Is that Sir's Hard Bake on the board. Nothing says deep chicago roots like a nondescript sports guy on a local affiliate that no one watches.

I just hope the rubes down there don't find out he's black since everyone down there is a racist, Southern-drawlin' redneck farmer.

I just hope the rubes down there don't find out he's black since everyone down there is a racist, Southern-drawlin' redneck farmer.

I promise you this thing devolves over the next decade into a pipeline for paying off chicago coaches and players.

i had no idea that Mike Thomas had done this last year. Apparently the Cat's are just followers with their Wrigley deal. The Illini are well on their way to being "Geneva's Big Ten Team"

http://www.fightingillini.com/genrel/052212aaa.html

I the opposite of care about this insipid Northwestern/U of I pissing contest. The metropolitan area cares not for either of you. Go away.

The metropolitan area cares not for either of you. Go away.

Don't make me go all Dylan Thomas on yo' ass.

i had no idea that Mike Thomas had done this last year. Apparently the Cat's are just followers with their Wrigley deal. The Illini are well on their way to being "Geneva's Big Ten Team"

http://www.fightingillini.com/genrel/052212aaa.html

NU's attempt to ascend within the ranks of BCS football is being driven by the university's main benefactor. He is a former football player and pushed the idea of creating a new football training facility on some of the last bit of open space on the lakefill. The football facility is going to cost approximately $225 million. Meanwhile, the Cats will continue to play in a horrible stadium, will maintain academic standards that will prevent them from recruiting top athletic talent, and will remain mired in mediocrity for the foreseeable future. I really don't understand the emphasis on the football program. Many of the university's alumni actively resent athletics; and many of the faculty are deeply concerned about the direction of the university. We'll see how this plays out.

Wow... I'm not sure where you are getting some of this stuff. I'm sure you could find some academics at every institution that "resents athletics", I would be surprised if you could find one alumni that could really back that up. The atheltics programs fund themselves. There is no support from the endowment. There is no basis for resentment. As for the faculty being "deeply concerned" about the direction of the university, I literally have ZERO idea of where you are getting that. The school isn't having difficulty attracting students, its funding is up, and the endowment is one of the strongest in the country.

As for mediocrity, I suppose its all how you measure it. I'm ecstatic to achieve 10 wins in a major conference. That's not mediocrity in my book. I'm sure you'll blame a soft schedule or bad mouth the Big Ten's competitiveness, but some of us aren't all about national championships. Seeing competitive college football a quick el ride north of the city is a treat. There isn't a bad seat in the house. Sure there are no luxury boxes, but for the average football fan, there is no better sports value in town, in my opinion. Wolves maybe a close second.