ACE

>I think our baseball team would not have been as successful >in the MVC - Missouri State, Creighton, Evansville, etc. >would have given us a hard time. You also tend to recruit to the level of your conference. If the MVC is a better baseball league as you suggest, we would probably be more likely to attract a better caliber player. Good players tend to like to play in good conferences.

If it makes you feel better, I'll amend the word "always", but do you know for a fact that the Valley would've moved the tournament if SLU had joined? When is the last time the Valley didn't have their tournamnet here? I know the Valley really wanted SLU. I'm sure part of the negotiations could've included SLU getting a guarantee that the conference would continue to host their tournament in the home of the Valley.

I don't think this is what Soderberg was expecting when they scheduled Pacific. He was hoping for a 20+ win team. Let's get out of there with a win.

>No one will ever convince me that SLU should have joined the >MO Valley over the A-10. Not thrilled with the A-10 by any >means, but that is where SLU was at during the time. > >As for MO Valley soccer inquiry...yes it is a good >league...however SMU, South Carolina etc..play in the league >for soccer only. Not true Valley teams. > >This to me is more than just about sports, it is about the >whole school, and attracting more kids from outside of the >Midwest. I am all for it. How does this attract kids from outside the area? Because we play Fordham and Rhode Island in sports more east coast kids will want to go to SLU?

Considering that the Valley has been hosting their conference tourney in St. Louis for a long time and considering that their conference headquarters are located here, I can at least say that it is a hell of a lot more likely that a Valley Conference Tourney (w/SLU) being held here is more likely than an A-10 Conference Tourney ever being held here.

The A-10 sux. I think the Valley would have helped us develop regional rivalries. It would reduce travel expenses. It would also be easier for our fans to travel to away Valley games. Also, how cool would it be to always be playing your conference tournament in your home town!

True. It also sounds like not offering Ahearn may have had a ripple effect in not getting Grimes.

I think we can't lose more than one game in December. That puts us at 10-3. In other words, let's say we lose to UNC, we better win at Pacific and beat Missouri State and Ole Miss at home. That keeps the at-large bid possibility alive.

>I can see where you may think I was defending AF, but I was >merely pointing out your bias against AF and others due to >your debates on the other board...which you constantly deny >having. You should have called out Rajun if it was that bad. > >I had a lengthy debate with Thicks a few years back >regarding the racism card and my feelings on that word. >Since then, I do not care to comment on such matters. I >think both sides stated there positions and I have nothing >to add. Nashville, I invite you to go back and read the posts from 12/4 between 4-5 p.m. I entered the thread to call out metz. Then look at who piled on to accuse jj and more specifically me of being racist, rather than metz? I think RC realizes he didn't know what metz was all about, but he concedes it following Metz's second post. AF, on the other hand, was a little overzealous in trying to pile on me and it wound up making him look like a fool.

>Relax. I just did not feel like the original joke made was >racist. I took the joke to be a shot at the character of >SIU's basketball program with several incidents occuring >over the past year or so. I am not a racist and I also >don't run around looking for racism in any joke made or >comment made. I am so tired of people saying things are >racist. I will stop here because I do not care to start a >big debate on this issue. I apologize if people felt I was >supporting racism by saying I saw no harm in the joke made. >(The second joke about his car getting broken into in the >CWE and asking who do you think did that was uncalled for >and I would not defend a comment like) Fair enough. I'm sure you didn't know what Metz was all about. His second post affirmed that what jj and myself were saying about him was accurate and it made it clear that your accusation that WE were the racists was way off. I agree that the "r" label shouldn't be thrown around lightly and sometimes it is used too much. But in the case of metz, he has earned it.

>I just reread my post 5 times, and no where did I take a >stance on this subject. Given Metz's history, you may >consider it racist. If it was a brand new poster, it would >be considered smack talk against a team who has had off the >court troubles (never saw you stick up for all the comments >made about tatum being arrested and having several >children). How you wish to view it is up to you. However, >again your political bias comes through. You could have >responded to Rajun if you felt the comments were out of >line. However, you responded to Alumni and further Moytoys >political comments with a few of your own "jokes". Had >anybody other than Roy or Alumni fan made that post, you >would have kept quiet. Tatum has had off court problems, so it is fair game. In the case of Falker, there was no justification for that. AF essentially accused myself and JJ of being the racists instead of Metz. Do you agree? Speaking of political biases coloring one's opinion, why don't you look in the mirror and ask yourself why you're in here defending AF for defending metz. Why do you give AF and Cajun a free pass for defending metz and accusing me and jj actually being the racists? Oh, but I'm sure you won't take a stance again. Talk about acting like a politician.

What I find amusing is that you claim to not take a stance and then proceed to do so. What I also find amusing are those who apologize for metz's comments and then actually try to turn it on others as being the racists. AF didn't simply repost what Cajun said, he highlighted "you" implying that jj and myself were the racists instead of Metz. He also endorsed that accusation by adding "well said." If you want to be on the side of RC, AF and Metz on this one, have at it. Very revealing. Your last statement is a strawman. What I have said that my political comments don't carry over to basketball discussion. That's still true.

The kid sound pretty good. That's a good juco program.

Come on moytoy. Your political comments are out of line. It could lead to the fall of civilization. Now defending Metz's racist comments and accusing those who confronted him of actually being the racists is ok.

Brad has repeatedly said that getting Ian was all Beane because he had played in Greece and a friend referred IV. Maybe that was the only thing Beane was able to accomplish??? Jamal has the connection with Redlands juco which is probably why we are or were in the running for Alexander. It would be nice if one of our assistant could establish some connections outside of the area, whether it is jucos, Chicago or where ever.

>It was a shot at SIU's team. Besides, I had my car broken >into after the Cardinals won the pennant and I live in the >Central West End. Who do you think did that? David Eckstein? Those who earlier defended Metz's comments should be proud.

>there is a distinct JUCO flavor. These guys need to play >now. Don't you all think recruiting will be much easier with >the new on-campus arena? Nothing wrong with playing now. If Brad didn't think we could've used a player to help now, he wouldn't have recruited Stemler. If we recruited a comparable player to Robinson, he'd be starting at the 4 for us. Yes, recruiting should be easier with the new arena and expectations should be even higher.

>but I would make him walk-on, his dad is suppose to have >bucks!! It doesn't matter if he's a walk-on, because Brad will inevitably still have a couple of open scholarships. Let's hope his kid can help the program.

>Brad mentioned that it is very difficult for him to have a >good recruiting year when St. Louis talent is down (like in >'07). Basically, he said it is tough for him to recruit >outside a 100 mile radius. > >I understand where's he's coming from, but that is a major >copout. Sure, he and his staff need to work much harder >when St. Louis talent is down, but plenty of other programs >recruit well with a regional and even national recruiting >scope. > >Just like Ian, Brad needs to get much more aggressive. If he did say that, it is a copout. In the past, the program has been able to pluck some nice players from outside the area - Marque, MoJeffers, Love, Dobbs. And on a different recruiting tangent, we should be able to land a player every recruiting year who is at least able to crack our 8-man rotation in his first season. We didn't do that this past year. Even after we didn't land Stemler, is it too much to ask for landing a juco player who could contribute this year? I'm not even asking for a superstar, but just a nice role player. I'm thinking of players from the past like David Robinson or Carl Turner.

>"I took it more as a failed attempt at humor than racism. If >you took his comment immediately to be racist, then >you are admitting breaking into cars and homes and >smoking pot is something that you would attribute to >blacks." > >Well said. > > >"A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands >up for others." - Ben Why am I not surprised you would apologize for that comment. Not surprising that you would support a guy who has an established track record of making racist comments. Everybody needs to take AF's comments with a grain of salt. He actually believed saving the Kurds was a major reason we invaded. LOL! His judgement isn't always the best.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda... Romar didn't land much here at all.

>>.. that its not racist, just plain stupid, moronic, idiotic >>.. but then good ol' Putz beat me to it (so to speak). > >No, from where I sit only an apologist would characterize >those comments as merely stupid or moronic. It offended me >beyond the standard garbage. The comments were clearly >meant to play into a racial sterotype. If this player had >been from DeSmet as opposed to Gateway obviously the comment >would not have been made. There is no explaining it away. >This poster needs to be banned. The "r" word shouldn't be thrown around lightly, but considering Putz's track record, there is no doubt about it. I don't know what's more scary Metz, or the fact that somebody would not recognize that post for what it was. At the very least the post should be deleted. This is allowed to stand, but making a reasonable political comment that the majority of Americans share will get your post deleted.

I have to agree on this one. Not one of our newcomers is in the top 8 rotation. In the three recruiting periods since TL and KL(not including the 4th period this past fall where we got nobody), we don't have one player who sees significant minutes.

I am a Brad centrist and hardly an apologist for his recruiting, but I have to say, he has recruited better than Romar did when he was here.

>A more pertinent question might be, when was the last time >(if ever) that SLU beat a good ACC team? > >SLU needs to stay in the A10, where they might win that >conference, they sure as hell could not compete in the MVC. Where were these losers when we b!tch slapped them at Savvis last year? Nowhere to be found on this board. What cowards. Oh well. They live in Southern Illinois. That's punishment enough.