Taj79

I would offer to disagree, Mr. 72. We have not turned the straw spindle once making gold. We have hired an architect, for sure, but I would offer that he hasn't torn the old builidng down yet, let alone gone into heavy construction phase. I think he knows he has two, maybe three decent players he can convert this year to take his message with him next year but he hasn't sold those three (okay, maybe two) on it. Without a carry-over, he esentially goes back to square one next year. Okay, he does it with his own horses in the barn but those wild animals have to be tamed to pull the beer cart behind them. We have all had the discussion as to what makes a "big time hoops program" and I think we all agreed on the final, necessary ingedient ---- wins. I'm sure in oyur travels through Ohio, you've passed the Nutter Center off of I-675. Who plays there? Wright State. Big time hoops program? Not even close. If ever in suburban Dc ont he Viriginia side, check out the Patriot Center. Who plays there? George Mason. Big time hoops program? Nope. One year wonder? maybe. I will always admit to being the camp that wanted our own on-campus snake's den to play in and I'm all for that still. I don't care what kindo fdrain it is right now, I'd rather have that 90% full with 11,000 folks than over 50% emptywith the same folks at Savvis/Scottrade. And while I consdier that an advantage, one we've never had before, I don't think that is enough to boost us into a "big time hoops program." that takes talent --- which, if you believe what's being peddled on here, is something we don't really have. Majerus is big time. So we should have an arena and a coach. Now we need the talent. Just like having Majerus alone couldn't be enough to get over the hump, neither can an arena. There is still the issue of talent. Maybe you don't need the same amount as before, but it is needed just the same. Those three items are not enough either. You still need team compatibility, stars and role players, attitude, luck, intangibles and so on. Well, now that I wrote all that out, maybe you are right and we have turned some proverbial corner. Without the investment, you can't really get there can you? I'd still like an opinion on my question of WWYD? Majerus fails. Abyssmally. Who in their right mind looks at this program, this location, this legacy, this graveyard for coaches and --- even after a national name and figure like Majerus can't do it --- says "hey, yeah, Saint Louie Ewie is where I want to be." If Majerus succeeds and goes out with this his last stop, the two or threee guys on the bench are probably more than willing and will play the "continuation" card to keep the job should it be successful. But what happens if it isn't?

All I can say is "in Rick I trust." He owes me no explanation. I can't see arguing with a guy who has a record like his. Genius? Well, in today's day and age, it seems everybody wants to put a moniker on someone. Starting with Chris Berman and taking off from there. I don't see how, for me, you can be a genius without some sort of national title which I don't recall Rick having but that's me. Now the Washington Post of Fox Sports has removed that title from his name? Good for them --- I suspect it will return. At least I hipe it does and at that point, there will be no living with the smug SOB. But at that point, I think we'd all say "he earned it." that's what I'm hoping for. It's amazing how coaching foibles are cute and eccentric when that coach wins. Booby Knight. Freddie Shero. Al Maguire. Ray Meyer. Bob Huggins. Bill Belicheck. Joe Gibbs. But lose and eccentric and cute turn into arrogant and egotistic. Oh well ..... Why do I trust in Rick? Frankly, what choice is left? We've gone the local coach route and lost (Ron Coleman). We've gone the local coach/savior route (Rich Grawer) and despite early success, lost there as well. We went the rule bender route (Ron Ekker) and lost. We went with regional, home-spun legend (Spoon) and lost there although that was probably the greatest decade with Grawer's recruits and Hughes. We went with national level coach and assistant who came off a national title winning program (Lorenzo Romar) and lost there. Then we went to hard-working, Midwestern-raised, nose-to-the-grindstone guy (Brad Sodeberg) and that failed. What for heaven's sake is left? If this fails, I am sure we will keep at it ($80 million and a brand new arena means no D-III) but if a guy with as natioanl a rep as Majerus can't do it, you have to ask who or what can. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think a coach of this natioanl caliber would ever come to SLU. I'm not about to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I din't judge the last guy's tenure until four or five eyars in. I also believed Cheryl when she supported him after last year's efforts. I have come to the conclusion that he couldn't recruit much or at least judge whatever talent he was recruiting. I'll leave that at that. For those espousing the fact that we've replaced one seven-footer with another, I can honestly say it doesn't work that way. Maybe at a UNC or a Duke but certainly not here at little Saint Louie Ewie. Ian frankyl was the greatest center in my history with the program. Hands down without a doubt. What his presence inthe middle did in regards to allowing others to do other things can never be really measured. Its like batting Albert Pujols behind Barry Bonds or Ryna Howard, not David Eckstein or Yadier Molina. Lynn Swann was good maybe even great, but what effect did having John Stallworth on the other side make Swann better. And vice a versa. Wes Welker was a nice player at Miami. Jabbar Gaffney was a nice player at new Englend. Bring in randy Moss and what happens? kshoe and I rarely get along, let alone agree so I would be remiss if I didn't digress on some point --- and this one is "preparing for the future." Normally I'd agree with that statement. But as I sat int he stands in DC this past Thursday, I couldn't help but note to "jz" next to me that there was no real future out there. Lishc and Liddell and Eberhardt are the only three "returning" in my book (I think all the freshmen and sophomores will be gone although I did like what Anthony Mitchell showed in his brief appearance). Three seniors. Two of which Bob Ryan identified on PTI as being Rick's best players and "not liking the way he coaches." Yes, the incoming class looks like it could rival some in the greta Billiken decade but you never really know about recruits, do you (Tyrone Caswell, Tony Manual, Justin tatum, Lionel Simmons, Vashun Newborne, Tony Brown, etc., etc.)? Wasn't Claggs and Hmarks freshman year a five-win season? All I'm saying is ...... I think I'm starting to see the method to Rick's madness. Do I like it? From the human standpoint, no. But is that my/our main goal here? i don't think so. Cliches are what they are but there is an old saying about breaking some eggs to make an omelet. Eccentric or egotistical? Its kind of ike the question "can Rich Rodriguez drag Michigan kicking and screaming into the 21st cenntury of college football?" For debate's sake, let's say that the "Majerus experiment" was a bad move and turns into an abject failure. Then what? WWYD? What Would You Do? Will the Horizon League take us?

Damn those Indians .... I thought it was colonists? The colonists must've been Billiken fans and stayed off the bandwagon until sometime around Yorktown.

I disagree. I don't think there is a great player on this team. Adequate? Maybe but in the proper context. Hughes was a great player. Burns was a great player. Bonner was but not in the same sense as Hughes because Hughes was great one and done while Bonner didn't exactly set the world on fire as completely his freshman year as his senior year. But his career is what this program needs --- four years per person for development --- to model things after. Claggett and Highmark were good, and approached great but only with the right parts added like H and Donnie and others. That's my issue as described in the Post Mortem from GeeDub. For example, Tommie can't shoot as well as Maurice Rice does for GeeDub. Rob Diggs is just as great a leaper as Tommie. The Christmas kid and the Forbes kid are better perimeter shooters at Temple and Umass and are better that Kevin. Luke is a scrapper and fighter in the Jeff Harris/Chris Heinrich mold but those guys would never win championships or even some games if that's all you got. Luke's like Steve Carlton on the '72 Phillies. The team won 54 total games and Carlton won 27 by himself. Luke won't win those games but he'd be more like the guy that lost the other 27 and you'd still like him because you know or can tell that he's plugging and doing all he can. If just for one bounce per game, he'd at least be a .500 pitcher. He'd win the Cy Young if you traded him. Why? Not because his stuff got better but because his supporting cast did. Can you say Johan Santana to the Yankees? Thirty wins maybe. This is a lot of post-FRUBS stuff we are paying for but there is some blame to be handed to the head shed. Why not change to fit your personnel? Maybe he can't. Maybe, he is thinking he trains these three guys (Liddell, Lisch and Eberhardt) and they help train next year's class to start the four year training rotation I'm talking about that will be the only way to offer salvation or even find this program? Some have read his book --- did he do this at Ball State and Utah? Given our tepid history, don't you think that if someone has a blueprint, that they've done this sort of thing before, it would be better to follow a previous example than to make this sh*t up as they go? As for RickMa, we were warned. I recall folks talking about his demeanor all the way at his hiring. Right now, unfortunately, the poor kids left over from the FRUBS are the sacrifice. Its unfortunate for nice kids like the ones we have. I like Kevin and Tommie and (love) Luke but let's face it. To go where no SLU man ever has gone before, to reach out for the final frontier of the NCAA Basketball universe, is goin to require drastic measures. To say RickMa is not enamored with the talent in the program is not a reach but it should not be surprising. I get the feeling a lot of Saint Louis University boosters will be turned off. I must say that I'm alien to RickMa's style. His playing in the western most time zones of this country meant I did not know much of him until tournament time. I 'm going ot have to read the book. Maybe adapting his style is not in his mantra. Maybe the groundwork is laid here with the task of remolding his returning players so that they, in turn, help assimilate next year's group. Maybe a huge part of that is Paul Eckerle. Is he praising Eckerle to ensure he has one spear carrier coming back to "enlighten" his first class? If his two best players don't liek the way he coaches, and they are around for only one more year, I don't know if appeasing them is the route to go. If there is one thing to change, maybe its the public criticism aspect of things. Otherwise, I'm fed up enough with the lack of success in this program that I'm willing to give him a blank check and a free ride. Let's face it --- if this doesn't work, we may as well amputate and go D-III or move to the Horizon conference for good. If we can't play in the A-10 with any consistency, we need to look down, not up.

Over the years, both nark and roy have been the constants. For the most part. Yet both of you seem so distant or disgusted or call it what you want. I know 12 is facetious (at least I think it is) but that still does not explain the complete hopelessness that you seem to exude, nark. Living as close to DC as I do, four years ago, the corner was turned in 'Skin land. The great Saint Joe Gibbs returned to the fold. By the time he called two consecutive time outs this year at the end of the game to lose to the Buffalo Bills, the greater part of 'Skin-dom was lamenting how the game had passed him by. Then he made the playoffs and all was once again golden in Burgundy-and-Gold land. Then he up and retired. Choas now rules. All thought at least Joe could counter the insanity that is Dan Snyder. I see parallels here but what I also see if some Billiken folks not being able to accept that to advance, change had to happen. As a player, I know I would not like to hear about all my faults in the press. I can't ever condone that of Rick. I believe any other coach would have done no better, he would also be playing two-on-five and as someone said, there is enough tape out there in this country for EVERY team to know how to play us. That where my "human factor" comes into play because the book is so solid on us, we really should never expect to win a single game because we are predictable and talent-challenged. Yet we are 9 and 6. Go figure. Cheer up.

Nice talking to you and your lovely wife as well "jzstldc." We'll meet again. I think she deserves something special ---- a trinket, a dinner, a show of appreciaiton --- for sitting through that debacle with you/me/the rest of the Bills atheltic supporters in the house. Except that condescending a-hole behind us. For reference sake, my wife (Kutztown University grad) lasted for about eight years before she said "no honey, that's something you can 'enjoy' on your own" and quit takign the beatings with me. Hope yours busts that scale. Moy --- I'll see your Guiness and raise you a Grey Goose & cranberry with a splash of OJ. Age sucks. Food allergies, among other things, slow you down. Coupled with an allergy to molds and mildews makes me allergic to beer, of all things. Thank god that wasn't the case in the old Quad years ago. Send me a PM if and when you head this way and we'll make it happen.

I spoke to my YouDee season ticket holder/SLU grad/best friend last night, bemoaning the fiasco I witnessed Thursday night. Near the end, he was laughing and started talking about how the Flyers would blow the Bills out tomorrow (tonight). After all that I said, I answered "not so fast, Slappy." I agree with both posts above ---- that this one could go either way --- but I, for some odd reason, can see the Bills winning tonight. Of course, to quote the Scarecrow ..... "If I only a had a brain ....."

We made it on Pardon The Interruption on ESPN tonight. A total 90 seconds of banter. Of note, Ryan said he spoke to Majerus earlier in the year when SLU was at BC and he quoted Majerus as saying he inherited someone else's team and "his two best players don't like the way he coaches."

Au contraire ---- I'm not whining. I am trying to continue the hysteria that drove me home last night.

I was at the game Vee. Both. it seemed that a lot of the shots were also "holy sh*t, three seconds on the shot clock --- better launch it" variety. If they drove, blocked. If they shot, missed. I havenever seen an entrie team go as cold as last night. Not even in biddy ball.

I think our history against the Flyers is goofy. We can win there, they can win here. I can't wait for the game --- I too think we can win --- if only to get the stench of this fiasco past us. Note to staff: cover Roberts, make someone else beat us.

Streaming consciousness rules! Driving home from the Smith center last night, I broke down at least six time sinto hysterical laughter. Which was either preceded or followed by an emotion in the complete opposite direction. I have been associated with this program in some way for 33 years now (34 if you count your senior year in high school when you kind of know what school you will be going to). I thought I had seen it all. I lived through GeeDub in AC last year. St. Joe's in Cincy the year before. Two five-win seasons. Grawer's players leaving the program --- in mid GAME. Home games in West Pine. Talk of going Division III. The loss to McKendree. Ron Ekker. ushers and concession workers outnumbering fans at old Kiel. One concession window open during games. It could not go any lower. I was wrong. Words and adjectives floating through my mind on last night's drive included: Woeful. Pathetic. Impotent. Pitiful. Embarrassing. Hysterical. And many, many, many others that if used, will get this post deleted. I was going to stop in southeast DC and buy seven bullets for my six-chambered piece. Why seven? I figured jamming seven bullets into a six-round piece would eliminate any doubt when I went to blow my brains out. Then it dawned on me --- I have no brains. A person with an inkling of sense would have abandoned this program years ago. Everything will be okay. Polk's a shooting guard. I know that, Vtime told me so. Someone's daughter notwithstanding, I will be the first to tell you that my second half was devoted to visually identifying eye-candy in the stands, on the dance team, with the cheerleaders you name it. I'm a dirty old man, what can I say? What I CAN say is that the "talent" level in the stands was enough to pass my time. What else was I to do? It's not like a basketball game was being played to distract me. Thank god the performance level on the court matched what I paid for my ticket. I walked up to the ticket counter, said "one please" and the lady slid a ticket out. I looked at her, she smiled, I saw "$0.00" on the price. I looked back at her, she shrugged and said "enjoy the game." Little did I know she was insulting me at that point! But I got the performance and the result I paid for. Rain started in the DC metro area as I left my house north of Baltimore. For those of you who know what that means in terms of DC traffic --- right on! I met Steve at the Metor exit in Foggy Bottom at about 7:15 and we went to two local places to try and eat. It wasn't going to work and Steve was nice enough to suggest we bag it because "I don't want to miss a thing." In hindsight, we should have just ate and misse dthe whoel freaking thing. Also in hindsight, it's a good thing we didn't eat --- it would have never stayed down. Met and sat with a young couple --- he's a SLU grad and she's a Duquesne grad but somehow it works. He posts on here so that's good and I had an enjoyable time. I think he said he was a 2000 grad so they were relatively young. Which was nice because their attendance brought the average age of SLU folks there down to about 84 1/2 years of age. That does not factor in Steve. On the atendance note, that was the best attended game I have ever been to as far as Billiken turnout was concerned. The organizer, who I think I met in the subway afterwards, was the president of the DC chapter of the Alumni Club. That was a large group. The age thing is a joke, there were actually a lot of young folks there for the Bills. Maybe school is on break and the DC kids were home for the holidays? In any case, kudos. Too bad we didn't get to see a basketball game. Speaking of eye candy --- let me nominate the two young ladies that do whatever young ladies do for intercollegiate basketball teams when they sit on the bench. I don't know if they are managers, trainers, go-fers, or whatever ---- but the geeDub ladies win hands down the "best dressed," or "best looking" or "best whatever" in my book right now. I'm serious, I'm in love ---- and it wouldn't be this way if I had something --- like a basketball game --- to distract my wandering eyes!!!!! George Washington is bad, really. Of curse, we were worse last night. The problem was that even though Bryce towered over the GeeDub frontline, they more than compensated for that with athleticism. Diggs, Hollis and Kunat Kinte or whatever his name was were daringour little rascals to come into the paint. At one point, I was pleading for a reverse layup. At least give it a try and use the rim to shield your shot. I hate to credit Karl Hobbs but he did exactly what I would do with our team --- here's a zone, there's Lisch, let's see if someone else can beat us. Our level of athleticism is extremely low. Couple that with what appears to be a low talent level and what appears to be an enigma in the coaching box, and last night was not surprising. The Billikens. What can I say? It woul d not surprise me if that whole bench ----- no, roster --- left for next year. I am serious. Someone said we have two shooters? And who would that be? Lisch I'll assume is one. Who are you counting as number two? I honestly could see Liddell saying screw it and check out of this situation. That was not the Tommie Liddell I am used to. But GeeDub's athleticism stunts and counters Tommie very well. Diggs was smiling at him and daring him to drive. I don't know if Diggs was covering Tommie or not but our interior offerings gave Diggs no cause to worry about anyone other than Liddell. Tommie is NOT a point guard, much like Polk is not a shooting guard. Yes, Tommie needs the ball in his hands to create, but that is for himslef, not really anyone else. That is not a selfish thing, that's what he appears to be best at. Even when he did dish off last night, Lisch was so heavily covered that Tommie had to go elsewhere and Polk won't shoot, Brown won't shoot, and Luke's release rivals in speed what Deiner's did. Tommie has to be the focal point, but with, as someone else said, two of our players being zeros as far as offensive options, well, yuck. Lisch can be a valuable role player on almost any team. A gonzo defender. A zone buster. A heady leader. But his ability to do that is predicated on having other equla parts around him. So we play two-on-five. If Lisch is a fifth, sixth or seventh man, Luke is after that. I love Luke's work ethic an dhis dogged determination and would probably hire him in a heartbeat but he has spent four years out of position and gets swallowed up by guys with more athleticism that he. Which turns out to be just about every guy he ends up facing each night. Even in the big man-weak A10. I read Mark Adams' article on Majerus practices and watched Husak based on what I read there. Husak plays "small." He bends over in a prepatory way when on defense that he loses a lot in terms of presence. He has questionable hands. He wa not pointing his toes at the ball and showing his numbers at Adams' article said. By the time he did get around, Tommie or the wing on his side had eliminated him mentally as a potential option on the play. last night's game was played on the interior at a pace that did not seem to suit him. Ihave no feel whatsoever for Eberhardt based on lat night. None at all. it's hard to even say "wait'til next year' when the three guys next year involves --- Liddell, Lisch and Eberhardt --- did so dang poorly. Polk and Brown were wasted scholarships in the long run. I am certain Dswayne will be a great JV or high school coach some day. And I think I said early on yesterday that Eckerle might get his lunch money taken by the GeeDub players last night. it was close. All I will say is that if this program has to rely on the likes of Paul Eckerle to be a major contributor, stick a fork in it. Majerus didn't impress me at all, although I didn't know really waht I was looking for. He stood the whole game and never lost his cool --- offering instructions at every break and every time out. Biancardi or whatever his name is is the one who tugged on Rick and must've said empty the bench late. Majerus wasn't going to do it. Knllmeyer showed me nothing. Relaphorde looked like a kid who had lost interest. Mitchell deserves some credit and might warrant keeping. The kid showed some nice heart in his three or four minute mop up duty. I guess Maguire travels so we have enough bodies in shoot around and game day practices to make a go of it. My recommendation is not to take this game and lock and load chambers and fire. The good news is that we have the human factor going for us. I don't know how to explain that but it involves how we play like crap on the road and do okay at home. It would not surprise me to see this team win come Saturday. I expect that this same game will happen in reverse (sort of) when GeeDub comes into our house to play. I can't explain it only to call it the human factor ---- why teams play Jekyll and Hyde at home versus on the road, I don't know. What irks me most is to have to sit there with some a-hole behind me rooting for our guys and team in some sort of misplaced pity-party manner. "Go Ooh-ooh, go." TYhen the parody on ooh-ooh being "ut-ooh." Another thing that bugs me is the feeling one gets walking out of a place like that even as you identify yourself by wearing the Billiken colors. I found myself zippingmy jacket up to the neck in order to hide and form of Billiken blue as I walked out of there. I was even going to ditch the hat by turning it inside-out but the dang interior was blue too. If I received one pity look in the Foggy Bottom Metro station for my Billiken emblem on my hat, I felt like I received 100. You want to talk about how tough it is being a Billiken fan ------- shoot em, shoot me now ---- seems to be the mantra of the day. Satruday can't come soon enough.

The scuttle on the coast here is that GeeDub is without their point guard, have been for some time. This has necessitated Rice moving from his past role of sixth man/instant offense to not only starter, but starter/point guard. I think TT picked that up and noted a drop in his ppg average of nearly seven points this year compared to last. I remember the Diggs kid being pretty servicable and the team that crushed us in Atlantic City were all size equal and talent equal, with Rice being the go to guy. So I expect them to press us again, especially at home in the Smith Center, and try to wear us down. I don't see a game that cottons to a Bryce kind of night. I would hope that our lineup of no one bigger than 6'5" and having Danny Brown healthier allows us to at least counter well enough. I expect Eckerle to get some rude awakenings tonight for some reason. I cannot sanction the Wiz's call. There isno way in hell the Bills get favored in any game on the road until they show me they can win a road game. This game, at La Salle, at Richmond and at Umass (with Umass featuring an entire lineup driven by guards, maybe we can match up well enough) are about the only rare stops on the schedule that appear winnable right now. But the trend is we don't win this games. That needs to change and tonight is another key checkpoint in the schedule. Not one I had penciled in at first, but a win here might add credence to the espoused theory that the guys are starting to get Rick's system as Lisch implied in today's P-D article. Two years ago, we came in here and had this game, only to see it go to OT and another loss. Record or not, the Bills still have to show me that this team can win something on the road -- neutral courts notwithstanding. And the box office is telling me its not a sellout and the students are not here so it won't be as "hostile" an environment that it could be. Thnink Rick will autograph my SLU hats?

The video on that guy was amazing! Equally amazing, and even more impressive, was the psycho dunk Hansborough threw down on him! The guy wears a sixe 26 shoe! When he's done playing basketball, they can sink those tugs and turn them into artificial off-shore reefs! I didn't see it but is he a freshman? What yer was he? How the heck does NC-Asheville lose a game in their conference? I've seen Manute Bol and Georghe Muresan and even Shawn Bradley and ralph Sampson and while they had height, they had no body mass to back up that height. This guy was height and weight proportionate. I didn't get the impression he was highly skilled but he was just as skilled as Greg Oden was and look where he ended up (injury not included).

From personal experience --- I hate Mark Adams and can't stand to hear him when he broadcasts games. And that stems from my first experience with him back in a Great Midwest tournament when the Bills were in it and it was in Dayton. Regardless of that, it was a great article and a tremendous insight. Sounds eerily Marine-like ---- break down all you think you know and impart a whole singular train of thought. Sounds like Majerus' Marines. I too share the moytoy disclaimer of "I'm glad he's our coach and don't want him to leave." Maybe this is the kind of intensity that builds programs. Maybe this is the kind of intensity and attitudes that change the "CYC culture" a certain favorite columnist seems to believe SLU has. It certainly explains why certain kids are told "look elsewhere" for your oportunities.

I'll be joining Steve in DC tonight. Other than the "you are ugly and your momma dresses you funny" comments, anybody need a message conveyed?

This game is only being attended by convicted felons ....... it is what they agreed to in lieu of extensive jail time. I can't imagine a more horrible punishment ..... making oyu watch these two go at it, let alone an overtimes, two, three or four. About the only thing worse would be watching the Bills play St. Joe's in the A-10 tournament in 2006. or the Bills against GeeDub in the 2007 A-10 tournament. Hey, wait a minute --- I did sit through those and I was innocent, INNOCENT I tell you!!!!!

Again, I have to question the credibility of all this. Saint Louis University has "offered" this kid? So if he says "yes" he's in? I just find it extremely hard to believe. I mean, I know nothing one way or the other but this is the first we've heard of this kid and he's sitting on an "offer." Not doubting you, brian, just the semantics in this and similar sites.

Umass had #15 Vandy on the rope before falling yesterday. The Twerps ran out big time on Charlotte in the Bobcats arena and then held on for dear life down the stretch as Charlotte closed a 21-point deficit to a four-point loss. Not bad for on the road and in a neutral site. Looks like Umass has a big three as well --- Gary Forbes and the starting back court went off for 69 of Umass' 88 total points. Richmond also took out Virginia Tech at home this past weekend or so and given our perchant for NOT palying on the road ---- that reaffirms my belief that a win there will be tough to come by. Can't wait to see the team in person in DC this week. URI and Dayton are ranked. Xavier and Umass are playing well. No one's talking about St. Joes so they are lurking out there. Duquesne is doing well and Charlotte is competing. Mentioning us now puts us at eighth in the conference. Gonna be a dogfight.

I don't recall 13 in the FRUBS era, but I do recall not doing even a point a minute ---- which meant 18 or 19 points in a half. I have heard many people say things like "the college game is a guard game," and "the A10 is a guard's league," and even "your point guard is the engine of your team -- as he goes, you go." Falkner and Shaw aren't guards ---- so overall I'm not surprised. Then, next year, they lose them ---- the balance is so delicate especailly in themid-major ranks. Its perspective. Five-year followers of the Bills don't have it. Same could be said of the current Saluki fans. A Sweet Sixteen appearance is an aberration for them, not the norm. My buddyis a Red Sox fan. A long-suffering Sox fan who has seen two World Series titles in 50 years. His kid is 10 and seen the same thing. He's not a long-suffering fan ---- he thinks the Sox have been and always will be great. That is what he knows. A great day in the Taj household ---- sitting in the afterglow that is a Redskin elimination AND a Steeler elimination. If Eli and boys goes down, three out of four ain't bad. (I don't care about the final game of the weekend.)

It appears that the Rainbow Warriors were not as gifted as last year's surprise team, the Boise State Broncos. I didn't see a bowl game worth watching yesterday with the exception of maybe this one from a "curiosity" standpoint. But when I put it on, it was 14 to 3 and the drive I watched prettymuch seemed to show that the final was already in themaking. At 41 to 10, I'd say so. I guess the pundits that said the Warriors were overrated knew what they were talking about. Kind of like Tulane in CUSA a couple of years ago. Frankly, I don't see a bowl game left that I care to watch rightnow. I'll watch Monday's championship game for at least a half --- won't sacrifice sleep over it thought.

Misinformation campaign? I beg to differ. That's my opinion on the YouDee team --- and it pretty much never really changes. YouDee rocks at home, always have. Althought some of our lesser teams have waltzed inthere and taken victories I didn't expect. Same of the Flyers in Saint Louis. We're right there with you guys --- no competition for the winter entertainment dollar (unless the Blues get hot), a less-than-demanding fan base, however, we don't ahve that 13K seat arena, yet. If you threw out football, you, Favier and us would all be eerily similar. I agree Roberts have a nice game (BRob plays second base for the Orioles around these parts, by the way) but my point would be to place the burden on those less accustomed to handling it and see how they do. I guarantee you Jimmie Binnie doesn't make hislone three pointer UNLESS he's 20 to 30 ahead. In any other case, the guy's aliability. That's who I'd make beat me. I too expect good games --- but have said that this Billiken team is in a below average year. Which means we will get smoked in Dayton and maybe, mayber, eek out a close win in St. Louis. Manhandling the #8 or #6 or wahtever ranked team in Dayton means you should beat us by 40. I'll take the Bills and those points. Case in point: on Saturdaynight, Chris Collingsworth said "Belicheck takes what you are good at and takes it away, makes you beat him with something else." He's pretty successful this year, lat time I checked. That's what I would do witht he Flyers. If I were playing us, I'd zone us and make Husak beat me. Husak and maybe Eckerle. Good luck. You guys have a nice team and will make the Dance. Again provided Roberts isn't lost for any reason.

Not a bad lineup however you've jumped over GeeDub and placed Richmond in the east, also away from Charlotte. Does Richmond have any natural rivalries? Almost the same state as GeeDub and next door to Charlotte's state. Just wondering ...... Also askign Sign Kid about GeeDub's rivalry games. Do they have any? Maybe the Philly schools? Putting them in the West takes that out of the home-and-home equation. La Salle and St. Bonnie are more suited for the MEAC or Colonial leagues in my book.

No -- I am not an X fan. About the worst time I can think of in my basketball viewing life was having to sit in the middle of the X section in Cincinnati a few years back at the A-10 tourney. Bunch of condescending pain-in-the-arses as I recall. The one woman even yelled at us for binocing the cheerleaders at time outs. Told us to act our age. Responded that we were! Me and the YouDee season ticketholder I was sitting with. Xuck Favier. Seriously, with Wright hurt, which I found out about last night prior to reading your response, who else would you tend to cover on that Dayton team other than Roberts? Jimmie Binnie? Pardon my faux pas on Donald Little --- shades of Cincinnati nightmares haunting my being. Not that Donald was a playing nightmare -- don't believe he ever played for old Huggy while they were there in any way that amounted to much. But back to Roberts --- who else do you cover? Overall, great win for Dayton d great win for the conference, I'm all for that. However, Pitt has never been associated with any sort of basketball skill set in their history ---- not great shooters and technicians but more on the physical side of things --- Jerome Lane shattering a backboard. He did that with a dunk but old Jerome had the shooting touch equivalent to that as well from the outside. With their monster in the middle hindered by touch fouls, and with one guy out and Fields suffering a borken foot, the skill set was even lower. That was Dayton's Super Bowl --- we al know that, even the fans in Dayton rallied to go to that one. One home game of the year. Not that that is YouDee's fault. No one will come on-campus to play you guys. We all know that. I suspect that if the Bills ever get really good in the Majerus era, we will face the same treatment. No top flight team wants to come into YouDee, Springfield, Carbondale, Peoria, Hinkle or any other higher echelon mid-major program. What for? To get treated like Pitt did in Dayton? I did like the announcers take on it --- that Pitt should be rewarded for having the guys to do so. Come Selection Sunday, a team on the bubble should GET points for a loss like that, not LOSE points in terms of a penalty. Roberts is a pretty good player, I'll give him that. He is much, much better than Stanley Burrell down I-75 at Favier. I also hear Wright is quite the stud and will be a force to be reckoned with --- provided the mental midget on the bench learns not to get in the way of his players. I hear Gregory is really a great recruiter --- of course, the results on the floor must mean he can't do the X's and O's part of the game. Sitting in the midst of those Favier folks, I heard the same thing about Sean Miller. Dayton's a great place to be --- no competition for the entertainment dollar, nothing else to do in town in the winter, sell-out or near capacity crowds, a less-than-demanding fan base. I also hear Gregory is in a make-or-break year --- he has to make the Dance this year or else. I hear that from my YouDee season ticketholder friends, not just those on th e outside looking in. So the trend is that when Brian Roberts goes on national TV, look out? Hey, I ain't no coach but I can spot the trend. What happened to Dixon and Company? If Dixon "knew about Roberts" as you said, he must've drawn a blank about the time tip off started. I'd go box-and-one --- with the instructions that wherever Roberts was, the man on that point of the box had to cover him, along with the man guarding him coming back as he fought around the screen. That's when I'd say "okay Donald-Charles-Chicken and the rest of the littles, go ahead and beat me." If it fails, can it be any worse than a 30 point blowout straight up? I'll get back to you on strength of schedule. Given that the Flyers have played only two name teams --- Pitt and Lousiville in what appears to be down times right now --- I don't know that SOS is all that its cracked up to be. Dayton has brought in the likes of Loyola of Maryland and American, but they have gotten a nice bounce in the fact that American beat a down Maryland team. Going to Goerge Mason was also a boost. Other than the annual match up with Miami, I don't recall much else being on the Flyers schedule. But while that may be a slight on the Flyrs, it also explains why schools in the ACC and Big East don't want to add road trips to places like the DDD. Another case of the rich getting richer. Huelsman is the latest in a long line of center stiffs for the Flyers. The name of the recent seven foot stiff escapes me but he was another in the long line following Coffee, Hare, Bill U-name, and many more. Hey -- we got Husak. We've seen that game before. As a matter of fact, the Husak/Huelsman matchup ought to be interesting to watch. As for the Favier recruits, don't know squat about them --- but I do recall Sandoval being an "impact" transfer or so noted when he became eligible last year. Now he's a role player. Time will tell. I'm jsut happy the sham of playing the A-10 tournament in Ohio is over for now. Even US Bank Arena is too much of an advantage for you, or Favier. I still think that in the long run, the guy on the bench is your biggest problem and will continue to remain your biggest achilles heel. You guys have a ncie program, but all of your accomplishments are in the distant past. I'd rank you guys ahead of Favier, if we stopped at history, but recent history puts them way ahead of you guys --- and of course, maybe even further ahead of us. Even in your darkest of days, playing in Dayton was always tough. Even with your worst teams, I wouldn't think beating a team like Pitt and in such a manner, was that out of the norm. I remember a very bad Dayton team kicking the crap out of us with Shawn Haughn hitting like seven or eight treys to set what I think is still a YouDee record for one game. He was a top flight recruit at that time and had his whole career in that one game. Do-do happens. The proof will be in the neutral court. I expect you guys to split with Favier. I also expect you guys to split with us. So you win in Dayton. Can you win in Atlantic City? Roberts blows an ACL, you guys are meat. Liddell or Lisch does the same, ditto for us. The five-figure crowds in home arenas make me the most jealous. And that seems to cover you both.

Nice scheduling .... bring the Panthers to town over the holiday break right after then beat Duke on a neutral court. I know they can't factor all that in but it is interesting. Did see where Pitt is the highest ranked team to go to the YouDee arena since #3 DePaul about 20 to 25 years ago. A lot of talk on the tube about how Pitt should be rewarded for that because if they win 20 or 21 games, this loss will stick out but it should stick out in a positive light rather than a negative. Drew ties to Syracuse last year getting left out of the dance due to playing no one non-conference and posting 20+ wins. Makes some sense. But it also shows why high major teams won't come into places like the Dayton game on a straight one-for-one ---- unless rewarded by the selection committee. Dayton, in their defense, has tried to play folks but they won't come to Dayton. Do you blame them? They played both Louisville and Kentucky in Cincinnati but not in Dayton. A few years ago, Purdue would not come to Dayton but agreed on a neutral site game at Conseco Field House in Indy. Neutral? I'd think not. Place was packed with black-and-gold clad Boilerheads. I think Dayton won. Dayton had one difference last night --- Brian Roberts. Best guard no one knows about according to the announcer. How come Pitt and Dixon didn't know about him? Take away his 30 and Dayton lsoes --- but that's too simple of a math. Frankly, I wasn't that impressed with much more in the Brian Gregory lineup. I had heard all sorts of things about this Chris Wright and did he even show up? I know #23 was out there but he didn't do much if anything. I thought Marques Johnson was pretty good but he was more on the boards end of it all. Donald Little was a stiff. Sandoval did nothing. Huelsman is a stiff. And when all your air time is about how oyu took four years to propose to a girl from your own high school, well Jimmie Binnie, you're a star! Roberts was the whole team and given that was about his once-a-year chance to shine on national television, call me shocked! Dayton does this every year --- schedules a bunch of cream puffs at the Arena (not really their fault, no one will come visit for another 20 years) and adds a game or two at a neutral site. This year they got lucky with Pitt coming in. Pitt was short a starter and lost Fields in the second half. And Pitt teams never can be confused with great shooting teams anywhere. So I was not surprised. Throw in some tickey-tack fouls on Blair and you've got blowout in the offing. Of course, Dayton's season is one twisted/torn knee away from failure as far as Brian Roberts goes and I don't see much outside of that for the future. Of course, the doc tells me that BG has all sorts of highly rated newcomers coming in ---- same was said of Wes Coffee, Chip Hare and some other past greats so only time will tell. Nice win for the conference. Right now, the title will be bandied about by Rhode Island, Dayton, and Xavier with a second tier of Umass adn St. Joes. GeeDub got smoked at Alabama last night and Florida stoked Temple as well. Of course, play any of these teams at home and add in our inability to do anything on the road and you have a tough season looming. We are down one from my mid-season prospectus. Not too bad. The offense seems to be coming around but if Dayton is one injury away, so too are we. I can't see any better than a home-and-home record of 8 and 8 right now for this team. It will be a battle. But let the conference fray begin.