I saw yesterday that NIU is playing a football at the Cell.

From the TRIB:

Northern Illinois will play Toledo in football this fall at U.S. Cellular Field, the Tribune has learned. NIU and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority officials will make the formal announcement Wednesday at the Cell, when they will reveal other details, such as the date.

NIU athletic director Sean Frazier, football coach Rod Carey, ISFA CEO Lou Bertuca and White Sox Vice President Brooks Boyer will make the announcement at 10:30 a.m today.



I have a question.... when the Bears were looking for a temporary home during the Solider Field rebuild it was stated that The Cell could not be considered since a football field would not fit into the configuration. What has changed since then? Did walls come down?

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This will draw less fans than a Sox game.

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When the name changed from Comiskey to US Cellular the money used from the naming rights went to a lot of "improvements" and renovations around the park. Seems totally plausible that the Sox could accomodate football games now whereas before the renovations they couldn't. I think the place is just as shitty as its ever been, but I was like 15 when they went from blue seats to green seats so maybe I'm wrong.

They could play this game on the surface of the moon and nobody would care.

The Cell only seats like 40k, right? I thought it was more of a capacity seating thing.

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the walls came down after Abreu barely hit the ball over them

I'd go to the game if I got free tickets. I might even pay for one if I could tailgate with spanky

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Nobody except Spanky, niu_huskies, and one of my former co-workers.

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what % cut is jerry getting?

There's something sad about that. NIU would be better off playing a game at Naperville North's field.

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Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

It would have been cool if the Bears played at Wrigley Field that season, with the temporary grandstand in left field and everything. Maybe they could have done the first two games in Champaign and the last six at Wrigley to avoid sharing with the Cubs. It would have been better than playing the whole season in Champaign.

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I can't see this game being well attended. NIU got in hot water for not honoring a scholarship contest because not enough students attended all home games this year. And football has been really good for a long time.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Why even do this with Toledo?

Do a 2 and 1 with a big conference team to get it done and get some actual attention.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Why a Wednesday night game? I know that's their TV audience game, but nobody the hell is going to want to leave there and drive either 4 hours to Toledo or 90 minutes to DeKalb at 11 fucking pm... Make it a Saturday at 3pm, have the game finish in time for folks to either drive home comfortably, or get a hotel in the city and make a 7:30pm dinner reservation.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Nobody would go even if this was on a Saturday.

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Hopefully the teams can actually use both end zones.

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This makes no sense. They had 23K at Toledo last year for the home game and 8500(!) at Dekalb the year before.. Other than the novelty factor, this just seems like a bad move to give up the home game for NIU.

The NIU football program is depressing when you think about it.

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Wrong section.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Over / under on attendance?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

12K

Attended or Tickets given away?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

gonna be a nice homecoming for the Comissioner's Trophy after a fun but exhausting tour

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Maybe I'm just reinvigorated with Saluki pride, but why not bring back the NIU vs SIU non-conference game and play that in Chicago. Why dont they even play that game at all anymore? Too much to lose for NIU?

There's enough grads of both in the area that might get off their ass to see the game. Battle of Illinois I don't know, SIU is one of the better D1-AA schools.

Lane Tech said No.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Not a chance JR allows this in season

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Nov. 9th

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Not much excitement if neither Spanky nor his mult NIU Huskies has posted anything yet.

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