Sunday, January 29, 2012
Interesting Song about Coach Weber
Here's an interesting rewrite of any old song in memory of Bruce Weber, courtesy of IllinoisLoyalty.com's Redriver:
A long long time ago
I can still remember
How that TEAM used to make me smile
And WE knew if WE had OUR chance
That WE could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every LOSS HE'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about THE LOSING SLIDE
But something touched me deep inside
The day the BUBBLE died
...
So bye, bye MR. STUBBORN GUY
TURNED MY TV TO THE selection show but the GAME WAS A LIE
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be YEAR WE QUALIFY
This'll be the YEAR WE QUALIFY
Did you write the book on MOTION
And CAN YOU UNDERSTAND HIS DEMOTION
If the AD tells you so?
Now do you believe in goin' to the hole?
Can Brandon save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those orange and blues
There was a big time teenage Simeon stud
With a sweet spin move and a jumpshot too
But I knew we were just a dud
The day the BUBBLE died
I started singing
Bye, bye Mr. Weber guy
Took his team to the NIT, BUT the fans asked why?
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the year we qualify
This'll be the year we qualify
Now, for six seasons we've been on our own
And we've grown use to the screamin' tone
But that's not how it used to be
When the Luther played for the championship crown
with his pals, D. Williams and Dee Brown
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the coach was looking down
The phone man stole his jeweled clown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Jerrance waited with no remarks
The team practiced for a lark
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the bubble died
We were singing
Bye, bye Mr. Short Bench guy
turned the tube to the tourney but we were a little nigh
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing next years team will qualify
Next years team will qualify
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The championship run was just an old shelter
four and one and falling fast
Leonard's foul my achin ass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the Chester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While merrymen played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The selection committee refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the bubble died?
We started singing
Bye, bye Mr. Hard Luck guy
filled out my bracket, but my team was shy
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing next years team will qualify
Next years team will qualify
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A fandom lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Mike be nimble, Mike be quick
Mike Thomas sat on a candlestick
'Cause firing Coach means we'll have to spend
And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell
Could take another bubble shell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the bubble died
He was singing
Bye, bye Mr. mid-major guy
tried to tell the merrymen, but they could only deny
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing my oh my, we didn't qualify
My oh my, we didn't qualify
I met a girl who wore orange and blue
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I hoped for a big ten tourney run
Where no one could deny us, oh what fun
But the competition said no way
And in the streets the students screamed
The old men cried, and the fools dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The referee's whistles all were broken
And the three young men I hoped for most
Parker, White, and Okafor, the post
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the bubble died
And the merrymen they were singing
Bye, bye Mr. Weber guy
Mediocre is better that half the teams, no one can deny
And them good old merrymen were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing you'll be sorry we fired that guy
You'll be sorry we fired that guy
Bye, bye Mr Weber guy
We'll cheer for you 'till the day we die
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing oh my, oh my, why oh why?
Paul Klee was listening to Weber after the Minnesota game, and I found this amazing from Bruce Weber. From Klee's article:
After Saturday's 77-72 overtime loss to Minnesota, Bruce Weber suggested that win or lose — he can't really win. "They're all hard to take," Weber said after Illinois suffered its third straight loss. "When we win it's hard to take (because) we have to listen to the critiquing. What's the difference?"
If Weber is not willing to be critiqued by the media and/or fans, he might as well pack it in and head to a mid-major by resigning from Illinois' head coaching position. Being critiqued is part of coaching a major program such as Illinois, and something that Henson, Kruger, and Self were able to take, that's for sure. In fact, they have all survived the fans and Chicago media quite well.
I recognize that Weber has been a fine coach for the Illini for many years, similar to Henson, but for a shorter time. But it might be the right time for a change, since the Illini just don't look too promising this season. But let's see how the season progresses. Weber might still turn it around since we can still make the tourney and could develop into an interesting tourney team. If it doesn't work out, I like Jerrance Howard to take over the team, since he is a great recruiter and has played under Kruger, Self and Weber a good mix of coaching philosophies for any young coach to follow.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
That was a disappointing loss to Wisconsin today, but very predictable. The Illini are mostly featuring a 4 guard offense that passes the ball around and has trouble getting it to Meyers Leonard, their athletic center. Most of the season, the ball handling has been sloppy with too many turnovers. That was not the case today. The biggest fundamental flaw for the Illini is the struggle to block out and rebound the ball on the defensive end. They gave Wisconsin too many chances today and it cost them dearly. Bruce Weber has not been using much of his bench, either. Egwu gets on the floor when Leonard is in foul trouble, Sam Maniscalco provides relief when healthy to Tracy Abrams, and Tyler Griffey seems to enter the game when the rebounding woes are evident.
With losses at Penn State and now the home loss to Wisconsin, the Illini are no longer looking like a sure tournament team. Will have to see how they turn things around, with the next game at Minnesota. I hope Bruce Weber can shake things up and try some bench players in some kind of a rotation. The bench scored zero points today, which is rarely going to win games. Would like to see Henry in for some serious minutes, since he is one of the better scorers on this team, and the guards looked tired today.
Labels:
basketball,
bo ryan,
Bruce Weber,
henry,
illini,
Meyers Leonard,
penn state,
Wisconsin
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