We Love No Other: Recent Episodes
IlliniBoard
The flagship podcast from Robert Rosenthal at http://IlliniBoard.com. Illini interviews and analysis from one of the seventeen.
I thought I had an empty end of the pressbox so this From The Stands is From The Pressbox. But near the end, this Penn State media member starts pacing behind me (no idea why) so I get a little... scattered. It's just hard to gather your thoughts when someone is standing directly behind you while you're seated.
Anyway, here's my thoughts after Penn State beats Illinois 21-7.
That was rather fun. I wandered around the field afterwards trying to put it all in perspective.
It’s not really From The Stands. It’s from the stands, and then from the stair tower, and then from the fire truck.
Winner winner chicken dinner.
Each year, Tyler and I record a postseason therapy session to discuss our latest NCAA Tournament loss. This year, after making the Elite Eight, there's not much "therapy" needed. It's more of a... celebration.
I asked for questions on Twitter and Slack and then answered those questions as I drove to Omaha for the 1st & 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament. I got to every single question, which is why this is 2 hours and 40 minutes long.
It's March. There's a Big Ten Tournament and then an NCAA Tournament ahead for the Illini. So Will and I sat down to discuss the Illini in March, past and present.
John Gasaway is writing his Bubble Watch columns again (the original and the best), so that's my signal each year to bring him on the podcast to talk Illini basketball. Thankfully, it's not the "do the Illini have a chance to make it to the right side of the bubble?" discussion it would have been in the 2010's.
I asked for questions on Twitter and then pressed record as I was driving from Columbus to Champaign in my (totally not stolen) rental car. I say "totally not stolen" because, well, just listen to the first five minutes.
You might have seen Mitch Gilfillan offering legal clarifications regarding the Terrence Shannon case on Twitter. With the news today that Shannon has been granted his TRO against the University, returning him to the roster and the rotation, I spoke to Mitch this evening to ask maybe a dozen legal questions. This was very helpful for me - I hope it's helpful for you as well.
I asked for questions on Twitter and Slack and then answered those questions live on the air. And then Carmen called me while I was recording so his phone call went in this pod as well. Also, I finished by playing some Richard Wagner through the car speakers and recording it with my laptop. As always, this is the finest podcast audio possible.
I had noticed him the first half. A guy wearing an Ayo jersey in the front row of the Illinois section getting his entire section to stand up and make noise. I tweeted about it, and then I tweeted about it some more, and then, after the win, I went over to talk to him. That's this conversation.
After that conversation, I wander through the arena back to my seat while rambling on and on about how good we might be.
I waited 45 minutes to see if I even wanted to publish it. It's 22 minutes long. I went to the spot where I recorded the audio during Covid and I just kept talking and talking.
So this is a warning. I think this the most painful loss of my lifetime (not with the most on the line, just the most pain I can experience), and people immediately reacted to that statement negatively on Twitter, and so I talked about all of that. There's no game analysis here. Just feelings analysis. You have been warned.
I decided to publish because of the promise I made 14 years ago. From The Stands = my raw emotions the moment a game is over. These are those emotions.
What can I say? We were all thinking it, and then what we were thinking happened. And for me, he happened inside a giddy Iowa pressbox. I went to find an empty room to record this... and I ended up right next to an Iowa celebration in the booth next door.
That kind of day.
Apologies for posting this late but my granddaughter was at the tailgate so I recorded this, ran directly to the tailgate without passing go, and didn't even think about posting this until 4 hours later.
Here I am trying to process ~all of that~.
85 yards. He came into the game on 4th and 11 with a minute left at his own 15 and he needed to lead his team 85 yards for the winning touchdown. That's the distance he needed to go in that photo right there. And it took him three throws.
For maybe the second time in From The Stands history, I have a special guest for this one. Ladies and gentlemen, here's crazy Illini fan John Paddock joining me for the first four minutes of this 15 minute FTS.
I convinced Carmen to join me on the train for this road trip. And since we had nothing better to do, I asked for questions on Twitter and Slack and Carmen and I spent some time in the observation car answering those questions.
We're interrupted by the conductor on the PA about ten times, but in between those announcements, we got to most of the questions. Sorry about the audio quality but... we're on a train.
Skip ahead. Seriously, just skip ahead a few times. I kind of find a point around the 10 minute mark but really it’s just 22 minutes of me lamenting that pouring your heart into a team leads to pain while pointing and laughing at your team (and mocking those who believe) is a much safer way to go.
Also, I had to check the “explicit” button here because I drop my first-ever From The Stands F-bomb. It just slipped out. Sorry.
Well this stomach bug might have kept me from attending but it wasn't going to stop me from recording From The Stands. I simply turned it FTS into From The Back Yard.
Special guest: Lucy.
This is a long one (18 minutes) but it was a lot to process. Lose 20-7 to Nebraska? 2-4 on the season? 0-3 in the Big Ten? A LOT to process.
I did not see this coming. At all. Lose to a 1-3 Purdue team 44-19? What?
This is me sitting in the stands trying to process it all.
This From The Stands is from the field after the 23-17 win over Florida Atlantic. And the first half is just me blabbering about when to take a knee. But... a win.
I needed a quiet spot so I went into the empty AD suite after the game and recorded FTS. 1-1 and I feel... not great, Bob.
I couldn't be more exhausted. I nearly pulled my hair out. But I'm going to sleep soundly because of one great throw and one great catch.
As we do before each season, Craig and I choose our guys. The categories:
Keeper pick
Offensive star
Defensive star
Offensive breakout player
Defensive breakout player
Future star on the offense
Future star on the defense
Walkon
We've reached the end! The complete history of Illini football from 1991 to present - with a first bonus episode covering the decade of the 80's - is now complete. In this final episode, Martin O'Donnell and I discuss the last four years of Illini football. Here's everything you needed to know about 2019 through 2022.
Presenting sponsor for this podcast series: U of I Community Credit Union.
In the second-to-last episode of this series, Jonny from The BoardRoom (our basketball podcast) joins me to discuss 2015 through 2018. We start with the Bill Cubit interim year and end with the third year of the Lovie regime. Not the best era of Illini football, but there was still a lot to talk about.
This Illini Football history class series is being presented by UofI Community Credit Union.
Former Illini Football SID Derek Neal joins me for 3+ hours (yes, this episode is 3 hours and 5 minutes) of talk about Illini Football from 2011 to 2014. It starts with the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl season and ends with the Zaxby's Heart Of Dallas Bowl.
Well, this episode actually ends in the spring and summer of 2015 with the Beckman investigation. We basically take it right up to the start of the 2015 season. But we pretty much had to go three hours because A LOT happened in these four seasons.
This podcast series is sponsored by UofI Community Credit Union.
Last week took us down. This week takes us back up. 2007~2010 was a great time to be an Illini football fan. As a freshman on campus in 2007, @BobZuppke got to see a Rose Bowl his freshman year and a Texas Bowl his senior year.
So this episode is Bob & I talking about some good seasons. Well, and a frustrating season in 2008. Ok, yes, and a maddening season in 2009. But it's still bookended with two bowls. Which was a great stretch during this era.
We went a different direction with this one. These four seasons saw eight total wins - only two of them Big Ten wins - so a game-by-game breakdown of each season would be too depressing. So Nathan and I talk some about the seasons but more about the journey of the Illini football fan through such low points. Also discussed: how to survive academic probation.
A big thanks to the sponsor for this summer podcast series: U of I Community Credit Union.
The last episode: 10 wins and a tie (over four seasons). The next episode: 8 wins in four years. This episode? 28 wins. Erik (The Stats!) joins me to talk Illini football from 1999 to 2002.
This summer podcast series is being brought to you by U of I Community Credit Union.
Next up: 1995~1998. And I'm gonna warn you right now - that means we'll discuss 10 total wins and one tie across four seasons. But that's the fun of a series like this, right? Craig is my guest for (he was a freshman in 1996), so he remembers a lot about these difficult seasons. They were eventually building to something. We just won't get to that until next week.
Once again a big thank you to the sponsor for this podcast series, UofI Community Credit Union. To see the list of branches I discuss in the intro, click here.
Next up in this summer podcast series (published every Wednesday): 1991~1994. I was a freshman in 1991, and my guest, Detlef, was a sophomore, so this episode is filled with memories from the student section.
A big thank you to the sponsor for this podcast series, UofI Community Credit Union. If you'd like to see the credit card with the orange Block I that was referenced in this episode, go to this page.
We're back! Last summer it was the complete history of Illini Basketball, 1980 to present. This summer, over the next nine weeks, we'll be going through the complete Illini Football history, 1980 to present.
We will begin our deep exploration of each season starting next week with 1991~1994 (which starts with my freshman year at Illinois). For this episode, Loren Tate joins me to go through the entire decade of the 80's, Dave Wilson to Jason Verduzco.
This series is being presented by U of I Community Credit Union.
Interviews from the first three days at the NCAA Golf Championships in Scottsdale including Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Jackson Buchanan, and Head Coach Mike Small. Plus some of my thoughts on the trip so far.
Here's another "bonus" episode - a five minute chat with head coach Mike Small after the second round at the NCAA's where the Illini surged into the lead.
This is a very short bonus episode. It's my quick thoughts after the first round of the NCAA Golf Championship followed by a quick interview with Illini coach Mike Small and another quick interview with senior Tommy Kuhl.
Kevin had a few months off. What to do? Follow his favorite band on tour? Backpack through Europe? He chose to spend his winter following Illini basketball around the country. In this episode, we talk about his travels.
Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg joins me to discuss Mike Small's golf program. And we can't help but talk a little Illini football and a lot of Illini basketball.
Coach Bielema and I went to dinner last night and talked football (and life). This is that conversation.
Carmen and I attended the open practice and then immediately sat down to record our thoughts.
Tyler (Walkon) and I discuss the 2023 Illini season while Tyler watches UCLA-Gonzaga in the background and I pretend like the Tournament ended last Thursday.
I chat with ESPN's John Gasaway about the Big Ten race entering the stretch run. And we might talk a little bit about dream scenarios for our Illini.
Illini basketball has reached the 20 game mark at 14-6. So Tyler and I discuss what's happened so far and what's to come.
Warning: long pod. I had a 7.5 hour drive from Champaign to Lincoln today, so I took 2.5 of those hours and talked to myself. You sent in questions, I answered them while driving down the highway. Yes, it's seriously 2.5 hours long.
I'm always honest in these, right? Well, this is how I felt immediately after this loss.
@BobZuppke and I discuss the thing we've all been discussing this season. The line between "in no way could I ever be angry about an 8-4 football season" vs. "oh man we were inches from 10-2 or 11-1." And then, an hour in, with a simple question from Bob, we land on a stat that dwarfs everything.
My mood is 10 times better than I thought it would be. 8-4 Illini football is the stuff of dreams for me, and I'm so content inside that dream. Here's my thoughts from the field right after the game.
This one is less than eight minutes long. I finally found a place out of the wind and recorded some thoughts.
I'm only posting this because I've posted a From The Stands after every game since 2010. So I feel obligated. But this is just 26 minutes of a devastated guy processing emotions and making everything all about how bad he feels. I already hate every second of it.
But I promised to make these as raw as possible, and this is me being raw immediately after the game. This one HURTS.
Nathan (who writes the Postscript article every Monday on the site) and I discuss the 7-1 Illini. I want to type that again. Nathan and I discuss The University Of Illinois Fighting Illini, a football team with a 7-1 record on the season. 7-1.
Now, when I say "youngest son", he's 27. So don't get to thinking this is me recording a podcast episode with a nine year-old. But we're driving from Idaho to Lincoln, Nebraska today. So we decided to hit record.
Martin and I have had so many conversations after games as I would drive back to St. Louis after yet another loss. So this one flips the script. He's driving this time, and we're talking about the #24 Illini.
OK so this is maybe the zaniest one yet. And I don't have much of a voice. So just... please forgive me for being me. But we're 5-1 and I'm losing my mind.
This is basically an hour and 12 minutes of Robert & Bob trying to sort through what it's like to cheer for a team that has a chance to win the Big Ten West.
This is probably different from any From The Stands you've listened to. Because my feeling after this win is different than any game I've watched.
Josh & Jonny from The BoardRoom ask me 17 Illini football questions. Apologies for getting so excited near the end that I slam the table and accidentally unplug Josh's mic for the final 10 minutes. But you can kind of still hear him in the background? Kind of? Maybe?
I got a little excited here. And I rambled a little too much. But I don't care. I'm as excited as I've been in a long time.
There's not much to this one. 7 minutes and 41 seconds of me trying to come up with words and failing. All I know: this is painful.
The first From The Stands that's actually from the stands (after watching an entire home game from the stands) since 2012.
Craig and I have done this since 2014. Before the football season starts, we choose our guys. Who are the stars? Who are the breakout players? Walkons to watch. Freshmen to keep an eye on. This episode: our guys for 2022.
I chat with my Camp Rantoul buddy Coach P after we got to see a full practice on Saturday. We take an hour and a half to go through the depth chart position by position.
We have reached the end. For this episode, my friend Brandon joins me to discuss the Underwood era. Yes, we were there in Indy for the Loyola loss and we were there in Pittsburgh for the Houston loss, but there's a lot more to this era than just those two losses. No, really, there is.
This entire series was his idea. And these were his years in school. So Jonny from The BoardRoom (our basketball podcast) joins me to discuss the next five years in our journey: the five John Groce years. Year one? Pretty great. Years 2-3-4-5? Not so much.
Bob Zuppke (not his real name) joins me to discuss the end of the Bruce Weber era. It was working until it wasn't. We had fixed recruiting until we didn't. And the end was very, very bad.
Length warning of all length warnings: this episode is three hours and nine minutes long. It's three episodes, really. The build-up to 2005, 2005, and then the tumble from 2005.
But mostly 2005.
My friend Erik (who maintains The Stats) and I recap the years 1998 through 2002. Three Big Ten titles in five years. Not too shabby.
Part III of this series covers 1993 (NCAA Tournament win over Long Beach State followed by the R32 loss to Vandy) through 1997 (NCAA Tournament win over USC followed by the R32 loss to Chattanooga). My guest: Daily Illini writer/editor at the time (and he's done a few more things since then), Will Leitch.
Part II of my summer series reviewing the last 40 years of Illini basketball. Because it includes 1989, this one goes long. 2.5 hours long.
Episode 1 of my summer series going through the last 40 years of Illini Basketball. Loren Tate is my guest as we cover the 1982-83 season through the 1986-87 season. From the arrival of Douglas and Winters to the NCAA Tournament loss to Austin Peay (and everything in between).
I talk to Marc Davidson about his two seasons at Illinois, his professional career playing in France, his years as a high school coach, and his current cancer battle. His honesty, openness, and faith are quite inspiring.
We have to stop doing these. Last year, after the Loyola loss, Tyler and I recorded what we called a "therapy session." And now, one year later, here we are recording another one.
This is basically one long From The Stands from my hotel room at 1:18 am after trying to write (and failing) for nine hours. No other way to say it: Loyola + Houston has me completely devastated.
Robert talks with Will Leitch about Illini NCAA Tournament appearances in the past, present, and future. But mostly present. And past.
I discuss the final week of the Big Ten season, Big Ten Tournament expectations, and NCAA Tournament expectations with @BobZuppke. And we sneak in a little football talk at the end.
Another episode where I answer listener questions while driving. The Rutgers loss is the main topic, but we also get into Champaign restaurants and the updated football schedule.
Chatted with Mike Epstein after he announced that he's done with football (despite one year of eligibility remaining) and onto the next phase of life.
ESPN's John Gasaway (a.k.a. Big Ten Wonk back in the day) joins Robert to discuss the 2022 basketball season (and the 2022 Injured Illini).
If you're interested in reading John's book "Miracles On The Hardwood", it's available here.
Robert, Tyler, and Carmen sit down in the kitchen to talk about the 13-3 (6-0) Illini, discuss how the Michigan State-Northwestern game might end, and eat Uncrustables.
While driving to Lincoln for the Nebraska game I answer questions from listeners (readers?) on Twitter.
Bret Bielema was hired on December 19th, 2020 and I had the opportunity to interview him that day during the "bonus" game at Penn State. So now that he's reached one full year in Champaign, I asked to sit down with him to discuss everything that's happened in this first year.
Robert, Carmen, and John go through the 2022 Signing Class and draft their guys. Favorite recruit, best defensive fit, etc. And for at least 15 of these 65 minutes, they get stuck discussing the newest member of the class, linebacker James Kreutz.
As promised in the audio, here's the link to Kreutz's high school film.
I have no idea what this audio sounds like. At one point I dropped the phone on the floor of the car and I have no idea if you can hear anything. But hey, when you beat Iowa, and your buddy is there, you hit record as the two of you walk out of the arena and you don’t look back.
Robert and Tyler sit down after the Rutgers game to discuss the rocky start to the Illini basketball season and the hope provided by the last two games.
I probably only talk during 30% of this but I thought I’d take you on the field at the end of the game.
This really wasn't from the stands, even though I sat in the stands today. This was from the parking lot after the loss. And I feel... totally fine?
Twitter's @BobZuppke (not his real name) and Robert discuss football for 41 minutes and then basketball for 30.
I had a great conversation with Tailon Leitzsey about his entire journey - from his first season at Missouri Baptist University to walking on at Illinois in 2018 to earning a scholarship this spring to recovering the fumble with 30 seconds remaining at Penn State.
Road trip, ranked team, national TV, win. Second time in three weeks. I wandered around the field after the game trying to focus.
Robert & Martin O'Donnell sit down to discuss the historic win at Penn State and what it might mean for the rest of this season and the direction of the program.
I'm not sure if you heard, but... Illinois beat #7 Penn State 20-18 in nine overtimes. Some thoughts...
Somehow, basketball season is upon us. Robert gives some quick thoughts on media day and shares interviews with the freshmen and transfers.
First half: sat in the pressbox. Second half: sat in the stands. So this one is a true From The Stands. Thoughts after the 24-14 win over Charlotte.
I went down to the field to maybe watch the Illini put the game away. Instead I watched Maryland score twice in three minutes to win it. So I recorded my thoughts.
Robert starts recording with six minutes when the entire pressbox cleared out. Walk through the final six minutes of an absolute drubbing at Virginia, would you?
Matty and Jonny from The Board Room ask Robert seventeen questions about Illini Football after the Nebraska win.
Robert and Craig used to pick their "that's my guy" teams on the sidelines at Illini Football training camp. With camp now closed, the draft will have to take place on a podcast episode.
From interviews after practice to last Saturday's Media Day, here are the sights and sounds of the second week of Illini Football Training Camp 2021.
Robert takes you through the sights and sounds of the first week of Illini Training Camp 2021.
John from The Field Pass and Robert discuss the 1994 Illini season, the best Illini moments while in school, what it's like to switch fandom after becoming a student, and the 2022 Illini football recruiting class.
Dan Saladino from our football podcast (The Field Pass) joins Robert to discuss everything you ever wanted to know about 2021 Illini golf.
The Illini loss in the Round of 32 is painful - there's no way around it. Robert and Tyler hit record and lay it all out there. No holding back.
Recorded 11 minutes from the stands after the single-most devastating loss of my lifetime.
Robert and Carmen discuss what it's like to be in Indy during the Tournament. Maybe moving the whole thing here every year is something the NCAA should consider?
Also, lots of dancing around "what if?" questions as they relate to this Illini team.
Robert shares his thoughts while driving back from Indianapolis after the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.
Tyler and Robert sat down Tuesday night to discuss anything and everything that might happen in March of 2021. Plus maybe April.
Robert chats with Illini golf coach Mike Small about why he came back to Illinois to be the golf coach, what the last decade has been like with 12 consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, and what he sees from the current team.
Robert & Bob discuss all the things. 39 minutes talking Illini football and then 50 minutes talking Illini basketball.
The audio is probably bad. It’s from a headset on the highway. But here’s Robert answering mailbag questions for 75 minutes while driving to the Nebraska game.
Robert asked for "1990's Illini Football" questions on Twitter and then Carmen and Robert answered them as they came in.
Martin joins Robert to discuss the new coaching staff, how this roster might fit with what they're trying to do, and his QB skills throwing to six year-olds in flag football.
Was fortunate to have Coach Bielema on the podcast today. We discussed his first 27 days as the Illini head coach, his phone calls reaching out to former players, his perfect day, and his high school revenge on a rival tuba player.
The first 12 minutes of the pod are my thoughts on this first month after attending the assistant coach Zoom pressers (including audio clips of defensive backs coach Aaron Henry). The Bielema interview begins at 11:52.
A conversation with ESPN's John Gasaway. Robert and John discuss John's time on campus at Illinois, his "Big Ten Wonk" days, starting Basketball Prospectus with KenPom, and finally, this 2021 Illini team and their potential.
John has a book coming out in March - Miracles On The Hardwood - covering the history of Catholic college basketball. Pre-order links available here.
Robert sits down with the two IlliniBoard senior writers - Tyler & Craig - to discuss 2020 in Illini football and basketball from start to finish.
This is just raw audio from the highway, so I’ll warn you, it’s rough. There’s no intro and it cuts off at the end about 2 minutes before we finish. But Illinois has a new football coach, so I called my friends Brian and Carmen from the highway to talk about it.
Former Illini head coach Ron Turner joins Robert to discuss the Illinois coaching job and what he learned during his eight years in Champaign.
Assistant Illini baseball coach Curt Courtwright has had quite the year. From beating cancer to running 100 miles in 24 hours, his 2020 was a lot more eventful than the rest of us stuck at home watching Netflix. Curt discusses everything from attending the 2019 Wisconsin game a day after cancer surgery to what it's like to be electrocuted 30 times.
Incoherent rambling warning: immediately after the 83-68 win AT Duke, I went out to the sun room (so to not wake up my wife) and recorded 12 minutes of my brain on overdrive.
Immediate thoughts after the Illini lose 35-21 to Iowa. And these thoughts have one theme: inevitability.
Will Leitch joins Robert to talk about what Illini basketball used to be and what it could be again. Probably as soon as this season.
This one is more "From The Library" because I went into a corner of the media workroom to record it. But here's my thoughts after the 41-23 win over Nebraska.
Robert Rosenthal and Tyler Cottingham have been writing about Illini basketball games on IlliniBoard for a decade. And they've never had a season with this much anticipation. So they chatted for an hour about the upcoming season, the real-deal Big Ten Title aspirations, and Robert's golf game.
Robert records some quick thoughts from the club level at SHI Stadium after the Illinois win over Rutgers.
Robert introduces the hosts of our new IlliniBoard basketball podcast - The Board Room. The origin of this podcast traces back to the Michigan State football game in 2019 when Robert, the four hosts of The Board Room (Josh, Matty, Sam, and Jonny), and two other friends (Carmen and Bricker) all road-tripped to East Lansing for the game.
The first 57 minutes of this episode is simply our trip back through that football game, from Friday night to early Sunday morning. And then, you know, since this will be a pod about basketball, we start talking Illini basketball at the 57:00 mark.
I went to the same corner of the pressbox to put all of my emotions in recorded audio form. I have to keep my mask on at all times, so the audio is bad, but here's 13 minutes of my shattered psyche.
Robert and Loren discuss all things Illini from the 1951 Rose Bowl to today. Topics include Loren's journey from roommate of the Big Ten Player of the Year to journalist covering the team, the current football struggles, the best Illini football and basketball players of the last 50 years, and Loren's golf swing.
Robert interviews @BobZuppke. Not the real Bob Zuppke of course - he passed away in 1957. This is Illini Twitter legend @BobZuppke, whose real name will remain a secret. Which, honestly, is the best way to Internet.
Robert and Martin discuss the Wisconsin game, what went wrong, what else went wrong, and the other things that went wrong.
Robert introduces the second (of three!) IlliniBoard podcasts: The Field Pass, to be hosted by Mikey Dudek, Dan Saladino, and John Balas.
Robert Rosenthal from IlliniBoard.com discusses all of the Covid protocols for Illini student athletes with Randy Ballard, Director of Sports Medicine for the University of Illinois.
I sit down on Dr. O'Donnell's couch to discuss the Ball State game and look ahead to Western Kentucky.