Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Ben Johnson

Three topics to catch up on since I haven’t had a chance to lately would be the Illini, Bulls and Blackhawks.

1. The Illinois Fighting Illini as of this moment are 21-6 and trail Michigan State by two games in the Big Ten. I know they played like shit and blew a nine point lead against Penn State. They scored just four points in the last ten minutes of that game. At that record however, it has shocked just about everybody including myself. It just shows how good of a coach Bruce Weber is with players that weren’t considered to be big time playmakers when they left high school. Just imagine what kind of record they would have if he had top of the line players. With that being said, they are in the round of 65 but the question would be what number seed would they be. Right now, they are good enough for a fourth or fifth seed but it could be a two or three if they play well in the Big Ten Tournament.

2. The Chicago Bulls made three trades. I do not know if the new guys coming in will make this team better but they are still not a contender. Amare Stoudemire is staying put with the Suns and I read in a couple of places that the Bulls didn’t consider the trade because they would have to give up their first round draft pick in return. If that is the case, John Paxson is dumber than I thought. As an organization, you don’t know if your next draft pick is going to be good.

However, you do know that Amare Stoudemire is very good and if you have a chance to get him and give back the Suns a bunch of garbage in return, then you do it. Amare is good for 25 points and at least seven rebounds a game. No one on the Bulls right now can do that. The Bulls might still end up making the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed but it won’t be worth it. They are better off missing the playoffs so they could have a chance to get lucky again and get a high draft pick.

3. Last but not least, we have the only feel good story in town right now and that is the Chicago Blackhawks who are 33-15-8 on the season. They shutout the Florida Panthers Thursday night for their 3rd straight win. Huet (about damn time) had a good game getting the shutout. This season has been really excited to watch. This team is young, good and fun to follow. There have been some injuries but it has not affected them so far. They are really on a roll and there is no reason why it should stop anytime soon. Patrick Sharp will be out at least two more weeks with the injury he had against Dallas last week.

I couldn’t write about the Blackhawks without giving Nikolai Khabibulin big time props. This guy sucked the last two years and before this season started, the Blackhawks put him on waivers and no team claimed him. Right now he is out with an injury but his record is 17-5-5. He lost the first game of the season in October and did not lose a game in regulation until late December. That is pretty damn good. So to Khabibulin, he gets my props. He is one of the main reasons why this team is on the upside and looking real good this season.

– That is about it for me. You guys take it easy this weekend and I might have a new thread sometime next week.

I was going to write a post about the Chicago Bulls trade, the Blackhawks current play and a report on the Fighting Illini basketball season but what has happened on this site in the last few days changed all that.

First of all, I would like to say that what has been happening here in the last few days has been childish to say the least. As many of you guys have pointed out, there was no reason to have such a debate about something that concerns me. The last time I checked, there are more important people to talk about in your free time other than me. This is our site with our own opinions. I posted a lot on Hire Jim Essian and I have no problem with some of them but others have obviously been ignorant at times.

However on this site, when we have had disagreements with a topic in the last three or four years, we always argued back in respect and maturity without acting in a childish way. Our opinions are our opinions and nothing more. If my opinion affects someone that much more that they act in a childish way, then that is sad.

I’ll say this one more damn time to anybody and everybody: If you do not like what I or anybody else writes here, then feel free to debate about but please do it in a mature way. If you don’t want to do that, then don’t come here. It’s that simple. If you are 37 years old, then act like you are 37. Do not come here and act like the 12 year old boy who got pissed off in junior high because the girl who asked him to the dance did it as a joke.

That is it for me. Bulls/Blackhawks/Fighting Illini post coming Friday.

Thank you.

I apologize for the lack of updated threads lately. I haven’t been able to get to my computer much both at work and at home because I have been really busy with my work.

I am also in the process of moving from Rochelle to Dekalb (only 15 minutes apart) but I am mostly moving by myself so it is taking me a while. I should be settled in my new place in the next couple weeks.

I will try to have a complete update on the state of this site by either Monday or Tuesday so stay tuned.

Thanks for being patient and sticking around everybody. You guys are the best.

Speak your mind.

Card down, Chicago Cardinals, make every play clear the way to victory;

Card down, Chicago Cardinals, put up a fight with a might so fearlessly.

We’ll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T-formation.

Card down, Chicago Cardinals, and let them know why you’re wearing the crown.

You’re the pride and joy of Illinois Missouri Arizona,  Chicago Cardinals, card down.

How awesome is this? Our Chicago Cardinals in the championship game for the first time since 1947! Life is grand!

The Chicago Cardinals will face the five-time champion Pittsburgh Steelers on February 1st. The Pittsburgh Steelers with their excellent franchise and owner who always have a willingness to contend for a championship nearly every year will be the favorites to win. Who would blame them? A franchise that has only had about four coaches in their entire franchise and continued success throughout the years says a lot. Meanwhile, our Chicago Cardinals have been the opposite only going to one playoff game in the last 25 years.

But better late than never to go the Super Bowl.

Go Chicago Cardinals!

Discuss whatever it is that you want to talk about.

All of the Bears’ problems of this season were summed up in one game. Bad defense, no wide receivers and a blown lead.

– First of all, Danieal Manning has done some really good things on kickoffs and defense. This game however, he was bad on both. He had blown coverage on the first touchdown that the Texans scored when Andre Johnson was wide open. The same thing happened in the Super Bowl where he didn’t cover when Manning threw a 60 yard pass to I believe Harrison. Then the very next play, he fumbled a kickoff return which lead to another touchdown. There was 14 points right there that he gave the Texans.

– Kyle Orton’s 22/37 for 244 yards weren’t bad. It would help if they ran the ball more and actually had better receivers to catch the ball. Another solid offensive lineman wouldn’t be too much to ask of either. I still believe Kyle Orton can be a good quarterback in the NFL if he can get at least some help on the offensive side. When your running back is your best wide receiver and your tight ends are usually the only ones open, then your offense has problems.

– As I have mentioned more than enough, the Bears should not have even been in this situation. They blew three games that easily should have been wins (Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta). The coaching and management problems are too much of a headache to write about. This team needs to add some receivers, an offensive lineman and a couple of safeties. The quarterback position should be the least of the Bears’ worries going into the off-season. I said this defense has had some awful games but I can also point out that if the offense could quit having three and outs, that the defense could play a little bit better because they would have more rest. That falls into the responsibility of the coaches.

– That is a wrap for Bears talk for a while. I will have a new thread next week about something. Possibly a Blackhawks or a Bulls article. I wish everyone a safe and happy new year.

Happy Holidays everybody. I just wanted to say thank you for sticking around on the new site as well as the old one. Over the last few years, we have became pretty good friends on here. Although I am trying to emotionally distance myself from baseball, this site is not going away. I will think of something in the next few months on what exactly to do so stay tuned.

I always welcome new readers but then again, I am glad that we have kept our base small and loyal. I couldn’t thank you guys enough. I really appreciate the support. You guys are the ones keeping this site running.

Thank you very much.

                                              – Fro Dog

Robbie Gould: You are my hero. You too Alex Brown.

– The Bears need to win their last two games while the Vikings to lose both of their games to get into the playoffs. This shouldn’t have been a problem if the Bears didn’t blow one of three games that they should have won. The game against Carolina where they had I believe a 17 point lead and pissed it away. The Tampa Bay game where they had a two-score lead and they gave it away much in part due to Charles Tillman’s stupid penalty in overtime. Last but the most frustrating game was the Atlanta game where the Bears scored a touchdown with 11 seconds to go only to let Matt Ryan throw a 30 yard pass with one second to go leading to the game winning field goal.

– The Chicago Bulls are doing OK with their near .500 record. Derrick Rose is showing it more and more every game that he is the real deal. He is their best player on the team. In fact, he is probably their only good player. I like Drew Gooden as well. He is not the dominant post player that teams need to contend but he is doing a good enough job so far. He is having some games in which he putting up 20 points and around 10 rebounds a game but not consistently. Everyone else on the team needs to be let go or traded away for draft picks in order to contend in the next couple years.

– The Chicago Blackhawks have been kicking some ass in the last couple weeks. As of this writing, they are tied for 3rd place in the Western Conference with a three game trip in Canada. I was at my first Blackhawks game this past Sunday and it was amazing. I had a lot of fun and it was very relaxing for me. The young lady and I sat right next to the tv cameras in the club level, first row. The crowd really got excited when the Hawks had a chance to score and when they did, the crowd went nuts. If you haven’t been to a Blackhawks game yet, I suggest you do. For the best in-depth coverage of the Blackhawks, check out the good guys over at http://www.hockeenight.com.

– If you guys want to discuss anything else, feel free to.