Thoughts on: Duke

So, the overshadowing thing-of-interest regarding our Saturday night game at Duke is Tropical Storm Hanna. Right now, it looks like it could run up the Atlantic coast and maybe make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday. Yikes! At best, the game could be impacted by rain and wind. It is also conceivable that the game could be postponed, if the weather is dangerous for fans.

Once play ensues, the Cats apparently-capable defense will be dealing with Duke's Thaddeus Lewis. Lewis is a very good QB, as we sadly learned last year. Other players of note include:

• Jordan "Sampling" Byas (CB)
• Kevin "Wu Kevin" Wu (WR)
• Ryan Wood "you know how this game is played" (WR)

But, none of this will matter unless you're in going to be in NC this weekend. Because the damn game's not on TV! You can come over to my house if you want to pay $8 to watch a postcard-sized version on my computer -- sorry mac users, full-screen is not enabled for you! Or if you want to huddle around the Marconi wireless and listen to Dave Eanet's fireside Cats.*

* - I'm sorry.

Am I missing something?

As has been reported over the last day or so, NBA rookies-to-be Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were thrown out of the rookie transition program. They allegedly had marijuana and women in their hotel room.

Now, is it just me, or isn't this exactly the kind of thing that the rookie transition program is designed to teach new players about? Let's take a look at some of the points that the NBA orientation is supposed to highlight:

• Professionalism
• Character, Image and Ethics
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Felony Situations
• Security
• Players "20 and under"

So, why throw them out? How about keeping them in there for an extra couple of days to make sure they learn some lessons? Suspend them or fine them or whatever after the program is over, so they can maybe actually learn something from this.

To me, the headlines for this story may as well read: Local boy expelled from school after failing exam.

Things that I want to do in September

This looks like one of those posts that will become a series, doesn't it? How much do want to bet that it won't?

September 6 - Find a way to watch the NU game @ Duke. LUV U, NUR, but I need some video on this sucker.

September 24 - Get free pie from the Pushing Daisies World Domination Tour and Pie Bus Extravaganza. Or whatever they're actually calling it.

September 27 - Age gracefully.

September 28 - Do the Chicago edition of The Mp3 Experiment.

Wha' Happened?: Syracuse

I would call that "not a bad start," for the Wildcats this weekend. It was far from a great game, considering that we lost the turnover battle and couldn't get our offense clicking for most of the first half.

There are some very bright spots of course, such as very nice punting from Stefan Demos, and Fitz's third straight opening day victory. It says a lot about our preparation and concentration that we don't look past openers that some might consider gimmes. Oh, and a goose-egg in the L column always looks good, even when we're only one week in.

Let's see how my three important players did:

• Adam Hahn - The lineman didn't have a noteworthy game, but linemates Corey Wootton and Corbin Bryant played well with the LBs and secondary picking up for some missed tackles in the line. There is much room for improvement, and the return of John Gill will be very welcome.

• Stefan Demos - What more can I say except for Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. 6 out of 6 punts were inside the 20 and 3 were inside the 10. One of those set up the defense to earn NU's first 2 points of the game with a safety. Plus he kicked off well enough to keep Syracuse's vaunted returners to fewer than 100 yards on 5 kickoff returns.

• Ben Burkett - No problems in the center-QB exchange. Only one sack allowed, and C.J. usually had time. The entire line will have to continue to improve; most of our opponents will have more skilled D-linemen than the Orange. But a little confidence should go a long way for the still-green trenchmen.

Stay tuned for nervous thoughts about our trip to Durham, NC!

Whether Report: Syracuse

Say Josh, tell me whether...

...you're ready for the season to kickoff?
Let's see. Flag hung in my window? Check. Wore purple for the last several days? Check. Alarm clock set for tomorrow morning? Check. Depth chart and rosters printed? Check. I think I'm just about ready.

...you think the Cats are ready?
Yes and no. No, because I think only the very best teams are ever fully ready for the first snap. A lot of guys haven't taken real full-speed hits, and the coaches haven't called full-speed plays for this team. Yes, because of the many reports indicating full buy-in by the team into the philosophies of the new coaches on offense and defense. They've got to be rearing to go.

...anyone really rears anymore?
Yes. The Cats rear. Then they go.

...you said "rear?"
Grow up.

...NU-Syracuse is the best game on the Big Ten slate this week?
Well, it looked a lot better when it was scheduled in 2003. Illinois-Mizzou is one of the nation's highlight games this week. MSU goes to Cal, which could be good, and Utah comes to Michigan which could be...almost anything.

...you're picking NU to get off to a winning start this year?
I'm going to say...yes. The line I'm seeing is NU -11.5, O/U 55.5. I think we'll win the turnover battle, giving our offense a couple short fields. So my pick is Northwestern 30, Syracuse 13.

Let's go Cats!

A little bit more about: Syracuse

Whenever a new season begins, it's hard to know where our beloved ApostroCats will have improved and where they will have declined. Which players will have blossomed in the spring and which graduates we will unexpectedly miss. Which condiments will have been left out of the Ryan Field refrigerators for 10 months and which will have been left out but topped off with fresh supplies.

So, I'll keep things brief today and just give three players who have to show up Saturday to give the Cats a win.

• Adam Hahn - A lot has been made in the off-season of NU's revitalized attacking defense, and with John Gill out to suspension, you can expect Corey Wooton to earn a lot of blocking attention from the Orange offense. Hahn (as well as the rest of the D-Line) needs to make the solid stops as well as the more glamourous sacks and hurries to give the LBs a chance to execute the way Coach Hankwitz has designed.

• Stefan Demos - The sophomore kicker/punter has a year's experience and an off-season of conditioning under his belt now. He needs to do his part to improve what was a poor kick coverage unit in 2007. If Demos and his coverage team can keep SU to poor starting field positions, it will give the defense great momentum from the start of every opposing drive.

• Ben Burkett - Who touches the ball on every play? The center and the QB. While Bachér will be the man who operates our no-huddle offense, the red-shirt freshman Burkett must lead a patchwork offensive-line though any early quavers so they can quickly become a strength of our attack rather than a weak link. The more that C.J. gets a chance to run the offense normally, the better our chance to win this weekend and in the future.

Whether Report tomorrow, along with my pick!
Let's go Cats!

A couple early thoughts on: Syracuse

Do you remember when we scheduled this series with Syracuse? It was five and 1/2 years ago, and the final game won't be for another 5 years. Back then, we kind of feared this series, but now it's just one of four hopefully-probably-crossyourfingers winnable non-conference games to start the year.

I'll have a pick, and hopefully some other content in advance of Saturday's season opener, but there's two guys on the Orange that I worry about:

Ryan Howard (Senior, CB) - Will we have to contend with the home run champ and league MVP? Or will we get to take a few shots at the strike out leader with a Mendoza-approaching batting average? Or possibly the once-pleasant, now-jackassish temp-turned-manager.

Maximilian Leo (Junior, Long Snapper) - Leo was his father's favorite pope, and Maximilian was his mother's favorite pope. Except, I don't think there was a Pope Maximilian, but it's too good a joke. Plus, we all know that the LS is the smartest guy on the team, so watch out!

2008 Fan Preview

With 10 days to go until the 2008 incarnation of the Wildcats kicks off against Syracuse, it's time to look at things from a broad perspective. As the games approach each weekend, I'll try to consider them individually, but for now I want to bask in my general optimism.

If you want an in depth season outlook, you should definitely check out this place, and also this place. And I'll do some of that stuff too, as the games come and go. But not today! Today, I just want to talk about how fans should approach this fall.

Patience
Most Northwestern fans are well-schooled (groan) in patience. We're used to wait-til-next year platitudes -- after all, some of you are also Cubs fans -- and we tend to expect long-term program development rather than flash-in-the-pan success. However, the big story coming into the 2008 season is the slew of veterans, particularly at offensive skill positions. My advice is to be patient if we don't put up 35 points/game right away. Remember that the offensive line is inexperienced, and will take time to gel.

Expectations
BUT! Just because we're patient doesn't mean we shouldn't expect to win. We should be able to win a majority of the non-conference games that start the season. They might not be blowout victories (Miami in 2006 or Northwesteastern last year) but we should prevail more often than not. We have better coaches across the board than we have in recent years, and it should show in the form of results as they compliment and improve the Wildcat athletes.

The Future
There are two things for which it is never too early: clock management & thinking about the future. The former is mostly in the hands of Fitz, so I will just worry about the latter. It's important for every moment of every NU home game to be spirited moment. Why? Because there are recruits at every game, and whether we're thrashing someone in September or ruing the end of a rough loss, those high school juniors and seniors need to see a great place to play. So combine those top two things, patience and expectations, to give every play of 2008 energy and vitality. We expect no less from the team, after all.

But enough of this profundity. Check back in next week for picks, weather, and hopefully some funny!

Hey! Look over there!

I have a new blog up and running. It's called Seldom Welcome, and the conceit is that it is an unsolicited advice column. Well, "column" might be a little generous. Whatever it is, it encompasses advice to The World At Large. So take heed, The World, because apparently I know what's best for you.


Also, it is green.

So, go over there and enjoy it! And then come back here. And go back again. Whoa, I'm letting this advice thing go to my head. Sorry.

Things you should be reading

Another list of things you should be reading, because they are (or promise to be) entertaining. Eventually this space ought to be back to being interesting in and of itself, as we're about 2 weeks from the Wildcats' 2008 kickoff!

• @SlateOlympics - The Twitter feed on the Olympics from Slate. It's great for when you're watching NBC and don't have anyone around to snark with.

• @CobraCommander - Another Twitterer, and it's exactly what you think it is. Sample from this past Monday: "Excited for new week. Destro delivering first blueprints of potential "weather manipulator device" today. Oh and how bout that Phelps?"

• Ephener of Mind - A new blog from friend-of-Josh, Michael. Yay! He finally succumbed to the alure of blogging!

• @joshwss - Enough with the Twitter already! But this one is me, so feel free to follow me. Just try and be a real person and not a robot, kay?
  

The end of an era

This morning I had to change my email alias at work. Why would I do that? Wouldn't it cause people who I work with to not be able to reach me?

Well, that might actually be a benefit (just kidding Jim!), but I had to escape the spam-sending nogoodnik who decided my address would look nice in his reply-to field. So my 10-year reign as "j-held" is over. I will now begin a new reign as "josh" -- although hopefully this one will be slightly shorter.

Unless you work with me, this should not impact you at all. Carry on. If you do work with me, take note. And why are you reading my blog?

An Open Letter to The Person to Whom My Apartment Was Shown Yesterday

Dear Person,

Sorry about the state of my apartment. The piles of boxes probably obscured some highlights, and the place is kind of dusty. I guess I could clean, but the boxes are permanent until I move. I'm sure you know how that is, because you yourself are probably preparing to move. Unless you sprang, fully-formed, from the brow of that lady from ApartmentFinders.com and now you need a place to rest your corporeal form. Something with easy access to the bus and the red line! In that case, call me; I'd love to write a myth about you.

If you do decide to take the place, here are some simple warnings, from my experience:

• Don't use the microwave and the AC at the same time. It blows up the living room.
• Don't use the dishwasher and anything else at the same time. It blows up the dishwasher.
• Don't set anything on the floor of the laundry room. That includes your feet.

I hope your search for an earthly home is ultimately successful.

As ever, your humble pre-tenant,
Josh

HMS Sabathia, or The Cats that Loved a Starter

Should the Phillies have gone out of their way to get pitcher CC Sabathia before he went to the Brewers today? What do I know? Let's say yes, because I love the Phillies -- look me up Sunday in section 419! -- but there's only one real question that this blog will address:

Should the Wildcats have traded for Sabathia?

Let's see where he fits in. The obvious fit is on the Cats' struggling baseball team. The Northwestern Nine went a disappointing 21-28 (14-18 Big Ten) in 2008. The overal ERA was 6.91, with the best starter at 4.17 (Eric Jokisch). It seems likely that CC would be a welcome addition to next year's staff.

Exploring a little more, so that we can get our money's worth on him, the 6'7", 290 lb Sabathia might be able to step in on the ApostroCats' rebuilding offensive line in the fall. With Camp Kenosha starting in a few weeks, and the former Indian in his midseason stride, he would likely be ready by time the Big Ten rolls around, if not earlier. In high school, he was a TE with interest from USC and Hawaii, and we all know you can't teach size.

And just to keep him in shape between sports, I say start a club hockey team for men (if there isn't one) and throw him between the pipes. He's no sumo goalie, but it's a start.

Josh eats bird

Google "josh eats birds". I'll wait here...welcome back.

Happily, the first listing is me, and the first-and-a-halfth is also me. That is basically as it should be, yes? Disturbingly, the next listing is a YouTube clip called "Josh eats bird." I haven't watched it, and I don't necessarily encourage anyone to do so. BUT it should be noted that, whatever happens in that video, it is in no way endorsed or engaged in by this blog. This Josh only eats birds in the metaphorical sense.

Hey, a Northwestern blog in purple! What novelty!

OK! New color scheme, and a new logo!  If I broke something while I was messing with Blogger templates, please give me a heads up.  Thanks and enjoy!

Things you should check out

Good morning, my lusty readers! On today's agenda is a discussion of whether you exist. Can I get someone to make a motion to approve the agenda? No one? OK. While we wait, why don't you check out these websites:

• Amie Street is an independent music download site. Everything's mp3, so it'll play on your PMP of choice. The songs are variously-priced, including $free! I'm making great use of this since I heard about it.
  
• Hexagonal Close-Packed is a new blog by friend-of-Josh Jason. It's allegedly going to be quite nerdly, so please to enjoy.
• Air Toxics Analysis Services is small business owned by Joann Held. It's my mother! And my website design for ATAS should be live (or quasi-live) by the time I post this.

Is nothing sacred?

Because a blog just isn't a blog anymore until it has a lolsomething. And because it's looking like a slow morning. Please welcome the first (and hopefully only) installment of Willie the Lolcat.

New addition to the family!

From left to right: Dad (Al Powerbook), Son (new iMac), Mom (Dell desktop)

That's him the in middle there. He got his dad's OS, his mom's CPU manufacturer, and a combination of his parents' form factors.

OK, that was dumb. But I'm copying some user info, and I've time to kill until I get to really use him.

A New Direction for NU Basketball...Up?

According to IllinoisHSBasketball.com, the basketball Wildcats have picked up one more player for the class of 2008-9. Kyle Rowley, from Lake Forest Academy, marks the 5th in this year's line of recruits. He seems like an excellent recruit and a decent dude, but I don't think it's just me -- there's something that ties this class together. Let's look at something:

Class of 2008-9

• Kyle Rowley - 7'0", 280 lb
• Luka Mirkovic - 6'11", 225
• Davide Curletti - 6'9", 225
• John Shurna - 6'8", 205
• Nick Fruendt - 6'5", 190

Returning significance, 2007-2008

• Coble - 6'8", 190 (190? really?)
  
• Williams - 6'3", 190
• Moore - 6'3", 190 (No way he's 6'3")
• Thompson - 5'10", 185

Now, I don't think that these veterans have to worry about playing time next year, but are we looking at a change in direction? Maybe to a more physical, more defensive, less Princeton-y, more post-oriented team? Josh Eats Birds is looking forward to finding out.

Monday Night Sports Roundup or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dancing With the Stars

The plan was to watch a little arena action -- Soul vs. Desps in a battle of unbeatens -- and a little NHL -- the Flyers taking on the Habs in game 3. That was before I remembered that my friendly neighborhood dual-tuner DVR is already pretty well taxed on Monday nights. So, even though I won't be doing a guest blog for the gents at It's Still Football, I'll give you a little insight into what I did watch!

First, what I missed:

Think the Pats still have those 19-0 shirts? The Philadelphia Soul moved to 9-0 on the season with a nice win over the previously undefeated Dallas Desperados. Just a couple hundred yards from our next item...

Some say the world will end in Flyers, some say on ice. That doesn't even make any sense! If the Flyers' 3-2 win over Montreal had ended the world, it would have been both anyway. As it was, it just allowed the Flyers to take a 2-1 series lead with game 4 at home.

Now your glimpse into my TV proclivities:

Look at me. I'm as helpless as a baby up a tree. Bones: Brennan and Booth find a baby up in a tree, following a car accident. What follows is a fairly boilerplate miss-matched non-parents have-to-take-care-of-the-kid episode of any show. Also included? Small-town folks who hate the gub'mint. And? Temperance is using her fancy author money to save the town (yay!) and for some reason Sealy thinks he automatically gets to live in any house she builds. Huh? Please don't become Maddie and David or something here.

Clap on. Clap off. House: Ok. It was syphyllis and not gonorrhrea, but we'll get there. The patient of the week is diagnosed with a terminal case of niceness. Apparently he saves the children AND the British children. First they think he has syph. Then they think House has syph. Then they think no one has it! All in all, Kumar is kind of awesome this week, and Wilson and Cutthroat Bitch are really annoying.

It takes 2 to tango (or samba, or mambo...) Dancing With the Stars: All the couples did two dances last night. For the most part the all did one pretty well and one very well. I don't feel like looking up the scores or anything, so I have no idea how they all placed. A couple of highlights include:

• Christian racking his arm during their samba. I don't know when he hurt it, but honestly, it was no great shakes from the beginning. Hope he's OK.
  
• Jason did my least favorite dance, the paso doble, to, I think, the ESPN NFL Monday Night Football theme. No really. It was completely un-musical, but somehow the judges loved it.
• Kristi slipped down the leader board for the first time, largely because Len didn't like their non-traditional choreography. NOTE TO PROS - Len hates, HATES, non-traditional choreography and non-dancy intros and codas. You've had 98 episodes to figure this out. Start getting a clue or start brushing off your seats in the front row.

Two, two, two Greg(g)s in one!

I haven't blogged for a while, so when the following thought occurred to me, I figured I should the seize the opportunity.

Is it just me, or does Phillies first baseman Greg Dobbs look a lot like phormer* Phillies first baseman Gregg Jefferies? You be the judge:



Dobbs


Jefferies

Separated at birth? Even though they were born 11 years apart? I think you know what I think.


* F -> Ph? Never not phunny.

Maybe we can all kick in our stimulus checks?

Sad news today in alterna-football. According to ESPN.com, The All American Football League may have to postpone its inaugural season for a year due to extreme financial iffyness. I don't know how much the league needs (other than a TV deal) to get and stay afloat, but I'm thinking it needs more than the $300-600 per person ($600-1200 for married couples!) each of its coaches and players will be getting this spring.

Fortunately AFL and MLS are starting up. Oh, and baseball too, if you count that as a viable football replacement.

At least I may not have to weigh the pros and cons of the AAFL Sunday Ticket package (watch all 35 games!).

All-American Football League may scrap season for lack of funds [ESPN.com]
All American Football League [allamericanfootballleague.com]

Synergy!

Just wanted to give the Josh Eats Birds bump to a guest post I wrote for the guys over at It's Still Football. If you are (a) a person who reads this blog, and (b) not one of the guys who writes ISF, you should go over and check it out.

Also, you should introduce yourself in the comments, because I didn't know you existed!

Guest Post! In Re: Chicago Rush Sartorial Choices [It's Still Football]

Cat wins!

No, I'm not referring to the kitten-filled halftime show for The Puppy Bowl. This is my official pick for tonight's Super Bowl. I just want to get this on record, so that if it turns out that I'm right I get to gloat (more) fully.

I'm picking Giants 31, Patriots 27.

Exotic picks:
First TD: Barry Cofield - NYG (fumble recovery)
First Offensive TD: Barry Cofield - NYG (receiving)
MVP: Barry Cofield - NYG

Hmm. I can't remember where he went to school. Little help?

Terminator: SCC

I have a confession to make: I have never seen any of the Terminator movies. "I'll be back" - I know of it. "Hasta la vista, baby" - I think it comes from one of them, but if you told me it was from Total Recall, I wouldn't be so sure.

Does this make me less of a man? Maybe. Less of a techie? Almost certainly.

Here's the point. I just watched the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and you know what? It was kind of awesome. Here's what I thought, roughly in order of thinking things:

• Pretty exciting action
• Decent dialogue
• Occasionally funny
• Pretty hot chicks.
  
• John was Claire's friend Zach, from Heroes

I'll watch the second ep tonight, and we'll see what that brings.

I'm sure that Terminator movie fanatics (terminuts? termaniacs?) will have a million problems, but I couldn't tell you for one second if this show fits well with the mythology of the films. If it stays interesting, I've got one more show to add to my vast menagerie.

The one that got away?

So, it's my first Cats hoops post of the year. I think. Let me start by saying that I think Carmody et alii are doing a pretty good job of recruiting. There's a really decent mix of foreign players (always looking for the next Vedran) and US talent (Coble, Moore), and there's a special emphasis on competing for the best guys in Illinois.

But, in watching some highlights for the UNC/UNC-Asheville game, I can't help but feel like we missed out on someone. See if you can pick him out of this picture.

Yes, that's junior center Kenny George in the middle. He's 7'7", 360. I'm not doing the math, but I think he weighs more than any two Wildcats combined. He averages over 5 blocks per game for the Bulldogs, and I swear he blocked 10 shots in the one-minute highlight I just saw on ESPN. Against North Freaking Carolina!

AND he's a Chicago native, having attended Chicago Latin HS. I have no idea if he was recruited here. Maybe he's a bad shooter, and a bad fit. Or maybe the academics aren't there. Or maybe there's a personal connection to UNC-A.

Mostly, though he's really big, and I wanted to write about that!

Close, but not quite

Ah, the holidays. That magical time of year when people start emailing me to ask if I created this:

http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf

For those not link-inclined, it's a very cute animation of Santa and his reindeer singing. The music is the totally awesome cover of White Christmas as performed by The Drifters.

Why do people ask if I made it? Because at the end there's a signature that reads "Joshua Held 2002." Yes, his name is my name too. But, no, I didn't make it. Although I kind of wish I had. I'm a little confused how some random people find my email address, but I guess it can't really be that hard for the people with free time on their hands...

...unlike busy people like me who blog about Christmas animations?

Merry Christmas!

IFAF: You can stop holding your breath...

...the IFAF final between Japan and the US will be aired Thanksgiving Day at 12pm (CDT) on the NFL Network.

In case you need a reminder, this is the world championship of American football. It featured 6 national sides. It happened back in July. The US pretty much waltzed through the group stage, beating Korea and Germany by a combined score of 110-7.

The championship game was a lot closer, so I won't ruin it for you!

Illinois Preview

I'm kind of sneaking this in under the wire, so I'll be brief:

Offensive keys:

• Good mix of run/pass
  
• Bacher - good decisions (get a little more help from his WRs)
• Sutton - do what he does
• Don't get frustrated if J Leman makes 25 tackles.

Defensive keys:

• Keep Juice contained, hit him hard when he runs
• Don't get frustrated if Mendenhall or Benn hurts us
• Don't let them BOTH hurt us

My pick: Northwestern 34, Illinois 28
Bonus pick!: Northwestern (bb) 65, DePaul 60.

Let's go Cats!

Indiana Preview

Well, I've been way off for a couple weeks now. So, it's time to stop trying to actually pick the game, and just have a little fun.

You may or may not remember that our last two games against Indiana have been settled in overtime. Yes, even when the Loosiers were pretty damn bad, we tended to need extra time to finish them. I see no reason why that should not continue in '07, especially because our seasons are often either OT-filled or OT-free.

I'm picking the Cats, in a home upset: Northwestern 37, Indiana 34 (OT)

Let's go Cats!

Speak to Me II: Electric Boogaloo: Redux: Iowa Edition:

I think this Saturday's game against Iowa is our first broadcast on the ESPN/ABC family of networks (ESPN2 tomorrow) since the OSU game. I don't count the Eastern Michigan game on ESPNU, because that can hardly have been considered a "broadcast."

Therefore, we're looking at the second opportunity for a bubble-encased authority to introduce our offensive and defensive starters. After it was shamefully omitted from the OSU game on ABC, let's hope ESPN2 gets it right. Check out my post from September to refresh your mind on the possibilities.

Speak to me from your tiny bubble [Josh Eats Birds]

Also, on the Iowa side, I'm putting all my money on Dallas Clark, TE of the Indianapolis Colts. You might have heard that they have a game on Sunday!

Iowa Preview

Well, my guess proved to be approximately wrong. Alas, 4 1st-quarter turnovers and a bad day of run defense can do that. Not to be deterred, I am picking in favor of NU this weekend. Not because of any statistical comparison or strategic benefit. Not because of an advantage in personnel or coaching aptitude. Rather, it's because I saw Chris Malleo at the barber-shop yesterday, and he told someone that the ApostroCats are gonna win. Works for me!


My Pick: Northwestern 27, Iowa 10

Sorry, little Hawkeyes.

Let's go Cats!

Purdue Preview

I'm taking a time-out from thinking about the firing properties of medium spiny neurons. I know it's hard to believe that I can tear myself away, but I didn't want to miss out on making a pick.

Conventional wisdom suggests that current trends (the two most prolific Big Ten offenses this year) and past performance (we tend to lose at Purdue, except in 2005) point toward a big loss for the Cats tomorrow. Personally, I think this is one of the two hidden-but-important games of the year for NU. The first was the MSU game that started us on this current winning streak.

I think the ApostroCats and the ApostroCoaches know this, and they'll be ready with a couple of guys back from injury (Sutton and Simpson) and some big plays to change the game for us.

My Pick: Northwestern 35, Purdue 31.

Let's go Cats!

EMU Preview

After two thrilling OT wins in the last two weeks, let's all hope and pray that the ApostroCats don't have a let-down at Ford Field on Friday. Detroit is as close to a home game as they will get in this series. NU is not going to Ypsilanti. But I really wanted to type "Ypsilanti."

The Eagles have a pretty balanced offense, and they have been able to score some points lately. Also, they played us pretty close at Dyche last year. I think we'll pull it out, but it's not going to be the kind of blow-out that could get us a little national dap.

Northwestern 31, EMU 13.
NU gets a little ground game going, which means a slightly lower score than the last two weeks.

Minnesota Preview

Hey! I guess my prediction of a shutout didn't quite come true last week? Perhaps I overestimated John Gill's ability to stop all 11 Spartans at once. Ah well, everyone makes mistakes, and obviously I'm quite pleased with the final result.

Looking ahead to Minnesota tomorrow, I think the ApostroCats will have reasonable success on offense (not 48 pts worth), but don't expect that Minnesota has no scoring potential. I'm going with....

Northwestern 30, Minnesota 14.

Let's go Cats!

Michigan State Preview

Is it bad that I get less and less excited about writing these as we keep losing? I guess that's why I'm not a professional sports columnist; I can't write 12 columns per day like Jay Mariotti.

For tomorrow's NU game at Michigan State, I think the Cats will have to look to their most consistent performers to keep on doing what they've been doing. Everyone on all sides will have to pitch in to get the win, and last week they showed that they can do just that for a while.

So, I'm picking two Cats to make major impacts tomorrow: John Gill and Amado Villarreal. Gill is in charge of stopping both of MSU's running backs (Ringer and Caulcrick). Amado is in charge of offense.

My pick: Northwestern 21, MSU 0.

Let's go Cats!

Michigan Preview

In a hurry today, and it's looking bleak for the Cats with Sutton and Smith both out (Smith for the season). Briefly, I think the only way that NU wins is in a defensive show, stopping Hart and getting to Mallett.

If the Cats win, it will be Northwestern 14, Michigan 13.

Let's go Cats!

Speak to me from your tiny bubble

It occurs to me that this Saturday will be NU's first ESPN/ABC game of the season. That means that the Cats' offensive and defensive starters will be introduced by someone either directly or casually associated with Northwestern, sitting in a little video bubble on-screen. Who do you think it's gonna be? Well, I've got the odds and I'm taking all bets.

Pat Fitzgerald 3 to 2
Coach Fitz is the obvious choice since he's already here by the cameras all day. If he's the go-to guy, expect a coach joke about how slow CJ Bacher is.






Mike Greenberg 5 to 1
Greeny is a vocal NU alum, and ESPNer, and I can only assume that CFB is next on his list for commentating domination. But who are we kidding? He'd use this time to lord NU's 2-1 start over Mike Golic's 0-3 Notre Dame.




Mike Wilbon 7 to 1
Wilbon is also part of the nice NU presence on the worldwide leader. I'd like to state a preference for him to be the guy this job. Also, I saw him at the ASU game a couple years ago, which was cool.

Wait. Wilbon's the one on the right? You just shook my world to the core. I've gotta sit down.





Luis Castillo 20 to 1
Luis is probably the most prominent Wildcat in major pro sports right now. I was going to use a picture of the other Luis Castillo, but I was worried that the San Diego lineman might kill me with his mind. He can totally do that, you know.






David Schwimmer 40 to 1
I don't really think it'll be him, but I wanted have some actor. BTW? It's scary how many pictures like this you find when you search for him.






Willie the Wildcat 99 to 1
As much as this might be pretty funny for a few seconds, it would get awkward really fast as the announcers wonder whether they ought to fill in the words that Willie would leave out. ESPN has someone on staff who can recognize bad ideas before they happen, right? Oh yeah, I forgot: "Who's Now?"

Ohio State Preview

So, it's been a painful week in Wildcatland, although I think the mainstream sports media has done us a favour by not highlighting out loss too much. Now it's time for a whole different kind of pain as NU heads to OSU Saturday afternoon.

Anyone know why this game is on ABC here in Chicago? How weird that Michigan-PSU isn't a fully regional game.

And now we've reached the part of the season where I change the way I pick games. Instead of what I predict will happen, this is what the score needs to be for NU to come away with a win: Northwestern 31, Ohio State 28.

Cats win!

Duke Preview

Guess what I'm still not doing? Over-obsessing about the Cats! I'm obsessing just the right amount these days, thank you very much. So, here's what I know about our upcoming game against Duke:

• It's at night. But NOT at 9pm like they said on WNUR. It's at a much saner 7pm.
• Duke sucks. But sometimes they don't
  
• We have some pretty good moments, but sometimes we suck.

So, will the ApostroCats suck for more or less of the game than the blue devils? That's a tough question. I think we'll be OK to win, but probably not to cover the 16.5 points we're giving. Unless Tyrell is 100% healthy; for now I'm assuming that B-Rob will be the main rusher.

I say Northwestern 27, Duke 13.

Nevada Preview

Once again, I haven't really done any research to preview this game. Maybe I'll get on the ball once the Big Te(leve)n season starts. And once I've found a job! Here's what I know, mostly gleaned from the radio and the newspaper:

• Nevada got clobbered by Nebraska, in large part by getting run over like Wal*Mart greeter on the day after Thanksgiving.
• Jim O'Donnell of the Sun-Times has a flare for vocab, using "cornhuskered" (spellchecker suggestion: consecrate) and "upstreaming" in his recap of that game.
• Even with Trevor Rees back, NU probably doesn't have the same O-line as Nebraska, although Sutton is at least as good as Lucky (Nebraska RB).
• The line is NU -10, O/U 50.5. When was the last time we were a 10 point fave? Maybe for EMU last year, I suppose...checking...yes (unless we were highly favored over Illinois).
  

I can't really justify giving 10 points to any team that falls only behind Hawai'i and Boise State in its conference. So I'm going with the push (and the over) in a reversal of last year's score: NU 31, Nevada 21. I would have really like to go with 28-17, but this is too symmetrical to pass up.

Oh, come on Ivan. We aren't THAT good.

There are much better recaps of the ApostroCats' 27-0 win over Northeastern out there. So, I'm not really going to say much. I agree with most people who say that it was not a particularly impressive defensive effort that led to that shutout.

But, there's something about keeping your opponent off the scoreboard when you're supposed to. It lends you credibility among people who don't actually watch your games. Hence? On ESPN.com, Ivan Maisel has us playing in the Insight Bowl against Colorado AND the Motor City Bowl against Miami (OH).

I do think that getting in multiple bowl games in a single season would only help our recruiting, but I'm not sure I can get enough vacation to make it to both Tempe and Detroit this December.

NU 27 - NU 0 - Cats Week 1 Recap - Lake The Posts
2007 Bowl Predictions (Week 1) - ESPN.com

Northeastern Preview

It's almost time for NU football to get going again. The 2007 season starts out at home against the Huskies of Northwesteastern. This is a Josh Eats Birds family grudge match, because my cousin went to that other NU. So you know I'm bringing my A-game to Dyche on Saturday. My cousin may or may not be aware that the game is taking place.

This season, I'll be reducing my posts to a preview and a recap. I'll throw in random other posts too, approximately sometimes.

My half-penny analysis of NU-NU (heh):

• Northwestern's defensive line is outweighed by Northwesteastern's O-line by only 8 lbs on average. Expect them to get backfield pressure throughout the game without much blitzing.
• The ApostroCats front 5 on offense average almost 300 lbs, and outweigh the Huskies three defensive linemen by almost 50 lbs. Northwesteastern will bring blitzes from different locations, but if the Cats can pick those up, Bacher will have time to find open receivers.
• If the Cats get a lead, Sutton will see minimal carries, if he is still nursing a leg.

I'm not seeing a betting line for this game. Maybe they don't have them for FCS games? Anyway, I'm picking without that influence this week.

My pick: Northwestern 30, Northwesteastern 10

2007 Big Ten Predictions

So, last year, I slightly underrated Wisconsin and OSU, slightly overrated NU and vastly overrated Iowa. Let's see if I've learned any lessons (hint: probably not). Here are my predicted final standings and bowl berths for the Big Te(leve)n in 2007.

Big Ten Champs: Wisconsin
Coach of the Year: Bill Lynch (Indiana)
Northwestern? Champs Sports Bowl

             Big Ten  Overall
Wisconsin       7-1     11-1     Rose Bowl
Penn State      7-1     10-2     Capital One Bowl
Michigan        6-2     10-2     Outback Bowl
Ohio State      5-3     9-3      Alamo Bowl
Northwestern    4-4     8-4      Champs Sports Bowl
Indiana         4-4     8-4      Insight Bowl
Iowa            3-5     6-6      Motor City Bowl
Purdue          3-5     5-7
Michigan State  2-6     4-8
Minnesota       1-7     5-7
Illinois        1-7     4-8

IFAF World Cup Championship: USA vs. Japan

Look for Craig Coffin at a gridiron near you. He'll probably be the one selling beer, but he'll also probably be the only one that won a world championship lately. The (former?) SIU kicker made two FGs in an NCAA-style overtime to push team USA to a 23-20 victory in the final of its first American Football World Cup.

The Americans faced their toughest competition, as expected, from the host Japanese. The two-time defending world champions took an 10-7 lead into the locker room (do they have locker rooms at this thing?) at halftime. They also led 17-10 in the 4th, until American running back Kyle Kasperbauer rushed for his second TD of the game with 2:51 remaining on the clock.

After matching FGs in the first OT period, Coffin won it for the US by making his kick in the second overtime.

A location for the 2011 IFAF final has not yet been determined. I say they have it in Indianapolis, and the US can just field whichever of the Colts happen to live in the area during the off-season.

In Demetrius Eaton news, Demetrius Eaton had one tackle.

IFAF World Cup: USA vs. Germany

The US national American Football side played its second (and final) pool match of the 2007 championships, and it beat Germany 33-7. USA had held its opponents scoreless for nearly 6 quarters before the Germans scored on interception return just prior to halftime at Kawasaki Stadium.

Team USA played a game that Americans would be more familiar with, after their 77-0 drubbing of Korea in earlier Pool 2 play. The 33 points came from three TD runs (Childs, Johnson and Blakowski) an interception return and a safety. Neither team had a particularly prolific offense, with USA gaining a total of 254 yards and Germany totaling 148.

In players we care about news: LB and captain, Demetrius Eaton had 2 tackles and 2 assists. The US punter/kicker is named Coffin. Do we think he specializes in "coffin corner" punting? We do.

I just remembered I'm a blogger: IFAF Edition

Guess what I haven't updated in a while? This! Fortunately, I have found a pretty stimulating topic...the IFAF World Championships.

?

The IFAF is the International Federation of American Football. So this the World Cup of American Football we're talking about here. And guess who's looking to clean house? Yup, a group of about 65 undrafted (and still playing?) college players from the good old USA. One of the Team USA captains is former Northwestern LB Demetrius Eaton, which is what brought this event to the forefront of my attention.


So, how are they doing so far? Well, the US is in Pool 2 with Germany and Korea -- Pool 1 consists of host Japan, Sweden and France -- and they just played their first match. The US seemed to be shaking a bit of the rust off, scraping by Korea 77-0.

77-0

Korea had no 1st downs. 1 complete pass. -47 rushing yards (yes that's negative) and -31 total yards. The US scored on two punt returns, one kickoff return, a blocked punt, a fumble return, and an interception return. Demetrius Eaton had 1 tackle (for a loss) and one assist.

The matchup against Germany in pool play and the presumed championship against Japan should provide a little more of a test for the US.

You should be there

I don't think I've pimped TelevisionWithoutPity.com enough on this blog. I know there's a little link on the right, but that hardly articulates how much I love TWoP some days. My main purpose in this particualar post, though, is to completely steal a passage from a recaplet (well, a weecap) of Dancing with the Stars.

If you like musical numbers featuring lots and lots of people, you would like this. My favorite part is at the end, where they bust out tambourines out of nowhere. I think more of life should feature tambourines out of nowhere. It would certainly make life more interesting. Imagine if you're waiting in line at the grocery store and suddenly a big musical number starts up, and all of the shoppers bust out tambourines. And maybe a group of large women in black robes pours out from behind the customer service desk to sing backup. God, that would be awesome.
- From Kim's recaplet of DwtS, season 4, episode 11

I swear I'm stealing this and quoting it to feed my starving family. And also because it made me laugh like crazy after a miserable bus ride to work. So if you don't read TWoP all day, you should, so that they can keep making my life better. And yours.

More of me being a jerk to various entities

After being angry at the White House this morning, it's now time to be angry at Reuters. It's just...you see a sentence that reads, "Three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up on Tuesday following a police raid on a house in a Casablanca slum..." and you think: Suspected?

They are suspected of being suicide bombers? What tipped you off? The part where they blew themselves up when you tried to capture them? Is that when you started to think, "Hmm, maybe these guys are suicide bombers..."

Yes, I know that if you read the rest of the article, you see that the men are thought to have belonged to a gang that organized and carried out such bombings, and that the members were believed to wear those devices constantly to avoid being captured.

I'm just saying. SUSPECTED???

Four suspected bombers killed in Casablanca [Reuters]

Two unrelated items

First, in the spirit of Tom's post in February, I need to share my iPod's sense of sArcasm. Fortunately, I only had wait outside for a couple minutes today to get on the bus. What song was played from the moment I exited my building, until the moment I boarded the bus? U2's "Beautiful Day." Ha ha. Very funny Dr. Jones*.

This is what my iPod considers "beautiful."

Second, what is up with the White House? They want to appoint a war czar? What, a Secretary of Defense isn't good enough? Or the Chiefs of Staff of the armed forces? Or the Commander-in-&^@%ing-Chief???

This is why I shouldn't read those newsfeeds on the bus, and I should stick to analyzing my iPod's taste in music.

* - No, my iPod is not named Dr. Jones.

How did I not know this?

As if I needed another reason to root for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League.

They had the inside track for my sports affections, simply by playing in the CoBL. And admit it, you know that being owned by Bon Freakin' Jovi is just plain cool.

But now I find out that Dwayne Missouri is playing for the Soul! Apparently he's been there the whole time, and was actually the first player they selected when they formed an expansion team in 2004. He's been up and down between the AFL and NFL since graduating from Northwestern in 2001.

With large-field, no-wall, outdoor football -- it's hard to visualize, but trust me, it's pretty cool too -- many months away, this is going to make the interim much more exciting!

S-O-U-L! Soul! Soul! Soul!

All-Name Update

Let's take a look at how that all-name team is doing through the first two rounds: 8 lost in the 1st round. 1 lost in the 2nd round. 5 remain alive in the Sweet 16. 1 had his arm ripped off by wolves (or at least, I pretend he did, because it's less gruesome than his actual injury.)

Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes (Gonzaga) - Lost in the 1st round. 1 foul, 0 points in 1 minute.
Solomon Tat (Virginia) - Lost in the 2nd round. 4 points in two games.
Supo Jegede (New Mexico State) - Lost in the 1st round. DNP.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UCLA) - Sweet 16. 11 points in 60 minutes played.
Idong Ibok (Michigan State) - Lost in the 2nd round. Oh God. Please don't make me think about his arm.

Can Civi (Davidson) - Lost in the 1st round. DNP.
Martin Zeno (Texas Tech) - Lost in 1st round. 21 points in 40 minutes.
Duke Crews (Tennessee) - Sweet 16. 18 points in two games.
Fendi Onobun (Arizona) - Lost in 1st round. 2 points in 1 minute.
Chinemelu "Junior" Elonu (Texas A&M) - Sweet 16. 0 points in 2 minutes.

Churchill Odia (Oregon) - Sweet 16.
Chamberlain Oguchi (Oregon) - Sweet 16.
Ousmane Barro (Marquette) - Lost in 1st round.
Taj Finger (Stanford) - Lost in 1st round.

All-Name Team

It's a March tradition to make fun of young men's names, just because they happen to attend one of the 65 schools competing for the national basketball championship. So let me do it, before I see one elsewhere. I tried not to hit too many names just for being difficult to pronounce, but there are some.

First Team All-Name
G - Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes (Gonzaga)
G - Solomon Tat (Virginia)
F - Supo Jegede (New Mexico State)
F - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UCLA)
C - Idong Ibok (Michigan State)

Second Team
G - Can Civi (Davidson)
G - Martin Zeno (Texas Tech)
F - Duke Crews (Tennessee)
F - Fendi Onobun (Arizona)
C - Chinemelu "Junior" Elonu (Texas A&M)

Honorable Mention
G - Churchill Odia (Oregon)
G - Chamberlain Oguchi (Oregon)
F - Ousmane Barro (Marquette)
F - Taj Finger (Stanford)

10 can be as bad as 11

How did I miss that the Wildcats are the 10th seed in the Big Ten tournament and not the 11th seed. I guess we won the tie-breaker over Penn State based on overall record?

If Northwestern can't win the Big Ten Tournament, they will not be playing the in the national post-season, by virtue of a sub-.500 record. If they do win, they will probably have the worst record of any NCAA tournament team (17-17).

But there's an even juicier possibility. What if Minnesota wins the Big Ten tourny? Can you imagine a 13-21 team in the big dance*? We can only hope.

* - Can I say "big dance," or is that like "Super Bowl?"

Live-blogging the DM webcast

Just kidding. But I just tuned in for a minute, and there's Jeremy Piven. Sweet!

Congrats in advance to all the dancers! Consider me impressed in advance with the amounts of money that you will eventually find out you have raised for ECF and CURE.

Also, congrats to Sasser for being so tall that you're the only person I can ever spot on the webcast.

The Black Donnellys: Pilot

Thanks to iTunes, I am watching the first episode of The Black Donnellys. Just FYI, I have never watched The Sopranos, so I don't know whether there are comparisons to be made, and I won't be making them.

First impressions:

• Is it just me, or does Joey Ice Cream's voice not match his face?
• "Hey, that's mine! I stole that!" Heh.
• The fight scene at the wake is kind of awesome too.
• These guys need more distinctive names, because I can't keep Tommy, Sean, Kevin and Jimmy straight.
• I like that, while the language is network-safe, there's some in the scuffles that sounds like cursing, but it's unintelligible. That's classy and it seems realistic
• The last 2-3 minutes? Whoa. Also? Hah!
  

Overall:

• This pilot is super put-together. I've heard it described as "cinematic" and it totally is. We learn the main guys we need to know, and get a feeling for the drama and comedy that will probably run through the series. That's important in a pilot. More, it's also engaging and compelling, which is often missing in a premier episode (especially one that's the usual 44 minutes.)
• I will probably watch this show a couple more times, but they're going to need the humor to keep me involved with this series. The characters are interesting, but if the dramatic situations wear out (like they do on so many dramas), the humor can carry it through rough patches. That's what shows like Lost and Studio 60 have missed out on for me lately.

So, THAT'S what happened

In case Because you were wondering what happened, here's the deal with that Purdue player who got three free throws late in the 2nd half yesterday.

It was not, as I had suspected at the time, a lane violation. Because who violates the lane (and what ref calls it) on the first of two shots? In fact, the defense is required to occupy both of the lowest positions on the lane during a free throw. Since NU apparently didn't do that, on one of the first two attempts, there was a violation and an extra foul shot.

Thus endeth the mystery.

Special thanks to Bad Idea Blue Jeans for breaking this story wide open.

More fun with words

You know I like words. I like using them, and I like making fun of Tom when he uses them.

So, I just learned a new word. The word is shambolic, and it is defined thusly: (British slang) disorderly or chaotic.

I heard it used twice in the last two days. In both cases, it was used to describe sloppy defending by soccer teams. Different games. Different broadcaster (I think).

So, I'll be saying that as much as possible from now on. Don't say you weren't warned.

Two things that I love about soccer

Well, one thing I love about soccer and one thing I love about loving soccer. Got that?

I am watching DC United take on CD Olimpia in Honduras in the first leg of the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. I DVR'd it, so don't spoil the result for me! What I love is that the Hondurans have a couple of songs that they are singing non-stop. Now, that's not unusual for a soccer match. The part that gets me is that they are whistling. Whistling. And it carries through on the crappy FSC broadcast. Awesome.

GOAL! Christian Gomez! CD Olimpia 0:1 DC United in the 30th minute.

What I love about loving soccer is that I didn't have to worry about getting spoiled on this result. ESPN was not running Copa de Campeones scores on the Bottom Line. It's nice to not have to avoid the bottom 15% of the screen. I'm sure only 3 people* at ESPN are aware of this competition.

GOAL! CD Olimpia 1:1 DC United in the 34th. I'm not live-blogging the rest. Or even delay-blogging it. Check the second leg of the aggregate score match next week from DC.

* - Eric Wynalda, Tommy Smith, and whomever Wynalda is talking to.

What's more exciting than census data?

Well, just about everything except for Tom's recent bugaboo. That is to say, the chief and his accoutrements are not exciting. Tom's bloggage is far more worthy of your time than most census data.

So, why am I presenting 6-year-old South African census data? Well, to help answer some of the many questions I get about Amanda's village and to stimulate conversation in general.

These data refer to her electoral ward, which includes Amanda's village and the village next door.

• Population: 15,492
• 41% of the population is between the ages of 0-14.
• 30% of the adult population has had no schooling. 18% have completed Grade 12.
• 3,018 of the 15,492 (19%) are economically active (have jobs or seek jobs). 59% of those are unemployed.
• 80% of the population receives no income. 5% receive $0-54.80/month. 10% receive $54.81-109.60/month.
• 7% of the population suffers from a known disability.
• Less than 1% drive a car.
• There are 3,222 total households. 1/2 of the households have more than 5 people.
• 1/2 of the household have 3 rooms or fewer (total rooms, not total bedrooms).
• Only 30 households have a flush toilet.

Stayed tuned to this channel for your chance to contribute to a photography project that Amanda will be developing for her village's school.

PSA: Daylight-Saving Time 2007

I consider it my solemn obligation to let everyone know what time it is. So, here's an update:

On Sunday, March 11 at 2:00 am, it will be 3:00 am.

Yes, Daylight-saving time starts three weeks earlier this year, and it ends one week later on Sunday, November 4. Make sure your cell phones and PDAs get software updates, so they can maybe do that for you. You're probably still on your own for watches and alarm clocks, unless you have a manservant like I do.

The more you know.

Gadget owners beware: Daylight-saving time has changed [C|Net news via Engadget]
Energy Bill [US Senate]

Robert H. Lurie

Hopefully this gets picked up by Google Image Search, so future generations will know what we mean by the bust of Dr. Lurie.

Lurie with hat.

Next time, don't narrate my demise

Instead of commenting on Tom's bloggage today, how's about I write my own damn post about getting to work in the cold....

An Open Letter to the Woman Who Drove the 147 Bus this Morning

Dear Woman Who Drove the 147 Bus this Morning,

I don't want to get off on the wrong foot here, so first, please accept my thanks for getting me to work today. I got in a little late, but I expected that since I stayed home this morning to make a phone call.

Sadly, my ride on your bus was not as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be. Please allow me to give you some advice, so that future CTA patrons will be more pleased than I: Don't tell your passengers that you're going to drive the bus off the road and kill everyone.

I know this may be a surprise to you, but I think I speak for all bus-riders when I suggest that we don't like to see our lives flash before us as we ride down Lake Shore Drive. We like to see Marine Drive (if we sit on the right) or kamikaze cyclists (if we sit on the left) flash before us.

Woman Who Drove the 147 Bus this Morning, your driving was actually quite good, considering the snowy conditions. Also, your advice that commuters in a hurry consider transferring to the Red Line at Thorndale was probably well-headed by some clock-punchers. I'm just saying: Next time, don't tell us that you're going to "jack-knife the bus into a tree" and please don't repeat your predictions of a harsh future when we're churning along the LSD.

See you next time the Northwestern bus deserts me,
JoshEatsBirds

A Dream Fulfilled

Not Payton Manning's dream or Tony Dungy's. Although, I guess it probably was for them. And it's not that it was my life-long dream to see the Colts win the Super Bowl.

It was however my dream last Thursday night, when I found myself wandering through an electronics store and all the TVs were proclaiming that Indy tight end Ben "Matt" Utecht had finally won a title. It is likely that this was mostly due to my ongoing confusion between Utecht and backup guard -- and Wildcat -- Matt "Ben" Ulrich.

A more exciting interpretation ignores the Super Bowl angle. Maybe I'm really destined to have an awesome new TV? Stop by some time and find out! If my dream turns out to be prophetic, maybe I can get them to base a Heroes character on me...

You and me and apostrophe

Look. It's not 'Cats. It's Cats.

Cats is short for Wildcats, yes. But it's not a contraction. People don't call me Josh'. And they don't call you T'om'.

If you want to call them them the Wi'cats, that'll be OK. It'll be punishable by 3-5 years in prison and/or a fine of not less than $4,000 and not more than $9,000. But it will be OK grammatically.

Cats. Think about it.

Back and the samer than ever!

I have been back in the US for a couple weeks now, so it's time to get my online presence going again. The first working day (postal workers aside, apparently) of 2007 seems like a good day to start.

Here's a video slide show of pictures from my trip to South Africa.

http://www.divshare.com/download/3652-723

If that doesn't work for you, let me know.

Ohio State Preview

It's true: I've basically decided that I can't write 4 posts per week about this year's Wildcats. It's not that I have any less love for the team, or for writing things about them. It's just that even with a nice win and a couple other good games, the statements are all the same. Look,

• Get Sutton more involved
• Help Bacher make good decisions
• Limit NU turnovers
• Make big defensive plays

It should be noted, that my prediction stat finally predicted a win last week. So, all glory unto me for that one.

For this week, I'm looking for all those things above, plus I'm pissed about one thing. What am I pissed about? Well, can you believe that ESPN Classic isn't showing the last Evanston meeting of NU and OSU? Unless I missed it early this week, it's not happening. Whatever, ESPN, just show another Michigan-Notre Dame "classic."

Let's go Cats!

Iowa Preview

OK. My sickitude of the last week threw off my blogging, letter-writing, and actual working. So, I'm gonna take it easy for the rest of the season, rather than try to keep up with the 4-5 posts per week on football. Hoops starts in a week and a half, so hopefully that'll be a little fodder too!

In place of the usual, structured multi-post preview, here's just a couple thoughts. First, The Daily reports that Andrew Brewer will get a shot at wide receiver on Saturday. Well, OK. I assume the main goal is to use him in reverses and decoy plays. I guess maybe he could manage a pass-back to Bacher? My feeling: I like the thought, since he's a good athlete and deserves playing time even if he's not a good passer.

Secondly, a little dap for Chris Malleo. After having the misfortune of coming in as the backup QB to Baz, he's evolved into a quality special teams player. He seams to run the show on punts, and he's in on lots of tackles. Also he's from New Jersey! And I can't wait for the day when he throws a perfect spiral for a TD after receiving a direct snap on a fake punt.

That's all for today. This wasn't really an Iowa preview, so much as a general football notecard. You wanna make something of it?

Let's go Cats!

Michigan State 41, NU 38

I'm sick, so this is all you get this week. I'll try to pick it up again before the Michigan game this Saturday.

Josh's StatWatch
NU Passing yards/attempt: 8.8 yds/att. WHOA! (better than 6.5 = good)

Record after Game 5:
Josh's prediction: 1 win (5-3 predicting individual outcomes)
NU Record: 2-6

Michigan State Whether Report

Say Josh, tell me whether...

...Michigan State's team is mostly made of football-playing skanks.
Yes.

...Nick Roach is the best ever at reading faux Nelly lyrics.
Definitely, yes.

...you've found a new treasure trove of inside jokes for your blog.
It's called "Going to spirit sessions and annoying everyone, but also things there are funny."

...Homecoming is the best time to meet up with old classmates.
Well, it's better than jury duty. They never let you on the same jury with your friends.

...Homecoming is the worst weekend for the Chicago Marathon.
It is. I wish they'd have the marathon on January 20th.

More after the jump.

...It's pick time.
Sho nuff. It can be like dat.

...you think NU can make a win happen.
I think so. The line is MSU -7.5, O/U 48. I'm sayin NU 22, MSU 17.

Michigan State Weather Forecast

Homecoming looks to bring rains upon Evanston this year. As even the youngest child knows, NU football is best experienced AND played in the rain. So, it looks promising for the ApostroCats, if conditions hold.

The sloppy field conditions will lead to sloppy play by Drew Stanton and the Spartans. They are not blessed by the cat's natural abilities: reflexes, traction, hairballs.

Although wet, the homecoming crowd will exude good cheer, and the Cats will draw on it. Also, they will draw on running the ball over and through the demoralized MSU defense.

Cats win!

2 (more) Homecoming Lists

Looking back in time -- much easier than looking forward, it turns out -- I found the 2 lists that I wrote last year. To make my life easier, I am going to rip myself off, and do it again:

Ways to get Stephen Colbert's autograph:

• Take him hostage by impersonating his parade float driver
• Ask him to sign your copy of Alpha Squad 7: Lady Nocturne: A Tek Jansen Adventure
• Offer to trade him some delicous hummus.
  

Symptoms of both celebrating a Northwestern win and languishing in a Northwestern loss:

• Dramatic increase in beer intake
• Repeated suggestions that, "John L. Smith was great as the sketchy president on 24."
  
• Making undergrads nervous and annoyed by one's presence.
  

Michigan State Preview

Well, it's a meeting of Big Ten cellar-dwellers this Saturday. Northwestern (0-3, 2-5) will try to get a homecoming win for the third time in four years. Michigan State (0-3, 3-4) is also looking for its first conference win after losses to current #1 (Ohio State) and #2 (Michigan) as well as Illinois.

The key for NU, I think, is to keep Drew Stanton from killing us. We need to step our coverage and tackling so that he doesn't have easy middle-yardage thows all game. And we he pulls down the ball and runs, we have to meet him with teeth-rattling tackles. Make him think things through a little more each play.

Also, I'm hoping that C.J. Bacher gets the start under center for the Cats. Bacher, more than any of our current QBs has the potential to run a diverse spread offense, and we'll need that for the forseeable future.

More after the jump.

So, who the hell do we care about on Michigan State?

• Drew Stanton (#5) - The senior QB is one of the most experienced Big Ten passers around. And he's a good runner when he gets out of the pocket.
• Javon Ringer (#23) and Jehuu Caulcrick (#30) - These two running backs share the load, and are pretty solid backs. Also, Jehuu is a pretty funny name, but I can't think of a joke for it. Little help?
• Stanton throws to a lot of receivers, and the leader is Kerry "Girl's Name" Reed (#15).
• On defense, look at David Herron Jr. (#41) to be in on a lot of tackles.

Now for the good stuff:

• Sir Darean Adams (DB, #27) - Every year, it makes me want to cry that some mother named her kid Sir Darean.
• Ooh! Girls' names! Ryan Allison, Ashley Beaudouin, Kerry Reed.
• Kyle Sackrider (TE, #87) & Jonai Saint-Dic (DE, #94) - As if their names weren't unfortunate enough, they are alphabetically adjacent on the roster.
• Connor, Cooper, Decker (ouch), Fortener, Hoyer, Mayer, Miller, Pointer, Ringer, Sackrider (um), Wagner, Weaver.
  

Let's go Cats!

Purdue 31, NU 10

Another poor offensive effort. Plus, this week we added "defense can't close ground or tackle" to our list of weaknesses. Purdue, along with Illinois in November, was probably one of two chances to get a Big Ten win this year. Right now I think we're looking at an 0-fer.

Apparently Sutton had a shoulder injury on his first carry. If that's true, then when it's added to other bangs and bruises, I can accept his lack of carries. Offense line problems and QBs who make good decisions are the other two issues on our side of the football. Maybe Bacher will make his first start on Saturday and solve that last problem.

The defense's poor tackling and positioning was a little bewildering, though. It's really the first time this year that we haven't been quick to make hits and attack the ball-carrier. Maybe the New Hampshire game was like that; I've blocked that out.

More after the jump.
Josh's StatWatch
NU Passing yards/attempt: 5.5 yds/att (better than 6.5 = good)

Record after Game 5:
Josh's prediction: 0 wins (5-2 predicting individual outcomes)
NU Record: 2-5

And
In My Opinion:
Cats' O: Bacher is the only balanced QB we have right now. Maybe next year the job goes to Kafka, but now it's gotta be Bacher for the rest of the year. Remember Herbert? Throw. Him. The. Ball.
Cats' D: We're really missing Heinz, what with the bad tackling in zone defenses.
Cats' Special Teams: Nice FG by Howells. Pretty good punting too. Sherick McMannis is a quick guy, which is nice.

Let's go Cats!

Purdue Whether Report

Say Josh, tell me whether...

...the you think you know how many points it will take to beat Purdue this weekend.
I think it takes at least 24 points, barring a special defensive performance.

...the Cats have it in them to score that many points.
They do.

...they can do it in just one game.
Aren't you funny. They can do it, but it's going to take improvement across the board.

...you caught that kid, Aponavicius, at BC, last night.
That was pretty sweet. Especially because VaTech was so pissed to lose that game, too. Excellent.

...there's a better name out there than Aponavicius.
Probably not. If his name wasn't Steve, but Suicivanopa, that would be better. Palindromes are really the best.

...it's picky-picky time.
Damn right it is. The line: Purdue -7, O/U 52.5. The pick: NU 25, PU 20.

Cats win!

Purdue Weather Forecast

After Thursday's near-record low temperatures, the ApostroCats and Boilerplaters will look forward the relative balm of Saturday's mid-to-high 40s clime. Northwestern, used to the stinging lake-front winds, will play in shorts and tank tops (and flip flops.) The freedom of motion will allow them to take their offense to another level, and the defense will be liberated from the usual jersey-grabbing in the trenches.

Purdue, on the other hand, will be used to the southern breezes that October usually affords their hometown in usually-tropical Indiana. They will play in parkas, turtlenecks, snowpants and hip-waders. If you've never seen hip-waders with cleats, you should not miss this one. The extra padding will keep them warm, and the Boilers will absorb hits with ease, but lack of flexibility will hurt them more than anticipated.

Cats win!

Purdue Preview

Yay! The Wildcats (2-4, 0-2) are back home where they belong! Don't get me started on 3-game roadtrips; I'm just happy that I get to go to a game, and that hopefully we'll start a new winning trend.

This week, Northwestern takes on the Purdue Boilerplaters. Seriously, for a team with a spread offense, Purdue (4-2, 1-1) is the most boring team to watch. I mean, I'd rather go back in time 10 years and watch Nebraska play Navy (imaginary combined play total: 95 rush, 3 pass). But they do have some experience in that offense, so here's what we have to watch for.

• Curtis Painter (#12) is the junior quarterback. Despite some shaky times when he started his college career, Painter is off to a pretty good start this year.
• Kory Sheets (#24) and Jaycen "With a Y-C-E, No Really" Taylor (#33) seem to share the running load.
• Wideout Dorien "Gray" Bryant (#9), tight end Dustin Keller (#28), and receiver Selwyn Lymon (#1) are Painter's three favorite targets with over 400 yards each in receiving.
  

More after the jump.

The more (names) you know:

• Jeff Lindsay (LB, #46) and Jonte Lindsay (CB, #40) - I don't think these guys are related, but finally we get some solid girls' names. Also? Torri Williams (S, #2).
  
• Kris Staats (WR, #87) - If only his first name was Bob or Amanaplanacanalpanama. Or, even better: Staat.
• Joe Whitest (Wr, #83) - Um.
• Baker, Dubler, Fincher, Huber, Keglar, Keller, Lampert, Lecklider, Miller, Nwaneri, Painter, Pender, Prater, Sester, Spencer, Taylor, Werner - One of these names is not like the others!
  

Go Cats!

Wisconsin 41, NU 9

Well, like all of you who weren't at the game on Saturday, I only had the radio to guide me through the Cats' loss to Wisconsin. Regardless of whether it NUIT's fault or ESPN's fault that the game wasn't available on campus, one thing is clear. ESPN360 is the most useless sports product in existence. I think ESPN Mobile may have given it a run for it's money, but that service is now history.

As for the game itself. My impression is that this was a game like many others so far this season (and more to come). A decent start for the offense, followed by a pile of nothing. Are we predictable? Are we untalented? Are we physically unfit and wear down after 30 minutes? I think the answers are Maybe, No, and No. So what are we doing to have such little success.

The defense got off to a bad start, and pulled itself together a little bit later on in the game. But allowing a veteran QB to complete 16/21 is going to always kill us. That's just begging for the opposition to move down the field at will.

And on offense, the key stat is 2 of 11 on 3rd down conversions. We're not going to score if we can't put together drives. That's a combination of play-calling on the sideline (on every down) and decision-making on the field.

More after the jump.
Josh's StatWatch
NU Passing yards/attempt: 3.9 yds/att (better than 6.5 = good)

Record after Game 5:
Josh's prediction: 0 wins (4-2 predicting individual outcomes)
NU Record: 2-4

And
In My Opinion:
Cats' O: I'm aching to see Bacher get some time if Brewer can't score on Purdue. Only if Sutton is healthy. If he's not, we may need Brewer's legs more than ever.
Cats' D: Man, cut and paste what I said last week. Give these guys some time to catch air on the sidelines.
Cats' Special Teams: Hey, Howells made a FG! Oh, he missed a PAT. And all hail Sherick McMannis on KO returns.

Let's go Cats!

Wisconsin Whether Report

Say Josh, tell me whether...

...you were a little lazy about blogging this week.
Yeah. Up until today I was still uninspired following the Penn State loss. Also, the inability to watch this game on the teevee takes away some of the thrill. Never before have I more eagerly awaited the nascence of The Big Ten Channel.

...there was any other reason you didn't blog much.
Well, on Tuesday I started eating all the sushi I could eat. That ended up taking until Wednesday afternoon, which was unexpected.

...the ApostroCats have much of a chance against Wisconsin tomorrow.
I think that if we can keep the game close (maybe with good D, or with ball/clock control via running) it could be enough to take the win. We're not gonna out-gun them.

...you're still going to pick the Cats, like always.
There's a reason they call it "always." Probably. The Cats are disfavored by about 20.5 points, and the O/U is 43 points. I'm going to go with NU 15, Wisconsin 14.

Wisconsin Weather Forecast

The first Saturday in October will be a litte brisk in Madison, WI. Locals will feel the cool weather a little more than visiters from across the border in Illinois. Why? Recent studies have shown that most Madisonians are not badgers; they are, in fact, badger-shaped lizards. The cold-blooded Wisconsin fans will be nestled in their underground lairs and will probably miss the game.

With an advantage in the stands, and a physiological advantage to boot, the Cats will take a lead into halftime. The "Badgers" will not want to leave the warmth of their locker room, and they will forfeit after halftime.

Cats win!

Wisconsin Preview

I'm not sure I can do a better preview that Hodges, and I'm kind of running out of time this week, so here's what he has to say about the Cats playing the Badgers. Now, I can concentrate on what I do best: making fun of people for things they can't really help.

• Prince Moody (#31, DB) - Get ready to be Kwateng'd my friend!
• Paul Standring (#97, P) - The last (maybe) in a long line of Big Ten kickers. We miss you J.J.
• Culmer St. Jean (#14, DB) - Look. I don't like to make snap judgements about people. But is the worst football name in the history of everything.
• John Stocco (#7, QB) - Still waiting for his mexican food establishment? "Where you at?" "John Stocco's for John's tacos."
• Weininger, Walker, Turner, Stellmacher, Sherer, Schober, Rentmeester, Holzbauer, Garner, Foster, DeCremer (hee), Cooper, Carter,
  

Let's go Cats!

PSU 33, NU 7

So, what exactly were we missing on Saturday at Penn State? Well, a whole hell of a lot of things, but I'm choosing to dwell on a popular topic. Rushing.

We seem to be totally committed to not running the ball. Seriously, Tyrell Sutton? He was everyone's darkhorse Heisman candidate. He gets 8 carries in a Big Ten road game? Give me a break. Only 11 rushes by our running backs combined. There's no way to explain that strategy other than that our offensive coaches got desperate when we were down.

Maybe they need a remedial course in offensive strategy. As always I'm happy to oblige.

1. Run the ball early: get positive yards and get your legs under you.
   
2. Run the ball to set up the pass: play-action plays, or good old-fashioned passes when they pack the box against the run.
3. Run the ball toset up the run: defensive linemen get tired throughout the game and 1st-quarter 3-yard gains become 4th-quarter 8-yarders.
   

I don't really fault our defense too much from Saturday. They were out there for at least 20-25 plays more than they should have been. PSU ran 83 plays to our 58. That's just gonna kill any defense.

More after the jump.
Josh's StatWatch
NU Passing yards/attempt: 5.2 yds/att (better than 6.5 = good)

Record after Game 5:
Josh's prediction: 0 wins (3-2 predicting individual outcomes)
NU Record: 2-3

And
In My Opinion:
Cats' O: I can deal with any QB you throw out there, just give him worthwhile plays!
Cats' D: They were just fine for about 30 minutes. After that, they had to be breathing hard and cursing the offense.
Cats' Special Teams: Not much to say. Didn't let us down, but they never had the chance.

Let's go Cats!