I will start, by reminding you for about the 1,234,324th time in eight years that I know nothing. Just a few days ago I told you that Illinois wouldn’t lose a game unless one of their three guards were kidnapped. I’m pretty sure that was Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head on the floor at the end of the Illini’s 65-64 loss yesterday. So, as always, I’m a dope.
As a life-long Illini basketball fan, the loss itself didn’t bother me too much. I didn’t want them to lose. I wanted them to keep poking their finger in the eye of every media lightweight who said they needed to lose, but the goal is to win the national championship, and last I checked, you don’t need to win every game to win that. You just need to win your last six in a row.
But I can’t shake the nagging feeling that this team needed to be undefeated. It was their identity. They were unbeatable. No matter what you threw at them, they could handle. Apparently, what they couldn’t handle was a fat post guy, a guy who looked like a Down’s Syndrome version of Keith Van Horn, and outside of Penn State, the worst collection of guards in the Big Ten.
But the game played out just like last year’s. Illinois got off to a good start and then cooled off, the Buckeyes charged back and the fat guy got so tired he looked like he was going to throw up on the court. But instead of Tony Stockman airballing another three, they went to Retarded Keith Van Horn and he made the shot of his life. Hey, it happens.
Will the Illini come back from this? Of course they will. Despite the fact that apparently they all cried at the sight of Jay Mariotti yesterday (but, then again, who doesn’t?), they’ll use it as motivation. They’ll still start in Indianapolis, with a pit stop in Chicago on their way to St. Louis. But it would have been nice to be undefeated. They’ve knocked down a peg to be sure. Let’s just hope it’s not one peg too many.
—————
Yesterday was a big day for the lefties who are trying to win the open bullpen spot for the Cubs. Jimmy Anderson got the start and let’s just say he didn’t earn any pizza. Well, maybe a sympathy slice. He was then followed by Stephen Randolph who didn’t walk anybody. Because they were too busy pounding him into submission. Will Ohman got torched too, and then Mike Wuertz came in to prove that righties can get lit up just as well as lefties.
I was listening to the game on the radio as Pat Hughes had a variety of fill-ins for a stomach-virus plagued Ron Santo. It was pretty interesting to listen to. He had Andy MacPhail, Jim Hendry, Jon Miller, Duane Kuiper and Miles stop by to handle an inning (or more) each.
I still wonder about WGN Radio’s half-assed approach to these Spring Training games, though. I’m not even sure that they give Pat a roster. At one point he asked, “Is this Neifi Perez?” I’m sure it was because he was wondering if they had a second guy on the roster wearing 13, but come on. What would it cost the Cubs to put a guy down by the dugout with a radio who could call up to a spotter in the booth with the changes?
Today’s Cubs-Rangers game is big for two reasons. One, it’s on ESPN, and two, Regular Joe is going to pitch at least one sweat-filled inning. He’s the only pitcher in the big leagues who leaves the game on a sunny day and is followed by the grounds crew pouring Diamond Dry all over the mound.
If Joe’s a reasonable facsimilie of his 2003 version. The bullpen works for the Cubs. You have LaTroy for the eighth, Chad Fox or Ryan Dempster for the seventh and Remlinger to come in and strike out righties and give up bombs to lefties. Wait…OK, that part needs work.
If Joe’s arm continues to fall off, then…there’s problems.
—————–
Kurt Warner signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals yesterday, and some in Chicago are upset that the Bears couldn’t seal the deal with him. They’re right of course, because nobody fumbles or throws interceptions with the efficiency of the post 2002 Kurt Warner! Just think how much he could teach Craig Krenzel!
What the Bears are looking for is a third quarterback. Do you think anybody of any ilk, or pride, is going to sign on to sit behind Rex “I’ve made six starts and finished FOUR of them!” Grossman and Chad Hutchinson? Sounds like Jerry Angelo’s going to end up digging through his Rolodex for Matthews, Shane, again.
——————-
CBS showed each game of their college basketball tripleheader in HD yesterday, as they warm up for the NCAA Tournament.
– Gus Johnson is even more annoying in high def, if that’s possible.
– Bill Self’s toupee is good, but not good enough to hide from 1080 lines of resolution.
– Quinn Snyder looks like somebody has been beating him in the face with a bamboo reed. Ouch.
– JJ Redick couldn’t get anymore open on my TV than yours.
For a while it looked like number one, number two (NC) and number three (Kentucky) were all going to lose within about four hours yesterday. One and three did, and so did Kansas. Which just proves that all Illinois did for 13 weeks was hide the fact that in one of the best college basketball seasons in memory, it’s going to be wide-freakin’ open in the tournament. It should be fun.
Don’t even get me started on Carolina with three losses passing Illinois with one in the polls, though. Ludicrous isn’t a strong enough word. But then, it really doesn’t matter where you’re ranked, now does it?
ESPN and others has been waiting for this for a while. It would not surprise me at all to see NC at #1 today with the Illini falling to say, 3rd, and getting the #2 seed in Albuquerque. Ok maybe they wont fall that far, but I still will be shocked if they’re number 1 today.
Do we get a Cubs Live today at 1:05?
I agree – it just feels like the Illini should have finished the season undefeated – at least I would have felt better about it. And I also agree that it’s hard to believe that a 29-1 season is somewhat depressing. :-/
Since the loss though, I’ve been trying to rationalize how this might, in fact, be good for them (in spite of the fact that I was adamantly opposed to the earlier notion that a loss would be in any way “positive”). Perhaps this will awaken or stir a needed sense of urgency for this team. Maybe they will be reminded of the fact that there is such an infinitesimally small margin for error in the tournament and perhaps they will play every game with an intentional sense of urgency to finish the season with the ultimate prize. They’ve felt the loss and they know how much it sucks. A perfect season is out the window – the only thing that will redeem what has been an otherwise incredible season will be final possession of nets – freshly trimmed from St. Louis.
Let’s hope they dislike the taste of losing so much that they play every game from this point forward with a passionate and single-minded sense of determination to win the grandest prize of all.
Would they have done that even if they had finished the season undefeated? Who knows – but I’m just trying to find something positive about that wretched loss yesterday…
For shits and giggles, check out the windsock from Sunday, http://www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/cst-spt-jay061.html, and todayhttp://www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/cst-spt-jay072.html.
He was just noncommital enough on Sunday. But good God, is he a hack.
Actually, it was pretty close to 1-4 going down, as Wake won on a last second shot by Paul. Paul punched a guy in the nuts during the game. Nice.
If the Illini were to lose a game, this is the best possible one for them to lose. To get so close to a perfect season and to want it so badly, only to have it taken from you is devastating. They now know what it is like to want something and have it taken from them. They can be angry. They should be angry. And they should remember this through the tourney (both of them). They should remember that they do not want to feel it again. That alone should be enough for them to get fired up for every single game until the magic 64 are widdled down to two..
Gammons calls Grudz “one of the best second basemen at turning the double play” and The Genius predicts he’ll get “65-85 RBIs.” Are they drunk?
Was that Billy Packer doing the game yesterday? I wanted to catch the first Southwest flight to Columbus to light his scrotum on fire.
It was Rafftery doing the Illinois game, Sloth. They don’t let Packer out of ACC country. Can you imagine Duke-UNC without either Packer or Vitale?
Chris Paul got suspended for one game.
Packer was surprisingly tolerable yesterday (for UNC/Duke)… Pretty sad state of affairs that at this point I’d take the former Wake Forest chip-on-the-shoulder over the caricature of his glass-eyed self that Vitale has become… Honestly, I don’t think Vitale even watches the game he’s broadcasting with his “one good eye” anymore….
Tough break for the Illini… If you don’t like seeing them get slighted by Carolina after one loss —– watch what happens if they don’t resurrect completely in the Big 10 tourney…
I sense this committee is going to stress the last 10 games and the skewed RPI even more than in years past. That’s not to say Illinois doesn’t still get and deserve a #1 seed. But I wouldn’t be making any hotel reservations just yet…
go here.
“http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2005/03/ipt/1110289453.jpg”
History is little else than a picture of human crimes and misfortunes. by generic cialis
‘A cucumber is bitter.’ Throw it away. ‘There are briars in the road.’ Turn aside from them. This is enough. Do not add, ‘And why were such things made in the world?’ by craps
Conflict is the original meaning of being-for-others. by texas hold em rules
The puritanism of Christianity has played havoc with the moderation that an enlightened and tolerant critical spirit would have produced. I’ve noticed that in whatever country, county, town, or other region there is a regulation enjoining temperance, the population seems to be entirely composed of teetotallers and drunkards. There’s a Bible on that shelf there. But I keep it next to Voltaire – poison and antidote. by cheap adipex online
play online poker The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos.
online poker They that deny a God destroy man’s nobility; for certainly man is of kin to the beasts by his body; and, if he be not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature.
online poker I knew he was mortal.
I must say that I was surprised to find this web page, but – – – Good Job.
pacific poker It is true that liberty is precious – so precious that it must be rationed.
I have admire your unselfishness in taking the time to make this web site.
Thank you for opening a wonderfully new sight..I wish you the best of luck with your new venture.
– – – = = = H i ! _ G a y s _ T h a n k _ y o u _ f o r _ s u c h _ a n _ i n f o r m a t i v e _ w e b s i t e . . V e r i _ i n t e r e s t i n _ a n _ e a y _ t o _ c o m p r e h e n d – T h a n x ! – – = = A l l , N i c e _ s i t e , _ I _h a v e _ b e e n _ s e e i n g _ s o m e _ r e a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g _ c o m m e n t s . . . _ g o i n g _ t o _ t e l l _ m e _ f r i e n d _ l o u i s e _ a b o u t _ t h i s _ s i t e ! ! = = = – – –
Wonderful web site, was very useful. Lovely touch having this guestbook. Thanks
Hi there, I must say that you have done a wonderful job on your site and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here, I thank you for sharing it with me…
Howdy! Great site. Great content. Great! I can recommend this site to others!
just a quick hello and congratulations to your nice website ! i’ll visit you again!
viagra online It is the highest impertinence and presumption, therefore, in kings and ministers, to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense, either by sumptuary laws, or by prohibiting the importation of foreign luxuries.
Subscribe to the Pointless Exercise newsletter
Listen to the latest podcast episode
Shop the Desipio/Pointless Exercise Store