A while back I penned a dandy called Reciprocity, which detailed the trouble in one kid's life and his inability to get a ******* from his woman. The Dutchman, as I so called...
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Don't let anyone fool you, it's not defense that wins championships....it's consistent, healthy and reliable starting pitching. Go ahead, look it up. If you want to win the World Series you need to have a staff that is going to...
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The king of trade rumors, Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith, wrote an article yesterday about how the Bulls are desperately trying to trade Ben Wallace to anyone who will take him. With the trades the Phoenix and the Lakers just made...
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Pitchers and catchers report this week for the Cubs and baseball season is already here. Didn't it seem like just yesterday that the Cubs limped out of the playoffs and into the off-season with so many questions? You can review...
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The most scrutinized college basketball team in the nation is exactly what IU is right now. Over the next couple of days you'll hear a lot of people complaining about the problems with the offense, defense, over dribbling, lack of...
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Yesterday afternoon TLD and I were sitting at a local Arby's enjoying their deli sandwiches and a nice Saturday afternoon when all of a sudden....I start hearing a Grandmother talk to her grandson about the IU/Illinois game.....how Eric Gordon needs...
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God Bless the Big Ten Network. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Purdue. My dad went there and I have been to a lot of Purdue football games. Still, I went to IU, and when the...
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Just like pitchers and catchers come back in February, as does the Shooter...For those of you that need a reminder, The Shooter is a tribute to former MLB closer Rod Beck. Ideally, the shooter should be done in an exotic...
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Jim Caple of ESPN.com has a great article posted about his latest adventure in a Minnesota Twins Fantasy Baseball Camp. There is a video on the page that is pretty hilarious, so check that out as well. Unfortunately, it's not...
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Normally I'm over at YAYSports on Friday's peddling my basketball knowledge, but the site is down for a redesign for about a week.....any correlation to WSM? premiering???? I don't know. Seriously, I don't. People email me asking for 'inside info'...
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You can go ahead and file that headline under, "Things I Never Thought I'd Write". Chris Duhon gets hot once or twice a season and last night was one of those times as he scored 34 points and had 9...
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I'm guessing that there is a 7-year old boy in Seymour who had this game on the TV in his room when he should have been in bed last night and this morning he's going to go to school and...
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In a few short months The Lovely Dentist will be finished with school and moved into a nice house in Illinois. Until then, she lives in a two bedroom apartment with a roommate, also a dental student, and paper thin...
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Carlos Marmol has the best stuff, Bobby Howry has been the most consistent.....but Kerry Wood is the gun slinger of the group. The John Wayne of the Cubs. The man who should make the slow walk to the mound when...
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I've been going back and forth on this Shaq to Phoenix trade and it's driving me crazy. One minute it looks OK, the next minute it looks horrendous....it's kind of beginning to bother me since I really don't follow the...
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Same crap, different day? In this instance, no. The Bulls actually played a pretty good game last night but came up short in Portland as lost 100-97. Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Viktor Khryapa were all out of...
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Oh boy, this is the game that we've all been waiting for. Ok, maybe not, but with IU heading into the land that Eric Gordon scorned....things could get really interesting tonight. I'm guessing that Illini fans will be out tonight...
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"I will not let you down," O'Neal told Nash on the phone.Now, there are some players who can say something like that and there are some players who can really mean something like that. This isn't like on the movie...
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A couple of weeks ago I was harassing exchanging emails with Joe from Sports Tech Now and he asked me some questions about this fine little site here. For some reason I thought he was asking for record keeping purposes...
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I'll finish up the position players today by previewing the Cubs biggest free agent signing of this past off-season, Kosuke Fukudome. Don't forget you can go to the archives to check out the past previews. The pitching staff will be...
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The NBA Rumor Mill is all abuzz with the news that the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are looking to make a major trade today with Shaquille O'Neal heading to Phoenix and Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks heading to...
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I know that the championship parade for the Giants is barely over with but it's time for my (useless) prediction for Super Bowl XLIII, which will take place in Tampa (if you are looking for a place to crash, hit...
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Cubs phenom Felix Pie has been the subject of numerous posts already on this site, but today it's time to preview his 2008 season. As always, you know where to find the rest of the previews....
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My Grandfather sat me down at his kitchen table after we had batting practice one day. He was a proven winner as a coach as he had sent two son's to professional baseball. I was a pretty selective hitter at...
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Not much to say here. Joe Smith came back from being sick to score 25 points and lead the Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Sonics. The Bulls were monsters on the boards as the out-rebounded the Sonics 50-35...
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Its been a month since the Colts season ended with a toss up bouncing off the hands of Dallas Clark. With the rest of the season now complete, I am going to start a series on the Colts to end...
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Former Indiana University Head Basketball Coach Bobby Knight has resigned as the head coach at Texas Tech. Texas Tech coach Bob Knight resigned Monday and his son Pat will take over the program. Chris Cook, a spokesman for athletic director Gerald...
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The infield is completed, so now we head out to cover the guys who can't field ground balls. Alfonso Soriano was the biggest free agent signing in the history of the Cubs, and after an injury plagued 2007 season the...
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For those of you who might have missed it last night or just want to watch it over and over and over and over......
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We used to run the 'flex/Princeton' offense when I played biddy basketball and it was hellacious. You wear the other team out by cutting all over the floor and more times than not you end up with a lay-up. The...
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Now that I've had a nice 40 minute drive into work to think about things, let's really break down* the Super Bowl and what happened....*those of you who have followed my 'football coverage' this season should have an idea of...
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An undefeated regular season doesn't mean a thing without that ring....Congratulations to the New York Football Giants on their Super Bowl victory. This is why they play the games. What an amazing catch by David Tyree! What an amazing winning...
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In what turned out to be one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory, the little Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots. The tail of the tape will show two things. 1. Eli Manning was straight dealing. With...
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And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen.It is tough to hope for the Giants today. In...
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2008 Cubs Preview
