Monday, April 30, 2007

Where was Ron?

Congratulations to Alan Ball, the only Fighting Illini chosen in this year's NFL draft. That is an improvement over the grand total of ZERO players chosen last year. In 2005, Kelvin Hayden and Duke Preston got drafted. So that is a grand total of three Illini chosen in the last 3 NFL drafts. Brutal! Where is the talent?

It is shocking how badly the talent level on the football team fell after winning the Big 10 in 2001 and going to a BCS bowl game. It is like Ron Turner and his lousy staff almost tried not to recruit anyone good. Heck I remember reading that Turner wanted to have his recruiting done by Christmas. HUH????

More importantly, where was Ron Guenther when it became obvious that the talent level on the football team (the most important sport and the lifeblood of any athletic program) was going into the crapper? I still can't believe he didn't fire Ron Turner after a 1-11 season in 2003.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Former Player Hammers Grentz

Does Ron Guenther pay attention to what is happening in UI sports? Was he so blind to Grentz's failures because he hired her and he almost never fires someone he hires unless things hit rock bottom? (Like Ron Turner in football?)

“It was not a good time for me, it was the worst four years of my life,”
former Maine West star Dawn Vana said of her career at Illinois.
She played for Grentz from 1999-2002 and is now an assistant girls basketball coach at Maine West.

“I should have never gone to that school, and all I have to say
about (Grentz leaving Illinois) is that it’s about time,” Vana said. “If I don’t
ever talk to her the rest of my life, then thank God.”

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Does Ron Guenther Read My Blog?

So yesterday I complained about our Hall of Fame Coach..today...SHE GAWN!!!! I expect Ron to hire on the cheap, maybe he'll shock me.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Why Is Theresa Grentz Still Employed?


I read Loren Tate's interview with the best AD in the country in yesterday's Champaign News-Gazette. Wow, there were so many softballs, even the Chicago Cubs would have scored some runs answering these weak questions!!!


How many players have transferred/quit under her watch? She has ZERO NCAA wins since 2000. Heck, Grentz has 1 NCAA appearance in the past 7 seasons. Booooooo!


Anyhow, Loren brought up our Hall of Fame Coach's status. Tate says His Excellency was "non-committal" on Grentz's future. Actually, I want her to stick around for next year so she can further drive the program into the crapper. Plus, RG will save some money by not buying out her contract. Hey, RG keeps the DIA in the black!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

I Have A Better Marketing Slogan For Football


Good grief! I thought last year's marketing slogan of "Illinois. It's Where We Live. It's Who We Cheer." could not be topped in terms of lameness. Well folks, this year's slogan is "It's A Brand New Ballgame." WHATTTTTTTT????????????


Who the heck in marketing (I know, the DIA stinks at marketing) comes up with this garbage? It's like some marketing chumps go to Kam's, sit around drinking Busch and after 20 minutes, come up with the slogan and go back to the beer!!


Here is my idea: "Illinois Football-Building A New Tradition." After all, Memorial Stadium is under construction/renovation. Use the Memorial Stadium construction as the background. You have guys like Juice, Mendenhall, Benn & J. Leman dressed in Illinois football jerseys with Illinois-style hard hats, sitting on a boom crane, with Ron Zook holding some blueprints and giving them direction. So not only do you create some hype over the players who (I hope) will finally lead Illinois football to respectability, you hype the Memorial Stadium renovations also.
Wouldn't that be cool?

Friday, April 13, 2007

Question for the Best AD in the Country

Ron Guenther complimented Bruce Weber's coaching this past season:

"I've been athletic director for 16 years—in my opinion the finest job of
coaching was done this year by Bruce Weber," Guenther said, citing the 60 games
and more than 200 practices missed because of injuries during the season.

Hey Ron, which was the worst coaching job you've seen in your 16 years on the job? Ron Turner's 0-11 in 1997? His 3-8 in 1998? His 5-6 in 2000 and the utter collapse after losing to Michigan? 5-7 in 2002 despite having 4 wide receivers on that team go to the NFL? 1-11 in 2003? 3-8 in 2004?

So many choices!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Illinois 9th in the Big 10 in Revenue-SHOCKING!

Illinois Associate AD Shawn (not Shaun, Mr. Supinie) Wax waxed poetic [great pun!] about Illinois lagging behind the rest of the Big 10 except Indiana (even worse football program than Illinois, although they've won the last two games between the schools) and Northwestern (private school) in total revenue:

"We can't afford to lose anything," Wax said. "We need a 10-percent increase. If we lose 10 percent, then we're 20 percent off where we need to be if we want to stay competitive."

Obviously, having a bad football team that is 64-106-2 under the leadership of the Football Guy has a harmful effect on revenue. If Illinois had a competent football program that at least regularly made bowl games (Minnesota, Purdue) this problem would not be so glaring.

However, the article also mentions the potential impact that the scalping of Chief Illiniwek will have on donations to the Athletic Department. It will be interesting to see how the death of Chief Illiniwek not only affects the I Fund, but donations to the Alumni Association and the University. When you consider that the UI receives little funding from the state as it is now (thanks to Blago) things may get really bleak in the next few years.

And before any of you zealots say "We're not Ohio State!" my response is this: I would be happy if Illinois had revenue close to Minnesota ($56.9 million) rather than a paltry $49 million. Of course, having a competent football team helps.

BTW the article also says Illinois has only 17 team sports. Ohio State has 30.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Congratulations to Ohio State & Florida

They met in January for the national championship of college football. Now they meet for the championship of men's college basketball. Folks, those are the revenue sports. Not men's tennis, not softball, and certainly not women's basketball.

Also, for Chancellor Richard Herman, Jeremy Foley is the best AD in the country, not Ron Guenther. Foley has Florida as the current national champion in football, defending national champion in men's basketball and it could be two-time defending national champion after tonight. Eleven NCAA titles under his leadership. FIRE RON GUENTHER!