Welcome back OC faithful. Apparently I forgot to write a piece after last week's rather boring episode. Well guess what? This week wasn't exactly thrilling. Yes, Ryan's bro Trey was released from jail. Yes, Ryan doubted him and was proved wrong. Yes, Trey then left the Cohen residence only to return after the Atwood's put their "fists of fury" to use in a bar brawl in Chino. And yes, Julie Cooper-Nicol's porn tape was shown on a big screen at the Newport Living premiere. Yeah, that last one was true, but the show is on a network station, so don't get too excited. However, I personally thought the line of the episode could be borrowed from a blip from her porn tape, "If I've never had sex before, why am I so horny?" I simply found it amusing, tis all.
Zach also returned from Italy and we learned that he never got over Summer. Cohen panicked a tad and then admitted to Summer that he grew worried upon his return, and she more or less ate up his rambling to her. All is well in paradise. For now.
I'm guessing that Trey will not stick around for much more than an edisode or two, but they could do some interesting stuff with him around for the time being.
But here's the only part of this column that you really need to pay attention to. (Notice how I strategically duped you into reading the whole thing.) After watching the previews for the next new episode (which will be in two weeks unfortunately) it becomes apparent that Ryan and Marissa will get back together or at least come to realize that they want to be back together. Great, they've been foreshadowing that ever since the episode when Seth and Summer reunited. But here's my guess. Ryan and Marissa hook-up once again and come to front all of their feelings toward each other. I am the only one that remembers the only reason they broke up at the end of season one is because Ryan had to leave to be with Theresa? But just when all seems well again, aka, Seth+Summer, Ryan+Marissa, Theresa will reappear with her and Ryan's child in hand. Or arm, you get the idea. If I recall correctly, she only told Ryan that she lost the baby because she didn't feel he wanted to be with her. And who knows what that would do to Marissa's pysche. Losing him twice to basically the same reason. Almost like double jeopardy.
See you in two weeks...
Friday, March 25, 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2005
The Spittin' Illini - Almost 2 decades later
33 pages. That's how long the "Bruce Pearl thread" is on the official Illini message board. See for yourself: http://mb15.scout.com/fillinoisinsiderfrm1.showMessage?topicID=45870.topic. There are posts of fans wanting to spit on the UWM head coach, or those hoping he slips and cracks his head open. Frankly, after reading a handful of their posts, I've never been so disgusted by a group of fans in my life. However, they were saved (in my eyes) by posts by UI students on the UWM message board.
It was there that current UI students informed the UWM faithful that the aforementioned Illini message board is a horrible example of judgement of their fans. The Illini students, known as "the Orange Krush," has little or nothing to do with the posts that seemingly still think it is 1990. For the most part, the current students don't care about what happened between Pearl and current UIC head coach Jimmy Collins when he was an assistant with the Illini. They want their team, ranked #1 in the country for the better part of the entire year, to win a national title. They could care less who is in their way.
But it is the "low class" alumni that thinks Pearl "stole" 10 years from their program. To be honest, somewhere in between what Pearl says and what Collins and the recruit they were both after, Deon Thomas says, is probably what really occured. But you know what? THAT WAS 16 YEARS AGO!
I envision myself as an alumnus of the UI, and I find it hard to believe that I would be so hell bent on something from so long ago when my team is the #1 team in the country, trying to win a national title. Their fans are doing nothing but hurting and tarnishing themselves. From sevearl messages on their board, you'd think that by beating UWM by 30, a mid-major from the Horizon League, that it would be Heaven on Earth for them because the Panthers are coached by the one they now refer to as "Satan."
Well, let me propose something to all of these ridiculous alumni then: You're team is loaded with talent, as evident by losing only one game this season. Luther Head is a senior, and Deron Williams is an almost gauranteed lottery pick should he choose to leave after this season, which most everyone thinks he will. Dee Brown was a second team All-America selection and the Big 10 POY. Chances are strong he will declare for the draft as well. Roger Powell, Jr, Jack Ingram and Nick Smith will also graduate, leaving your Fighting Illini with essentially James Augustine. Bottom line of this being, if you're squad doesn't win the title this year, you'd better pack a lunch while waiting for a team this good to come around again. So go ahead and beat UWM by 30 or 40 "for the fans" who wish to blame everything on Bruce Pearl. But when you lose to the winner of Arizona/Oklahoma State or to some other team in any other round of the tournament, I really hope you tell yourselves that all has been vindicated because you blewout Bruce Pearl, and your season is a success.
If you tell yourselves that, then I highly question your motives and what you are cheering for all along. It is the true fans of the Fighting Illini, the students and those not still hell bent on the recruiting scandal that see the big picture and are focused on the game itself.
GO PANTHERS!
It was there that current UI students informed the UWM faithful that the aforementioned Illini message board is a horrible example of judgement of their fans. The Illini students, known as "the Orange Krush," has little or nothing to do with the posts that seemingly still think it is 1990. For the most part, the current students don't care about what happened between Pearl and current UIC head coach Jimmy Collins when he was an assistant with the Illini. They want their team, ranked #1 in the country for the better part of the entire year, to win a national title. They could care less who is in their way.
But it is the "low class" alumni that thinks Pearl "stole" 10 years from their program. To be honest, somewhere in between what Pearl says and what Collins and the recruit they were both after, Deon Thomas says, is probably what really occured. But you know what? THAT WAS 16 YEARS AGO!
I envision myself as an alumnus of the UI, and I find it hard to believe that I would be so hell bent on something from so long ago when my team is the #1 team in the country, trying to win a national title. Their fans are doing nothing but hurting and tarnishing themselves. From sevearl messages on their board, you'd think that by beating UWM by 30, a mid-major from the Horizon League, that it would be Heaven on Earth for them because the Panthers are coached by the one they now refer to as "Satan."
Well, let me propose something to all of these ridiculous alumni then: You're team is loaded with talent, as evident by losing only one game this season. Luther Head is a senior, and Deron Williams is an almost gauranteed lottery pick should he choose to leave after this season, which most everyone thinks he will. Dee Brown was a second team All-America selection and the Big 10 POY. Chances are strong he will declare for the draft as well. Roger Powell, Jr, Jack Ingram and Nick Smith will also graduate, leaving your Fighting Illini with essentially James Augustine. Bottom line of this being, if you're squad doesn't win the title this year, you'd better pack a lunch while waiting for a team this good to come around again. So go ahead and beat UWM by 30 or 40 "for the fans" who wish to blame everything on Bruce Pearl. But when you lose to the winner of Arizona/Oklahoma State or to some other team in any other round of the tournament, I really hope you tell yourselves that all has been vindicated because you blewout Bruce Pearl, and your season is a success.
If you tell yourselves that, then I highly question your motives and what you are cheering for all along. It is the true fans of the Fighting Illini, the students and those not still hell bent on the recruiting scandal that see the big picture and are focused on the game itself.
GO PANTHERS!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Nothing Sweet About the Last Sixteen Years for Illini
"I don't really want to use the word, but he is evil, what else can you say he is?…
It's kind of hard to forgive a snake."
-Deon Thomas
"I cooperated with an NCAA investigation and provided information, testimony, documents and tapes as part of that…I'm sorry that the situation hurt Deon Thomas. In many ways he was a victim. But sometimes you have to choose to do the right thing when you see something that is wrong. I'm hoping that this is the last time I'll have to revisit this."
-Bruce Pearl
I’m sure we all are familiar with the story by now. Instead of attention being given to Bruce Pearl for an outstanding coaching job done thus far, or to his players for their toughness and superb effort in this tournament, the focus will be on what went down sixteen years ago.
As the top assistant to Dr. Tom Davis at Iowa, Bruce Pearl committed what could have been career suicide. He blew the whistle. Tired of losing recruits because of infractions they believed were happening, Davis and the University did something about it.
Although it was the University who supplied the equipment, and Davis who encouraged it, to this day it is still Pearl who is chastised.
Deon Thomas was a prized recruit who had verbally committed to Iowa, but backed out of that commitment to sign a letter of intent with Illinois. Concerned that they lost Thomas because of illegal recruiting procedures taken by Illinois, Davis had his young pupil secretly record a conversation with Thomas.
On April 8, 1989, Pearl called Thomas and recorded their conversation. In that conversation Pearl asked Thomas if he was upset that then Illinois assistant coach and current UIC head coach Jimmy Collins offered him money and a car during a recruiting visit. “Yeah, somewhat“ Thomas relied. The money was allegedly $80,000 and the car a Chevy Blazer. Pearl also asked Thomas if this bothered him, to which Thomas responded “No, not really.”
Back to Jimmy Collins. Collins, much like Pearl, was the top assistant for a major conference team and appeared to be on the fast track to a head coaching job. This scandal took away many opportunities for Collins because of the reputation he earned due to this conversation. Although sixteen years have passed, Collins has never forgiven Pearl and in a recent Horizon League match up, Collins refused to shake Pearl’s hand after Pearl’s Panthers defeated Collins and the University of Illinois Chicago Flames.
Thomas, who now lives and plays professional basketball in Israel was told of that incident and responded, "I wouldn't either, because of jealousy, someone took away coach Collins' lifestyle and his job. He messed up my future. How can you forget someone like that?"
In a phone conversation with the Chicago Tribune, Thomas went on to say, "We might have been able to do some damage in the tournament when I was there, but what hurt us was the Curse of Pearl. I have never seen Bruce Pearl since that happened and I don't care to ever see him. I have nothing to say to him if I did. Talking to him about this would give him a sense of importance that he doesn't deserve."
"I've moved on with my life and things are going well here, but when you see so many people that were affected by what [Pearl] did, it still bothers you. I won't say I wish him the best, because I want Illinois to kill them when they play [Thursday]. That would be sweet."
The allegations against Collins, Henson and Thomas were never proved by the NCAA, but Illinois was placed on probation two years later and received a post season ban and scholarship and recruiting restrictions in 1991.
The fact is Deon Thomas never led Illinois to the promised land he was expected to, and as a way out he has placed blame on other people. How did Bruce Pearl and this alleged curse cause Illinois to lose games in the NCAA tournament?
No one knows the whole story here, except for Thomas, Pearl and Collins. We do know that in a taped conversation Thomas acknowledged at least being offered money and a car from the university. That being said, how did Bruce Pearl mess up Deon Thomas’ life?
The fact is Jimmy Collins and the Fighting Illini broke the rules, and so did Thomas. They collectively messed up both of their lives. While not viewed as an acceptable thing to do by many in the coaching fraternity, the fact is Bruce Pearl did the right thing.
The story here should be Illinois head coach Bruce Weber facing his alma mata or Bruce Pearl leading a school that many in Milwaukee didn’t even know had a basketball team until recently into the sweet sixteen.
The attention is going to be on Bruce Pearl, no doubt about it. Many current Illinois fans don’t even know the story here, they’re too young. There are no holdovers from the time of this scandal, and yet you wouldn’t know it by listening to Illinois message boards or radio stations.
If I was arrested for robbing a bank, I wouldn’t blame the teller who called the police on me, so the notion by Illinois fans that Pearl is the man to blame is ridiculous.
This may end up being a blessing in disguise for UWM. They’re the little school from Milwaukee who wasn’t supposed to be here, facing the number one team in the country and number one seed in the tournament.
The pressure is all on Illinois and Bruce Webber, and the attention is all on Bruce Pearl. All the Milwaukee Panthers have to do is show up and play basketball.
Getting back to what Deon Thomas said, I’m afraid you’re wrong. Bruce Pearl does deserve this attention and sense of importance. As far as the outcome of the game is concerned, I think Bruce Pearl would find that “sweet” if UWM were to “kill” Illinois.
As a matter of fact, with the exception of Thomas never becoming the player he was supposed to be, and currently playing in Israel, I’m sure nothing would be sweeter to Pearl than a UWM victory over Illinois when Illini fans just won’t let this go.
If you would like to read more on this story, check out the article written by Chicago Tribune reporter David Haugh on Chicago sports.com
It's kind of hard to forgive a snake."
-Deon Thomas
"I cooperated with an NCAA investigation and provided information, testimony, documents and tapes as part of that…I'm sorry that the situation hurt Deon Thomas. In many ways he was a victim. But sometimes you have to choose to do the right thing when you see something that is wrong. I'm hoping that this is the last time I'll have to revisit this."
-Bruce Pearl
I’m sure we all are familiar with the story by now. Instead of attention being given to Bruce Pearl for an outstanding coaching job done thus far, or to his players for their toughness and superb effort in this tournament, the focus will be on what went down sixteen years ago.
As the top assistant to Dr. Tom Davis at Iowa, Bruce Pearl committed what could have been career suicide. He blew the whistle. Tired of losing recruits because of infractions they believed were happening, Davis and the University did something about it.
Although it was the University who supplied the equipment, and Davis who encouraged it, to this day it is still Pearl who is chastised.
Deon Thomas was a prized recruit who had verbally committed to Iowa, but backed out of that commitment to sign a letter of intent with Illinois. Concerned that they lost Thomas because of illegal recruiting procedures taken by Illinois, Davis had his young pupil secretly record a conversation with Thomas.
On April 8, 1989, Pearl called Thomas and recorded their conversation. In that conversation Pearl asked Thomas if he was upset that then Illinois assistant coach and current UIC head coach Jimmy Collins offered him money and a car during a recruiting visit. “Yeah, somewhat“ Thomas relied. The money was allegedly $80,000 and the car a Chevy Blazer. Pearl also asked Thomas if this bothered him, to which Thomas responded “No, not really.”
Back to Jimmy Collins. Collins, much like Pearl, was the top assistant for a major conference team and appeared to be on the fast track to a head coaching job. This scandal took away many opportunities for Collins because of the reputation he earned due to this conversation. Although sixteen years have passed, Collins has never forgiven Pearl and in a recent Horizon League match up, Collins refused to shake Pearl’s hand after Pearl’s Panthers defeated Collins and the University of Illinois Chicago Flames.
Thomas, who now lives and plays professional basketball in Israel was told of that incident and responded, "I wouldn't either, because of jealousy, someone took away coach Collins' lifestyle and his job. He messed up my future. How can you forget someone like that?"
In a phone conversation with the Chicago Tribune, Thomas went on to say, "We might have been able to do some damage in the tournament when I was there, but what hurt us was the Curse of Pearl. I have never seen Bruce Pearl since that happened and I don't care to ever see him. I have nothing to say to him if I did. Talking to him about this would give him a sense of importance that he doesn't deserve."
"I've moved on with my life and things are going well here, but when you see so many people that were affected by what [Pearl] did, it still bothers you. I won't say I wish him the best, because I want Illinois to kill them when they play [Thursday]. That would be sweet."
The allegations against Collins, Henson and Thomas were never proved by the NCAA, but Illinois was placed on probation two years later and received a post season ban and scholarship and recruiting restrictions in 1991.
The fact is Deon Thomas never led Illinois to the promised land he was expected to, and as a way out he has placed blame on other people. How did Bruce Pearl and this alleged curse cause Illinois to lose games in the NCAA tournament?
No one knows the whole story here, except for Thomas, Pearl and Collins. We do know that in a taped conversation Thomas acknowledged at least being offered money and a car from the university. That being said, how did Bruce Pearl mess up Deon Thomas’ life?
The fact is Jimmy Collins and the Fighting Illini broke the rules, and so did Thomas. They collectively messed up both of their lives. While not viewed as an acceptable thing to do by many in the coaching fraternity, the fact is Bruce Pearl did the right thing.
The story here should be Illinois head coach Bruce Weber facing his alma mata or Bruce Pearl leading a school that many in Milwaukee didn’t even know had a basketball team until recently into the sweet sixteen.
The attention is going to be on Bruce Pearl, no doubt about it. Many current Illinois fans don’t even know the story here, they’re too young. There are no holdovers from the time of this scandal, and yet you wouldn’t know it by listening to Illinois message boards or radio stations.
If I was arrested for robbing a bank, I wouldn’t blame the teller who called the police on me, so the notion by Illinois fans that Pearl is the man to blame is ridiculous.
This may end up being a blessing in disguise for UWM. They’re the little school from Milwaukee who wasn’t supposed to be here, facing the number one team in the country and number one seed in the tournament.
The pressure is all on Illinois and Bruce Webber, and the attention is all on Bruce Pearl. All the Milwaukee Panthers have to do is show up and play basketball.
Getting back to what Deon Thomas said, I’m afraid you’re wrong. Bruce Pearl does deserve this attention and sense of importance. As far as the outcome of the game is concerned, I think Bruce Pearl would find that “sweet” if UWM were to “kill” Illinois.
As a matter of fact, with the exception of Thomas never becoming the player he was supposed to be, and currently playing in Israel, I’m sure nothing would be sweeter to Pearl than a UWM victory over Illinois when Illini fans just won’t let this go.
If you would like to read more on this story, check out the article written by Chicago Tribune reporter David Haugh on Chicago sports.com
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