Southern Illinois Sports Connection

Put the Pigskin Away and Break Out the Round Ball

2009-11-28T03:42:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend always means two things other than a lot of turkey; the end of high school football and the beginning of boys high school basketball. The ladies kicked off last week all over the area.

A quick run-down of the first day of the IHSA State Football State Championships.

1A - Tuscola over Lexington 14-7.

2A - Morrison over Maroa-Forsyth 36-14.

3A - Stillman Valley over Tolono (Unity) 52-22.

4A - Metamora over Geneseo 41-7.

One last football note right now in the local area; an interesting story is in news and message boards as Greenville HS has filed a complaint with the IHSA, over alleged weapons used by Tolono (Unity) players during last weeks Semi-Final game.

Story Link

Now for some roundball!

Sesser will play Zeigler-Royalton in the Championship game of the Christopher Turkey Tourney tonight at 7:30 p.m. ZR enters with a razor thin one point win while the Red Devils of Sesser enter the title game on the last second lay-in of Kendall Gibson. This game proves to be a very good match-up. Look for Sesser to be hungry, seeing as they have lost the last two years to ZR in the Championship game of this tourney.

A match-up of Williamson County school takes place at the same time, only in Herrin as the Tigers will play Marion for the Championship of the Pyramid Classic.

One more note, SIU plays host to EIU in the first round of the NCAA FCS (I-AA) playoffs. Kick-off is 1:00 p.m. at the Mac.

It's about time for bed, but I still have photos to work on!

Bucket Hat out.

And than there was one.

2009-11-09T16:05:00.002-06:00

The only team from the deep south (we are not talking 618, which I will get to later) remains, and that is the 238th team to get into state playoffs, the Nashville Hornets. The Hornets, from the SIRR Mississippi defeated the Auburn Trojans in a phenomenal DOUBLE OVERTIME thriller, 48-41. The Hornets will battle the #3 seed Tolono (Unity) Rockets Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 in Nashville.

Keeping it in the SIRR, the Murphysboro Lady Red Devils saw their season come to an end Saturday night in Greenville as the Freeburg Lady Midgets won the second consecutive Super-Sectional 25-16, 25-17. The Lady Devils finished their season with 34 wins and 4 losses (with 2 losses coming at the hands of Freeburg). Freeburg will meet with Carlinville Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. on Doug Collins Court, at Red Bird Arena in Normal.

Many local cross country runners enjoyed a run in Detweiller Park this past Saturday. For the gents, Fairfield's Bryant Simpson finished in 11th place. In 24th place, Nashville's Kiefer Heiman; 26th place Benton's Dylan Hartley; 28th place Wade Reeves and 29th place Jon Hill, both from Sparta. As for the ladies, Aleigh Eggemeyer of Sparta finished 18th and Benton's Kaitlyn Schutt finished 39th.

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, I have a few options for you:

1 - Catch an IHSA Quarter-Final football game at various locations in the 618, which include; Breese (Mater Dei) @ 1:00 p.m., Nashville @ 1:30 p.m., O'Fallon @ 1:00 p.m., or Greenville @ 1:00 p.m.

2 - Head to the Mac for the final regular season home game for the SIU Salukis. The Dawgs kick off at 2:00 p.m. against the Missouri State Bears. A little side note, SIU is ranked #1 in NCAA Div. I-AA (FCS).

3 - If football doesn't suit your fancy, perhaps Volleyball does. Beginning Friday morning, the IHSA State Volleyball Finals (all classes) kicks off. This is the big stage for many teams and officials alike; one of those officials is Judy Stark, of Benton. Judy is one of eight officials selected by the IHSA to be a line judge in Normal. Congrats Judy!

Look for a more detailed report of Round 2 Playoffs tomorrow, for all classes. I am off to Rent One Park for the "Southern" - "Illinois" Coaches vs. Cancer event.

Enjoy your evening.

Bucket Hat

Remember, remember the 5th of November!

2009-11-05T21:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, so no one was trying to blow up the House of Parliament, but the Murphysboro Lady Red Devils were most certainly explosive tonight in Harrisburg.

Tonight all across the state we had Sweet 16 Sectional Championships for Girls Volleyball; lets run through some of our local matches.

At the Harrisburg Class 2A Sectional, Murphysboro defeated Fairfield in straight sets, 25-21, 25-11. Murphysboro was led all around by future Saluki netter Jessica Whitehead. The Lady Devils move on to the Super-Sectional at Greenville this Saturday night.

One the other side of the Greenville Super, Freeburg defeated Staunton 25-10, 25-4 at Columbia. Freeburg beat the Lady Devils earlier this season at the Mascoutah Tourney, 25-19, 28-26. Look for Murphysboro to be fired up heading into Greenville this Saturday night.

In class 1A, a team on the bubble of our coverage area was upset tonight at Red Hill. The Albion (Edwards Co.) Lady Lions, a favorite to make a run to Normal were beat by the Lady Pirates of Toledo (Cumberland) 22-25, 25-8, 23-25. Edwards Co. finishes the season with a record of 34-4.

Speaking of 30 win seasons, Benton finished with 30 wins after their loss to Murphysboro Tuesday night 23-25, 23-25.

Tomorrow we will have a small preview of the Greenville Class 2A Super-Sectional and the Albion (Edwards Co) Class 1A Super-Sectional, as well as an insight on the Boys and Girls State Cross Country Championships up at Detweiller Park in Peoria!

Everyone enjoy the rest of your night (or morning depending on when you read this); I have to hang the volleyball shirt up for the last time of 2009.

Bucket Hat

Tough day on the gridiron

2009-11-04T08:15:00.002-06:00

While Southern Illinois businesses are gearing up for Black Friday in just a few weeks Southern Illinois football teams hosted their own version of Black Saturday during opening round playoff games.

In all seven of 12 teams fell by the wayside during Week No. 1 action. Massac County, Harrisburg, Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn, Johnston City, Chester, Carterville and Carbondale all saw their respective season end in opening round play.

That leaves Marion, Anna-Jonesboro, Nashville, Du Quoin and Fairfield as the remaining teams from our region.

Let's look quickly at who those five teams are playing. And I should state up front that while a mediocre team might slip into a first round game there are no bad teams when you reach round two.

In Class 5A Marion at 9-1 will match up against Peoria Richwoods, also with a 9-1 mark. I said it in Week 7, I said it again in Week 8 and 9 and now I'm repeating myself again in Week 11 ... Marion could be a darkhorse in Class 5A. The Wildcats will be at home for a second successive week. Game time is Saturday at 4 p.m.

In Class 4A with Massac County, Harrisburg and Belleville Althoff making a quick exit deep Southern Illinois really took a direct hit. In games featuring teams from just outside our immediate area Breese Mater Dei (9-1) will meet Freeburg and Mt. Carmel (8-2) will meet undefeated Rochester. Mater Dei lost it's season opener to a very good Effingham team and now has reeled off nine straight wins. Rochester is a perenial 4A power. I like Mater Dei and Rochester to keep rolling along.

In Class 3A Southern Illinois is best represented with Du Quoin, Fairfield, Anna-Jonesboro and Nashville still remaining. It's an interesting aspect to look at the conference breakdown of these teams.
First, the SIRR Mississippi Division has half its teams left heading into round two of the playoffs, by far the best mark of any team in the South. All three teams from the Mississippi are clearly involved in winnable games. Anna-Jonesboro is on the road for a second straight week heading to Pana (7-3) while Nashville, fresh off a thrilling 21-19 victory over SVWW, will host an 8-2 Auburn team. Perhaps the toughest draw goes to Du Quoin, who will travel north to take on undefeated Tolono Unity.

Also in Class 3A Fairfield, fresh off a 30-0 shellacking of Breese Central, will host undefeated Greenville. Fairfield finished in third place in the Black Diamond Conference, losint to SVWW and Carterville by a combined total of five points, but is the lone representative from The Diamond as we head into week two.

While it wasn't a good showing in week one the great thing about high school playoff football is that hope springs enternal each Saturday afternoon. And as that old adage states: 'The games you remember are the games in November.'

We're Back

2009-11-04T08:02:00.002-06:00

OK, first things first ... we deserve 40 lashes with a wet noodle for sloughing off on this blog. We could blame it on a number of things but the truth is that we just didn't do a very good job keeping things updated and then 'not doing a very good job' turned into neglect on our part.

But, with new people on board, a renewed sense of enthusiasm and some great new ideas about how to use this site as a compliment to Southern Illinois Sports Connection we're back, period.

-- Jim Muir --

Don't Worry!

2009-11-04T00:11:00.003-06:00

If you've been visiting our website lately, you've noticed it's not been updated in a while.....not anymore. We are in the process of redesigning the website; so if things start to look a bit off, they are.

The staff of SISC will be updating the blog daily, sometimes twice daily (or even more during the peak of basketball, baseball, ect.)

So, in short, stay with us in this time of re-formatting and we will work hard to bring you a quality product in print, and online here at SISportsConnection.com!

CK

Jumping out of January...

2009-01-31T11:10:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe but we are already at the end of January. It seems like we just entered the new year. However, time and the sports world goes on in all three aspects so let's get started.

Prep Report
- It was rivalry night in Southern Illinois it seemed as the games that got in had rivalry implications. Impressive road wins by West Frankfort at Benton, Pinckneyville at Nashville, and Trico at Sesser-Valier.
- West Frankfort has won 3 games in 2 weeks after going winless most of the season.
- Herrin is on a streak after winning the WF Tournament last week, they beat Harrisburg at home last night. Today, they jump on a bus and head to play Pleasant Plains in the Pleasant Plains shoot out. This is a rematch of the 2002 Class A State Championship game.
- Who said that Pinckneyville wouldn't be good? A road win at Nashville has changed all of that and the run they have been on in 2009 after winning the BIT again.
- Speaking of Pinckneyville, it will be the place to be today as they are hosting their annual shootout. It has been going on for a long time and it is well run.

College Sports
- SIU is on the road at Evansville tonight. Both teams are facing quick turnarounds for games as the winter storm played havoc with their schedules this week.
- It is another big day of college basketball today with wall to wall coverage on every channel imaginable.
- You have to love college basketball right now in the heart of conference season.

Pro Sports
- Serena Williams has won the Australian Open in tennis this morning.
- The Super Bowl is finally tomorrow.
- Donovan McNabb wants to retire an Eagle. We shall see what management has to say.
- Shaq vs. Kobe...a marketing ploy...we await the opinion of Kobe on this one. If it was...pure genius.
- Speaking of the NBA, the Eastern Conference right now is the Celtics, Cavs, and then everyone else.
- Phil Mickelson never had thoughts on missing the cut of a PGA event right out of the shoot. He did in the FBR yesterday.

Like several other people in the area, I am headed to Pinckneyville for the games today. I'm out.

DC

Slowly to Normalcy...

2009-01-30T11:05:00.003-06:00

As we continue to dig out, day by day there seems to be a little normalcy coming back to our lives in the region. The same can be said for high school basketball in the area as some teams are going to play tonight, some have cancelled, and others are moving games to other dates.

Prep Report
- Make sure you check with your local school about games tonight. Some schools are in session and not playing, some schools are out of session and playing, and some schools are out and not playing.
- The GEC Boys Tournament will resume tonight and the championship game will be played on Monday night at SIC.
- If games are still scheduled, there are some big games on the agenda tonight as far as conference implications.
- Congratulations to Lauren Mitchell of ZRC. She now has scored over 2,000 points in her career.
- The State Bowling Tournament begins today in O'Fallon, IL

College Sports
- SIU men and women won their games at home last night. The men beat Missouri State while the women defeated Wichita State.
- The winter weather has also caused issues with college basketball games in the region as well.
- Ed Hightower was supposed to officiate the Purdue at Wisconsin game on Tuesday night but he could not fly out of the Metro East area due to the weather.
- It is so awesome to listen Bobby Knight break down a college basketball game. He is at the head of the class in that particular area on the network.

Pro Sports
- Is the Super Bowl here yet?
- This Joe Torre book is really causing some barbs to be lobbed in all directions.
- Albert Pujols has told the Cardinals to sign Manny Ramirez. Would this not be a turn in the opposite direction of the management if they were to sign him and spend money?
- The rosters for the NBA All-Star game are set. As usual, there are names that are on that shouldn't be and names that aren't on that should be.

The weekend is almost here. I'm out.

DC

Digging Out...

2009-01-29T14:05:00.002-06:00

After reading all of the reports after the winter storm, here's hoping that everything can return to normal as soon as possible for everyone in the region. This storm is going to have affects days after it has passed thru the area. The sports world is feeling it as well on the prep and even college scenes. Even with a late January day, there is major news breaking on the national college and pro level as well.

Prep Report
- Without saying, there are several games going to be postponed tonight.
- It wouldn't surprise me to see that games for tomorrow night and even Saturday night are postponed as well.
- The SEC Girls Basketball tournament in Dongola is going to go on as scheduled today with 4 games being played in two gyms.

College Sports
- The weather postponed the Missouri State at SIU game until tonight. It will be the second half of a doubleheader as the SIU women are at home vs. Wichita State.
- #1 DUKE fell on the road at Wake Forest in a very good game last night. It seems that having the #1 ranking is some sort of a jinx again this season.
- A miracle run to the NCAA Tournament last year is long since forgotten. Georgia came out of the SEC gates at 0-5 and today they fired men's head basketball coach Dennis Felton.
- Former IU coach Kelvin Sampson is appealing the ruling not allowing him to coach in college basketball. This tells me that he doesn't like the NBA game and/or he has a job lined up but needs to get the ruling reversed.
- What is up lately with all of the 70 foot plus shots being made in college basketball this season?

Pro Sports
- Herm Edwards is going to join ESPN for their NFL coverage. This will be a great move for both because I am a huge fan of Edwards.
- Jeff Jagodzinski, the fired Boston College coach for interviewing with the Jets, has been hired as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- 12 year contracts don't come around very often. The Red Wings have signed Henrik Zetterberg. Doesn't that seem like an awfully long time?
- Say what you want about tennis, but playing in the Australian heat with the roof open at times takes a pretty special athlete. However, it is nice to see them shut the roof and cool things down.

Amazing as it seems, I continue to find things to do around the house during these winter days. I'm out.

DC

At a Stand Still...

2009-01-28T14:33:00.002-06:00

With the weather, things are pretty much at a stand still in the prep sports world in Southern Illinois. Many games have been cancelled and I would expect that as the week goes on that each day will continue to give more cancellations. Though things are at a stand still here, the other parts of the sports world are still running full steam ahead.

Pro Sports
- The State Bowling tournament for both boys and girls will take place this weekend. The tournament is held at St. Clair Bowl in O'Fallon, IL.
- There will be several Southern Illinois teams and individuals competing this weekend in the Bowling State Finals.
- As expected, there are no games to speak of in the area tonight. I would expect that possibly tomorrow or for sure the weekend there will be games back on the docket to be played.
- Check with your school or media outlet for cancellations of games and reschedules.

College Sports
- Bobby Bowden has signed a 1 year extension to remain the head football coach at Florida State. That would be 34 seasons as the head coach of the Seminoles.
- Gary Williams and Maryland are sparring over recruiting. Do you think the pressure of not doing much since a National Championship earlier this decade is playing a part in this?
- The ACC will take center stage tonight with #1 DUKE traveling to #4 Wake Forest.
- Pittsburgh at Villanova is another good game of ranked teams tonight as well.

Pro Sports
- I mentioned the name Kurt Radomski earlier in the week. I don't believe that his name or many other MLB players are going to be quiet over the next few weeks.
- The Cubs have made another deal. They have acquired Aaron Heilman from the Mariners for SS Ronny Cedeno and P Garrett Olson. This should quiet the Jake Peavy to the Cubs rumors.
- Anyone else wondering what 3 songs Bruce Springsteen will play at the Super Bowl?
- Speaking of the Super Bowl, can the game get here so I don't have to listen to all of the hype?

Like most of you, I have some digging out to do. I'm out.

DC

Sports and Cabin Fever...

2009-01-27T13:58:00.002-06:00

What else is one going to do with the weather as it is today in the area? You watch sports and read up on things going on in the sports world. The prep sports side will be a little slow with all of the postponements. The college side continues to churn out basketball tidbits while the pro side goes full force into Super Bowl coverage.

Prep Report
- If your team had a game tonight, then you need to make sure the game has been postponed and when the rescheduled date is. Several teams have done that this afternoon already.
- Several games last night were cancelled and/or game times moved up to get away from the weather that has hit the area today.
- Today is a day why athletic directors are underpaid in their jobs.
- Pinckneyville High School is having a shootout on Saturday. Trico/Flora, SV/Trenton-Wesclin, Du Quoin/St. Joe Ogden, Waltonville/Greenville, and Pinckneyville/Riverton.

College Sports
- Kelvin Sampson is going to appeal his NCAA discipline. Are you serious? Hey Kelvin...no one will hire you right now at the college level.
- Carbondale native and 11 year head basketball coach at Alabama Mark Gottfried resigned yesterday. Increasing pressure from the fan base of disappointing seasons as well as losing to Auburn 4 of the last 5 times will do that.
- A Wisconsin court has ruled that cheerleading is a contact sport.

Pro Sports
- A-Rod is unphased by the shots Torre said in his upcoming book. No kidding...what else is A-Rod going to say.
- The name Radomski is at it again. He said he supplied over 300 MLB players with various kinds of steroids and HGH.
- Today is Media Day at the Super Bowl. This is where we wait with baited breath on all of the various one liners from players and also the dumbest questions asked by reporters.
- The Rams hired 3 new assistant coaches for the upcoming season yesterday.

With nothing to do, I have several hours of shows on the DVR to catch up on. It is time to take care of that. I'm out.

DC

The Calm before the...

2009-01-26T11:02:00.003-06:00

You read the title and you know the reason for it. It seems we have a major winter storm coming our way over the next day or so. This will mean that many events are going to be cancelled. However, before we get to that point, there is plenty to talk about.

Prep Report
- The boys basketball regional at Carterville has been moved to Anna-Jonesboro. This is due to damage to the Carterville gym floor.
- Benton won the SIRR Ohio Division wrestling championship this past Saturday. They had lost to Murphysboro earlier in the week. Those two programs are pretty darn salty.
- The GEC tournament will go on this week at SIC. It is a traditional and annual event.
- It is a light schedule in the area with girls basketbal not having very many games.
- The SEC girls tournament is this week.

College Sports
- SIU didn't look real good in a road game at Illinois State on Saturday. They are going to have to find a way to win on the road.
- Look for DUKE to be your new #1 team in the country after Wake Forest was beaten last week.
- This will be the third time a ACC team has been ranked number 1 this season.
- Oregon State Craig Robinson is the first brother-in-law to President Obama. He attended the inauguration last week and then lead his team to a win at Stanford this past weekend.

Pro Sports
- Is anyone else waiting on the Joe Torre book about the Yankees to come out? This could be a very interesting read.
- The NHL All-Star game happened last night. It is tough to get people to watch and be interested when the game is on a channel that few people have.
- Today begins the PR and Hype machine known as the Super Bowl.

Is anyone else making that short list to get to the store? I'm out.

DC

Only the Prep Basketball...

2009-01-25T09:59:00.003-06:00

There was no blog yesterday since I was in the gym over 13 hours watching basketball. With that being the case, I have nothing but prep basketball to catch up on today and no other sports.

Winners of the following boys tournaments are as follows in parentheses:
Benton - (Pinckneyville)
West Frankfort - (Herrin)
Massac County - (Carbondale)
Nashville - (Breese Central)
Salem - (Centralia)
Carmi - (Mt. Vernon, IN and Harrisburg)
Sparta - (Columbia)
Midland Trail Conference Tournament - (Woodlawn)
South Egyptian Conference Tournament - (Meridian)

- The GEC will hold their conference tournament next week to wrap up the mid-winter tournament part of the schedule.
- Last night was rivalry night around the area with Carbodale/Murphysboro, Woodlawn/Waltonville, Breese Central/Breese Mater Dei, and Centralia/Mt. Vernon playing for tournament titles on neutral floors.
- With Massac County and Nashville losing in the semi-finals of their own tournaments, the only undefeated team left in the area is Woodlawn.
- Pinckneyville has won 25 games in a row at the BIT which translates into 5 straight undefeated championships. This may have been the most impressive considering the amount of talent that graduated last year.
- The BIT had only one game decided by double digit points and 3 overtime games. The teams were pretty even which meant for close games.
- Eldorado was the favorite but Herrin came in and shocked the world by winning at WF. The Tigers are a team that everyone has been waiting on to do well and this gives them much momentum going into the rest of the season.
- It was good to see West Frankfort get their first win of the season. Kevin Toney is one of the hardest workers in the business.
- The battle of Jackson County went to Carbondale as they beat Murphysboro at Massac County. This game happened even though a regular season contest a couple of weeks ago was cancelled due to all of the off the court problems between the two schools.
- Even with a loss to the Terriers, I still think that Massac County is the favorite in 2A in this part of the state.
- Breese Central wins the NIT over Breese Mater Dei. The Cougars are young, good, and looking to make another run to Peoria. They will have a tough Regional and Sectional to get it done though.
- Speaking of that Sectional, Columbia breezed to the Sparta title beating Trico last night. The Eagles have found their basketball legs after playing into the semi-finals in football.
- At Sparta, it was amazing to me to see the good teams in the pool opposite Columbia. That side was loaded.
- Centralia has 3 wins over Mt. Vernon this year by a total of 5 points. They play one more time in conference and then possibly could meet in the Regional finals.
- Reid Roper hit a free throw with no time left on the clock to give Harrisburg a 50-49 win over Olney and a share of the title with Mt. Vernon, IN.
- With 3 of the top 4 seeds losing in the first round of the SEC tournament, Meridian cruised to a title. The Bobcats are poising themselves to make a run in postseason.
- Woodlawn remained undefeated by beating Waltonville for a 2nd time last night 66-58. The Cardinals win the MTC tournament title for the first time. The Spartans get 2nd and now will exit the conference after one year and be an independent next season. The gym at Louisville North Clay was so full they were turning people away.
- Another note on that game...Woodlawn and Waltonville are 8 miles apart and they traveled over an hour to play the game.
- Why is it so hard to pick all-tournament teams these days? It seemed like it used to be easier.

The wrap up on what was a very busy week in basketball is complete. Rest up...another week begins tomorrow. I'm out.

DC

A Rare Happening...

2009-01-23T11:44:00.003-06:00

It is rare that I get to go to a gym I haven't been in but I did so last night. Louisville North Clay High School was the place as I took in the semi-finals of the Midland Trail Conference tournament. I saw a great game and several good individual players in the two games that I will mention later. The countdown is on for the hype machine of the Super Bowl and the bomb that was dropped by Mark McGwire's brother yesterday is still running wild in the sports world.

Prep Report
- In their first year, Waltonville and Woodlawn are making a big splash in the MTC. They will play for the MTC tournament title tomorrow night at Louisville North Clay HS.
- 3 players really stood out to me last night in those two games. Tyler Parrish of Odin as a junior is a great player and must watch if you are a high school basketball fan. He has many tools at his disposal to use in his toolbox on the floor that many players just don't have. (Sr.) Tanner Bushue of South Central scored 30 and (Jr.) Skyler Witges of Waltonville scored 15 as they carried their teams. The junior from Waltonville hit three 3s and 4-4 from the FT line in the last 30 seconds to help Waltonville beat SC.
- Woodlawn is the other team in the MTC final as they handily defeated Odin 68-48 to go to 14-0.
- The next two days are loaded with the wrapping up of high school boys and girls tournaments in the area. Several good games on tap.
- West Frankfort won their girls basketball tournament last night defeating Herrin.

College Sports
- Georgetown lost their first ever home game with John Thompson III as its head coach last night to West Virginia.
- Minnesota lost for the 2nd time this week. They lost at home to Purdue last night.
- For college football fans, there will another Sr. Bowl game this weekend.

Pro Sports
- The Memphis Grizzlies became the 7th NBA team to fire their head coach yesterday. Avery Johnson turned them down.
- Matt Cassel says he is happy to be a backup for the Patriots. However, after this year, he has a big free agency awaiting him.
- We are one weekend away from the hype machine of the Super Bowl to begin playing.
- The Brewers and Cecil Fielder agreed to a new 2 yr. deal yesterday worth $18 million.
- The Ricketts family have bought the Cubs for over $900. WOW!!!

Friday has arrived and it is time to begin the weekend countdown. I'm out.

DC

Spinning out the News...

2009-01-22T12:23:00.003-06:00

No time to rest as there is plenty of mid-winter tournament basketball. In fact, there are two great 1A boys games in the area tonight that will draw major attention in the area and in the state. Factor in many tournaments will be rolling towards the weekend. Another upset of a #1 in college basketball last night and major news regarding steroids and MLB has broke this morning.

Prep Report
- Pinckneyville being 2-0 in the BIT isn't a shock, but Benton being 2-0 is. They will play Friday night at 7:30.
- 6 games at the BIT so far and no game has been decided by more than 8 points.
- West Frankfort boys basketball got their first win last night defeated the Carterville Lions in their own tournament.
- Speaking of upsets, Herrin beat Eldorado at West Frankfort last night. This is the 2nd straight year where a highly favored Eagles team couldn't run the table at this tournament.
- In the SEC Boys Tournament, Meridian was the only 1-4 seed to win. Seeds 2-4 lost their first round game.
- Louisville, IL is the place to be tonight for great 1A boys basketball action. At 6:45, Woodlawn plays Odin and then at 8:00 Waltonville plays South Central.
- At Sparta, Trico goes to 2-0 as they seem to be finding their stride while Du Quoin was upset by Red Bud.

College Sports
- SIU keeps rolling with a road win at Indiana State last night.
- Wake Forest didn't last long as #1 as they lost at home to Virginia Tech.
- Best finish of the night...South Carolina beating Florida...check it out today.
- Northwestern beat its 2nd straight ranked opponent as they beat Michigan State last night at home. The Wildcats beat Minnesota this weekend.

Pro Sports
- Mark McGwire's brother Jay has come out and said that Mark did HGH and steroids. In fact, Jay was the first person to inject him. Nice...like we didn't know that already but it is good to have some proof now.
- The Padres have reached a deal with former Cubs catcher Henry Blanco.
- Tony Romo says he will be a more active leader on and off the field. Ok...thanks for that announcement.
- Anyone for mock 2009 NFL Draft? There are plenty out there already.
- Stephon Marbury...all the talent in the world and now he wants to play overseas. That mess gets uglier everyday.

The time has come to get some things done to get ready for a big night of basketball. I'm out.

DC

All the Way Around...

2009-01-21T13:44:00.004-06:00

Mid week and mid-afternoon is here and another full slate of basketball games in the area is on tap. Really, it is round ball all the way around the docket except for the pros in which the NFL and MLB continue to lead the way.

Prep Report
- The Carmi Invitational had a 4 overtime game last night. Mt. Vernon, IN defeated Olney last night 80-79.
- All the mid-winter tournaments are underway around the area. This includes the conference tournaments.
- Speaking of conference tourneys, the Midland Trail Conference tournament has a great final four. Woodlawn will play Odin and Waltonville vs. South Central tomorrow night at Louisville.
- Herrin continues to win matches in bowling at both the boys and girls levels.

College Sports
- SIU is on the road at Indiana State tonight. We will see if the Salukis can keep their winning ways going.
- The times they are a changing in the Big 10 as Illinois dominated Ohio State last night in conference play.
- Ronald Steele of Alabama has played his last game. A foot injury has derailed his career. This is a shame because he was one of the best players in the SEC when healthy.

Pro Sports
- Jeff Kent of the Dodgers will announce his retirement at a presser today. He was one of the best 2B of all time.
- Though injured, Steelers WB Heinz Ward will play in the Super Bowl. There was no doubt in this happening.
- What are the Cubs doing signing Michael Weurtz to a deal? I have yet to figure out what he has done in the bullpen to merit a return.
- Winter X Games 13 will begin this week on ESPN. Yes, at times some of the things these competitors do are amazing.

Winding down the work day towards another full day of basketball. I'm out.

DC

Mid-Winter Tourneys Day 1

2009-01-20T07:45:00.002-06:00

Day one of the onslaught of mid-winter basketball is in the books with upsets, blowouts, and favorites winning as would be expected. With it being the majority of the sports, the pro side is offering some blips on the radar with some NFL and other pro news.

Pro Sports
- A power outage affected several radio stations in the area last night. The outage caused a transformer to go out which stopped coverage for many stations.
- Pinckneyville's BIT streak reached 21 with a win over Hamilton County last night. The Foxes had way too many turnovers and missed free throws to win the game.
- Sparta girls basketball was shorthanded at the Carbondale Tournament due to the fact that 3 of their 5 starters are in Washington DC for the inauguration.
- There are some conference games in the BDC and GEC tonight in the area for both boys and girls.
- The 2nd round of the Midland Trail Conference tournament will take place tonight at Waltonville, Woodlawn, Odin, and South Central.

College Sports
- Big game tonight in Champaign as the Illini host Ohio State in a Big 10 matchup.
- #1UCONN women dominated #2UNC in basketball last night.
- Pittsburgh got back to its winning ways last night in the Big East.

Pro Sports
- Rex Ryan is the new head coach of the New York Jets. He agreed to a new 4 year deal.
- Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals is still mad about not getting enough catches on Sunday. You are going to the Super Bowl enjoy and have fun.
- The first major of the tennis season is underway down under in Australia.
- Expect the hype maching for the Super Bowl to begin tomorrow after the Inauguration.
- Team USA for the WBC is loading up with a nice roster full of great players. It makes for interesting teammates.

With the start of today, the inauguration festivities are starting to attract my attention so I need to roll. I'm out.

DC

Mid-Winter Madness...

2009-01-19T10:42:00.002-06:00

Today begins the mid-winter tournament madness across the state of Illinois. It is your own fault if you can't find a game this week. College basketball continues to turn out games all across the country but the pro side is we have two teams in the Super Bowl.

Prep Report
- Benton, West Frankfort, Carmi, Massac County, Nashville, Sparta, and Salem are just a few of the sites in the area hosting boys basketball tournaments.
- There are three conference tournaments going on this week. The GEC, SEC, and Midland Trail Conferences are all having their annual tournaments this week.
- Carbondale, West Frankfort, and Highland are hosting tournaments on the girls side.
- Bowling postseason should prove to be very good for Herrin as both their boys and girls teams are really doing well in postseason.

College Sports
- SIU got a home win vs. Bradley last night to split with them this season. It wasn't pretty but they managed to get a win.
- We will find out today who the new #1 team in the land is after Pittsburgh lost at Louisville on Saturday.
- A team that quietly is winning and not getting much pub. is UCONN. Jim Calhoun has his team playing very well right now.
- College football has been over a week and as would be expected the talk of the time now is the recruiting and classes your big time programs are working on getting.

Pro Sports
- Who would have thunk it? The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. The NFC Championship game was tremendous.
- Questions to ponder...How does Larry Fitzgerald get that open? What did people in St. Louis do when they saw Bill Bidwell hold up the trophy? Do St. Louis fans root for Kurt Warner knowing a win means Bidwell gets a Super Bowl title?
- Pittsburgh is heading to their 7th Super Bowl after a hard fought third victory over Baltimore yesterday.
- This sets up Ken Whisenhunt battling his former team the Steelers in the Super Bowl.
- Anquan Boldin didn't celebrate with his Arizona teammates as he was pouting about not getting enough balls thrown his way. Are you kidding me???
- The Cubs officially gave up on Felix Pie trading him to Baltimore for a left handed pitcher and a minor leaguer.
- Also the Cubs are supposed to have a buyer by mid-week.

Basketball fans, use the rest of the day wisely to rest up for the upcoming bonanza this week. I'm out.

DC

Conference Sunday...

2009-01-18T10:26:00.002-06:00

Today, the NFL takes center stage with 2 games to determine who will be going to the Super Bowl in two weeks in Tampa Bay. That is the rage of the day. The prep side of the world is the calm before the mid-winter tournament storm takes place this week for boys basketball, while the college sports world is in full steam basketball mode.

Prep Report
- Saxony Luthern (MO) won the Chester Invitational last night beating New Athens 78-64.
- Not many games on the docket last night, but Du Quoin did beat Trico 57-52. It seems these two always play close games when they get together.
- The WF Mid-Winter Classic for girls opened up play yesterday. It runs during the same week as the Boys Mid-Winter Classic at Max Morris Gym.
- FYI...if you can't find a game this week, it is your own fault with all of the tournaments in the area.
- Of course, today is the calm before the storm of games that will break out across the state this week.

College Sports
- SIU hosts Bradley tonight in a rematch of a game earlier in the season in which the Braves won at home.
- The SIU women are struggling and lost again at home to Drake yesterday.
- It is good to see that Nashville Lucas O' Rear is getting lots of PT for Northern Iowa. I have seen many of his games on TV including ESPNU yesterday.
- Being #1 in college basketball during the regular season is a bullseye. Pittsburgh found that out last night after losing at Louisville. The new number 1 in the land should be Wake Forest.

Pro Sports
- Eagles/Cardinals and Ravens/Steelers are the NFL Conference Championship games on the docket today. The winners will go to the Super Bowl and then let us know who we all will be watching in a couple of weeks at parties all across the nation.
- Question...wouldn't it make more sense to have the East coast game on first and then the game in the Mountain time zone on last?
- As I posted yesterday, the Bucs have hired a new football coach. It didn't take them long to introduce him to the public cause they did it yesterday.
- The Phillies and Cole Hamels have agreed to a 3 year deal. Smart move by the Phillies because he is one of the better pitchers in the MLB right now.
- NASCAR is having its fan fest at Daytona this weekend minus the cars. There is no testing in 2009 at tracks that hold events.
- On a side note, you can test at non-NASCAR race tracks. Rockingham has been a popular spot to test. One team even tried to book up 53 days to keep the other teams out and NASCAR put a stop to that.

Well, the time has come to end today due to the fact that Kentucky is getting ready to take the floor. I'm out.

DC

Stuffed on a Saturday...

2009-01-17T15:42:00.002-06:00

On this late Saturday afternoon, there is plenty and I do mean plenty of sports to talk about today. All three levels are pretty full with things going on.

Prep Report
- The South 7 boys basketball race is as crazy as ever. Centralia is the lead team on top, but then the muddled mess of balanced teams start to trail after that.
- Massac County and Murphysboro are going to play a couple of big games this year. One will probably be for the Ohio Division title, and the other will probably be in the regional.
- West Frankfort remains winless after losing to Herrin, but Pinckneyville is quietly winning game after game this year.
- Chester will wrap up its mid-winter tournament tonight while Centralia and Meridian are hosting shootouts today.
- Trico at Du Quoin and Gallatin County at Galatia are the only boys regular season games on the schedule tonight.
- The girls docket is loaded with games with the Highland Tournament beginning as the highlight along with Sesser-Valier Waltonville at Pope County being on paper a pretty good game.

College Sports
- Saturday afternoon in January...get a remote and watch plenty of college basketball all evening.
- Illinois is in a battle at Michigan State right now. It is a very good game with a half still to play.
- DUKE had a very impressive win over Georgetown at home today.
- There is one football all-star game today on ESPN2. This is the first of a couple that will allow college players to give last looks at NFL scouts.
- Lane Kiffin, the head football coach at Tennessee, is making the staff full of guys with NFL experience. That will help in recruiting.

Pro Sports
- The Rams have hired Steve Spagnuolo as their new head football coach. He was the defensive coordinator with the Giants.
- Shock and surprise from this part of the world after Jon Gruden was fired by the Bucs. He was actually working in the facility when he received the word.
- The Bucs then hired Raheem Morris who was an assistant coach with the Bucs.
- Less than 24 hours to go until the Conference Championship games in the NFL. The second game will be a cold weather spectacular.
- Tiger Woods is going to speak at one of the many inauguration parties on Tuesday for President Elect Barack Obama.
- Has the PGA season really started? Wow...won't be long until summer.

Lots of stuff going on but time to use the remote to surf the TV channels. I'm out.

DC

Tipping It Off...

2009-01-16T12:55:00.002-06:00

The weekend is here and it is time for another full slate of high school boys basketball. Conference games are in full swing and big games tonight especially in the South 7 will help to decide a conference champion. Round ball controls the college sports world, while the NFL in its final weeks of the season continues towards its end.

Prep Report
- This is the final weekend before a full slate of mid-winter tournaments begin next week in the area.
- The Chester Tournament will wrap up this weekend.
- Games of note tonight include Althoff at Carbondale, Marion at Centralia, Harrisburg at Massac County, and Lebanon at Woodlawn.
- On the girls side, the annual and very tough Carbondale Tournament will take place as well as the girls tournament at West Frankfort that has been going on already.

College Sports
- The NCAA will consider 7th grade basketball players as hoop prospects. Interesting...
- ESPN Bracketology is a great read and excitement made for fans.
- It didn't look like USC football coach was happy about QB Mark Sanchez going pro yesterday.
- Several players are going to return for junior and senior season of football which is more than I thought do.

Pro Sports
- The Lions picked Titans D Coordinator Jim Schwartz to be their new head coach.
- The Rams have cut their choices to 4 and Jim Haslett isn't one of them.
- Is Arizona really in the NFC Championship game?
- Ed Werder just won't let it go. Again, proclaiming that T.O. is on his way out in Dallas. It was nice to see Owens' agent come out against it and say it was false.
- NASCAR is just around the corner and Tony Stewart will be in the Bud Shootout due to a rule change. He is running his own team this season.

Time to tip off the weekend...I'm out.

DC

Filling a Void...

2009-01-15T13:08:00.002-06:00

Today is an afternoon serving of sports to help fill your appetite. It is a Thursday afternoon and there really isn't much going on in the world of sports that would garner more headlines than the other. With it being a rather slow day, it will be quick for you to read.

Prep Report
- The IHSA has lifted the postseason bad on Murphysboro High School. The remediation plan is in place but the school will remain on probation until January 13, 2010.
- I mentioned Goreville girls basketball earlier in the week, and then they got an impressive win at home vs. SVW last night. The Lady Blackcats are going to be a tough out come postseason.
- Sandoval has hosted a girls basketball tournament for many years. However, a power outage forced the games to be moved to Centralia Jr. High School last night.
- Several girls games tonight on the docket including Carmi at Eldorado, ZRC at Carterville, and Johnston City at Hamilton County.

College Sports
- Let me be the first to say...watching college basketball with the high school and college 3 pt. line on the floor at the same time is as annoying as it gets. Can these schools not pay and get the old line removed and put down a temporary line if a high school game is played there?
- SIU lost a tough one at Creighton. It seems the Salukis are a one step forward two steps back team this year.
- Heisman winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma is going to return for his junior season.

Pro Sports
- The Padres are after David Eckstein to be their shortstop this year.
- Roger Clemens is welcome back to Astros training camp but only as a fan.
- The Cowboys are supposedly going to release T.O. Take it for what its worth but Ed Werder is reporting this so who knows what is really going on.
- The Rams are interviewing everyone for their head coaching job it seems like and they like many other teams haven't named a head coach yet.

Quick...brief...to the point...I'm out.

DC

Change, Change, Change...

2009-01-14T12:51:00.002-06:00

Change is in the air with the sports world as well as with the weather we live in. Winds are blowing, temps are dropping, but the world of sports stays on its' axis today in full spin mode. A record performance in college basketball last night to go along with consistent play from area prep teams make for a Wednesday discussion.

Prep Report
- Isaiah Cunningham of Eldorado is as good as advertised. He dropped a smooth and easy 26 points in front of Missouri Southern head basketball coach Robert Corn.
- Nashville continues to roll after a big win at home over Murphysboro last night. The Hornets remain undefeated.
- Woodlawn also remained undefeated with a road win at Louisville North Clay last night.
- Girls basketball rules the docket tonight with 4 games in the area.

College Sports
- If you haven't seen it...see it. Jodie Meeks of Kentucky scored 54 points in a road win at Tennessee last night. This breaks a 39 year old record by Dan Issel of most points in a game.
- SIU heads out on the road tonight to Creighton. This is a decent rivalry now in the MVC, while it used to be a heated rivalry when Kyle Korver was playing for the Blue Jays.
- Polls are great but isn't it nice we have a tournament at the end of the season to decide a National Champion in college basketball.

Pro Sports
- Herm Edwards is possibly staying in Kansas City to coach in 2009 for the Chiefs. There is no official fact to this yet, but hopefully he will stay in the league.
- Many of the Giants star players want Plaxico Burress back at WR for them in 2009. This is a big vote of confidence for him.
- Derek Lowe is now with the Braves. That is a spot I wasn't thinking he would go.
- Do you realize that the Red Sox signed 4 guys who have rehabbed recently from injuries to one year deals?

I think I will wind on out of here as well. I'm out.

DC

Tumbling Tuesday Temperatures...

2009-01-13T10:14:00.002-06:00

The weather is matching the month now at least temperature wise. However, it is a full slate of high school basketball since it is a Tuesday night in the area. The MLB has elected a couple of former players to the HOF while even in this late time of offseason there are players being signed by teams for the upcoming 2009 season.

Prep Report
- For 1A girls basketball, Pope County has to be in the forefront in Southern Illinois. They are 17-4 and got a double overtime win on the road at ZRC last night.
- Goreville is another 1A girls basketball team to watch out for as well after they improved to 12-4 on the year last night.
- Tuesday night means a good menu of both boys and girls basketball tonight. On the boys side, the key games are Crab Orchard at Carrier Mills, Carlyle at Wesclin, and Okawville at Waltonville.
- The girls side is full of games as well with Carbondale at Marion, Althoff at Mt. Vernon, and Nashville at Pinckneyville.

College Sports
- If you get a chance, you must watch an Oklahoma game because Blake Griffin of the Sooners is a pretty special player.
- Tuesday night is Big 10 - SEC game night on ESPN. Indiana plays at Ohio State in the Big 10 while Kentucky travels to Tennessee in the SEC.
- Louisville has started off 3-0 in the Big East for the first time ever and play #1 Pittsburgh this Saturday.

Pro Sports
- Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were elected to the MLB HOF yesterday. I am still awaiting the name of Ron Santo to come across as a member.
- Other notes about the MLB HOF, Tommy John failed to make it in his final season on the ballot while Mark McGwire got fewer votes than he did last year.
- Tony Dungy has retired from the NFL Colts as of yesterday. He is a class act and will be missed in the NFL.
- Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers is an injury waiting to happen. It is amazing that he is still playing right now with all of the shots he has taken in his brief career.
- The Red Sox made the signing of John Smoltz official while the rumor is the Braves are about to sign Derek Lowe to a 4 year deal.

Time to crank up the work machine for a Tuesday. I'm out.

DC

Winds of Change...

2009-01-12T10:03:00.002-06:00

2nd full week of January and the winds of change in the NFL has the Arizona Cardinals one win away from the Super Bowl. I never thought I would see the day. As we move along a new week of high school sports begin while conference basketball kicks into high gear in the college ranks.

Prep Report
- Woodlawn girls basketball won the Midland Trail Conference Tournament on Saturday night by beating rival Webber Township. This is the first year that the Lady Cardinals have been in the conference and participated in this tournament.
- Monday night means plenty of girls basketball in the area. Fairfield at Hamilton County, Carterville at Pinckneyville, and Murphysboro at Sparta highlight the schedule tonight.
- The 47th Annual Chester Boys Basketball Tournament begins tonight and will continue the entire week. It is the first of many mid-winter tournaments coming up the next couple of weeks.

College Sports
- UNC has taken on their second ACC loss already after losing at Wake Forest last night in a very entertaining. THey are 0-2 in the ACC and haven't been 0-3 since 1996-1997.
- Illinois really handed it to the Hoosiers on Saturday. Indiana has a long way to go to get back to being an NCAA Tournament team.
- Conference play heats up this week with some games of rivalry note. This is when college basketball gets fun.
- Tim Tebow will return for his senior season at Florida. Smart move on his part because as of now he is not a very draft choice in the NFL.

Pro Sports
- Seriously...the Cardinals are hosting the NFC Championship? I am in shock and no one predicted this at the beginning of the year. The Eagles are a hot team and playing very well right now though.
- The Eagles did to the Giants what the Giants did to the Cowboys last year. The Eagles won on the 3rd try in a season.
- Ravens vs. Steelers...another hard hitting football game for the AFC title.
- The Broncos are going to hire Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. He was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots in recent years.
- Tony Dungy is going to let the Colts and the world know if he is going to return as their head coach today.

The work week is officially on and that means I must get something done. I'm out.

DC