Chicago Becoming a White Sox Town?

Is Chicago becoming a White Sox town? I don't think so, don't think it ever will, but that is the point Gene Wojo tries to make on ESPN Chicago. I can understand where one might think the White Sox are making up ground in the city. Going back to the 2003 NLCS, the Cubs have lost 9 straight post season games while the White Sox are 12-4. If the White Sox make the playoffs this year it will be three times in 6 years, which is 1 more then the Cubs over that stretch. So based on performance, I can see why one would make that argumnet.

I also can understand how Cubs fans have mixed emotions about Tom Ricketts. It doesn't appear he has a vision for the team, but he keeps making changes to Wrigley. Cubs fans want a winner, and the verdict is still out on if Ricketts is going to spend to get a winner, or treat the Cubs as a business he plans to make money off of?

For these reason, I get why some people might say the White Sox could over take them, but I don't see it happening. Cubs games are an expierence, and people who don't love baseball will almost always choose the Cubs over the Sox for that expierence.

Top Chef Power Rankings (02/23/11)

Well, my Power Rankings get rocked again. #1 from last week was sent packing. I was surprised he did so poorly in the challenge. When he choose Angelo I felt good for him since they basically cook the same food and Angelo would be a great chef to have since he is very quick at prep work. Alas, Dale got overwhelmed by the amount of people at the event and undercooked his potatoes while over seasoning his crouton. He was sent home and we have a new #1 this week.

Overall I didn’t think the challenge seemed too hard. The southern style might have thrown some people off, but I think it was the amount of food the chefs had to prepare in the short amount of time that really hurt them.


In the Finals


1. Richard Blais



Richard, who apparently reminds Fabio of his ex-wife, won the elimination challenge and conceptualized the quickfire’s winning dish. Based on his good performance, he has vaulted to the top spot. If I could gamble on this, I would put my money on him. If I could choose the field or him, I’m taking him. With Angelo and Dale knocked out in consecutive weeks, I see no real challenger to him. I am a little worried he is too intense and is going to over think one of his dishes these days. I also think he needs to lay off the liquid nitrogen a little bit to show he has a more rounded set of cooking techniques.


2. Antonia Lofaso



Anotnia had another top finish this week. She has been making good and simple dishes and is looking like a lock to make the finale. I think she’s the only person who has a shot to knock off Richard, but I don’t think it’s a very good one. I do think she’s a better chef then she gets credit for. She makes simple dishes that lack some of the pizzazz that the other chefs have. However, her simple dishes taste good and that’s the only thing that matters.


Pretty Sure they’ll make the Finals


3. Carla Hall



Carla had a 2nd bad week in a row including her performance in the quickfire challenge. I still think she has a good shot of making the finale, but she can’t keep making dumb mistakes. I think she was too worried this week that she was cooking southern food which is her comfort zone. She was worried that everyone was expecting her to knock it out of the park, and honestly, she should have. Maybe not a challenge win, but at least a good showing. If you can’t do well in your comfort zone, what are you going to do well in? I see her making the finale, but not a serious contender to win.


Might miss the Final


4. Mike Isabella



Congrats to Mike for winning his 3 competition ever in Top Chef history. All 3 have been quick fire challenges. the first quick fire he won was a cactus challenge, and he was the only chef to have worked with cactus before. This win, he was “inspired by” (blatantly stole) an idea that Richard had discussed with him that morning. I’m sorry, but Mike is no way clever enough of a chef to put the oyster part of a chicken in an oyster shell without being inspired by someone else. I’m glad all the other chefs know, I just wish Richard was man enough to call him out on it. On top of all that, Mike wouldn’t have won the quickfire if Antonia wasn’t an idiot and forgot to make a second plate. So this will go down as the lamest victory in Top Chef History (Is there a worse one?).Mike finished in the top for the 2nd time this season (lowest of the remaining 5 chefs and lower than 4 chefs who have been eliminated). He has cruised along only make mistakes twice to put him in the bottom. I see him having enough talent to outlast Tiffany, but not enough skill to beat any of the other 3 chefs in front of him.


5. Tiffany Derry



Tiffany was on the bottom again. She still hasn’t won and has been surprised the past two weeks when her name wasn’t called. She made it exactly this far last season, 1 episode short of the finale (and Singapore). I think this is where she stops again. I hope she makes it and Isabella doesn’t but not the way they have been performing.

Top Chef Power Rankings (09/16/11)

My How quickly things can change just that quickly. The Top 2 in my Power Rankings finished in the bottom last night and Angelo got sent home. Just like that, everyone moves to a different spot in the rankings.

The episode last night was pretty good. The Muppets doing the cookie challenge was a little too childish for me, but I’m sure some people got their kicks out of it. I thought the Target Challenge was a fantastic idea and a very demanding challenge. The strategy in it was compelling. Do you find food first and then go find the things you need to make the food, or buy as much cooking and chopping things as you can before figuring out what you can make. All the running seemed a tad unnecessary, but it looked like every minute counted.


1. Dale Talde



How can Dale jump three spots and become number 1? Yes I know the two previous weeks he finished on the bottom and very easily could have been sent packing on the Jimmy Fallon challenge. The reason I have him number 1 is for his wins. He swept the show last night winning both the quickfire and the elimination challenge, the first time it has happened this season. He has three elimination challenge wins which is tied for the most with Carla. He has won 3 of the past 4 quickfire challenges and has another team challenge win. That’s 6 individual wins and 1 team win. The next closest competitor is Richard with 5 wins (2 elimination, 1 individual qucikfire and 2 team quickfires).


2. Richard Blais



Richard moves up a spot based on a strong performance from him and a poor performance from Carla. I do think Richard tried to take a short cut on his Ice Cream “Cookies” and glad the Muppets called him out on that. Initially I thought Dale was going to win the elimination challenge, but after hearing judges table, I started thinking they were going to pick Richard because he was the only chef to get two proteins done, both of which tasted well.


3. Antonia Lofaso



This was the hardest choice of the power rankings. Should I have Antonia or Carla in the three spot? Carla was on a tear with 3 wins and 2 other top finishes the previous 6 weeks, but had an awful week this week. Antonia the past three weeks finished with a win and two top finishes. Based on the logic of what have you done for me lately, I put Antonia over Carla. Antonia has had a crazy season and has only had to not face the judges 1 time, week 1. Every week since then, she has either been in the top (5 times with a 1 win) or the bottom (4 times). If she can avoid the faults that put her in the bottom, she could move on to the finale.


4. Carla Hall



As discussed before, I was really tempted to leave Carla in the top 3. She is tied for the most elimination wins, but seemed so out of wack yesterday. I don’t understand why she spent so long shopping for stuff to make her table display pretty. The judges were served at a completely different table. She lost focus and wasted most of her night and was unable to get flavors to develop. Had she started cooking 45 min to and hour earlier like the other chefs, the food could have come out better. I never felt like she was in danger of going home, but if she loses her focus by that much again, she could be going home.


Chopping Block


5. Mike Isabella



Mike continues to cruise in the middle. Nothing to great, nothing too bad. If he wants to make the final, he’s going to have to start cooking better than just OK food. I don’t see the other 5 chefs making large enough mistakes to allow him to sneak in. He does need to stop acting shocked in the stew room at every announcement. Clearly you opinion is nothing like the judges so stop overreacting. Him still being alive shocks me, I expected him to be long gone.


6. Tiffany Derry



When Tiffany burst into tears at the judges table, I thought for sure she was going to be sent home. When she’s cooking she doesn’t seem to be emotionally worn down, but as soon as the confessional hits, you can see the back to back seasons are starting to take their toll on her. Angelo mentioned that as he was leaving, he’s done 40 some challenges all close together now, and it was taking it’s toll on him. I don’t see Tiffany lasting much longer for this very same reason. If she can somehow make it the next two challenges and make the finals. Some time off may help her regroup before the finale and my thoughts on her chances to win might change, until then, I have strong doubts.

TOP CHEF POWER RANKINGS (02/09/11)

I know I know, I suck at life and haven’t written any power rankings since the first week. Ryan has been giving me extra crap for it. Time to turn it on for the final run.

Last week’s episode featured Jimmy Fallon as the special guest host/judge. I personally am not a fan of his but he did bring some interesting food choices for the Chefs to make. Fabio made a meatball hamburger that apparently tasted like meatloaf. His last second cheese addition put him over the top as the chef to go home. There are only 7 chefs left.

Topic for discussion. Any ideas on where the finalist will be headed? I’m guessing since this is All-Stars, and they’ve already shown that the show will go to international locations, I’m guessing they are going to Paris or Rome.


Top Shelf


1. Carla Hall



Carla won her 3rd challenge of the season. Over the past 6 weeks, she has been on an impressive run. All three of her wins have come, she’s had 2 other top finishes. The only blemish on her record over this stretch was 1 low finish. I am not sure if she has enough to bring home the crown, but if she keeps cooking the way she is, it’ll be hard to beat her.


2. Angelo Sosa



Angelo had another strong week, I actually was expecting his name to be called as the winner. Angelo has had 4 high finishes since winning the first 2, but has always been missing something to get him that elusive third win. I do think Angelo has what it takes to win the title. Last season, you could see Angelo showing signs of physical and mental fatigue. If he didn’t get sick in the finale, he could have won. This season, he is showing no signs of slowing down at all.


3. Richard Blais



Richard has been very hard on himself all season. He wants and expects to win every week. He has won twice with two other top finishes. His loan bottom finish was a team challenge where he worked with Fabio and Marcel on a meal that Marcel conceptualized. If I had to gamble money on the winner, I would still put it on Richard followed closely by Angelo.


Middle of the Pack


4. Dale Talde



Dale gets the 4 spot of Antonio because he has two challenge wins, two solo quickfire wins and one team quickfire win compared to Antonia’s one challenge win and one team quickfire win. I know Dale has had two back to back bottom finishes, but he is trying to avoid repeating his mistakes. He went from no taste or seasoning to over seasoning his Philly Cheese steak. I also think he has a better chance to win over Anotnia, but another bottom finish this week could send him packing.


5. Antonia Lofaso



Antonia followed up her 3 straight bottom finishes (one of which wasn’t her fault, but her teams) with a win and a top finish. She has been cooking very strong as of late, but as discussed before, doesn’t have as many wins as Dale so she is sitting at 5. I could easily see her jumping Dale and even Richard with another strong performance this week.


Chopping Block


6. Tiffany Derry



I do find it interesting that the two contestants from season 7 have made it to the top 7. I was expecting both the chefs to be worn down from the quick turnaround of the two seasons. However, maybe they were more prepared for this season then the other chefs. Tiffany is starting to doubt herself, which obviously is never a good thing. She’s been very up and down this season with 3 top finishes and 3 bottom finishes over the past 6 weeks. If she can get her confidence back I can see her making the finale, but if she can’t, I can easily see her being sent packing this week.


7. Mike Isabella



Mike has been a pretty consistent performer all season. He has been safely in all but 3 weeks with 1 high finish that was followed up by back to back low finishes. He has won 1 quickfire this season. I can’t say he’s really done anything bad to be placed on the bottom, but everyone else is performing better.

MJ and Scottie Courtside. So Close, Yet So Far

In case you missed it, last night during the Bulls game against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had courtside seats for the action. According to this article, when showed on the Jumbotron the two of them received a standing Ovation. It's always great to see Micheal back in Chicago.


Here is a clip of my favorite MJ standing ovation, His last professional game in Chicago.

Dave Toub Special

The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs has been doing positional breakdowns of the Bears looking towards next year, and the most recent one (I think) covers special teams.

If you're a Bears fan, you know our special teams are this team's secret weapon. It's not just Devin Hester or Danieal Manning, though those guys are obviously all-time great and very good, respectively.

It's guys like Corey Graham, who will be an unrestricted free agent, and Rashied Davis, the WR-slash-expert at keeping promising young receivers from making the team in summer camp.

Anyway, this breakdown covers all of the Bears' large number of free agents on special teams, which include Graham, Davis, and punter Brad Maynard. Highly recommended. Now let's learn about playing gunner! Wahoo!

My Post-Superbowl 2011 NFL Mock Draft

Because I'm ubber excited for the NFL draft already, I am going to post my post-superbowl 1 round mock. I will do more rounds once the combine is over. Before I do it, did anyone else hear that the Bears are looking to trade Greg Olsen again. Last year they almost got a 2nd rounder. I don't know if they'll get anything better than a 3rd Rounder at this point. Anyways, here we go:

1. Carolina Panthers - Nick Fairley DT Auburn

Seems sort of obvious. Since Andrew Luck is not coming out, the Panthers will be focused on defense. Ron Rivera will want to get a dominating DT for his new team.

2. Denver Broncos - Da'Quan Bowers DE Clemson

The Broncos couldn't get pressure on the QB last year to save their lives. Da'Quan Bowers solidifies one defensive end position. Elvis Dumervil coming back will help them have an incredible pass rush. I could also see them going with AJ Green.

3. Buffalo Bills - Vonn Miller DE/OLB Texas A&M

I see the Bills placing more emphasis on attacking the line of scrimmage than they do defending the pass. Further, Steve Johnson came into his own this year so I don't think they'll go AJ Green with this pick.

4. Cincinnati Bengals - AJ Green WR Georgia

With Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens likely gone this year, I think they will look to please Carson Palmer with the best Wide Receiver in the draft.

5. Arizona Cardinals - Robert Quinn DE UNC

The Cardinals could go QB or CB. However, I think they'll look to add to their defense and add a QB via a trade. I could see them landing Kevin Kolb with their second round pick.

6. Cleveland Browns - Marcell Dareus DE/DT Alabama

They could take Julio Jones but I don't see them reaching for him. Instead, they reach for a solid defensive tackle as they shift to a 4-3 defense. Also, its clear that the run on defensive lineman is early.

7. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Peterson CB LSU

I know he drops a bit here. I would have him dropping even further if I wasn't convinced that Jim Harbaugh is hoping for a scenario where he can draft Andrew Luck next year. Heck, don't be surprised if they trade this pick for a first rounder next year just so he can land his guy. But a great value at this pick if they do land Patrick Peterson.

8. Tennessee Titans - Cam Newton QB Auburn

I know they just got done with Vince Young. However, Bud Adams (the owner of the Titans) LOVED Young's abilities. The only reason he was let go was likely because he is a head case. Enter Vince Young 2.0... Cam Newton. This pick makes too much sense to me.

9. Dallas Cowboys - Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska

The Cowboys want more help in their secondary. They could go offensive line but I think Jerry Jones continues his trend and instead focuses on corner.

10. Washington Redskins - Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri

If I were a GM I wouldn't draft a QB in this years first round. However, I'm not. I see the Redskins going after a QB early and letting go of Donovan McNabb. Then again, they may wait and draft one in the second or third round and see how Sexy Rexy does.

11. Houston Texans - Brandon Harris CB Miami

I know this is a HUGE reach. But I see the Texans making a huge reach seeing how bad their secondary was last year. They need help here and they know it. That's why I think they reach for what may be a late first early second round talent in the top 15.

12. Minnesota Vikings - Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State

The first tackle off the board goes to the Vikings. They had some protection issues last year and they will probably want to fix them this year since there are no other available QB's worth a first round pick.

13. Detroit Lions - Nate Solder OT Colorado

With the corners off the board the Lions look to keep Matthew Stafford healthy. So, offensive tackle it is.

14. St. Louis Rams - Julio Jones WR Alabama

They want more weapons for Sam Bradford. Julio Jones is a solid pick here.

15. Miami Dolphins - Mark Ingram RB Alabama

The Dolphins are going to probably let go of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. What does that mean? They have no starting RB. So why not take one in the first round.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Cameron Jordan DE California

A few things seem to happen every draft. The Raiders do something stupid. The Bears draft at least one huge bust in the first three rounds. And the Jaguars use their first round pick to go defensive end. The run on the defensive line slowed a bit, but now it picks back up.

17. New England Patriots - Ryan Kerrigan DE/OLB Purdue

The Patriots continue to bolster their defense. The addition of Ryan Kerrigan will help their defense become a very good one.

18. San Diego Chargers - Aldon Smith DE/OLB Missouri

The Chargers are trying to find someone who can do what Steroid McGee used to be able to do. It's funny to see how far Shawne has fallin' since he's tested postive. Mr. Matthews, your turn is right around the corner.

19. New York Giants - Tyron Smith OT USC

The Giants have some offensive line issues that they could start to take care of here.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Cameron Heyward DE/DT Ohio State

The Bucs want to solidify their defensive line and start to get a ton of pressure. They could also go after Akeem Ayers, but he continues to slide down the board.

21. Kansas City Chiefs - Justin Houston DE/OLB Georgia

The Chiefs need to rush the passer better. They could also use another really good defensive player. In my opinion, they also need a wide receiver, but there is no one worth taking here.

22. Indianapolis Colts - Mike Pouncey OG/C Florida

I see him jumping up the board and the Colts had some issues on their interior line. This seems to make too much sense.

23. Philadelphia Eagles - Akeem Ayers OLB UCLA

The Eagles watch as Akeem Ayers drops to them and they select him to help bolster a defense that was much worse than people actually give it credit for being.

24. New Orleans Saints - Adrian Clayborne DE Iowa

The Saints are ecstatic that Adrian Clayborne is still there and select him to help bolster their pass rush. Their offense seems to be just fine, they just need to improve their defense.

25. Seattle Seahawks - Gabe Camrini OT Wisconsin

The Seahawks desperately want to get better on their o-line. Most people think of Camrini as a RT and the Seahawks just drafted their LT last year. So, the improvement continues.

26. Baltimore Ravens - Titus Young WR Boise State

Many people have him moving up the boards quickly after the Senior Bowl. He's being called the next DeSean Jackson. If you ask me, I'd say bust. However, the Ravens need a downfield threat to take the pressure of Joe Flacco and Ray Rice.

27. Atlanta Falcons - Jonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh

The Falcons are in obvious need of a second receiving threat. Jonathan Baldwin has some character issues, but otherwise has all the tools. He's 6'5" and will help the Falcons offense become something to fear.

28. New England Patriots - JJ Watts DE Wisconsin

The Patriots continue to bolster their defense. They pick the best player available here, and that happens to be JJ Watts.

29. Chicago Bears - Corey Liuget DT Illinois

Corey Liuget is the best 3-technique available. I don't see the Bears keeping Tommie Harris and they could use someone who can penetrate through the middle of that defense to take pressure off of Julius Peppers. Plus, there is no one on the board for the offensive line that matches the quality of the pick that you get with Liuget. If Camrini or Pouncey fell I would love to have them, but I don't think they will. I think Camrini may actually be the best tackle in the draft.

30. New York Jets - Muhammad Wilkerson DE/DT Temple

It's clear that the Jets need more pass rushers. Shaun Ellis is getting old. This pick makes just too much sense to me.

31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jimmy Smith CB Colorado

The Steelers add more CB depth so that they can stop high powered passing attacks, such as the Patriots or the Packers.

32. Green Bay Packers - Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College

The Packers really need help on the o-line still. One year ago they were a lot like the Bears were last year (so they are 1 year ahead in the crappy o-line to good o-line race). The Packers go with the best available tackle, in their opinion, and end up with another tackle who is a bust. See Bryan Bulaga. Enjoy bitches!!!

As for the remaining Bears picks. I see us trading Greg Olsen for a second round pick, and here is how I see our first three rounds going.

1. Corey Liuget - DT Illinois

2. Stefan Wisniewski - G/C Penn State

2. Marcus Cannon - OT/G TCU

3. Ras-I Dowling - CB Virginia

Trivia: Winners of Heisman, NCAA Title and Super Bowl

Charles Woodson became just the third player ever to win a Heisman Trophy, NCAA Title and the Super Bowl. Name the other two.

Williams Wall Suspended.

Its official. The Williams brothers are suspended. Let's just hope the Bears get them in the first four weeks.

Utah State Fans

Last year the big newcomer to college basketball fans was Kansas State and the Octagon of Doom. This year, is the Utah State Fan Base

I am not sure if you have seen it, but before every game the entire Student Section Starts Chanting "I Believe That We Will Win"



During the game, they have some of the best distractions for free throw shooters thanks to Wild Bill.

See more funny videos and TBT at Todays Big Thing.

Once the game is over, or clearly over. The crowd starts kindly pointing out which team is the winning team and which team is the losing team.



All this adds up to 23 and counting straight wins at home for Utah State.

Looks like fun, who wants to road trip?

William Perry Article

This is a great Read from ESPN

White Men Can Dunk

And Indiana is apparently devoted to proving it. Where's my Elston throw-down?





Wow.

Super Bowl Picks

FODOR'S PICKS

As per usual, I'm working all Super Bowl Sunday, which means I get to enjoy the game via the dulcet tones of Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, and whoever the hell else they have on the radio broadcast.

This is definitely not a bad thing. See below.

God, I hate these guys.

Anyway, since I typically root for the NFC on the rare occasion that the Bears don't make it to the Big Game, this year presents a difficult challenge, because, well, it's the freakin' Packers.

Let's not drag it out any more, eh? I'm rooting for the Steelers. And in case I had ANY doubts whatsoever, douchebag Rick Reilly conveniently erased them for me last week.

"You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because Packers fans took a taunt -- "You cheesehead!" -- and turned it into a gouda thing. In 1987, Ralph Bruno, while upholstering his mother's couch in Milwaukee, burned holes into one of the cushions, carved a hole for his head and painted it yellow. Thus, the Cheesehead product line was born.... Do they wear steel beams in Pittsburgh?" - Reilly

You've gotta be kidding me, man. Just to be fair to The Juggernaut, here's a nice mailbag from their other featured columnist, the one with a brain in his head.

Here's what I like about the Pittsburgh Steelers, aside from the fact that they're not the Pack:

Troy Polamalu flying around the field.

THIS GUY (oh, and he can actually play a little DE, too).
Big Ben: Not Guilty, but has grown out of it anyway, and is no longer the cocky asshole that everybody that ever went to Miami of Ohio (and Roger Goodell) told me he was.

Antwaan Randle El - the Indiana connection, baby! Highest rated passer in NFL history. Seriously. Look it up.

Rashard Mendenhall - because I know at least one hilarious incriminating story about him from a U of I student or graduate. And because he's given that stuff up and is now a GREAT running back.

So here are a few picks.

To win: Steelers

ATS: Steelers +3 over Packers

Prop Bets:

Christina Aguilera National Anthem: UNDER 1min 54 sec

First scoring play of the game: Pittsburgh Steelers FG +300

Result of first coaches' challenger: Play Overturned -110

Which will be the highest scoring quarter: 3rd quarter +350

Man oh man, there are so many of these! Let's take a look at some cross bets, eh?

Which game will have the larger winning margin, Magic @ Celtics or Super Bowl? I think I'd probably take Magic @ Celtics here.

You can also get odds on the Dub-fecta of both the Steelers winning and the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, which is one I'd be interested in if I were an insane Pittsburgher.

And last but not least, "Who will the winner of the Super Bowl MVP thank first?"
Coach 15/2
Family 13/2
God 3/2
Teammates 5/4
Does Not Thank Anyone 15/4 <-- I like those odds. Have fun today everybody, and fast forward those commercials! You can YouTube the good ones later. We'll see y'all in training camp, along with Brett Keisel's Beard. Go Bears. Uh, Steelers. Right.



NOFFKE'S PICKS

HAPPY SUPER SUNDAY! EVERYONE!

Pre-game has been going on for 8 hours, the Burgers ready for the grill, Meatballs are cooking and Beer is getting cold. Sadly Fodor cannot make my 8th annual Super Bowl Party

As for the game, this was the easiest choice of who I am rooting for. It's my favorite non Bears team vs the Bears arch rival. No Brainer I'm going for the Steelers. Will I be wearing my Jerome Bettis Jersey that is three sizes too small? You bet I am




As for my expert pick against the line, I will take the Steelers and lay the three. I think Aaron Rodgers has had a couple good games in the playoffs and is now overated. He actually played terrible against the Bears in the NFC title game. There are people who are saying he plays better indoors, then why did he play so bad against the Lions.

I see a close game, but the Steelers end up winning by 10. Also, every time I've picked them to win on this Blog, they have.

Heads or Tails: TAILS! (it never fails)

Will any Steelers do the Rodgers Championship Belt Celebration: YES

Will Jerome Harrison get a Personal Four: Yes

Over/Under 6 seconds on Brave for Christina during the National Anthem: OVER

Over/Under 2.5 Brett Favre references. OVER! WAY WAY OVER!

Will a Kick hit the Scoreboard. No

Will BJ Raji see the field on offense? YES

Over/Under 38.5 for Number of the Player who scores the first TD. I'm taking the Over. I am worried about one of the Steelers fast WR breaking one long, but if I had to pick a player I'm Going Ward


HAPPY SUPER SUNDAY

Fitzgerald to Analysts: Suck It

I loved this quote from Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald regarding his 2011 signing class -

Critics say the class lacks top-end talent, but Fitzgerald doesn't care how analysts view his players. "I went from a zero-star prospect to a two-time All-American," he said of his linebacker days with the Wildcats. "Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Yup.

Watford Breaks Right Hand

This just in, from IU Media via insidethehall.com.

Indiana University sophomore Christian Watford is out indefinitely with a broken left hand suffered Sunday in an 84-83 overtime loss at Michigan State. He underwent surgery today. He is the team’s leading scorer and is eighth in the conference averaging 17.0 points. He is sixth in the conference in free throw percentage (83.5) making 111 of 133 charity tosses.

(*&#$^(@*&#^($*&% !!!!!!!

I don't know that anybody on the team can step up and fill this gaping hole. (uh, that's what she said?) Seriously, we don't really have another true small forward. Hopefully Verdell gets back soon and Derek Elston sacks up. This one really hurts.

So How 'Bout Those Hoosiers?

We've obviously been staying on top of the emerging story surrounding the youthful Indiana Hoosiers, who beat Illinois last week 52-49 (great game, watched it at Yogis) and then took Michigan State to the wire in an 84-83 overtime loss (we were ROBBED, thanks officials) at the Breslin Center.

My first question is: The kids are getting it done without the services of Verdell Jones OR Maurice Creek, who were inarguably the top scoring options on this team coming in to the season, at least at guard. How?

The answer? Sophomores Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford are apparently entering their primes. Hulls is absolutely clutch -



-and Watford is presenting a strong case that he is going to be NBA worthy after probably another year.

Next question: Are the injuries to Creek and Verdell allowing other players to shine?

Well, I wouldn't exactly call this a blessing in disguise, but let's be honest. Maurice this year was nowhere close to where he was last year, when he led all freshmen in scoring before his season-ending injury. He couldn't move as well and his shot was off.

Now, Matt Roth gets off the bench and can provide instant offense, as he did against Michigan State. Will Sheehey can show us all why Crean was so excited to add him to the team - nice fastbreak and dunk against the Spartans, kid! - and between him and Oladipo, this year's freshman class looks to be fitting in nicely.

Lastly, what about the big men?

I've been a Tom Pritchard defender basically since we started having to defend Pritchard all the time, which would be after his production fell off a cliff midway through 2008-09. If he can just stay in the game, he provides solid defense and pick-and-roll skills, as well as a penchant for the big moment. Huge plays winning the Illinois game and then getting some very key rebounds in the later minutes of Michigan State.

On average, Tom fouls 6.7 times per forty minutes, while only drawing two fouls in that time. If there's an area for improvement (and there is) then this is it, because his backups Derek Elston (minus 2.1) and Bobby Capobianco (minus SEVEN!) aren't good at getting opposing big men in trouble, either.

Watford, by the way, leads the team in this category, fouling three times per forty and drawing 6.7/40, good for 47th in the nation according to kenpom.com.

So can we beat Minnesota tomorrow? I think so. Will we? Who knows, but if this team keeps showing us steady improvement and gelling like they have been, almost anything is possible. And yes, I include an NIT bid in that statement.