Jay Mariotti is an idiot

Ok, so I relented, and bought both the Chicago Tribune and the Sun Times. I almost never buy the Sun Times because it's very much like reading the National Enquirer or the Sun, and I already subscribe to US Weekly. Of course, I only bought the papers today to read what all of the so-called "pundits" (what makes one an expert if he/she hasn't done anything in the area that he/she is supposed to be expert in? Curious) had to say about Illinois' loss. And, this brings me to my point -- Jay Mariotti is an idiot. Not just your garden variety idiot; a full-blown, blow-hard, dyed-in-the-wool (whatever that's supposed to mean), hard-boiled IDIOT. And, I quote, "But then, there never was a compelling reason to think Illinois was a perfect team." Is he kidding me here!?!?! Okay, agreed, NOTHING nor NOBODY is perfect, but, what exactly is he insinuating here? "And, now that we've seen it, the history-buster that leaves the Illini 29-1, the issue isn't why they wilted in the final minutes against Ohio State, but how they'll respond to their first blast of failure in almost a year." Again, are you kidding me?!?! They lost a critical game that is a major measure of PRIDE, not just success, not only for Illinois, but for the Big Ten overall. "I have contended all along, to the wails of players and fans, that this team was better off losing a game before the NCAA tournament so it wouldn't carry unreasonable burdens and pressures into March." I hate to tell you, Jay (read name with dripping sarcasm), but, when Illinois was ranked for longer than a week at No. 1, and EVERYONE ELSE was already calling them darlings and saying that this could be Illinois' chance at competing for a National Championship, THAT ALONE was "unreasonable burden and pressure." Moron. Further, "[t]hey needed a reminder that they aren't superior to the rest of college basketball as much as a high-quality byproduct of a wishy-washy Big Ten." I agree the Big Ten conference has been fairly lackluster this season. With one very orange exception. Okay, Jay (said tauntingly) them's fighting words. Clearly, many of Jay's contemporaries don't agree with him on this point. AND, if our so-called basketball "pundit" would do his homework, the numbers PROVE that Illinois has dominated MANY, if not ALL, other college hoops teams in many areas. Big Ten or not, Illinois is the real deal. "But, after owning the winter as The Story, they just became one of several stories entering the real season." This just proves how powerful media influence can become, and we give this power to utter jerk-offs like Mr. Mariotti. "If there is concern about an aftereffect, it would center around the way they lost....how would they fare if their three guards weren't on their shooting games?...how susceptible were they to a team with a major presence inside? ...[a]ll of which conspired to keep the game close into the final minutes, a sorely needed aberration for an Illini team living too easy a life." Who's living the easy life, you fat-assed, no-sport reporter with bad hair and no sense of style or grace? And, comparing Matt Sylvester to Larry Bird? Moronic, simply moronic. The kid got LUCKY, that's all. He's a 7th man, a junior sub, who rose to the occasion on his HOME court. Uh, duh, Jay, numskull, that's what he's SUPPOSED to do. He's no super man. He's just a kid trying to fight for a starting spot on a team with a new coach and a new system. The kid better enjoy it, because it will be his last time. "Naturally, [Sylvester] claimed to have told a teammate he would 'score 25 points and hit the game-winner against Illinois,' further proof that karma wasn't wearing orange." And, cocky, too? One game. At home. With a team that CAN'T EVEN ENTER THE TOURNAMENT. Puh-lease. Moreover, isn't Mariotti a Chicago, home-town, reporter (who is always made fun of by his fellow sports reporters because he has nothing good to say about his home town teams). Admittedly, he's supposed to be unbiased as a reporter. However, most of the local TALENT (I emphasize TALENT here, something Mariotti lacks) leans toward supporting the hometown teams without being too overtly pro-Chicago (or Illinois). Move to Indianapolis, where the fairweather fans love to listen to the inane derision of an ignoramus like Jay Mariotti. And, talking about how the Illinois players were "water[y] eye[d]" and had "eyes [that] were still damp...." Again, what is he suggesting here? That the Illini players are a bunch of crying babies? Jackass.