Saying Goodbye

You know, I really hadn't been thinking very much about tonight's Illinois game versus Michigan other than it's a must win for the Illini to make the tournament.

I went this morning to apply for a passport for my Spring Break trip...hopefully I'll be saying goodbye to the USA for a week if it gets to me on time. It has 23 days to get here. With expediting and express mail, they say it takes no longer than 21. Let's hope.

I then head over to my cinema studies (world cinema) course early because I had nothing better to do at home other than find something dumb to waste time on for a bit. I was only listening to music and figured I could do just as much while sitting and waiting for class and not leaving any opportunities to be late to this class (1 minute late, you're absent for the entire 2-hour class...ridiculous).

As I sit down, I notice a Daily Illini on the ground (a common sight in lecture rooms). I usually just ignore it as I maybe read one Daily Illini every three months or so. But I see the sports page has something about senior night (and of course Chief stuff) and decide to pick it up. Then I see the headline of the regular paper was an interview with my friend, Dan Maloney...better known as Chief Illiniwek to Illini nation. I decide to read the article and upon doing so, a myriad of emotions became swept up in me.

First, I was thinking about how I will be witnessing history tonight. I'm going to be in the building, on the court, watching what will likely be the last dance in Chief Illiniwek's 80 year career. My friend is performing the last dance and I can only imagine the pressure and multitude of things that are running through his head right now. I've only told him that I support what he's doing and wish him all the best. Not usually a man of few words, other than when he's in the Chief Illiniwek regalia, a simple thank you and a nod was all that was necessary in response.

I'm not sure that I want people wearing black shirts and the like tonight, but I do support their ability to do so. I will likely take a black shirt with me as an undershirt and wear it if I end up being the only person on the court not wearing black. I do not like to bring attention to myself. Now, whether that shirt will be a regular t-shirt or under armor is yet to be determined...I may wear both and see how many ladies will be around to check out the gun show. :D

Lame, I know...but it seems like I tend to keep putting off the things that I need to get to. In this case, completely ignoring everything going on in the Chief situation, I'm about to sit on the court as a member of the Orange Krush one last time.

My friends have dwindled out of Krush since my freshman year. This has contributed to me usually sitting up in C-section this season with them instead of being down on the court and after waiting in line for hours by myself...that and I still am not able to jump around and go crazy with my ankle...it's not really the bones that hurt as much as it's my freakin' achilles that seems to be permanently enflamed. That said, I was the 4th highest money raiser in the Orange Krush this season, thanks in very large part to some of you outstanding people who read this. You aren't outstanding just because you donated to me or because you take the time to read my blog...you are all just outstanding people that I'm happy to know.

...again, not to get on a tangent...It wasn't until reading that article today before class that I began to think about how many great memories I've been apart of in the Assembly Hall over the past four years. I came to this school, turning down better schools, strictly because I wanted to be in the Block-I and Orange Krush. Illinois has always been my love and I will probably never be able to be as close to the action as I have been during these four years...and what a 4 years to be close to! I hadn't thought about all that coming to an end...until this morning. I suppose that's for the best as I'd rather only worry about it for about 7 hours as opposed to 7 days or weeks.

The Assembly Hall is just about the only place on this campus that I have not been drunk in. I have been drunking walking around the parking lot, but never inside the Hall. Under other substances? Of course, I have been to concerts there. That's another story. I've never had to be drunk in this building. I've had so many great memories...and the best part is...I can actually remember them! I do not have to be told or see photographic evidence of its awesomeness.

I'll be back on campus next fall and I should have student tickets, but it will be up high. I'll never sit courtside again. I'll never see the Chief dance again. I'm saying good-bye to one of the biggest reasons why I came to Champaign to begin with. I'm not going to bust into tears over this, but it's a gut-check. I'm all about not taking things for granted and I really hope that my experience in the Orange Krush and with Chief Illiniwek is not something that I have been. I sure will miss it.

For what is (hopefully) the final game this season at the Assembly Hall...I leave with a few comments.

I have loved it.

I will miss it.

I will always be loyal to you, Illinois.

Go Illini!

fin

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a day that I look forward to every day of the year, though not for the traditional reasons. One, there is a chance some people may give me candy. I don't really eat much candy, but that doesn't mean that I do not like to get it. Two, it's my day to sit down and watch horror, dark film-noir, and not-so-happy-ending love story movies. It's been a tradition of mine going back to high school.

I've only been officially dating someone twice on this day. My high school girlfriend (I got her to watch a few scary movies with me, but was forced into cooking dinner before hand and buying stuff) and also my sophomore year of college. The college girl was great as we both wanted to rebel against Valentine's Day for a myriad of reasons, so it was an easy sell for not buying anything and watching movies of love being torn apart.

I make it sound like I'm bitter towards love and so on, but that's not the case. I'm not against love should it find me, I'm just not looking for it. I'm perfectly content going through college without any attachment. One, there are lots of college co-eds and I want to see as many of their boobs as possible before I'm old enough to where it's creepy. Two, if I had a girlfriend...would I be able to spend an entire day in my pajamas, getting stoned, and watching movies/playing video games? If there's a woman out there that I can trust and doesn't mind that I do those things, then you should contact me. If not, well, that is why I'm so much better being single.

As many of you know, this is the second consecutive day that the University of Illinois has let out classes due to weather-related conditions. Yesterday was the first time it has happened since 1979. I feel like I'm a part of history. That said, it would have been tough to get to class in a foot of snow, snow drifts up to 5-6' tall, and 40 mph winds. I was annoyed by the winds the most because it made it a little hard to light my pipe when I was outside.

I'm going to listen to some more downloaded music today...I picked up a few albums over this past weekend and I'll note some songs that you should be sure to pick up.

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
Solid cd, especially if you like their previous stuff. I gave it an overall rating of a B-. I absolutely love Ize of the World and also find myself listening to Electricityscape, Vision of Division, Razorblade, and Heart in a Cage

Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness
I absolutely loved this album. It's the fast-paced pop rock that I tend to get into and find catchy. Prayer of the Refugee has become one of my favorite songs and I'm also really digging Injection, Ready to Fall, Under the Knife, Drones, The Approaching Curve, and The Good Left Undone. This album is an easy A for me.

The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
This is a band that I had never listened to, but liked some of their samples so I checked into them. Glad I did as I found an album that I really enjoyed, giving it a B+ overall rating. Here's to Your Future and Power Doesn't Run on Nothing are my favorite songs from the album, while I also really enjoy I Might Need You to Kill, A Pillar of Salt, Returning to the Fold, and St. Rosa and the Swallows.

More to come later.

I'll finish with a question. How in the world did Deron Williams not get picked to represent the Western Conference in the All-Star game? What a shame. He's arguably the guy most important to his team's current placement in the conference (even more so than Boozer...and Okur). I understand that Ray Allen is the bigger name, but I really feel that Deron deserved that spot.

It's signing day for the Illini!

But first, a quick announcement from the life of JayD!

I'm only working on 4 hours of sleep due to my roomate's music playing last night and this morning. I was very not happy to still be awake at 3:30 and up at 7:30 (I can never go back to sleep once there's light in the room). I only got 3 hours the night before while I was working on a paper and was looking forward to catching up last night. Oh well.

A side note...is it just me, or does a room fill up with light like a bagillion times faster when there is snow on the ground? There is no reason to be as much light as there was in my room at 7:30 and I even have a black curtain (albeit a thin one) hanging over my window to help prevent it a bit more.

Anyway, that's probably all that is on my mind right now, other than the Illini!

Here is a list of players that the Illini are supposed to sign today:

Josh Brent
(Central Catholic HS)
Bloomington, IL 6-3/300/5.00 12/26/2006

Anytime a central Illinois town (like Bloomington-Normal where Heath and Bev, my personal favorite Illini couple reside) produces a high quality football player, the Illini need to lock him up and they did just that with Brent. Brent is one big man, but as shown by his hoops career, he has some agility. When a man is my height, weighs 90 pounds more than me, and could likely outrun me in the 40...you know you have an athlete. Not that I'm a great athlete, but it's not like I didn't play football in high school. I'm looking forward to Brent taking over for Norwell on the line next season...and to whatever he'll bring us this season and he's surely going to get some PT, according to Shirley.

Martez Wilson
(Simeon Vocational HS)
Chicago,IL 6-4/228/4.50 12/21/2006

We often hear the term 'freak' describing the uber-athletic basketball players. It's sometimes referenced in football (see Jevon Kearse) and it should be used here. Wilson is an incredible athlete who is strong enough to play with his hand down and fast enough to play standing up on the outside. He has the potential to be the best pass rusher the Illini have since Simeon Rice (whom he's often compared to). If that weren't enough to make him a 5 star athlete, he can also move over to offense where he wowed the scouts at the All-American Combine by abusing DB in the passing game. It is said that Wilson will focus on defense, but will see the field on offense on 3rd down and red zone situations. If Cumberland improves his hands this season, the Illini are going to be scary in the red zone with he and Wilson on the outside on top of Benn running around...not to mention the QB with the rocket arm and wheels to break out of the pocket for a score if there is some minute chance those big WR cannot get open.

Jack Cornell
(Quincy Notre Dame HS)
Quincy,IL 6-7/305/4.90 12/19/2006

Big Jack had a bout with temporary insanity when he committed to the nut-job that used to patrol the sidelines in East Lansing, but after his dismissal had a change of heart and decided to join the rebuilding campaign in Champaign-Urbana! One of the biggest weaknesses on this Illini team last season was the offensive line, especially at the T positions. This means that it's open season for starting spots on the line and Cornell will have a chance to compete. I prefer linemen, especially offensive linemen, redshirt in their first season as few are physically ready to hold off college-aged defensive linemen. I hope that the Illini can get by with what they have this season so Cornell does not have to see the field.

D'Angelo McCray
(Andrew Jackson HS)
Jacksonville,FL 6-4/290/4.85 12/14/2006

Coach Zook and Disch's ties to Florida help the Illini out a great deal with the pledge of McCray from Jacksonville, Florida. One of the top DT in the nation, McCray will likely enter the fall as the favorite to start next to Chris Norwell on the defensive line. McCray is versatile enough to play both DT and DE, so I'm sure we'll see him line up in both positions. Derek Walker and Doug Pilcher are incumbants at the end spots and are not bad players, but it will be nearly impossible to keep McCray off the field, especially in passing situations. I see McCray starting out playing both DT and DE in passing situations while David Lindquist and Doug Pilcher see action on running situations. I actually pity the offensive lines that have will have to figure out a way to contain a line of Martez Wilson, D'Angelo McCray, Josh Brent, and Daryl Ballew one day...not to mention the ones that will have to figure out a way to stop Wilson, McCray, Norwell, and Walker.

Daniel Dufrene
(College of the Sequoias)
Visalia,CA 5-11/205/4.45 12/12/2006

This junior college transfer (who still has three years of eligibility left) will come in unheralded to those who don't closely follow recruiting (especially with his 2-star rating), but Dufrene should make one of the larger impacts of all the incoming recruits. He has already seen some college action and did pretty well (his rivals video is sick) in that time. He was offered by some high-quality football programs and should immediately slide into the #2 HB position behind Rashard Mendenhall. If Mendenhall cannot hold up as a full-time starter (or cannot hold on to the ball), Dufrene could even supplant him as the feature back. Dufrene may never be THE main back in Champaign with two more years of Mendenhall and a hopeful 2008 recruiting class consisting of Mikel Leshoure and/or Jason Ford, but he is a very important recruit for the Illini.

Mark Jackson
(Harmony Community School Midd)
Cincinnati,OH 6-5/290/5.20 12/11/2006

The big man from Ohio is going to be overshadowed by Craig Wilson and Jack Cornell in this recruiting class, but this man is a future starter on the Illini offensive line. Listed as one of the top 10 center recruits in the nation by Scout and as a 4-star tackle by Rivals, the kid obviously has some upside. The only thing left to determine with him is just where and when he'll be starting for the Fighting Illini!

Erique Robertson
(Maple Heights Senior HS)
Maple Heights,OH 5-11/210 12/11/2006

I love it when the Illini take players that Iowa wants. Any of their first targets that we can take, why not (assuming they're up to the talent level that Zook and the Illini are going after). Robertson will have some battles for playing time at the weakside linebacker position, but will have the added advantage of spring practice as he enrolled early to attend Illinois. We should see Robertson on the field for special teams this season and one of the front runners for one of the two OLB spots that should open up next season (assuming a Miller move back MLB after Leman's departure).

Darius Purcell
(Hubbard HS)
Chicago,IL 5-11/215/4.60 12/11/2006

The Illini made great effort to to stock the safety position in this class and Purcell was one of the final pieces that was added. My guess is that Zook loves the players in the mold/size of Purcell, Erique Roberston, Ian Thomas etc not even so much as potential starters (which any of them may be one day), but for versatility in special teams. Special teams has been a sore spot for the Illini in recent years and I see the continued recruitments of players like Purcell as a direct attempt to rectify that.

Ian Thomas
(Dematha Catholic HS)
Hyattsville,MD 6-0/200/4.70 12/07/2006

Any chance the Illini get to go and grab a talented player from a football factory like Dematha is a chance that should be taken. Thomas, like Robertson and Purcell, will likely see the field on special teams early in his career and develop into a starter at the weakside LB position before he graduates. Again, inroads to a school like Dematha are very important and Ian Thomas will benefit the Illini in ways that extend beyond what he can do on the gridiron.

Brian Gamble
(Washington HS)
Massillon,OH 6-0/190 12/05/2006

Gamble is probably the recruit I'm most looking forward to seeing amongst those rated as 3-stars or lower by the recruiting services. Gamble is a great athlete that was passed over by traditional powers (like Ohio State) because of grades. Gamble single-handedly won many games for his Washington High School by his skills out of the backfield and in the defensive secondary. I feel this guy will greatly out-perform his 'ranking' and be a leading candidate to take over at one of the safety positions after the graduations of Justin Harrison, Kevin Mitchell, and Justin Sanders next spring. I also suspect he'll be an immediate impact player on special teams.

Troy Pollard
(Andrew Jackson HS)
Jacksonville,FL 5-8/175/4.50 12/05/2006

Don't be fooled by Pollard's size (read: lack thereof), he's the prototypical scatback for the spread offense. He's small and quick, which will allow him to dart right through the holes created by his offensive lineman. Pollard will be fighting with for playing time with Walter Mendenhall and Charles Bailey in their backup efforts for Rashard Mendenhall and Dufrene and will see more carries in each season he plays with the Illini.

Arrelious Benn
(Dunbar HS)
Washington,DC 6-2/205/4.50 11/09/2006

With all due respect to Mr. Wilson, Benn is the crown jewel of this recruiting class. He fills a huge position of need and it should not take long for him to take over as the team's go to WR. If this were basketball, this is a guy who would be on campus for one year, maybe two if you are lucky. In football, the Illini get to enjoy watching Regis for at least three years, maybe four if he really enjoys his stay. In any case, Benn has already enrolled at the U of I and will likely be the #1 wideout heading into this summer. Benn will make an immediate impact for the Illini and be one of the top freshman in the entire nation next season. Beyond his natural skill-set, Benn will greatly help star QB Isiah "Juice" Williams by being a reliable WR and also benefit the Illini in allowing guys like Kyle Hudson, Jacob Willis, Dajuan Warren, etc to be the role players that they are and not forcing them to be stars for the Illini to succeed. Benn's impact alone (and hopefully some better pass-blocking by the OL) should make the Illini a much more dangerous team on offense next season.

Anthony Morris
(Thornton Township HS)
Harvey,IL 6-3/200 11/09/2006

Morris is a fantastic athlete from Thornton High in Harvey, IL...a place where the Illini would like to establish a better pipeline in to. Morris will get a shot at WR due to the stone hands the current group of WR showed last season, but I expect Morris to make his mark with the Illini as a ball-hawking FS. He has great size for a FS and could be the best we've had at the position this decade. His experience at WR should only help his ability to track down the ball for INTs. I expect Morris to be starting by his true junior season, if not by his sophomore season when he'll likely be battling for the FS spot with Travon Bellamy.

Steve Matas
(Mentor HS)
Mentor,OH 6-5/255 10/17/2006

Matas is one of the least-heralded recruits the Illini will bring in this season, but his early offer shows how much the staff thinks of him. Matas could have a future at DE or on the offensive line. My guess is he ends up at the offensive line as the competition is going to be fierce on the DL for his entire Illini career (Walker, Pilcher, Antonio James, Rahkeem Smith, Jerry Brown, the incoming recruits, etc). That said, if guys like McCray, Wilson, etc end up going pro early...it would be a very nice luxury to have Matas waiting in the wings as a RS junior.

Craig Wilson
(Hargrave Military Academy)
Chatham,VA 6-5/300 08/15/2006

While Wilson will be a freshman in status, he'll be the age of a college sophomore after having to attend the Hargrave prep school when he failed to make the grades to get into Illinois as a high school senior last season. Wilson is an incredibly strong lineman and is regarded as one of the very elite OL in the prep school ranks this past season. Few freshmen have the body to compete in the trenches in college, but Wilson may have been able to last season...let alone with another added year of school and weight training. I'm going to assume Chuck Myles is going to graduate (to those who have spoken to him...amazingly enough) and will get another year of eligibility, but by no means is his job safe with Wilson on campus. In fact, the guards (I'm looking at you, Martin O'Donnell) had better improve or else we could see Akim Millington get moved inside if Wilson shows that he needs to be on the field this season. In either case, Wilson is probably already penciled into the 2-deep and will be a starter for the Illini by his true sophomore season at the latest.

Marcus Thomas
(Morgan Park HS)
Chicago,IL 5-11.5/160/4.50 08/05/2006

Nicknamed "Miami" because of his original home, Thomas is a promising CB for the Illini. He needs to put on some weight, but is fast and loves to hit (despite his small stature). I believe his tenacity on the field are great indicators of future success. I would be very surprised if he were able to beat out Bellamy, Dere Hicks, or Chris Duvalt for the starting CB spot opposite of Vontae Davis this season, but that group of players are going to have great battles for starting spots over the next few seasons. If Thomas were a year older, he'd probably be in the same shoes as Hicks and Duvalt this season...but since he's a year younger...he'll have some catching up to do. He very well could see the field, but it may be for the best that Miami take a redshirt this season unless the dreaded injury bug works its way from the Assembly Hall over to the Illini secondary next season.

Daryle Ballew
(Withrow HS)
Cincinnati,OH 6-3/285/5.40 07/07/2006

Ballew is overshadowed in this recruiting class due to being in the same class as Wilson, McCray, and Brent, but it's not because he isn't a solid player. Depth at the position should allow for him to redshirt this season to work on conditioning, but this is a guy who should start for the Illini around his RS junior or senior season and definitely be a part of the rotation in the years before.

Mike Garrity
(Batavia Sr HS)
Batavia,IL 6-6/270/5.00 06/29/2006

Garrity is a very good OT prospect who, like so many other solid players who in recent years would have been center-pieces of Illini recruiting classes, is overshadowed by higher-rated players like Craig Wilson and Jack Cornell. Garrity committed very early and those players tend to slide down the rankings a little bit as recruiting services try to increase revenue by pumping up non-committed players, but I do not believe there is much of a dropoff, if any from Cornell to Garrity. Garrity at the very worst will be a servicable backup for his career and I would imagine that he'd take a redshirt this season.

Nathan Bussey
(Dunbar HS)
Washington, DC6-2/203/4.45 09/25/2005

Bo Flowers

(Detroit Tigers)

Flowers is a walkon (whose tuition is being paid by the Detroit Tigers) and former 4-star prospect. He went the professional baseball route for a while and after spending some time in the minor leagues, has decided to come back to college to play football (straight to pro baseball out of high school). Flowers is an excellent addition because it's not often that you can add a guy who is a 23 year old freshman. He will have the body of an upperclassmen and the eligibility of a freshman. He will look for a place in the secondary, most likely at safety as Davis and Bellamy appear to have the corner spots lined up for the next three (or two) years.

Bussey was Regis Benn's HS QB and the Illini grabbing him definitely played a role in getting the stud WR to Champaign all the way from the nation's capital. That said, he wasn't a pity offer and has a future in the Illini's secondary. If the Illini do not pick up another QB in this class (after Clint Brewster elected to follow his dad to Minnesota), then Bussey may just get a shot at QB...if for no other reason than depth. Bussey's future at Illinois is not at QB, though, as he'll eventually make his way to the SS position. Bussey has good size and strength which makes his lack of offers from big time programs a little puzzling (especially those that were after Benn as well). He may not be an elite prospect, but he is pretty good. If he does start out immediately in the secondary, I'd expect him (like Purcell, Gamble, Robertson, Thomas, etc) to see the field on special teams as a freshman and then be part of the battle for Mitchell, Sanders, and Harrison's starting positions next season.

All in all, this class is going to land Illinois in the top 15 classes in the nation for this recruiting season. Local schools are up in arms over Zook's ability to come in and out-recruit them, despite the Illini's less than adequate record since their Sugar Bowl season in 2001. The sour grapes displayed by other coaching staffs that have even prompted letters to league officials and pleas for a national sportswriter to produce a spin article, criticizing the Illini. These schools realize that Illinois is every bit the sleeping giant that they feared. The one thing keeping Illinois from consistent top of the conferences finished in the Big 10 was the inability to keep the top athletes in the state home.

With Zook in charge, that has all changed. The Illini are not only locking down the Illinois borders to rivals who used to pillage the state for recruits, but are also using recruiting ties to Florida, Ohio, and the Maryland/DC area for recruits. Now that the Illini have brought in Eric Wolford to replace Ed Warriner on the offensinve line, they will soon have a recruiting presence on the west coast, especially in California. If the Illini could just get a solid connection into Texas, then they'd have the potential for a recruiting juggernaut (at least in the Big 10) if they can start putting some wins together with these talented players.

I'm as excited as I've ever been for Illini football. I've seen arguably the four worst years of Illini football in my stay in college, but I'm hoping that will all change this fall and the Illini can make a bowl game as a send-off party for me after my final semester. The only graduation present I will want this winter is an Illini bowl game.

For the first time in my collegiate career, that wish will not draw raucous laughter from my audience. Go Illini!

Thoughts on Da Bears

While I was hoping to watch my team win a championship at the end of its season for the second time in as many season endings, it was just not to be.

The only positive I take from this is that I won $13 for correctly predicting the final total points (46) at the party in which I watched the game. I had my sights set on 30-16 Bears victory, however.

Rex Grossman will probably never have a season in the NFL where he doesn't have constant doubters. I'm sure it's tough having you and everyone else in the country know that you are the weak-link on a team, but it's even worse to be reminded of it in the media every single day. I do feel bad for him, but in the end you cannot make excuses for not getting the job done on the field. I have a feeling that if he ever becomes a consistent starting QB in the NFL that it will not be for the Bears. I do believe he'll be under center at next season's kickoff, but it may be his final audition to be the Bears' starting QB. Unfortunately for the Bears, they cannot expect to keep this team together for long and they need solid play from the QB position these next two seasons or they may see their window for winning the Super Bowl begin to slide shut on them more and more each season.

Ron Turner will be a name that haunts my dreams for many years to come. He haunted my dreams as Illinois head coach and now as an offensive coordinator for the Bears. His coordinating is just that...offensive. A classic example of coaches who get too much credit for success (this guy is some kind of QB guru?). He acted just as scared as Grossman did out there.

The other coordinating Ron has some 'splainin to do as well. Absolutely no adjustments and he appeared oblivious to the notion that some changes were needed. He sounded surprised that the QB known to study more film than other QB and the QB that is the most prepared in the league might just have realized that the Bears dropped safeties deep on every play? Did he think that Manning would act like Grossman and get frustrated of the short pass and try to throw it deep to something that's not there? There's a reason why one is Rex Grossman and the other is Peyton Manning. The announcers commented on the Bears defensive scheme on the first drive of the game...did he think they would figure out something that Manning wouldn't? Ugh.

Super Bowl commercials were down this year, imo. That damn robot commercial was just sad. I didn't get some others and there really wasn't a commercial that jumped out to me as being great. I think all of these companies got ripped off for paying as much as they did for those spots. Can anyone please block godaddy.com ads for all eternity? They are terrible and I have not been even the least bit interested in seeing what the hell they are. Surely there is someone else out there waiting to blow their money just as badly as that website. That person may even be named Shirley.

I'm not a big Prince fan, but I did enjoy his halftime show. I much preferred this show to shows of previous years.

Anyone else going to enjoy the Peyton Manning commercials from now on? I did like them, but will know start disliking them. We already see a lot of his face and now we're going to see him in a few more...including the dreaded Disney World commercial.

Anyone not understand the point of giving the professional athletes a car? What are the chances that Manning even likes that kind of car? Can he turn it down saying that he didn't want to waste taxes on it?

At least we won't have to listen to the story line of 'Peyton cannot win the big one' anymore as if it were his fault that the Colts weren't winning the Super Bowl. His postseason faults have not been Alex Rodriguez-esque. It's tough for any one person to be the difference in a football game, regardless of how good he is. Peyton is one of the best QB in the NFL, I just wish he could have gotten his title against a team other than the beloved.

In other notes...

Devin Hester...you have been and continue to be RIDICULOUS.

Kelvin Hayden and Aaron Moorehead...congratulations on getting a Super Bowl ring. Props to Kelvin for doing a great job of not biting on Moose's double-move and for being in perfect position to catch Grossman's errant pass. Luckily for Illinois, the announcer threw in the "2nd year man from Illinois" during the return. That's not something that is very common in this type of situation and probably was done due to a lack of other information to use on Hayden. Very ironic that he picks of Ron Turner's QB and score. In a way, he does have Turner to thank as he was not one of the few guys Turner held back from the defensive coaches in moving athletes to the defense. As a result, instead of Hayden being a no-name WR somewhere...football fans world wide got to hear his name, Illinois' name, and see him score a TD in the Super Bowl. Not bad for a kid from JCC.

Anyone here think Angelos can go in a direction that people are not expecting him to in the draft? If he does, are you going to criticize him as much as you did on draft weekend last summer? I don't think he can ignore the offensive side of the ball this year, so he'll have fewer surprises that he can pull. He may find a guy like Manning that others were not quite as high on, but he sees something in them and they turn out to be decent. What looked like an odd draft last season turned into a great one and had key players that contributed a great deal to this year's Super Bowl run. Let's hope this year's draft class can do similar things for the offense and count down to the first Sunday in February next year...and hopefully sit down and watch the Bears attempt to avenge this season's loss. There's only one more step to take...

fin

Updates on Life

As those of you who come across this blog probably already know, last year was pretty tough for me. It just seemed to be one of those years where you just couldn't catch a break (or if you did catch one, you'd catch three that you didn't want). That said, the eternal optimist in me helped me push through it and things have settled down now, but I currently feel like venting a few things.

1) Last year's spring semester was not much fun. It was my first semester in history as a major and I didn't get into any classes that I wanted. I do well in classes that I'm interested in, but my short attention span generally leads me to do poorly in classes that don't. These factors on top of other bad habits that I had caused me to finish the semester back on academic probation. I needed to get at least a 2.0 in the fall semester to stay at my dream school.

2) Fall semester comes along. I was having an average semester overall before I got sick, which nearly killed me (figuratively, not literally). I got very far behind on my school work and after deciding to push on and finish the semester on time (instead of chancing the incomplete-make up the work later route), began a process that had me writing at least one paper every day for the last three weeks of school (including finals week and weekends). I had to focus myself (which mean cutting out a big portion of my social life and cut out some habits), but I prooved to myself that I can do it when I put my mind to it. After having a class-wide investigation of plagiarism hanging over my head for a month, I finally got the clear that I had done sufficient work to stay in school. I had actually pulled out my best semester since my freshman year...amazing as that sounds.

3) Of course there were a myriad of reasons why I struggled to get through the fall semester...

3a) At the beginning of the semester, I had been walking without a cast or crutches for about a week and a half. I was still struggling to even walk (walking with a noticable limp), but that got a little better with each week. Currently, it's been over 9 months since the night where I broke the three bones in my foot and I still cannot run...still in physical therapy. I really do not know when I'm going to be cleared to run again and I'm starting to get very impatient.

3b) The doctors could never quite figure out what was going on, but the biggest problem from my fall semester was this mysterious illness that took over me for the better part of 2 months. I had extreme fatigue, flu-like symptoms, problems with my eyes, etc. I went to three different doctors and had a number of tests run, but nothing was ever found. Whatever it was finally left my body just barely in time to catch up on my school work.

3c) I figured part of this sickness came as lingering effects from my concussion. Just in case you need a refresher on this story...I was at the theatre seeing Saw 3 when I began to feel nauseous. I was on a date and didn't want to get sick in the theatre, so I get up to leave. I had only been standing a few seconds and had only moved far enough to get to the aisle when the room went blurry and before you know it, I feel myself falling...then slamming my head up against the arm rest of a chair. I am told that I came to a few minutes later to mumble a few things and say that "I'm okay" before passing out again. I come to a few minutes later and see a group of people standing above me, the lights on in the theatre, and the movie stopped. When I got up to walk to the lobby, my vision was purple...the best description for this I can think of is if you adjust the tint and things on a tv where everything becomes one color, yet you can still make out some images. By that time, I was really scared because I knew that with my terrible eye-sight (negative 8.5, both eyes), any strong blow to my head could cause serious damage to my retinas. Luckily for me, I escaped the whole ordeal with only a mild concussion and a few days off work.

4) I was priveledged enough to not experience a single death in my family until my 6th grade year, when I lost my grandfather. That said, I only had 4 total grand-parents when I was born. My father's dad died a few months before I was born and his wife died when my father was 6 months old. Their parents were both dead before I was born. I then lost a great-grandparent my 8th grade year and my grandmother my freshman year of college, leaving only one great-grandparent left. As a woman with alzheimers and a general failing of health in her early 90s, she didn't have much time left entering the summer. I was lucky enough to get down in August (in my walking cast) to Dallas to visit her one last time. She past away in October, leaving me with an odd sense of no longer having grand-parents. We all know that it our grand-parents that love to spoil us growing up and I spent a lot of my younger years living with my grandparents. That caused a stronger attachment to them than my own parents and thus the feeling of losing a parent when they were gone. It felt weird to be 22 and with no grandparents.

5) My father had an operation in late summer to remove some things from the prostrate region. He's had high blood pressure and a few other potential problems over the years, so it was good to see him get through that okay.

6) My mother found lumps on her breasts and it was over a month into the whole situation that we got to find out her results. When she had the lumps removed in surgery, we got the results back a few days later saying that all were benign. I will now make sure that my mother never goes three years without a breast exam ever again. A woman of her age should NEVER let that happen when her own mother had (and survived) breast cancer. We got the good news right before Christmas which more than made up for your less-than-average Christmas without grandparents in a room and fewer gifts due to money problems as a result of all the hospital bills that the family had been racking up.

7) Alternatively, my brother also ran through a sickness similar to mine. Doctors also never figured it out, but he seems to be better now.

The other day, I had lunch with a girl that I had not seen in about a year and a half. When asked about my previous year and then recounting all that had happened (wish I could have stopped with 7 things with her...what a rough year), it was then that I finally began to give myself a break for the previous year. A lot of things didn't go the way I would have planned it, but I also do no wish for any kind of pity party. While I do not believe in fate and "all things happen for a reason," I do believe that we learn from each experience and that I'm now a stronger person for having gone through a tough year for a 21 year old who is trying to figure life out.

The broken ankle really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In my month spent sitting on the couch, I learned how much I had been taking things for granted. I do not need to list the things that I realized I had not been appreciating enough, but I think it speaks volumes how I came out happier after this whole ordeal than I probably would have been had I not broken the ankle. My general attitude towards life needed an adjustment (no more emo JayD) and time on the couch and being restricted from doing things that I really wanted to do was exactly the medicine I needed. I am very happy to say that I'm unbelievably content with life right now and await all future twists and turns to the road.

I am not seeing anyone, but that is fine by me. I'm very content being single and even enjoy being able to do my own thing whenever I want. I do not have to explain why I want to hang out with any of my female friends, as I've found that girls have gotten plenty jealous of my female friends before. Also, I honestly do not think I have time to dedicate to any one girl in a relationship setting and continue to do well in school. School needs to be my focus right now and I think I'm doing a good job in keeping it as such.

I am back to work and healthy, which makes that a much more enjoyable experience.

I am looking for roomates again as all three of mine are moving on next year. I love my room right now, so I'm staying right where I am. Best of luck to those guys in their post-college lives.

I'm currently finalizing spring break plans. It now appears that we are abandoning the idea of going to Mexico and have set out eyes on South Padre Island. I have not had any great college vacation as of yet and am very much looking forward to getting this trip finalized and then counting down the days until takeoff.

I am now introducing all of you to my propensity to have long, rambling entries. You will generally need a few minutes of free time when you stop by and actually plan on taking in what I have to say. That said, I hope that you do take the time and are interested in what I have to say. I'll try to keep things different and interesting as best I can. No promises other than I'll give it my best shot and in the end, that's really all one can expect out of anyone.

fin

After a long break, I'm back...baby

So since I last posted, there has evidently been some kind of conversion with blogger and google. So be it, I don't have any attachments to the old way and I'm sure this wasy is easier. I'll have to tinker with the new features later.

Let's see...I'll ramble about what I know best...sports.

I am absolutely thrilled about this weekend. I requested the whole weekend off from work, so since I do not have class on Friday, I'm sitting around, playing video games, sitting online, and doing other activities that I can do when I have nothing better to do. Considering I have a book that I need to be reading, I do have better things that I need to do, but that's beside the point.

Tomorrow the Illini take on Minnesota. Chester Frazier will not be playing due to injury, though I would not be surprised to see him on the court now that it appears Jamar Smith will be sitting out with the flu. The injuries just keep coming and coming for the Illini and it's too bad. I don't think they're really as bad as their record shows this season (and how lucky are we for this to be a 'bad' season) due to so many games and practices lost due to injury. This team is just not good on offense and when playing in a complicated system like the motion, you need all the practice time you can get. Since guys have sat out, they are not getting as much practice as they should and are not able to try and mesh in with the rest of the team. If neither Frazier nor Smith play, that leaves the Illini with Rich McBride, Trent Meacham, and Calvin Brock in the backcourt. McBride is a good overall player when his shot is falling (it will have to tomorrow), Meacham is a step slow for most high-major division one programs, and Brock is an athletic wing who is still developing his skill set. Against Minnesota, McBride should be able to get open, Meacham's lack of speed shouldn't be too detrimental, and Brock will have a chance to get a lot of minutes. He plays better when he knows he's going to get a lot of minutes.

Saturday evening should be fun as usual...but most of it will be spent anxiously awaiting...

DA BEARS in the SUPER BOWL!

I've been priviledged enough in my 22 years on this planet to see a lot of championships from the teams I pull for. In football, I did unfortunately grow up cheering for the Packers. I'm sorry, all those long-time, dedicated Bears fans. It's a part of my past that I have to deal with every single day...and don't underestimate how hard it is. I feel like I slept with my mother. That said, I did see Brett Favre lead them to two Super Bowls in the mid-90s, the first of which they won. That was the first Super Bowl victory my team had won and it should have been a glorious day. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away on that particular Super Bowl Sunday. There are literally plenty of signs from God that I was denounced for cheering for the Packers.

I let the Packers go when the Rams came to St. Louis. Being from that general area, I grew up watching St. Louis sports. They did not have a NBA team (which is a big reason why I don't follow the NBA today) and didn't have a NFL team until the Rams left LA in the mid-90s. While I admit being a bit of a fair-weather fan when it comes to the Rams...I blame it on me not having a long-standing emotional attachment to the team, having other alliances, and then moving away for college. Now, DA BEARS are the team that is on the tv screen each weekend and there is no longer a Greatest Show on Turf playing in the Edward Jones (TWA) Dome. I've been a Bears fan since my freshman year of college, so I didn't exactly just jump on when they became good. Da Bears will be the only NFL I ever cheer for from here on out.

Back to the point about championships, I did get to see the Rams win the Super Bowl. Even if you weren't a Rams fan, that team was a lot of fun to watch. For all the love for the Colts, those Rams would have kicked their ass.

The Illinois men's tennis team brought home a perfect season in 2002, which was awesome. Undefeated national indoor and outdoor championship to go along with titles in the individual and doubles tournament afterwards. Fuck the '76 Hoosiers, that perfection is unequaled.

To date, the championship that has meant the most to me was this past year's St. Louis Cardinals World Series victory. I know the majority of people who will come across this are Cubs fans, so you might as well skip this next paragraph.

The Cardinals are the team that I've been cheering for the longest. Outside of the Illini, they are my team. I went to games as toddler, was in attendance for the first time that 'roided slugger Mark McGwire sent a ball to Big Mac Land in the left field upper deck section at the Old Busch Stadium. I was too young to remember the Don Denkinger 'incident,' but I've seen the replays and it will always piss me off to know that I had to wait 21 more years for a World Series victory when in reality, the Cards won the 1985 series. I could have gone through life at least saying my team has won a championship in my lifetime...even if I was barely a year old at the time. This is an obvious time when the people who run a sport should step in and reverse the final result of a game. When there is evidence that conclusive to the outcome of the game changing (that out would have been the last out and given the Cards the championship...nothing else should have mattered). Too bad no sports organization will ever have the balls to do such a thing. Anyway, after watching the Cards be at the top of the National League for the better part of this decade, yet always come down with an injury or two that killed their postseason chances, I think it was very fitting that they finally were rewarded with the World Series this season. Any of their previous three season's teams were better, but this team just found the magic that teams need during October. With Adam Wainwright's strikeout to end game 5, I've never had such a rush go through me in a sporting event.

It's that same rush that I hope to feel on Sunday. I feel like I'm going back to 2005 when the Illini were in the Final Four...the week leading up to it was like what this week has been back. All over campus, Da Bears are the topic of conversation. Girl TAs that probably don't even know what a football is made from try to start conversations to their silent classes about who is pulling for the Bears this weekend. While an Illini football national championship would be my ultimate rush, Da Bears winning would be awesome and probably check in at #4 overall in my sport fanatic dream list.

1. Illini football
2. Illini basketball
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Bears
5. Texas football (6 would be basketball)

You'll notice that I didn't talk about the Longhorn's national championship in football last season. While Texas is my 'other school,' they are still nowhere near the same level as Illinois in my heart. Besides, what else would go at number 5? The St. Louis Blues? Please. I guess the next sports team would be Da Bulls, but I don't care enough about the NBA to really have a favorite team. I just pull for the former Illini basketball players to do well.

Anyway, I'll cut the reading short here. I'll get back to the personal life later on, but for now you can procrastinate better things to do by reading through all of this.

See you all next week...as we celebrate DA BEARS Super Bowl Championship.

fin

P.S. - If you have yet to download "Lazy Eye" by the Silversun Pickups...then get on that. Great song.