Dein erstes Forum » .Finally: Michael or LeBron?Schoenfield

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois coach Lovie Smith says he does not know much about Murray State.Racers coach Mike Stewart says he resorted to YouTube to watch how Smiths NFL teams went about their business.The season-opener between the two teams on Saturday is shrouded in a bit of mystery for the two coaches, neither of whom has been in place for very long. Smith is an NFL veteran getting ready to coach his first college game in front of a fan base desperate to finally cheer for a winner while Stewart is entering his second season with Murray State after a 3-8 season a year ago.The teams have never played each other, but what is certain is the optimism around the Illinois program with Smiths debut finally here.Illinois has had losing records in seven of the past eight seasons. A year ago, the Illini were getting ready for their opener after coach Tim Beckman was abruptly fired following an investigation that found he interfered in player medical decisions and pushed players to play hurt. Illinois finished the season 5-7 under interim coach Bill Cubit.For Steward, the opener has required some homework based on Smiths background as a head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Weve been watching Tampa Bay Bucs film. Just type in, like, Tampa Bay versus Atlanta Falcons on YouTube and watching it, he said.Things to look for Saturday when Illinois hosts the Football Championship Subdivision Racers:LOVIES FIRSTSSmith admitted to butterflies this week as he prepared for his opener.Theres a lot of excitement, to put it mildly. Its been a long time since I walked into a stadium with a band playing, he said.CAN ILLINOIS RUN?Smith and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee have said the Illinois offense will have to be able to run, and run with power, to succeed. That plan includes a fullback, something Illinois didnt use last year. Sophomore tailback KeShawn Vaughn likes the idea of running downhill and doing it behind a big fullback.It makes me feel more comfortable back there, Vaughn said.DEFENSIVE PRESSUREIllinois players are looking forward to life in the Tampa 2 defense that Smith and defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson have installed. Thats particularly true for linemen who say their priority is the pass rush, with this weeks target being Racers quarterback KD Humphries.Ive got the green light to just go get the ball, make a play in the backfield, defensive end Carroll Phillips said.MURRAYS AMBITIONSStewart believes that if his young team plays as it has in practice, it can be good. But for that to happen, he says his players cant let a Big Ten opponent and a 60,000-seat stadium overwhelm them.Thats the biggest thing is just calming those kids down and saying, `Hey listen, you do realize that this is the same exact play that weve been running for the last three weeks? Nothing has changed, Stewart said.THE LESS THEY KNOWAs an NFL head coach, Smith was accustomed to league rules requiring a certain level of detail in injury reports.One part of college football I like is you dont have an injury list that you have to go through, Smith joked, adding that the Illini had no serious injuries.---Follow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP---Online: AP college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org/ Nike Vapormax Italia . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Nike Vapormax In Offerta . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.vapormaxitalia.it/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Vapormax Miglior Prezzo . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Vapormax Italia Scontate . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Here we go! With two of MLBs oldest -- and longest-suffering -- franchises set to begin the Fall Classic on Tuesday night, we asked writers Christina Kahrl, David Schoenfield and Dan Szymborski to weigh in on the cities of Chicago and Cleveland, including everything from the Cubs and Indians fan bases to Michael versus LeBron to the best restaurants and movies.Which fan base deserves a World Series title more??Dan Szymborski: Id actually say the Indians here. Although Cubs fans have gone longer without a World Series title, they have a storied franchise with a lot of history to be proud of, and the whole lovable losers thing has taken on a life of its own. And theres this: The Cubs are the most likely team in baseball to win the next few World Series. Theres a good chance theyll be back. Cleveland has had long runs of being wretched as well, but over many of those stretches, the Indians werent endearingly bad -- just depressingly bad. Theres a reason the writers of Major League chose the Indians.David Schoenfield: This is clear: Indians fans have suffered way more than Cubs fans. First of all, nobody reading this was alive in 1908, so Cubs fans dont get extra credit for suffering through more title-less years. Plus, for the most part, the Cubs have been simply irrelevant for the past 70 years, with periodic bursts of surprise playoff seasons. In fact, from 1951 to 1967, the White Sox outdrew the Cubs every season except one. The Cubs didnt really become a thing until the 1984 season. Since then, theyve made the playoffs seven times (before this year) and finished better than .500 12 times.The Indians had great teams throughout the 1950s, only to finish behind the Yankees many of those years, and theyve made the playoffs eight times and finished better than .500 14 times since 1995. They reached two World Series with those great teams of the 90s. Theyve been closer to a championship more times with better teams than the Cubs have, and that kind of suffering is more painful than just being lousy. Plus, Game 7 of the 1997 World Series trumps the Bartman game.Christina Kahrl: Id say Cleveland fans, but Im biased because I have a whole bunch of family in Ohio who root for the Indians and a dad whose interest in the game as a kid was apparently derailed by the teams 1954 World Series loss. He picked the Browns as the less likely source of heartbreak, which sort of captures in a nutshell the reason it has to be Cleveland.Who do you think is the better manager: Joe Maddon or Terry Francona??Szmborski: Thats unbelievably close, as theyre two of the best managers in baseball. I think Id say Francona. Maddon is amazing, but Francona has had much greater challenges this year, up to and including the playoffs, and Ill use the recency bias to break the tie.Kahrl: No slight to Maddon, but Im going with Tito. What Francona has done with what hes had to work with the past four years with the Indians is remarkable. With Michael Brantley out for most of this year, Franconas outfield situation was a jumble that is arguably stronger as a result of the fixes. Batting Carlos Santana leadoff against right-handers yielded both his best power production and lowest strikeout rate of his career across a career high in at-bats. Francona has milked tremendous value from some variegated bullpens. Maddon is brilliant, but Francona is arguably the best in the game at adapting to what he has and making it work.Schoenfield: Last time I checked, Francona has two World Series rings versus none for Maddon. Plus, Maddon has the best rotation in baseball, the best defense, the best group of young stars, the best depth and one of the best closers. Francona has a pitcher who plays with drones.Who is the best Indians player who never played in a World Series? What about for the Cubs?Szymborski: Well, because Bob Feller did get to play in one (in 1948), I thinnk Nap Lajoie is the easy Indians choice.dddddddddddd Ill go with Ernie Banks for the Cubs, by a hair over Ron Santo.Schoenfield: Ernie Banks for the Cubs, though Santo and Ryne Sandberg had higher career WAR. For the Indians, most of their great players have at least appeared in a World Series. How about Sam McDowell, one of the great left-handers of the 1960s, who led the AL in strikeouts five times?Kahrl: For the Indians, Id consider Mel Harder because 223 wins in a career that ended in 1947 -- just before the teams most recent World Series win in 1948 -- is sort of a glum circumstance to ponder. But Ill say Nap Lajoie, the star second baseman whose jump to the American League in the dead-ball era helped create the World Series -- and then he never got to play in one. For the Cubs, it has to be Santo. At least Billy Williams got to the postseason (with the As as a DH in 1975). Santo never even got that much out of a career that should have put him in the Hall of Fame decades ago.Whats your favorite movie about Chicago? How about Cleveland?Kahrl: Im going with Eight Men Out for Chicago. It has well-staged baseball action, the 1919 fix and Chicagos own Studs Terkel as sportswriter Hugh Fullerton. It is one of the best baseball movies of all time, and it battles A League of Their Own and the original Bad News Bears for best ever. For Cleveland, its slim pickings, but Ill avoid the obvious baseball flick and go with American Splendor because theres a lot of Cleveland in it, beyond the films entertaining look at the life and work of comic book writer Harvey Pekar.Szymborski: As a Gen-Xer, theres no way I go with anything other than Ferris Buellers Day Off for Chicago. As a baseball fan, theres no way I cant pick Major League for Cleveland.Schoenfield: For Chicago, its The Untouchables. As Sean Connery says about trying to get Al Capone, He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. Thats the Chicago way. For Cleveland: A Christmas Story. OK, its set in some fictional town in Indiana, but it was filmed in Cleveland. Thats good enough for me.Your favorite restaurants in both places?Szymborski: It has been a few years since Ive been to Cleveland, but I really enjoy LAlbatros. Im a sucker for a good terrine or duck confit. I was sad I didnt get to visit Michael Symons Lolita before the fire; hes putting a new concept into the former location. Ive spent more time in Chicago, and though Ive been to a few of the Michelin-starred places, Id say Rick Bayless Frontera Grill.Schoenfield: Not sure for either location, but Im on the record that the proper term is casserole, not pizza, in Chicago.Kahrl: Im still in mourning for my long-since-closed Chicago favorite, Erwin, a spot near Wrigley Field that I could take baseball foodie friends to and leave them suitably impressed. In its absence, Im partial to Glenns Diner or grabbing a great representative from among the worlds best pizza from R Public House in my neighborhood. Cleveland? Ill have to pass because Ive never eaten anywhere there more than once.Finally: Michael or LeBron?Schoenfield: Jordan. Well pretend those Wizards seasons never happened.Szymborski:?Its gotta be Michael Jordan. Although theyve patched things up since then, LeBrons departure left a lot of sore Cleveland residents for a few years.Kahrl: For what they mean to the cities they played in, Im going with LeBron. The Cavaliers winning it all is, for Cleveland, a bigger deal than the Bulls winning was. I might not agree with Mike Ditka on most things, but he was right that the 85 Bears were a bigger deal for Chicago than all six NBA titles the Bulls won. The only thing that can put the memory of the 85 Bears in the shade? The Cubs winning the World Series. ' ' '