New Blog Launches Promising Change and Hope; NQTC Signs Up

You may have noticed a new link at the top right of our blog for the Slow Breaker Network. I'll let you see for yourself what it's all about when you venture over there, but to put it as simply as I can, it is a bit of a hybrid between some blog networks like Yardbarker or BallHype and a large scope sports blog like Deadspin.

Anyway, it recently launched and NQTC has been on board from the start. You'll find links to posts from great blogs like The Basketball Jones, The World of Isaac, Ump Bump, and other hilarious sites, along with original content from Slow Breaker.

I don't want this to sound too much like a commercial, so I'll just say it's a great site with an original idea and fantastic content. So go over there, check it out and fill up the comments with the deep intellectualism that we promote here at NQTC, like Sex Cannon jokes and comparisons among Ditka, MJ, and hurricanes.

Illini get a W in First Game Since Being Ranked

Assembly Hall is rocking again this year, helping the Illini to a 67-49 win against Ohio State last night and making it seven wins in a row at home for Illinois. It was another balanced attack for Illinois, led by Mike Tisdale with 15 points, Demetri McCamey with 13, and two others in double figures.

Bruce Weber seemed to be making the right moves as well. In the first half he pulled an ineffective Tisdale and Dominique Keller stepped in with 12 points, while Tisdale returned to being the great big white hope in the second half.

This was the kind of win that has seemed to elude Illinois recently, as well as Big Ten teams ranked in the 20's. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and others I don't care to research have been victims to the 20's curse so far this year, but the Illini came together for a big win over the Buckeyes. We finally saw some offense to go along with that suffocating defense that has been a staple of Weber teams.

It was a complete game and the Illini seem to have that intangible quality where it just seems like all the parts are working. Tisdale commented after the game that it seems like this year's team is a lot more "together" than the team last year. Weber said the Illini are still looking for that big road win to be serious contenders in the conference, but I'm sure they'll be more focused on getting that eighth straight home win when they host Wisconsin this weekend.

Stormin Norman's Clutch Performance Sole Highlight in Bulls Lackluster Performance

Stormin Norman (on the right in a white shirt)

strolls off the court after soundly defeating

his opponent in a Tic Tac Toe Death Match

The Bulls played the Hawks last night and did their usual thing: play half-decent until the fourth quarter and then blow it. The real highlight of the game, however, was when I won the tic tac toe game on the court in the second quarter during a timeout.

Basically how the game works is that there is a giant tic tac toe board placed at center court. There are two contestants and each time a contestant makes a layup, he grabs an X or O and runs to center court to place it on the giant board. I went up against a kid I know from back in high school.

Yes that kid had just drank about 7 beers and could barely walk straight, however I went 4/5 on the layups to grasp victory from the hands of defeat. I know it was just a stupid game, but shooting a ball on the same court as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and other Bulls legends while 10s of thousands of fans cheered me on was a great feeling.

Should the Bulls sign me to a 10-day contract? I don't see why not. I ran harder than anyone in a Bulls uniform and I finished pretty well around the basket. Where even the great Derrick Rose struggled last night, Stormin Norman came through big time (yes Stormin Norman now talks in the third person).

What did I win, you ask? Perhaps a $1,000? A new TV? A gift certificate to ESPN Zone? Nope. A crappy XL t-shirt. Shitty I know, but the truth is I didn't need a prize. I play for the love of the game. Hear that Pax? I'll play for free. Sign Stormin Norman up now.

Today's Links

• Looks like a Peavy deal hinges on Hendry throwing in Samardijza. Seems unlikely he would do that, but anything is possible.
• Bibby and the Hawks were too much for the Bulls as the Hawks won. The real story happened during the timeouts, though. More on that later...
• Mayor Daley wants Chicago to get another professional football team besides the Bears. If they had only kept the Cardinals decades ago we would be cheering on a Super Bowl-bound team this year.
• In honor of the 44th President, here are some notable 44s in NBA history.
• Larry Hughes may be on his way out...finally. As much fun as it is to see all those DNP-CDs next to his name, Paxson may be sending him to New Jersey for Bobby Simmons and spare parts.
• That Greek priest the Cubs brought in to bless the dugout last season is pissed at Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney. This isn't a real story, is it?
• Top Ten things overheard in the Bulls locker room.

Makes You Wonder What he Said to the Team

Rod Marinelli said his goodbyes to the Detroit media today at Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Alabama. According to Tom Kowalski on Mlive.com, as three reporters from Detroit approached Rod at the practice, Marinelli waved them off, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and saying "goodbye ladies."

Oh Rod Marinelli, we hardly knew ye. Kowalski also points out that he had been told that Marinelli did not like the media in Detroit and would often bad-mouth them behind closed doors (I bet Ed Werder would let us know what Rod said). As a battered Lions fan, I saw Rod's weekly spewing of the same sound bytes over and over.

This kind of disdain for the media Marinelli showed recently is not the best way to make friends or win over public opinion, but it certainly would have been more exciting. Especially after he was 0-14 or so and had nothing to lose it would have been nice to see him go off on the press once in a while, or throw a punch at Rob Parker.

Another thing this story made me think of was Rod's farewell to his team. I'm sure he liked them a lot more than he liked reporters and may have been beaten badly if he called them ladies, but you have to think he had some ammo for the players if he felt so inclined.

Personally, I would love to learn that he went off on Kitna, berated Orlovsky for running out of the endzone, or told the offensive linemen and defensive backs that they could trade positions and the team wouldn't be any worse for it.

All in all, Marinelli is a respected position coach with a reputation for discipline and he should be a good fit for the Bears. It is scary to hire a coach that just went 0-16, but the Bears made a nice hire.

Fan Wins $1 Million at Hawks Game

When Martin Havlat scored the only goal of the night in a 4-1 loss for the Blackhawks last night, a lucky fan won a million dollars.

A promotion by the Illinois Lottery gives a million bucks to one lucky fan when the Blackhawks score a goal with exactly ten minutes remaining in the second period. Last night Havlat hit it on the dot and the lottery folks took a hit.

It was funny for me because of a discussion we had with some fans around us at Friday's Hawks game. Some wondered if the giveaway was for a goal during the entire 10th minute of the period, and remarked that it was "impossible" to win the prize. I remarked that they were giving away $1 million, not a cup of coffee.

Turns out it wasn't that impossible after all. The lucky winner got the chance to thank Havlat outside the locker room after the game and the Blackhawks plan on introducing the winner before Wednesday's game against St. Louis.

Andres Nocioni Is The Best Player On The Bulls

Obviously I don't think that, and neither does most of the universe. We here at NQTC, however, are not always swayed by intangible things and feelings we get from watching the games. We also like to look at stats sometimes (and by "We" I mean "Me" since StevieY19's belief in a crazy concept called "clutch-hitting" is nearly dogmatic). This may come as a shock to most of you, but according to BullsByTheHorns:

Based on NBA.com’s Lenovo Plus-Minus Stats – wait, I’m sorry, make that their AutoTrader.com Plus-Minus Stats – the Bulls are +71 points this season when Chapu is on the floor, making him much better than Rose (-127), Gooden (-64), Deng (-62) and Gordon (-11), not to mention Joakim Noah (-11), Larry Hughes (-33), Thabo Sefolosha (-36) and Tyrus Thomas (-98). The only player who comes close to Noc is Kirk Hinrich (+54), and only Demetris Nichols (who has appeared in two games this season) is the only other Chicago player on the plus-side of the ledger
(+13).
Now, according to 82games.com, Nocioni ranks 23rd in the league in Net Points Per 100 Possessions at +10.8. Not only does that number place him ahead of high-profile guys like Chris Bosh, Shaq, Dwight Howard, Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, etc., it makes him by far the top player on his own team. The next closest Bull, Joakim Noah, currently ranks 72nd at +3.0. For the sake of comparison, Rose is way, way down the list at -9.4.

Ok, so these crazy metrics show that Nocioni and Noah are the best players on the Bulls. Obviously I don't agree with that, but what are we comparing them to? Noah may be the best option at the 5 competing with Gray and Gooden, who are slow and a natural 4 respectively. It is possible the team plays better overall with Noce in the game, though for limited stretches he is extremely frustrating. Obviously Rose is the best player on this team, and his low +/- is a reflection of the fact that he has been on the court a ton of minutes and the Bulls have a losing record.

By the way, check out the site BullByTheHorns. Its a new Bulls blog written by a co-writer of Deadspin and Basketbawful, two great sites.

A Meal To Die For

This is not sports-related at all, but I felt the need to share. My pops showed it to me, most likely in a vain attempt to reveal to me how unhealthy my life is. Well joke's on him! This looks unbelievably delicious and if I'm ever passing through Chandler, Arizona, you can be damn sure I will be stopping in for a Triple-Bypass Burger with a Fry Bar on the side. Everything is cooked in lard...mmm mmm good.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Today's Links -- Inauguration Day Edition

• Obama takes the oath today; Tiger Woods spoke at the "We Are One" rally yesterday. At another rally, an old white woman called Tiger an Asian terrorist.
• ESPN ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber is done at ESPN. tWWL is searching for a new watchdog and since I didn't get the Lions GM job, I'm available.
• Beat Lebron and the Cavs, then lose to Duhon and the Knicks. Those crazy Bulls.
• The Sox signed Bobby Jenks to a one year deal, avoiding arbitration with the rotund closer...Cubs do the same with Gregg.
• Cardinals hooligans vandalized McNabb's Arizona home. Seriously? This is less insulting and way less funny than this Steelers sign, which I laughed at for a while during the game.
• Kurt Warner is going back to the Super Bowl. Oh great, more Brenda Warner covera...wait, what?
• Blackhawks lose at home to Minnesota, despite 40 saves by Khabibulin. 4-1 final.

Illinois Cracks Top 25!!!

The Fighting Illini 15-3 (3-2) have cracked both polls this week. They are #24 in the ESPN poll and #25 in the AP. It's been a long wait, but the day has finally come. The good times are here again. (Thanks to Ethan for the tip)

A Concise and Effective Plan for the Chicago Bears Offseason

Obviously we have a few months to analyze what the Bears needs are in the off-season. I have heard a lot of talk about quarterbacks, receivers, defensive backs, etc. Without doing any in-depth research, my initial conclusions are short and sweet, but don't hold me to them:

• We need a premier wide receiver. Trade for Anquan Boldin or sign a free agent. (NOT an overpaid veteran on the downslope of his career i.e. Mushin Muhammed).



• This goes against what I just said, but if Jeremy Maclin is on the board at 18, how can you not take him?



• Do not spend a lot of money on a quarterback! Get a decent backup (Leftwich or Chris Simms maybe?), but do not overspend on someone who may or may not be more effective than Neckbeard. I'm looking at you Matt Cassel, Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner! Stay away from Chicago.



• Let Jerry Angelo do what he does best, improve the defense through the draft. Most of the effective players that made the Bears defense great these last few years were drafted in middle and late rounds by Jerry. He is a great talent evaluator when it comes to defensive playmakers that fit the Cover 2 system. Let him do his thing. My top suggestion is to draft an entirely new secondary. Even though I still like Peanut, we need depth at all 4 defensive back positions.



• That being said, maybe bringing in Julius Peppers to replace an aging Ogunleye isn't a bad idea.



• Is Urlacher's day done? Not quite, but maybe it's time to look for a legitimate replacement for him in the draft for 2-3 years from now. If you're one of those people that wants to move Briggs to the middle, then look for Briggs replacement.

The biggest changes that need to be made are obviously with the coaching staff. If Lovie can't change the mindset of the defense, then it won't matter what personnel they bring in. More draft coverage to come as it draws closer.

Cubs Convention Recap

I wasn't at the Cubs convention myself, but there are a few tidbits of news that came out of it which might be interesting. Here's a little recap of the highlights (and lowlights):

• Zambrano thinks Lasik surgery will fix his subpar numbers from the second half of the season last year. Seems unlikely that fixing his eyes will fix the fatigue in his arm.



• Speaking of tired arms, it appears that Harden has a minor tear in his shoulder. It's unclear how serious it is, but the coaching staff assures us its no big deal. Hmmm.



• Apparently Soriano is willing to bat in whichever position Lou puts him. Lou says he likes Fonzy in the leadoff but will consider other options. Same old same old.



• Apparently there will be a competition between Gregg and Marmol for closer. I'm on board with that, but we all know Marmol is the guy. As I've said a hundred times, Gregg is Bobby Howry 2.0.



• Hendry was booed on Friday. I presume it had to do with dealing DeRosa, but who knows with Cubs fans. Apparently when Aaron Miles was introduced, the fans chanted "De-Ro, De-Ro" so there you have it.



• Apparently Samardijza was told to report to spring training "ready to start". Obviously injuries and other circumstances may change that, but the question becomes; Who does he start over? With Harden, Z, Lilly, Dempster, Marshall, there's not much room. I guess Marshall would be the obvious one to lose his spot if Samardijza has a good spring.



• Improvements to Wrigley were discussed. The new Friendly Confines Cafe by right field will be opening. Also the new triangle building across the street should be ready around 2012-2013.



• Soto was MIA from the convention. Probably not a big deal.



• Day 3 was much of the same as day 1 and 2. Repeated assurances from Hendry all weekend that the dealing was far from over. Numerous questions about the order of the lineup.



• Were you wondering why Bradley was given Sosa's number 21? So were a lot of fans, since there are some expectations that his number may be retired.



• A lot of discussion had on Day 3 revolved around the Cubs farm system. I'm not too familiar with it, but apparently there is a push for "more athletic pitchers". Hopefully that means pitchers not made of glass.

All in all the biggest news to come out of the convention wasn't related to it at all. That was the deal that sent Pie to Baltimore for spare parts. Otherwise there was nothing especially interesting. Hendry was very coy in responding to all questions about Jake Peavy, which would lead one to believe a deal is still possible. Pitchers and catchers report soon, so stay tuned...

Today's Links

• The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl! And apparently AJ over at Deadspin has to get a new tattoo.
• The Steelers will be joining them. That AFC Championship was hard-hitting, but boring. Agreed?
• Shut up mom! I want to play my XBox! I'm going to hit you and throw this taco at you if you don't shut up!
  
• Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose together in the backcourt, is it a good combo or a bad one? Henry Abbott breaks down their dynamic during the Cleveland game.
  
• Bye bye Felix Pie. The question remains; is Garrett Olson the key to a Peavy deal? Is everything the key to a Peavy deal?
• Two-Month old fetus officially decreed to be NCAA "prospect". Just kidding, but seriously, where are the boundaries here?
• The Bears need a wide receiver, and while I'm more in favor of a defensive back, this guy looks really REALLY good.
• Remember Matt Sylvester? That f#$%er that beat Illinois to ruin their undefeated season? Things aren't going so well for him these days. Good.
  

Your Sunday Dwayne Wade Sexually Transmitted Disease Alert

I couldn't wait until Monday to post this. Here's a little background on the story. Dwayne Wade has been in ongoing divorce proceedings with his wife, Siohvaughn Wade, for a while now. Apparently she moved back to Chicago last year and the divorce has been ongoing. He has supposedly completely cut her and the kids off financially. In a bizarre twist, however, she is now accusing him of infecting her with an STD:

In legal papers, she alleges he abandoned his children, committed adultery, and infected her with an unspecified sexually transmitted disease. She wants the names of ''all of his sexual partners'' during their six-year marriage.

Apparently he was linked to many celebrities (i.e. Gabriella Union). This story is completely believable. It's not that I don't like or trust D-Wade, I love him. It's just that these NBA athletes are notorious for having "road beef" and cheating on their spouses a lot.

I wish the best of luck to Wade's attorney in finding the names of all those women. Considering it is probably a different woman in every city he travels to (and who knows what kind of disease he picked up in China from Chinese women), I have to think it would be impossible to figure out every one. I would be surprised if Wade remembers all their names.

Irony: He was named 2007 "Father of the Year" by the Father's Day Committee.

Clemson fans will Straight up Beat Ass

Don't come crashing into the Clemson students and expect to come out unharmed. This guy will think twice before going for a loose ball again.

George Brett Shits His Pants

I know we posted this a few months ago, but it's just so funny. Get excited for baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report in less than 4 weeks.

Your Weekend Viewing Guide

We've got some great college basketball going on Saturday, along with the Bulls and Hawks; then the conference championship games for the NFL on Sunday. We want to thank everyone for reading this week. Have a great weekend. *Must see games

Saturday:

11 A.M.- NCAAB (12) Notre Dame at (8) Syracuse (ESPN)
1 P.M.- NCAAB Butler at UIC (ESPN2)
3 P.M.- NCAAB Illinois at (10) Michigan State (ESPN)*
3 P.M.- CFB East-West Shrine Game (ESPN2)
7 P.M.- NCAAB Ohio State at (24) Michigan (BTN)
7:30 P.M.- NBA New Orleans at Chicago (CSN)
7:30 P.M.- NHL Chicago at St. Louis (WGN)

Sunday:

1 P.M.- NCAAB Minnesota at Northwestern (BTN)
2 P.M.- NFL Philadelphia at Arizona (FOX)*
5:30 P.M.- Baltimore at Pittsburgh (CBS)*
6 P.M.- Australian Open 1st Rd. (ESPN2)

You Know It's a Good Night When Tyrus Swats The King

It's moments like this that make Tyrus so frustrating, and yet so tantalizing:



Oh, and Lebron definitely traveled there.

I Promise Not To Get To Excited About The Bulls Finally Beating LeBron

I don't want to get too excited about the Bulls big win against the Cavs last night. Thanks to StevieY, a noted Bulls hater, for keeping my excitement in check with his annoying sarcasm. Here is our conversation from last night towards the end of overtime when the Bulls had a 10 point lead (Edited a bit, I took out a lengthy conversation about the Nazi Shark's love for Duke basketball):

Stormin Norman: Do you see this game?

StevieY19: What game?

SN: The Bulls are up 11 in overtime against the Cavs. It's on national TV.

SY19: The Bulls?

SN: I know I'm shocked too.

SY19: I'm not shocked, I just couldn't care less. Are the Cavs even good?

SN: Lebron hasn't made a fg since the first minute of the 2nd half. Its like the opposite of what he did to Detroit that one time. Quick question: Guess who got DNP-CDed?

SY19: Who? Larry? Maybe they'll bring him in for a late collapse.

SN: I love that this game is nationally televised.

SY19: Why? So everyone knows the Bulls are back? Deng just got hurt from that back bump, I bet he'll be out 3-4, or probably 6-8 weeks.

SN: You're a dick.

SY19: Before you write 4 posts tomorrow about this meaningless January game, I have a post going up at 9 AM, so you'll have to post them at a different time.

SN: The Bulls look impressive, admit it.

SY19: I didn't watch the game but having Hinrich and Deng back obviously makes them better.

SN: And Gooden back too.

SY19: I already said one nice thing about the Bulls, I'm not going to start praising players I hate.

The conversation goes on and on, but you get my point. I know I said I would temper my excitement, but after reading this conversation again it just makes me think about how StevieY is sour grapes. This is a huge win for the Bulls. Does it mean they are "back"? No. But its one of the flashes this season that show they can be great with just a little tweaking here and there (most notably at the coaching position). Back-to-back wins against playoff teams is nothing to laugh at, especially after the rough stretch the Bulls just came out of. Go Bulls!

Ankle Insurance? Sign Andre Miller Up!

This Kobe Bryant commercial for his new shoes is hilarious. I bet Andre Miller wishes he had some after he got humiliated by D-Rose.