This is the first of ten team previews for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball season. The teams are presented in reverse order of their predicted conference finish.
Last years edition of the Redbirds did something only 5 of the last 33 Illinois State teams have done: end the season with a losing record. To make it even worse, it was the second of back to back losing records, and the salt in that wound is that going into this year, the outlook is even bleaker.
On Sunday, the Eagles got killed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just absolutely demolished. But when you turn on the television, you won’t get any insights into why the Eagles were beaten in every facet of the game. Instead, what you will be treated to is replay after replay of Terrell Owens jawing at McNabb on the sideline. The media has been waiting 8 weeks for this to happen, and by golly, they are the biggest rats.
Last year, I watched parts of three games during the regular season.
I watched the first quarter of the early Christmas game on ABC, I watched a Denver @ Miami game in which Miami scored 100 points in the first three quarters because it was on at Outback when I was visiting Miami, and I watched part of Miami’s classic overtime miracle on Friday night against Dallas in March. The last game was the only one that spurred any emotion.
Congratulations to the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Defined by perseverance, belief in each other, and incredible selflessness; this team will truly be one to be remembered. To the devoted and loyal fans who literally live and die every year with the club, congratulations as well. Those fans have also persevered through countless barrages of insults and taunts. This article is not directed towards any of you true die hards.
After jumping from 141 to 152 pounds, Windham’s Phil Chason went to war at the Portland Boxing Club
By Shawn French (Windham Independent 11/3/04)
New England Golden Gloves champion and Windham resident Phil Chason’s trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the Golden Glove nationals was a crushing disappointment for the 19-year-old. Chason lost a split decision in his first bout, largely due to the Golden Gloves being a year too slow in adapting the Punchstat-style scoring system that favors combination punchers like Chason.
Frustration over the loss and his constant struggle to make weight were key factors in his four months away from the fight game. Chason’s street weight is in the mid 150s, but he fought at 141, which often led to drastic weight-loss techniques in the days leading up to a bout. “I had to sweat off four pounds the night before the (Golden Gloves) and that killed me,” he said.
Chason got a job working in a warehouse, hauling 85-pound pallets all day, keeping his mind off the loss and building muscle. In mid September, the call of the ring was too loud to ignore and he returned to the gym to train for the Northeast Regional Championships — a tournament he had won the previous three years.
You know your sport is in trouble when a month into the season, your fans haven’t even noticed that no games have been played. You know your sport is in trouble when the biggest star in your sport has been retired for over five years. You know your sport is in trouble when the television ratings for the climax of the season rivals that of a re-run of “Full House” (no disrespect to Bob Saget and the gang). And everyone knows the NHL is not only in trouble, but up a creek, without a paddle, and in a quick sinking raft.
So much for that ‘last home game for the Skins predicting the election’ trend. I guess if the Patsies could have their 21 game streak ended, the 16 election streak was bound to end as well.
Here we go with the Week 9 Picks. If you want to see how well the experts here at SC stack up against the competition, check out this excel file.
The Los Angeles Lakers rolled out the welcome mat for an old friend during the off-season when they signed former Sacramento Kings center,and free agent Vlade Divac to help replace the void left by Shaquille O’neal who was earlier traded to the Miami Heat.
Whether it’s the Red Sox’s or the Cardinals’, one relatively lengthy World Series title drought is sure to end. This gives up to us in Chicago. And if not, there’s always college football.
Entering the 2004 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks were the trendy pick to represent the NFC in the upcoming Super Bowl. They were coming off a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers in the previous postseason, their relatively young offense led by Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander had another offseason under their belts, and Ray Rhodes chose to stay in Seattle to coordinate the defense again rather than bolt to a different NFL team for a chance at another head-coaching stint. As a result, it appeared as if Mike Holmgren had all the pieces in place to lead Seattle to championship glory.