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(07/23/04 1:33am)
So, maybe it's understandable that IU's 17-14 win over Illinois didn't cause the Memorial Stadium crowd of 24,102 to charge the field and rip out the goal posts. But for a team that had lost 11 straight in the Big Ten, it must have felt like the weight of the world was lifted from their shoulders.\nIt wasn't the prettiest game ever played. At times, it looked as ugly as a mud wrestling match between Rosie O'Donnell and, well, anybody. It was everything that was expected of two teams at the bottom of any conference -- a nail-biting finish after an error-prone game that could have gone either way. But the Hoosiers looked artistic when they needed to and helped prevent the disaster of a winless conference season.\nIt also swept away the unmistakable feeling of emptiness that seemed to permeate around the stadium. Everything from the tailgate fields to the stands to the press box was even barer than usual. We'll just assume that the cold temperature kept everyone away. They missed a lot of highlights, though.\nHighlight of the game \nEarly in the fourth quarter with Illinois leading 14-7, the Illini faced a fourth-and-one from their own 32-yard line. Illinois attempted to draw the Hoosiers offside for the first down by sending their wide receiver in motion about a dozen times. The fact that he constantly paced back and forth like a guy in bad need of a cigarette break caused everyone in the press box to break out in laughter after about 20 seconds. This was the first time I have seen mass laughter break out in a press box.\nEveryone's general amusement was expounded when IU began celebrating wildly after the play ended because the tricky Illini hadn't fooled them into jumping offsides.\nThe second-best highlight occurred in the stands. In the third quarter, the cheerleaders headed to the stands as they traditionally do, in an attempt to pump up the fans. One group of said cheerleaders were pretty much the only people in their section, though. \nOne cheerleader showed some ingenuity by getting the two people in the top corner of the stadium to start the wave. Unfortunately, it only caught on to about 30 other people, so the cheerleader was forced to resort to yelling out of the stadium with his megaphone.\nWhile it is always fun to see fans enjoying themselves from the Uecker seats, IU's continual woes in drawing fans is a serious problem. Even though it doesn't seem to make too much economic sense, it's a good idea for the athletic department to seriously consider slashing student ticket prices to somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 a pop -- if not just letting people in free with a student ID.\nPlay of the Game\nThe momentum-turning play of the game could have been used for an informational video called "How Horrible Teams Lose Games." As the fourth quarter opened, IU committed three penalties in its first four plays, lost 25 yards, and was forced to punt. \nIllinois then returned the punt for a touchdown -- or so it seemed. The return was called back on a hold, and then an additional 15 yards were tacked on when Illinois' Christian Morton was called for excessive celebration on a touchdown that didn't count in the first place. (Considering how infrequently the Illini score, though, the ref should have understood his exuberance).\nInstead of leading by two scores, Illinois was deflated and had the ball at their own 23-yard line. IU owned them from that point on.\nIU MVP \nThere's no doubt about this one. The Matt LoVecchio that everyone has waited to see came out to play Saturday. LoVecchio completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards. But he did his best work on the ground, running the ball 14 times for 59 yards, including an 8-yarder to win it with 24 seconds left.\nHe didn't do it without a quality supporting cast, though. Wide receiver Courtney Roby caught eight passes for 81 yards, finally getting the stats he deserves after having two impressive would-be touchdowns called back on penalties earlier this year.\nThe offensive line gave LoVecchio the time he needed to pass and run today. One standout was Chris Jahnke, who had a great pancake block on the first play of the fourth quarter.
(07/23/04 1:19am)
Students and colleagues of African-American Studies professor John McCluskey might know of his Harvard education. But he's less likely to reveal to them a piece of information that might win a few bar bets and prove his role as a football pioneer. \nMcCluskey, who played for Harvard from 1962-65, was the first black student to start at quarterback in the history of the Ivy League. \n"The Boston paper had a headline that said I was the first black quarterback (at Harvard) in 350 years," McCluskey said.\nOf course, the headline writers that day neglected to point out the fact that football didn't exist for about 250 of those years. But it emphasized the significance of McCluskey being named starter.\nMcCluskey had been a high school standout in Middletown, Ohio. Running the offense of legendary coach Glen "Tiger" Ellison, who is considered to be the father of the run and shoot, McCluskey was recruited by a number of Big Ten schools and was named an All-American by Parade Magazine.\n"He had a tremendous arm -- he could read the defense very well, and of course he is a very intelligent person," Ed Payne, who was an assistant coach for Middletown at the time, said.\nAmong the schools courting McCluskey was Minnesota, which went to the Rose Bowl after the 1961 season under the guidance of one of the few black quarterbacks in major college football at the time, Sandy Stephens.\n"When I went to visit, I was sort of in awe of him," McCluskey said.\nStephens' No. 15 was the first to be retired in Minnesota football history.\nBut McCluskey decided to further his education and his career in the Ivy League.\n"Only a handful of African Americans played football at any position in the Ivy League in those days," McCluskey said.\nAlthough he was one of the handful, McCluskey doesn't remember any racial hostility coming from opponents or the crowd. But he does remember a story about a group of fans that were quite surprised to find out he wasn't white.\nThe fans, from South Boston, Mass., went to Harvard because they thought they could see an "Irish laddie," McCluskey, at quarterback.\n"They kept asking, 'Where's the Irish lad going to come from?'" McCluskey said. "And some guy finally told them 'he's already out there on the field.' They stayed for the rest of the game, but I don't think they ever came back." \nIn the era when he played, freshmen weren't allowed to play at the varsity level. So after playing freshman and junior varsity his first two years, McCluskey became the starting quarterback for the Crimson's varsity squad his junior year.\nOne of the biggest adjustments he had to make was in the vastly different offenses he ran in high school compared to college. Like switching cars from a Corvette to a station wagon, the tempo slowed down considerably when McCluskey got to Harvard because of the Crimson's run-based offense\n"I was spoiled in high school," McCluskey said. "We threw as much as we ran. It was so entertaining to watch that people drove from towns an hour away just to see us play on Friday night."\nAt Harvard, that type of excitement was reserved for one game a year. Simply known as "The Game" -- it is Harvard's annual scuffle with Yale.\nMcCluskey remembers being confused after the referees signaled for a timeout in the middle of a Harvard drive downfield. After asking them what was going on, they explained to him that it was a TV timeout.\nAt the end of his career, some fans congratulated McCluskey for four good years.\n"I said, 'Ah, they were OK.' And they said, 'Oh no. You never lost to Yale," he said.\nMcCluskey continued to describe a Yalie as "someone who takes a loss to Harvard with good cheer."\nMcCluskey has taught at IU since 1977. He said there are lessons learned on the football field that can be carried into the world of academia.\n"Football -- particularly being quarterback, teaches you discipline … and how to be very calm and collected. And a very important lesson from football is trying to do your best. The crowd may applaud or the crowd may be silent, but you have to have a standard inside," McCluskey said.\nMcCluskey doesn't often reflect on the games themselves, though.\n"That chapter of life is over," McCluskey said. "A lot of friends want to relive their football years, but you have to move on in life." \n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(05/07/04 4:31am)
I'm not very good with farewells.\nI have a tendency to get all teary-eyed and at a loss for words, and I become very touchy-feely with persons who don't necessarily care to be touched or felt. \nSo I refuse to look at graduation as a farewell. Instead, I will look at it as a gateway to something new. Like paying higher taxes, rent and health insurance. \nOK, something good has to happen once we graduate. College is not the end-all and be-all of life. Otherwise, we would graduate when we turned 80.\nBut it is all of the little quirks of college life that I will truly miss once I am gone from this place. (If you must, grab a tissue now, or hope the person next to you doesn't mind if you use their sleeve).\nI will miss Sunday oldies night, a staple for my roommate and I during freshman year. I'll also miss the time we lit a bag of microwave popcorn on fire and had to throw it out the window.\nI'll miss playing a game that my floormates and I invented called "wallyball."\nI'll miss staying up until sunrise the day after Little 5 for four straight years.\nI'll miss walking past the School of Music on a warm day and hearing the sounds of strings, winds, brass, pianos and operatic voices drifting out the windows.\nI'll miss being able to determine what brand of pizza someone has ordered on smell alone.\nI'll miss cheesy local advertising. Specifically, I'm talking about "Oh yeah, Avers!" and that awful Mother Bear's Pizza commercial where they make the lamest attempt at a rap song ever since Vanilla Ice muttered the words "Go ninja, go ninja, go!" \nI'll miss studying for tests on the seventh floor of the library.\nI'll miss procrastinating as I type a paper by watching late night fare such as "Sanford and Son," a Steven Seagal movie, those Time-Life infomercials for the "Best Hits of the 70s" CD collections ("it would cost you $1000 dollars to buy each of these individual albums"… or you could download them for free… wait, never mind) and Tony Robbins infomercials. \nI'll miss being surrounded by beautiful, young people. Next year when you're sitting across from some balding, middle-aged man, you'll be wishing you were back in math class just so you could sit next to that one girl one more time.\nI'll miss chanting A.J. Moye's name at basketball games. And watching people do mudslides at football tailgates.\nI'll miss walking around at night in a town where there is plenty to do and it is safe for me to do so. As long as I'm not drunk.\nI'll miss drinking on a fake ID. My secondary forms were a library card and casino rewards points card.\nI'll miss wondering where the people in People's Park go at night.\nI'll miss wondering why people choose to go home early during finals week. Don't they know that it is scientifically proven that home becomes boring after three days on average?\nI'll miss sleeping on the couch in the IDS newsroom. Or in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium.\nI'll miss writing this column and all of the feedback I get, whether it be good or bad.\nBut I couldn't think of any original material to end it with. So instead I will conclude by quoting the sage words of the renowned philosopher Rufus: Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes.
(05/03/04 6:39am)
Students and colleagues of African-American Studies professor John McCluskey might know of his Harvard education. But he's less likely to reveal to them a piece of information that might win a few bar bets and prove his role as a football pioneer. \nMcCluskey, who played for Harvard from 1962-65, was the first black student to start at quarterback in the history of the Ivy League. \n"The Boston paper had a headline that said I was the first black quarterback (at Harvard) in 350 years," McCluskey said.\nOf course, the headline writers that day neglected to point out the fact that football didn't exist for about 250 of those years. But it emphasized the significance of McCluskey being named starter.\nMcCluskey had been a high school standout in Middletown, Ohio. Running the offense of legendary coach Glen "Tiger" Ellison, who is considered to be the father of the run and shoot, McCluskey was recruited by a number of Big Ten schools and was named an All-American by Parade Magazine.\n"He had a tremendous arm -- he could read the defense very well, and of course he is a very intelligent person," Ed Payne, who was an assistant coach for Middletown at the time, said.\nAmong the schools courting McCluskey was Minnesota, which went to the Rose Bowl after the 1961 season under the guidance of one of the few black quarterbacks in major college football at the time, Sandy Stephens.\n"When I went to visit, I was sort of in awe of him," McCluskey said.\nStephens' No. 15 was the first to be retired in Minnesota football history.\nBut McCluskey decided to further his education and his career in the Ivy League.\n"Only a handful of African Americans played football at any position in the Ivy League in those days," McCluskey said.\nAlthough he was one of the handful, McCluskey doesn't remember any racial hostility coming from opponents or the crowd. But he does remember a story about a group of fans that were quite surprised to find out he wasn't white.\nThe fans, from South Boston, Mass., went to Harvard because they thought they could see an "Irish laddie," McCluskey, at quarterback.\n"They kept asking, 'Where's the Irish lad going to come from?'" McCluskey said. "And some guy finally told them 'he's already out there on the field.' They stayed for the rest of the game, but I don't think they ever came back." \nIn the era when he played, freshmen weren't allowed to play at the varsity level. So after playing freshman and junior varsity, his first two years, McCluskey became the starting quarterback for the Crimson's varsity squad his junior year.\nOne of the biggest adjustments he had to make was in the vastly different offenses he ran in high school compared to college. Like switching cars from a Corvette to a station wagon, the tempo slowed down considerably when McCluskey got to Harvard because of the Crimson's run-based offense\n"I was spoiled in high school," McCluskey said. "We threw as much as we ran. It was so entertaining to watch that people drove from towns an hour away just to see us play on Friday night."\nAt Harvard, that type of excitement was reserved for one game a year. Simply known as "The Game" -- it is Harvard's annual scuffle with Yale.\nMcCluskey remembers being confused after the referees signaled for a timeout in the middle of a Harvard drive downfield. After asking them what was going on, they explained to him that it was a TV timeout.\nAt the end of his career, some fans congratulated McCluskey for four good years.\n"I said, 'Ah, they were OK.' And they said, 'Oh no. You never lost to Yale," he said.\nMcCluskey continued to describe a Yalie as "someone who takes a loss to Harvard with good cheer."\nMcCluskey has taught at IU since 1977. He said there are lessons learned on the football field that can be carried into the world of academia.\n"Football -- particularly being quarterback, teaches you discipline … and how to be very calm and collected. And a very important lesson from football is trying to do your best. The crowd may applaud or the crowd may be silent, but you have to have a standard inside," McCluskey said.\nMcCluskey doesn't often reflect on the games themselves, though.\n"That chapter of life is over," McCluskey said. "A lot of friends want to relive their football years, but you have to move on in life." \n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(05/03/04 5:49am)
What does the future hold?\nIt's a question a lot of us graduating types are asking right now. And it's a tough question to answer when the hardest decision you are used to making each day is "Do I want fries with that?" \nIt isn't just on a personal scale either. With 2004 being an election year, and a very significant one at that, there's a lot to be answered in the big scheme of things.\n2004 is also shaping to be one of the most significant years in collegiate sports. It seems fitting as I leave college, the whole landscape may be changing both nationally and at IU.\nThe NCAA is already taking a serious look at the recruiting process and is aiming to get new regulations in place this summer. Among the items being proposed is cutting the length of a recruit's official visit from 48 hours to 24 hours.\nMany coaches, including Gerry DiNardo, have reservations about such a proposal.\n"The people that we're ignoring are the families of the prospects over the years who have used the experience as a positive one," DiNardo said. "If you want to expose a young person and their family to an institution, two days is better than one."\nI tend to agree. I spent a whole weekend visiting IU. Picking the college you want to attend is what I like to call a "big decision." That decision shouldn't be made tougher just because someone plays football. Recruiting does need to be assessed, but I think this is one area that can be left alone.\nOne significant change that might have affected college football appeared to have avoided for the time being is the early exit of players into the NFL. Since the last court ruling was in the favor of the league, colleges won't have to worry about guys like Maurice Clarett jumping ship before their junior year unless it is to play for a glorious franchise like the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.\nA more recent news item is the National Invitational Tournament's lawsuit that the NCAA violates antitrust laws by not allowing teams to pick between an NCAA bid and an NIT bid. \nIt seems laughable that a team would reject an NCAA bid. The NIT pretty much hasn't been big time since the '50s, and has been even less significant since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. But should the money offered by the NIT go up as a result of being able to invite who they want, there may be two big dances instead of one. \nAnd then there is the sad state of affairs at IU. As tuition continues to rise uncontrollably, the last thing students need to be confronted with is a mandatory $30 athletics fee -- we already pay a mandatory technology fee for an e-mail system that crashes on a weekly basis.\nThe reason IU's athletics debt is so pronounced is the failure to bring people to games at Memorial Stadium. No matter how hard they try to make games more fan friendly (unfortunately, the NCAA is unlikely to abide by IU selling beer for a quarter, which would be a possible solution) the problem won't completely be alleviated until it is proven to fans there will be a winning product for them to watch.\nBelieve it or not, I think a winning season is no more than two years around the corner. But it's the immediate dividends IU wants. Increasing student prices for lousy seats at basketball games is another option -- and another poor one.\nIs advertising in Assembly Hall the answer? It may be sacrilege, but I find it preferable to the other options. Not that I like it -- it's kind of like choosing which of your toes you would like to see smashed by a sledgehammer. But I'm not talking about placing ads along the court or changing the name of Assembly Hall to the Avers Pizzadome. Advertising can be done trickily and somewhat classily so it isn't noticed on TV.\nFor instance, Wrigley Field has ads for Southwest Airlines that can only be seen if you are sitting in the bleachers. And Sears has its logo on the dugout walls. Would it be so bad if there were ads placed on the back of seats?\nUnless dramatic changes are made, money will continue to be the catalyst that pushes college sports. And no matter what, IU will have to do something to stop losing it.
(04/29/04 5:55am)
Mark Twain once said, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." \nMost students have found reports of a "dead week" void of school work to be another great exaggeration, as they busily work on final projects and papers in the week before exams. \n"I would characterize it as alive and kicking," sophomore Todd Plugge said. "I've never had a dead week that's actually dead. There's always been multiple exams and papers."\nPlugge's dead week includes two presentations, a report and a final exam.\n"You're supposed to be studying for finals, but instead you're taking tests and doing 20-page reports," he said, "so you can't start studying until the weekend when all you want to do is sit around."\nJournalism professor David Nord said he generally assigns final papers to be turned in the day a final exam is scheduled. \n"But I do think there might be a reason to have a paper due at the end of this week," Nord said.\nHe said grades are supposed to be turned in to the registrar within two days of a scheduled final exam. Thus, a particularly lengthy assignment or a large class can prompt instructors into assigning a dead week due date so they have a full weekend for grading.\nOn the other hand, Nord said he thinks students shouldn't have to worry about taking a test during dead week.\n"I think exams should probably be in exam week," he said. "I don't know what the reasoning would be to have an exam during this week."\nWhile many believe IU prohibits distributing exams during the week before finals, it is not just an urban legend. \nThere is a codicil in Section H of the Dean of Faculties Academic Guide that reads: "The week prior to the exam period shall be free of major or final exams, except for practical tests at the end of lab periods. Papers or projects may be due only if assigned well in advance."\nA syllabus handed out at the beginning of the course can be interpreted as "well in advance." \n"Our sense is that most faculty members outline their courses in a syllabus at the beginning of the semester," said Associate Dean of Faculties Gerald Pugh. "Students expect a syllabus to be distributed on the first day, so even without the dead week policy, students are able to assess whether they've made the right course selection."\nPugh said in his experience, the Department of Student Affairs has yet to receive a formal complaint from any student regarding a test given during dead week.\n"The purpose of the policy is to enable good planning on the behalf of students and faculty that does not throw one into a last-minute crisis," Pugh said. \nPugh said the best option for a student in a similar situation would be to talk to the faculty member ahead of time.\n"You don't want to let it get too far along where you can't get everybody to the table and work it out," Pugh said. "If you come in after the fact, that's not nearly as helpful if someone comes ahead of the fact and avoids the problem that the dead week policy was meant to address: unexpected work in the last lap of the race."\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(04/20/04 4:54am)
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director and IU alumnus Donald Fehr spoke at the Whittenberger Auditorium Monday afternoon, addressing the steroid-testing issue facing baseball as one of players' rights.\nFehr warned mandatory testing of players could have more widespread implications on the future of labor relations in the nation as a whole.\n"We need to be more, rather than less, vigilant to protect the core zone of privacy," Fehr said. "I worry that what we accept one day for sports because athletes are seen as spoiled makes it easier to apply for the rest of the world in five or 10 years."\nHe said the zone of privacy in the U.S. today is vastly different than it was when he graduated in 1970, noting today, every e-mail, phone call or credit card purchase a person makes is now recorded.\nThough he is concerned with the rights of the players' union, Fehr made it clear that illegal performance enhancing substances should have no place in baseball.\nIn the 2002 collective bargaining agreement, the union agreed to ban players from using illegal substances and add new illegal substances once they are discovered or currently legal supplements if they are banned by the government.\n"If we test everybody all the time without suspicion of conduct, do we not believe they are guilty until proven innocent, and is that not contrary to our system of values?" Fehr said.\nFehr compared the testing to searching someone's home without a warrant.\n"I'm sure there are plenty of illegally registered firearms in Bloomington, but that does not authorize a search without evidence," Fehr said.\nBecause more than 5 percent of last year's random steroid tests came back positive, players will be re-tested this year and next. Players who test positive will be identified and face possible suspension -- provided they reject going to counseling first.\nMany think the regulations are too weak. Fehr responded to that opinion by saying penalization was not the purpose of the policy.\n"The purpose of the program is to eliminate use, not to punish people," Fehr said. \nFehr also discussed his recent testimony in Congress regarding the steroid issue, where Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others criticized the union for its stance.\nBut Fehr said Congress may have dropped the ball in 1994 when it passed the Dietary Supplements Act. The law meant health supplements sold over-the-counter did not have to be tested by the Federal Drug Administration. \n"If the Congress of the United States makes a decision that anyone, including children, can use those, how can a union act like a parent and tell an adult what he can't do?" Fehr said.\nThough Olympic sports test for more drugs than baseball, Fehr said these tests aren't necessarily stringent or appropriate -- citing Sudafed was once considered a banned supplement by the International Olympic Committee.\nSenior Michael Tanney, a Yankees fan who attended the lecture, thought Fehr's points were valid.\n"He pushed the issue that the way the public perceives everything is guilty until proven innocent, and he has an obligation to switch that," Tanney said.\nThe College of Arts and Sciences and the IU Varsity Club sponsored the event.\nKumble Subbaswamy, Dean of COAS, said Fehr's talk helped give students an important perspective on a relevant, current issue.\n"His answers certainly provoked thought," Subbaswamy said. "And I think many of the students who asked questions naturally took away more about the legal perspectives on it."\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(04/15/04 6:14am)
With a large number of distinguished robe-wearers convening around the IU Auditorium tomorrow, an unknowing passerby might think he has stumbled upon the filming of the next Harry Potter movie.\nIn spite of the robes and an impressive-looking, jewel-encrusted staff taking center stage, there will be no wizardry afoot. \nThe robes are part of the pomp and ceremony behind the inauguration of IU President Adam Herbert and continue a centuries-old tradition in the education world.\nAt IU, robed processions are a staple of Founder's Day, the freshman induction ceremony, commencement and chancellor installations in addition to presidential inaugurations. The tradition of scholars dressing in robes for formal occasions dates to the founding of the first European universities in medieval times.\n"It adds a degree of pageantry," said Dean of Students Richard McKaig.\nFaculty members traditionally wear black robes. The style of the hood and the cut of the gown reflect the highest degree earned by the wearer, and hoods are lined in the colors of the institution and the discipline from which the degree was received. For instance, by looking at McKaig's robe, you would be able to determine he received a doctorate in education from IU.\nIU's trustees will be clad in crimson robes with a cream-colored velvet hood.\nLike a Supreme Court Chief Justice, Herbert is able to design his own robe, which is black with red chevrons on the sleeve.\nBut the most distinctive robe will belong to the event's grand marshal, Dr. Edwin C. Marshall of the School of Optometry. His robe is described as "an elaborate white satin brocade robe adorned with a golden sash." The robe is brand-new and was designed especially for the occasion.\n"I'll be somewhat hard to miss," Marshall said.\nMarshall has represented the School of Optometry many times in the past but has never been the grand marshal for any event. He was contacted by the president's office to fill the role.\n"I considered this a great honor and did not hesitate," Marshall said.\nThe presidential inauguration contains many other wrinkles make it an event unique to IU. Among these are the IU Mace and the IU Jewel and Chain, which will be formally presented to Herbert today.\nThe Mace has a 30-inch long staff of polished ebony encircled with four brass, gold-plated collars and is entwined by swirled gold bands. The brass globe sitting atop the staff has four flat sides. Each side has an engraving -- the IU seal, the state seal, the "IU" symbol and the symbol of Phi Delta Theta, which donated it to the staff in 1949.\nThe globe is also covered with 12 synthetic jewels. Marshall practiced his Mace-carrying role during the inauguration rehearsal. \n"It's not heavy at the outset, but one might imagine it getting heavy over a period of time," Marshall said. "It's like holding anything in a constant position for a period of time."\nHerbert will wear the Jewel and Chain at all official University ceremonies. The chain, donated by Sigma Chi in 1957, is handcrafted of gold-plated sterling silver and contains 44 linked panels. Seven panels are engraved with the names of the presidents who have served the University since the Jewel of Office was first worn as the symbol of the presidency.\nOther parts of the ceremony are more modern. At the post-inauguration reception, the president's favorite type of cookie is served.\nFor Herbert, it is an old-fashioned oatmeal and raisin cookie that will be served alongside cranberry spumante punch.\nMcKaig, who is attending his third inauguration, is pleased with the cookie selection.\n"I salute him for that," McKaig said.\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(04/01/04 6:32am)
The Monroe County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council heard a presentation Wednesday advocating the implementation of a new police training method. The training model, in use by the Fort Wayne Police Department since 2001, seeks to respect the rights of the mentally ill and prevent jail overcrowding.\nThe issue has moved to the forefront following the November death of Bedford resident James L. Borden, Sr. Borden died in police custody at the Monroe County Jail after being shocked with a Taser gun three times.\nIf police had been trained under the Crisis Intervention Team model, the incident would have never happened, said Vid Beldavs, member of Citizens Investigating the Death of James L. Borden Sr.\n"It would definitely have been prevented. He wouldn't have been tasered," Beldavs said.\nUnder CIT training, officers bring subjects suffering from a mental episode to a hospital rather than jail.\nFort Wayne police sergeant Tony Maze, who supervises over 70 CIT-trained officers, said implementation of the program has led to a dramatic decrease in public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest charges -- drastically affecting the jail population.\n"If we had taken everyone that appeared intoxicated and put them in lockup, the population would have exploded," Maze said.\nIn 2003, only six arrests were made by Fort Wayne officers out of 1,000 contacts with mentally ill subjects. The exception lies in felony cases in which the suspects are incarcerated before being evaluated by a doctor.\nMaze said the police have become so trusted family members won't hesitate to call for help if they know their loved one is having a breakdown.\nThe CIT model originated in Memphis, Tenn. It was brought to Fort Wayne, largely due to the efforts of Jane Novak, who is active with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Novak pushed for a change in police training after her mentally ill son was repeatedly struck by police during an arrest.\nAfter achieving success in Fort Wayne, she is looking to spread the training across both the state and the country as whole.\n"This is a priority to me. It will change the lives of everyone," Novak said. "Not only the person with the mental illness, but all of those involved in the treatment of the person. It's of the upmost importance to get CIT trained officers everywhere."\nIn order for such a program to be implemented, arrangements also need to be made with local hospitals to make sure they have a secure area in which people can be treated.\nMonroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzmann, a member of the MCCJCC, said discussions he's had involving treatment of mentally ill persons who have been arrested has not been taken seriously enough in the past.\n"Unfortunately, it seems that no one listens to the people in the system until something bad happens," Salzmann said.\nHe criticized the state and federal legislatures for passing mandates regarding mental health issues and providing no funding for the problems dealt with on a local level.\nWhile Salzmann would like to see the CIT method come to fruition locally, he does not know if and when it will happen.\n"There are many issues the criminal justice system is facing right now. This is one of them," Salzmann said. "It's on the frontburner. But there are a lot of frontburners right now"
(03/26/04 5:40am)
So you wanted to see Mike Davis take a long walk off a short pier. It didn't look like there was any chance of that happening, so you rubbed your genie lamp with a little extra fervor.\nAnd then "voila!," out popped a genie, and he bore a strange resemblance to Charles Barkley. Wait, it was Sir Charles, who looks rather genie-like already. And he was quoted in the Birmingham News as saying Auburn would be the right fit for Davis.\n"I don't think Mike's ever going to get a fair chance at Indiana. He's not Bob Knight. That's his only flaw," Charles opined.\nAs we still wait for Davis to come out and say he's not interested in leaving, we do know that Auburn is in fact hot for him. Davis-haters may see their wishes come to fruition. But like the ending to some morality tale from Aesop, they may end up regretting what they wished for.\nI know in Monday's column I talked entirely too much about myself and said I was done writing about Hoosier basketball. As it would turn out, news is a beast that never sleeps, and we are dealing with news that is a lot worse than people may realize.\nLet's say Davis does in fact get an offer from Auburn and accepts it. Logically, this seems the equivalent of stepping down from the board of a Fortune 500 company to follow a lucrative career in sanitation engineering. Who the heck would want to take over a program almost certain to be put on probation?\nIf they are someone who doesn't care to be in the limelight, they would jump at it. Think anyone would start a Web site to fire Davis at Auburn? Of course not. Basketball is just a nice event to fill in days between the Iron Bowl. And the success of football gives Auburn additional revenue that could be used to lure Davis if need be.\nSo what would this mean for IU? In the short term, it would mean disaster.\nThe top recruiting class in the nation coming to Bloomington next year? Keep dreaming. Josh Smith is already as good as gone for the NBA in my book, especially if there is any doubt about who will be coaching the team. \nBut there are others, and they might be out the door, too. D.J. White, the power forward from Tuscaloosa, Ala., is not just coming here to play for IU. He's coming to play for Mike Davis. I suspect that he would sit out a year for the chance to meet up with Davis at Auburn if the opportunity presented itself.\nJames Hardy, who is actually signed to a football scholarship, will be here anyway. One would also assume that A.J. Ratliff and Robert Vaden would still be on board. But predicting the actions of 18-year-olds is not something that is easy to do. I don't even know what I'm doing 10 minutes from now, and I'm 22.\nIf Davis were to leave, it would set forth a series of tumbling dominoes like the ones that went off last year when Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina. And IU's newest problem would be finding someone to replace Davis.\nThe first name that would probably jump to mind is the prodigal son, Steve Alford. He would at least have full-fledged support. But the cold, hard fact is his Iowa squad has not made it to the Big Dance since beating IU for the Big Ten title in 2001.\nAnother trick in getting Alford or anyone else to coach the Hoosiers is a little thing called money, which is something the IU athletic department doesn't actually have. They are still paying Michael McNeely and, gasp, Cam Cameron. You think a program hemorrhaging in debt can afford to pay Davis and another coach to boot?\nIf you want Mike Davis out of IU basketball, your dreams may come true. But don't be surprised if they turn into nightmares.
(03/22/04 5:48am)
Dearest readers:\nThe author would like to apologize for the shoddy and incoherent work you are about to read. I am a bit flustered after spending the past 26 hours traveling in some way, shape or form only to return to Bloomington and find that I feel like Doug E. Doug after he walks out of the refrigerator in "Cool Runnings." \nBut I'm hurting for cash, so I decided to produce this column.\nSpring break started in bitter fashion. IU's loss to Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament made this the first year since 1985 (the same year Marty McFly went back to the future) the Hoosiers weren't invited to the NCAA Tournament. An NCAA bracket without IU is like an exit on a southern interstate without a Waffle House -- it just doesn't seem possible.\nThe game itself summed up the season perfectly -- with spots of brightness washed away in the end by disappointment. The biggest thing I picked up from the game was the performance of Illinois guard Deron Williams, who personally dashed the Hoosiers postseason aspirations with one clutch shot after another. \nAs the Illini march into the Sweet 16, it seems more than likely IU may have recruited the wrong guard out of The Colony, Texas. \nBut I have had enough of disappointment. After watching nearly every IU basketball and football game this past year, what I really needed was a vacation. In fact, I needed to leave the country altogether.\nSo I packed my bags and drove to Florida and floated to the Bahamas with my friends Justin, Ben and Emily. I needed a break from sports as much as I did from schoolwork.\nMy first cut-off was failing to watch the Tournament Selection Show, which I have made a yearly tradition. Instead, I spent Sunday evening in Florida playing football with some random 12-year-old kids who were quoting lines from "The Chappelle's Show," including "I'm Rick James, bitch!"\nMonday, my fix for the tournament started kicking in anyway. I at least had to check the paper to see the brackets, and watch ESPN to see what they were saying.\nWe reached the Bahamas Tuesday after a seasickness inducing boat ride, and once again, I forgot about basketball. The place was too nice -- and so were the people. \nOne of the hotel workers even asked me, "Hey mon, has anyone ever told you you look like Tom Brady?"\nI said something like "Oh, all the time," but in the back of my mind I just thought, "This dude must have been smoking some powerful reefer."\nOther highlights included playing catch with Clemson's backup quarterback, Will Proctor and getting smoked by members of Georgia Southern's women's volleyball team in a beach game -- with my own personal highlight coming when I dove after a ball and hit it directly into my own face.\nDespite the fact I was in paradise, the basketball dork in me showed through Thursday, as I was pumped for March Madness. I even woke up early so I could go to an internet café to make sure I filled out my brackets in time for my friends' pools. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't, as Oklahoma State is my only Final Four team left dancing.\nYet I still managed to sneak peeks of great games like the ones between UAB and Washington or DePaul and Dayton while drinking out of a coconut, enjoying college basketball's version of paradise from paradise itself.\nAnd so, after two years, my time of writing about IU basketball has drawn to a close, even if I really didn't write about it at all in this column. It has been as down a year, as there ever has been in modern IU history, and with the strong likelihood top recruit Josh Smith will go pro, there will be even more grimacing in the immediate future.\nBut it has been an honor to write about one of the most storied and grand programs in college basketball. I wouldn't trade going to IU for anything else. Just ask the security guard who kicked people out of my hotel room after we received a noise violation for singing the IU fight song too loudly.\nAnd if anyone from Purdue tries to razz you about IU's fortunes this year, just remind them to come back and talk when five NCAA title banners are hanging from Mackey Arena.
(03/12/04 4:45am)
Wow.\nAfter a yearlong wait, pure, unadulterated Indiana basketball showed itself at Conseco Fieldhouse Thursday. Along with the IU season, my column-writing career has survived to last another day.\nWith IU trailing 31-20 in the first half, I sat musing over what went wrong with the team this year and wondering what I would write to an audience of readers that have already skipped town. \nAnd then, as the Hoosiers crawled back to life with Bracey Wright sitting on the bench, it hit me. Much like Chazz Palminteri dropping his coffee cup in "The Usual Suspects" when he figures out who Keyser Soze is, everything just clicked in my head.\nBut apparently it had clicked in Mike Davis' head much sooner. The bench was exactly where Bracey belonged. All year, players have talked about how the team's fortunes would turn around once they bought into Davis' system. So why not bring in some players who did?\nThe problem with IU in the past two months has not been Wright's shooting slump. Teammates should be able to overcome this. The problem is that Bracey's poor shooting was all he paid any attention to. There could have been an open teammate or a better shot later in the possession, but his mindset was strictly, "I've gotta shoot my way out of this slump."\nHence: bad shots that never go in, a team that never wins and a spot on the bench.\nEnter the unlikely trio of Ryan Tapak, Mark Johnson and Mike Roberts. When this crew-cut crew took to the floor, they weren't bringing boatloads of pure skill and gaudy stats. Instead, they brought high energy and good chemistry. You almost expected Davis to be wearing a lab coat and safety goggles as he stirred up this strange concoction of a lineup.\nIU promptly started playing defense and taking good shots, going on an 11-0 run to tie the game. For the first time in ages, I cracked a smile while watching an IU game. This was fun to watch.\nApparently, the bout on the bench did something to stoke Wright's competitive fire. In the second half, his shots finally started going in. He hustled around the floor, tying up the ball when Ohio State appeared to have pulled down an easy rebound and calling a timeout to keep a possession alive as he was flying out of bounds.\nGeorge Leach also came off the bench in the second half to play some of his most inspired ball of the year.\nIs it too late for these revelations to make a difference? Maybe not. I think Tapak has certainly earned a spot in the starting lineup against Illinois. Turnovers have plagued IU's point guards all year. But IU didn't turn the ball over in the final 25 minutes against the Buckeyes. That should erase any doubt Tapak can handle the job.\nIf IU is able to replicate the performance they put together yesterday, they are capable of beating Illinois and will certainly be in a position to beat either Iowa or Michigan. As for Sunday … it's a lot to ask, but at this point, it's all that's left to do.\nGood Call: I usually find that a three-man announcing team leads to some pretty awkward calls. But I enjoyed ESPN's color commentary tandem of Tim McCormick and Steve Lavin. Not only do they know what they're talking about, but they are a lot easier on the ears than the wild, uncontrollable shouting of Dickey V or the "Grumpy old man who threatens to call the police when you cut through his yard walking home from school" routine of Billy Packer.
(03/08/04 5:33am)
If you can, even if only for a few moments, forget about all of the disappointment this season entailed. The losses will not resurrect themselves and turn into wins. \nForget about how you would have preferred to see someone who plays as tenaciously as Ryan Tapak getting in Devin Harris' grill Saturday and possibly holding the Badger guard to less than 26 points.\nForget that you found Saturday's officiating crew to be among the most incompetent that you have ever seen. Or that the swarms of Wisconsin fans that occupied patches of Assembly Hall (where did they come from?) tended to agree that the Badgers were getting the benefit of the doubt on any close calls.\nThat's not the story here. What happened during the game was all pretense. The real story involved honoring the seniors who have given their time to the IU program. Guys who have given sweat, blood and groin pulls for the benefit of you, the fan.\nIf you don't believe me, maybe you didn't see "SportsCenter" Saturday night. As per tradition, every college basketball game they showed featured nothing but highlights from the game. But when they showed the IU highlight, it was about 10 seconds worth of Wisconsin scoring. \nThe other half of the highlight showed the IU crowd chanting "A.J. Moye!" and A.J. stepping up to the mike to wave his approval. This tale is about the love affair Hoosier fans have with their players, no matter what happens on the floor.\nThe first player to speak was the "Rudy" of IU basketball, Jason Stewart. No, he never scored, and he never got out on the floor much. But like any kid who grew up in this state, he had a dream of playing basketball for IU. (Unless, of course, that kid grew up eating paint chips and dreamed of playing for Gene Keady).\nBy busting his tail, Stewart achieved that goal. Very few are able to turn their dreams into reality. For instance, until I drive a zamboni, my dreams won't turn into reality. But Jason Stewart earned his applause.\nNext up was George Leach. Throughout his career, Leach's play was often frustrating enough to make a preacher drop multiple f-bombs. But when you are the only big man in a four-guard lineup, it makes things that much harder, unless you are Shaq-sized or Yao-talented.\nThings worked out a lot better when he was playing in the frontcourt with Jeff Newton or Jared Jeffries. With or without them, he's always had the innate ability to block shots into the front row of the stands. Who could forget the two big rejections he threw back at Oklahoma in the 2002 National Semifinal?\nBut the indisputable man of the hour was A.J. Moye. Very few have worn the IU uniform -- or any uniform -- with as much pride as Moye. The number 2 should never be handed out to any freshman that comes to play for IU. It should be earned.\nFor a while, I found it hard to comprehend how Moye has managed to make it through this season with his held head high. The losses are hard enough for such a fierce competitor to swallow. Couple that with losing two family members in an Atlanta fire and seeing his father battle against illness.\nBut watching Moye's dad sneak up from behind to give A.J. a bear hug as he spoke and seeing his grandmother cheer wildly made it obvious where he gets his zest for life. It's all hereditary. You wish their enthusiasm could be bottled and given out to other people.\nMoye said he wishes he could play at IU for 10 years. I don't see why not, Brian Cardinal played at Purdue for at least eight years. But A.J. will have to move on, much to the regret of us all.\nIt seems unfair that some uninspired sack of swill like Vin Baker made it in the NBA when a guy like Moye is more deserving of the fame and fortune. But no matter what he ends up doing, I have a feeling A.J. Moye will do it well.
(03/08/04 4:20am)
Speaking Friday night at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union, "The Simpsons" producer Mike Reiss thanked the audience for "taking time out of your drinking schedule" as he covered the highlights of his career and shed some light onto the behind-the-scenes workings of one of the most popular shows in television history.\nHe also spent time addressing popular myths about the show and quelled the ever-popular question "What state is Springfield in?"\n"Springfield isn't really set anywhere," Reiss said. "There's an ocean on the east side and an ocean on the west side. In one episode, Homer is shoveling snow … and a few scenes later, he is laying in the hammock. A better question is 'What planet is it on?'"\nHe also confirmed that a "Simpsons" movie is in the works.\n"It's gonna suck pretty hard," Reiss said.\nHe quipped that the movie could actually be done live action, featuring Vin Diesel as Homer, William H. Macy as Ned Flanders and Tom Cruise as Smithers.\nBut Reiss actually opened his presentation talking politics, as he compared John Kerry to Herman Munster and George W. Bush to Forrest Gump.\n"But that's being a little unfair to Forrest Gump, since he actually went to Vietnam," Reiss said. \nFreshman Nate Orme found Reiss' political humor to be one of the most amusing aspects of the presentation.\n"His political stuff was very funny. He was touching all the right buttons," Orme said. "Plus, he went both ways, so it was good."\nReiss talked about working his way up the ladder in television. This included writing for "Alf" and writing 60 jokes each day for "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."\n"If you want to be in this profession, you've got to produce, produce, produce," Reiss said. "It's a lot like doing porn."\nReiss also showed the audience some clips from "The Simpsons", including a look at Dan Castellaneta doing the voice of Homer and Nancy Cartwright doing the voice of Bart. He also showed clips from two shows he helped create, "The Critic" and "Queer Duck."\nOne trademark of "The Simpsons" is the appearance of guest stars on the show. Reiss said the trick to booking a celebrities is their kids will make them do the show. He said Oprah was the most difficult guest that has ever been on the program, but he did note the members of N'Sync were "five of the nicest girls that I've ever met."\nAfter speaking, Reiss opened up the floor for the audience to ask questions. He answered queries about his favorite character (Grandpa Simpson), least favorite character ("she has blue hair") and his favorite episode (the one where Krusty meets his rabbi father).\nHe also said the show would inevitably come to an end some day because "we know there will be a point where we run out of ideas."\nSenior Sam Frymer particularly enjoyed the question-and-answer session.\n"That's a situation where it's the most impromptu," Frymer said. "He's really funny, and he gets to connect with the audience the best."\nFor Reiss, IU was another stop on a busy tour schedule. Whereas he used to speak at around 10 campuses per year, he has been to 18 in the past four weeks, including Purdue and Valparaiso. \n"If I could do it 365 days, I would really do it," Reiss said.\nEven after he wrapped up the question-and-answer session, Reiss stayed around to chat with audience members who wanted to get an autograph or ask for advice on getting started in writing. A couple that had a "Simpsons"-themed wedding even showed him some pictures from their wedding album.\nReiss has found that speaking at colleges can even benefit the show itself.\n"We hated Ralph Wiggum, but I came to colleges and everyone loved him," Reiss said, "so we put him in more episodes, and all of the sudden he became this sort of retarded Buddha."\nSophomore Cody Bell, the Union Board director of comedy, was extremely pleased with the event.\n"It couldn't have been better," Bell said. "There were lots of hardcore fans. They really knew their stuff."\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(03/05/04 5:15am)
Better late than never, I guess.\nEven if the fans and media have given up, it is at least mildly refreshing to know the players haven't. Granted, Wednesday's win over Michigan has a sort of empty feeling, basically like a Geico commercial where the patient asks, "So you don't have to amputate?" and the doctor goes, "Oh, I do. But I just saved 15 percent on my car insurance." (I just made that one up, so they better send me a royalty check if they use it).\nI guess I should stop complaining -- wins are far too precious to come by these days. But the emptiness of the victory was best felt in the stands at Assembly Hall, which did its best to resemble Memorial Stadium with its rows and rows of empty seats. There were full sections of 15 consecutive seats without a butt in them.\nGranted, the opening tip-off time of 6 p.m. was not a good one. Lots of students still have classes at that time, myself included. (I hope this column works in lieu of a doctor's note). Anyone coming from out of town would have a hard time getting to Bloomington in time if they got off work at 5.\nBut I bet you everyone involved would have had a much easier time showing up if the Hoosiers were competing for a Big Ten title, or even an NCAA berth. Even those that did show up were far from lively. \nFor most of the game, the crowd sounded as enthused as one watching an event on the Senior PGA Tour without Chi Chi. (Or as it as now known, the "Champions Tour," as if we aren't supposed to know these guys are really old). As a matter of fact, I actually saw a guy in section HH that fell asleep during the first half. And not just a gentle snooze. This dude was lights out, like Marshall Strickland's shooting.\nAnd that was a truly beautiful thing to watch (Strickland's shooting, not the guy sleeping). With Bracey Wright still in a slump, it is good to see someone else was able to step up and lead the team to a win offensively.\nEven more refreshing was watching George Leach make a clutch play, as he sent the Wolverines packing on their final-shot attempt of the game, much like UConn's Emeka Okeafor did against Villanova last weekend, although maybe not quite as dramatic. And the fact that he nailed both of his free throws to seal the deal, considering Wright had missed both of his 10 seconds earlier? Whoa.\nBut the best part of all of this was giving Michigan's tournament bubble a fairly large poke. Hopefully, the loss will allow Michigan coach Tommy Amaker to sit down and reconsider his wardrobe, though. \nLet's make it clear I am in no way qualified to be the Indiana Daily Student fashion columnist. The same red and black fleece pullover has been the staple of my wardrobe for six years. I was nominated for the "Worst dressed in IDS newsroom" award last semester, though, like Bill Murray, I was gypped out of the prize.\nBut a sport coat over a polo shirt? Tommy, you're not a used car salesman. I know you can do better. \nOn a serious note, it's sad seeing IU playing the role of spoiler, which they will be doing against Wisconsin Saturday. In fact, it's a game IU must win if it wants to assure itself of a bid to the Little Dance.\nConsidering IU's last game against the Badgers was a 79-45 nightmare, it doesn't look like a good bet.\nOne can only hope coming off a win will translate into a better effort this time around, or more than one person will be using the game for naptime.
(03/05/04 4:22am)
When Mike Reiss, longtime producer of "The Simpsons" and co-creator of "The Critic," speaks at 7 p.m. tonight at the Indiana Memorial Union in Alumni Hall, he need not worry about shouts of "Boo-urns" streaming from the crowd.\nThe audience promises to be full of fans of Homer, Apu, Moe and Disco Stu as Reiss speaks about the highlights of a career that has garnered four Emmy awards. Among the topics Reiss will discuss are the near-cancellation of the Simpsons before it even aired, secret trivia of the show, the current state of television and "juicy gossip" about celebrity guest stars.\n"He apparently has a really good story about Oprah," said sophomore Cody Bell, Union Board director of comedy.\nReiss' presentation won't purely involve anecdotes, though, as he will also be getting interactive with the audience. There will be trivia contests as well as a contest for the best impression of a Simpsons character.\nSenior Sean Little, a self-described Simpsons fanatic, plans to attend Reiss' presentation. Little has seen every Simpsons episode from the show's first 12 years (most multiple times), missing only a few that have aired in the past couple years. His favorite episodes are "Marge's Fear of Flying" and "Cape Fear." \nWhile he feels well-versed for a trivia contest, Little has no aspirations of trying to imitate a character.\n"I used to be able to do Professor Frink, but that's basically just doing Jerry Lewis," Little said.\nPrizes for the contest winners include Simpsons paraphernalia varying from animated cells to show scripts.\nReiss will also be showing previously unseen scenes from the Simpsons rescued from the cutting room floor. He will end the presentation by taking questions from audience members.\n"I would like to see if Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Cecil will be coming back," Little said.\nBefore his presentation, Reiss will speak to Michael Kerchner's class, who teaches an anthropology course on the Simpsons offered at Collins Living-Learning Center. Kerchner's course looks at how the show covers topics like religion, violence, sports and other aspects of society.\n"I thought it was an amazing opportunity for students at IU to hear a writer from one of the No. 1 shows in the country," Kerchner said.\nKerchner is interested to see what Reiss will have to say to the class, though.\n"He did say the worst thing to happen to the Simpsons is academics, and we'll be confronting him on that."\nThe Union Board booked Reiss through Greater Talent Network, the same agency that brought "The Daily Show's" Mo Rocca to campus last year. Bell said the fact the Union Board has a working relationship with the agency meant bringing Reiss to campus was a pretty cut-and-dry deal.\n"We've been working with them a lot," Bell said. "They've got lots of funny people."\nBell is excited about the possible turnout for the show, as it has carried a bit of a buzz.\n"I'm hearing people talk about it, and that's a good sign," he said. "I'm thrilled with the word of mouth." \n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(03/01/04 5:47am)
I have a tough job.\nEvery week, I have to write something that is quasi-relevant and makes sense to someone besides me. How it is received is another matter altogether, but one that I will always hear about, whether it is "You're way too harsh, you jag" or "I think you took it easy on those guys."\nNot that I'm complaining. The perks are great. I've been to some cool places and talked to interesting people. After all, I'm pulling in three figs a year just to watch sports. That's the kind of work I'd be willing to do for only two figs.\nThe perks aren't as all-encompassing as some like to think, though. I still have to pay $3 a cup at house parties. I still have to bum rides off my friends. I still haven't found a job for next year.\nOne time a guy even asked me, "So does writing for the paper help out with, ya know, the ladies?"\nMy only response to that is, "Try using the line 'Hey baby, I can type 20 words a minute. Wanna see?' It gets 'em every time."\nBut coming into this weekend, I realized that I would be facing my biggest obstacle of the year. With no IU game this weekend, I had no material to work with. What deep and dark portion of my brain would I have to pick to think of something to write about?\nAnd then it occurred to me. Men's basketball isn't the only sport at IU. Brilliant!\nSo I decided to take in the hockey game on Saturday and the women's basketball game Sunday. And I have come back to report these results to you: I found these events to be just as exciting as -- no, correct that, more exciting than -- a typical IU men's basketball game.\nThe hockey game was full of everything that makes hockey great. There was plenty of scoring, plenty of hits and spectacular saves. Even the zamboni driver displayed thorough craftsmanship.\nThough it was the biggest hockey blowout I have ever seen, as IU rolled over Bowling Green 10-1, the game also featured the most incredible incident I have ever witnessed at a sporting event.\nAfter getting ejected from the game for fighting, a Bowling Green player was headed to the locker room. It's unclear what instigated what happened next, but all of the sudden he started fighting with an IU fan. Within seconds, there were more fans on the scene and half of the Bowling Green bench cleared into the crowd to turn the incident into a downright melee.\nIt was literally like a scene right out of the movie "Slap Shot," without the Hanson brothers.\nThings calmed down a bit when the Bloomington Police Department arrived. Minus five ejected players, Bowling Green said, "Game on" and finished the game as if nothing had happened.\nThe women's basketball featured nothing of this magnitude, but it did not lack in dramatic intrigue. The Hoosiers took No. 23 Michigan State down to the wire, with Cyndi Valentin hitting a desperation three as the buzzer sounded to bring the game into overtime.\nIU came up short in OT, but at least it was a heck of a game.\nAs the men's season mercifully draws closer to the end, keep in mind that there are plenty of other sports at IU that can give you a thrill for cheap (as in free). The temperature is rising, and that means baseball is in the air.\nI've said before that I would like to see IU institute some sort of points system that would benefit students who attend sporting events like these that could be used for the privilege of sitting in a student section at Assembly Hall. But don't feel that you have to wait for that day to come to show support for the Hoosiers in more than one sport.
(02/27/04 6:17am)
Hans Arnesen and Lanyon Blair will be celebrating their fifth birthdays on Sunday. \nBut there are no plans for inviting kindergarten classmates over for cake and a game of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," nor will there be a trip to the roller rink. \nArnesen and Blair are both sophomores at IU. They are not Mozart-like prodigies, though. Both were born in 1984. It just happens they were born on Feb. 29, meaning their birthday only falls on the calendar every fourth year.\nBoth students have only met a handful of others who share Feb. 29 birthdays in their lifetimes. According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, there are around 200,000 people in the U.S. who were born on Leap Day. There is a one in 1,506 chance of being born on Feb. 29.\nIn spite of these odds, Blair didn't have to go very far to find someone else who shares his birthday -- his grandfather was also born on Feb. 29. Blair's grandpa was born in 1920, so Sunday will actually be his 21st birthday.\n"He's going to be 21 now, so I guess he can go out and drink," Blair joked.\nArnesen and Blair were both fairly young when they had the conversation that every parent fears having with their child -- the one where they have to explain that their birthday doesn't happen every year.\nArnesen does not remember how old he was when he figured this out, but he had no issues with having to wait for an election year to celebrate his birthday.\n"I just took it as a given," Arnesen said.\nBlair was 10 years old when he and his parents had "the talk."\n"They told me my 'real' age was however old I was divided by four," Blair said. "So at the time, I was about two-and-a-half."\nIn a non-leap year, the two employ different methods to celebrate growing another year older. Blair usually denotes March 1 as his birthday, since it is the day after Feb. 28. Arnesen takes a more liberal approach.\n"I'll celebrate on the 28th, or the 1st, or both. Whatever is better," Arnesen said.\nBoth agree nothing beats a year in which they can actually celebrate their real birthday, though.\n"There's more celebration," Arnesen said. "Like when I was eight, we had a surprise party."\nBlair's favorite birthday was the day he turned 16. His mom told his friends to get him presents for a four year old, which meant he received a lot more barnyard animals and other toddler toys than he had anticipated.\nHe did get a slightly more mature present in the form of car keys, though he had to pay for half the price of the car. \nArnesen and Blair find the uniqueness of having a Leap Year birthday to be something of which they are proud. It's also something that will always capture someone's attention in a conversation.\n"It seems weird, but I'm not a freak of nature," Blair said. "I have two arms and two legs."\nArnesen appreciates the advantage of having a birthday no one forgets.\n"It's pretty cool," he said. "When you tell someone your birthday, they always remember it."\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.
(02/27/04 5:43am)
I had a weird dream the other night.\nI was sitting in this bar in Austin, Texas, drinking with Bob Dole. As if this weren't strange enough, this Indian guru appears on the bar stool next to us. The guru says to me, "You are too negative. You need to live in the positive."\nBut before I can respond, he is gone, and Pauly Shore, who happens to be the bartender, asks if I need another drink.\nAt that point, I woke up. I was pretty sure that the dream was a direct result of eating La Bamba's too close to bedtime. But I got to thinking that it might be some sort of message I was supposed to pay attention to.\nSo instead of focusing on the ills of this Hoosier team, I will look at something positive: there is no game to watch this weekend. And that got me thinking of a litany of other activities that are preferable to watching an IU basketball game.\n-- Watching the movie "Gigli," or any other film nominated for "Worst Picture" in this year's Golden Raspberry Awards. The competition includes such acclaimed favorites as "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," "The Cat In The Hat," "From Justin to Kelly" and "The Real Cancun". You could even watch fine films that did not receive nominations, like "Boat Trip" and "Dumb and Dumberer."\n-- Alphabetizing your CD collection. It may seem tedious now, but you'll thank me later when you are throwing a kickin' party and you remember exactly where you catalogued that old Hootie & the Blowfish disc.\n-- Attending a curling match. I'm not sure how far you will have to go to find one, but it will be worth the trip to see athletes competing with brooms on ice.\n-- Spending an entire day playing pinball in the Union.\n-- Seeing how long you and your friends can go reciting lines from old Saturday Night Live sketches and if they know which sketch it is. For instance, you might want to start with "I've got a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell."\n-- Inventing your own cocktail. Make sure it is strong enough that watching an IU game will be fun if you only drink one. (This may require moonshine).\n-- Eating a veggie burger. Or glass. Whichever you find tastier. \n-- Taking up a new hobby, such as gardening, stamp collecting or saving your belly button lint in a jar. Or finding the answer to the question "Do people with 'outties' get belly button lint?"\n-- Climbing up the side of Ballantine Hall. I know it seems impossible, much like an IU postseason bid, but it can be done. But if you fall off the side, don't come blaming me for giving you the idea. These people did that a few years ago when there was a Taco Bell commercial that featured Shaq literally "on fire" with the help of special effects. (Obviously they didn't film him shooting free throws). \nAnyway, these kids decided it would be a great idea if they tried lighting themselves on fire and playing basketball. Oddly enough, it wasn't such a bright idea. Naturally, Taco Bell was sued.\n-- Counting the days until the 2004 IU football season kicks off.\nThere, can't you see the power of positive thinking? \nNeither can I.
(02/23/04 5:33am)
With just one shot, junior David Paulen, an Indiana Daily Student staff reporter, became the talk of Assembly Hall Saturday night. By sinking a half-court bank shot during a halftime promotion sponsored by Indianapolis-area Volkswagen dealers, Paulen won a 2004 VW Beetle.\nPaulen said someone from IU Sports Properties approached him before the game and asked if he wanted to take the shot.\n"During the whole first half, I pretty much wasn't paying attention to the game," Paulen said.\nWhen he headed courtside toward the end of the first half, time seemed to start ticking slower. Paulen's waiting process was further drawn out during the award presentation for former IU and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green.\n"It seemed like he talked forever," Paulen said. "And I can't remember a word he said."\nAfter Green's speech was over, Paulen was hurried onto the court for his shot at glory. Starting a few steps behind the map of Indiana at center court, he ran forward and launched his shot from the middle of the state. That's when time really seemed to stand still.\n"After I let it go, it was on line, and I started fading backwards. It honestly just went in slow motion," Paulen said. "Then, all of the sudden, it went in, and I just lost it."\nNo one was more surprised than freshman Steve Braun, who sat near Paulen at the game.\n"I was pretty shocked," Braun said. "I thought it was pretty crazy that it actually bounced off the backboard perfectly and went in."\nPaulen hasn't been handed the keys to his car just yet. A videotape of his shot still must be reviewed by the insurance agency sponsoring the promotion to verify that he didn't step over the half-court line.\nPaulen is sure he got the shot off before he toed the line, although he said some people have told him it looked pretty close.\nProvided the shot is verified, he will be contacted by Volkswagen and will get to choose what color and options he would like for the car. Right now, Paulen said he is leaning toward silver.\n-- Contact senior writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.