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SPORTS

Looking ahead to 2010

Yeah, so Illinois lost on Senior Day. As the actress said to the bishop; I wouldn't call it unexpected. So instead of feeling bummed, I suggest we revel in a great football moment: An offensive lineman made the game-winning catch.

SPORTS

A terrible end to a terrible season

Standing in the center of the north end zone student section, unencumbered by a crowd, were a dozen shirtless males with orange and blue letters on their chests. Together they spelled out, in below freezing air, "Why are we here?" "To get on television" sprang immediately to mind. But the real answer turned out to be "To see the weirdest game in Memorial Stadium history." Among the things this shivering interrogatory saw: This total score: 105 points. Eighty-nine was the …

SPORTS

Bowl hopes officially dead

Barely two minutes into the game and deep in their own territory, Northwestern's first punt went northwest. A gain of only twelve yards, the shank set the Illini up in very good field position. It was just the break Illinois needed to get off to a good start. And four plays later, the Illini even looked set to capitalize. Sitting at the four yard line, they looked every bit like a team destined for a Florida bowl game. But then. …

SPORTS

Illini football peels off two in a row

Remain calm. Illinois has played four impressive quarters in the last eight tries and people are talking seriously about a bowl bid. A bowl game is a long, long way off -— and subject to about a dozen "ifs." So for now, it's just good enough to enjoy the emergence of a team many expected to see show up against Missouri: Prone to mistakes, but with enough firepower to overcome them. The game against Minnesota was truly exciting — and …

SPORTS

September 23, 2000 can finally be put to rest

Instant replay came to Big Ten football officiating in August, 2004. For Illinois Coach Ron Turner, it was four years too late. On a cool September night in 2000, Turner's 17th ranked team was poised to upset Lloyd Carr's 10th ranked Michigan Wolverines in Champaign. Illinois was undefeated, riding a seven game winning streak, and thought to be an up-and-coming football team. But the game against Michigan was more than just the Big Ten opener. It would have been a …

SPORTS

Zook regains infallibility

We know the saying in Columbus. "If you go one and ten, and beat Michigan, it was a good year." Illinois beat Michigan Saturday = It's a great year. Pause a moment, if you need to, to allow the enormity of yesterday's game to sink in. Illinois beat Michigan. Just three words. For many men, however, the most difficult three words to say in all their adult lives. Ron Zook deserves a contract extension. And how about Mike Schultz's offense, …

SPORTS

Indiana seals Illinois’ fate

Indiana used to be a football team against which an opponent could gain confidence. While Illinois football sometimes seems like a perennial bottom-dweller, there are at least peaks to bring the valleys into stark relief (including two BCS games this decade). But with Indiana, the lows are pretty much unbroken. Instead of recent high-profile bowl games, they highlight in their stadium things like the 1979 Holiday Bowl and the 1986 All-American Bowl. But this year's Hoosier team had shown signs …

SPORTS

It wasn’t even that close…

There were two plays in Illinois' loss to Michigan State that capture perfectly the esteem in which this football team is held by others. The first came midway through the first quarter. With the ball on the Illinois thirty-six, the Michigan State offense had a fourth down and three. Against most teams, the Spartans would have considered their options. A pooch punt might bury the Illini offense deep inside their own ten yard line. Or a very long field goal …

SPORTS

On October 3…

So in the gloomy first week of central Illinois October, not a lot good happened. Weather arrived, the Olympics didn't and the football team played to form, losing to Penn State 35–17 (and it wasn't even that close). But this is also the week the new Headlights album, Wildlife, comes out. So it's impossible to be sad. Their whole "indie rock for people who love pop" vibe is the perfect tonic not only for this unseasonably cool weather, but also …

SPORTS

And it all falls apart…

There comes a point in every Illini fan's year — usually when the leaves have fully turned, but sometimes not until the first snow — when he catches a glimpse of the glowing white Assembly Hall across from darkened Memorial Stadium and wonders "What's happening on that side of the street?" This year it came earlier than ever. It was at the resolution of the seventh play of Illinois' first drive at Ohio Stadium on Saturday that I first began …

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Most Recent Sports Comments

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*Shrugs*

Kelly Innes avatar

Sometime between now and their first game in this year’s NIT, the Illini need to practice taking a shot before the game clock expires. 

{username}

Can we please refrain from ever EVER comparing running a marathon to childbirth? Especially when the comparison is made by someone without a vagina? Kthx.

SFJon avatar

I think we are in.  But being blown out again by OSU might give the selection comittee doubts. I dunno anymore.

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Mark: You raise some interesting points. I’m impressed by anyone who runs a marathon, no matter their finishing time.  It’s the commitment people show to accomplishing a goal they set for themselves that impresses me most. A sign I saw at the Illinois Marathon last year along…

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April 9th can’t come fast enough!

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Pheidippides wasn’t planning on running a marathon; that’s why he died.  If he had known ahead of time that he’d be running 26 miles and followed a good training program for a year, stretched properly before the event, had bands and cheering people along the race route,…

{username}

Keep us posted on the latter!

Mica Swyers avatar

The marathon is certainly a tough distance, but I imagine that it compares to childbirth. In any event, having completed the former, I will agree that it is an excruciating tastk. Should the opportunity arise, I will let you know how the latter compares.

{username}

Surprised you think it will take two wins. I think we have a shot to get in with another loss.  The bubble is just a disaster this year, and we’ll float to the top even with one win.

Most Recent Comments

Rob McColley avatar

So John is seeing all comments as being authored by John. I am seeing all comments as authored by me.   The first comment was Mysterious McDade who evidently acquired an Optimism Hat and is now seeing how it fits.

John Hoeffleur avatar

No, everyone is me!  Muahahaha! I so didn’t make that first comment so I thought maybe someone was trying to get my goat, adding me to the staff. I hope jumping to that conclusion is forgivable.  Yeah, uh, I guess I should say that I swear I…

Rob McColley avatar

I have reached Nirvana, I guess. Everyone is me.

Rob McColley avatar

Something weird is happening.

John Hoeffleur avatar

WTF guys?  Does impersonating a user in the comments section run afoul of your commenting policy?  

John Steinbacher avatar

In general, I think music is much more interesting now than in 1995. I definitely am very glad contemporary music has expanded beyond the four-piece rock lineup that dominated much of the 90’s. The point of the above isn’t so much about a sound or an instrument…

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2010 is not 1995. I’m not sure why anyone would expect a music scene to remain stationary as the world of popular music moves around it. Also, today, making popular music with mainstream appeal and being innovative and cutting-edge are usually exact opposites.

{username}

I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.

{username}

It’s a total shame this is only during working hours!  It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5.  Next time, a request: weekend events, please?  

{username}

After going over this composition I major in a lot on how to draft articles. As a graduate, I have neveraccomplishrd one natural paper and always use custom dissertation. What a shame! But now I have backbone in writing. Thank you.

{username}

Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!

Josh King avatar

This is federal money, yes. But it is money going to a network that is going to be owned by an inter-governmental of the two cities and the University, not by the federal government. If you’re worried about the local governments spying on us, that’s fine, but…

{username}

Prediction: Selection Sunday 2011, Illinois will be vying for a real #1 seed.

{username}

bhrama- thanks for the promo. it is true, crane and badger will be playing on friday at mike and mollys w/ the chemicals and tractor kings. we will be playing first. show starts at 10pm. come on out. rock will be had.

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Heard there is a new rock band (Crane & Badger-2nd show) playing @ Mike’s this Friday night. Certified rock-styley.

Jeric avatar

Change is the only constant thing in this world. Change is just an indication that a particular place is improving or not. It is a good thing that there is a room for a change but it must be a change for the better. It is just…

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Now that Olympian is probably a given, they’re going to have to rename the section between Willow and 45. Any suggestions? Now lets get onto Urbana’s next road to nowhere. Airport Rd., They want to extend it from Bartlow west to Lincoln thru 3 farm fields. One…

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Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…

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   I found that cake thing about a year ago.  It’s pretty amazing.  Happily, it didn’t stick as a habit ‘cause I *still* made a mess with the flour and cocoa and all that ...

{username}

Foreigner had Double Vision, now that’s vision.. It is interesting today how diverse people’s music taste has become. Take 107.1 for instance, depending on what time of you’re listening to it you can hear indie, top 40 alternative, hip hop, and alt country all in the same block of…

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