At right is a picture of Blackhawks first-round draft pick Dylan Olsen donning the Indian Head sweater for the first time. I have no idea whether it was a good pick or not. I've never seen Olsen play before in my life. I hope to see him at the United Center soon.
I can tell you that Olsen is an 18-year-old defenseman who played at the Junior A Level last season. He's committed to play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth next year.
Here's what Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon told Len Ziehm about Olsen:
''He was the best defenseman on the Canadian team at the World Junior tournament,'' Tallon said. ''We would have moved up to get him. We've got a good cycle of young defensemen coming up, and he adds to that. He's not a bone-rattler, but more of a shut-down guy.''
Here's the list of Hawks draftees. They picked a lot of centers this year.
Blackhawks Draft
Round Pick Name Position Height Weight
1 -- 28 -- Dylan Olsen -- D -- 6-2 -- 210
2 -- 59 -- Brandon Pirri -- C -- 6-0 -- 170
3 -- 89 -- Daniel DeLisle -- C -- 6-4 -- 222
4 -- 119 -- Byron Froese -- C -- 5-11 -- 191
5 -- 149 -- Marcus Kruger -- C -- 5-11 -- 172
6 -- 177 -- David Pacan -- C -- 6-3 -- 187
7 -- 195 -- Paul Phillips -- D -- 5-11 -- 190
7 -- 209 -- David Gilbert -- C -- 6-1 -- 184
I'm not sure if Shaq is a good enough player at this stage of his career to lift Cleveland to that elusive NBA championship, but his breakdancing probably beats frisbee dogs who can't catch.
James Johnson has a black belt and owns a 21-0 record as a kickboxer. We'll find out soon enough whether Johnson can play in the NBA. The Bulls made the Wake Forest forward the 16th pick overall in Thursday's NBA draft.
The Bulls also took USC forward Taj Gibson with the 26th overall pick, adding to their frontcourt depth. The Bulls did not solve their need for a low-post scorer, but I didn't expect them to in a draft that most experts agree was short on impact players.
Johnson averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Wake last year. From what I've seen of him, he has a pretty good offensive repetoire. He can face up and shoot, and he can create his own shot off the bounce. At 6-foot-9, he can probably be a back-up player at both forward positions as a rookie. I don't expect big things from Johnson, but I hope he's good enough to force Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas to work a little bit harder for their minutes.
Bulls GM Gar Forman has spoke about the need to upgrade overall team defense. Maybe the 6-9 Gibson can give them a boost in that area. He was the Pac-10's Defensive Player of the Year last season, and he ranks third on the conference's all-time list in blocked shots. I'd be stunned, though, if Gibson is a factor offensively at the pro level.
Neither of these picks gets you overly excited, but neither of them are bad choices either. At the very least, the Bulls should have a rotation player for next year in Johnson.
I never call sports talk radio, but if I did, my comments today might go something like this:
Host: We now go to JB from North Aurora. What's up, JB?????!!!!!
JB: Yeah, how ya doin? Long-time listener, first-time caller. Love your show. Thanks for taking my call. I just wanted to say, I've been a Cubs fan for about 2 1/2 days now. I really wanted them to beat the Tigers, but they lost. So, I'm done. I'm never rooting for the Cubs again. I'm turning in my fan card. Thanks. I'll hang up and listen for your answer.
It figures. The White Sox did a helluva job taking two out of three from an excellent Dodgers team, capping off the series with a 6-5 victory in 13 innings today. You would think this would be a tremendous positive, but unfortunately, the Sox actually LOST ground in the standings thanks to those stupid Cubbies. The North Siders couldn't win a single game in Detroit, losing 6-5 today.
Screw the Cubs. I'm never rooting for them again. Ever. For any reason. Not even against the Twins. Not even against the Tigers. They suck. To hell with them. Thanks for nothing, Flubs.
Maybe I should bitch about the Sox lack of hitting at home more often, huh? Six home runs tonight, including two by forgotten man Josh Fields (left) in a 10-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at U.S. Cellular Field.
It was a good night for the Sox top draft pick, too. Jared Mitchell hit a 3-run homer to help LSU clinch the College World Series title with an 11-4 victory over Texas. Mitchell was named the Most Outstanding Player in the tournanent.
When the Detroit Red Wings announced they would not invite 47-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios back for another season, speculation began about a potential return to the Blackhawks.
The 25-year veteran and Chicago native has won three Stanley Cups and three Norris trophies in his slam-dunk Hall of Fame career. No doubt, he could bring a lot of experience and knowledge to a very young group of Blackhawk defensemen. That said, I don't know if Chelios can play anymore.
This past year, Chelios saw the ice in only 34 games (regular season and playoffs combined) due to injuries and the simple fact that all the other Detroit defensemen are better than he is at this stage of his career. In addition, Chelios has stated a preference for playing in the Eastern Conference, where the travel demands of the NHL schedule are a little less rigorous. The Blackhawks, of course, play in the Western Conference.
Chelios had nine terrific seasons for the Hawks from 1990-99, but those days are gone. I'm not real big on nostalgia. While I would like to see the Hawks add a veteran defenseman this offseason, I prefer they add one that can give the team 12-15 minutes a night on a third defense pairing. Chelios, for all his experience, is not that guy.
Once Chelios is done playing, the Hawks will probably invite him back to be a part of their organization. I have no problem with that. But as long as Chelios still wants to play, let him play somewhere other than Chicago.
I wasn't expecting this: Illinois junior guard Jeff Jordan (son of Michael) has decided to leave the basketball team to concentrate on his studies.
Jordan, who walked on the team as a freshman, had earned a basketball scholarship and figured to be a valuable role player for the Illini this season.
"I loved playing for the Fighting Illini and appreciate the support I was given by my teammates, coaches and the great fans here," Jordan said in a press release. "But I have come to the point where I'm ready to focus on life after basketball. I will concentrate on earning my degree from the University of Illinois and the opportunities that await upon graduating."
While I'm disappointed that Jordan won't be on this year's Illini team, I give him credit. He realizes he doesn't have a future in pro basketball. He's always been an energy player off the bench. He plays good defense. He works hard in practice. But he doesn't have the skill level to play past college. So, he's going to make sure he gets his degree from a great university. Then, he's going to go find his niche doing something else.
This has been a very strange (and mostly bad) baseball season so far. A lot of unusual things have happened, but one of the things that has perplexed me most is the White Sox complete inability to hit at home.
In past years, we've seen the Sox kill the ball at home and struggle a bit on the road. The reverse is true this season. Let's take a look at the numbers, updated after tonight's 5-2 home loss to a very good Los Angeles Dodgers team.
2009 White Sox
Home record: 16-19
Road record: 17-18
Home batting average: .217
Road batting average: .280
Home runs at home: 36
Home runs on the road: 39
Runs at home: 119
Runs on the road: 173
Let's compare with last season.
2008 White Sox
Home record: 54-28
Road record: 35-46
Home batting average: .273
Road batting average: .252
Home runs at home: 143
Home runs on the road: 92
Runs at home: 472
Runs on the road: 339
The comparison is like night and day. I have no explanation for why the Sox hit 63 points higher on the road than they do at U.S. Cellular Field. If I did, I'd call Ozzie Guillen and Greg Walker.
As it stands, the Sox aren't putting on much of a show for their home fans. Really, this is the worst I've seen the Sox play at home in probably the last 20 years.
It seems like every other day I hear rumblings about where former Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez is going to land. On the ESPN crawl last night, I noticed that the Los Angeles Angels have "no interest" in the right-hander, who is working out in the Dominican Republic.
Martinez has made headlines in Chicago, as there have been reports that the Cubs are interested. The defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays are also in the mix.
Eventually, Pedro is going to sign somewhere, but I'd be surprised if he and his 85 mph fastball make any impact on the pennant race. I certainly haven't attended any scouting sessions in the Dominican, but I'm skeptical of Martinez for two reasons:
1. It's June 23, and he still doesn't have a team. There are so many contenders and borderline contenders out there that need pitching, you would think that someone would have aggressively courted Martinez and signed him by now -- if he still had the stuff to win.
2. Neither Boston nor New York seem interested. Typically, whenever you have a player of Martinez's stature out there for anybody to grab, Boston and New York engage in World War III to land that player. The indifference of those two teams suggests Martinez is done.
In fact, the Cubs and Rays might be better off signing that guy from Napoleon Dynamite to pitch for them. Certainly, he'll come cheaper.
For the next three days, the Chicago sports scene will experience a rarity -- Sox fans will be cheering for the Cubs.
Coming into Tuesday's action, the Sox sit in third place, five games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central race. The Sox have a difficult three-game set at home starting tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the NL's best team.
Almost certainly, the Sox are going to drop a game or two in this series. Therefore, all of us Sox fans are hoping the Tigers lose a game or two as well. Who is Detroit playing this week? Well, it's none other than the Cubs.
The Sox have already helped the Cubs out during this stretch of interleague play. The South Siders beat Milwaukee two out of three earlier this month. Over the weekend, the Sox took two out of three in Cincinnati, allowing the Cubs to move up to third place in the NL Central race.
Will the North Siders be as charitable to the Sox and beat the Tigers? I have my doubts. The Cubs have already lost two out of three to Minnesota in interleague action this year. One break for the Cubs this week: They'll miss Detroit ace Justin Verlander, who beat the Brewers 3-2 on Sunday.
This is probably the only time you'll ever read this sentence on this blog: Go Cubs. (Note the lack of an enthusiastic exclamation mark at the end of that sentence.)
To be honest, I would have liked to have seen the IHSA open it up for bid and give Champaign a chance to regain the tournament. Peoria "rolls out the red carpet" for the tourney, but I still think it is a crap town to visit. During my reporting days, I never particularly enjoyed the trips down there. Champaign is far preferable, in my humble opinion.
That said, Champaign lost the state tournament for a good reason. The gouging on hotel rates and gas prices had gotten out of control. According to the linked report, 30 local hoteliers in Peoria agreed to lock in reasonable rates and do away with required multiple-night stays. Would Champaign have done the same? I doubt it, and that's no small point in this discussion.
Well, Scott Linebrink sure took a dump in our cereal today, didn't he Sox fans?
The Sox were cruising along Thursday, having scored three runs off Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano and two runs off reliever Carlos Marmol to take a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. It looked like the South Siders were about to win their fourth consecutive game. Enter Linebrink. Oops.
The Sox reliever got lit up for four runs. He gave up back-to-back homers to Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto and blew the whole lead. The Cubs went on to a 6-5 victory.
Like a lot of Sox fans, I'm wondering why Linebrink is being allowed to pitch in tight situations when he is so clearly struggling. On the previous homestand, Linebrink lost two games to the Detroit Tigers. He entered in the 9th inning of a 4-4 game and lost 5-4. He entered in the 10th inning of a 6-6 game and lost 7-6. On Sunday, he entered with a 7-0 lead against the Milwaukee Brewers. He started walking people and couldn't get out of the inning. Matt Thornton came on to clean up the mess and secure the victory.
Brian Anderson saved Linebrink's ass in Wednesday's opener of the crosstown series, robbing the Cubs' Jake Fox of extra bases with an outstanding catch up against the vines at Wrigley Field. Linebrink just doesn't have it right now, and Sox manager Ozzie Guillen needs to understand that and allow him to pitch in non-pressure situations until he gets things sorted out.
Here's my test for relief pitchers -- It's called the "Oh, &%*#!" test. When a relief pitcher comes in and you as a fan say, "Oh, &%*#!," that's not a good sign.
I can't recall every saying "Oh, &%*#!" when Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks come in the game. Are they perfect? Hell no, but I trust them. When Linebrink comes in, I say "Oh, &%*#!" That's a clear sign that Ozzie Guillen needs to re-evaluate Linebrink's role in the bullpen.
When you look at the numbers Sox lefty John Danks has posted in his still young big-league career, they don't exactly overwhelm you.
Sure, he had a good year last season, finishing 12-9 with a 3.32 ERA. But he entered Wednesday's start against the Cubs with a pedestrian record of 4-5 with 4.81 ERA here in 2009.
Danks has been struggling, but you never would have known it today. He fired seven-plus innings of one-run ball. He struck out nine and didn't walk anyone in a 4-1 victory over the North Siders.
More and more, it's looking to me like Danks is one of those guys who has an extra gear on the big stage.
Game 163 against the Minnesota Twins with the AL Central title on the line? Danks responds with eight innings of shutout ball in a 1-0 victory. Sox down 0-2 in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays? Danks goes 6.2 solid innings and picks up a 5-3 win. The opener of the crosstown series, with the eyes of the city upon him? Danks delivers his best start of the year.
I don't think any of that is a coincidence. Danks has yet to develop the consistency needed to be an elite starter. He still has outings where he couldn't find the plate if I showed it to him on a map. But in a big game or a high-profile game, I'll take my chances with this 24-year-old lefty anytime. He's shown me that he can handle the pressure.
As for the Cubs, well, their offense continues to look bad. I hadn't really looked too hard at their statistics until this morning before the game. Here's the thing that jumped out at me: They don't have a single guy on their team with 30 RBIs. NOT ONE!
That's astounding, given the names on that roster. Alfonso Soriano leads their team with 28 RBIs. By way of comparison, Paul Konerko leads the Sox with 41 RBIs. Both Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome have 39.
No wonder Cubs manager Lou Piniella looks ready for the retirement home. By any measure, the Sox have had a poor offensive season. Piniella's Cubbies have been every bit as bad -- and possibly even worse.
Just two weeks after announcing his retirement from baseball, insisting that he played clean and declaring that he will "calmly wait" for his induction into the Hall of Fame, former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa has been busted for steroid use.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Sosa was one of 104 players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs as part of a 2003 baseball survey.
As Mark Liptak pointed out over on White Sox Interactive this afternoon, the circumstantial evidence has been building against Sosa for years -- his obvious physical transformation (left), his good buddy Manny Alexander being busted with steroids and syringes in Chicago, large sums of money turning up missing in hotel rooms, forgetting how to speak English when appearing before Congress, etc., etc., etc.
Thank goodness we finally have proof that Sosa was using. This should finally shut up Sosa's apologists in the media (That means you, Dan McGrath!) and keep this drug cheat out of the Hall of Fame.
In case you've been underground for the last 24 hours, you've probably heard that the White Sox will be taking on the Cubs in a three-game set starting Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't like interleague play, but it's here to stay because the casual fans love it.
I detest the crosstown series so much that I've already sold my tickets for the weekend series (June 26-28) at U.S. Cellular Field between the two teams. These are not enjoyable games to attend. They bring out the worst in both fan bases, and they also bring out all the casual fans who know nothing about either team.
For most diehard Sox fans, including myself, the perspective on this series has changed dramatically since we celebrated a World Series title on the South Side in 2005. Back when interleague play first started, wins over the Cubs were among the high points of the season. And any loss to the Cubs ranked among the low points.
But now that I know what it feels like to win the World Series, beating the Cubs just doesn't compare. After all, this is regular-season baseball in June. You don't have a banner-raising ceremony for beating your crosstown rival.
Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want the Sox to go into Wrigley and take at least two out of three this week. I do. But I want the Sox to win because they need these games to move up in the standings -- not because of the whole bragging rights thing. I've got my title. The Cubs fans are still waiting. Until that changes, there's nothing more to say.
The Sox have played the Cubs every year since 1997, and I've noticed a few trends in that time.....
When the Cubs win: 1. "Go Cubs Go!" is sung with great gusto.
2. People dance in the streets of Wrigleyville.
3. Media interpret the victory as proof that the Cubs are playoff-bound.
4. Sox fans receive 537 texts from everyone they know who likes the Cubs.
When the Sox win: 1. Cubs fans claim they don't mind the loss, because "beating the Cardinals is more important anyway."
2. Sox fans chant "Cubs suck" on the way out of the stadium and taunt Cubs fans mercilessly on the Red Line after the game. Media interpret this as further proof that Sox fans hate the Cubs more than they like their own team.
3. That's about it.
Yay.
I'll be glad when all this crap is over and the Sox go back to playing their traditional American League rivals. Yes, I know I say that every year, but it's true.
Hours after I mocked Wilson Betemit's defense, he is no longer a member of the White Sox. Last year's top draft pick, Gordon Beckham, has been called up. Betemit has been designated for assignment. We hardly knew ye, and we're thankful for it.
You have to assume Beckham is going to be playing a lot of third base. That's the position he was playing at Triple-A Charlotte. In 45 games split between Birmingham and Charlotte this year, Beckham hit .326 with 23 doubles, 4 homers and 25 RBIs.
This creates an interesting situation for Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who has been saying for awhile that the Sox would be "in trouble" if they had to call up Beckham this year. Well, I guess the Sox are officially "in trouble."
I'm concerned that they are rushing Beckham to the big leagues. He's too inexperienced to be the savior of a floundering major-league team. But we'll see what happens.
As San Francisco Giants left-hander Randy Johnson shoots for his 300th career victory tonight (weather permitting) against the Washington Nationals, I'm going to repost a column I wrote on August 13, 2007. This was in the aftermath of Tom Glavine's 300th win, when everyone was claiming that Glavine would be the last to reach the milestone.
Phooey.
Remember, 300-game winners are rare. But they are not extinct. They are not a dying breed. There will be another one, probably in your lifetime.
Here's the column:
I'm going to go out on a limb here: Tom Glavine will NOT be the last 300-game winner in Major League Baseball history. That seems like a pretty safe bet to me. After all, forever is a long time.
But you'd never know it by reading some of the reaction to Glavine's 300th victory last weekend at Wrigley Field. Columnists all across the country anointed Glavine as "the last of a dying breed."
Please.
As a teenager, I remember watching Nolan Ryan win his 300th game in 1990. At that time, he was declared "the last of the 300-game winners." Later, that title was transferred to Roger Clemens. Then to Greg Maddux. Now, it's Glavine's turn.
I'm not sure why people think 300-game winners are on the endangered species list. A quick check of baseball history suggests the opposite.
Only 23 men have ever reached the milestone, 11 of which achieved it before 1925.
From 1925 to 1982, only three hurlers reached 300 wins: Lefty Grove, Warren Spahn and Early Wynn.
Since 1982, there have been nine 300-game winners: Gaylord Perry, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, Ryan, Clemens, Maddux and Glavine. Nine in the last 25 years!
I'm not a math major, but it's clear to me that baseball has seen three times as many 300-game winners in the past 25 years as it did in the 57 years previous.
Dying breed?
Randy Johnson currently sits at 284 wins. He's out for the season with a back injury that will require surgery. Will he retire? Possibly. But if he comes back and pitches another year or two, he'll probably be the next 300-game winner.
Looking around the league, commentators don't seen any other obvious candidates to join the 300 club. On that point, I would agree. But back in 1990, when Nolan Ryan won his 300th, Glavine was a three-year veteran with a subpar 33-41 lifetime record.
At that time, no one could have predicted how successful his career would turn out to be. And that's just my point. The 300-game winners aren't a dying breed. They are an extremely rare breed.
And the next one might be someone few are thinking about right now.
When the White Sox acquired Wilson Betemit from the New York Yankees in the Nick Swisher deal, I knew they weren't getting a future Gold Glover.
Betemit has been in the big leagues on a full-time basis since 2005, and I'd seen him enough to know he was basically nothing more than a switch-hitter with a little pop in his bat. He doesn't really have a position. Essenitally, he's a pinch-hitter who you figure should be able to start at 3B or 1B once a week, or maybe DH.
So, I knew Betemit wasn't very good with the leather, but I had no idea he was this bad until he joined the Sox. His fielding percentage in six games at 3B so far this year?
.500. That's right. 500.
When a ground ball is hit to Wilson Betemit, there's a 50/50 chance he'll make an error. His latest error (left) led to three unearned runs for Oakland last night in the A's 5-0 victory over the Sox. Betemit has had eight grounders hit to him this season. He has booted four. Granted that's a small sample size, but it's still pathetic.
Betemit's defensive statistics are bad. If you've seen this man play, you know that he's lucky his fielding percentage is as high as it is. There have been at least two occasions this year where generous official scorers have awarded hitters a single after playable grounders squirted underneath Betemit's glove. He's actually been worse than his bad numbers suggest.
I never thought I'd see the day where Sox fans would want Josh "I Can't" Fields to play because his defense at 3B beats the alternative. Given that Betemit is the alternative, that's definitely the case in this scenario.
Frankly, I could probably hammer a wood post into the dirt near third base at U.S Cellular Field, and the post would do a better job of knocking the ball down than Betemit.
Pictured at left is Cubs rookie right-hander Randy Wells. Lately, he's been finding out just what it's like to play for a team that hasn't won a championship in over 100 years.
Wells has made five starts this season. He's 0-2, still without a major-league victory to his credit. And it's anything but his fault. His ERA is 1.69. He's given up three runs or fewer in each of his outings. The Cubs just keep blowing his games in unbelievable fashion.
Just this morning, the Chicago Tribune had a chart on the front of its sports section outlining the tough luck Wells has been pitching in. Cubs closer-for-now Kevin Gregg has blown THREE potential Wells victories in the ninth innings of assorted games. On May 16, Gregg coughed up a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning to Houston.
But I think Tuesday night's debacle takes the cake. Wells no-hit the Atlanta Braves through 6 2/3 innings. In fact, he faced the minimum number of hitters until Chipper Jones singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Wells gave up a solo homer in the eighth and departed with a 5-1 lead. Should be an easy win, right? To quote Beacon News sports editor emeritus Bill Kindt, "Ehhh.....the Cubs blew it! I'm not surprised! I've seen them pull **** like this hundreds of times!"
The Braves scored two off Carlos Marmol in the eighth to make it 5-3, and Atlanta outfielder Jeff Francoeur blasted a two-run homer off Gregg with two outs in the ninth to tie the game. Wells' chance for victory went out the window, and the Cubs lost 6-5 in 12 innings.
If I were Wells, I'd demand a trade. Poor bastard, he's stuck with the Cubs.
Michael O'Brien from the Sun-Times is cutting through all the crap surrounding the NCAA investigation of Bulls guard Derrick Rose. Find out the latest by clicking here.
Is it just me, or is Jim Thome coming through with big late-inning hits for the White Sox with a little more frequency this year?
Thome struck again Monday night, when he hit a 3-run, opposite-field bomb off Oakland's Santiago Casilla to break a 2-2 tie and help lift the Sox to a 6-2 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.
I went back through the game logs and found that this is the sixth game-changing clutch hit for Thome already this season. Here are the other five:
1. April 7 vs Kansas City: With the Sox trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Thome hits a 3-run blast off Kyle Farnsworth. Sox win 4-2.
2. April 12 vs. Minnesota: Game tied 1-1 in the sixth, when Thome rips a 2-run shot off Nick Blackburn. Sox go on to win 6-1.
3. May 1 vs. Texas: Sox trail 3-0 in the sixth. Bases loaded, two outs. Rangers bring in lefty Derek Holland to face Thome. Doesn't work. Thome clears the bases with a 3-run double. Sox eventually win 4-3.
4. May 12 vs. Cleveland: Sox squander an early lead and fall behind 4-3. Thome hits his second homer of the game in the fifth, a 2-run shot off Jeremy Sowers that puts the Sox in front 5-4. Sox win 7-4.
5. May 18 vs. Toronto: Sox trail 2-0 in the eighth. Thome ties the game with a 2-run homer off tough Blue Jays lefty Jesse Carlson. Unfortunately, the Sox lose 3-2, but it wasn't Thome's fault.
It seems like Thome is debunking his reputation for being "unclutch" in the late innings this year. He's coming through with regularity, even when the opposition brings in a lefty to face him. Thome might be 38 years old, but he still has a little something left.
I have mixed emotions about this decision. I like opening the season against Missouri every year. It's nice to have a non-conference game against a border rival from a BCS conference. It's far preferable to playing Chicken Salad A&M in the season-opener, like some of the Illini's Big Ten rivals do.
However, having this neutral-site game limits the Illini to six home games. That's intolerable when you consider that everyone else in the conference is playing seven home games. Illinois is putting itself at a competitive disadvantage in the hunt to get one of the 2,467 bowl bids that are now available to Division I schools. You want to maximize your opportunities to get wins by playing three non-conference home games. That's what everyone else does.
I would like to see the series against Missouri continue on a home-and-home basis. Why not play in Champaign one year and Columbia the next? I think that would be great. The Illini could still get their seven home games, and there would be a BCS opponent on the non-conference schedule each and every year.
At right is a picture of Blackhawks first-round draft pick Dylan Olsen donning the Indian Head sweater for the first time. I have no idea whether it was a good pick or not. I've never seen Olsen play before in my life. I hope to see him at the United Center soon.
