Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in tubaguy21's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, November 5th, 2009
10:55 pm	Taking a Breath Hey everyone, I finally have a minute so I'm going to give an update. So I have basically had no time to really do anything, hell I've barely sleeped with the schedule. Hell, my weekends are harder than my weeks. I work til 11 every Thursday night, and have to be there at my internship at the Score at 4:30am. Then I'm out at 10, get a couple hours down, then I do this high school sports show where I've been in studio, called in from games, done play by play and color commentary. So I'm out of that around 10:30 or 11 and I have to be back on the train going to the Score at 10:45 Saturday morning, I don't get home on the train from the internship until midnight. THEN, I set the ad at target Sunday mornings from 4-11am. After that I can at least relax and watch the Bears game and maybe get some sleep. As far as school, things are going real well. On October 24th I got to co-host a big webisode for our station and got to interview a lot of people from the industry. I talked to Jarrett Payton (Walter's son), Jonathon Hood, Pat Tomasulo, Peter Brown and a few others as well! It was a great opportunity and I was honored to do it. Also, Sportsology 101 is going well. We are known as maybe the best show on the sports station, so if you haven't heard it at all try to tune in from 3-7 on Tuesdays, but if you can't I'm going to try to get a full show podcast up soon on the facebook page. They like the work I'm doing on this high school show too, I have done a lot of in studio work and a little bit at the game too. In class, we are finally back into radio and I'm doing everything I can to get the grades on every damn project. The internship is fun. I don't really get to do a lot of different things when I work for Mully & Hanley during the week. I do podcasting, maybe find some audio and that's about it. It does look good on my resume at least so I can deal with not doing a lot, especially since on the weekends I get to do a lot more. I screen calls, help do research for show topics, cut audio and whatever else they need. As much of a pain in the ass it is to have it on every Saturday, it really is beneficial to what I want to do! I'm hoping that they will let me intern with them after my contract is up. Target is still just Target. I work there because I have to and will be happy the day that I can quit. There is a bunch of bullshit going on there that makes me want to distance myself from caring about that place and I have cared less and less about it. Whatever, Target is definitely motivation to kick ass at school, lol. Colleen and I are going strong. We are about a week away from 10 months, that blows away my old longest relationship and I'm really lucky to have her. It just really sucks that with the kind of schedule I have, I don't get to hang out with her near as much as I did before the internship started. We are still working at finding more times to be able to see each other. What really has been bothering me lately though is how I have no social life. I'm not even talking about going and drinking and stuff like 503 style. I just miss getting to talk to and hang out with all the people that were such a strong part of my life the past 5 years. I have basically no time to hang out with anyone, I think the last person that I really hung out with was Marty at a Hawks game about 3 weeks ago. I really do feel like a bad friend. I'm really not use to putting myself first, when it comes to my time and efforts. A lot of my friends have a lot going on and I have not been available to be there for them. Hell, some of the people that have been the closest to me in my time at NIU just got their entire lives rocked with losing their apartment and I have not been there for more than a quick call, text or facebook message. Honestly that really eats at me, I want to be there for all of them more, but I just don't have any damn time to go out there and help them out. So to the old residents of OO10, I'm sorry for what happened and if you need anything, believe it or I am still here for you, so just give me a ring. There are a lot of people that I really miss. Honestly, there are a lot of people that I took for granted in my time there as well. Everything that has happened to me because of what I did there, is finally coming full circle and I'm getting the proper perspective on it. I wasn't the best student even when I was in the music program and now I can guarantee that any faculty member that knows me, knows that I am one of the hardest workers in the entire school. I'm suppose to have 300 studio hours by the time I graduate (in April) and I already have 392. I know what I want to do with my life and I'm busting my ass to get there. So for those of you that still actually read this (all 3 of you probably, lol) please feel free to give me a call cause I will answer if possible, or I'll call you back. So I really miss everyone and please don't be strangers. Anytime you are even close to We-Go, just give me a call. I hope everyone is doing well! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
11:29 pm	Busy as Hell!!! Oh yeah, the subject line says it all. I have gone from pretty calm to busy as hell in no time flat. School is going great, I'm not as big of a fan of TV as I am radio, but still, I'm liking it just fine. R and R in the Evening is no more, as Rodney and I were able to get a better time slot, so we did that, changed our name and we have another host with us. We are now Sportsology 101, with Professors R, R and JR Tuesdays from 3-7 on sportstownchicago.com! It seems like a lot of the people in charge of the station like the show because they approved us to have a 4 hour show and we are the only ones on the station to have that! Also I have the internship that I was worrying about so much and it's at the place that I was hoping for more than any other. I'm a programming intern at 670 the Score! I do the podcasts and cut audio mostly for Mully and Hanley, the #1 sports talk morning show in Chicago. I also work on Saturdays and generally get to do a little more stuff then, I've screened calls, done a lot of highlights and some show prep with the shows that come on after the NIU games. I am really liking it except for having to be there at 4:30am on Monday and Friday. So all the people that I hear on the radio, know me now, I've watched some sports with some of them on the Saturdays and it's just a cool thing. While it is a lot of work and commitment, being at this internship just confirms that I am in the right industry. What's nice too is that I'm starting to really hang out with some people from school and make some friends. This past Friday I actually went to Fattys with a couple people cause someone from our class is a bartender there. There are a lot of great people in this class and I think I'm lucky to be with them. Oh yeah, and I'm going to be starting on the sportstownchicago.com high school football show, apply named Friday Night Lights. I may be in studio or calling in from a game, who knows, but I'll see how it's goes. Colleen and I have been together now for over 8 months, and it's kinda crazy cause it doesn't seem like it's been that long at all. It's just hard for us now with barely seeing each other with my schedule and hers is starting to get more cluttered too. I hope everyone is doing well, and hopefully I will be able to see you all soon! (Comment on this)
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
10:29 pm	Still Goin Strong So everything is still pretty insane, but I'm weathering the storm at the moment. Class has been good, I'm just about to end radio 1 this week and get into TV 1 next week. I really like the radio stuff and I'm hoping that TV will be interesting. I'm also starting to make my cover letter and resume for internships and stuff. Rodney and I had our first radio show last Tuesday as R and R in the Evening. You listen to us at night to get all your scores and reaction when you are resting and relaxing after a long day. We had some nerves at the beginning, but got over them pretty quick. This week should be a lot better, and we have a lot to talk about! Cubs are having bullpen issues, Sox got Peavy, Bears training camp is here, Plax got indicted and Michael Vick still hasn't gotten a sniff from anyone. So feel free to give us a listen tomorrow from 7-9 on sportstownchicago.com. The rest of my life is pretty good. Colleen and I are going strong. I'm not working at Target this week cause I'm teching the Marengo high school band camp. I like doing that so much better than working at Target, lol. I'm sorry I've been bad about keeping in touch with people, I've been busy, but that's no excuse, so I hope everyone is doing well and feel free to shoot me a facebook message or an email or something! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
11:37 pm	Busy, Busy, Busy So all of a sudden I have no time to do anything! I have been working anywhere from 19 to 34 hours a week, hanging out with Colleen and school has started and is getting into full swing. Target is really bothering me with the decisions they are making right now. I really am happy that I will not be able to work as many hours this holiday season cause I think working the 40 hours I was before would just piss me off. The only bad thing about that is I will be making less money, and that's not conducive to paying student loans. All in all, Target is good for nothing more than money and a reason to focus that much more in school. Colleen and I have been dating for 6 months as of this past Monday, and I really can't believe it. Of all places, the people that read this blog (all 3 of you) know how crazy of a concept that is to me. Things have been great and the only thing I have to worry about now is not being able to see her as much with my school picking up and the holiday season getting closer at work. I have started my schooling at the Illinois Center for Broadcasting and I can't even describe how right it feels that I'm going there. Everyone in my class has some story that is similar to mine about taking their own paths to find their way to ICB. There is no judging of a person's past, we all just get along and help each other out to get to our goals of having a job in the industry. I'm amazed at what I have learned in just the first month I have been there. Starting in about a week and a half I will have a sports talk show on the school website, how crazy is that?!? Just a month ago, it was just a long thought of mine to be able to express my thoughts over a mic. Then to think that all this is just in the first month, I still have 9 more to go, an internship, and hopefully a few job interviews and offers too. All in all, things are very busy, but in general I am happy because I am making big strides to get towards to my goal of being in the broadcast industry. I wish I had more time to see my friends, but it's the sacrifices you have to make to get closer to your dream. I miss everyone that I haven't seen for a long time, so please feel free to shoot me a text, give me a call or just listen to Ebony and Ivory sports Tuesday from 7-9pm on sportstownchicago.com! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
10:30 am	Things Are Lookin Up So it's been a while, but I actually have something interesting to report! I went to tour the broadcast school I've been looking at, and from the tour and talking to the admissions guy, it's exactly what I'm looking for. So at the end of my tour they asked me to go into a studio, read over this like 30 second read and then I would be performing it to be recorded. Well I didn't really know that this was part of the process to get into the school, you need to show that you're a compotent speaker and reader. So I got it right on the first take and ended up passing, so I got into the school. I got to talk to the financial aid person and since they are accredited going there would also keep my student loans in deferment, so I am going to attend the Illinois Center for Broadcasting starting June 16th! I'm guaranteed an internship by my 7th week in the program, and I'll graduate March 11th, which is awesome because the peak hiring period in the industry is April 1. They have a full graduate placement department, host job fairs a few times a year and everything, I'm really excited to just get started. This is what I've wanted to do for a year now, so while my summer gets cut down, I really don't care because I'm finally taking the right steps to get to do what I want to for a career. Work has been ok, kind of a pain in my ass lately though. Just the normal things that come with working in retail in this economy, not near enough people, bosses that still expect you to get everything done and looking really good, next to nothing for raises and annoying customers that think you should know eveything about every department. It doesn't help that I asked to get moved out of grocery a little more, all the higher ups said they would take care of it for me, and then they end up making me work in grocery more, fuckin Target. The only thing that has been good lately is that I am going to get to work in electronics more now because the scores have been so low over there that they only want a couple people over there, and they chose me. That will make my pure hatred for most things Target die down for a while, lol. Other than that, things are going pretty well. I'm playing in a slow pitch softball league in DeKalb on Sundays and while we have trouble getting 10 damn players there, it's still a lot of fun to get out, see people and be able to play some. The gf and I are doing well, it's easier to see each other for the time being with no school for either of us, but obviously with me starting school in less than a month that will change. So overall things are going pretty well right now. I hope everyone is having a good summer so far and feel free to give me a call sometime, or shoot me an IM! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
12:50 am	A Not NFL Post So there has been a lot that has gone on and that has gone on in my head lately. I mentioned the whole going to the my broadcast school thing, and I am pretty damn sure that I'm going to take that route. The only thing that is stopping me is knowing for sure how I will pay for it. I didn't file a FAFSA and I'm not sure how that works with a broadcast school anyway. I do still need to tell my mom, and it's so dumb cause I'm 23 now, but I'm very hesitant about it. I'm an adult, I make my own decisions, but I like having her on my side about stuff. I am doing fine at COD this semester but I really am losing focus on everything COD related. So I believe it's a good thing that I don't go back there next semester. I just feel stagnant, and COD is just another reminder of it. By no means am I ignoring my class work or anything of that nature cause I've been down that road before and we all know that's how I've ended up where I am now. I'm just not happy when it comes to school. I think part of that is just the increasing amount of friends that I have from high school and NIU that are graduating or going to grad school, just doing more than I have with this time. Things with Colleen are great right now. I am a real lucky guy to have found someone like her. I'll leave it at that, the mushy stuff on something like lj seems to be a little overrated. So I knew this was coming with a non-marching band semester coming along and me having class full time and having to work at night, but I just really feel like I've lost touch with most of my friends. Now I have been bad too about this because I am terrible when it comes to calling people. Whether anyone who reads this believes me or not I really do miss everyone and I wish I was able to keep in better touch with you guys. I just went to DeKalb for the Steelband concert and for Marty's party. A lot of things have changed with people, social dynamics, all that crap. It's just weird getting to the realization that my time being relevant in that town and my life in that town in general is coming to an end. Maybe I will have one more year where people I really care about are there and that I make a conscious effort to try and go out to see people. It's just a hard realization after the amount of time and effort that I have put into DeKalb. To make a long story short, I think I just need some friends out here. There are the people I get along with at work and that I will go bowling with once or twice a week, but that's about it. It's just a matter of time I know, but my patience is wearing thin. I have some great friends, I'm just worried that I won't be able to find other people as great as the people I know now. I would love to think that I will stay real close with everyone forever, I would love nothing more than that. My friends are so important to me, especially with helping me get through this transition, but it's just not likely that I will be able to stay close with everyone that I care for. Hell, my best friend from high school is in Florida and I haven't talked to him for a few months, I never thought I'd get to that point with him. Maybe I just need a little less perspective for right now, haha, you never really hear too many people say that. So to everyone here, I'll try to get better about keeping in touch and never hesitate to give me a call. Even if you get my voicemail, I will give you a call back. Even if you are just passing through my area, give me a call/text if you want to hang out. Sorry, for the random friendship ranting and crap, I guess that's what happens when it's like 1:30 and I'm writing, haha. I hope everyone is doing well! (Comment on this)
Friday, April 10th, 2009
8:00 am	Just a thought So I have heard this said on the radio before and I've been throwing it around in my head a little bit, and it actually doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. The Bears have not had a reliable option at FS for a long time. Mike Brown was kinda that, but injuries got in the way and now he's gone. Before him, it was probably Mark Carrier in the early 90s. The Bears CBs are not getting any younger, so here is my thought. Why not in the next year or 2 move Peanut Tillman to FS? Think about that for a minute... At first thought, it makes no sense because of the supposed lack of depth at the CB position for the Bears right now. That is a valid point. Can Vasher really be that bad again? Ken Lucas was brought in for a workout this past week, could that be a sign of something like that? If the Bears signed Lucas or drafted a CB fairly early in the draft, the move for Tillman would be very feasible. With that said, this is definitely not the best CB draft class. For the sake of my argument let's say the Bears sign Ken Lucas. If that happens you can have him and either Corey Graham or Nate Vasher start with the other probably at the nickel, or you could have Daniel Manning at the nickel. If you remember at the end of last year Manning played well at the nickel spot. He was very effective on the blitz and he was allowed to use more athleticism to keep up with the receiver crossing routes and such. Then you would have people like Zack Bowman and the inevitable CB the Bears draft in the 6th or 7th round to battle it out for the dime back spot. If anything I believe the Bears would have log jam at the DB spots. If that were the case, I would not be surprised to see Nate Vasher cut, actually I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen this offseason no matter what. He had a bad year and has a big cap number. Think about the qualities that Peanut Tillman has, and how that translates to the FS position. He is a tough player and is not afraid to go in and make a big hit, but he is not the biggest hitter in the world (that role generally goes to the SS). Also, just like the Troy Polamalus and Ed Reeds of the world he has a nose for the ball and forces turnovers. Peanut is always around the ball, is a good leaper for getting INTs and is the best at stripping the ball in the NFL. Also obviously when needed Tillman can cover someone too, even though he had a down year in that department in '08. This would solidify the FS position for a long time for the Bears and just maybe leave a smaller hole at CB. Jerry Angelo has shown that he can draft good CBs with later picks in the draft (Tillman in the 3rd, Vasher in the 4th, Graham in the 5th, Chris Harris in the 6th), so we should use his skills to our advantage and use a solid player to fill another hole. This is not an unprecedented move either. A lot of the best CBs of their respective times have moved to FS to prolong their careers. I think the best example of that is Rod Woodson. He was a pro bowl and probably hall of fame CB with the Steelers before moving to FS and keeping his play going for a few extra year. Aeneas Williams was the same way. Pro bowl, maybe hall of fame CB and then moved to safety and was very solid. You don't have to be a hall of fame caliber player to do that either. On the Arizona Cardinals last year Antrel Rolle was drafted as a CB but was most effective on that team as a FS. I believe this would actually be a very smart move on the Bears part to move Tillman to FS. A lot will be determined in the couple weeks leading up to the draft as the Bears continue to try to solidify their roster so they can be as flexible as possible with these 8 draft picks. How do you guys feel about that possible move? (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
12:07 pm	NFL Draft Thoughts So I just wanted to post something on what I think the general direction of the Bears draft will be. I'm still looking into specific players with all the changes to see who I think will be there at each of the Bears picks and who they will take. For as much as the Bears offense struggled at times last year I believe the Bears draft is going to focus on the defense. With trading for Cutler and all the signings on the offensive line, those are 2 big holes that are sealed up for now. I only see 1 pick for sure being on the offensive side of the ball. They WILL take a WR with the 2nd or 3rd round pick. There is no excuse to not do that, even if they sign a WR before the draft. Beyond that, the Bears have a lot of holes on the defense they could really fill up with the 8 picks in this draft. The #1 defensive concern is probably at FS. It would not surprise me if the Bears take one of the top FS prospects in the 2nd round over a WR. If they don't take one there, I could see them not addressing that until next year because the S class is very strong next year. They could try to get by with Josh Bullocks for a year. In later rounds the Bears could use another DE for their rotation with Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson. The pass rush needs some sort of spark and hopefully a pass rushing young guy will do that for them. The SS position could use some addressing as well because Kevin Payne is not that good in coverage and if he doesn't start to wrap up on tackles I will cut his arms off. Craig Steltz was considered a great draft pick by all accounts. However, he has proven people wrong, so if there is a SS later in the draft the Bears like, they should go after him. The Bears seem to always take a CB or 2 in the 6th or 7th rounds, so expect the same thing this year because I would not be shocked if Nate Vasher is traded or released. Corey Graham was impressive last year and that could make Vasher expendable with his high cap number. This is my personal opinion on this one....I would love to see the Bears improve the strong side linebacker position. Hunter Hillenmeyer got benched last year and Nick Roach was very underwhelming when he was given an opportunity. That position is important in the Bears scheme because they don't like to go to the nickel very much, so this is the LB that has to absorb blocks in the run game and cover the TE or RB in the pass game. I think there is some value in the LB position in the 3rd round. So that would require the Bears to take a WR in the 2nd round. I have other ideas for options the Bears could go to, to improve the defense but I will leave them for a later post. Maybe I'll bring that up tomorrow. I have a feeling there are some people that will think I'm crazy for that one. (Comment on this)
Monday, April 6th, 2009
7:31 am	Cutler Trade And Pace Signing Analysis Let me start out by saying this...HOLY CRAP THE BEARS HAVE A REAL QB!!! That felt great to say, and I didn't even have to lie to be able to say that. I think all of us have been critical of Jerry Angelo for his cautious nature in free agency and with trades in the past. Well now, we have to give Jerry his due because he said he was fixated on the QB position, and he went out and got the best young QB possible. Go Jerry Angelo! Let's start to delve a little deeper now into this trade. Jay Cutler has one of, if not the best arm in the NFL. Jay is accurate, is more mobile than Ben Roethlisberger who is vaulted for his ability to escape. If Cutler put up the numbers he did last year for the Bears, he would set team records for completions, attempts and yards. All the grooming and growing pains that happened with Cutler, happened while he was in Denver. Now he is ready to enter his prime, an established pro bowl QB with all the tools you could ask for in an NFL QB. So let's look at the nuts and bolts of the trade because there is this misconception that the Bears gave up too much. To do this I will have to explain the sheet that is used to describe the value of draft picks in the NFL. Jimmy Johnson made this sheet that gives a point value to every pick in the draft and it was widely accepted after the Hershel Walker trade that he executed that started the Cowboys championship run in the early 90s. Here is a link to a copy of that sheet... http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/news/story?id=2410670 So hopefully you took a look at that and I'll provide my logic on how this pertains to the draft. First of all I consider Jay Cutler to be worth the #1 overall pick, because if he was entered in this draft at this point in his career he would be the #1 pick, no doubt. He has already gone through the growing pains and the bulk of his contract is gone. For the remaining 3 years of his contract his cap number will be around $2.5 million. So you are not paying the $30 million+ in just a signing bonus for an unproven guy. So that pick is worth 3,000 points. Then the 5th rounder that the Broncos sent to the Bears is worth 36 points, so overall what the Broncos sent to the Bears is 3,036 points. The Bears first round pick this year, #18 overall is worth 900 points. I believe with Cutler the Bears will be better, but for the sake of the argument I will give them the same pick next year, and that will be worth 900. Then the 3rd rounder the Bears are giving up is #84 overall and that is worth 17 points. Then the Bears gave up Kyle Orton and while it's hard to quantify what he would be worth, I'm going to overpay for him for the sake of the deal. I'm going to say Orton was worth a high 2nd rounder, #35 overall. I don't believe there is ANY TEAM that would trade that high of a pick for Orton, fyi. So that #35 pick is worth 550 points. Those 4 picks put together are worth 2,520 points. The difference in that value is 516 points in favor of the BEARS not the Broncos. That difference is the eqivilent of a higher 2nd round pick, about #39 overall. In this day and age of the NFL 2nd round picks are only traded for very good players and are incredibly valuable. So if you go onto ESPN or any place and hear that the Bears payed way too much, just ignore it. There is no way the Bears payed too much. They have THE QB of the future. The position that they have never been able to solve, is solved. You can't quantify that. Also, from all the interviews I heard from columnists in Denver, Jay Cutler does not have an attitude problem. According to 2 writers from Denver, all he wants to do is play football and he felt very miffed by the Broncos for wanting to get rid of him. So now that he is on a team that wants him, he will bust his ass for the Bears. This was a GREAT GREAT trade. DO NOT FORGET FROM THAT DAY.....the Bears also signed OT Orlando Pace from the Rams. This is going to be an underrated move. Pace was the #1 overall pick in his draft, a 7 time pro bowler, and a sure fire hall of famer. Granted he is on the downside of his career now, but he is going to be a great influence on Chris Williams and he can still pick it out there. Now the Bears have a LOT of depth on the offensive line. Kevin Shaffer is their swing tackle (3rd tackle) and he has been a 3 year stater in the league. Josh Beekman is the backup G/C and he started all last year and he was a solid player. With the free agent signings here is how big the Bears OLine is now....Pace is 6'7" 340lbs, Frank Omiyele is 6'4" 320, Olin Kreutz is 6'2" 292lbs, Roberto Garza is 6'2" 310lbs and Chris Williams is 6'6" 315lbs and he is still growing into his body. Israel Idonije was on the Score a couple days ago and after their first mini camp he said that they are so big it's going to be hard to even see the QB when he goes back to pass! These guys, with the exception of Williams, are proven maulers that will beat you down so that they can run the ball. They are all very good pass blockers too. So once again I take my hat off to Jerry Angelo and I will post soon about how this changes the Bears plans in the draft and maybe even specific players that they will take and not just positions. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
9:17 am	PS People that think Kyle Orton is better than Jay Cutler are retarted. Don't even get me started on it. (Comment on this)
8:20 am	Draft Update So since the last time I posted anything about the NFL Draft for the Bears some stuff has happened, so let's get some updating going on...... Recently the Bears have signed FS Josh Bullocks and RT Kevin Schaffer. Neither of these signings are great, by any stretch of the imagination, but here's what they probably mean. Bullocks is not a very good safety, he is basically the equivalent of putting some chewed gum in the crack in a dam. He will get the Bears by so they don't have to spend a high pick on a safety THIS year. So be prepared for another year of bad Bears safety play because if you can't stick with the Saints secondary, then you have big issues. I bet they end up taking a safety high in the 2010 draft to finally fill that hole. I would LOVE if they were able to get Taylor Mays the S from USC cause he is the real deal. Kevin Schaffer also is more of a stop gap solution for the time being. Some people thought it was weird that they signed him after signing Omiyale, however, we need to keep in mind that in a perfect world the Bears would be playing Omiyale at LG and he would be the 3rd OT if someone gets hurt. I have a feeling that they are going to try to start Schaffer at RT and Omiyale at LG, and when that doesn't work they will move Omiyale over there and put Josh Beekman back over at LG. No matter how they work this, the Bears are doing a good job of getting some depth on the OLine, which is necessary with the average age of everyone on that front. So what effect do you think these moves will have on the #18 overall pick. Honestly, probably not a ton. What is could mean is that the Bears can be more picky about the possibility of picking an OT in the 1st round. Since they now have a warm body in that RT spot if need be, I think the only way the Bears take that position in the first round is if Michael Oher falls to them. Some mock drafts have him falling to the Bears with the recent resurgence of the stock of Andre Smith. Other than that, I see the Bears drafting WR and there would only be 2 people I could see them taking. (Let me say this is not necessarily what I would do, but what I expect the Bears to do) They would either draft Jeremy Maclin out of Mizzou or Darius Heyward-Bey from Maryland. To me, the best case scenario is if by some sheer amount of luck, Jeremy Maclin falls to the Bears. He has been projected as high as #4 to Seattle, but also as low as #18 to the Bears. The reason he has been projected that high is because of the injury to Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is the best WR in the draft when he is healthy. If a team like Seattle, Oakland or Jacksonville have a big problem with the stress fracture on the foot of Crabtree and are hell bent on taking a 1st round WR, then Maclin would be that guy. The way he falls to the Bears is if everyone thinks they need to beef up their lines cause there are a lot of OTs and DE/DTs that can go high in this draft. Here is a quick breakdown of the teams that could get in the way of making this a possibility. The first team that can dictate this is the Seahawks at #4. They may or may not take Crabtree because of the injury and they just signed TJ Houshmanzadeh. However they are really bad at WR so they could use Crabtree as well, so it just depends on what the Seahawks see as their biggest need. Cleveland is an interesting team at #5 because they have talked about trading Braylon Edwards, their star receiver. If that happens then I would not be surprised at all if they take a WR. No one is talking about them for a WR, but it wouldn't surprise me. The next critical team is Oakland at #7. Al Davis is notorious for taking great athletes and skill players....consider him the anti-Angelo. The WR play in Oakland was real bad last year, so they probably will take a WR, and if Crabtree is gone they would take Maclin. The very next pick is Jacksonville and they are the kings of bust out round 1 WRs. That may make them a little weary of taking another one in the 1st. I could see them taking Mark Sanchez too. A hidden team that may be interested in Maclin is the 49ers at #10. They really don't have good ones and they have tried to get better via free agency, not the draft. Maybe they will try to switch that up. Bills and Broncos are set at WR, the Redskins took like 3 of them last year so they won't go there again, Saints and Texans are safe, Chargers have more pressing needs. That brings up the Jets...they just lost Laverneus Coles so they have a need for a WR. Should Maclin fall this far, I'd be shocked if the Jets let him go by. There is talk that they have shown interest in QB Josh Freeman, but I think that's just smokescreen. They have a defensive coach that wants to put his system in, and they have Kellen Clemens who is young and showed some potential. So all those teams need to pass on Maclin for the Bears to have a chance at him. It's very unlikely, but still possible. So hold out for it Bears fans! If Maclin and Oher are gone, I imagine that Angelo will either trade down (I only say that cause he ALWAYS trades down) or take one of the other WRs. I would think they would be between Darius Heyward-Bey, Hakeem Nicks and Kenny Britt. It seems that the Bears are most interested in Heyward-Bey. So yeah, that seems like the logical pick at the moment. The 2nd round becomes incredibly intriguing to me. I would have thought with the signings on the OLine this would be leading up to a Safety pick because the top 4 prospects at that position are listed as 2nd round values. However the Bullocks signing contradicts that. Maybe they think one of the good DEs will fall to them in the 2nd round like Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech or Larry English from NIU. (Comment on this)
12:10 am	Thinkin So I'm getting frustrated with COD right now. Nothing bad has happened there or anything, I'm just tired of the same routine. It seems like the end is no where in sight and it's just the same old school routine. Honestly, this is what I would really love to do. I would absolutely love to stop going to COD full time, go to the Illinois Center for Broadcasting full time, have my job and take half time classes at COD so that I can still get the Associates that I should get, just not right away. That way if the broadcasting thing doesn't work out, by that time, I would have the damn thing done. I think getting closer to the real world and changing up the routine would be huge. There is no way that's going to happen though. It sounds dumb cause I'm almost 23, but my parents wouldn't be happy with me at all if I did this. I just really need their support on this stuff, ya know? The only bad thing I can see coming out of this plan is that I would have to start paying student loans sooner, lol. At that point, it would be worth it! I would be able to live at home until I had a real job that I could support those payments and be able to live on my own. If that sounds like a real stupid idea please tell me so cause I'd appreciate the feedback. I'm not sure how serious I am about changing my plan of action in this way, but we will see. I will at least get through the end of the semester and let myself recharge a little bit before making such a big decision. Current Mood: contemplative (Comment on this)
Friday, March 27th, 2009
2:15 pm	Fucking Target Target is really starting to piss me off. I am getting hours, but they are giving them to me in the places that I don't want to work when I have mentioned that I would prefer to be working in other areas. I am getting really sick of working grocery all the time, and not getting any hours in electronics. I don't get paid enough to really care that much about what they need me to do. I have not asked for anything except for decent hours and just now to not be in 1 hour all the time. So if anyone can think of a decent place to work that might actually be hiring that I could make more than $8/hour at, please tell me! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
12:18 am	This Just In So the compensatory picks have been awarded for this upcoming NFL draft and this was a very good thing for the Bears. For losing Brendan Ayenbadejo, John Gilmore and Bernard Berrian the Bears got a pair of 7th rounders and a 3rd round pick! That 3rd rounder is HUGE! It gives the Bears 4 first day picks which gives them some more flexibility to trade or just to get another solid player. So I'm thinking about making a mock draft, which ends up being really wrong because it's impossible to predict trades and how that effects who goes where. Whatever though, I will probably do it at some point cause I'm a huge dork like that. (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
11:50 pm	Couple Basketball Thoughts As much as I think women's basketball is boring, I have to give props to Ball State because they just beat Tennessee in the 1st round of the women's tourney. Granted it's a down year for the Vols, but still they had NEVER lost a 1st or 2nd round game! This is the biggest win for the MAC in basketball since the Kent St men went to the Elite 8. Also, how do the Akron men lose badly to NIU and then give Gonzaga all they can handle?!? It just doesn't make any sense. (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 21st, 2009
11:55 am	Mark It Down At 11:55am on March 21 I heard One Shining Moment for the first time this tournament and I'm already sick of it. I just wanted to make a note of it. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 20th, 2009
9:39 am	Jerry Angelo is known for being an average drafter at best, here's a list of his 1st day draft picks since he's been in charge. (I know I previously listed the 1st rounders, but I will put them again just for a reminder) 1ST ROUNDERS David Terrell, WR Marc Colombo, OT Michael Haynes, DE Rex Grossman, QB Tommie Harris, DT Cedric Benson, RB Greg Olsen, TE Chris Williams, OT 2ND ROUNDERS Anthony Thomas, RB Charles Tillman, CB Mark Bradley, WR Tank Johnson, DT Daniel Manning, S Devin Hester, WR/KR Dan Bazuin, DE Matt Forte, RB 3RD ROUNDERS Mike Gandy, G Terrence Metcalf, G Lance Briggs, LB Bernard Berrian, WR Dusty Dvoracek, DT Garrett Wolfe, RB Michael Okwo, LB Earl Bennett, WR Marcus Harrison, DT Make your own conclusions on this list (Comment on this)
Monday, March 16th, 2009
8:46 am	1st Cubs-Sox Post of the Year I am going to preface this with the fact that I am a Sox fan, but I'm not a Cubs hater. So here is my general thought on both teams as they are in the middle of spring training. So the Cubs and Sox are in different places in their cycle with their players. With every team their set of players goes through a cycle of being good, it's more commonly called a window of opportunity. You need your key players to be in their primes, a good manager and the right situation around them for that to happen. Generally expectations for your team are based on that window of opportunity. So with that said let me get started with analyzing this for the Cubs and Sox. First let's talk about the Cubs. The Cubs have almost everything aligned for them still. They have a real bad division, Milwaukee was the only team that could have had a chance to challenge, but they lost Sheets and Sabathia. Cards, Astros and Pirates are still bad, the Reds are improving, but Dusty is going to run those young pitchers into the ground. So the Cubs have a near perfect situation going around them. Also, the Cubs have a lot of their guys in the prime of their careers. Harden when he's healthy, Zambrano, Ramirez, Soto, Marmol if he's not too tired, Soriano and Dempster are all in the prime of their careers. That is a lot of the roster. Along with them you have Bradley, Lee, Lily, Theriot and Gregg that are solid players. Lou Pinella is a very good manager, I'm not going to call him great, but definitely very good. I'm not completely sold on the guys at 2nd base for the Cubs, same with CF, but if those are the biggest issues on the team, then you are pretty solid overall. Overall I believe this is a year that the Cubs should expect to get into the World Series or bust. The Cubs are not in the AL, so the path to the World Series is easier and they are going to be able to get themselves set for the playoffs by winning the division by a lot and being able to rest people. So once again Cubs fans the main question with this team (barring a slew of injuries) is can this team be mentally tough in the playoffs? IF they can, then there is a good chance the Cubs could find themselves in the World Series. Now for the Sox. Their outlook is not so bright. Last year it seemed that the Sox fans were more happy with their team making the playoffs and then getting ousted than the Cubs fans. Frankly, they should have been, but Cubs fans, that's not a bad thing. Last year the Sox division wasn't great but it was a lot better than the NL Central. This year, the AL Central should be tougher than last. The Indians got a lot better as the year went on last year and they got healthier. I personally believe that they could win the World Series if Travis Hafner has a bounce back year. The Twins are always going to be there based on the system they play. The Tigers can't be as bad as they were last year with all that talent...right? Also the Royals have been showing signs of improving. So in general the road to success seems harder for the Sox. The Sox also do not have that many people in the primes of their career. Buehrle is there but is getting older, you could consider Quentin and Jenks in his prime, Ramirez is still a little young along with Danks and Floyd. The problem is most of their team is over the hill. Konerko, Thome, Dye, Pierzynksi, Contreras, Colon and possibly Linebrink are all getting older and their production has dropped or they have been injured. There are questions at 2nd and CF with no one really stepping up at either of those positions. Overall I don't believe the Sox will make the playoffs this year, but if they did that would be a very good step. Personally I would love for them to try and trade Konerko, Dye or Thome at the deadline assuming they are out of the race, as a way to continue to rebuild the farm system that has been depleated until this past offseason. You can build around Danks, Floyd, Jenks, Quentin, Ramirez and Gordon Beckham. So, yeah my expectation is probably 3rd or 4th in the division. With a record around .500. So yeah, the Cubs have a much better chance to win in '09, but oddly as a Sox fan I'm ok with that. I guess I understand why they have hung on to this core this long. This is not me trying to rub this in as a Sox fan, but I believe with the organization winning a World Series, you feel appreciative of the core that got you there and maybe you hold onto it a little longer than you probably should. I look to the Konerko signing as a perfect example of that. While that Konerko contract will bite the Sox in the butt, I guess I can deal with 1 year of bad for the Sox to turn it around. Cubs fans, you should expect nothing less than a World Series, this is probably your best chance with this crew of players! (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
10:31 am	Will They Grow A Pair? So this morning I looked on SI.com and Adam Shefter who is a very reliable source says that he expects the Broncos to trade Jay Cutler. I am drooling at the thought of Cutler in a Bears uniform. I will be pissed if I don't hear the Bears at least making a call to the Broncos about his availability. I have a team to look at as an example. The Minnesota Vikings find someone they want and go get him. Last offseason they needed a DE and they went the Chiefs and traded for Jared Allen. Believe me, the Bears know how much of a difference that made on that Vikings DLine. Then this since this past season ended the Vikings knew that QB was their big issue...so they traded for Sage Rosenfels, while not the best QB in the world they did something. I'm not an advocate for trading away all your picks for players because they will fuck you over with the salary cap in the long run, but you have to be willing to do something. So Jerry (Angelo), I know defense is your thing and you have not been that bad at drafting it **cough Dan Bazuin cough** but if you make this trade, the biggest issue for any offense will be solved for the next 7 years!!! So the smart thing, package up those picks, shave Orton's pubic beard to make him look nice and ship it all to Denver for Jay Cutler! If you don't do this, you may (hopefully) be looking for a new job soon. (Comment on this)
Friday, March 13th, 2009
8:57 am	More Sports Stuff Ok, so I have a little ranting to do about Jerry Angelo, the dormant Bears GM. There are so many teams that are active in this time of the year, and the Bears seem to be asleep on the job. Look at Tampa...since the new GM came in they cut some of the best players in franchise history, traded for a damn good TE, signed Derrick Ward (one of the best RBs on the market), resigned a couple receivers and are in talks with the Broncos about Jay Cutler. That's all in just a couple months. That leads me to believe that Jerry Angelo is a load of crap. There are plenty of things out there for the Bears to do. What is signing Daniel Bullocks really going to do?!? He is not good, maybe a good fill in player for someone that you draft this year to develop. The main thing I am talking about is this Jay Cutler thing going on in Denver. I talked about this earlier, but that situation there has gotten worse and the time to pounce all over that is now! Trade your #1 pick, #3 and Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler. If the Broncos don't want Orton, that's fine. How often is there a 25 year old QB with potential to be special on the market?!? Almost never, so for a team that hasn't had a real good QB since Sid Luckman in the 50s, you NEED someone like Jay Cutler. The Bears love making the big play off of play action and Cutler is use to the play action being in Denver with the Mike Shanahan and the roll out becomes more of an option. I am real high on Cutler, I would LOVE for the Bears to pick him up! That just makes me think about the lack of activity in general of Jerry Angelo. I heard on the radio that in his tenure as Bears GM Angelo has traded up 1 TIME!!! That happened in the 5th round, wow. That shows that the Bears are not very decisive. That generally isn't that bad of a thing, however, with the Bears lack of activity in free agency they need to be decisive and flawless in the draft. If you are a good drafter, then you can live that way....JERRY IS NOT THAT. The Bears luck with 1st round picks is bad. In his tenure here are the Bears 1st round picks... David Terrell, WR: Had 1 decent year, that was it, and then he was out of the league Marc Colombo, OT: Was too injured to do anything, but is good with the Cowboys now, not the Bears Michael Haynes, DE: Complete bust, not even in the league after the Bears Rex Grossman, QB: Not the value of a 1st round pick, but not too terrible, especially considering the other people on this list Tommie Harris, DT: When healthy, he is one of the best DTs in the game, but that is the provision that is killing the Bears now Cedric Benson, RB: Bust for the Bears, seems to be doing in Cincy Greg Olsen, TE: Assuming the Bears find enough ways to get him the ball and he can block better, he can be the best person on this list Chris Williams, OT: Really worried about him because the Bears drafted him with a back injury that kept him out basically the entire year. My point is that if the Bears are going to be so dependent on the draft they need to hit on at least 60% of their first round picks. I heard about one of the positions that the Bears are bad at...WR. Of the last 24 people to be All-Pro WRs, 20 of them were 1st round picks, 3 were 2nd round picks and the lowest was a 3rd round pick. In 7 years the Bears are drafted 4 WRs in the first 3 rounds, Terrell, Bradley, Berrian and Bennett. Earl Bennett can't even get on the field with that sack of crap receiving core?!? That just proves that the Bears need to take a WR with their first pick in the draft. Which better be the 2nd round because they traded for Cutler. On the Score (670AM) Laurence Holmes was talking about the Bears general drafting philosophy and it got me thinking. Basically if the Bears are drafting and there are 3 or 4 guys with the same draft grade, every time they will trade down and wait for a different team to pick someone from that group so that Bears have less options and pick up a pick. How about you just take the player you really want?!? With his drafting record getting an extra 3rd or 4th rounder really isn't worth it. So they need to be decisive, find a player they want, and GO GET HIM! So to sum it all up, here are my thoughts on this draft. This pick is perfect for Jerry Angelo. It's too low to make a big move up the board and it's a good spot to trade down. So in this draft I want the Bears to trade that pick for Cutler, or if they keep it draft a WR like Hakeem Nicks or Derrius Heyward-Bay. No trading down unless you know FOR SURE that you will get one of those guys at the pick you trade to. Hmmmm, maybe like my trade with the Eagles I proposed. I'm just saying, lol. (Comment on this)