Taylor Bell: April 2009 Archives

Rather than engage in a healthy and intelligent debate on any and all issues that impact on high school sports in Illinois in general and University of Illinois sports in particular, Illiniflight33 and his equally narrow-minded pals choose to hide behind their anonymous name tags, ignore the facts and try to prohibit freedom of speech to anyone who dares to disagree with them.

Here is a sampling of Illiniflight33's rantings before and after I was invited to appear on Boz and Mr. G's "We're loyal to you Illinois" radio talk show on Monday:

"Zero listenership/readership means he goes away."

"His information has been mostly incorrect for 30 years."

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Boz (Scott Bosley) and Mr. G (Scott Gendell) on their Monday Talk Zone radio show. It only proves you can be “Loyal to you Illinois” and still have an intelligent debate on many subjects that some fans might construe as impacting negatively or positively on Illini sports.

It was no-holds-barred, no-subjects-off-limits for about 40 minutes and I don’t have a problem with those ground rules. In too many cases in dealing with anonymous e-mailers, however, you can’t engage in a civil conversation because they don’t want facts to get in the way of their agenda.

Tom Lemming, the nationally known football recruiting analyst, was a popular subject and I welcomed the opportunity to deal with an issue that seems to impact greatly on a segment of Illini Nation. I hope I was able to make a few pertinent points. Unfortunately, history tells me that many critics aren’t listening.

Today's high school athletes get more exposure than ever before, not only from the media. When Tom Lemming (football) and Bob Gibbons (basketball), the pioneers of recruiting analysis, began evaluating players in 1978, there was no Internet, Rivals, Scout, ESPNU, UnderArmour or Edgytim.

Now kids can attend camps from coast to coast to improve their skills in any sport from lacrosse to soccer to volleyball. There are enough football and basketball camps to fill a telephone book, for quarterbacks and kickers, for tall men and point guards.

The problem is: Which is the best for me? Which one will teach me what I need to know? Which one can give me exposure necessary to obtain a college scholarship? Will I burn out if I attend too many camps? Will I get ripped off? If I'm a wide receiver and I'm timed in 4.8 seconds for 40 yards, how badly will that performance affect my college chances?

Every year, recruiting analyst Tom Lemming and I engage in a friendly debate over the talent level of football players in the Chicago area. Are they overrated? Is this just a down cycle? Will next year's class be as good as 1986? Why aren't local kids getting more exposure? Without spring practice, do they suffer in comparison to other states?

Look at the facts:

* Last year, 48 Illinois products suited up in the NFL, more than any other region of the country outside of Los Angeles. But at the current rate, Chicago will quickly fall behind Miami, Dallas and Houston.

* In 1986, a total of 141 Chicago area products earned full-ride scholarships and 16 were later selected in the NFL draft. Today, fewer than 70 get scholarships.

Apparently disturbed by news that none of the leading football prospects in Illinois in the class of 2010 might commit to the University of Illinois, a few Illini fans e-mailed to ask how such a thing could happen.

At this time--all of them can change their minds, of course, between now and signing day next February--neither tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz of Johnsburg nor defensive end Chance Carter of Loyola lists Illinois among their finalists.

Offensive lineman Christian Lombard of Fremd has committed to Notre Dame. Wide receiver Kyle Prater of Proviso West and quarterback Chandler Whitmer of Downers Grove South are considering Illinois. And defensive back Corey Cooper of Proviso East committed to Illinois as a sophomore but is visiting other schools.

The Illinois High School Association is made up of the principals of the state's 766 member high schools. They vote on measures that affect thousands of boys and girls who participate in IHSA-sponsored sports programs and extra-curricular activities.

So logic says that the principals ought to be interested in what the IHSA is doing.

Bu only 39 percent of them bothered to cast a ballot when the IHSA chose to scrap a two-class basketball playoff that had been in place for 35 years and adopt a four-class format.

And when principal Bob Peterson of Putnam Country canvassed other principals following the recent 1A/2A and 3A/4A tournaments, the percentage of responses was even less.

Today's generation of anonymous blog contributors, Internet hypochondriacs and hometown cheerleaders clash dramatically with old-timers who cherish the traditions that youngsters take for granted, traditions that built reputations of universities and their sports programs.

What is tradition?

According to Webster's dictionary, tradition is "the handing down of information, beliefs and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction, an inherited pattern of thought or action."

Larry Hawkins said it more directly and eloquently. The late educator, coach and founder of the Institute for Athletics and Education at the University of Chicago often reminded his students and players:

My newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times, recently editorialized against the Illinois High School Association's random drug testing policy.

With all due respect, I disagree.

The Sun-Times argues that the IHSA is sending the wrong message, that the kid's personal liberty is being violated, that there is no evidence that drug testing works to reduce the use of illicit drugs, that even if drug testing did prove effective, the price to be paid would be unacceptable.

Furthermore, the editorial calls for education, counseling and "building trusting relationships between authority figures and students" as more positive measures to discourage drug use.

I received dozens of e-mails in response to my blog in which I argued that the caliber of high school basketball in Illinois isn't as good as it used to be.

Most of them agreed with me. But Chief Chalie had an opposing view. He wrote a very eloquent retort. Unfortunately, he didn't provide an e-mail address so I couldn't respond directly to him. So, in accordance with a policy that I established when my blog was introduced last October, I deleted his missive.

But I want to respond. We will probably agree to disagree on this point. But that's what debate is all about, well intentioned and intelligence conversation, not name-calling and back-biting.

I have a confession to make.

I never used to watch hockey until the Blackhawks changed their image and began to stir up some excitement in the last two years.

But I never miss the Stanley Cup playoffs. No matter who is playing--Avs, Blues, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Flyers, Rangers, Red Wings, Sharks, Penguins--I prefer the Stanley Cup to the NBA playoff, the Final Four, the World Series or the Super Bowl.

It is non-stop, end-to-end action, no television timeouts, no fighting, no seventh-inning stretch, just serious hockey and great skating. No time to go to the refrigerator for a late snack.

Bolingbrook freshman Morgan Tuck, a first-team selection on the Sun-Times all-state team and Illinois' Ms. Basketball, didn't make the Associated Press' all-state team.

In fact, not a single member of the Bolingbrook and Whitney Young girls teams, which finished 1-2 in the Class 4A tournament, was named to the AP's all-state first team.

Whitney Young's newly crowned Class 4A boys state championship team didn't land a representative on the Sun-Times' 20-member All-Chicago Area squad.

And Seton point guard DJ Cooper, who led his team to a state championship and clearly was the best player in Class 2A, tied for the 10th and last spot on the AP's all-state second team.