Picking up where they left off...
Well, I did get my machine up and running again but for some reason it still can't find the hard drive that I installed. I have a co-worker that said he could stop by and check it out for me sometime so hopefully I will be able to start using it again soon.
On another note, the Chicago Bulls have so far made the return trip to the playoffs a successful one. They have now won their first two games to take a 2-0 series lead over the Washington Wizards. Most of the experts have picked Washington to win this series 4-2 so we will see if this Bulls team can keep the momentum rolling. This is great start considering they haven't been to the playoffs since they won their last championship in 1998 and 2 of their starters are out for the rest of the season with injuries. Hopefully the remain fun to watch and give Chicago something to cheer about, considering the Cubs are poised to disappoint us again. Then again the White Sox have started off hot. Well, not sure if anyone still reads this blog but I will continue to post.
Downtime
Ok, so here I go. I am going to attempt to install some new hardware with my PC and then clean the hard drives off. If you don't see me on here for a while then I failed miserably! Wish me luck.
Shlameel, Shlamile....
For those of you who were not able to pick up on my obscure Laverne and Shirley reference, I am heading to Milwaukee for the day! Heading up to Miller Park to hopefully see a Brewer victory over the hated St. Louis Cardinals! I have been wanting to get up to this ball park for quite some time. I hear its fairly new and the weather is supposed to be beautiful again today. I have 3 friends going as well. 2 Cardinal fans and one Houston Astros/Chicago Cubs fan (basically he hates the Cardinals too). It should be a good time plus we get to watch the sauage races! Personally I am rooting for the Bratwurst but one never knows who is going to win when you have competition like the Polish Sausage, Italian Sausage, and the Hot Dog.
Oh and FYI, I will be tearing my PC apart in a couple of days to upgrade it. So, if you don't see me online its either because I wrecked my machine or its taking me longer than I thought. Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather!
Go Cubs!!! (Go Brew Crew)
The Period of Mourning is Over
Actually, its been over for a while. I tried posting a message a few days ago but the site kept losing it so I gave up. This is my second attempt. And grandma, that was me on IM the other night.
Well, as you all know by now, the Illini made it to the Championship game against the Tarheels of North Carolina, but were unable to overcome a poor shooting night to win their first national championship. Carolina's big man Sean May was just too much for them down low and the fact that Jame Augastine was having a bad night did not help. I will admit it was dissappointing to see Illinios play the way they did in this game because if they had showed up with their "A" game they would have easily beaten a Carolina team that was playing one of its better games. But, alas, it was not meant to be and I walked out of my buddy Mark's apartment that night after the game depressed. But the next day I happened to catch a news special on TV broadcasting the welcome home reception that the Illini recieved from there fans in Champaign. Thousands of fans showed up at Memorial Stadium to thank the Illini for an unforgettable season. The out pouring of thanks from fans who could have easily been still upset over the loss made me extremely proud to be associated as an Illini fan. This event turned me around and made me realize what a great seaon it was and what it meant to cheer for the Illini.
In an era where college players are more concerned with personal statistics and becoming a higher draft pick for the NBA, the Illini taught the nation that a team can still be unselfish and play together and be successful. The following quote is from an article on ESPN.com and I think it makes a good point:
"Yes, North Carolina got the hardware Monday night and deserved it. But Illinois was the main draw this season.
The Illini were great for the game, and not just because they were a fresh school in the national title mix. They drew fans to them, but not just because they began the season with a 29-game winning streak, held the No. 1 ranking since early December and tied an NCAA record with 37 wins.
If you love hoops, then you had to love their crafty and creative unselfishness, their iron will, the regular-guy sincerity of coach Bruce Weber and the charisma of their leading men, Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head."
Its true, the Illini were great to watch and I can only hope they are still great to watch for years to come. They were so much fun that people I know that aren't usually into sports found themselves sitting down to catch the Illini play. These guys were representatives of Illinios and how basketball should be played and I would take that any day than to be a fan of a school with a bunch of flashy individuals that are more worried about advertisement deals and who scored the most points each game.
HAIL TO THE ORANGE!!!! I-L-L!!!!
Now bring on the Ron Zook era of Illini Football! :)
Oh and if you would like to read another story on the Illini then check out this link:
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/3519224
And So It Begins
The National Championship game has arrived and the top two teams in the nation have made it. It will a battle royale tonight in St. Louis as our beloved underdog Fighting Illini take on the Goliath UNC Tar Heels tonight at 8:15 PM. The Illini are 2 point underdogs in this game despite being the the number one team in the nation since December 6th. The prevailing thought throughout the season has been that UNC has the most talented team in the nation boasting 6 potential first round NBA picks and that the Illini have the best "team" in the nation that plays skilled and team oriented style of basketball. It maybe for the best that Illini are being treated as the underdogs in this game and having all the "experts" picking the Tarheels to win this game. The Illini have always played their best basketball when everyone was counting them out.
With this being said tonight will be an extremely tough game for the Illini. The Tarheels feature a behemoth post player in Sean May who seemingly scores at will against teams in the paint. The Reverend Roger Powell has been picked to guard May. This is an interesting match-up because Powell is about 4 inches shorter than May and about 30-40 lbs lighter. The key for Illinois to pull out a win is going to be if the Illini guards can disrupt the passing lanes and keep the Tarheel guards from getting the ball down to May. If UNC is able to feed May then figure on at least two post players from Illinois fouling out by the end of the game. If the Illini guards can help deny the passing lanes and continue to shoot over 50% then Illinois has a chance to win their first national championship in their 100 year basketball history. I will be looking in an "X" factor from Illinois where maybe a usually quite player steps up big in this game. Maybe a big night shooting from Rich McBride or a career night from Jack Ingram. Either way Illinois will need all their weapons for a very talented and very deep UNC team. Let's just hope that the UNC players are more interested in showing off for the NBA scouts than they are in winning a national championship. Now, its time to take that deep breath and cheer on our Illini, because it may be a long time before we get to see this again! Go ILLINI!!!!!
