By Paul M. Banks
A women’s college basketball piece on the Sports Bank?

Yes, indeed when you’ve heard new Northwestern’s women coach Joe McKeown roc the mic.

Right after Homecoming, NU brought out both the men’s and women’s college coaches after football head coach Pat Fitzgerald to preview their respective seasons. McKeown, who was hired away from George Washington with the 13th highest winning percentage in history, was more entertaining and witty than many stand-up comedy acts I’ve seen. Or maybe I’m exaggerating because most pressers are cliché conventions filled with the usual tautologies while this one was quite funny by contrast.

When asked about his star point guard…

“We pick her up in a limo everyday to make sure she gets to practice on time, we put her up in the coaches’ suite at every hotel and make sure she doesn’t have to lift a finger, just play point guard 40 minutes a game. She’s a tough kid….we didn’t really pick her up in a limo that’s illegal, so we’re on the same page here.”

When asked about one of the twins that plays post for him…

“I’m glad coach Fitz is not at practice cause if he was, he would steal her and make her a linebacker or a running back. She just wants to HIT somebody, she’s a tough kid.”

On his outlook and focus…

“I have a lot of goals, but I’m not sharing them. My first one was just [More …]

“Give thanks to the bountiful blessing of useless information you are about to receive”

By Paul M. Banks

-On November 12th, shortly after the city of Chicago celebrated the election of native son Barack Obama, two of his former environmental advisors came together for the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s 15th Anniversary Dinner Celebration at the international ballroom of Chicago’s Fairmont Hotel- the same hotel where future vice president Joe Biden stayed on election night. My recap from attending this event can be found here.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/chicago-blue-state/2008/Nov/21/clean-energy-solutions-for-the-climate-crisis/

-The event included many people with juice in the environmental world; including higher-ups from Google and the World Bank with Bill Kurtis was the moderator. I got to chat with him, but did not have the opportunity to record him making a sound-bite “Look what I found on THE INTERNET…The Sports Bank.net”

 
 
-Rikki, you go girl. Check out how TSB’s ranking is moving on up like the Jefffersons
http://www.urlfan.com/local/the_sports_bank_net_jets_preview/103378580.html

The Sports Bank.net: Jets Preview
Post Date: Sep 28, 2008 1:38 a.m.
Ranked website: cowboyspride.net (Ranks #189,162 of 3,783,534)

95th %tile now!!!

-The photo guy from the Chicago Tribune Red Eye edition ran into me at an event last month and recognized me instantly from my past Friday Fives appearance wearing my Bill Belichick Halloween costume. When I introduced myself, he asked me how my Patriots sweatshirt and headset were doing. 

-After the White Sox signing of Cuban defector Dayan Viciedo, I finally got around to watching [More …]

 By Paul M. Banks and Soxman

(PMB) If Che Guevara were alive today, his favorite Major League infield might very well be the White Sox because it could boast 2 Cuban nationals in 2008 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Alexei Ramirez and recently signed 3B prospect Dayan Viciedo. (And yes I know that Che was originally Argentinian, but history and pop culture has rewritten him as Cuban) The Sox starting second baseman batted .290 with 21 homers and 77 RBI and was considered one of the best bargains in baseball.

Did the Sox just massively overpay in signing Viciedo? Or will he be another bargain like Alexei? Soxman and I are here to tell you whether you should raise your rum glass and celebrate the signing or if we’re about to embark on a Cuban Baseball Crisis. Viva la Revolucion!
 

(PMB) So tell us about the tools that make Viciedo such an excellent young phenom. Hopefully, they will offset all the negative things I’ve heard about his attitude problems and weight issues…
 
(SM) How’s this for hype: “the Cuban Babe Ruth?”  Without ever even seeing a major league at bat, comparing him to one of the greatest hitters to ever wear a major league uniform will surely bring high expectations.
 
The key factor to remember is that this guy is only 19 years old, and that’s not in “El Duque” years either.  He appears to be a legitimate 19, [More …]

By Rikki Greenberg

As a Jets fan, there are many things I am thankful for this season. Eliminating the possibility of a Tennessee Titans undefeated season is one of them.  The Gang Green (8-3) owned “the best team in football” in a breathtaking 34-13 victory over the Titans at LP Field during Week 12 of the regular season.  The Big Cheese (25-of-32 for 225 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) zipped balls left and right, running back Neon Leon Washington (8 carries for 82 yards) zipped past Titan defenders with two rushing touchdowns and NYJ bested the Titans in almost every important statistical game category (time of possession and total net yards to name a few).

For a team that was supposedly the best in the league, productivity on the field was disappointing to say the least. Rejuvenated Titans quarterback Kerry Collins (21-of-39 for 243 yards, 1 TD) failed to really get anything major going on offense and the Titans defense couldn’t keep up with Favre’s quick release and stifling accuracy.

With five consecutive victories, the Jets climb back on top of their division and finally look like the team to beat in the AFC.  All aspects of Mangini and his merry men in spandex seem to be on equal footing. Worries of “the Gunslinger (I was going to take this phrase out, but I know how much David K. loves it when people refer to Favre as a gunslinger) of the East” being unable to gel with his new [More …]

Paul M. Banks interviews Juice Williams following the end of Illinois’ disastrous season.

The St. Louis-bred social philosopher Nelly once told us, “Can’t nobody stop the juice, so baby tell me what’s the use” in his 2002 hit “Hot in Here.” This maxim was true for opposing defenses all season as Illinois quarterback Juice Williams broke the school record for single season total offense with 3,892 combined passing and rushing yards. On his way to breaking the record of Tony Eason –the New England Patriots starting QB in Super Bowl XX- Juice broke single game total offense records for both Memorial Stadium and Michigan Stadium, the latter of which is especially impressive given the rich history of Michigan Wolverines football.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Fighting Illini didn’t have juice like Williams did on the field. After 2007’s Rose Bowl Champaign campaign, most people in Illination expected a similar encore in 2008. Instead, Illinois finished just 5-7 after getting walloped by #20 Northwestern 27-10 on Saturday. This “earned” them the dubious distinction of being the first team to go from Rose Bowl one year to no bowl the next since (well, Illinois again in) 1984. However that team was sanctioned by the NCAA and allowed no bowl appearance. The last team to legitimately go from Roses to thorns was over 40 years ago.   Soon after Juice watched the fans of his rival team storm Ryan Field in celebration, I asked him if expectations were too high in [More …]

By Soxman

As Chicago is starting to feel like frozen tundra of sorts, with winds doing a better job of cutting than Chris Johnson did last week, Soxman had another strong week in Fantasy football winning in my money and IDP leagues, yet falling in my neighborhood league to a shocking 6-5.

In the neighborhood league my receiver corps was pretty much non-existent.  Andre Johnson, Colston, and Royal combined to catch…well, Paul M. Banks caught more colds on his recent pilgrimage to Boston than these guys caught anything!

Yet I rejoice in my IDP league as I destroyed the league leader to knock him out of first place.

So as we approach Week 12, here are my thoughts on week 12:

Quarterbacks

Get Them Active!!!

Again, do I really need to tell you to start Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Tony Romo?

Jay Cutler

Sure Oakland actually has a pretty awesome defense against the pass (I have two of their DBs in my IDP league) but their offense is horrible and their running game is banged up, meaning Jay Cutler will have plenty of passing opportunities.

Eli Manning

Manning has thrown at least 1 TD pass in 9 straight games and is facing a Cardinals defense that made Shaun Hill look like a young Brett Favre.

Kyle Orton

As long as his ankle keeps healing, the fiery Orton will be looking to come out strong this week and make amends for last week’s embarrassing loss to [More …]

 

By Paul M. Banks

At a time when Chicago native and President-Elect Barack Obama speaks of bringing a much needed playoff system to college football, two teams from the Land of Lincoln will square off Saturday with major bowl implications on both sides. Illinois needs a win to become bowl-eligible and give itself an opportunity for a second straight postseason appearance. (This would break a 16 year consecutive bowl seasons drought)  Northwestern, which has secured its first bowl trip since 2005, will try and upgrade their Holiday destination. The Wildcats’ best bowl possibilities are either the Outback or Alamo Bowl. The winner of this “Rivalry Saturday” battle also gains the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy. Since the spoil was awarded to the victor in 1945, Illinois holds a 32-27-2 series lead.

“It’s our rivalry game, there’s a trophy missing in our trophy case. Last year we went down to Champaign and they took it to us,” Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said about the Illini beating NU 41-22 last year. This year, Illinois has performed FAR below expectations as they head into the season’s final contest in “play-in game” mode. Win and they’ll likely get a bottom-tier bowl berth, lose and they’ll be home for the holidays. Last week, the Illini lost to #10 Ohio St. in a game that was a perfect microcosm of Illinois’ season. They displayed the top-tier talent they possess in out-gaining the Buckeyes by more than 100 yards, yet lost the game by 10 [More …]

 

By Rikki Greenberg 

Let’s face it folks. The battle between the disgruntled Chicago Bears (5-5) and the disembodied St. Louis Rams (2-8) has major pride implications for both teams.  Both the Bears and Rams are coming off embarrassing losses (37-3 for the Chi, 35-16 for the Lou) and could use a little boost in the self-confidence department. With home-field advantage on my side, all fingers point to the Chicago Bears steamrolling over the Rams. If the Bears win this game, they have a better chance of not completely falling apart against the Minnesota Vikings (5-5) and come out on top in the NFC North.

Offense

Rams -The Rams are hurting offensively with both running back Steven Jackson (quad) and left tackle Orlando Pace (knee sprain) out with injuries. Second-year running back out of  OSU Antonio Pittman (in place of Jackson) averaged 6.8 yards per attempt against the 49ers last Sunday and showed steady offensive production throughout the game. (Although Pittman is listed as probable because of a hamstring injury on NFL.com, he is more than likely to make an appearance against the Bears this Sunday). Pace’s replacement will be tackle Adam Goldberg, (not to be confused with the actor who played the “Hebrew Hammer”) a sixth year veteran out of Wyoming.
 

Bears – The Bears have made a couple changes offensively since the devastating loss to the Packers. Apparently, the 14th overall 2008 draft pick rookie left tackle Chris Williams made his debut late in the game [More …]

“A Wicked Good Read”

By Paul M. Banks

-Does anyone know how the New England slang term “wicked” got started? I was at my first Boston Celtics home game and noticed that the standard crowd noise meter includes “wicked loud” at TD Banknorth Garden. I’ll bet it has roots in Salem, a town about 45 minutes north of Boston known as “Witch City” and where I saw that cool sign. 

-I actually learned what a “wicked pissah” is this week and you could easily apply it to Red Sox 2B Dustin “the Destroyah” Pedroia who won the AL MVP on Tuesday complementing his ‘07 ROY and ‘08 Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Given his diminutive stature (5’7”), how long before we sports journalists refer to him as the “Doug Flutie of baseball,” evoking another small athlete from Boston who always got things done?

-Given the unparalleled success of Boston sports these past couple years, “Chowdahhead” fans have helped bring national awareness to the regional dialect. Wikipedia actually has articles on the Boston dialect and even my own native Midwest dialect; we of course have absolutely no accent whatsoever.
-A great column mentioning how Bill Belichick is conducting perhaps the best coaching performance of his career.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=crwinnersandlosers110908&prov=yhoo&type=lgn

-Yes, welcome to yet another travel edition of WIR. Like ESPN College Gameday, sometimes we’re in the studio, sometimes we take our show on the road. Of course, I’ve already done two WIRs on Boston sports [More …]

Paul M. Banks vs. David K. & Rikki Greenberg

During the first quarter of the game I was texting back and forth with two girls: one was Palestinian-American, the other Jewish-American. I pointed this out to my friend at the game with me, who said “Yes Banks, no one can bring people together and unify them, like you can. The world can all agree on your love and knowledge of the NFL.” With the hippy stuff out of the way, let’s get to the rivalry and conflict.

I began by texting both of them what “Rudy’s” father said upon seeing the inside of Notre Dame Stadium

PMB: This is the most beautiful site these eyes have ever seen 8:17

RG: Yes, I’m sure it is UR going down Belichick 8:21

PMB: Don’t sing it. bring it 8:29

RG: Its already been brougthen 8:31

RG: I guess using ur body to get 2 da top works 8:32

PMB: When u got it, flaunt it honey. I play all the angles to get ahead 8:33

RG: Its scary how well it worked 8:34

RG: Oh wat wat take that grey sweathsort one 8:39 after the Jets jumped out to a big early lead

RG: Oh shit! NEON LEON BABY! GRAB DA KLEENEX NOW CUZ IT’S GONNA GET UGLY 8:41 after the KO return TD

PMB: There’s a drunk girl in a The Devil Wears Prada hat and pink Favre jersey two seats over 8:45

(Later the Gillette Stadium audio guy [More …]