To get us in the holiday mood, sports editor Jim Rossow picked out 12 of his favorite stories that ran in the past five years in The News-Gazette. No. 7 is college baseball beat writer Jeff Huth's behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of Hall of Fame coach Itch Jones.

PARK RIDGE – The Big Ten baseball tournament will be held at a neutral site in 2009 and possibly beyond.

The Big Ten Conference and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission announced Thursday that Huntington Park – a new 10,000-seat stadium in Columbus, Ohio – will serve as the host site for next year's event.

Jeff Huth spent months researching how much Illinois has spent on recruiting in recent years. He found that across the board, the Illini are major players on the recruiting scene.

LAS VEGAS – Illinois' Jimmy Kennedy, the top seed at 133 pounds, advanced to the semifinals of the 27th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday.

Kennedy, ranked third nationally, will face Bucknell's fourth-seeded David Marble (No. 16 nationally) at noon Saturday.

Staff writer Jeff Huth's review and preview of all things Illinois:

Staff writer Jeff Huth's review and preview of all things Illinois

Staff writer Jeff Huth's review and preview of all things Illinois:

The Illinois baseball team has received oral commitments from at least five seniors, including a Missouri first-team all-stater.

Outfielder Scott Sommerfeld of Manchester, Mo., was selected to the 2008 Class 4A all-state team by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association.