Scream it from the rooftops!

To those uniformed people who wonder why Charlie Weis is not in the same hot seat that the last so called Head Coach of Notre Dame football was in his 3rd year (you know who you are), it's the recruiting. While Weis is getting better and better recruits (um, like the best class for 2008 so far), the former coach (FC) had one GOOD class and that was after his 1st year. And the FC is why ND's offensive line is so inexperienced. In the 3 years the FC was at ND, he recruited a grand total of 6 linemen. Of which only 2 are left.

So, quit saying Charlie is safe because of the 10 year contract, ESPN. He's safe because he knew this was going to be a tough year all along. Especially, after Darius left. Think about it. Go through what happened in the off-season and it makes sense.

Right now I'm getting on my roof and screaming "IT'S THE RECRUITING, STUPID!"

In case you missed it...

Dish Network has signed a deal with the Big Ten Network. Here is the meat of the story (emphasis mine):

DISH Network customers nationwide who subscribe to America's Top 100 and higher will find the Big Ten Network on Channel 439. Customers throughout the nation will also have the opportunity to preview the network until early 2008. At that time, the channel will be carried on America's Top 100 Plus service within the eight states with Big Ten institutions.

DISH Network will broadcast two games in high-definition Saturday on Channel 9467, including Akron @ Ohio State (12:00 p.m. ET) and Syracuse @ Iowa (8:00 p.m. ET), and officially launch the HD simulcast of the Big Ten Network the following week.

D.J. White: Videographer

Check out D.J.'s mad video skills of the Bahama trip here.

Something Smells Funny

And no, it's not me;^) I just read about how Mike Conley, Sr. is starting a sports agency. This just doesn't sound kosher at all. You take a person, Conley Sr., who has known Greg Oden since the 6th grade and Oden is GREAT friends with your son (they were a package deal and went to the same college) and then this person decides to become a sports agent. Mix that up and put in tOSU as the college the buddies went to and you get one STINKY mess. This is just one step away from becoming a Reggie Bush incident.

I just have one question. Is this an Ohio State financially backed venture?

Well, there it goes...

Just when I was accepting that UCLA was too much for IU, the Hoosiers do the unthinkable and mount a comeback. That's what hurt the most. To come back and be just a few measly points from beating the Bruins in there own backyard, it hurts. One little thing like MAKING THEIR FREE THROWS would have helped. But, let's look at the bright side:

1. Stemler finally showed that he can shoot again. Don't get me wrong. I like Stemler. He is a very smart player. Just make a few more buckets next year, mkay? Especially, during the Big Ten season.
   
   
2. D.J. was THE man. He gobbled up rebounds like Homer Simpson does donuts. I hope he tests the NBA Draft waters, finds out what he needs to do to be higher pick and comes back for next year. If that happens, IU will be a top team. If D.J. leaves, IU will still be a formidable opponent, just not dominate.

I have 2 Joost invites

If you would like one, let me know in the comments or drop an email to joshhyde@gmail.com.

Go OSU and Kansas!!!!

This should be illegal: Ohio State, Kansas struggle to graduate players. Wow 10%!! That's better than I thought it would be. Oh, and who were the coaches at this time? Randy Ayers and Jim O'Brien at tOSU...and Roy Williams at Kansas. Marinate on that for a while.

Roderick Wilmont, where are you?

The Illini have Wilmont's number when he is away from home. He had 5 points against Illinois at Champaign and then follows that up with 2 POINTS against them in Chicago in the Big 10 tourney. Both, in case you need to be remembered, were losses. Besides D.J., Armon, and A.J., the rest of the team scored just 11 points. Wilmont and Calloway both had a horrendous night shooting just 2-17.

None the less, the rims were horrible there and rattled whenever the ball touched them. Almost as if someone was pressing a button to put them on vibrate. Note to the Big 10, fix your rims.

ND Junior Recruiting Changing for the Better

Well, that didn't take long! ND has 4 recruits already committed for 2008. All except one within 100 miles of the university. And the one is Golic's son from Connecticut. That is saying something. It shows that there is a change in strategy for Charlie with this class. Instead of recruiting nationally, he is focused on protecting his backyard. I think this is a GREAT idea.

It's hard to get an 18 year old from somewhere like Florida (or any other warm weather state) to leave for South Bend. And I don't blame the kids. They are 18 years old and thinking with their other head. But, to go after kids that are already from cold weather regions, just makes sense. And if you can steal a speedster or two from Florida or Texas or California at the key positions, like you know ND can, all the better I say.

More evidence Packer is in his own world

Going through the feeds in Google Reader I saw this from usatoday.com: Billy Packer not a fan of tournament parity. Here are some quotes:

CBS analyst Billy Packer, who will call his 33rd Final Four, doesn't like what he sees as change in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Now, he says, there will be 50 tournament teams "that can beat any other team on a one-game basis," up from maybe four teams in that category a decade ago. But isn't that more entertaining? Sure, Packer says: "If you're a sports fan, this is far
more exciting."

But, Packer says, "If you're a technical nerd, like I'm considered by some people, there are all kinds of flaws." Like the college tournament, he says, having been infected by And1, referring to the shoe sponsor whose tournaments spawned ESPN's TV series. "That's summer-league guys showboating," he says. "It's like the NBA All-Star Game. I call that And1. It's not basketball."

Well good thing that sports fans outnumber "technical nerds"! Nothing like hearing an old cranky fart scared of change. If you don't like it Packer, then do something else. Because the sports fan will monkey stomp the ever lovin' crap out of technical nerds. ALWAYS!

Packer is out of his mind

Or he is on a hidden agenda. Which isn't that far out after he said George Mason didn't belong in the tournament and during their Sweet 16 or Elite 8 game was openly rooting AGAINST them. I'm sorry I didn't know national commentators were paid to root against a team. Let alone one that proved you soooo wrong!

Anywho, the reason for the rant is I was watching the North Carolina - Duke game. Is it me or did Henderson deliberately forcefully put his forearm right in Hansborough nose? And Fudge Packer is saying that he was going for the ball. I don't know how he was doing that when the ball was out of Hansborough's hands and BEHIND Henderson when this happened. Oh, he was turning his body? I don't buy that either, sorry. When you look at the replay, I don't see how you plant your forearm on someone's nose turning for the ball. Me? If I was in Henderson's position, I would have moved my arm so as not to do exactly what happened. He didn't even show any remorse.

I will celebrate like it's 1999 when Packer is finally off of TV.

Eric Gordon. Wow.

I was just wondering if and when Gordon's team would play on national TV. As luck would have it, it was last night on ESPN2. They played a team from Illinois that has MJ's 2 sons on the squad with a national ranking of 22. EJ just scored 15 in the 1st quarter on the way to a 43 point night (17 of 25 shooting) almost out-scoring the other team (final score 88-47). This was the 1st time I have watched EJ play and let me tell you the hype is right. He's the TRUTH. Well done Sampson!

That's what I'm talking about!

What a great game! Though they could've been easier on my heart if they would have made some free throws down the stretch.

A.J. Ratliff had quite a game. I've been waiting for another game like that from him since the Kentucky game last year.

Illini loss not looking bad after all

What think you pollsters of IU's loss to the Illini now? In case you missed it, Michigan State lost to the Illini last night. The same MSU team that is supposedly a roadblock for Wisconsin to run the table in the Big 10. Let's see if IU can do it first tonight! GO IU!

Funny Sampson Quote

From the Chicago Tribune:



Sampson on Earl Calloway's play when Sampson first came to IU,




"I didn't know whether to call him apple or blueberry or pineapple, because all I saw were turnovers," Sampson remembers.



Hilarious!

What a difference a coach makes

Sampson is a better coach than Davis. This isn't an opinion-it's a fact. I remember 2 years ago when Davis took IU to UConn(vict) and IU had a sizable lead. Then, of course, UConn woke up and stepped up their play while IU cowered and left with a loss. Two years ago, it was Davis complaining about the tough road schedule. This year, they learn from their tough losses on the road. This from indystar.com:



It's an indication that IU is beginning to reap
the rewards of playing road games at Duke and Kentucky, as well as a
Big Ten opener at Ohio State.

"It's about
experience,'' Wilmont said. "Especially when we went to Ohio State, and
played at Duke and played at Kentucky, coach (Kelvin Sampson) kept
telling us we'll be in the game, but the last four minutes are going to
be a crucial part of the game.

"He said we have to show toughness if we planned to win any road games, and that's what we did tonight.''



What a GREAT win for the Hoosiers!