Illiniwek's TeePee

Chief

2008-08-18T16:00:00.003-04:00

2008-08-18T15:45:00.002-04:00

Da Coach

2008-08-18T15:43:00.001-04:00

The Kid's Going to be an All-Star

2008-04-21T13:25:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty lucky to live in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. We have UNC, NC State and Duke all within a few miles of each other, we have the Carolina Hurricanes in our backyard. We also have the Panthers and Bobcats a couple hours away in Charlotte. In addition to all of that we have two minor league baseball teams, Durham Bulls (AAA-Tampa Bay) and Carolina Mudcats (AA-Marlins). We go to quite a few games each year, you can't beat the price and the level of play is pretty good. Through the years we have seen BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, David Delucci, Elijah Dukes, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera all come through the area.
But, on Saturday night we went to a Mudcats came against the Tennessee Smokies (AA-Cubs). The Cats were down 4-3 going into the bottom of the ninth. They had a runner on second with 1 out. The entire game a buddy of mine and I were wondering where the hell Cameron Maybin was. If you don't know who that is, he is the center piece of the return package the Marlins got for Cabrera and Willis. I had heard all of the hype around him when the trade went down and wanted to see it for myself. Apparently they were giving him a night off. Well, the put him in to pinch hit. I can tell you, this kid looks like a big leaguer. You could tell who he was before they even announced him. From his build to the way he carried himself you could tell he was a star.

Long story short, one pitch, one hit - out of the park to straight away center field to walk off with a win. Yes - the kid will be an All-Star.

The Starter

2008-04-21T12:51:00.004-04:00

From the Rink...

As expected the Wings close out the Preds on the road. Lidstrom's mid-ice bouncing puck shorty was probably the thing that broke Nashville's back. That's a hard one to take. The Wings will either play the Avs - who finished off the Wild - or.....
The winner of the Flames-Sharks game tomorrow night. Surprisingly enough the Flames fought back to shut out the Sharks to force a game 7. If the Sharks win they take on the Stars (who eliminated the defending champ Ducks) while the Wings play the Avs which would re-kindle some old hatred from the mid-90's. However, if the Flames win, they go on against the Wings while the Avs and Stars face off. I'll stick with the Sharks, but with any game 7, particularly with hockey, anything can happen.
In the East, the Bruins stave off elimination by forcing a game 7 tonight. You have to give the Bruins credit, most everyone (including me) had written them off. I'm not sure they can finish the job in a hostile Montreal, but who knows? They were able to get this far after going down 3-1. I'll still stick with Habs.
The Capitals also stayed alive with a win Saturday. Now they have to go on the road to force a game 7. I like the way both teams are playing, but I still stick with the Caps heading home for game 7.

From the Hardwood...

The only real surprise is the Sixers stinging the Pistons on the road. I figured they would win one game, I just didn't think the first game would be it. I'm still picking the Pistons, but this one may be closer than thought.
How about that for a playoff coming out party for Chris Paul?
If Saturday was any kind of indication, Suns/Spurs could be an all time classic.

It's Getting Kind of Drafty....

Well draft week is here, and nothing is quite like this week of lies and misdirections you will see. Pretty much don't believe anything that starts with "a team source said..." or "someone close to the organization said...". There are absolutely NO truths being leaked this week. The manipulation and angling are almost more entertaining than the draft itself.
I have always been a draft geek. Even as a little kid. I used to (still do) just simulate seasons of Madden just to draft, re-sign, sign players trying to build Super Bowl winners. I find it intriguing the entire process that goes into it. Even though I know a lot of these players won't mean anything for at least a year, I will still be glued to see who the Bears take with their 11 picks.

Miscellaneous Ramblings.....

Something tells me the Joba Chamberlin will be in the starting line-up within a couple weeks. I'm not sure why I feel that way?
It looks as if Scott Skiles will be the new coach of the Bucks. Good luck with that. They will be fine for a year or two, then he will piss off everyone on the team to the point where they stop playing. See Suns, Phoenix and Bulls, Chicago. But I will offer the Bucks some advice. Once they do fire him, don't replace him, even on an interim basis, with one of "his" guys. It won't work out real well, just ask Mr. Boylan.
Danica finally breaks through. I was completely unaware of the fact the IRL raced in Japan. As great as the accomplishment is, it has got to somewhat of a downer for her that it happened on the other side of globe while everyone was sleeping. It's especially unfortunate when you consider that NASCAR had the week off and the IRL could of had Sunday afternoon to itself (at least for those who weren't watching the NBA or NHL).

The Starter

2008-04-19T13:04:00.003-04:00

From the Rink...

The Wings keep the Preds down on the road in the playoffs. Nashville has never won a playoff game on the road in franchise history and the Wings kept it that way......barely. Detroit won in OT after giving up the game tying goal with 42 seconds left. If nothing else the Wings like to keep it close. Look for them to close out the series on the road on Sunday.
The defending champs stay alive with a 5-2 win at home last night against the Stars. I still think they're delaying the inevitable, but it's good to see that the Ducks have a little fight left in them.
Meanwhile, the Rangers do end the series against the Devils last night. No big surprise even though it technically was an upset, 5 over 4. Really though, that's about as a non upset as you can get when the seeds say otherwise. NY is looking pretty good despite the efforts of Mr. Avery to eliminate all respect for the team.
Three more series can end tonight. Look for the Avs and Habs to close out those series, while the Caps will hold on for at least one more.

From the Hardwood....

The playoffs start today. Why did they switch to 7 game series for the first round? Wake me up when the second round starts.
Isaiah is done in NY. What a surprise. Does anyone actually think he will be doing anything in his advisors role? Me neither, talk about justifying a salary.
Owners OK move for Sonics to move to OK. Another surprise. Who cares if the league has 41 years of history in the city? There's more money to be had elsewhere. I'm not saying OK City doesn't deserve a team, they certainly proved they did but isn't there another team that could go? cough...Clippers...cough.

Bears Linebacker Saga....

First it was Urlacher wanting a new contract, then supposedly demanding a trade or threatening retirement. He now denies either. I suspected as much, but is he telling the truth or is he covering his ass in the PR world. I think/hope for the former.
Now, Lance Briggs is upset with his contract. Yup, the same contract HE signed as FREE AGENT just a month ago. This guy is a damn headcase. The good news is that the Bears can cut their losses in 2 years with out much salary cap damage. By then he'll be getting past his prime and they should have a replacement or two ready to go.

The Starter

2008-04-18T09:20:00.006-04:00

McNair Calling it Quits...

I didn't get a chance to comment yesterday on the retirement of Steve McNair. He always seemed to be one of those stars that everyone knew was a star, but never talked about. You know defenses had to plan for him, but in pre-game shows and breakdown sessions on various networks there was minimal discussion of how much he could impact a game.

The other thing I think that gets overlooked is the fact that he played hurt so often. The term "gladiator" and "warrior" is completely overused in sports, the NFL particularly, but if there is anyone who deserves the term it would be McNair.

I'm not sure he's Canton worthy, but he'll be close. He is a 2-time Pro Bowler, shared the MVP with Peyton in '03 and was a foot away from winning the Super Bowl which likely would have netted him the SB MVP. Again, probably not making the HOF but it wouldn't upset me if he did.

Stanley's Cup.....

The Bruins made me look smart last night. By winning 5-1 over the Habs last night they have at least made it a respectable series (3 games to 2). I still think the Canadiens will win the next game to close out the series, but Boston made it interesting and could be a contender next year. Of course, you never know.
While the Bruins made me look good, the Sharks, Avs and Flyers make went the other way. All three won their games last night to either take 3-2 (Sharks & Avs) or 3-1 (Flyers) advantages. While none of those series are over, all three of those teams took big strides to the next round last night, especially the Flyers. It will take one hell of a come back by the Caps but the essentially made a season long come back just to make the playoffs, so who knows. I wouldn't be surprised if either the Sharks-Flames series or the Avs-Wild series went to seven games. For that reason I'm still sticking with my picks, but I'm not overly optimistic.
Meanwhile, the Stars are on the verge of eliminating the defenders. Last night wasn't so much of a must-win (really, aren't they all?), but the degree of difficulty just got a whole lot tougher for the Ducks. They'll win tonight at home, but will get closed out over the weekend in Dallas.
Predictions for tonight: Wings win game 5 at home after choking away two games in Nashville that could have leveraged the series their way. The Rangers will close out the Devils tonight in Jersey. And as mentioned above the Ducks will stave off elimination at home.

Miguel's Fake ID...

Is it really surprising that Tejada is actually older than originally thought? I would venture to guess many players from the Caribbean don't really know how old they are, or at least make sure the teams that sign them don't.

You can't blame them, they're trying to get out of impossible situations lured by millions so why not fib a little. A lot of blame has to go on the teams who are so willingly ready to throw millions at these guys. Can't they do a little more research other than asking the guys how old they are?

At the end of the day does it really matter? I suppose it does when it comes to long term contract time, but again some of the onus has to fall on the teams. If the guy is still producing what does it matter?

As the Ocho-Cinco turns....

As I mentioned yesterday, this guy is an idiot. What's his beef? Playing time? Nope. Money? Not really - he's one of the highest paid receivers in the league. Catches? Nope. His main beef is whether or not he feels the team will be competitive next year.

When you play in the NFL where the difference between the best and worst teams is not that much how can you say in April, before the draft, you're team isn't good? There is obviously something else going on that hasn't come out yet. Now the Bengals are in an impossible situation. As the days progress he's alienating more and more guys on the team (Carson and T.J.). While the cap hit isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be, the Bengals have no trade leverage. Every team knows they are looking to unload him and there is no way to get equal value. Things ought to get interesting.

Urlacher's Issue....

My gut feeling tells me this is not as big as the media, especially the Chicago media, is making it out to be. But as it drags on the more concerned I get. Some say all he wants is to have 2 more years on the current contract guaranteed. If that's the case, the Bears need to get it done. If he is actually looking for a new, bigger contract, then Urlacher needs to get real.

When you sign a long term deal and get the big signing bonus you have to know that within a few years that contract is outdated. That's the trade off for getting big money. Plus, he's an aging LB that uses his body as a weapon and is already slowed by an arthritic back and has had neck surgery. Not really someone a team will invest a lot of long term dollars in.

I'm not sure I believe the trade request that was reported by Mike Mulligan of the Sun-Times. What team would give the Bears any sort of value for him due to the reasons mentioned above. As a Bears fan and an Urlacher fan I just hope this is being blown out of proportion and really a non-issue, but I'm starting to have my doubts.

From the Rink....

2008-04-17T14:37:00.004-04:00

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are to me the ultimate professional playoffs for one primary reason.

The fact that the entire post season is competitive and intense from day one until the Cup is raised 2 months later. Both the NFL and NBA "ease" into their playoffs, in that nothing really gets intriguing until the later rounds. Of course you have your exceptions like the Suns/Spurs series, but really the rest of them are really bland. The NFL is slightly different in that, parity makes all the games competitive, but really the games don't get real interesting until the second weekend.

But, with the NHL every game is intense. On top of that, even if a team goes down 3-1 in a series they're not out of it. They can easily win two in a row and force the game 7. In the NBA once you're down 3-1 it's over.

Look at the Wings-Preds series. Detroit wins the first 2 at home has a late lead on the road in game 3 and end up losing after giving up 2 goals in 9 seconds. You could feel the momentum swing and last night they lose again after allowing 2 goals in 32 seconds. Now the series is tied 2-2 heading back to Detroit with the Preds seemingly in control. There is no real way to predict the NHL playoffs.

Other items.....

As mentioned this morning, the Pens sweep the Sens. I'm not sure if this is an indication of how good the Pens are or if it's an indictment of how bad the Sens are. More than likely it's a little from column A and a little from column B. Either way the Pens will be tough out for either the Flyers or Caps.
At this point the Caps-Flyers series is the only that seems up in the air. But, the Flyers have won the last two and have one more at home. If they win that one you have to like their chances.
While the other two series are at 3-1 I'm not going to say both are over. I'm thinking the Devils will take at least one more from the Rangers before ultimately losing the series. The Bruins, in my opinion, are less likely to even win one more, but they have really shown that play with heart.
As far as the west goes, there is a whole lot more uncertainty. As discussed above the Wings-Preds series is a toss up. While both the Sharks-Flames and Wild-Avs series are both at 2-2. My gut tells me each of these are going to 7 games and I wouldn't be surprised if both underdogs win.
The only other series is Stars-Ducks and that one is 2-1. Here's another one that could do 7 games to the underdog.
My mid-first round predictions for next round:

Pens vs. Caps and Rangers vs. Habs in the East.

Wings vs. Stars and Sharks vs. Wild in the West.

Just like my NBA picks, these will undoubtedly be wrong.

From the Hardwood...

2008-04-17T13:18:00.004-04:00

The playoff match-ups are finally set. While we've known the majority of the participants for a while now, we now know the match-ups.

We'll handle the Western Conference First:

Lakers (1) vs. Nuggets (8)
When compared to the 1 vs. 8 in the East this one looks like an all time match up. But, in reality this one will be somewhat entertaining to begin with, but eventually will be a yawn fest as Kobe, Pau and the boys take care of AI and DUI er...uh...I mean Carmelo. Speaking of which, what a great time to create a distraction. Yet another reason why this one won't be so competitive.

Lakers in 5

Hornets (2) vs. Mavs (7)
Obviously the headlines going into this one will be about Kidd vs. Paul and how this is the changing of the guard at the Premier PG slot in the Association. I personally think Kidd will keep Paul in check, mostly due to his size. That is not to say Paul won't get his, but this series won't be a Chris Paul show. Now, you throw in Dirk and this could get pretty interesting. As long as West, Peja and Tyson all show up the Hornets should win but I'm not 100% sold. This one could be a very, very entertaining series.

Hornets in 7

Spurs (3) vs. Suns (6)
Probably the best match-up in the first round. This series is the primary reason the Shaq trade was made, so you know Kerr is praying it pays off. Initially it appeared as if that trade was going to be a bust, but they have pulled it together and really are playing well to end the season. For the Spurs it looks like they dominance is starting to wane and this series could be one of the signs of the end. If they lose this series don't be surprised to see some relatively drastic changes made in the off season. The Nash-Parker and O'Neal-Duncan match-ups are enough to make this a must watch.

Suns in 6

Jazz (4) vs. Rockets (5)
Even though the Jazz are the 4-seed they are actually the away team in the series. Gotta love the NBA! This should be a entertaining series as well. Obviously as an Illinois guy I pretty excited to see two of the stars of the '05 Illini team playing head to head in this one. However, one (Deron Williams) is a focus of one team while the other (Luther Head) is a role player. With that being said I think the difference in this one will be the back court play. Up front both teams are similar with the Jazz getting the slight nod with Okur and Boozer. The biggest challenge for Utah is limiting McGrady as they don't really have anyone that matches up. All in all I think the Jazz have too many weapons for the Rockets to stop.

Jazz in 7

Now for the necessary evil....the Eastern Conference:

Celtics (1) vs. Hawks (8)
What's the point?

Celtics in 4

Pistons (2) vs. 76ers (7)
While I applaud the 76ers for making the playoffs, just as I do with the Hawks, again what's the point? Making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference isn't saying much unless you're talking about how bad the Bulls really are. They may take a game, but that's about it.

Pistons in 5

Magic (3) vs. Raptors (6)
Depending on which Magic team shows up this could either be a really competitive series or a snooze fest. If they play hard and up to potential then I think they walk a way with this. But if they get lackadaisical the scrappy Raptors could make some noise. I see this being somewhere in the middle with Howard being the difference.

Magic in 6

Wizards (4) vs. Cavs (5)
Another intriguing match up if only for the individual match up of LeBron and Gilbert. This one could get interesting, but something tells me this is going to turn into a big game of 1 on 1. While I like Arenas, I like LeBron more and that will be the difference.

Cavs in 6

Well, there's the initial predictions. They will most definitely be wrong, but after the first round is over I'll re-visit these picks to see just how much of an idiot I am.

Boylan out...
In a Bulls related note the not so surprising release of Jim Boylan was announced today. Again, everyone saw this coming from a mile away. Let the off season of rebuilding begin for Paxson. His job certainly depends on how this summer goes.

The Starter

2008-04-17T09:41:00.005-04:00

I will be hitting each of the major sports leagues in more detail later, but I wanted to give my initial impressions of the top stories first thing......

It's Finally Over...

As entertaining the NBA season actually has been this year. I am happy the regular season is over. Not only is it the most meaningless regular season out there (when the Spurs as well as other teams can take the first couple months off and still land in the playoffs, the regular season is for the most part meaningless), but the Bulls had the most disastrous season they could imagine. Now we can actually watch real basketball while watching highly paid athletes actually care about playing in the games.
Other NBA items that are "over" - Isaiah and the Knicks (you know everyone outside of Knicks fans really will miss him - it was just too easy) - Seattle basketball (I think it's nice to see that local government in Washington is now getting "tough", but where was this months ago? That's right-election time is coming!)

The Other Playoffs...

I know most people aren't watching the NHL playoffs, but if you aren't, you're missing out. While the first round or two of the NBA playoffs tend to be tedious and boring the NHL playoffs are intense from the get-go. Generally it seems that the teams are much closer in ability level which is why you see a lot of lower seeds pushing the top seeds (see DET-NSH series). It happens every year where the top teams are taken out by lower teams. How about that for parity NFL?
As I say that the Pens sweep the Sens. Could this be the stage that Sid the Kid elevates himself to Legend status? Could be.

365 Day a year League...

It simply amazes me that the NFL can stay relevant all year round. Between the regular season, playoffs, free agency, combine, draft, OTAs, training camp then back to the regular season they keep you interested. Now they make a production out of releasing the schedule? You know you have a golden goose when you can make a schedule release an event.
Chad Johnson is an idiot.

Is it June Yet?.....

I love baseball as much as the next guy, but it seems harder and harder for me to pay much attention to MLB until late May or early June. I'm not sure if it's because of the NBA and NHL playoffs, but it just isn't keeping me interested.
Yanks and Sox again - I see how this year is going to go between these teams. They're going to go .500 against each other and one of them will miss the playoffs. What wouldn't surprise me is that the AL East gets the wild card but either the Yanks or Sox are sitting at home in October.

Everything Else....

Kevin Love is going to the NBA - now there's a shocker!
Memphis pulls another top recruit - now there's a shocker!
Okie State gets its coach, no it's not Self, but a solid hire none the less. Ford is a great coach and recruiter - look at what he did in the A10. Plus, there will be less pressure and scrutiny then having a guy like Self. Don't be surprised if OK St. is back to one of the powers in the Big 12 within a couple years.
Didn't watch much of the debate last night, but from I did watch I can this: Why waste everyone's time by asking the same questions about non-issues? Does lying about sniper fire really matter when we are talking about the economy? Does comments made by a pastor really matter when the situation in Iraq needs to be addressed? Welcome to the TMZ nation - where real issues aren't as sexy as the scandalous types. That my friends is depressing. But hey, at least we know that Brittany Spears was in a minor fender bender the other day that will help gas prices I'm sure.

See you later today.....

Tiger's Wounded Knee

2008-04-16T14:39:00.004-04:00

A lot of debate has arisen regarding Tiger's announcing that he needs knee surgery. Some folks say that he is using it as an excuse as to why Trevor Immelman won the Masters leaving Tiger as the runner up. While others are saying it's no big deal.

Listen, Tiger is the best golfer in the world - and everyone knows it. 90 times out of 100 he would beat Immelman on any course anywhere. While I don't think he was using it as an excuse, I do think he should have thought a little harder about when it was announced.

If he would have went off and had the surgery on the the QT, no one would have noticed right away. He was already hinting at playing a very limited schedule leading up to the U.S. Open. Eventually someone would have caught on to the fact that there hadn't been a Tiger sighting for a while and questions would of been asked. At that time, either Tiger or one of his reps could have said that he had to undergo surgery for his knee and wanted to keep it quiet so he could rehab as quickly as possible without having to worry about all of the attention it would obviously attract.

By not doing that, there is now all the hub-bub about him creating excuses and what not. Plus, now ESPN will be doing a nightly - "How's Tiger's knee surgery recovery coming along" - piece. Won't that be fun?

Let's get this straight, golf is the hardest sport to win at constantly and Tiger wins nearly 25% of the events he participates in. To say that he has to make excuses for not winning the Masters is ludicrous. There are 100+ golfers out there all trying to win. While he may be the most likely to take it all, there is no guarantee that he will week in and week out. More often than not the "field" will beat Tiger, even though it seems to not be the case.

By the way, I've also heard the theory that he should have announced the knee surgery prior to the start of the Masters. Be thankful that he didn't. Could you imagine the number of warm and fuzzy puff pieces declaring the courage and strength of Tiger Woods there would have been on CBS alone? We would all still be nauseous. Then imagine if he would of won? SI would have a commemorative issue dedicated to it and everyone would still be slobbering all over him.

I'm not a Tiger fan, but while he could of timed it better he doesn't need to make excuses.

The First Post

2008-04-16T13:36:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Illiniwek's TeePee.

If you haven't figured it out yet - I am an Illinois grad. While I will try to keep my biases limited I will provide - in the interest of full disclosure - that I am an unabashed fan of the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes and all that is University of Illinois and Big 10.

My main focus for this blog is to present opinion on the top national stories, as well as opinion for items related to my teams. Since moving to North Carolina a few years back you will also see commentary regarding sports items local to Raleigh/Durham, primarily ACC sports.

With all of that being said, this blog will not be a "fan site", in that, I won't solely be focusing on teams that interest me, but at the same time, there may be posts that only focus on those teams. Hell, there will more than likely be a post regarding current events outside of the sports world as well. Who knows?

My goal is to try to post everyday, even multiple times a day if possible, to try to stay on top of as many top stories as possible. I'll even throw in some sarcasm and humor from time to time to keep things lively.

So, thanks for checking it out and stop by often and leave comments as I begin this new venture.