Recent Comments

Are you still tracking torrents or is everything gone?

Okay good - didn't see the tracker link on the front page.  I'm a dedicated seeder :)

We were also a lot younger - the biggest reason for the 20+ road loss earlier in the season

Really glad they got a win - team has played hard all season

"Poor Man's Tim Duncan" describes just about every big man in the NBA for the last 12 years or so which makes it not a very meaningful comparison.  There are very few as good or better than Tim Duncan so what does that tell you?

If we only lose Burke, as good as he is, with Albrecht and the recruits coming in, and the maturing of Stauskas, GRIII and McGary, we could be a better team next year.

Really saying the same thing - he was taking shots in a manner in which he wasn't comfortable.  It wasn't just an off shooting night in the way you normally think of it.  His normal shot just wasn't available.  I expect him to bounce back tomorrow night.

Would you now like to got back and re-call every close play in the game?  Come on, that's for the losers.

For the record it was a charge - check the game stats.

that's fine...but pick them over at the Kansas blog...wherever that is

I live in Southern CT and have been to all the stadiums in the area many times.  Putting aside the issue of who gets what revenue, for anyone going to the game the preference by far should be UConn's stadium in East Hartford - it isn't even close.  Why anyone would prefer to fight their way to the Meadowlands or Foxboro is beyond comprehension.  Rentschler has easy access by both car and plane, is a relatively new, nice facility, and at 40,000 a great place to see a game.

The reason they put it there was for the access - I can't understand wanting to see this game anyplace else.  Anyone going that hasn't been there before is going to love it.

Besides, I'm not convinced they could sell 70-80,000 seats.  For starters a lot of people in CT would stay home and watch on TV rather than endure the nightmare travel.

Let's grab McGill while we're at it - Montreal is awesome.  I just checked and they have football too, much to my surprise.

how or by how much I care not...just win and move on

I still don't get why he's so upset about what someone did to the program before he got there.  If it wasn't wrecked he never would have gotten the job.

caught that too - was funny

I had the same thought.  Pretty funny posting it that way regardless.

No idea, the words confined facility were mine and I wasn't quoting anything.  Just pointing out the difference between something like this and a Woodstock-style event

Good find on Wooden - he's shouting for a timeout.  He was never a screamer.  I get your point but I'm happy with Beilein and his demeanor.

I don't completely disagree with you but don't think it is all systemic.  A lot of it should get better with age and experience.

I also agree that Hardaway is not improving as much as you would hope in certain areas and will not be surprised if he's back next year.

To me the biggest problems in these last 4-5 games have been the absence of Morgan (back against MSU but I don't think 100%) and more importantly the wilting of Stauskas and Robinson on offense.

The reason he values the charging calls so much is they exact a large penalty, especially if the player who charged was about to score.  They lose the basket and get hit with a foul on the same play.  The lost score doesn't show in the stats but it's real.

Google "John Wooden angry" and see what you get...I think he knew something about coaching basketball.

Seriously though I appreciate the analysis but it's based on a few rough games in a brutal stretch of the schedule.  Good defense is about moving your feet and being in position and these freshman are still learning.  I think they hit a patch here where the thinking probably dulled the reactions and caused some hesitation.  I'm looking for a bounce back toward the end of the season and hopefully a tournament ready team.

This is a young team and it showed Tuesday night.  Sparty looked bigger and older and I think for the first time we really got overwhelmed - it's a learning experience - these coaches know how to pick them back up and I expect them to.

I don't see why Phil's hometown newspaper wouldn't want to do some digging and run hard with this story. You state as a given that they are struggling and thus preoccupied with "crime, serious corruption, or serious societal issues".  Isn't this something that could land them on the front page of ESPN, CNN and the like?  Everyone would be racing to the newsstand.  There is no way people in that town don't know what happened.

The Big Ten will always have to contend with the fact that certain schools like Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and probably Indiana and Purdue, are not in states that produce the quantity of football talent that exists in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and most of the SEC states.  To call them out on not keeping up is lame and classless.

Is Minnesota going to start grabbing top talent from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Alabama?  Never, so they have to constantly fight to keep up.  Plus, they don't cheat like Ohio and the SEC.

Basketball of course is a different story and the entire Big Ten excels relative to the SEC.

Urban Meyer is a self-absorbed asshole.

that was last year...we just beat ohio

Good stuff, thanks.  Why in the world was that negative not in a safe deposit box somewhere?  This guy seems a little slow on the uptake.

"mild" importance is a pretty apt categorization...possibly an overstatement

lol...I had the exact same reaction

I was addressing the proposition that all SC wins were "comfortable".  Thank you for the additional but unrelated information.

Pardon any hint of sarcasm. I've just had enough of the SC lovefest and I think we're going to beat them.

I generally agree with you except on one point.  That a larger player should be able to handle the force may be true on the hit itself but not when that player subsequently hits the ground - the greater mass and speed he is carrying will then work against him, especially when his neck and head slam down.

I'm not in any way saying it should or should not have been called but the play in the OP is a good example - if that hit were lower his head would not have shot back with the same force.

More likely he just happened to get caught in the act - if you're going to do it at least be somewhat smart about where and when.

The only time a team would risk a 4th and 15 from their own 30 is when they are behind, hence the greater opportunity for comebacks.  Hard to imagine a team doing it while ahead.  Also on average the field postion from the punt will probably be better than from the kickoff.

I do however strongly agree with you on the facemasks and head leading.

Obviously our recruits are better than theirs

Barry Alvarez is 65 - not sure that qualifies as "geriatric"

I don't think it's a stretch at all.  He is the stabilizing force on the defense and our most reliable tackler.  How many big plays were prevented that never show up in the stats?

agreed that was a good one...give credit where due...overall he's a pretty good analyst

Not a popular sentiment this morning but I agree with you.  I'm not ready to call a bowl with an SEC team an impending disaster, and that includes Georgia.

Why do you wish him the "best of luck"?

Screw him if he isn't here

Absolutely legendary - really glad to see Demens get a big play like that.

Talk about stopping someone in their tracks...damn

Doesn't matter what the depth is - Kovacs is a playmaker

first time I saw that picture I was reminded of the comic book store in The Big Bang Theory...all in good fun

Losing a top running back, while it doesn't help, typically won't significantly change a team's prospects.   They still have the core group of uperclassmen from the last 3-4 recruiting classes.  A few years from now you'll start to see the full effect of the sanctions and it won't be pretty.

more like Mad-Eye Mooney

I agree with you on Bo.  I loved him as much as anyone but to me he was always more program builder than game coach.  That led to some frustrating games but we got a hell of a program.

A lot of them are doing it, for whatever reason.  Just think it's the cool thing to do and doesn't mean much re: their alma mater.  It's a shout out to their HS days.

Won't miss them - wish this had happened years ago.

Also think they were really pissed about the UTL game - not only losing it but all the attention focused on the awesomeness of Michigan and Ann Arbor that weekend - they don't like playing second fiddle and they were relegated to it that day.

Anyone recall any classy shots of downtown South Bend during Saturday's telecast?

Correct, I heard at least one other whistle on a subsequent play.  Was surprised more of an issue wasn't made of it.

I thought that at first too but he was yelling at the LB who blitzed and hit Maxwell on the play before - don't know why.

Gus Johnson is priceless.

This game is highly entertaining and he is making a major contribution to the fun.

I was at this game and it was great.  Just going from memory I think IL was up 14-0 or something similar, which makes the end result that much more impressive.  Once we got going it was a non-stop TD parade.

Great set of pictures - really enjoyed them and thanks for sharing

It's happened a couple of times - how could that have been missed?

I had the same thought when it happened - it looked pretty obvious

Saturday can't come soon enough.

second that - nice site and hadn't seen it before

You're right and I generally dislike this type of analysis for the reasons you mentioned.  However in this case I do think his overall point is valid - compared to what the other SEC teams did vs. Alabama last year we look at least as good as most of them.  And that includes LSU to a degree - they were shutout 21-0 and didn't cross midfield in one game.

That's why I categorized that as "on occasion".  There were some periods where the D-Line was effective.  The LBs missed a lot of tackles near the line of scrimmage.

I'm coming down on the probably not

That's an NFL rule.  In college the defender can continue to make contact anywhere as long as the receiver is in front of him and the ball has not been thrown.

Here in Connecticut it's 8PM - that's prompted more than a few runs across the NY border - thankfully this is a small state.  Don't think you could make a comparable run to anywhere from Dallas.

While that may be true it certainly does reduce the odds of that game happening to zero.  There are many, many UFO sightings in that part of the country.

If you are driving, worst case is you jump in the car and are only 7 hours away...any sign of labor, you bolt, and will probably get there before "touchdown"

Great work and thank you...have it loaded...what a week!

Newsflash - star athletes get laid more than the average dude

good write-up...thanks

Dinardo and Griffith are giving me kind of a downer vibe here - let's get on the positive guys.

In truth they are being pretty objective but I want to hear why we can beat Alabama.

Just an FYI - the game is not actually in Storrs, it's in East Hartford, which FWIW is very accessible by car or plane.  It's small but if you were going to go from a distance the logistics are pretty easy.  Also, there could easily be 20K M fans there for that game - might actually be fun.

Someone has to explain to the person with the camera that you can't move it that fast from side to side - all you get is blurred vision and a sore neck after 20-30 identical slant passes.

Contrast that with the "bell cow", which serves a similar function in locating the herd but is actually the leader, followed by the others.

There are many worse things to double post.  This deserves a pass.

I've had a feeling for a while this was the case with Gardner and it's unfortunate.  Gardner is unfortunate but the worst redshirt burn in recent years was Campbell followed closely by Denard.  Imagine both Denard and Campbell this year as redshirt juniors with another year to go.

Campbell was a real waste - given his current conditioning if he was looking at two more years he would be set up for a major impact - not that he can't be great this year.

Could be...but it's common knowledge they're not the best of buddies.  Looks he didn't go along to show him around.

I understand the analogy but boxing and football are so far apart I don't think they're comparable.  Boxing is a sport whose stated objective is to punch a person until they're unable to get to their feet.  Football is rough but is also a team sport played from middle school through high school and in backyard pickup games and 2-3 person catches.  Yes more and more kids will stay out of organized football but the interest will not fade quickly like it did with boxing.

ACs #1 wasn't retired, and Braylon didn't wear a patch honoring AC.  And other players wore #1 between AC and Braylon without any reference to AC.

Having said that I like them wearing the retired numbers with the patches.

Agree with that and have always considered Goldeneye a favorite.  Excellent cast, well written and acted, and Tina Turner's awesome theme.  Epic opening sequence.  For some reason, and I do think it is mostly the writing, by Brosnan's last Bond they had gone way off the rails.

I read an interview with one of the producers who admitted the Bourne movies were what forced them to recognize how nutty the Bonds series had become, hence the return to a more gritty, realistic tone with Craig.

Many hardcore fans of the books consider Timothy Dalton closest to Ian Fleming's literary Bond.

Steve...I think they have you covered...

"Lots of coaches have their "best" year in their second year, winning a national championship"

Who are you citing as examples?  Not saying no, just want to know

You added that he didn't want to be a Wolverine.  You have no idea whether that is true.  He may in fact want to be a Wolverine very badly, can't get playing time, so decided to try and place somewhere else.  Leave it at that.

I'm okay with this and would be in favor of it. I also recognize it would relegate them to being a second-tier program for a long time, at least ten years.  There would be a lot of empty seats and local business would suffer marginally, but not disastrously.

This seems about right and more than fair to PSU.  Let's see if the NCAA has it in them.

It was in fact just a little bit of dark internet humor.  However in some situations it's not as crazy as it sounds.  Actually, rather than reformatting, you could replace the boot drive with a new one, reinstall everything, and keep the original as a backup/data drive.  That is the surest way to get rid of any really bad stuff and preserve your content.

Other ways may seem more painless but if they don't completely eradicate the problem the real pain will keep on coming.

format c:

Probably the most underutilized command in computer maintenance.  Seriously though, keep everything constantly backed up and don't be afraid to reinstall and start over.

Are you going to share with us your alternative methodology?

Did you really mean to say you watched ER at a Holiday Inn Express last night?

Agreed.  Amazing how a few idiots can ruin something for everyone else.  I suspected maybe it was a relatively small handful yelling the most obnoxious stuff but can't say for sure - it was not a lot at any one time.

Screaming "Go USA" after MacDowell hit his opening tee shot was particularly obnoxious.  I noticed he laughed it off but it sounded idiotic.  It has gotten bad enough that I'm surprised they aren't trying to grab the shouters and stop it but that may not be feasible.

Humidity affects the entire ball so has no effect on the consistency of spin.  It's having the liquid, however thin, on only one part of the ball that causes the irregular aerodynamics.  It's like having a mudball in golf.

If he didn't think it worked he wouldn't take the risk.

Courtney Love says yeah sure why not

Okay...I guess he may have some redeeming value...today anyway

I watched the game and really enjoyed it...had a lot of fun...profitable evening by me

I'll always remember it because it was my first game at Michigan Stadium and it was all new to me.  It was raining.  It was a sluggish game, a lot of rumbling about Hewlett, and Wangler being cheered on entering.  I thought someone threw a TD to AC that won it - must have been Hewlett.

The 1980 team had a slow start but by the end of the year was clearly as good as anyone in the country.

They run a brief rookie camp after the draft and need the bodies - if one of them surprises they can keep him - if not they move on.  It really doesn't hurt anyone.  The player gets a short look at what he's up against and maybe gets a chance someplace else.

He'll always be Uncle Fester to me...and that's a compliment

NY Times just put this on their front page

sad and tragic

worked on both IE and FF for me....yes definitely a slow Friday

Great story...thanks

Good post - missed this part.  Looked like maybe he was more like the 4th or 5th guy in.

I saw it last weekend (in Connecticut) - can't remember what show.

Great effort on this and much appreciated.  Always a bonus getting these.

I don't know about the whole thing 27 times but the end at least that many

not me

There are a lot of good looking legs in Rancho Mirage today

I was at the 1981 Navy game.  Navy had a good team that year.  IIRC Napoleum McCallum was a freshman.

Borges will always be a great interview...good stuff

I'd sure as hell take the Adams as neighbors over the Meyers...that's a family with some class, not to mention style