 1. Illinois completed their
run for the Roses -- For the
first time in 24 years, Illinois is heading to the Rose Bowl. One of
10 teams allowed to participate in a prestigious BCS game, Illinois
will face possibly the hottest team in the country -- USC -- on Jan.
1 at 3:30 p.m. The game, of course, is played in beautiful Pasadena,
Calif., and marks one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of
college football. Illinois won just eight games combined the past
four seasons, but in 2007 went 9-3 and now gets to play in what many
like to call "the granddaddy of them all" -- the Rose Bowl.2.
Illinois basketball looked really bad and really good last week
-- Facing a very beatable Maryland team on the road Wednesday as
part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Illinois played their worst game
of the year by far and lost by eight. Seniors Shaun Pruitt and Brian
Randle didn't show up, and junior Chet Frazier -- playing near his
hometown of Baltimore -- struggled all night long. Then, on Saturday
against a decent Weber State team, Illinois rolled out to a 38-point
lead midway through the second half. Champaign native Trent Meacham
was on fire, scoring a career-high 26 points, including 20 before
the break. If Illinois can bring the Saturday effort and leave the
Wednesday version on the sidelines, they have a chance to be pretty
good in 2007-08.
3. Lincoln High School basketball got back on the winning track
-- The Railers started the season with a 1-4 mark in their annual
Thanksgiving tournament but bounced back on the road Friday night at
Taylorville. Lincoln received a strong effort from several players
and won their first conference game of the year. Don't forget, the
Railers have dominated the Central State Eight the past decade, and
reports of their demise could easily have been exaggerated. Look for
Lincoln to make a run at yet another conference title as Neil
Alexander continues to seal his legacy as one of the great coaches
in the history of Illinois high school hoops.
4. Mount Pulaski hosted the seventh-grade Class 2A girls
basketball state tournament -- Major props and kudos to coach
Jamie Anderson, Principal Gene Newton and the entire bevy of
volunteers who helped MP host the state tourney. Even with Mother
Nature wreaking havoc, the staff at Mount Pulaski was up to the
challenge, and I was blessed to see some of the best junior high
girls hoops up close and in person. The third-place game will be at
6 p.m. on Thursday, followed by the state championship game at 7:30.
And good luck to Clinton Junior High, who will host the eighth-grade
Class 4A tourney this Saturday.
5. The Chicago Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory
-- For much of Sunday's game against the New York Giants, it looked
as if the Bears might win for the second straight week and get back
to .500 for the first time since Week 2. With 10 minutes to play in
the fourth quarter, the Bears led 16-7 and seemed to be in control.
But the Giants got busy when it mattered most, and the Bears lost a
heartbreaker 21-16. The Bears are now 5-7 on the year and look to be
spending January on the golf course or on the beach instead of in
the playoffs. That is a pretty tough pill to swallow for a team that
thought they were the class of the NFC and had a great chance to
return to the Super Bowl.
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6. Ron Zook has to be the National Coach of the Year -- I
know, I know, many will scream for Mark Mangino, the coach of
Kansas, who did a great job. Others will say what about a guy like
Bill Lynch, who took over Indiana during the toughest of times and
led the Hoosiers to a bowl game for the first time since 1993. But
come on -- how can you not vote for the Zookster? A seven-win
improvement over 2006 doesn't happen in major college football.
Beating Penn State and Wisconsin in successive weeks typically
doesn't happen. Winning a game at Ohio State while they are ranked
No. 1 in the nation doesn't happen. And the best part of all? Many,
if not most, of the impact players on this team are underclassmen,
and Illinois could actually be better next year. Give Zook the
award, OK?
7. Missouri's fall from No. 1 in the land to the Cotton Bowl
doesn't seem right -- How can a team go from the best in all of
the land, and just 24 hours later, after a loss, they can't even
secure one of 10 BCS slots? How can a Kansas team that played no one
this year and lost to Missouri just one week ago get a BCS slot, and
Missouri is told sorry -- you don't get a bid? I must confess, if
you would have told me three weeks ago that Illinois was BCS-bound,
but Missouri was not, I would have thought you were crazy. I can't
believe I'm actually typing this phrase, but I actually feel sorry
for the Tiggers (I know -- they are really the Tigers).
8. Cubs lose Matsui to Houston -- The Cubs made a strong play
for second baseman Kaz Matsui of the Colorado Rockies and thought
they were in good shape. The speedster from Japan told them no
thanks, however, and signed with rival Houston instead. The move
would have allowed the Cubs to improve their speed at the top of the
order, and this forces G.M. Jim Hendry to head back to the drawing
board. In other Cub news, it appears Kerry Wood will become the
team's closer, while Ryan Dempster seems destined for a spot in the
starting rotation.
9. The Cardinals sign Caesar Izturis -- The former Dodger and
Cub agreed to terms with St. Louis in a move that might signal the
end of David Eckstein's reign at shortstop in the city by the
Mississippi. Izturis is as good as it gets with the glove but
doesn't bring the offense or the leadership that Eckstein
contributed game in and game out. Who knows, maybe Eckstein makes
his way to Wrigley Field to play for the Cubs now that the Matsui
chase has ended with his signing?
10. Finally, we end this week with the tragic story of
Washington safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed by four
individuals attempting to burglarize his Miami-area home. Taylor was
a superstar in college and known as one of the hardest hitters in
the NFL but seemed to constantly find trouble both on and off the
field. I'm almost apologetic to admit it, but when I heard the
lead-in of "an NFL player is shot in his home," Taylor is one of
three players who came to mind. And while this incident is
considered to be a random act of violence, it makes me wonder if
life decisions finally caught up with Taylor. This should be a
strong reminder to all athletes of all ages to not just be strong
athletically on the court or field, but to also be a good citizen
away from the athletic arena as well. Behavior matters -- whoever
you are and whatever sport you play -- and that's a message we can't
hear enough in today's age of individualism. And if I sound like I'm
preaching, that's probably because I am. But don't worry -- we're
not taking up an offering (unless you want to contribute to my Rose
Bowl fund J).
Have a great week, everyone!
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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