Brad

From the "Whaddya know dept." Sol was already drafted....to the USBL: Story Link I might have been too busy with my taxes to notice...

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<p>Right now, if you sign up for Gamefly, a leading online game rental company using the banner below, TheBullsPen.com receives a $15 "finders fee".  I know several of us talk about the NCAA and the Madden games here so there are players.  Signing up with Gamefly lets you try before you buy.  Please use the link below and check them out.  If you to click and decide to join let me know, so I can track the record.  Thanks </p> <a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/3f66qgpmgo358C84663547D89D4" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.gamefly.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;"> <img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/jt82jy1qwuFHKOKGIIFHGJPKLPG" alt="Video Game Rentals Delivered" border="0"></a>#enable_html

12th game not much of a bonus for WVU Dave Hickman MORGANTOWN — How much excitement is a game with Eastern Washington going to generate under any circumstances, much less plopped down between Marshall and Maryland? Then again, would Buffalo have been any different? Probably not. That whole 12th-game thing is working out really well for West Virginia, isn’t it? First the school was arm-twisted by the governor to schedule Marshall in that extra spot. OK, so in the long run that will work out just fine because the game really is good for both sides. But you can bet there will long be resentment in Morgantown over being forced into the deal. If that was the worst thing about the 12th game, though, it would be nothing. The bigger picture is this: With an extra week to play, every mediocre program in the country sees it as an opportunity to cash in. And the BCS schools are, in most cases, happy to oblige. Why is that a problem? Because West Virginia and most of the rest of the teams in the Big East can’t afford to pay. In essence, that’s what happened with Buffalo. The Bulls were offered a lot more money to play at Auburn and Wisconsin, so both West Virginia and Rutgers were kissed off. It’s a fact of life, though, so get used to it. It isn’t going to get any better. The thing is, West Virginia and Pitt are the only schools in the Big East with both the stadium capacity and the interest to draw even 60,000 fans to a home game (South Florida has the capacity but not the interest, Louisville the interest but not the capacity). The Auburns and the Wisconsins of the world (and the Penn States, the Tennessees, the Michigans, the Ohio States; do I really need to continue?) will draw 80,000, 90,000 or even 100,000 and more no matter the opponent. The extra seats translate into extra money. Duh. But that’s not West Virginia’s only problem. For starters, the Mountaineers have that whole self-sufficiency thing hanging around their necks. That’s an easy one to forget when the football team is playing in BCS bowls and the basketball team is playing deep into the NCAA tournament and selling tickets like mad. But it’s still there, so frugal always has to be the word. Another thing that puts a crimp in scheduling for West Virginia and Big East teams is the league itself, made up of just eight teams. That’s a two-fold problem in scheduling. First, it means every other year there are just three league home games. Second, every year there are just seven conference games total. That’s a problem because while other BCS leagues are giving their schools eight conference games, membership in the Big East gets you just seven. So every year there are five non-conference slots to fill, at least three of which have to be home games in order to get to seven. In the years when you play just three Big East home games, four of the five non-conference games have to be at home in order to reach seven. Why seven home games? Well, it’s a vicious cycle. Teams in those other BCS leagues, the ones with bigger stadiums and four conference home games each year, need only play three of five non-league games at home to get to seven. With 12 games now, sometimes they’ll even play eight at home. That’s even more money to lure more of the Buffalos of the world. This year, with four Big East home games and three of five non-league games at Mountaineer Field, West Virginia will reach seven home games. Next year the split is six and six, although who is to say next year’s schedule means anything right now? After that it’s a crapshoot because there are still open dates to be filled. Then there’s that bizarre 2009 thing with Marshall (winner of two of the first three games gets home field for the fourth), where the site of the game won’t be known until at least September of 2007, perhaps 2008. The point is, West Virginia is going to try to avoid scheduling Division I-AA teams as much as possible in the future. No one likes those games and WVU officials know it. Wofford last season and Eastern Washington next were forced on the Mountaineers when Central Florida and Buffalo both backed out of contracts in February. Villanova is on the schedule in 2008, but that was done before any of this happened. But don’t be surprised if there aren’t many options other than I-AA teams in the future. You can play a couple of non-league games against BCS teams every year, and WVU has those scheduled. But adding any more is counterproductive both competitively and from the standpoint of the home games. You don’t buy home games against BCS schools. You buy them against Buffalo. The richer schools are going to buy Buffalo every time, though. For any school that can’t afford seven-figure guarantees, Eastern Washington might be all that’s left. To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, call 348-1734 or send e-mail to dphickman1@aol.com. Story Link

Dayton Beach news-journal online Big man; big dreams By TONY JONES Staff Writer Solomon Jones has always been considered a diamond in the rough. As a skinny 6-foot-7 high school senior, Jones was thought to be raw -- an exceptional, undersized athlete who needed seasoning before moving on to play Division I college basketball. He accomplished that at Daytona Beach Community College, refining his skills and making his mark as an elite big man. He continued his rapid improvement at the University of South Florida, averaging 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds for a Bulls team that could muster only one win in its inaugural Big East season. Along the way, Jones made third-team all-Big East, the only South Florida player to earn postseason honors. Jones now is hoping to take the next step, and make himself known before the NBA Draft in June. Jones entered the postseason as an afterthought, a nice player who wasn't projected to get drafted. One weekend changed all that. Jones went to the Portsmouth Invitational, a pre-draft camp in Virginia for college seniors who hope to improve their stock, from April 5-8. Now 6-foot-10, and at 230 pounds, Jones made the all-tournament first team, a list that included Duke's Sean Dockery, Cincinnati's Eric Hicks and Marquette's Steve Novak. Jones' brilliant showing did two things. First, it caused his draft stock to soar -- he's now projected by nbadraft.net to go 54th to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Secondly, it puts him in prime position to receive an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp, the top pre-draft camp the NBA offers. Should the Mount Dora hometowner get invited and play well, he would almost certainly get drafted, and his stock would soar even higher. The Orlando camp, previously held in Chicago, will run from June 4-6. "Solomon made himself a lot of money by playing well at Portsmouth," said Marty Blake, the NBA's director of scouting. "Right now he's definitely in the conversation in terms of receiving an invite to Orlando. He's put destiny in his hands now. He has to do well in his workouts, and he has to keep the right attitude, but he helped himself out a lot by showing up to camp when some of the other top seniors backed out." There are some players who thrive at the professional level, free of the shackles of the collapsing zone defenses and pesky double teams that define the college game. Jones may be one of those players. He's developed into a great rebounder, who has the athleticism and anticipation to track down caroms not in his area. His leaping ability allows him to finish around the basket with dunks and put-backs. He's never lost the timing to block shots, and his humble background has breeded a work ethic that's unusual at this level. Those attributes were all on display at Portsmouth. Playing on a team that featured big college names like Iowa's Jeff Horner and Oklahoma's Terrell Everett, Jones carved out a niche by playing with a motor that never stopped. He posted two double-doubles in three games, the best being a 16-point, 10-rebound, four-block performance in the tournament championship game, which his team won. Along the way, Jones outplayed some of the biggest names college basketball had to offer. He scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Michigan State's Paul Davis, a 6-foot-11 center projected to go in the first round. In that game, Jones held Davis to four points and four rebounds while he shot 2-of-7 from the field. Those are the things scouts like to see. They don't want a player who puts up numbers against meager competition. They want to see a player hold his own against other great players. Jones has done that and much more. "Right now, I'm aiming high," Jones said. "I think I played pretty well at Portsmouth, but I need to get better. I have to do well in my workouts. I want to get drafted in the first round." tony.jones@news-jrnl.com 2006 Mock Draft Here's a 2006 NBA mock draft, courtesy of www.nbadraft.net (visit the Web site for its top-60 selections): 1. Portland Tyrus Thomas, LSU 2. Chicago LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas Southern 3. Charlotte Adam Morrison, Gonzaga 4. Atlanta Andrea Bargnani, Italy 5. Toronto Rudy Gay, Connecticut 6. Boston Rodney Carney, Memphis 7. Minnesota Brandon Roy, Washington 8. Golden State Josh McRoberts, Duke 9. Houston Randy Foye, Villanova 10. Seattle Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley Also 54. Cleveland Solomon Jones, South Florida Solomon Jones in 2005-2006 SCHOOL: South Florida POSITION: Power forward/center HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-foot-10/230 pounds NUMBERS: 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds per game Story Link

To coaches, bowls mean extra practice time UCF's George O'Leary says that qualifying for the Hawaii Bowl gave his Golden Knights a jump on spring practice. Kyle Hightower Sentinel Staff Writer April 20, 2006 When George O'Leary walked into Nicholson Fieldhouse three weeks ago to start his third spring practice as UCF coach, at least one thing was missing. The urgency. For the first time in his three-year tenure and the first time in school history, UCF is coming off a bowl appearance. In addition to the money, exposure and other pomp and circumstance that comes with a bowl, the one thing O'Leary and other coaches have wanted is the extra practice time it brings. Under NCAA rules, a school not invited to a bowl isn't allowed to hold a formal practice with its players until the last week of February. But by securing a bowl bid, a coach gets an extra two weeks of practices with his team in December to tinker with a number of different game nuances. Those items can include everything from trying a player at a different position to developing young talent. It may not seem like much, but coaches around the country agree, a little extra time can go a long way. "That's the reason that teams that go to bowls continue to go to bowls," O'Leary said. "They pick up 10 or 12 other practices. That's the key -- that you get a chance to work your redshirt players and a chance to see where they are." It was during the extra practice time before the bowl that O'Leary moved wide receiver Steven Baker to linebacker. Baker recorded UCF's lone sack in a 49-48 overtime loss to Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Though Baker was lost early in spring drills with a knee injury, he should be able to return this season and the extra pre-bowl practice time will prevent him from being completely lost when he gets back on the field. The benefits from the pre-bowl practices showed this spring. "There is no question from last spring to now, our contact speed has picked up, along with the knowledge of the field," O'Leary said. And Baker wasn't the only player to benefit. In addition to picking up Baker's reps in practice, fifth-year senior Ronnell Sandy said the extra bowl time combined with the spring season has helped him add tools to his game that had been missing in previous years. Sandy was fifth on the team in tackles last season (52 total, 31 solo) and though he has only one career interception, he said his knowledge of executing his coverage responsibilities has grown "exponentially." A little more time on the field has also been beneficial to the Knights' young secondary that struggled at times last year and is full of youth. Sophomore DB Jayson Williams is playing defense for the first time since high school. He said the extra time is helping him with the adjustment. "For me it's been good in just getting used to hitting and wrapping up again -- the basic fundamentals of defense," he said. Shuffling people around and making improvements during bowl season isn't a practice confined to UCF. At Florida, for instance, Coach Urban Meyer moved Cornelius Ingram from quarterback to tight end for the Outback Bowl. Ingram was able to move smoothly into spring practice at his new position and impressed the coaches enough to warrant serious playing time this season. Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan was one of those who was able to use his team's extra practices leading up to the Alamo Bowl for dual purposes. First, he got freshman quarterback Harrison Beck some extra snaps, having learned not long before that touted recruit Josh Freeman had backed off an oral commitment to Nebraska in favor of Kansas State. He also used the time to veer a bit off the beaten path. "We worked on a lot of situational stuff -- gadgets and tricks and all the things of that nature," Callahan said. "I tried to get some of those specials in, and the bowl game allows you that opportunity because of the extra time to get a few more plays in." The Houston Bowl was Iowa State's fifth bowl in the past six seasons. Speaking to media at the beginning of this year's spring practice, Coach Dan McCarney said pre-bowl practices help eliminate the problems of a mental layoff for his players. McCarney shared an anecdote from his strength coach, who said players were able to go through the second week of winter workouts with no instruction. If not for the bowl practices, McCarney said, the last time his players would have worked out together would have been in November. Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano said the extra two weeks of practice that came with the Insight Bowl helped him answer personnel questions that would have previously waited for the spring. He equated the bowl prep time as being equal to "half a spring practice." The benefits aren't just confined to what happens on the football field, either. Numerous coaches use it as a recruiting tool by inviting players to observe bowl practices and to see up close how a team operates. South Florida's Jim Leavitt said he reveled more in the additional bonding time he got with players thanks to USF's invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl -- the Bulls' first ever. "We have been eligible to go to a bowl more than not since we joined I-A, but we've never been able to go," Leavitt said in December. "I enjoy the practice and being around the players a lot. For me to be able to practice at this time of year as opposed to making more recruiting calls or meeting is really satisfying for me." But in the end, it all comes back to preparation for what happens on the field. And that, O'Leary said, won't change, no matter who you are or how many bowls you go to. "Anytime you can practice more, you should get better," he said. Kyle Hightower can be reached at khightower@orlandosentinel.com. Story Link

Courtesy USF SID Office USF Men’s Soccer Adds Two to 2006 Recruiting Class TAMPA, Fla. (April 19, 2006) – Head Coach George Kiefer and the USF men’s soccer team announced today the signing of two players to a National Letter of Intent. Diego Restrepo and Anthony Wallace will join the team for the 2006 season. Restrepo, a goalkeeper from Lake Clarke Shores, Fla., was a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. He was (along with fellow recruit Neven Subotic) a member of the U.S. Team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2005 U17 World Cup in Peru. With the U-17 National Team, the 6-foot ‘keeper recorded a 1.33 GAA in 11 appearances (six starts) tallying a 3-2-2 record. Restrepo earned three caps during the 2005 season, registering a 1-1-0 record with a 1.33 GAA in international competition. In 2005, Restrepo was named to the NSCAA/adidas Boys Youth All-America Team. Prior to the U-17 residency program, he played two years at American Heritage High School where he started in goal as a freshman and was named All-State his freshman and sophomore years. Wallace is a defender/midfielder from St. Petersburg, Fla. He has been a member of the U.S. U-17 National Team, in residency since 2004. He was recently named to the U.S. National U-20 Team (along with fellow recruit Subotic and current USF forward Jordan Seabrook). During his time with the U-17 program, Wallace has registered four goals and nine assists in 46 matches. This season with the U-17 ‘89s, he has tallied three goals and two assists in nine starts. Wallace was named the most valuable player of the Ballymena International Tournament in April 2005, one of the leading youth national team tournaments in Europe. The 5-foot-10 defender/midfielder was a 2005 NSCAA/adidas Boys Youth All-America Team selection as well as a 2005 Elite Soccer Program Participant. Restrepo and Wallace join USF recruits Subotic (midfielder) and Marc Dougherty (midfielder), who have already enrolled at USF for the Spring semester. Coach Kiefer and the USF men’s soccer program plan on announcing more signees in the near future.

Apparently so.

Courtesy USF SID Office USF Baseball Tops UCF in Extra Innings, 6-4 ORLANDO, Fla. (April 18, 2006) – The University of South Florida baseball team (18-20) defeated the UCF Golden Knights (21-19), 6-4 in 11 innings, on Tuesday, April 18 at Jay Bergman Field. An RBI-single by Ty Taborelli resulted in the game-winning run in the top of the 11th. Taborelli finished the night batting 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Closer Chase Lirette picked up his second win of the season, allowing no runs on one hit in two innings of relief. Right-hander Raymon Garcia was credited with first-career save.  USF will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face the Pittsburgh Panthers in BIG EAST action starting Friday, April 21. Game One of the three-game series with the Panthers will start at 7 p.m. USF 6, UCF 4 (Apr 18, 2006 at Orlando, Fla.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- USF................. 310 000 000 02 -  6 11  4    (18-20) UCF................. 000 103 000 00 -  4  7  1    (21-19) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: USF - MANGANARO; CASSIDY(5); HIGGINS(6); LIRETTE(9); GARCIA(11). UCF - T. Meier; B. Brooks(3); K. Sweat(6); T. Bunnell(8); B. Bordwine(8); J. Thorne(8); K. Bender(11). Win-LIRETTE(2-2)  Save-GARCIA(1)  Loss-J. Thorne(2-3)  T-4:00  A-378 HR UCF - T. Auer. B. Bordwine faced 2 batters in the 8th.

Bulls Win 6-4!

Then again, maybe I was intimidated...for all I know it could have been Suzy Kolber and I might have had a Joe Namath moment with her...

I was informed via an intermediary that I would likely be contacted by ESPN after a post made by one of our members that he would create DVDs in return for a site donation. I was told ESPN is very strict on that sort of thing. I am sure that the ESPN hands on the USF account monitor this board as do many other media outlets.

Bulls up 5-4, still batting in top of 11th

Bulls got started with a 3 run first, going up 4-0 in second, but now UCF rallying in the 6th...currently 4-3 with UCF still batting...

I saw that on eBay...is that even authentic? I can't imagine we actually had a facemask that color unless it was from the very early years...but I doubt it...

I think Greg can speak to that. We link to Greg's blog above, and TyBull is trying to get it right in terms of crediting Greg. He really should provide a link, however. This site has done a lot to raise the awareness of Greg's blog, and Greg has provided great input to the message board. Like other trademarked or copyrighted material, as long as there is no intentional abuse, I think Greg and the SPT would be fine. Normally when there is a violation, I am the first to know, as I have in the past - i.e. The 12th Man Club, ESPN, etc.... I think Greg likes the publicity for his blog and I imagine the hits he receives are increasing with each excerpt and/or link posted here.

Welcome georgiabull, We're glad you are here and are pleased Amp Hill is at South Florida. We're hoping you are right on the money with that Big East Championship! Go Bulls!

Many thanks TripleB!

Courtesy USF SID Office USF To Host BIG EAST Tennis And Golf Championships This Week LEAGUE TENNIS AND GOLF PROGRAMS TO VISIT TAMPA AREA BEGINNING APRIL 20 Tampa, Fla. – The University of South Florida Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, competing in its first season in the BIG EAST Conference, will host a pair of league championship events this week. USF hosts the 2006 BIG EAST Men’s & Women’s Tennis Championships April 20-23 at the Varsity Tennis Courts before welcoming the 2006 BIG EAST Men’s & Women’s Golf Championships to Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club April 23-25.  The Bulls will also serve as the host school for the 2006 BIG EAST Baseball Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. A total of 12 women’s teams and eight men’s squads will participate in the tennis championships, with the title-winning program earning the league’s automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA Tennis Championships.  Action on the women’s side begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 20, while first serve for the men opens at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 21.  Notre Dame is the defending champion in both men’s and women’s. The men’s and women’s golf championships begin with practice round action on Sunday, April 23.  A total of 12 men’s and seven women’s teams will compete in the 54-hole event.  The squads will play 36 holes on Monday, April 24, before concluding action Tuesday morning with a final round.  Notre Dame is the defending champion on the men’s side, while St. John’s captured the women’s trophy in 2005. The fields in both tennis and golf have been expanded with the addition of former Conference USA programs USF, Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville and Marquette.

XOS inks USF, Sun Belt Conference deals Orlando Business Journal - 12:18 PM EDT Monday XOS Technologies, a leading provider of sports technology and media solutions, announced Monday it has added two more collegiate partnerships to its growing portfolio of amateur and professional teams and conferences. The value of the contracts was not disclosed. The Sanford-based company has been selected by the Sun Belt Conference to provide in-game instant replay capabilities during all of its conference and non-conference games in 2006. Also, XOS says that the University of South Florida has launched its new sports Web site -- GoUSFBulls.com -- which is built using the XOS fan management technology platform. USF's new Web site will provide state-of-the-art streaming video and audio, news update, scores, statistics and other features for every USF sports team. The replay system designed for the Sun Belt Conference will use five cameras to provide replay content for all games, whether they are televised or not. XOS Replay is a fully integrated digital video recording solution that will enable replay officials to watch, and simultaneously record, live feeds from the various cameras mounted in the stadium. Sunbelt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters welcomes the XOS services. "We wanted to employ an instant replay system that is not only fast, but also efficient and accurate," Waters says. Doug Woolard, director of athletics at USF, says XOS is a superior technology partner that will bring the school's Web site to a new level. "With the launch of our new site, it's certainly a great time to be a USF Bulls fan," says Woolard. XOS's more than 700 clients include teams in the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Major League Baseball and the Arena Football League. The company's four product lines include Digital Video Editing Coaching Tools, Facilities Design & Integration, XOS Network Online Fan Management Platform and XOS Total Ticketing & Donor Management Solution. Story Link I also like the sound of the deal the Sun Belt will have...video for games not televised to be used in replay situations, but I guess also for playback on a site?

Courtesy USF SID Office USF Bulls (17-20, 7-8 BIG EAST) at UCF Golden Knights (21-18, 4-5 C-USA) Date: April 18 Location: Jay Bergman Field (1,980), Orlando, Fla. Television: N/A Radio: 740 AM The Team - UCF/ISP Sports Network  Record: USF improved to 17-20 following a 2-1 series win over Louisville this past weekend. Rankings: N/A Live Stats: GameTracker - www.UCFathletics.com The Series: Tuesday’s contest versus the Golden Knights will mark the 95th meeting between USF and UCF all-time with the series tied at 47-47. The last meeting between these two teams was on April 11, 2006, resulting in 4-3 win for USF at Jay Bergman Field. Projected Starters Game No. 38 - Thursday, April 13 - 6:30 p.m. USF - No. 28 Nick Manganaro, junior, LHP (2-2, 6.46 ERA, 31 K)         -or-     No. 35 Jim Cassidy, sophomore, RHP (2-2, 3.58 ERA, 20 K) UCF - No. 26 Taylor Meier, sophomore, RHP (0-1, 5.91 ERA, 5 K) USF, UCF Battle In Season-Series Finale on Tuesday TAMPA, Fla. (April 17, 2006) – The University of South Florida baseball team (17-20, 7-8 BIG EAST) travels to Orlando, Fla., to face the UCF Golden Knights (21-18, 4-5 C-USA) in the final game of the season series on Tuesday, April 18. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. The Bulls are coming off a BIG EAST series victory over the Louisville Cardinals this past weekend. Currently sixth in the BIG EAST, USF climbed two spots in the standings following last weekend’s series win. USF will travel to Pittsburgh this weekend and look to continue to climb in the ranks of the BIG EAST. Before they can focus on the Panthers, the Bulls will turn their attention to the Golden Knights. The season series is even at 1-all entering Tuesday’s contest. UCF is coming off a series loss to Conference USA foe Tulane and has lost five of its last six games.  USF enters Tuesday hitting .285 with 11 home runs and 175 RBI. Senior Kris Howell, who is currently on a seven-game hitting streak, is batting .352 with 16 RBI and 23 runs scored in 2006. The Tierra Verde, Fla., native has registered two-or-more hits in each of his last three outings. Senior Brian Baisley, who has seen limited action do to lower back pains, improved his season batting average to .322, following a 3-for-4, three-RBI performance versus Louisville (4/14) this past weekend. Baisley has tallied two home runs and 18 RBI this season. Freshman Addison Maruszak is hitting .314 with 20 RBI and 24 runs scored entering Tuesday’s contest. Maruszak leads USF with 11 doubles.  USF’s pitching staff has recorded a 4.69 ERA in 2006, striking out 299 batters in 339 and two-thirds innings. Scheduled to take the mound for USF will be either left-hander Nick Manganaro or right-hander Jim Cassidy. Manganaro notched a win and his first-career save last week and enters Tuesday with a 2-2 record and a 6.46 ERA. Cassidy holds a 2-2 record this season with a 3.58 ERA. The Medway, Mass., native has struck out 20 batters in 27 and two-thirds inning of action. Tuesday’s game will mark the 95th meeting between USF and UCF all-time with the series tied at 47-47.

Did USF hand out Spring Game rosters with numbers for the Green and White teams? If so, can someone satisfy my lazy arse, scan one and post it here? Looking through all the pictures, I'd like to get a better of sense of who some of the new faces are. I would much appreciate it. Brad

Congratulations Zonald! Best wishes to you in your career.

This is the only free site with a message board.  We do not deal in "inside information" but instead seek to attract more Bulls fans to join our free online community, get to know the Bulls as well as other Bulls fans.  Criticism has to be allowed, otherwise the site becomes just another "homer" site.  Because we do not rely on inside information, we have fewer restrictions.  We just ask that people play fair and keep it clean.  It is true - we had to do more "moderating" in the previous three months than we had to do in the previous 6 years only because of the repetitious annoyance some seem destined to maintain. But still, I suggest the Pinger receive a stay of execution (have we had the trial yet?) and give the guy a break.  The ideal situation is that Bulls somehow satisfy their needs to stay connected to the Bulls whether that be this site or another...or both...or all.  Perhaps one day the pay sites will allow the use of the term TheBullsPen.com on their sites, and we'll all just be happy Bulls.  Seems we have been allowing quite a bit of linking and site name-dropping here...does that take place there? Maybe we do need a grand jury...  ;D

The url for the Spring Pics is below: http://bullsgallery.com/gallery/v/MikeG/2006BullsFootball/ Mike zips them and FTPs to a server...shhh...that is information we can not allow our competitors to discover...