Illini And The Hoosiers ... Today And Yesterday

The Illini play Indiana today in Champaign, a game that is crucial to the Illini's postseason chances, but that lacks some of the lustre of Illinois-Indiana matchups of the past.

Take the 1989 season for example. On March 5, 1989, the Illini and Indiana played one of the great games in the history of the rivalry, with Nick Anderson hitting an absurd game-winning thirty-foot shot as time expired. Dick Vitale's head exploded. Even Keith Jackson thought it was "In-cred-i-ble!"

The Illini started this five: Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle and Lowell Hamilton. Marcus Liberty was the sixth man.

To face them, Bobby Knight ran out the likes of Jay Edwards, Eric Anderson, Pat Graham, Magnus Pelkowski and Jamal Meeks. That team won the Big Ten title despite being in a league that had two Final Four teams: Illinois and Michigan.

Today we're going to see Hoosiers like Verdell Jones, Christian Wafford, Jeremiah Rivers and Tom Pritchard. The Illini will counter with Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis and D.J. Richardson. These are all solid players, but it's possible none of them, from either team, will ever play much in the NBA.

Today will be a far cry from March 5, 1989.

Epic In Miami

Found the NBC broadcast intro from the 1981 Divisional Playoff game between the Chargers and Dolphins on YouTube. The game, of course, was a Top 5 win in Charger history, and the intro alone is worth watching.

The reading of the sponsors is especially choice:

"Today's game is brought to you by ...

"The New Chrysler Corporation ... for 1982 Chrysler has the cars, the quality and the prices America needs ...

"by Schlitz, the master brewer's brew, just one taste and you'll know ... behind every Schlitz is a man who knows his beer ...

"by the U.S. Army ... the Army, a great place to be all you can be ...

"and by Allstate Insurance Company ... you're in good hands with Allstate."

Doubt you'll see Schlitz or Chrysler on a national broadcast these days, but the Army and Allstate are still going strong, and with the same advertising slogans.

War and insurance, getting it dun for decades.

Blueprint For Illini To Make NCAA Tourney

The Illini snaked a nice win over Penn St. last night (hat tip to Ralph Wilson for the photo of Tisdale above) to put them at 13-8, 5-3 on the season. That record is good for a tie with Ohio St. for third place in the Big Ten.

An NCAA berth, however, is still in doubt.

With ten games remaining, winning 6 or 7 of those games - given the stiff competition the Illini will face - would almost certainly get them in the tourney. Can they do it?

I think they can.

Here's how.

1. Win their next two games against Indiana and at Iowa. Wins against these lowly teams are a must and would put the Illini at 15-8, 7-3 heading into the final brutal stretch of their schedule.

2. Win three of their final four home games. Of the final eight games, the Illini play four at home against Michigan St., Ohio St., Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Illini can lose, at most, one of those games. I, for one, would like that loss to be against someone other than Michigan St. Though the MSU game is not a must win (assuming wins over Indiana and Iowa, that is), a win over the Spartans - who have shown vulnerabilities - would put the Illini back in most experts brackets. The Illini would simply have to hold serve the rest of the season, i.e. win 2 of 3 of their remaining home games, if they can pull the upset of Michigan St. on February 6.

3. Win two of their final four road games. If the Illini do lose on February 6 to the Spartans, besides winning all three of their other home games, they'll also need to win two of their remaining road games, all of which are brutal. At Wisconsin on Feb. 9, at Purdue on Feb. 20, at Michigan on Feb. 23 and at Ohio St. on March 3. That's a lot of ranked teams. Two wins in that stretch - preferably against Purdue and Wisconsin - should set up the Illini with a berth in the tourney, asuming they have taken care of business in Champaign.

Bottom line: the Illini need to win 6 or 7 of their final 10 games to make the tourney.

If their performance last night against Penn St. is any indication, I think they can get it dun.

Query Jon Garland

Reports are that the Padres signed Jon Garland today.

I'm just a guy, sitting around, writing a blog, but this strikes me as exactly the type of player the Padres need.

Get r dun, Jed.

Drew Makes The Super Bowl

I find this photo poignant. I've never seen it before.

I feel sad for LT.

But congrats to Drew and the Saints. The Colts are a tough matchup, but I like Drew's chances.

Illini Lose To Northwestern, NCAA Tournament In Serious Jeopardy

The Illini lost to Northwestern 73-68 last night, another tough L in a winnable game. The Illini defense - which as Mark Tupper points out allowed Northwestern to score on each of its final 14 possessions - made John Schurna and Jeremy Nash look like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Laughable if it wasn't so horribly true.

The Illini have dug themselves a major hole now having lost each one of a series of winnable games. Had they not lost to Utah and Bradley, had they not blown a lead to Georgia, had they completed their comeback against Gonzaga, had they held onto second half leads against Northwestern or Purdue, had they managed to win just one or two of those games, the Illini would still be in fair position to make the tourney.

Now it doesn't look so good.

The Illini are going to have some must win games in their future.

That future starts Wednesday at Penn St.

January Doesn't Like Nate Kaeding, At Least Not At The Q

It's hard to say why a kicker like Nate Kaeding has so much success during the regular season - even in critical situations - but then falters with disastrous results in the postseason. The kid seems mentally tough. He had a reputation for being a clutch kicker in college and has become one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. You don't acheive that level of success if you don't have at least a modicum of the proverbial ice water running through your proverbial veins.

But for some reason when Nate lines up for postseason field goals - especially postseason field goals on his home field at Qualcomm - all that mental toughness turns to squishy mush. Gone is the powerful and accurate right leg that has helped San Diego to so many regular season victories since 2004. In its place is a delicate and erratic pogo stick that pushes kicks left and right or drops them yards short of the goal posts.

It's not pretty.

It's tragic.

Here's a rundown of Nate's playoff field goals. Feel free to stop reading here if you can't bear the pain.

January 8, 2005: Jets at Chargers
Nate's rookie year, his first playoff game, his first playoff field goal attempts. In the 4th quarter, Nate nails his first ever field goal attempt to bring the Chargers within a touchdown on their way to a magnificent 10-point comeback. But then, with a chance to win the game in OT, Nate slides a 40-yard field goal attempt wide right. Maybe his most dagger miss because it would have directly led to a playoff victory.

January 14, 2007: Patriots at Chargers
The Chargers most dagger loss in history had to include a Nate miss. The Chargers blew an 8-point 4th quarter lead to the Pats and were down by 3 with a minute to play. Without a timeout (long story) Philip drove the Chargers into position for a Nate 54-yard attempt as the clock wound down. Though on target, Nater's kick fell a few yards short.

January 6, 2008: Titans at Chargers
The Bolts pulled this game out but don't forget that Nate missed a 45-yard attempt in the second quarter. He hit a 20-yarder in the third quarter to break his string of 3 straight playoff misses, but he was at that point 2 for 5 on playoff field goal attempts at the Q.

January 13, 2008: Chargers at Colts
One of the greatest wins in Bolts history. Though Nate hit all his extra point attempts, he also missed his lone field goal attempt: a 48-yarder in the second quarter. Thanks to Philip, Sproles and Billy V, it didn't matter.

January 20, 2008: Chargers at Patriots
The game when you thought Nate's problems might be behind him. The Patriots D kept the Bolts out of the end zone all afternoon, but Nate kept the game close by nailing all 4 of his field goal attempts, from 26, 23, 40 and 24 yards. Yes, most of them were chippys, but a make is a make is a make, as last Sunday's game against the Jets would prove in the absence.

January 3, 2009: Colts at Chargers
Maybe Nate's most clutch kick ever and further evidence (we thought) that his playoff troubles were a thing of the past. Nate banged home a 26-yard field goal to tie the game with :32 seconds on the clock. Minutes later Sprolesy galloped into Chargers lore.

January 11, 2009: Chargers at Steelers
A frustrating loss with a weird third quarter. Nate didn't play a huge role but did knock home his only field goal attempt - a 42-yarder in the second quarter that put the Bolts ahead 10-7. Nate's field goal record away from the Q is a respectable 5 for 6.

January 17, 2010: Jets at Chargers
My first live playoff game will not be a happy memory thanks in part to Nate. His first miss from 37 yards in the first quarter confirmed the uneasy feeling a lot of Chargers fans had all week. His second miss from 57 yards was understandable, though his career long is a 57-yarder and he hit a 53-yarder at the Q just weeks before. His third miss from 40 yards was the final dagger to the gut in a day of gut daggers.

So that is that. The Bolts will likely make the playoffs again next season, in part because Nate will knock home a record high percentage of field goals from September to December.

Here's just hoping January 2011 reverses his trend of dagger Januarys.

Rex Ryan Drops Karma Bomb, Sends Game Ball To Marty Schottenheimer

Word is Rex Ryan sent Marty Schottenheimer a game ball after the Jets victory over the Chargers last Sunday.

This following Brian Schottenheimer's egregious pointing at the Spanos' box after the Jets got their final first down to ice the game.

Nice move, guys.

Congrats on dropping that karma bomb on your overachieving, soon-to-be-eliminated squad.

You Can't Stop McCamey, You Can Only Hope To Contain Him

I posted this photo after an immediate request to do so by my trusted advisor, Tam O'Flannell.

Nice find, Tam.

Who Is John Effing Hart?

What a dagger thrower this John Hart kid is, eh? Kid is an unheralded freshman, has played about 30 minutes all season, is not even listed in the Purdue scorebook, and comes off the bench last night to light up the Illini for 14 points in 18 minutes of play.

Steve Lavin said it best during the game. This was not a "one-hit wonder" performance. Hart was hitting hesitation shots, was creating separation from defenders, was getting to the basket and was dropping long threes. He may not light it up night after night, but in the 18 minutes he played last night he flashed moves that will play even when teams actually have him listed in their scouting reports.

F this guy.

That's all this Purdue team needs. Another good player.

Also, good game by Demetri.

Petco Park On A Quiet Thursday In January

Last Thursday afternoon - well before the debacle at Qualcomm on Sunday - I arrived in San Diego and took a stroll down to Petco Park. As the photos above can attest, the day was absolutely perfect.

As I walked around the ballpark enjoying the perfect warmth of a sunny 69 degree day, I imagined Jed Hoyer sitting inside in his office, reading some scouting reports, chatting up some agents by telephone and likely housing a fish taco lunch. Then I thought about his office at his last job, probably in some early 20th century windowless tank at Fenway, the frigid winds of a Boston January seeping through the crumbling concrete as he scarfed down a quick bowl of clam chowder in between "emergency" calls from Theo Epstein, pressing him for inconsequential data about some overpriced free agent.

And then I thought to myself: well played moving to the Diego, Jed. Well played.

Chargers Lose To The Jets

"You're my hero, Chargers. And you come out and stink like that. Poop. You poop mouth."

Today The Chargers Play Football

Bolts - Jets for the right to face Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game.

It happens today at the Q.

Folks, there is no one in the League I'd rather have quarterbacking the Bolts than Philip Rivers.

Let's get it dun, Philip.

All Hail The Return Of Scotty Bombs, But Say Goodbye To Kouz

Scotty "Bombs" Hairston is back with the Padres and, dare I say it, all is now right with the Drino world.

Yesterday, Jed Hoyer pulled off his first major deal as the Padres GM, sending Kevin Kouzmanoff and Eric Sogard to the A's for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham.

I heard the news as I was driving my rented Chevy Impala along N. Harbor Dr. to pick up my wife from the San Diego Airport. In my excitement I nearly drove the car into the harbor.

The dark side of the move is that Kouz is no longer a Padre. Images like the one above won't be happening in any Drinos games next season. Don't feel bad for Kouz though. He gets to stay on the West Coast and play for a team that almost always competes for a division title. No doubt he'll fit in well with the citizens of Oakland. They seem like good people.

Heath Is In The Fold To The Tune Of $4 Million

The Drinos and Heath Bell agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. The deal is worth $4 million to Heath and should allow him to stock up on things he likes, like candy bars and ass kickings.

Jed Hoyer may still choose to trade Heath - which might make sense if in return he can get a promising young arm - but for now Heath is on board, ready to close out games for the 2010 Drinos.

Having a closer of Heath's skill might not seem necessary to a team that no one expects to compete, but not having Heath makes it even more likely the team will not compete. It's one of those self-fulfilling prophecies the Greek dramatists wrote about so much.

A Heath Bell-Mike Adams-Luke Gregerson-Edward Mujica-Adam Russell-Joe Thatcher-Ryan Webb bullpen could be rather ridiculous. I'm on board.

Diego

I'm on the ground in the Diego.

Repeat. I'm on the ground in San Diego.

Currently at Java Joe's down the street from Petco Park. Things are pretty quiet this Thursday afternoon in the East Village. The weather could not be more perfect.

The calm before the Bolts-Jets storm.

Big Ten Network Outsmarts Me

Last night's Illinois - Penn St. game aired at 9 PM EST in New York. I wasn't in the apartment at the time so I set the DVR to record the game. On my cable package, the Big Ten Network is channel 472. That channel airs the games and other BTN programming. Problem is, channels 473-476 are other Big Ten Networks - BTN2 through BTN 5 - that aren't included in my cable package, but are listed in the Guide function. They just show the Time Warner logo and zero programming.

You know where this is going.

I accidentally set the DVR to tape channel 473 last night and recorded 2 hours of the Time Warner logo and none of the Illini game.

So I didn't see McCamey's go-ahead three with just over a minute to play. I didn't see Tisdale's monster block on Talor Battle's running layup in the closing seconds, and I definitely didn't see McCamey's lock down D that forced Battle to take a last gasp fadeaway three at the buzzer.

I didn't see any of that goodness.

Zounds!

Highlights here.

The Quest To Stop Talor Battle Continues Tonight

See that photo above. That is the face of debacle. The man who has singlehandedly defeated the Illini on four occasions in the last two years.

It is Talor Battle. Penn St. junior guard. He even has a blog named after him.

It is perhaps a sad comment on the state of Illini basketball that its most fearsome nemesis right now is a guard from Penn St. It is certainly a sad comment on the state of Illini basketball that they have lost to Penn St. four times in two years. I'd rather lose to an Indiana team with Eric Gordon, or a Kansas team with Sherron Collins, or a Villanova team with Scottie Reynolds, or a Purdue team with E'twaun Moore, or even a Duke team with Jon Scheyer.

But not a Penn St. team with Talor Battle.

Not any Penn St. team for that matter.

An Illini win tonight puts them at 4-0 in the Big Ten. Let's pad that cushion.

Gates Will Be Ready On Sunday, As He Was In Jan '05

When the Jets last played the Bolts in a playoff game it was January 2005. Guys with names like Marty Schottenheimer, Keenan McCardell, Roman Oben, Steve Foley, Eric Parker, Donnie Edwards, Terence Kiel and Drew Brees roamed the Bolts sideline. LT was in his prime. Philip Rivers was on the roster but inactive for the game. It was a different Chargers team.

That particular game didn't end too well for the Bolts, but the sad outcome was not the fault of one Antonio Gates. He hauled in the tying TD pass from Drew Brees with 16 seconds left in regulation, making the leaping grab you see above. Antonio finished the game with 6 catches for 89 yards, not an epic performance but a solid performance nonetheless.

My guess is Antonio at least equals that performance this Sunday.

Scouting The Jets - Bungles Game

Spent the late afternoon scouting the Jets - Bengals game at the Village Pourhouse on Amsterdam Avenue up near Columbia's campus (not the one pictured above, that's in the actual Village). Father D.P. McGillicutty, a notorious Jetsies fan, showed up and helped me house some angus beef sliders, hot wings and numerous Bud Louie's.

Based on the Jets 24-14 victory, I note the following in a potential Bolts-Jets matchup:

- the Jets defense is strong but Rivers could throw up and over their smaller corners to the likes of Antonio, Malcolm and Vincent;

- Shon Greene and Thomas Jones would be difficult to stop, assuming Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer continues his creative play calling (the counter-pitch to Greene that went for a touchdown in the first half was choice);

- Dustin Keller, the Jets TE, would likely be able to exploit the Bolts LB core and pick up some big gains underneath and on bootlegs, as he did today against the Bengals; and

- LT and Sproles would have some daylight to pick up yards in the ground game, in theory opening up Philip even more for some deep tosses to Vincenzo, Antonio and Malcolmo.

We'll know tomorrow after the Pats-Ravens game whether the Bolts will indeed play the Jets, or if there will be a Bolts-Pats rematch from the 2006 playoff debacle.

Oh my.

Missing Jamar

Sometimes, when I daydream, or when it's late at night and I'm sitting in my apartment listening to the howling winds of a New York winter, or when I'm sitting at the end of the bar at Amsterdam Ale House, alone, sipping a Southern Tier Krampus in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday, my thoughts turn to Jamar Smith and his what-could-have-been career at the University of Illinois.

In these moments, I wonder to myself how good Jamar could have been had he played his career out with the Illini, and, much much more important to me, I wonder how good the Illinois team could have been had Jamar played each of his four seasons with Weber and the boys. He'd be a senior now, raining threes like it's his job, mentoring Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, taking some of the pressure off those two freshmen, perhaps even teaching Demetri McCamey how to play 40 minutes in full gear. He'd be beastly.

But more than this season, I think of the difference Jamar could have made during the horrendous '07-'08 season and the aborted '08-'09 season when Chester Frazier went down with a season-ending injury on the even of the tournament, leaving a very solid Illinois team to play without its senior leader. In '07-'08, Jamar would have provided the outside offense and ability to hit free throws that Shaun Pruitt-led team needed most. And last year, had Jamar played, Weber could have used Trent Meacham as a super-sub 6th man, and let Jamar and Chester start at the guard spots along with McCamey. That would have been a dominant group throughout the season, and would have lessened the blow of Chester's injury come tournament time.

All this is brought home now because Jamar was named the Division II national player of the month for December. Over the course of the season, Jamar, playing for the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, is averaging 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He's also shooting 50% on threes and 84% from the line. His recognition for December did not even include a 40-point outburst he had last Saturday. In a word, he has been dominant.

Jamar will always be one of my favorites because he is a lights-out three-point shooter who happened to attend my same high school - Richwoods in Peoria, IL. It's sad he couldn't stay at Illinois, but I'm glad to see he is doing well with the vaunted Screaming Eagles of South Indy.

Impressions Of Illinois-Gonzaga

Gonzaga did not have John Stockton on the floor when they beat the Illini last Saturday at the United Center, but they might as well have. The Bulldogs consistently got to the hoop for easy layups and dunks en route to a monster early lead, and then during a dagger comeback in the final minutes of overtime.

Final score: Gonzaga 85, Illini 83.

I still don't regret going to the game. My Chicago-based advisors picked up some choice tickets in the 200 section at the United Center, seats that afforded us excellent views of the on-court action, as well as easy access to $6 dollar Bud Light drafts. Former Illini great Lucas Johnson sat a few rows ahead of us with a gorgeous blonde, proving once again that if you like gorgeous blondes, you should attend the University of Illinois.

Illini Have Big Game Tomorrow Against Gonzaga, Also Happy New Year

After spending 10 days on the island of Oahu, I'm back on the mainland and ready to devote my full attention to the world of sports. And by "sports" I mean Illini hoops, Padres baseball, Charger football and, if I feel up to it, Illini football.

If there is a nobler pursuit in this world, I cannot fathom what it is.

It all starts tomorrow with the annual Illini game at the United Center in Chicago. This year the Illini host Gonzaga, a team that has a run a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, including Michigan St., Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Duke and Oklahoma. No doubt they will be primed for an Illini team that has shown its weaknesses - lack of a power inside game, inexperienced guard play from freshmen Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson - in losses to Mizzou, Bradley, Utah and Georgia.

For the Illini, they are coming off a big win over Northwestern in the Big Ten conference opener. I didn't see the game because I was en route from Oahu to New York on Continental's 10-hour direct flight, but from my perusal of the stats it looks like the Wildcats went cold from three-point land in the second half and the Illini capitalized by dishing the ball to Tisdale over and over again. The Zags won't fire as many threes tomorrow, but the Illini should continue to feed Tisdale on the post.

Oh by the way, I'll be in attendance at the United Center.

So choice.