Pistol

Yeah, that's what I had heard it used to be. I worked on the furniture crew for the Dept. of Housing for 2 summers during college (and got to live in Marguerite for free!), and we always enjoyed exploring DeMatt when there was work to be done there. It's got some crazy architecture. There's an old indoor pool in the basement that is now filled with old pillows and mattresses. There are a bunch of other weird rooms and tunnels down there, too. Then there's that bizarre chapel on the second floor, and it looks like it's been used for everything but traditional chapel uses. There are so many different room shapes and sizes in that building, especially on the lower floors. I'm sure the ghosts of some former nuns are haunting the Greeks on a regular basis in there.

I don't remember ever seeing those. But I rarely ate up at Gries.

Yeah, it closed after the 2002-2003 school year, the last time I would have used it, anyway. I think it first reopened as a coffee shop and then a convenience store, and I'm not really sure if either or both of those lasted or what it is now. Chicken tender Tuesdays were nice there, too. They didn't have it every Tuesday like Gries, but when they did it was nice. Always less crowded than Gries, too- makes me long for simpler times.

I lived on a co-ed floor in Marguerite my freshman year and it was magic. We were a collection of the least similar people you could possibly put together and it worked perfectly- I was just in a wedding last year for the guy who lived next door to me and the girl across the hall. (This floor was like a slasher film with at least 8 different archetypes who would never end up in each other's company under any circumstances, yet for some reason spend a weekend in a cabin in the woods). We were fortunate to have an RA taking 21 hours because he had 3 majors and 2 minors at the time- not even kidding. This floor had more booze than I've ever known college freshmen to acquire, more sex than our Catholic alma mater would ever acknowledge (in fact, one girl who stayed for about 2 months of the second semester may or may not have been a prostitute), more drugs than I've ever been exposted to before or since, parties that stretched down an entire hall (the 'suite' style in that dorm with the shared bathroom made 2-room parties easy because you never had to open the hallway door), and just an awesome, irreverent, open-minded, interesting group of people. We used to go 16 at a time to dinner at DeMatt next door while all the Greeks stared at us freaks. And Jimbo, I share your pain. I was also hardcore dating some slag and my present self resents my 2001 self for not dropping her before that freshman fall semester started. It all worked out eventually, though, as my being on this floor was the beginning of the end of that. I came back to Marguerite sophomore year but the uber-Christian guy in charge of the dorm did away with the co-ed floors and it was never the same. He had no clue what he was putting an end to, but if he did he would have changed it a lot sooner.

I thought about throwing Beal's name out there when this thread started just to have some fun. Honestly, though, what other high school player that we're recruiting is BIG with a capital B-I-G? It's either Majerus being pumped about the kid(s) about to sign, or another guy truly worthy of such praise. Obviously the odds are on the former but until Beal commits somewhere we can keep the crazy dream alive, can't we? For the record, I am completely sane and not getting my hopes up. I just like to stay positive.

Favorite line: "Nickname: J-Love" When your name is Just-in'love Smith, do you need a nickname? And a lame one at that.

So you're a fan of the NFL's blackout rule? (I'm not. That sport is built more for TV now anyway.) Especially now, when people are feeling the pinch in a lot of ways, it can be expensive to go to live sports events. I know it isn't possible at this point in time for SLU to televise every game, but if we had the opportunity to do so, why not? Is being fan-friendly a bad thing? Some people just aren't going to come to the games no matter what but might watch them on TV. Some might not be able to afford tickets to the games and a TV option would be great for them. Some might be kids whose parents won't take them for whatever reason. Point is, if all games are on TV, I have to think that's going to help build a more solid fanbase over the long run, even if attendance doesn't show much change in the short term. If I'm an impressionable kid growing up in St. Louis today and all I can get on TV are Mizzou games, who do you think I'd grow up and cheer for (and support financially)?

I'll keep an ear out for that commentary. I actually will probably only be at 5 or so games this season, as I split the tickets with my dad, but in my name. Just found out I'm moving back to STL next summer, though, so I'll finally be able to fully utilize the tickets for 2010-2011. The ticket office told me that if I wanted a pair in 118, my choices were 3-4 in row T or 5-6 in row S. I went with T to give my parents an extra 2-seat buffer between them and the student section. We wanted an aisle but couldn't get one there.

Ah, that's too bad. I know at least two other groups over there and decided to make the move from 205.

Also made a move: Section 118, Row T, Seats 3-4

Thank you, Debbie Downer. I figured your disdain would have more to do with the fact that the billboards have been spoted on the Missouri side of the river. I guess I don't get your negativity here- years complaining about the marketing efforts by the SLU athletic department and they actually came up with some pretty badass imagery for this one and it's not enough. I know a few billboards and website splashes aren't enough to rally the whole city behind SLU basketball, but let's take the positives and run with them. At the end of the day, your gripe is and always will be that they never make you, as an alum and season ticket holder and Billiken Club member, feel important enough. I was a SLU marketing major, class of 2005, and I love the campaign with Femi and Paul. It also might be an unintentional (or just subtle) nose-thumbing at Mizzou, as actual Billikens have never been known for their 'roar' in the way Tigers have. But then again, I'm probably reaching there. I hope they keep this campaign up.

Not to split hairs, but Loyola is in the city proper. I lived there a couple years ago and I went to the game. It wasn't well attended, but most Loyola games probably aren't anyway. Where else, other than UIC, could SLU play within a 5-minute ride of downtown? A neutral court event at the United Center is the only other possibility for your criteria. DePaul is in Lakeview but the men's team plays in Rosemont, Northwestern is in Evanston, Loyola is on the far northern edge of the city, Chicago State is at the southern edge of the city, and there aren't any other D-I schools other than UIC. And even if DePaul played on or near campus, it is well over 5 minutes to downtown by train, bus, or car. Thanks for the reminder of this event, though. There have been a few other threads about it but the response (on here anyway) has been lukewarm. I bought a couple seats during the presale and have a 2-day pass. I'll have my Billiken blue on and I'll be celebrating the fact that UIC Pavilion now sells beer.

Wins can be pretty arbitrary. There have been great pitchers who can't get wins and vice versa. Bronson Arroyo is somehow one of the win leaders in the NL. Aaron Harang has 6 wins for the second year in a row despite lowering his ERA from 4.79 to 4.21. I can't imagine wins are taken as seriously as other stats because they're only halfway on the pitcher. That said, if Wainwright wins 20, that's a big boost to his case. The NL race is tight because you have a wins leader, ERA leader, and K leader, with a lot of arguing points for all three based on other stats. Wainwright seems to have the most complete case of the three. I think Lincecum is very much still in the running. You can't deny his K ability and he leads the league in complete games, too. How many wins would he have on the Cardinals? More than 15. This is sort of a nifty feature: http://espn.go.com/mlb/features/cyyoung But Greinke better win the AL Cy Young or there is no justice.

This is awesome news. I hope there are no food shortages by that time every Saturday night, though.

We've had an AIS player before, a little under a decade ago. Andrew Latimer didn't have any issues becoming eligible, did he? I don't remember him ever having to sit or having Clearinghouse problems. Granted, that was before I was at SLU but I remember him playing without issue until he decided to leave.

He probably didn't have to call for many fair catches at Maplewood. My guess is that he'll become comfortable with that idea pretty quickly now.

I'd be up for it if people make it up there. I went to a Northwestern-Michigan basketball game a couple years ago up at the Evanston campus, and Michigan fans probably made up almost half the crowd. Granted, Chicago has more alums of every other Big Ten school than Northwestern, except for Penn State. I also went to a Northwestern-Nevada football game there in 2007 and the stadium was about 40% filled. Athletics are certainly not the same there as they are in every other Big Ten school. But I would still expect a few more of them than SLU fans; and I would love to be proven wrong.

And use the presale and save some cash. I'd like to see us have a good crowd for this one becuase the obnoxious ND fans will be the dominant group. Northwestern will have a good amount, obviously, but I see no reason why we can't be third. I never met any Iowa State alums in the few years I lived in Chicago, and I don't think they travel well for basketball, anyway.

I didn't know about that one. I also saw when I looked it up that Oklahoma was another 1-seed that year (1989) that almost lost to the 16-seed, East Tennessee State. And then Illinois didn't beat McNeese State by much. Of course, all of these happened before my 6th birthday, so forgive me for forgetting there were some serious challenges in the first decade of the 64-round format. Holy Cross-KU was the closest I can think of this decade, but apparently there have been some others. I found this a few minutes ago: Closest Calls: 8. 1997 – (1) North Carolina vs. (16) Fairfield A night on which Dean Smith tied Adolph Rupp’s 876 win total was almost ruined by a team that went 11-18 in the regular season. The Stags actually led by seven at halftime and were within three points with just 3:33 to play. UNC pulled it out, though, and won the game 82-74. Whew! 7. 1986 – (1) Duke vs. (16) Mississippi Valley State The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils led by 11 points in the second half and forced 23 turnovers in the game. All-American Johnny Dawkins brought the Blue Devils back, though, and Duke ended up winning 85-78. 6. 1989 – (1) Illinois vs. (16) McNeese State McNeese State (which I’m still not convinced is a real school) gave top seeded Illinois everything they could handle, but Illinois was able to hang on in the end, winning the game by six, 77-71. 5. 1985 – (1) Michigan vs. (16) Fairleigh Dickinson The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights led by six at the half in this one. Head coach Tom Green (not the one who starred in Freddy Got Fingered) was with the team then and is still with the team now. They ended up losing the game 59-55, but in the first year of the 64-team format, they’ll forever be remembered as the first #16 to ever really challenge a #1. 4. 1996 – (1) Purdue vs. (16) Western Carolina Western Carolina was down by just two points with the ball in the final seconds of the game. They took a three pointer that would’ve given them the lead with just a few ticks left on the clock. The Catamounts missed the shot, but grabbed the offensive rebound and had yet another chance to tie it. Unfortunately, it bounced off the back rim. One could argue that this was close as a #16 has ever been to advancing to the second round. 3. 1989 – (1) Oklahoma vs. (16) East Tennessee State 1989 was the year of the near upset. I already touched on Illinois’ six-point escape of McNeese State, and there was definitely more to come. The Sooners managed to edge East Tennessee State by one point in this contest, 72-71, despite Keith “Mister” Jennings going berserk for the upstart Buccaneers. 2. 1989 – (1) Georgetown vs. (16) Princeton Yes. TWO 16 seeds were within a single basket of knocking off #1 seeds in 1989. Princeton actually held the ball during the final seconds in this one as well. They took two shots that could have won it, but Alonzo Mourning wouldn’t have it. He blocked both attempts by the Tigers, and Georgetown held on to win the game by the skin of their teeth. 1. 1990 – (1) Michigan State vs. (16) Murray State I’ll break the suspense – Michigan State won by four. So, why is this No. 1 on my list? Because Michigan State had to go to overtime to make it happen. To this day, the 1990 Murray State Racers are the only #16 seed not to lose in regulation. The fat man competed with the body builder to the very end, and the judges needed extra time to make a decision. The Racers played one of the best games a huge underdog has ever played. I applaud them. Wondering how the #1 seeds fared after their close escapes? 1985 – Michigan lost in the second round 1996 – Purdue lost in the second round 1989 – Oklahoma made the Sweet 16 1990 – Michigan State made the Sweet 16 1989 – Georgetown made the Elite Eight 1989 – Illinois made the Final Four 1997 – North Carolina made the Final Four 1986 – Duke reached the Finals, losing to Louisville

There is a presale going on for the Chicago Invitational Challenge right now on Ticketmaster before tickets go on sale to the general public. The presale gives you a 25% discount on either one-day or two-day passes. I went with two two-day passes for $32 each- I think they're $42 starting Friday. With all the BS Ticketmaster charges, my total came out to $84.94. My seats are in the front row of 210, the upper deck on the end. Here's a link to the two-day pass tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/04004324...mp;minorcatid=7 The password for the presale is PAVILION.

That was probably the best game in history between a 16-seed and a 1-seed. I agree, nothing beats the first two rounds.

So why isn't this on the schedule on the official site?

Exactly- Green Bay was grandfathered in because its ownership structure was in place when league rules changed. Now, teams can have no more than 32 owners and at least one of them must have a minimum 30% stake. Also, Lambeau did undergo a massive addition and renovation in 2002. Roy, I wouldn't mind if it could happen the way you suggest but those days are long gone. Clock Tower and kshoe, you both also make excellent points. It was actually stated in the articles written before and after the decisions for 2012-2016 were made that the condition of the stadium based on the Rams' lease was a factor. And although it wasn't explicitly stated, I'm sure the disappearing of flights from Lambert is also a big factor. You can't argue with St. Louis' great location in the middle of the country, but with nonstops vanishing and therefore prices going up, that's going to deter fans on the coasts especially. I know Indy is going to get one of every five, and I love that one of the new bids went to New Orleans (which I visited for the first time this weekend, and can honestly say it's one of the most amazing cities I've ever seen) to help with the economy down there. However, I hate that 2 of 5 went to Texas and 4 of 5 went to southern cities. Atlanta doesn't have a new dome, either, and that one had to shut down because it was ravaged by rain during the SEC tournament a few years back. The main advantage I see for Atlanta is the amount of nonstop flights. By late March, the NCAA can't be playing the weather card too much, either. I guess I'm just disappointed overall to see St. Louis shut out with things looking increasingly bleak for 2017 and beyond. The other bids shut out of this round were Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and San Antonio. I wish the NCAA would just take all the cities with domes that meet the minimum seat requirement and have a cycle.

The problem is, last year SLU and MVC put in bids to co-host the men's final four in any year from 2012-2016, since all prior years had already been chosen before. When the bids went out, St. Louis was left out in the cold, with the bids going to New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Houston. When the bids for 2017 and on roll around next time, the Dome will be over 20 years old by the time it can host the event and the memory of the city hosting in 2005 will be fading.

No.