An Illini Double Standard when it comes to Oral Committments

As you must know, all Illinois fans are pouting about Eric Gordon coming off his oral commitment to Illinois to go to Indiana, a move that was made after Indiana got rid of Mike Davis to go to his home state team. Apparently when Illini Nation points a finger, it forgets that it points four back at themselves.

From the Chicago Sun Times:

Homewood-Flossmoor's Russell Ellington, who had given oral commitments to Iowa State and later to Iowa, now has given an oral commitment to Illinois coach Ron Zook.

The 6-3, 205-pounder, who is projected to play linebacker, has played wide receiver as well as on defense. He was moved to quarterback, where he sparked the Vikings' surprising run to the Class 8A semifinals.

"Things with Iowa just haven't felt good for the last few weeks in particular," Ellington told Tim O'Halloran of EdgyTim.com. "My family in particular just didn't feel comfortable with some of the things they were hearing about me from Iowa. I really don't want to get into the details, but I told the Iowa coaches a few weeks ago that I was going to reopen my recruiting. I decided this past weekend that I was ready to give Illinois and coach Ron Zook my verbal commitment."

Ellington will join friend and H-F football and basketball teammate Supo Sanni.

"They recruited us as individuals and sold us both on the positives of Illinois," Ellington said. "Sure, Supo and I are already talking about being roommates at Illinois and all of that, but that was never the big plan or anything like that. It just worked out that way, and I'm pretty happy.

We Await the Japanese Language Signage Behind Home Plate

Now that Kosuke Fukudome is signed up for 4 years, we can see if he is closer to Ichiro Sukuki, Hadeki Matsui, or So Taguchi....

Well, if nothing else, I now know where my increased season ticket payment is going.

The First Post-McDonough Promotion Set

According to sources, the Cubs will be having its First Turn Back the Clock Day, wearing the 1948 uniforms. No date was set.

Seems like McDonough always said that every day was Turn Back the Clock Day, so there was no need. Was this a promotion that he had vetoed up until his travels to West Madison Street?

We'll see...

"That's Why They Call Him Dick" Williams to HOF

Dick Williams, the manager of the 1984 San Diego Padres, and the A's dynasty of the 70s, was elected today to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hopefully, he will not spend time in Cooperstown in the same way he did before a fantasy camp in January 2000.

Back then, rollers were called to Williams' hotel after several guests reported that the 70-year-old was walking naked and masturbating outside of his room in Fort Myers, Florida, where he was attending a Fantasy Baseball camp. For the record, Williams denied the part about the tossing off.

He was known as a gruff guy. Not gruff but lovable, just gruff. The scuttlebutt was that the arrest caused HOF officials to encourage voters to keep him out in the Spring 2000 veterans' vote.

Good to see jerking off in public won't keep one out of the Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Marvin Miller, not to mention, Ron Santo, is on the outside looking in.

Looking at this picture, Dick looks like the Strother Martin character in Slap Shot, and here is him talking about Dick's "avocation:"

P.S. Tossing off, or Throwing Things, Indeed...

Say It Ain't So, Dan!

Based on the increased traffic here, especially after a long layoff, I checked google news to see what was the reason:

Here's the reason:

Major League Baseball suspended free agent pitcher Dan Serafini 50 games Tuesday for testing positive for a performance- enhancing substance in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program.

Serafini appeared in three games this past season for the National League champion Colorado Rockies and recorded just one out while allowing two runs and two walks. Prior to his short stint with the Rockies, Serafini last pitched in the league in 2003 with the Reds.

"Although I understand that I must accept the terms of the suspension, I want to make it known that I did not use any banned substances in order to gain a competitive advantage," Serafini said in a statement. "However, while playing baseball in Japan, I suffered two significant injuries that limited my playing time to seven games in 2006 and nine games in 2007.

"While trying to accelerate the healing process of these injuries, I took substances that were prescribed for me by a doctor in Japan. What I did not know at the time was that these substances would cause me to test positive once I returned to the US. I have not taken these or any banned substances since returning to the US and signing with the Colorado Rockies organization in July."

A cynic would say that you shouldn't use Japanese doctors, but while in Japan, do as the Japanese do. A cynic would also say that there is no need to ban a guy who is likely going to be on the outside looking in anyway.

Also, for those that think I am the real Dan Serafini, please take a look here and here.

Finally, a special HELLO to the gang at MLB, ESPN, RedReport, and Desipio!

Dan Serafini to Get Good Look at World Series

Dan didn't get a shot to pitch after that night in Philadelphia, but he has had a great look at one of the great stretch runs and playoff runs in baseball history. The Colorado Rockies have simply torn it up, and are now waiting (cooling their heels would be redundant in Colorado) until the Indians decide whether to choke away the series to the Red Sox.

So, even though Dan won't be eliglble (unless they change the roster) to pitch, he will be in the dugout and/or bullpen, with the proverbial "front seat to history."

Eva Mendes is Good Looking

Righteous Indignation from Knight's Sheep

So, yeah, Kelvin Sampson made some mistakes with phone calls. Things probably Robert Montgomery Knight had no history of. Things that likely would not have seen the light of day had an intern not discovered them.

This has given ammunition to the (coincidentally, white) Knight followers who forgive the litany of excesses from him because of national championships twenty years ago, but cannot stomach a few extra phone calls. Phone calls to recruits that wouldn't give Knight's Indiana program a first, let alone second look.

From the Indy Star:

Reaction by former IU players Monday was swift and harsh. Kent Benson, a two-time All-American, called the situation “a total travesty.”

Ted Kitchel, another former All-American who previously criticized Sampson’s hiring by saying he “wouldn’t hire that guy to coach my fifth-grade girls team,” said the new reports suggest Sampson does not believe rules apply to him.

Joe Hillman, a member of the 1987 national championship team, said it’s embarrassing to “the program, the university and to Rick Greenspan.”

Benson, in particular, blasted the university. “I’m absolutely, totally embarrassed for the Indiana basketball program,” Benson said. “They need to do the right thing. If no tolerance means no tolerance, they get rid of him. And Greenspan should be right behind.”

A teammate of Benson on the '76 championship team, Bobby Wilkerson (coincidentally, black), feels differently:

“All coaches advertently or inadvertently make those mistakes,” Wilkerson said. “He hasn’t done anything other coaches haven’t done. They have a million rules. I think he’s a good coach. He’s a coach IU can grow with. I support him 100 percent.”

Seems to me Benson, in particular, is carrying water for Knight. To continue to beat the drum about "zero tolerence" tells you what this really all about.

I agree with Wilkerson about everything he said.

Soon to be Seen at Great American Cinergy Riverfront Stadium Ball Park

I will say this much for the guy, he is a hell of a good interview. April 15 he will be at Wrigley, dude.

Wait Until Next Year

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.

A. Bartlett Giamatti

Cubs Lose Game One, but it's a Best of Five Series

I hate the idea of facing Doug Davis down 1-0.

I would have more to say, but I was too focused on the “Cub fan” right behind home plate who spent the night talking on the phone, putting up signs, chatting up the blonde with his back to the game before bringing attention to himself on the ninth with the flashing light. The downside to HD, I suppose, is seeing that so clearly.

Tough call to take out Zambrano, but I was in support at the time. Leaves Z with a good feeling going into Sunday, and his arm should be fresh. Assuming we get there. Unfortunately, the Cubs were swinging hard and to pull against Webb, and the result was predictable. Piniella’s post-game comments were right on, and Z just as easily could have given up the bomb to Reynolds…

Listen, you guys, this is only the first game. There's a lot of baseball to be played in this series, OK? Let's not gloom-and-doom this thing."

He is So Taguchi

Yeah, the Cubs lost, but...

Ned Yost and Prince Fielder showed that they are inferior to Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols tonight when they first lost a round of beanball, and then got beat by the pathetic Cardinals.

Fielder got beaned, then Yost got tossed when the Brewers hit Pujols, leading to a 4 run inning, going from 4-2 to 7-2, featuring a big double by good ol' Number 99.

Either way, the magic number is 3. Same result as if both teams won. A push. Really.

But, yeah, let's win tomorrow.

Feeling Woozy

It's amazing what 1.5 games will do to one's stomach. Yes, you can't win them all, and yes, Dontrelle Willis had a good game in an otherwise crappy season, and umpire Andy Fletcher had a five-foot wide strike zone (I doubt you'll see him in the post-season), but there is a huge difference between a 3 game lead and a 2 game lead these days.

Just win tonight against the guy I have never heard of, and get me off the ledge.

Zambrano NOT to the Rescue

The Cubs followed up their thrilling victory Monday night with a game Tuesday night in a matchup between the Cubs arguably best pitcher against the Reds' best pitcher, Aaron Harang. They knew they still had a whisker-thin one game lead, and were tied in the loss column, so they had to get a win, especially with the Brewers facing a rookie starter.

As they say, Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.

Unfortunately, the Cubs were losing before they got a chance to bat. Zambrano, pitching for the first time at Wrigley since he bitched about Cubs fans who booed him, gave up a single to the first batter, hit the next, and eventually gave up two runs in the first inning.

The rest of the game was spent waiting to see if Zambrano would self-immolate and get booed, and it looked like the rest of the team was fighting to keep Zambrano in the game, or at least not be taken out mid-inning to boos, and thus keep the focus on the pennant race, and not one guy. They did not seem to be ready to come from behind again, whcih is why a good start by Zambrano was so critical.

Don't get me wrong, I love Zambrano (really), but you can now tell how he will do by the first inning, if not the first batter. He needs some focus, badly, and it seems he gets it when he's on the road.

Sure, you can say the Cubs lost to a good, if not great pithcer, and they can win the series by winning tonight behind Ted Lilly. They question is, if the Cubs do make the playoffs, should Big Z be your Game One starter?

Still, it's only one game, right? Let's see how he does Sunday against Pittsburgh...

About IU Football...

There have been inquiries about why I dont talk about IU Football, when I do talk about IU basketball. Instead of succumbing to my fallback line, "I went to Indiana; we don't have a football program," I will say a few words about IU Football.

BEAT ILLINOIS

Everyone wants IU to go to a bowl, and I do, too, but they won't (or shouldn't) if they don't beat Illinois this week. They didn't blow out the three non-conference opponents so far, other than woeful Indiana State, and their schedule doesn't offer them too many chances if they don't beat a badly coached Illinois team.

The other reason I care little about football, either the Bears or IU, is that the Cubs are in FIRST PLACE, and as long as they are playing meaningful games, the football schedule will just have to wait. For example, I usually go to the Indiana-Illinois football game (or at least to a bar to watch), but I have Cubs tickets, so I will DVR the game and hoe to see it without learning the score after the Cubs game.

Looking for a Positive Here...

Dan Serafini pitched to one batter last night in the Rockies-Phillies tilt and walked him, committing a balk along the way. Unfortunately, the guys after him allowed his runner to score, which means Dan's ERA goes up to 54.00. The Rockies lost 12-4, so his role was not large in the defeat.

Let's hope Dan gets some outs here real soon.

Serafini helps set National League Record!

Dan Serafini was one of a National League record 10 pitchers used by the Rockies in nine innings in a 10-4 victory over the Padres, who used only six pitchers, in front of 27,247. The 10 pitchers in nine innings tied a Major League record.

Mark Redman and Ryan Speier relieved Dessens in the third and the Padres scored one run.
Then Speier, Dan Serafini and Matt Herges pitched the fourth, keeping the Padres to one run, as Herges got Milton Bradley to ground out with the bases loaded. For those of you keeping score at home, that's five pitchers in three innings.

First Game Back: 0.1 innings, 1 Run

Dan Serafini pitched 0.1 innings today, hit his fellow high school alum, Barry Bonds, and was charged with a run. Well, at least he got the rust off...

BACK TO THE BIGS!!!

Kudos to Dan Serafini to returning to the Major Leagues, this time with the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, the Rockies don't play any of the Cubs' rivals, but we wish him the best of luck that he has come to the majors to stay.

From the Rockies' official release:

The Rockies will officially add lefty Dan Serafini to their active roster Tuesday.

Space for Serafini, who is not on the 40-man roster, will most likely be made by moving Jason Hirsh or Aaron Cook to the 60-day disabled list.

Serafini started the year in the Japanese League, and the former first-round Draft pick of the Twins has not pitched in the Majors since 2003 with the Reds. In 11 games and three starts with the Sky Sox, he went 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA.

For those of you new to this site, I explain the name here.

Ugly Day at Wrigley. Real Ugly.

The wife and I went to the game yesterday, leaving the boy with a sitter and hoping to enjoy the first place Cubs and Carlos Zambrano pitching. Things did not go well on the field, and I told the wife as it was imploding that the fans would be booing Carlos and that it would be ugly.

Unfortunately, I was right. From The Tribune:

"I don't accept that the fans were booing at me," a seething Zambrano said afterward. "I can't understand that. You know, I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball. But they showed me today that they just care about them, and that's not fair, because when you're struggling, you want to feel the support of the fans."No, I don't accept it. I just pointed to my head, and I will remember that because I don't want any bad outings. I know the great moments of my career will come."

"[Fans] pay to see a good show," he said. "They pay to see a good pitcher. Right now, I'm not doing too well. I just call [out to] the fans, 'I want a little support.' That's all. When you're struggling, or you have a brother who's struggling, you show him love. You don't show him you want to kick him out. That's what I ask of the fans—a little support." And not only [for] me. I go out there and try to do my best, but not everybody is like Carlos Zambrano [and can] keep his head up and keep trying to do a good job. There are people on this team who are struggling and going down and down …"When you're booing somebody, you're booing the 25 men on this ballclub, and that's not fair. That happened before to some of my teammates, and that's not right. I think we go out there to give Cubs fans a good show and to go to the playoffs, and that's what I want. No one wants to do a bad job. … Every single player in that clubhouse wants to do a great job for the city, believe me."

I tend to agree with the sentiment about booing the home team, and I truly don't doubt his wanting to do well and working hard, but it was real dumb for Zambrano to express it in that situation. As it stands, he will likely have only one more start at Wrigley. Let's just hope that we make the payoffs, and we can make the day just a blip on the radar. Wishful thinking, huh?

Also, why does Joe West make himself part of every game he is in?

Before we sweep the Giants...

I am referring to Paul Sullivan's entry here.

More interesting Barrett stats:

Cubs with Barrett: 32-37 (.464). Cubs after Barrett: 32-24 (.571).
The Padres before Barrett: 41-28 (.594). The Padres with Barrett: 25-30 (.455).
The Padres with Barrett starting: 8-17 (.320). Padres all season with anyone else starting: 58-40 (.592).

Hopefully meaningless Koyie Hill stats:

From June 3-July 16, when the Cubs were 26-12 and the best team in baseball: With Hill catching 13-4, Barrett 5-5, Geovany Soto 2-0 and Rob Bowen 6-3.

Since Jason Kendall arrived: 4-3 with Hill, 12-14 with Kendall.

Going into the week, Kendall's catcher's ERA was near 5.00, while Hill's was 3.02, though Kendall's was a terrific 3.38 with Oakland this season.

Just one more: Carlos Zambrano's OPS against was .523 with Hill, .801 with Kendall and .965 with Barrett.

(from Rozner today)

The Belly of the Beast

This is what happens when Barry Bonds' 756th home run lands a few rows in front of you.

From Deadspin.

Interesting Michael Barrett Stats

From today's Rozner column:

Carlos Zambrano in 2007 with Barrett catching him: 2-4, 7.52 ERA, 1.893 WHIP. With anyone else: 12-3, 1.97 ERA, 0.985 WHIP.

Jake Peavy in 2007 with Barrett catching him: 0-4, 4.88 ERA, 1.542 WHIP. With anyone else: 10-1, 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP.

Cubs are 23-11 since they traded Barrett. The Padres are 15-19 since they got him.

This does not include his bitchfest which led to a one game suspension.

Bruce Froemming Cannot Retire Soon Enough

Bruce Froemming is retiring after this season, and not soon enough. Unlike any umpire this side of Joe West, Froemming makes himself part of the game like no other. You need not look up the umpires when he is working the game, because he will call attention to himself at some point during the game.

MLB realizes this, and assigned him to work Tuesday's All Star Game so that they would not have to use him when it matters, in the postseason.


Last night, as he wore his All-Star patched hat (as if to remind people), He blew another call (or calls): From the Seattle Times:

The crowd of 31,994 at Safeco Field erupted in thunderous cheers as it realized Beltre was safe and all the runs counted. But second-base umpire Bruce Froemming had plenty of explaining to do as the Tigers, led by Guillen and manager Jim Leyland, surrounded him on the field.

"They don't get him and now they come out to argue that they got him," Froemming told a pool reporter after the game. "But they don't know if they got him or not."

But television replays appeared to show Guillen tagging Beltre at least once, if not twice.

"It felt like twice," Guillen said. "I don't know. He made the call."

The confusion mounted moments later when the Tigers made an appeal throw to second before the next pitch. Froemming called Beltre out, ruling he'd never touched the bag before heading to third.

But replays appeared to show Froemming getting it wrong once again. Beltre did indeed appear to touch second base — Froemming initially made a "safe" gesture with his arms that seemed to confirm it — but was ruled out nonetheless.

"He said that I never touched the bag, which I did," Beltre said. "He [Guillen] might have tagged me, I don't know. It was weird because I was trying to swing away from him. I don't know if he tagged me."

This guy isn't just a bad umpire, he is a bad guy.

They love Serafini in Japan!

And no, I cannot translate.

What I Was Going to Say Before they Won It...

A bad loss. Coming off the big sweep of the White Sox, this team had a big lead and then coughed it up...

Lou Pinella gets the blame for this loss. The six runs given up in the ninth were given up by 1) a guy who hasn't pitched in a big situation since crapping all over himself for most of the season, and who had been extended into his third inning, as he came into the game in the 7th; and b) another aging guy who has was pitching for the third day in a row after getting two one-inning saves after spending most of the season as a set up guy before being marginalized by Pinella, and I would bet he hasn't pitched three straight days all season (he hasn't, I looked it up).

It is also a mistake to have Koyie Hill pinch hitting as the final out of the game. I would even prefer Cliff Floyd against a leftie. Ok, he got a hit, but...

At least Comcast showed the moron who rushed Howry get "nuetralized" by security before realizing what they were doing.

And how's about Mike Fontenot! And a huge clutch hit by the National League Player of the Week.

Too Bad He's Dead: Rod Beck

Rod Beck died.

He was real good for the Giants, but then saved a whopping 51 games for the Cubs in the magical year of 1998. He didnt seem to have any special pitch, and it was amazing he ever got anybody out.

For the Cubs, it was a one-year wonder, and he was gone by September of 1999. You can read elsewhere about him, and it is likely he died from something connected with substance abuse, but he was a real good closer for the Cubs for one year, a playoff year.

Addition by Subtraction

Michael Barrett is gone. To the left is Big Z helping Barrett get his luggage to the airport.

The Cubs traded the reptilian free agent-to be catcher for a poor hitting backup catcher and a former first round pick outfielder who is currently hitting .211 for the Fort Wayne Wizards.

A great trade.

We here have been waiting for this day for a while, and Sox fans won't have him to kick around anymore...

Too Bad He's Dead: Terry Hoeppner

Indiana Football coach Terry Hoeppner died this morning at 59.

He may not have had the greatest record at Indiana, but he brought more enthusiasm to the job than anybody else in the job in my lifetime, other than Bill Mallory, who actually won.

I guess they will let interim coach Bill Lynch take this season, and if he doesn't get them to a bowl, they can go out and hire a new hot young coach.

But, let's hope they rise to the occasion and go to a bowl this season. Why couldn't have been Cam Cameron?

Ernie Banks at the Ballpark

It was Ernie Banks #14 hat day at the ballpark last night, and he sang during the 7th inning stretch. You can see it here. Instead of wearing the hat that they were giving away in his honor, he wore this hat. Let's hope he got paid well for that, because it looked shabby.

He was his typical self during the interview, somewhat charming, but also showing a distinct lack of knowledge about the current team, or the talents of its players. He thought Cliff Floyd was 22. He called Ryne Sandberg "firey" when Len and Bob's point was that it was out of character for Ryno to be ejected 3 times already as a Class A manager.

In that conversation, he did refer to Dusty Baker as "always bitching..." about the trevails of a big league manager. Strong words from Mr. Cub, but he said them so nonchalantly, that you have to believe he was not looking to shame Dusty, just describing his tone. Dusty "bitching" to Ernie. Pathetic.

The other highlight of last night was the benching of Michael Barrett and Koyie Hill's two hits. And, of course, Sean Marshall pitched great.

All I see are Barrett's Mistakes

Michael Barrett is not the only reason the Cubs lost, but he is part of the reason. He may be a fine offensive player, and may be working hard at his defense, but he is a terrible catcher. Terrible as a handler of pitchers, terrible at blocking pitches, and terrible at the the thinking part of the game.

He is like a reptile, never thinking, but only reacting. The Zambrano thing, the AJ thing, and his less remembered runins with Oswalt and Dave Roberts show that the pattern emerging is not about them, but about Barrett. This has been going on since 2005.

Agreed, you cannot trade Barrett without getting a decent catcher in return, but for this team to win, he must be replaced. Koyie Hill is a terrible hitter, but he has already shown he is more adept as a catcher than Barrett.

Unfortunately, Barrett seems to make his biggest mistakes when the game is most on the line. DH him next week in Texas and Comiskey, please.

Dusty's Whine is Well-Aged, though the Skin is Thin

In the Tribune today, poor Dusty Baker whines about the Cubs spending money, the end of his tenure here, and, most pathetically, being afraid to go back to Wrigley. Johhny B. also talks about becoming a wine maker.

"At this point I'm not ready to [call a game at Wrigley]. I don't need any more abuse, you know what I mean? I was booed and jeered enough. You use every experience to your advantage to learn. Some you'd just as soon forget; some you don't."

Hey Dusty, I have heard you on ESPN, and you are brutal, dude. Because of blackouts, I will likely have to watch the game Monday on the U! instead of ESPN. A pity.

He is also very relatable, as he talks about not wanting to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row, which means he has to pay for the extra weight in his luggage on a (gasp) commercial flight.

I would say I cannot wait until Dusty is a manager again, but I think I will have to. I cannot imagine him getting a job any time soon. Who would want him? Unless Joe Morgan is buying a team.

P.S. Found a really good casual but upscale restaurant in the neighborhood last night.

Sweet Story, huh Tony?

Tony LaRussa is a jerk, and a bad guy. He had to have known that his beloved Josh Hancock was drunk when he plowed into the back of a tow truck, but threatened anyone that “want[s] to turn this into . . . some kind of story that's not all sweet” with a fungo bat. Better for the recently DUI'ed to threaten anyone who wants to learn the truth than take the time to bemoan drinking and driving. What a man.

Turns out, he was legally drunk, had a full pipe of pot in the truck, and was talking on the phone when he crashed his truck. Now I have no objection to doing any of those things, but not while speeding down the Interstate driving. Hancock went from mop-up pitcher to being mopped up off the highway.

It was really incredible that the initial reports were that there were no containers of alcohol found in his car, so the inference was that this was a “sweet, horrible” accident.

I always root against the Cardinals, but now I really do.

Good to know I am not alone on this.

Click This for Larger Picture

0-1, but No More Softball Uniforms

Sure, they are 0-1, and Big Z looked shaky again in an Opening Day start, but this is good news as far as I am concerned, from today’s Tribune:

Cubs starting pitchers usually get to select which color jersey the team wears, with the choice of blue or gray on the road and blue or white at home. Carlos Zambrano always has preferred to pitch in the blue jerseys, as he did all of spring training, but the team wore gray Monday.

As it turns out, Zambrano had no choice. Cubs President John McDonough has decided the Cubs will wear gray on the road and white with blue pinstripes at home. The move corresponds with the decision to put names on the backs of the uniforms.

FINAL 32

Indiana played well enough to win, as their tight defense and just enough offense beat the stoned, hallucinating Gonzaga team.

You knew they were going to win when Rod Wilmont made his first three-pointer, as he and Earl Calloway were playing as if it were their last college game, which will come Saturday night, when they get dismantled by UCLA.

Super Bears Super Bowl

GO BEARS

Back...and it's 16-5 (6-2)

As I spent the month of January bathing in the Super Bowl Bears' performance, I was still following the Hoosiers.

As tough as the Illinois loss was and is (especially with that piece of crap Bruce Weber and his shameless whining), the fact is that this team is really coming together.

Beating Wisconsin was the best example. Coach Sampson alsways says that this team has to play like it has a chip on its shoulder, and I believe him. This is a team that has dispatched the lesser team and has really competed agisnt the good or better teams. What makes me apperhensive is that this team cannot be overconfident playing anyone, be it a lesser team in the Big Ten tournament or in the first round of the NCAAs.

And they must beat Illinois February 10.