Skip to main content

Dumber Than Mel Kiper Jr.

That is the phrase du jour at the Southlandish household after I mocked his preseason predictions. I must now bow to the genius that is Kiper in his Illini football prediction of seven or eight wins.

I'm in the same boat as IM, only with the words "Illini" and "bowl bid". Now I'm getting greedy and starting to hope for a bowl game here in Florida so I can go see them play.

I have no illusions about Saturday. Even though we have traditionally played well against the Buckeyes, we'll be mauled. But if we could bounce back and beat Northwestern to close out an 8-4 season, I'll be nothing short of dumbfounded. And to think we had a very real chance to win in all three of our losses to date. That's just crazy.

In other random thoughtlessness:

- No great opinion on the Mo GM position or LaRussa's re-upping for the Cardinals. There is so much work to be done that I don't know where to start to make this club competitive next year. Every time I begin to think about it, I simply give up in despair.

- It's been fun watching Favre lead the Packers to a 7-1 start. That Monday night Denver game was a helluva finish! I see where the traditional Thanksgiving game at Detroit will be against the Pack. That will make for a fun day of grilling turkey, watching football and splashing in the pool. Yes, I am going to rub that in since it has been hotter than ass here since April. We are finally seeing some glorious weather and coming out of our air conditioned hibernations for the first time since early Spring.

- nothing much else on the sporting front is grabbing me these days. Watching some MLS Cup matches (sorry about the DC United flame out, IM) and quite a few Premiership and Champions League games with a bit of the odd La Liga, Serie A & Bundesliga match thrown in. But since I generally don't actually root for anyone except the underdog, there's no passion involved, not that that's a bad thing. Pissing and moaning about the Cards and Illini have already taken untold years off my life so I'm not sure if or when I'll get around to finding a European club to support. Until Real Collinsville FC United launches, the MLS will also remain something enjoyable to watch but nothing that causes me ulcers.

- The next big thing on the horizon is the Illini basketball team and there is a conspicuous "we'll have to wait and see" feeling among the Illini fans I talk to.

Comments

Rich Horton said…
That will make for a fun day of grilling turkey, watching football and splashing in the pool. Yes, I am going to rub that in since it has been hotter than ass here since April.

Just what I want to hear as I watch the flurries come down here.
Southlandish said…
On the plus side, you have warm, fuzzy thoughts about Mizzou to keep the cold at bay.

Popular posts from this blog

Salt Lake Follies

More on the saga of Real Salt Lake : On the third day, it was risen. A bill emerged Thursday on Utah's Capitol Hill that could bring a Real Salt Lake stadium to Sandy and salvage Utah's two-year-old soccer franchise, which is being aggressively courted by investors in St. Louis. If the measure passes - it was crafted behind closed doors this week with the blessing of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and legislative leadership - it would snatch at least $20 million for the project out of Salt Lake County coffers, which critics allege could result in a countywide property-tax hike. The move to revive a stadium in Sandy spells the end of talk to relocate RSL to the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City or the former Geneva Steel site in central Utah County. Late Thursday, RSL released a statement saying the Geneva location, owned by Anderson Development, is "not a viable option for our team or the stadium project." "We are no longer ent...

Ticking Off My Friend From Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake seems to be holding on by the skin of it's teeth. Now you've got prominent folks out in Salt Lake bitch slapping Checketts in the press . I'm sure that is a BIG help. Then when you read things like the following : "I expect it to come together quickly or not at all," Valentine said, suggesting a deal could come within a week. All or nothing??? In a week? Sounds ominous. Or, Meanwhile, MLS sources say Checketts has received clearance from the league to explore relocating his two-year-old franchise and possibly selling it to "serious" investors in St. Louis. Salt Lake City's mayor referred to such a possible sale as reason to cancel Wednesday's council meeting. "Mr. Checketts may have sold the team by this afternoon," Anderson said. The mayor also didn't want to discuss soccer in public, saying the news media could "screw things up for us." That's right. It would be the media's fault. So Re...

Early Thoughts on City 2025

There are few things harder to keep track of than an MLS side in their off-season, at least for me. Despite the fact it takes place roughly during the time the MLB Hot Stove season is in full swing, it is nowhere near as easy to follow along with as baseball. Part of it is how disconnected MLS is with the international soccer calendar. St. Louis City SC is still digesting the moves it made last summer even though those players have already played important games for the club. It is all weird and disjointed, and I always feel like I am playing catch-up. Happily, the moves made in the off-season this year were not numerous.  German Timo Baumgartl comes over from Europe as an option at center back, which is good because that was a position that was a little rocky for City last season. Given his own troubles over the last few seasons (cancer and uneven play in the aftermath of that), a spell with City can give Baumgartl a chance to have a re-set. Given his pedigree and the fact City si...