Not Good

So, I left work today in the snow and thought I saw the lights in the parking lots flicker on, but it was not the parking lights. Seconds later I heard the sound of thunder and realized that is was thunderstorming and snowing at the same time. I don't know what this means, but it can't be good.

I've been pretty bad lately, but between not feeling good, trying to get my post-employment life under control, and all the other messes I've been dealing with, the blog has suffered. Not that Pikus or Reynolds care, but that's another story.

The Boilers lost a heartbreaker to Xavier. Ho hum. Another year, another crushing defeat. But the future looks bright in West Lafayette. Painter really has the program heading in the right direction. They're a young team with quite a bit of talent. Next year should be a good one. Just like everything else, right?

Baseball starts this weekend, the 2nd of my fantasy drafts is this weekend and I can't wait! Nothing like a weekend in Indianapolis in March!!! This is a keeper league and lots of questions await the first couple of rounds, should be exciting!

The Sweet Sixteen starts tonight.

The first game is Xavier vs. W. Virginia. WVa is coming off a huge win over Duke. But I, along with a considerable number of others, thought that Duke was very overrated. But there is still something about beating Coach K in the postseason. And I didn't see much of the Purdue-Xavier game, sadly because I was at work, but from what I heard, Xavier really won that game. The line is even, I got Xavier.

Next is UNC vs. Washington St. I think the best question to ask is whether WSU can keep UNC under 100. UNC is playing some great basketball right now. I don't care who you are playing, putting up 100+ points in 2 straight games is impressive. They will continue the winning, but they won't put up 100. UNC is giving up 8.5, I got UNC

The first late game is Western Ky vs. UCLA. Hopefully UCLA doesn't keep getting the ridiculous calls they've been getting. But they win, they just have too much ability to lose this one. UCLA is giving 12, I think WKy keeps it close but UCLA pulls away in the last 10 minutes. I'm taking UCLA

And the nightcap, probably the best game of the night, Tennessee vs Louisville. This is going to be a great game. Great coaches, great players, high tempo, fun game to watch. Tennessee is getting 3 points, I'm taking the Vols and the points.

Happy Sweet Sixteen!

It looks like a blizzard outside right now. Why do I live in Chicago?

PTI just ended and Dick Vitale is talking about the NCAA tourney on SportsCenter, the DirecTV just went out, I've never been so thankful.

Best Lineup In Baseball?

I have the time today, the tourney is starting on Thursday, I have to work tomorrow, so I figure I have nothing better to do today than check out the Indians lineup for this upcoming season.

Leading off will be Grady Sizemore. He should be able to build on the All-Star season he had last. He's probably the only true 5 tool player they have in the lineup. Hopefully he will steal some more bases than he did last season. He stole 33 bases last year, up from 22 the previous, but he's really the only speed the Indians have in the lineup. It would be nice to see him steal close to 50 this year.

The 2 spot should be filled by Asdrubal Cabrera. I really think this kid is the real deal. He was fantastic in the field teaming up with Jhonny Peralta up the middle and if he can hit around .300 this season, he will be very effective getting himself on base and moving Sizemore into scoring position for the meat of the lineup.

In the 3rd spot should be Hafner. Hopefully he's a little upset about his dismal performance in the playoffs when I'm still convinced he couldn't see the ball. Although his homerun totals and his average were down considerably last year, he still knocked in 100 runs. Which would tell me that he got some key hits when he needed them. Travis had a wrist injury last season, and I remember Jim Thome had a wrist injury and had a horrible season in the year following but was able to bounce back in a big way the next. Let's bet on Travis having a year like he did in 2006!

Hitting Cleanup will be Victor. Arguably the best hitting catcher in the bigs, he put up some solid numbers last year .301/25/114. I'm guessing he's going to get some more time at 1B to try and keep the knee problems down to a minimum. He should have another big season.

Behind Victor will be Ryan Garko. He had a pretty solid 2nd half of the season and can hopefully take the next step in protecting Victor in the lineup. The more good pitches Martinez gets to see, the better off the Indians are going to be.

Next up will be Jhonny Peralta. After a dismal 2006 both at the plate and in the field, I think he put to rest the thoughts of trade/release/move to 3rd/demotion with the way he played last year.

Casey Blake will be hitting in the 7 spot. This is another guy that put to rest the demons last year. With the acquisition of Andy Marte to play 3rd, and Gutierrez/Michaels/Delucci/Nixon to play the outfield last year. There was a real possibility of a short future in Cleveland. But, we found out that Marte sucked, and we needed a 3rd baseman. He filled in so well that there's really no question about who will be at 3rd this year. Hopefully a little stability will be good for Blake

The 8 spot will be filled with Delucci/Francisco/Michaels. Whoever is playing in the OF that day. I would really like to see them go after a power hitting outfielder this season. Maybe they can give up some pitching to get another big bat in the lineup?

And the end of the lineup will be shored up by Franklin Gutierrez. Another young guy that should hopefully build on the succes he had last year. He had moments of "...We don't need another guy in RF, Gutierrez is our guy!!!" and "...Why is this guy even in a major league lineup???"

Solid lineup from top to bottom. A good mix of vets and younger guys. Let's hope that they can build on last season. Let's hope that they have a little more desire after how last season ended. If nothing else, this should be a very entertaining team, they should have a very good shot to win the AL Central. Times are looking good at Jacob's Field. I'm really looking forward to this season.

I will never call Jacobs' Field, Progressive Field.

And I took these pictures at at Sox-Indians game at US Cellular last season. I know, they're really good....

Opening Day is Right Around the Corner!

If you can believe it, Spring Training is quickly coming to a close, opening day is a mere 2 weeks away, and I haven't said a thing about the Indians.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not quite sure yet, the lineup is little different from last season. I think this is a good thing. To come as close as they did to beating the Sox last fall, I think these guys are hungry to get back to the postseason. Hopefully Hafner went to an eye doctor.

The strength of this team is going to be the starting rotation. Anchored by last season's Cy Young winner, and free agent-at-the-end-of-the-season, CC Sabathia. He just keeps getting better and better each season. Hopefully his head doesn't get bigger than it already is thinking about all of those dollar signs that await him at the end of this season. The #2 guy is going to be Carmona. If he can get back half of what he did last season he's in store for another good season. Next in the rotation is admitted HGH user Paul Byrd. The crafty vet is coming off arguably his best season in the bigs and lets hope he can have another good one. #4 in the rotation is Jake Westbrook. He finished last season pitching really well by winning 8 of his last 11 starts in August and September. And from what I can figure, the #5 starter is up for grabs. Between Laffey, Lee, or Sowers. With a little luck one of those guys will step up and take over the spot in the rotation.

The bullpen should be solid again this season. The bullpen is boring. Middle relievers are about as exciting to talk about as hemorroids. With a little luck Borowski figured out how to get 3 consecutive batters out over the winter. Even with all of his breakdowns, he was able to rack up 45 saves with an ERA over 5 and opposing batters hitting close to .300 against him.

I'll get to the lineup tomorrow. It will give me something to do.

Oh Mel...

I've been thinking about Mel Kiper all day. No, I don't have a whole lot else going on. But I found this on Wikipedia

ESPN's coverage of the 1994 NFL draft was less than eight and a half minutes in when Kiper said, "The Colts have to come out of this draft with a quarterback." Tennessee's Heath Shuler and Fresno State's Trent Dilfer were regarded as sure-fire future NFL stars, and Indianapolis' starter was Jim Harbaugh. The Colts wound up with two of the first five picks. With No. 2, they chose running back Marshall Faulk from San Diego State. With the fifth pick -- Shuler having gone to the Washington Redskins with the third pick -- the Colts were expected to take Dilfer. Instead, they
chose Trev Alberts, a linebacker from Nebraska. Kiper's reaction to this was "To pass up a Trent Dilfer, when all you have is Jim Harbaugh -- give me a break. That's why the Colts are picking second every year in the draft, not battling for the Super Bowl like other clubs in the National Football League."

Less than 10 minutes later, at a location away from the draft site, ESPN's Chris Mortensen was interviewing Colts general manager Bill Tobin. Mortensen asked a question about the Colts' bypassing a quarterback with their top-five choices. Mortensen didn't mention Kiper in his question to Tobin. Tobin's 55-second response was "We got a guy up here ... and who in the hell is Mel Kiper, anyway? I mean, here's a guy who criticizes everybody, whoever they take. He's got the answers to who you should take, to who you shouldn't take. He tells us about your team. He tells us about the Rams. Mel Kiper is a tortoise. He tells us about Tampa and everything else. In my knowledge of him, he's never even put on a jockstrap, he's never been a player, he's never been a coach, he's never been a scout, he's never been an administrator, and all of a sudden, he's an expert. He's in our paper two days ago, telling us who we have to take. We don't have to take anybody that Mel Kiper says we have to take. Mel Kiper has no more credentials to do what he's doing than my neighbor, and my neighbor's a postman and he doesn't even have season tickets to the NFL."

Kiper responded to Tobin with a biting tirade that drew huge cheers from the fans in the gallery and wry smiles from Chris Berman and the other ESPN commentators I'm secure in my position. Obviously, Bill Tobin's not very secure in his position. You cannot go with Jim Harbaugh and pass up Trent Dilfer. That's why the Colts are the laughingstock of the league year in and year out." Trev Alberts retired after three seasons. Dilfer was moderatly succsesful at Tampa Bay, though after being unceremoniously cut by Tampa after six years, he went on to win Super Bowl XXXV as quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens and has been a respectable mentor to young quarterbacks ever since.

Colts' incumbent Jim Harbaugh led the NFL in passing in 1995 while taking the Colts to the AFC Championship Game. Harbaugh was voted to the Pro-Bowl by his NFL peers.

Kiper grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and resides in Jarrettsville, Maryland with his family. He attended Calvert Hall College High School and Essex Community College. He never participated in football on any level in high school or college.

The Unemployment Blues

Since I have unfortunately become unemployed in the last month, I tend to look around and see what it is about me that makes me unemployable. I can't really figure it out. But as I am searching around, I see people in places, with jobs, and I have no idea how they are where they are. I have a couple of examples of this.

First is Hank Steinbrenner. And I know how he got to where he is now, his father George. But this guy has been the owner of the Yankees for about 2 months now, and he can't seem to keep his mouth shut. Apparently he feels it is necessary to open his trap and spew out whatever he feels no matter how ridiculous it sounds. "...I'm the owner of the Yankees by no work of my own, therefore I can say what I want and EVERYBODY must listen!!!" And his most recent effort, he makes the comment implying that the D-Rays should not try or feel emotion until they start contributing to the league financially. What???? How idiotic is this? If he were born to anybody other than George, where would he be now?

Next is Joe Lunardi. He does all of the bracketology columns on ESPN.com. He's on SportsCenter, probably on PTI and all of the other shows that ESPN has in the afternoon. What is the significance of this guys' job? If he's wrong, who cares?? If he's right, who cares?? He's not writing columns for a newspaper reporting on how teams do, he just says who is going to make the tourney and who is not. Does his opinion matter? No. Is he part of the selection committee? No. ESPN keeps reporting, on every timeout/commercial break/halftime show that Illinois State, OSU, and 2 other teams, I don't remember right now, are the first 4 that are going to miss the tourney. Does his opinion really matter? Absolutely not. About a week ago, he had UAB making the tourney. First of all, they don't have a chance at it, but it doesn't really matter, the selection committee takes no stock into what he says. Anybody can do his job, it doesn't matter if he's wrong or right. What a great gig. He gets to watch college basketball and put together a bracket every week that really doesn't matter diddly-squat. That's it. Wonder what he does for the other 7 months of the year.

The next one, and the biggest offender of this is Mel Kiper. This guy watches all the college football you can handle and reports on who is going to get drafted and what position they are going to get drafted. Do NFL teams really care about his opinion?? No. Do I really care what the 6th ranked LB in the draft is??? No. I love college football and NFL football. But I really could not care any less about this guy's opinion. He sits there with the rest of the ESPN crew on draft day and talks about the picks. Anybody can do this. And again, if he's wrong, nobody cares. And from recent history, he's usually wrong, but what does it really matter??? It doesn't. But the real crime here is that he sells 5 draft books each year. You can get all of them for somewhere around $70. I think there's a free agent book, draft book, his opinions book, and 2 other useless publications. All of his stuff on ESPN.com is on the Insider. And I've often in the weeks before the draft wondered, "...oh man, who's the Browns going to take in the 2nd round with the 47th pick?? I sure wish I had Insider so I could see who Kiper thinks the Browns needs??" But you know what remedied that thought??? Wait 2 f'n weeks and see who the Browns take with that pick. Why would anybody in their right mind pony up the cash to see what this guy thinks? It's a joke.

And I can't find a job??

I Don't Know Why I Got My Hopes up???

This blogsite is in operation for one reason, well, maybe more than one reason, but the main reason is that the teams that we cheer for, you know who they are, NEVER WIN ANYTHING WHEN SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS ON THE LINE. It doesn't matter how good of a regular season they had. It doesn't matter that the greatest QB in football history, Bernie Kosar, is engineering the O, that one of the best lineups in baseball history hit .300 in '95. These teams always lose when the big game comes around. That LeBron James was the best player in the league and made everybody, including Coach Mike, better. It doesn't matter that you have CC and Carmona and Westbrook pitching the final 3 when the Indians are up 3-1 against the Sox. These teams, somehow, figure out a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I'm not even going to talk about it. Just thinking about the last 5 mintues in regulation and the 5 OT minutes makes me want to get sick on the keyboard. 0-11 in OT?? The Freshmen finally played like freshmen. And Calasan needs to figure out the meaning of the word "shot selection". The worst defensive performance of the season. Painful.

Enough about that.

So the final game of the night IU lost in incredibly dramatic fashion against the Gophers. The last 10 seconds of that game were simply amazing. Ending on another Hoffarber shot. This is the same guy that hit that one from his butt to win a state title last year.

If you don't know the meaning of home cookin' all you have to do is watch the end of that game. I've never seen anything like it. With IU down 2, Eric Gordon gets fouled on a drive to the basket. And All-World, greatest player ever apparently has a tough time shooting free throws with his hands around his own neck. Misses both ends of the 2 shot foul to tie the game. The second rolls around the rim, just long enough for DJ White to shove every Minnesota player out of the way to get himself up in the air for a tip in and a foul. Where the foul was, I have absolutely no idea. Watch the replay, if you see it, let me know. So there was 3.6 on the clock and White on the line for the win. Of course he misses, long rebound, White runs after the ball, pulls his best Brian Cardinal flop, and somehow ends up flying backwards into the 3rd row. If there was a foul, the ref that made the call was the only person in the country that saw it. White back on the line with 1.6. Misses the first. Makes the 2nd. The rest is history. Or so I thought. That Hoffarber kid hit another game winning, amazing shot. I can't even put into words what happened... Just watch!!



A couple of other things, I was 3-1 against the spread in last night's Big 10 Games. If you're keeping score. Of course my Boilers screwed me. Again...

And I heard a story about the fact that the majority of the Selection Committe members has zero basketball history. They've never played, never coached, probably never watched. So I guess this is why the big names make the tourney when they should not. Since this is the case, teams like OSU and Florida, who have no business making the tourney, will probably be in. Now it's all making sense.

And lastly, Memphis won the C-USA tourney this morning. They beat the perennial powerhouse Tulsa Golden Hurricane by about 60. Memphis should be the only team that makes the tourney from that conference. How is a championship game decided by that many points??

Two out of Three Isn't Too Bad....

I suppose picking those games yesterday was not the toughest thing I have done, but 2 out of 3 isn't too bad. I should probably start picking games against the spread, that would probably make things more interesting...

Anyhow, huge day in the Big Ten Tourney. I think the biggest story is how IU is going to come out? Are their players over the fact that their scumbag coach is gone and play some decent basketball? Or are they going to keep crying about the sad outcome of a cheater and liar? They are playing a Minnesota that had to come back from down 16 to beat Northwestern, who again pissed down their leg in the face of a close game in the final seconds. They're terrible. And the fact that Spencer Tollackson didn't play in the 2nd half all the worse for the Wildcats.

The day starts out with Michigan and Wisconsin. Wisconsin shouldn't have much trouble with the Wolverines. Although they have been playing better, Wisconsin is just too good. They are the #1 seed for a reason.

Next is the Buckeyes and the Spartans. I still think OSU needs a good showing in the tourney to get into the NCAAs. They were playing much better at the end of the season, but their record in the weak Big 10 can't help their cause. They have to win against the Spartans, if they look good, I think they have a chance.

And at 5:30 CST it's the Boilers and Fighting Illini. Illinois won a close one yesterday, can they come back today and play another solid game. The only chance Illinois has to make the NCAAs is by winning the Big 10. Teams fighting for their life become scary in situations like this. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But I dont' think they have enough to beat the Boilers this afternoon and their miserable season will come to an end.

So sit back and strap in for an exciting day of Big 10 basketball! Should be a good one!!!

Next week before the NCAAs start I plan on doing some spring training Indians coverage, it's finally starting to thaw out up here and I'm starting to be able to smell golf and baseball season right around the corner!! Giggidy!!!!

And for my predictions...

Wisconsin is just good, they're giving 13, they'll win by 20.

Michigan State is always good in tournaments. Tom Izzo is a fantastic coach in situations like this, I just don't see them losing. The Bucks are getting 4 points, I predict a close game, lots of fouls at the end, MSU makes their free throws. MSU.

Purdue is goign to be too much for Illinois, I'm surprised to see the Boilers only giving up 4.5. Illinois is coming off an emotional, close game last night. I dont' think they're going to have enough left in the tank to deal with the suffocating Purdue D. I'm taking Purdue giving 4.5.

And last but not least IU is giving 5.5. They're favored by more than Purdue? Interesting. Anyhow, I wouldn't be the least surprised to see Minnesota win this game. IU is really playing poorly right now. Even if they do win, I don't see them covering. I've got Minnesota.

We'll see how I do tomorrow! Happy Big 10 Tournament Friday!!!

Big 10 Tourney Starts Today!

If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that Purdue would be a #2 seed in the Big 10 tourney, I would have called you crazy. But here we are! After back to back losses at home to Wofford and Iowa State in December, I was ready to send Matt Painter packing. How wrong was I??? Now we're the #2 seed!

This group of Freshmen has really come together to play some very exciting basketball. I have to think the fact they played together in High School/AAU ball has something to do with this. The more chemistry a team has together, the better they are going to be. They are going to win games they should not, which would explain 2 wins against Wisconsin. The squabbles for PT is probably at a minimum. They probably get along better off the court than your usual group of 5 freshmen. And the adjustment to college is probably a little easier knowing that they have each other to lean on. I have to think that all of this has something to do with the success of these freshmen this season.

Anyhow, looking forward to the games today. It starts out at noon Eastern with Michigan and Iowa playing. And the winner facing Wisconsin tomorrow. I see Michigan winning this one. They seemed to be playing some better basketball ending the season, they put up a pretty good fight against the Boilers in the final game of the season.

Next on the plate is Penn State against Illinois at about 2:30. Penn State is coming off a big win against IU. Sure IU is in shambles right now, but a win is a win. I see Penn State coming together and pulling this one out. Illinois is just atrotious this season. Just make the misery end. Didn't these guys go to the Final Four a couple of years ago???

And the final game of the day is Minnesota against Northwestern. I don't see the Wildcats pulling this one out, they won 1 conference game this season, I don't see them making it 2 today.

The Boilers play tomorrow at 6:30 EST!

Big Ten Tourney, Honors, and the Future

The Big 10 honors came out this week and the Boilers were very well represented. Hummel was a first teamer, E'Twaun a second, Kramer a 3rd, and Keaton Honorable Mention. This is good stuff for the future of the Boilermaker program, not one of those guys is older than a sophomore! And unless they're smoking something, they will all be back for at least one more season, probably 2.

Matt Painter was voted Coach of the Year in the Big Ten and Kramer was also Defensive POY. How the defensive POY is a 3rd teamer is beyond me, but what do I know? Apparently not much.

So, Purdue's future is looking very bright. I wish I could say as much for the Big 10. If you take the Purdue guys out of the Big 10 teams you are left with 3 Freshmen, 2 sophs, and 2 juniors. One of the freshman is Eric Gordon, who is most definitely gone after his 1 season in Bloomington. There's another Hoosier who got honors, Armon Bassett, who would be crazy to go into the draft, but he's feelings on sticking it out at IU I would have to imagine are in doubt. So, that leaves you with 5 guys that aren't graduating/entering the draft/potentially transferring. In a year when the Big 10 is down, this really does not look good for the future of the conference.

Not to mention all of the IU recruits that are backing out of their letters of intent because of Scumbag Sampson. I hate IU, but what he did is just reprehensible. Makes me sick to think of what went on down there. What a jackass.

On a good note, Big 10 tourney starts on Thursday in Indy!! This is looking really great for the Boilers. They will start things off playing the UofI-Penn State game Friday night. Penn State is coming off a big win against IU, but I just dont' think the Claxton-less Lions will have the firepower to beat Illinois. Illinois really sucks this year, but I think they're going to have enough to win on Thursday. This tourney is going to be alot of fun for Boiermaker fans all around. With the solid D that they play, and the depth they have, it's going to be very tough for a team to beat them when playing 2 or 3 days in a row. Let's just hope the freshman can keep the pace up.

And the potential of a Purdue-IU rematch looms in the distance also. If IU can get it together for the Northwestern-Minnesota winner, the two teams will face each other on Saturday. Playing in Indy, I'm sure the Fieldhouse will be rocking for that one!!

College Basketball Saturday Roundup

Another fantastic Duke-UNC game last night. The only thing that could have made it better was for Dick Vitale and his sweat glands not announcing it. Did anybody see this guy?? You would think that he would know better than to wear a blue shirt when announcing a game like this. Isn't there somebody at ESPN that could have told him this?

Anyhow, great game. Back and forth. Duke came back in the 2nd half to make a game of it. The Cameron Crazies were crazy. And Carolina pulled it out in the end. Fun to watch. Very intense. #1 vs. #5. Lived up to all of the billing! There's nothing like a great college basketball game between 2 teams like Duke-UNC. Tyler Hansborough had 16-15, and earned every one of those buckets and rebounds, and Danny Green had 18-8 for Carolina.

Is it me or does Hansborough flop a little like Brian Cardinal once did for the Boilers?

ESPN showed speedo guy. Just a dude in a speedo dancing around like only somebody in a speedo could. Then they went to commercial. Dan Shulman had to issue an apology about the way he was dancing and the video that ESPN had just shown the country. It's sad that we, as a nation, has come to this. I dont' even know where to start on this so I'm not going to try. That's just sad. If there was anybody out there that was watching the game and was subsequently offended by a dude in a speedo, they need to have their head checked. Unreal

Memphis won again last night. The victory puts John Calipari right next to Adolph Rupp by being the only two coaches to win 30 games in 3 consecutive seasons. On the surface this makes Calipari look like one of the great coaches in history. But look a little deeper and see that he did it against the worst competition in D-1 and the picture isn't so rosy. When the next best competition in the league is the UAB Blazers, coached by none other than the worst coach in NCAA basketball, Mike Davis, not such a great feat. Although I'm not certain about it, I'm pretty sure that one of the requirements for Memphis basketball players is that that they're not allowed to go to class. I think I heard that somewhere?

No, I didn't actually hear that, I just made that up. But would anybody be surprised?

The Boilers wrap up their regular season this afternoon at Michigan. They need to take care of business and end the regular season on a high note. After the way they played at Ohio State earlier this week. They need some solid momentum going into the Big 10 Tourney.

Everybody keeps talking about how Kentucky is a shoe-in for the NCAA tourney. Am I the only one out here that remembers that they lost to Vandy by about 50 a couple of weeks ago? Sure, they're playing some better basketball right now, but just because they're Kentucky, doesn't give them a free pass to the tourney. I'd much rather see a George Mason type team make the tourney than a Kentucky. The Wildcats scored 11 in the first half of that game. I'm sorry, but no team that scores 11 in any half of any game does not deserve to make the tourney!!

Another example of this is Ohio State. They in no way deserve to make the tourney. I think they've beat 2 teams in the RPI top 100. They have a .500 record in the very weak Big 10, and they have 1 signature win, against my Boilers, and not much else. Just becaue they made the Championship game last year doens't mean they get a free pass.

Go Boilers!!

One Question???

So, I was watching the Big 10 network and was wondering, where do those guys watch the games when they're not on camera?? They can't possibly sit on the set all day. Do they have a lounge area with couches and lazy-boys? Is it a conference type room with a bunch of flat screens? Is it like the deal they have at places like Champps where it can be one big TV or split up? These are the things that keep me up at night. Couldn't you just see Gene lounging with his feet up and a bowl of popcorn sitting on his chest while the others there do all the work?

Oh Man!!

The Boilers blew a golden opportunity last night losing to the Buckeyes last night. Of all the people to really pee down their leg in the face of adversity, I didn't think it would be Chris Kramer. I still can't believe he made such a horrible pass. But anyhow...

Purdue played a pretty solid game last night. After a slow start, being down 0-7, they came storming, actually there really wasn't a "they" it was more "E'Tuan", back. They played pretty well until the last couple of minutes of regulation, when the spirited Buckeyes stepped it up a notch and took a win from the face of defeat.

The Buckeyes were looking right into not making the tourney with a loss. And considering they made it to the Championship game last season, that would be quite a turnaround. Sure, they don't have Oden and Conley, but they still have Butler, who caught fire last night, and the rest of the team still in tact. So getting to the Championship is probably a stretch, but at least they should have enough left in the tank to make the NCAAs.

E'Tuan had another solid game. He's really turning into a special player. Scott Martin finally showed some of his potential by having a great game shooting from the field. He was 5-10 from the field including a 4 point play at the end of the first half. If the Boilers could have pulled it out, that shot would probably be talked about as the straw that broke the Bucks season, but it wasn't to be. He also added 6 rebounds. Just wish he could get a little more consistent from the line. He almost threw up an airball and then canned the 2nd on one trip to the stripe.

Marcus Green played horribly. He hit a 3 in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, and then decided he didn't have to play anymore. Offense, defense, apparently he thought his 3 was enough. Mercifully he fouled out before the end of the game, but he was just painful to watch try and move around the court.

Speaking of painful. The 2nd half of that game was just painful. If I was not a Purdue fan, there is no way that I could have watched it. I think from about the 17 minute mark to about the 4 minute mark there was a foul called on every trip down the court. There was no flow, no pace, no nothing. And this is what really did the Boilers in. The trademark of this season is being able to put up 10-14 point runs in about a 3 minute stretch, while forcing about 4 turnovers, no offensive rebounds, and hitting a couple of clutch 3s. Well, they could never get into rhythm in the 2nd half, and this really hurt them. Yes, some of them were fouls, but they really were calling it tight. And after a 20 minute delay starting the 2nd half, it was just horrible...

So, looks like the Boilers are headed for a 3 seed in the Big 10 tourney. They win in Columbus, they win in Ann Arbor this weekend, they have a 1 seed, but they didn't come to play last night. Although, now that I think about it, IU is in shambles right now, not playing good basketball. IU loses one of the next 2, and Purdue takes care of business at Michigan, they get a 2 seed. Sort of disappointing considering they controlled their own destiny going into last night's game.

If you would told me 3 months ago that the Boilers would be a 3 seed in the Big 10 tourney I would have been thrilled! Funny how things change! Not to mention this is a team of Freshman and Sophs. The future is looking really bright in West Lafayette!!

On another note, the Browns signed Shaun Rogers to a 6-year $42 mil deal!! This will be the first Browns season I'm really excited for since about '86. Things are looking bright in Cleveland too!! Except for the housing market, that still sucks. But the Browns, Cavs, and Indians!! Nice!

February is FINALLY over!

Well, the worst month for sports if finally over, and we can start getting on to some things that really matter. Spring Training baseball, Fantasy Baseball drafts, and the NFL free-agent signing period! Wooo-Hooo!!!

Let's start at Cleveland Browns Stadium, or Berea, or wherever Phil Savage calls home these days. In the last week the Browns have signed Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams, and Donte Stallworth, and re-signed Derek Anderson.

We'll begin at QB with the re-sign of Anderson. I think this was essential. The Browns have assembled a team that can do some damage this year! Not in 3-5 years, THIS YEAR. Anderson will hopefully build on the Pro Bowl season he had last and get himself into a consistent groove. With the talent the Browns have, the don't need Anderson to have a 100+ passer rating every game. They need consistent play, and this is what Anderson is going to give you.

So you say that Brady Quinn needs to be either starting or traded?? Well, I don't see the problem with having 2 capable QBs on the team? Look at how many QBs the NFL went through last season. I don't know the exact number, but I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 QBs took a snap. If Anderson gets hurt, and you've traded Brady, who do we have playing QB??? Ken Dorsey?? Josh Cribbs??? What's the problem with a little insurance policy??? I'm not going to hide the fact that I do not like Brady Quinn. I don't think he's that great of a QB, when he was at ND, all he did was beat mediocre teams and throw the ball to Jeff Smardjtizmarta. But with the way the Browns have gone through QBs in the last 9 years, I see nothing wrong with leaving Brady on the sidelines to learn another year.

Sticking with the O, we signed New England Patriot Donte Stallworth. Donte will be the new #2 target for Anderson this year. I love this signing! I love anybody that comes from the Pats. I hate the Pats, but I think they learn that they need to win as a team. Look at what they turned Randy Moss into??? Anyhow, when Anderson drops back he's going to have #1 Braylon, #2 Stallworth, #3 Winslow, #4 Jurevicius. Or he can turn around and hand the ball off to a resurgent Jamal Lewis running behind one of the best front 5s in football. You tell me how a team is going to stop all those weapons???

Now to the D, where the real help was needed. They acquired Shaun Rogers from the Lions for this season's 3rd round pick and Leigh Bodden. I haven't read a whole bunch about Rogers, but I guess he's having some problems fitting in with the coaching staff in Detroit, and hasn't been playing quite as well. He was a Pro Bowler in 04-05 and has been nothing more than a big, fat, distraction since. All I can hope for is that he decides to get back into shape and help a good team get to the playoffs. I can understand how being on a losing team can break down you morale, and a change of scenery is generally a good thing. Let's hope that this revitalizes the 28 year old Rogers into good things! The Browns gave up a 3rd round pick and Leigh Bodden to bring Rogers into camp. I wish I could say that they got good value for that trade, but only time is going to be able to give the answer for this one.

And the last acquisition is DE Corey Williams from the Packers for this years' 2nd round pick. I don't' know much about Williams other than the stats I can find on ESPN.com. 7 sacks last season, that's probably more than the Browns have had in the last 2 years. He's definitely going to be an improvement over what they had.

Now, the Browns do not have a pick in the first 3 rounds of this years' draft? If you would like to look at it this way, their first round pick was Brady, the 2nd round pick was Corey Williams, and the 3rd round was Shaun Rogers. The situation they are in now, the fact that they are a good team NOW, and they desperately need help on the D-Line, they made good decisions. The only college D-linemen who could have a decent shot at making an impact in their rookie season will be picked in the first 20 slots. I think Savage did the right thing. Williams and Rogers are going to be inserted into the D-Line and are an instant upgrade from the guys they had last season, plus, it adds depth which they really need running a 3-4.

On another note, former Boilermaker Niko Koudivides signed a 3 year deal with the Broncos. I would love to see the Browns sign Roosevelt Colvin, who was released by the Pats earlier this week to play some OLB. Partly because he's a Boilermaker, partly because he's good, and partly because he threw down a nasty dunk on me at the co-rec during an intramural game. It wasn't quite the Roy Hariston, behind the back, off the glass, elevate from one side of the lane and throw it down on the other, but it was pretty nasty, especially for a guy who's only 6-3.

Boilers Looking Good!

The Boilers took care of business again this weekend with a big win over suddenly confident Northwestern. Purdue looked a little shaky in the first half and then came out of the locker room shooting the lights out to win by 25. Hummel led Boilermaker scorers with 15 including 6-6 from the free throw line. The Boilers kept the hot shooting going by shooting 45% from the field including 11-22 from behind the arc.

The Boilers looked solid again. They did what they were supposed to do to the worst of the Big 10. They've got 2 games left, Ohio State and Michigan, both on the road, to sure up another Big 10 title, and the first for Matt Painter.

Again, I sound like a broken record, but this team plays great together. They're fun to watch. They win games they're supposed to and they're even winning games that they're not supposed to. Something that Joe Tiller and the football program needs to learn. But that's another post for another day.

IU looked horrible in their loss yesterday to Michigan State. Sure it was senior day, but to put up 59 points in the first half??? Unreal!! Michigan State was unconscious! I don't' think IU had much chance to win that game they was MSU was shooting, but they didn't even put up a fight. I guess all of the "KS" signs on the IU players shoes was weighing them down.

Yeah, it's got to be a tough situation for the IU guys. But Sampson didn't die in a single car crash when he was on a recruiting trip, working his best to do the best for the program. He got caught lying, then cheating, then lying again about the cheating. Not once, but TWICE, at 2 different schools. He's a cheater, he doesn't belong in college sports.

But on the other hand, he's adding to the horrible play of the Hoosiers, so I really shouldn't be too upset about it.

I just came across this picture on the web. Hummel only scored 12.5 his senior season??? And now he's playing this well in the Big 10? So, has he elevated his game that much in the last year or is the Big 10 just that horrible?? Ummm, don't answer that question...