Alastair's BLE 2 Blog

2011年10月29日土曜日

Here are five storylines I look forward to following in the Big Ten this season:

1. How good can Ohio State be?

We know the Buckeyes are going to be good. Jared Sullinger is back. That's enough to guarantee a solid season at the very least. With Aaron Craft, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas all returning from last season's squad, as well, there's a fair amount of experience and continuity around the ultra-talented forward. That's enough to upgrade the Buckeyes to Big Ten favorite status.

That much seems given. The question is whether Ohio State can be truly great, whether it has the talent and cohesion to top the likes of North Carolina, Kentucky, Connecticut and any other challengers that arise in the next five months. Here, the questions are more valid. Can freshman center Amir Williams start alongside Sullinger and provide enough inside presence to allow Sullinger's expanded inside-out game to flourish? Will star freshman point guard Shannon Scott earn minutes alongside Craft and Buford, and how will that rotation work? Will Thomas -- one of the best players in Indiana high school history, who flashed loads of talent in limited time as a freshman -- emerge as the X factor swingman? And how do the Bucks replace fifth-year senior David Lighty's defense?

It's safe to assume Ohio State will be good. Very good? Sure. National-championship good? The above questions -- and others we don't yet know -- will determine that.

2. Illinois' search for identity

The 2010-11 Illinois team should have excelled. Instead, it was merely mediocre. At first glance, this season's team should take a step back: Three senior starters graduated, the most experienced returners have thus far been role players, and the rest of the squad is comprised of a host of freshmen and inexperienced sophomores. In the meantime, coach Bruce Weber is on something of a hot seat: Illinois fans are restless after last season's letdown, and probably for good reason.

Which makes the Illini's search for an identity all the more important. At Big Ten media day Thursday, Weber said he expected his team to be more aggressive. That'd be a good start; Weber's teams are at their best when they play a pressuring man-to-man style. That was missing last season. If Illinois can find it, it may not have to worry about taking a step backward. It may well move in the opposite direction.

3. Wisconsin's usual suspects

There was a lot of talk at Big Ten media day about underrating Wisconsin. It's a fair point. Every year, the Badgers lose a couple of key players, and every year, we're not sure how good they're going to be, and every year Bo Ryan's team is among the best in the Big Ten and not infrequently among the best in the nation. This season isn't all that different. The Badgers lost forwards Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, their two most important frontcourt players, and the replacements aren't immediately clear. But if yours truly had to guess, he would say look out for Mike Bruesewitz. He's not a big name and his game won't land him on too many YouTube highlight reels, but it's never the flash that gets Wisconsin in the top 10.

4. Is this (finally) Northwestern's year?

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody is officially sick of the questions about the NCAA tournament. He admitted as much Thursday, when he lamented that he couldn't make it through the entire news conference without answering that question. Fat chance, Coach.

Still, there is some hope he won't have to deal with another year of the same questions. NU returns its two most talented players in 2011-12, one of which, John Shurna, could be the best quick-release long-range shooter in the country. Shurna dealt with nagging injuries for much of the stretch run last season. Meanwhile, Drew Crawford has morphed into a capable and versatile scorer. The Wildcats will have to deal with the loss of Michael "Juice" Thompson, their charismatic leader and late-game specialist.

The Cats have been knocking on the door, and the questions have become more pertinent than ever. Is this their time?

5. Is Iowa the dark-horse candidate?

The Big Ten is as wide open this season -- at least beyond Ohio State and Wisconsin, that is -- as at any point in the recent past. So the question is: Which previously struggling program, if any, can surprise the rest of the league? Candidates include Northwestern, Minnesota, Indiana and, I'd argue, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have one of the best post players in the league in Melsahn Basabe and a potential breakout wing player in Matt Gatens, and coach Fran McCaffery now has the benefit of a year's work with the same players in his high-pressure uptempo system. I'm not saying Iowa is going to the tournament, but as a slightly surprising sleeper? I can see it.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/37619/big-ten-five-things-i-cant-wait-to-see-2

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Cadillac CTS-V Le Monstre by D3 Group

The days when 1,000 horsepower cars were nothing more than myths and figments of our imagination are long gone. These days, they’re bringing thrown around like water balloons on a hot summer afternoon. Okay, it still doesn’t happen as often, but you get the point.

Over the past few days, we learned that two Cadillac CTS-V Coupes headed to the ultimate showcase of automotive excess, the SEMA Auto Show, will serve notice to the aftermarket industry that these bad boys are not be messed with. We already covered the V1000 Martin a few days ago so now it’s time for us to introduce the ’Le Monstre.’

As the work of the "D3 Group," the CTS-V Le Monstre takes its name from the 1950 Cadillac Coupe Series 61, a car that competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans way back when in the 50’s. Fast forward six decades later and the namesake will surely make its predecessor proud.

This Cadillac sports coupe was named ’Le Monstre’ for a reason, and that reason takes shape through a heavily modified 6.2-liter LSA V8 engine that was turned into 7.0-liter engine with matching upgraded internals. The result is a powertrain that packs a walloping 1,001 horsepower and 1,000 lb/ft of torque. Ay, caramba!

To allow the car to look and handle as well as it should given the significant spike in output, the D3 Group also gave the CTS-V Coupe a a stealthy Matte Black wrap courtesy of Wraptivo, a custom wide-body kit, an upgraded chassis and suspension system, and a new set of 20" wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes T1R UHP tires.

Talk about living up to your ’Le Monstre’ monicker.

gallery: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac CTS-V Le Monstre by D3 Group originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 28 October 2011 20:00 EST.

Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/cadillac/2011-cadillac-cts-v-le-monstre-by-d3-group-ar119039.html

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Three reasons for the new mood

Derek Fisher declared, "It gets tougher towards the end."

Adam Silver said "we remain apart on both" systems and economic issues. "So from that standpoint," he added, "we're disappointed."

But who will remember one more dose of gloom when, for the first time in a long time, it came with some sunshine.

David Stern and Billy Hunter started cracking smiles Thursday night.

Stern invaded Hunter's news conference and literally yukked it up from the back row.

Hunter spied him there and called him out with a grin. Their back-and-forth included each proclaiming to the other, "Tomorrow!"

It's the first time either side has been this jolly and the first time either side has declared a day as the day. Friday is the day, and no one's afraid to say it.

"There are no guarantees that we'll get it done," Stern said, "but we're going to give it one heck of a shot tomorrow. �I think that Billy and the union's negotiators feel the same way." He later added, in a notable softening of earlier public tones: "We're prepared to negotiate over everything. �We're looking forward to it."

We're looking forward to it? That does not sound one bit like war. What is the source of all this?

One part of the story is that federal mediator George Cohen was effective. While he was not able to inspire final consensus last week, he did force meaningful progress on several of the trickier issues.

Also, having blown through chances to prevent the lockout, the cancellation of the preseason and missing the first weeks of the regular season, both sides appear to be genuinely motivated to meet the next deadline, coming any day now, which is the latest possible day to make a deal while preserving the chance of an 82-game season.

A third contributing factor, according to multiple sources, has been the absence this week of one of the union's most feared negotiators, lawyer Jeffrey Kessler.

Owners make no bones of the fact that Kessler, the first name in American sports law, is a bear in the bargaining room.

Some point out that the NFL players got a deal only after Kessler left the room. (Kessler might point out that the NFL players didn't get the best deal.)

Much was made of Portland owner Paul Allen's appearance in last week's mediated session. The suggestion was that he was there to send a message that owners were holding a hard line.

NBA sources, however, say it was nothing of the sort. In fact, they say, he was there at the invitation of the NBA's negotiators to watch Kessler. Allen was one of several owners who thought Stern and Silver had made players an overly generous offer of 50 percent of basketball-related income. The league's lead negotiators essentially replied: Go see for yourself. You think you can get Kessler to go for 47 percent? Good luck to you.

In the ongoing dance between Hunter and NBA agents -- many of whom feel Hunter is soft, risk-averse or ineffective -- Kessler has been seen as something of a shield for Hunter. If a tough lawyer such as that will go for Hunter's deal, who are the agents to complain?

But that shield has been out of action and not, sources insist, because he is in the doghouse.

Kessler is a partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf, where he handles many kinds of complex litigation beyond sports and chairs the global litigation department. That work has taken him to Russia for a few days, a period that happens to coincide with Stern and Hunter remembering how to laugh.

The joke making the rounds is that politically connected Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov ought to have Kessler detained there.

What's not a joke, however, is that Kessler has been absent just two days, and for better or for worse, as far as the players are concerned, already there's anticipation of the announcement NBA fans have been craving for four months.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/32927/three-reasons-for-the-new-mood

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Icon Derelict '52 Chevy Business Coupe is unassuming masterpiece

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Specialty

ICON Derelict 1952 Chevrolet Business Coupe

Ladies and gentleman, this is what SEMA should be about. Behold the latest Icon Derelict; a 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe Business Coupe hiding a full arsenal of modern engineering beneath over half a century of patina.

The vehicle uses a complete powder-coated Art Morrison chassis with a front independent suspension and a four-link rear. An all-aluminum, fuel-injected 6.2-liter General Motors LS3 V8 sits between the frame rails and cranks out 430 horsepower. The engine is mated to a 4L65E automatic transmission and a full set of six-piston brakes with anti-lock control ensures that the whole party can come to a stop in a timely fashion. Despite looking like junkyard relics, the wheels are actually custom CNC-machined pieces shod in ZR-rated BF Goodrich rubber.

If the Coupe's mechanicals and exterior aren't enough to flip your switches, take a peek indoors. Both seats have been recovered in a combination of wild-caught alligator and buffalo hides(!) that have been dyed to the same Hermes hue as John F. Kennedy's briefcase. The carpet is Rolls-Royce Wilton wool bound in buffalo as well, and an Aston Martin vintage mohair headliner finishes out the indoors. An array of tech is also tastefully hidden away as well, including Focal and Parrot audio components with Bluetooth capability.

This sort of execution is so far above and beyond the typical restomod and tuner fodder we typically see from the SEMA crowd that it serves as a breath of fresh air. If you like what you see, Icon says that the company can do the same for nearly any vehicle from the '30s to the '70s.

Gentlemen, start your imaginations. The Icon Derelict 1952 Chevrolet Business Coupe will be on display at this year's SEMA show.

Icon Derelict '52 Chevy Business Coupe is unassuming masterpiece originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/28/icon-derelict-52-chevy-business-coupe-is-unassuming-masterpiece/

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