Brandon Lowe is going to hit 162 HR's this season, henry davis is going to jaw check anyone trying to score, pirates are going to win the whole fucking thing!

checks calendar, oh.... um... that was just one game, in April

We all carry responsibility for our behavior but I wonder if this isn't a good opportunity to consider what happens when sports personalities exit the spotlight and move on to a new life after competing.

Kyle Snyder and other sports personalities live under the pressure of social expectations. One day, no matter how much you have excelled, another will rise to claim the lofty heights you once held. We watched Jack Nicklaus walk down that mountain with incredible grace and find business success in golf. Gary Player did as well. Tiger Woods has not handled fame or its aftermath with anything resembling that grace, as we see again in his drunk driving accident last week. Kirk Barton takes the absence of grace to an extreme, from what I read.

Reading about Snyder's embarrassment, makes me wonder how hard it must be to live up to heroic expectations of fans when playing days end and the cheers fade away. It must be so hard to live with the constant aches and pains that accumulate during decades of sports trauma and never fully heal...and to live with the pain medications, which bring only temporary relief and the likelihood of addiction and behavioral change.

As a child athlete (thanks Maize Rd Elementary/City of Columbus Recreation Dept), I participated in Junior Olympic trials. In between trial heats, I sat beside Jesse Owens in Ohio Stadium, after I saw him sitting alone and was drawn to him. I did not know he was until Jesse Owens was greeted by someone else. When he picked me up, my father told me that he couldn't have been Jesse Owens and told me to avoid any stranger who would let me sit with him. Back then, I did not understand why.

The second year, I sat with him again and Owens stayed long enough to greet my father. I remember a lot from those days half a century ago. He was kind, patient, and positive. I still cup my hands and land on my heels when running, as he showed me. But what I remember most clearly is the sadness that I saw in his eyes behind that generous and almost regal nature.

I wonder if fans really understand the burden that athletes can carry when they leave the field forever. The bright lights of national and international recognition fade away and often do not leave them with material wealth. Even those who have earned a lot of money often experience financial challenges, made worse by the constant demands of family, friends, and "charities" asking for a taste.

Anyone who lives in or near the spotlight, with its awards and honors, must one day prepare for a much quieter life that follows. For the anonymity of daily life that comes when eyes no longer light up in recognition. The pain of this transition may be especially high when an athlete's entire sense of self-worth derives from athletic skills.

One of the things that has most impressed me about Ryan Day is the incorporation of financial and psychological life skills, that prepare athletes for life, into the education of student athletes in that program. I hope that the other sports now incorporate similar programs so that sports stars will be equipped to open the right doors when the end of a sports career nears.

Soto with the early club house lead for ugliest, most hilarious K of the season?

Login to view embedded media

cincibuck said:

Punches all the buttons I need to have a successful tourney: North Carolina, Kentucky, and Duke go bye-bye. Thank you, Jesus.

Click to expand...

Not yet. Arizona needs to strike the final blow and run SCUM off the floor.

Mike80 said:

who is "show me them tatis"

Click to expand...

thats me

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

I still get angry at this. Will never forget the shit Uconn fans (and frankly several other fanbases) were putting out on twitter/X when we played them two years ago, but especially this shitstain. Garbage people, garbage fans. Their team deserves a biblical level ass beating for payback, like what happened to Jeremiah Dunmire in the season 3 finale of Tulsa King, but that's not always how it works.

Go Illini

Illini Dylan said:

Good. Illinois has a serious demon to exorcize against the Huskies.

Click to expand...

Just sayin': Some interesting comments about Brad Underwood evaluating/recruiting "International players":

Men's March Madness 2026: Ranking the final four teams​

Illinois coach Brad Underwood's roster features players from five different countries: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and the United States. The international flavor has been all the buzz this season, along with Underwood's discovery of freshman Keaton Wagler, who didn't get a scholarship offer from his home-state school Kansas but is now pushing for a top-10 spot in the 2026 NBA draft after a surprising season. Tomislav Ivisic is a 7-foot-1 force in the paint. Andrej Stojakovic is a two-way threat who helped corral Iowa star Bennett Stirtz in Saturday's Elite Eight win. David Mirkovic is a 6-9 forward who shot 40% from 3 in league play.

You'd think Underwood's success with international players would encourage the notion that any coach can go to Europe and recruit elite talent. Right?

Wrong. Coaches can't just walk into a gym in Europe full of elite players and recruit them. Mining the international landscape for talent is laborious. And it's only half the battle because Underwood's real strength isn't his knack for identifying international stars. Rather, it's his ability to know where those players fit in his system. He has built a group that has possessed the best offense in America for most of this season and has also played top-25 defense for the past month. Illinois' wins over Houston and Iowa in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament were a byproduct of the size the Illini use to protect the rim, as well as the pressure they have applied to opposing backcourts.

Illinois is a selfless team full of players who fulfill their roles and were put in the right positions by Underwood. He knows himself, and he knows his system. Above all, he knows which players he needs for it to all work.

Just sayin': Here's an example where he recruited an International player to replace Morez Johnson, Jr. after he transferred to scUM.

Head coach Brad Underwood had to bolster his front line after Johnson departed, and he turned to Europe, signing freshman forward David Mirković. Mirković has started for the Illini all year and had a very strong season, averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 38.1% from three at 6-foot-9. Mirković has quickly become a fan favorite, playing with an energy that, sometimes, becomes a little bit crazy. However, his passion is undeniable, and it’s something Illini fans have really come to love.

“I think I would rather have Mirk (than Johnson),” Rauman said. “We’ve got a guy that seems to bleed Illinois orange and blue through and through. I mean, he had a quote earlier this year where he said if he didn’t play and the team lost, he would feel like that was on him and he might kill himself. It’s a little extreme … but that’s a guy that truly understands the value that he has and really loves being at Illinois. So that’s the type of guy that I want on my team.”

Click to expand...

DZ83CK said:

Login to view embedded media

Click to expand...

So if the trend continues, next year he will blow a 24 point lead?