Mr. Clean

Bruce,

You sure the University doesn't have someone to do this for you?

Ahh, what the heck. A little elbow grease was just what the doctor ordered.

Illini 52, Golden Smophers 41.

Best,
Bevormo

Criminy!

Bruce,

What ... was that? A 38-33 loss? At home? To Penn St.?

38 to 33?

Snakes that was a strange bad loss. Not only was the team shooting like they didn't want the ball to go through the hoop, but even when they did start to make some shots, they managed to blow a nine-point second half lead.

That potential 3 or 4 seed now looks a lot like a potential 6 seed.

It's not just Illini fans that are upset. That loss may have jobbed up the whole Big Ten. As my advisor Tatty Mareeco, a Michigan fan, wrote this morning:

Also tell Weber and the boys thanks. My squad is having enough of a hard time making the tourney basedo [sic] on their suspect play, I didn't need your boys to gift wrap a game for PSU last night.

Tatt can't spell but he does have a point. Not that I think Michigan is a tournament quality team, but after last night's game, barring some unforeseen conference tourney runs, the Big Ten is looking at 5 teams in the Big Dance. Shameful.

The Ohio St. game on Sunday now looms larger than before. I know you can rally the troops and pull out a win in Columbus.

Best,
Bevormo

Antonelli's Bomb

The 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. I peeled it open and found that the Padres farm system fell to 29th (out of 30) in the BA rankings. Rumors of that precipitous fall (the Padres were ranked 12th last year) have been circulating around the web for a week or so, but I was still annoyed to see it in print today.

Fact is, I think BA is wrong.

BA's logic in ranking the Padres so low seems to be that Chase Headley and Nick Hundley have graduated to the majors (and thus no longer qualify for the rankings), while other prospects, such as Wade LeBlanc, Drew Miller, Nick Schmidt, Will Inman, Steve Garrison, Cory Luebke, Yefri Carvajal, Cesar Ramos and Cesar Carrillo, have suffered injuries or simply underperformed. No less than 10 Padres from last year's top 30 are still in the Padres system but have "dropped out" of the top 30 rankings. I haven't compared those numbers to other teams but that smacks of a high percentage.

Perhaps no Padre farmhand is more responsible for the lower ranking than Matt Antonelli. He had a rough season in AAA and a poor showing during a September cup of coffee in the Bigs, and now BA seems to have written him off and made him the poster boy for a 17 point drop in the team rankings. If you don't believe me visit your nearest Barnes & Noble and flip through the book for free. You'll see.

But I don't buy BA's logic. This blog, among others, thinks BA ranks the Padres farm system way too low. Not only that, methinks Matty Antonelli is going to rebound this season. He may even win the starting job out of Spring Training. That's what the hunch monster grumbling in my stomach is telling me, anyway.

In what is both a review and preview of better days, I posted the above photo of Matt Antonelli's first - and currently only - major league bomb. It happened last September 15 in the top of the 3rd inning at Coors Field in Colorado. Jason Hirsh had come on in relief and struck out Nick Hundley while Chase Headley bounced off second base. Antonelli stepped in and Hirsh, clearly scared out of his wits at the prospect of pitching to Antonelli, threw three straight balls nowhere near the plate. Hirsh grooved the 3-0 pitch for a strike and then, on 3-1, he left a fastball on the outside corner and Antonelli leaned over the plate and drove it on a line over the left field wall.

Voila. Two. Run. Bomb.

Unlike BA, I have a feeling Antonelli has a lot more of that type of AB in his future.

Peoria, AZ

One month until I head to Peoria, AZ for Spring Training.

Hurry, calendar! Hurry!

Presidents Day

No question Abe was an Illini fan.

No. Question.

Hold The Line

Jeffrey, Mike and Mike,

I need you to hold the line today in Bloomington. The troops have advanced into second place in the Big Ten and this is no time to lose ground against an inferior foe like the Indy Anna Hoo Shers.

Take care of business and we'll see you on the flip side.

Best,
Bevormo

They Call Him Mr. Meacham

I can't begin to describe how impressed I was by the Illini's comeback last night. So many great things happened in the last six minutes of the game - Wayne McClain drawing up that trapping press with 5:00 to play comes to mind - that I hesitate to single out one guy for honors.

That said, Trent Meacham really was a monster beast in those last minutes.

If you haven't seen the finish of the Illini's stirring 60-59 victory at Northwestern, please check this out. It's the best way I can imagine to spend 8:21 of your day.

If you can't spare the full 8 plus minutes, allow me to point you to Trent's artistry (these are times on the YouTube video, not the game clock):

1:06: the Illini come out of a time out in Coach McClain's trapping press and Trent steals a pass at the top of the key and lays it in to pull the Illini to 57-47 with 4:53 to play;

2:40: Demetri McCamey flies down the court on a fast break, puts the ball behind his back and then finds Meacham on the perimeter for a long two ... 57-50 with 3:38 to play;

4:25: Northwestern has just hit a bucket (their last of the game) to go up 59-50 with 2:15 to go ... Meacham takes the ball at the top of the key and splits two players to lay it in (after a suspensful bounce on the back of the rim) and pick up a foul ... he sinks the free throw to make the game 59-53 with 2:09 to play;

6:04: the Illini get the ball back on the possession arrow and McCamey dribbles up, spots Trent in the corner, and Meacham catches-and-releases in a split second, firing up a moon ball that drops through the hoop ... Illini down 59-56 with a minute to play;

(Incidentally, Stephen Bardo was calling the game for ESPN and as McCamey passes the ball to Meacham at this point, Bardo starts to say, "This finish for Northwestern has an eerie feeling ... [now Meacham's shot drops through the hoop and Bardo finishes raising his voice] ... like the Purdue game!" Classic.)

6:37: the Illini force another turnover and have the ball down three points ... Tisdale thinks about a three pointer but then gives it up and sets a monster pick for Meacham, who takes the ball at the perimeter and cuts through the defense for a leaning one-hand layup ... Illini down 59-58 with 42.6 seconds to play;

7:11: Meacham guards Northwestern's Michael Thompson as Thompson dribbles around the perimeter ... Thompson finally decides to drive to the basket and Meacham reaches out for a block just as Thompson starts to elevate for a layup ... the ball bounces out of bounds to the Illini;

and finally ...

7:30: with under ten seconds to play, McCamey passes the ball to Meacham who, seeing McCamey curve around him, dishes the ball back to McCamey for the game winning assist and bucket.

Just an incredible job down the stretch.