Ms. Vera

Well, let it be known that I am always about supporting the home team and right now, I think the Missouri is doing great to be ranked number one in the country and I actually want to watch their bowl game. But there's just a little too much Black and Gold in St. Louis, in Missouri, in the freakin' news room I work in! I think 50% of the people I work with went to Mizzou and I love them a lot but if I hear "Miz-zou Rah!" on more time I going to paint myself Orange and Blue, plop down at my desk and play the Illinois Fight Song until Christmas! Yeah, that's for you, Conroy!

I love you guys so much but there's a stopping point. I just think if Illinois was in the top spot, we wouldn't be getting THIS much attention in St. Louis. Chicago, probably so, but this is Mizzou country by a slight margin. My complaint isn't the coverage so much as the fact that we have to cover it for another month! That's because of the upcoming bowl game. So I say, thin it out a little bit.

Overkill is overkill, no matter what it is. We did four, yes FOUR Mizzou segments in our Morning Show on FOX 2 Thursday. Oh, by the way, our morning producers all went to Mizzou, but I won't hold that against them

All I'm saying is I love the Illini and I'll support Mizzou, but someone please send me some Illini ORANGE AND BLUE LOVE! I need to hear the drums play and see the Orange Krush! I need Krannert and the Assembly Hall! I'd love some ice cream from the Illini Union and listen to the bell toll at noon on the Quad. I'd love to see Jordan's son running up and down the court in those shorts, yes!

I wish I could have some Gumby's pizza.

I've give anything to just sit in Foellinger Auditorium for just one more lecture.

How about an Italian soda and croissants and Busey's Coffee House with Grandma and Grandpa Miller?

Timisha, don't you want to go Wal-Mart and rearrange their merchandise like we used to do in undergrad when we got bored?

Laura, let's have a midnight snack at the Steak n Shake on Neil Street. Oh, I forgot, you'll be in Grainger studying all night.

Brad, come pick me up so I can do laundry for free in what used to be known as Melrose. Aww, I can hear the Black Chorus singing.

Hey, does anybody want to go dancing at Kams, Home of the Drinking Illini??

ANYTHING to save this Illni's orange and blue heart. I'll take whatever you've got. Just save me from the Miz-zou Rah Mania!

I took Christian to a Cardinals game this weekend. Don't kill me, but I don't particularly care for baseball, BUT I thought it would be something neat to do with him.

I have to say, the whole adventure really was a blast and it didn't take more than 3 hours.

First, I decide to take the Metrolink over because he's always talking about "the train."

He really like that.
Once we got to the stadium, he was really excited when we got to the seats started to watch the game. While he jabbered on and asked what everybody was doing, I pulled out our lunch (didn't spend any money on food!) which consisted of hot dogs, chips, fruit cups and Juicy Juice. I liked watching him sit and eating his hot dog and really watching the baseball game. We got to see a couple of home runs too!

Well, about a half hour into the game, he said he was hot, which is what I expected to happen seeing as we were sitting right in the sun (hey, the tickets were free). So that was the perfect cue for us to leave and find the family pavillion.

I was very glad this was part of the stadium because kids get restless and need something else to do.  Well he had a great time running around with the other kids and climbing on the fake baseballs and gloves.

 

Then, there was the batting cage. Who knew this would be the highlight of his day! He had so much fun! They let him put on the helmet and swing at this ball on a rope. He was so proud of himself when he hit it. I think he told everybody we passed on the way out, "I hit the ball!" Cute.

 

 

So, after that, I figured we done a lot and he wanted to ride the train again. "That's great, " i thought. Time to go. He's satisfied and so am I. It was a good outing for just me and him. Our day at the ballpark. 

Well, I thought the day would never come when the University would actually change the way they think and get rid of Chief Illiniwek.

I know posting this that I am about to get SLAMMED, but I'm just saying that it's about time. Not because I am ANTI-CHIEF or anything like that. It's just because the University took so long to make a decision. While the rest of the world stopped using people as mascots over the last ten years, the University of Illinois (while I love it dearly), drags it's feet, especially when the alumni are pushing big bucks for them to keep the chief.

This came down to two things - NCAA participation and money. Those were the choices.

Do we tick off the alumni and boot the chief, or run the risk of never hosting an NCAA event (that pays out the wazoo, if you know what I mean!)

Well, I hope those crazy kids in Champaign calm down and move forward. I know it's a huge tradition, a moving one at that. I've seen it live several times and it's very interesting, but if it offends the group it supposedly represents, shouldn't we rethink it?

Don't worry, I still "bleed blue" and "paint the hall orange" and I'LL NEVER STOP SINGING THE FIGHT SONG, so just BRING IT ON!

For those of you who don’t know, I’m great big ‘ole Illini Fan! Yeah!!
Well, this weekend, I went to Chicago to a Bulls game. It was my first trip to the United Center and the Bulls were playing the Utah Jazz. Two of the Jazz players, Derion Williams and Dee Brown, are former Illini players. AND Dee Brown is from Chicago.
So, to my surprise, I walked into the U.C. and there was all this “orange and blue” floating by. Illini this and illini that. There were more people wearing orange at a Bulls game than red! It was great!

Then, get this – during the game, people are chanting “we want DEE, we want DEE.”
I got confused… “Are we in Chicago or Champaign,” I asked my friend.
It was just like being back at good ole’ Assembly Hall.
And, although I wanted the Bulls to win, I’m glad Derion had a good game. BUT, as much “we want DEE” yelling we did, he never got in the game. (Darn stubborn coach!)

Where my ILLINI at?
Illinois beat Indiana last night too!

Go ILLINI GO!