Won it for Hep

For a moment, it appeared as if Indiana State had a chance Saturday.\nNot only did the Sycamores win the coin toss, but junior kicker Austin Starr’s opening kickoff went out of bounds, automatically placing the ball on the 35-yard line. After an opening five-play drive, however, ISU’s momentary elation ended when sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis and junior wide receiver James Hardy began playing catch – and connected three times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The duo helped lead the Hoosiers to a 55-7 win and a debut victory for IU coach Bill Lynch. \n“It was a good win for our guys,” Lynch said. “It was an emotional period of time leading up to the game. These kids have really worked hard and they’ve endured a lot, but we kind of sensed all week that they were ready to play, and I’m really happy for them.”\nThough there were celebrations all around after the Hoosiers took the first step to “playing 13” – their mantra over the past two years referring to the team’s quest to make a bowl game – the team took a moment to honor late head coach Terry Hoeppner.\nIn a moving pre-game ceremony, IU President Michael McRobbie escorted the Hoeppner family to midfield amid applause and chants of “Ter-ry Hoepp-ner” erupted in honor of the Hoosiers’ late coach. Following a short moment of silence, Jane Hoeppner wiped away tears as she watched a video at midfield along with her family and a crowd of 34,715, highlighting the memorable moments of her husband’s two-year career at IU.\n“Before the game, it was very emotional,” said senior fullback Josiah Sears.\n“They showed us the tape last night, so we’d be prepared for it, but it was hard not to be emotional. But you know, I knew what to expect and, personally, once the emotional part was over, it was time to play football, and you had to re-adjust your focus.”\nIt didn’t take long for the IU offense to find that focus and give its fans something to cheer about.\nLewis, who completed 12 of 21 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns, exploited an Indiana State defense that allowed 45 points a game last season. As Lewis scrambled for yards and connected to receivers Hardy, junior James Bailey and sophomore Ray Fisher, all ISU coach Lou West could do was watch as his team fell to 1-22 since he became the head coach in 2005.\nAfter opening with a seven-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, Lewis decided to turn to the deep ball as he hit Hardy on a 58-yard strike to give the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, however, ISU scored its first and last points on a drive lasting just more than three minutes – mostly on runs and a shovel pass – that took advantage of holes in the Hoosier defensive line to cut the deficit in half.\n“They give you a lot of different looks and do a lot of different things,” Lynch said. “But I really think (after that) our defense set the tone.”\nFollowing the Sycamores’ touchdown drive, Lynch’s defense did settle down. The Hoosiers sacked ISU quarterback Reilly Murphy five times for 37 yards, while forcing two fumbles and picking off two of his passes – one of which caused senior safety Joe Kleinsmith to come up limping at the end of the play. IU, on the other hand, put the ball on the ground six times throughout the game, turning the ball over once.\n“They made excellent play calls to get that drive going,” said senior cornerback Tracy Porter. \n“But I think our coaches countered that, and they settled the defensive line down, settled the linebackers down, and they put us in the right position by making the right play calls, and we just went from there.”\nOn their first possession of the second half, Lewis and Hardy connected for their second touchdown of the night on another one-play drive. This time, however, Hardy scampered for 79 yards.\nIronically enough, Hardy said throwing deep wasn’t even a part of the game plan.\n“Actually, coming into the game, we thought we were going to go all short (passes),” Hardy said. “On the film, they were playing so far back that we honestly thought there was no chance of us getting any big plays, but it ended up happening.”\nThat was just the beginning of the Hoosiers’ route of the Sycamores. Starr would connect on 34- and 41-yard field goals, the latter coming at the end of the third quarter, while Sears rushed for a touchdown. Lewis then rushed for a touchdown, extending the lead to 38-7. By that point, Lynch had substituted in his second-team replacements with victory already assured.\nNow with a 1-0 record and an abundance of momentum, the Hoosiers will take their high-octane offense to Kalamazoo, Mich., where they will play a Western Michigan team that lost 62-24 at West Virginia on Saturday.\n“Now the Broncos really don’t have anything to watch but long plays,” Hardy said. “And we’ve been practicing with the short ones, so it’s really an advantage for us. It just happened like that.”

Hoosiers win opener 55-7 over Sycamores

For a moment, it appeared as if Indiana State had a chance against the IU football team Saturday.\nNot only did the Sycamores win the coin toss, but junior kicker Austin Starr’s opening kickoff went out of bounds, placing the ball on the 35-yard line. After an opening five-play drive, however, ISU’s slight elation ended when sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis and junior wide receiver James Hardy began to hook up for what amounted to be three times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The duo led the Hoosiers to a 55-7 win and a debut victory for IU coach Bill Lynch. \n“It was a good win for our guys,” Lynch said. “It was an emotional period of time leading up to the game. These kids have really worked hard and they’ve endured a lot, but we kind of sensed all week that they were ready to play and I’m really happy for them.”\nThough there were celebrations all around after the Hoosier’s took the first step to “playing 13” – their mantra over the past two years – the team took a moment to honor late head coach Terry Hoeppner.\nIn a moving pre-game ceremony, IU President Michael McRobbie escorted the Hoeppner family to applause and chants of “Ter-ry Hoepp-ner” in honor of the Hoosier’s late coach. Following a short moment of silence, Jane Hoeppner wiped away multiple tears as she watched a video at midfield along with her family and a crowd of 34,715, highlighting the memorable moments of her husband’s two-year career at IU.\n“Before the game it was very emotional,” said senior fullback Josiah Sears. “They showed us the tape last night, so we’d be prepared for it, but it was hard not to be emotional. But you know, I knew what to expect and, personally, once the emotional part was over, it was time to play football, and you had to re-adjust your focus.”\nYet even with melancholy beginnings, it didn’t take long for the IU offense to give its fans something to cheer about.\nLewis, who completed 12-21 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns, exploited an Indiana State defense that allowed 45 points a game last season. As Lewis scrambled for yards and connected to receivers Hardy, junior James Bailey and sophomore Ray Fisher, all ISU coach Lou West could do was watch as his team fall to 1-22 since he became the head coach in 2005.\nAfter opening with a seven-play, 73-yard drive for a touchdown, Lewis decided to turn to the deep ball as he hit Hardy on a 58-yard strike to give the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, however, ISU scored its first and last points on a 3:08 minute drive – mostly on runs and a shovel pass – that took advantage of holes in the Hoosier defensive line to cut the deficit in half.\n“They give you a lot of different looks and do a lot of different things,” Lynch said. “But I really think (after that) our defense set the tone.”\nFollowing the Sycamore touchdown drive, Lynch’s defense did settle down. The Hoosiers sacked ISU quarterback Reilly Murphy five times for 37 yards, while forcing two fumbles and picking off two of his passes – one of which caused senior safety Joe Kleinsmith to come up limping at the end of the play. IU, on the other hand, put the ball on the ground six times throughout the game, turning the ball over once.\n“They made excellent play calls to get that drive going,” said senior cornerback Tracy Porter. “But I think our coaches countered that and they settled the defensive line down, settled the linebackers down, and they put us in the right position by making the right play calls, and we just went from there.”\nOn their first possession of the second half, Lewis and Hardy connected for their second touchdown of the night on another one-play drive. This time, however, Hardy scampered for 79 yards.\nIronically enough, Hardy said throwing deep wasn’t even a part of the game plan.\n“Actually coming into the game, we thought we were going to go all short (passes),” Hardy said. “On the film, they were playing so far back that we honestly thought there was no chance of us getting any big plays, but it ended up happening.”\nThat would be just the beginning of the Hoosier’s route over the Sycamores. Starr would connect on a 34- and 41-yard field goal, the latter coming at the end of the third quarter, while Sears rushed for a touchdown. Lewis would then rush for a touchdown, extending the lead to 38-7. By that point, Lynch had subbed in his second-team replacements to secure the victory.\nNow with a 1-0 record and an abundance of momentum, the Hoosiers will take their high-octane offense to Kalamazoo, Mich., where they will play a Western Michigan team that lost 62-24 at West Virginia on Saturday.\n“Now the Broncos really don’t have anything to watch but long plays,” Hardy said. “And we’ve been practicing with the short ones, so it’s really an advantage for us. It just happened like that.”

IU defeats Indiana State 55-7

So that's it folks, game one is in the books. Not only is IU currently undefeated for the year, but the Hoosiers are currently tied for first place in the Big Ten. For now.

Follow the leaders

When practice for the IU football team came to a close Wednesday night, apparently nobody told Tracy Porter it was over. Even if someone had, chances are the senior cornerback would have stayed out on the field. After the rest of the team left practice, Porter remained to work with junior wide receiver James Hardy and sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis in preparation for Saturday night’s opener against the Indiana State Sycamores at Memorial Stadium.\n“I think Tracy’s been taking it upon himself (to improve) since last winter,” said IU football coach Bill Lynch. “He knows as a senior, he’s back and he’s a guy who has a great chance to be a leader on this team, and I think he did that over the summer.”\nLike Porter, fellow captain and senior fullback Josiah Sears has put in the extra work throughout his career at IU. After joining the team as a walk-on, Sears earned a scholarship and had his best season as a Hoosier last year, rushing for 232 yards on 40 carries while finishing second on the team with four rushing touchdowns.\nBoth Porter and Sears were voted captains by their teammates for the 2007 season, a responsibility they said they were proud to receive.\n“I think that it’s a tremendous honor that your teammates think that highly of you, and that they would acknowledge you as someone to lead the team and they would like to follow you,” Porter said. “It’s an honor I will cherish for the rest of my life.”\nThough both are seen as leaders on this year’s team, Lynch said their demeanors have changed over the last few years as both players have become more vocal and improved their work ethic. When Lynch first arrived at IU, he said that while Porter was a talented football player, he tended to be quiet and kept more to himself.\nLynch said Sears also had the same quiet demeanor but is now open with his teammates. This openness has not only propelled Sears into a leadership role but also helped develop a sense of camaraderie among team members. As evidence of his position as a team leader, Sears was IU football’s representative at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new athletics facilities – an event held the day coach Terry Hoeppner died. \n“As you go, you gain points in terms of leadership in the football program, and he certainly has done that with his teammates as well as us, and that’s why he’s going to be really important in a lot of different areas when we play on Saturdays,” Lynch said. \nLast year, center Justin Frye had a profound effect on Sears, as the recent graduate took the fullback under his wing and helped improve his offense.\n“I spent a lot of time with him in film studying together, which was not a huge leadership thing on his part in front of the whole team, but it was big for me,” Sears said. “He took one guy, and it was me. We had what we called ‘date nights’ every Tuesday where we just watched film.”\nThough not actually on a date, Sears said it was a good way to improve in different areas of the game. One year later, it is Sears who is playing the role of Frye, and he said he will be looking for a younger player to develop a rapport with.\nTo Porter and Sears, the word “captain” now brings along the responsibility to set positive examples for their teammates and say, as Sears put it, “the buck stop here” when games or situations get out of hand.\n“We’ve been leaders by example,” Sears said. “But now it’s time to step up and be leaders by mouth as well, since the team has said ‘we want you to lead us.’”

Beyond Haddonfield

The killer watches the teenage couple go into the house. We see it through his eyes. We hear his breathing. \nAs he creeps behind a window, the couple make out on a couch. The boyfriend tries on a clown mask and asks the girl, "Are we alone?" "Michael's around here somewhere," she says dismissively, and leaving the mask behind, they go upstairs to have sex. The killer puts on the mask and fetches a knife from the kitchen. After the boyfriend leaves, the killer climbs up the stairs. The girl sits topless at a mirror brushing her hair, oblivious to his presence -- until it's too late. He stabs her to death. As he leaves, he is caught, his mask ripped off to reveal: a 6-year-old boy in a clown costume.

Freshmen receive free entry to 1st football game

In its latest marketing strategy to draw more fans to Memorial Stadium to see the football team play, the IU Athletics Department is giving all freshmen free tickets to this weekend’s IU vs. Indiana State football game.\nSeveral thousand freshmen first learned of the announcement at the annual Traditions and Spirit of IU event Friday, when IU coach Bill Lynch addressed the crowd alongside fellow Hoosier coaches Kelvin Sampson and Felisha Legette-Jack.\n“I expect all of you to be right here as you are right now,” Lynch said to the crowd. “So I’ve got a deal for you. We need you here next Saturday – I want to see you in the parking lot to greet our team and then in the stadium to support us. So the first game’s on me. As you leave today, there will be a free ticket at the gate waiting for you.”\nFreshmen who didn’t attend the event can still get their tickets prior to the game by presenting a valid student ID at Assembly Hall.\nThe idea to give all freshmen free tickets for the game came about from conversations between members of the athletics department, said Director of Marketing Jeff Cieply.\nWith a new head coach, the department thought it would be best to try to make a connection between Lynch and the incoming freshman class. The goal of the tactic is not only to increase season ticket sales, but to develop a rapport and create a strong home field advantage.\n“All of those things that make college football special, and make it a great weekend, if you will,” Cieply said. “We want to get kids exposed to that right away, so that they will make that part of their four-year plan, so they will be a part of Memorial Stadium every Saturday in the fall.” \nIn order to get into the stadium Saturday, students must present a ticket at the gate, Cieply said. \nThough there are risks of losing money in the short term, Cieply said the athletics department would only be in trouble if they expected to sell out the game. In a strategy like this, he said, there will be more revenue in the long term if the freshmen enjoy watching the team and keep coming back.\nFreshman Robbie Bunn said he can see how the marketing strategy might work. \n“I know our football team is getting better, so if I go with my friends and I have fun, then it will definitely encourage me to buy season tickets based on this first game,” Bunn said.\nBut while there is a hope of positive results in giving tickets out for free, sophomore Jamie Enright speculated that the tactic could both help and hurt the athletics department. \n“I think, that for the most part, they might be losing money doing that,” Enright said. “But hopefully, it will do the reverse and help them make money so freshmen will buy tickets.”

Comcast, Big Ten Network gridlocked

So much for making nice.\nAfter weeks of negotiations, the Big Ten Network officially announced last Thursday that it will not come to an agreement with the cable provider Comcast in time for the network’s Thursday launch. As a result of this decision, viewers who subscribe to Comcast or Insight, which will become Comcast, will miss out on the network’s opening telecasts, including the IU versus Indiana State game this Saturday.\n“We have said for at least a month that if we can agree that the network belongs on standard basic cable, then we can negotiate everything else, including the price,” said Mike Vest, a media relations manager for the network. \n“They just haven’t negotiated with us at all. They have said ‘sports tier or nothing’ and that’s not really a negotiation process.”\nFrom the beginning, both sides have been unwilling to budge because neither company would like to compromise their terms of agreement. Comcast wants to put the network on a sports tier, making it a subscription-only channel, while Vest said his company essentially won’t settle for anything less than being a part of the standard basic cable package.\nThe Big Ten Network, which has deals with DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse, will broadcast three to five IU football games and 15 to 20 IU men’s basketball games. While negotiations between Comcast and the network are going on, Comcast subscribers will continue to miss games until a deal is reached.\n“It was never our idea to take this programming, which had previously been available to all of our customers for free via channel four, and suddenly start charging for it,” said Mark Apple, vice president of communication and public affairs at Comcast. “The Big Ten came up with that plan all on their own. It really is unfortunate that the games that were always available for free are now going to cost our customers.”\nBecause the Big Ten is only limited to eight states and Comcast doesn’t want to burden its customers with excessive prices, Apple said a sports tier makes the most sense for the network, since it would be similar to the NFL Network or the NBA Network – both of which are already on Comcast’s sports tier.\nVest said the Big Ten fan base is both substantial in number and geographically widespread, especially with the popularity of basketball in Indiana, where he said the network would have no problem getting strong ratings.\nBut Bloomington resident Cliff Madison disagrees. Madison said he owns a satellite dish and will receive the Big Ten Network, but doesn’t believe it will be a great success.\n“I mean, you’re limited to the Big Ten,” Madison said. “(In) California (and on) the East Coast, you’re not going to have those coast viewers watching that package. There’s a huge fan base and there’s die-hard fans, but I don’t know if you have enough.” \nWhile Bloomington residents are affected, so are the off-campus students and greek chapters that subscribe to either Comcast or its subsidiary, Insight. Though he doesn’t attend many of the games himself, senior Chris Holland said he enjoys being able to watch the games at home, and it would be unfortunate to miss any of them while Comcast and the Big Ten Network hammer out a deal.\n“I think it’s terrible because as an IU student you’d like to watch the game on TV, or have the opportunity of (deciding) whether you want to or not,” Holland said. “There isn’t a huge following of the student body as far as participation, going to the (football) games, but it would be nice to be able to watch them on TV.”\nThough the negotiation process between Comcast and the network has turned into a stalemate, the IU Athletics Department is behind the network and believes it will eventually come to an agreement with Comcast, said IU Athletics Department Director of Media Relations JD Campbell. In addition to Saturday’s home football game, the men’s soccer match between IU and UCLA will be broadcast on the network this weekend.\n“We’re confident that this process will reach a conclusion and bring our events to the many fans across the eight-state footprint of the Big Ten Network,” Campbell said. “We definitely would like to see the distribution reach the highest number of people as possible. But we’re confident that the Big Ten Network will be a success.”

After tragic losses, 2 Big Ten teams strive to fill the void left by their beloved head coaches

Although the saying goes that death is a part of life, both IU and Northwestern had to deal with two losses too soon.\nOn June 29 of last year, then-Northwestern recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach Pat Fitzgerald received a phone call that head coach Randy Walker – his close friend and mentor – had passed away from a heart attack.\n“Obviously your emotions and your thoughts go out to the family,” Fitzgerald said. “And then we wanted to get in touch with our players as quickly as we possibly could when we found out what had happened with Coach. You just have a heavy heart.”\nJust more than one year later, on June 19, 2007, then-IU assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Bill Lynch received a similar phone call telling him that IU coach Terry Hoeppner died after battling a brain tumor.\nBoth Hoeppner and Walker had been friends after working together at Miami University of Ohio, where Walker had been head coach when Hoeppner served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. The two spent nine seasons on the same coaching staff, Hoeppner eventually succeeding Walker as the Miami head coach when Walker left for Northwestern.\nPrior to Walker’s death, Fitzgerald was told by his late mentor that he would eventually be the head coach at Northwestern, Fitzgerald’s alma mater. But at age 31, he received the job offer a few years earlier than he thought, making him the youngest head coach in Division I-A football. Fitzgerald said he believes the most important thing he could do with his players at that time was to communicate with the team to make sure they were doing well mentally.\n“Part of being a head coach is being a mentor, a teacher, a friend and someone that’s there for their players at all times,” Fitzgerald said. “But I don’t think there’s anything you can do to prepare them – except be there for them – and we really stressed communication. We did everything we could to communicate with our players and be there for them.”\nLynch, who assumed head coaching duties during IU’s spring practice last March when Hoeppner took a leave of absence, agreed with Fitzgerald, and said communication with his team was important after the passing of Hoeppner. Lynch said he and Fitzgerald had a chance to talk over the summer about the importance of keeping an open dialogue with players in times like these.\nAt Big Ten Media Day, Lynch said he would have a hard time speculating about how his players were doing emotionally because of the limited contact he had with the team over the summer. Still, he said he believes that, in the coming weeks, they will be mentally ready for the start of the season.\n“I think there’s a maturity to this group,” Lynch said at Media Day. “But at some point in there, the kids probably came to the realization he might not be coaching any more, but that’s a far cry from the reality of passing away.”\nLynch urged his players to follow the example Hoeppner set as an inspiration on and off the field, junior wide receiver James Hardy said.\n“He’s just telling us that coach Hep is always going to be with us, and he’s still here today with us,” senior cornerback Tracy Porter said at Media Day. “You know, just to go out as if he were there and play every game like it was your last, play every play as hard as you can.” \nThis season will be a test once again for Northwestern, as well as for IU. The Wildcats will have to overcome a disappointing 4-8 regular season and show improvement under Fitzgerald. IU, likewise, will look to qualify for its first bowl in 14 years after coming close last season with a 5-7 overall record.\nAfter talking with Lynch, Fitzgerald is confident the Hoosiers will be in the right frame of mind come the start of the season.\n“With all the things that coach Lynch has in place, there’s not a better man to take over the charge there in Bloomington,” Fitzgerald said.

Students wear emotions on sleeves as way to honor Hep

While other students at IU went on vacation or took classes over the summer, seniors Mike MacDonald and Ben Oprinovich spent their time filling out paperwork for Indiana and the Internal Revenue Service.\nThey weren’t in any legal trouble. Instead, they were en route to gaining a trademark for their T-shirt that is being distributed around campus with the slogan, “Win it for Hep,” in honor of the football team’s late coach, Terry Hoeppner.\n“It probably took about a month to do it,” MacDonald said. “We wanted to do it because we didn’t want to encroach on something other people were doing because I’m sure that there were a lot of people who wanted to try and do something to remember coach Hep.”\nMacDonald and Oprinovich have spent all the money needed to make the T-shirts out of their own pockets and are donating all of the profits to the North End Zone Project. The project will create a new strength and conditioning facility at the north end of Memorial Stadium, as well as an Academic Resource Center.\nThrough word of mouth, fliers and Facebook, MacDonald and Oprinovich have sold about 600 T-shirts – which go for $10 – prior to the start of the season and expect sales to climb as students move back on campus.\n“We’ve seen people walking around campus with them and it kind of gives you a warm feeling,” MacDonald said.\nLike MacDonald and Oprinovich, senior Jared Boschan wanted to find a way to honor Hoeppner. But instead of applying for a trademark, he is still currently talking to the IU Athletics Department about the possibility that it will use his idea as the official student section T-shirt.\nBoschan, who is the president of the IU Football Believe Train, a group he created in the fall of 2006, and the group’s vice president, Ryan Garber, came up with the idea for the nearly 1,000-member team to participate in a T-shirt contest in memory of Hoeppner. \n“The idea of letting the students decide and create the T-shirts, I thought, would just raise awareness and raise excitement for the team,” Boschan said. “What ended up happening was, we ended up having 25 to 30 ideas and combined a few of them together for a T-shirt.”\nThe T-shirt sports the name ‘Hep’ on the right sleeve and has the slogan, “Every season 1 team defies all odds. Play 13” on the back. Boschan is selling his shirt for $10 as well. The proceeds will go to the IU Football Believe Train and pay for the cost of making the shirts, he said.\n“Our goal is to create a strong student section for the fans and we hope that everybody supports the team and wears the T-shirts and unite every week,” Boschan said.\nThough the IU football team won’t be selling shirts as Boschan, Macdonald and Oprinovich are, they will wear their own tribute to Hoeppner. A football patch with the words “Hep” will be located above the left breast of their uniforms, while the words “Don’t Quit 13” will be found on the back of each helmet to honor Hoeppner’s aspirations of reaching a bowl game. Both tributes were created by the seniors on the team.\n“It’s just saying a reminder about the goal that coach Hep sent us out here to get done,” said senior cornerback Leslie Majors.

IUAA holds football season kick off event; Greenspan, Lynch speak

The IU Alumni Association helped kick off the start of the college football season with a tent party Tuesday night at the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center.\nIU coach Bill Lynch and Athletics Director Rick Greenspan spoke to a crowd of several hundred people, all members of the Monroe County Chapter of the IUAA.\n“This is a good way to kick off the fall semester, and one of the things that brings alumni back to a University is that there are athletic events like football that allows them an opportunity to come back and be a part of the University,” said Tom Martz, president of the IUAA.\nThe Alumni Association has been hosting the annual event for roughly the past 40 years, said Martz, who added he was pleased with this year’s turnout of old and young alumni alike. \nAbout an hour into the event, Martz took the stage to introduce Greenspan and Lynch. The two spoke briefly about the state of the football team and the upcoming season.\n“I think as a football coach, you want your guys to be prepared and to play really well,” Lynch said as he addressed the crowd. “The guys that you’ve read a lot about, you’ve watched them play last year, the supposed stars of the football team – they are really well prepared. They’ve really done their homework in the summer and they’re ready to go.”\nLynch said one of the main draws to the event was being able to spend more time with fans he might not get a chance to talk with once the \nseason begins.\n“We’ve got great fans here in Monroe County and the campus community, so it’s kind of a way to get everybody together and talk about where they’re going to tailgate and who they’re going to sit with,” Lynch said. “Once football starts, you don’t get a chance to come and visit with some of these people, so it’s nice to be here and see them.”\nBut while the event was an opportunity for alumni and fans to get excited about the start of the football season, it was also a chance to raise awareness about IUAA and allow alumni to interact, said Mike Mann, president of the Monroe County chapter of the IU Alumni Association.\n“A lot of people have lived in Bloomington a long time and don’t even realize we have a local chapter here,” Mann said. “So it was a good opportunity for us to get the word out that we’re here and what we do.”

Big Ten Network looking to woo another team before Aug. 30 launch

CHICAGO – As Big Ten Media Week kicked off Tuesday morning, so did the hard questions concerning Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney, and the standstill known as the Big Ten Network.\nFor the last few weeks, Delaney and BTN have been lambasted due to the public struggles of the network’s relationship with Comcast and Insight. While the network has been unable to gain nationwide coverage, Delaney hinted at adding a 12th team to the Big Ten last week, which has caused some concern among the conference’s coaches.\n“We’re looking for a stronger conference, a conference that works better for all 11 members,” Delaney said. “We would assume that when someone would talk to us about expansion, that they feel it would help them. Our goal, as an institution, is how can we get better.”\nLast week Delaney stated he might look at the possibility of adding another team to the conference with several media outlets reporting that two teams he is interested may be Rutgers University or Syracuse University. In 2005, the Big East nearly became depleted of quality teams with the departures of Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech to the ACC. Should either University move to the Big Ten, they would suffer stiff financial penalties and possibly create a rift between the two conferences.\nAnother concern with a 12-team conference would be the possibility of adding a championship game, with several coaches vehemently and openly against it. While the coaches are mainly against the inclusion of a 13th game, all were open to a bye week and extending the season past Thanksgiving.\n“If you do have 12 teams, if you do have a championship game, it just makes it a little bit tougher,” said Illinois coach Ron Zook. “It’s one more big game that you have to play with the opportunity, if you’re in that game, of getting knocked out of a BCS game or things of that nature.”\nPurdue coach Joe Tiller also said the possibility of winning a division title but losing a conference championship game could result in a “for sale sign in the front lawn.”\nYet during his press conference Tuesday, Delaney publicly denied his ambitions of adding another team to the Big Ten as well as a championship game, though he did not go so far as to say the media misquoted him.\n“We’re not looking for a championship game,” Delaney said. “If we were looking for a championship game, we would have had one 15 years ago.”\nAfter Delaney fielded questions about expansion, BTN President Mark Silverman spoke about the ongoing dilemma his network is facing. With a launch date of Aug. 30, BTN has said it will not settle for a sports tier package on cable networks. Included in the network will be coverage of more than 200 football, men and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball games over 2007-2008.\nDue to expenses cable networks such as Comcast would pay to accommodate BTN – $1.10 per subscriber – there has been a very public stalemate between the two sides coming to an agreement over the past several weeks. Silverman has been quoted as suggesting viewers to switch from cable to a dish network in order to watch BTN.\nWithout major cable providers, only 20 percent of potential television viewers will be able to watch the network when it first airs, Silverman said. And though neither side has reached an agreement on how to broadcast the network, he said he is confident a deal will eventually be reached by the launch date.\n“This is a typical negotiation and it is played out more publicly than most,” Silverman said. “We’re comfortable with where the negotiations are and we’re willing to negotiate in good faith over the next couple of weeks. I think at this point we’re going to try to be productive in our conversations and if we can have the operators agree to the level of carriage that we think is appropriate, we think we can get this network on the air before kickoff.”

IU football ready for next season

CHICAGO – Over the summer, IU wide receiver James Hardy did two things – watch videotape footage of former Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson and go to Disney World with sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis.\nThe latter activity in Hardy’s summer schedule was part of a bonding process between the two meant to improve on their chemistry from last season, which resulted in 10 touchdowns and 722 yards. Though Lewis didn’t attend Big Ten media week in Chicago, the videotape managed to come along.\n“I’ve got Calvin Johnson tape upstairs in my room,” Hardy said. “I mean, Calvin Johnson was the No. 1 receiver in the country, and that’s where I want to be, so I have to watch the No. 1 to get there.”\nTuesday and Wednesday at Chicago’s Hyatt Regency, IU coach Bill Lynch, Hardy, junior running back Marcus Thigpen and senior cornerback Tracy Porter represented the Hoosiers for the annual conference. The Hoosiers in attendance constantly found themselves answering questions about the recent passing of IU coach Terry Hoeppner, who died of a brain tumor June 19. The players were visibly emotional when speaking of him Wednesday morning. \n“He was sort of like a father figure to me, helping me on and off the field,” Hardy said. “He was someone who believed in a person who didn’t really expect this to happen in football. I mean, when you have people believing in you, it’s hard not to give up. I just feel like it’s my job to make sure that his legacy continues on.”\nThroughout the summer, by NCAA rule, the Hoosier coaching staff had little to no contact with its players. For this reason, Lynch said they are looking forward to their first fall practice Sunday, when they will have the chance to discuss and cope with Hoeppner’s death in detail and move on.\nThough the season could be overshadowed with the loss of the team’s beloved coach, Lynch and his players were quick to point out the excitement level and the potential of this year’s squad.\n“The book hadn’t been written on how you handle these situations, and we’re learning as we go,” Lynch said. “But it is a great group, and it is a group that I believe over this past spring became a pretty good football team.”\nAfter finishing the season with a record of 5-7 last year, the Hoosiers are looking to capitalize on their first bowl berth since the 1993 Independence Bowl. Returning weapons such as Hardy at wideout, Lewis at the helm and Thigpen returning kickoffs, all the Hoosiers’ representatives said they felt there was a chance the team could still be playing after Thanksgiving. In addition, the Hoosiers boast a schedule that features eight teams that finished the 2006 campaign with a sub-.500 record.\n“I’m so excited to get back because it feels like this has been the longest spring, the longest summer ever,” Thigpen said. “We were so close to a bowl game last year, and this year we’re even more hungry and so excited to get back together.”\nBut in order to make the offense more whole, Lynch put a strong emphasis on the running game when he took over as head coach during spring practice and hopes that effort will carry into the fall.\n“We feel that we’ve got the guys who can run it; some of it is just emphasis,” Lynch said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on the passing game (last year), and now we feel we are in a position where we can be pretty balanced.”\nLynch admitted, however, that offensive weapons and a favorable schedule can only take a team so far. The team currently does not have a punter and will start a young, unproven offensive line. Porter also said that in order to get over the hump and reach a bowl game, team play needs to start up front with the defense and stopping the run game.\n“But I think it’s about the whole defense, not just one particular position,” he added. “I think we’ve made huge strides in doing that, and we’re going to be just fine this year.”

Lee Hurwitz

R. Kelly Double Up : B-

R. Kelly is everywhere these days, lending his powerful, sexy voice to just about any artist who can afford him, and nearly guaranteeing a hit in the process. On Double Up, his eigth solo album, Kelly attempts to duplicate the success of these collaborations and retread other styles that brought him his current seat on the throne of R&B.\nThings really get going with the title track, a duet with Snoop Dogg that tells a story about Kelly leaving a club with two girls. It may be offensive and misogynistic, but it's too catchy to complain about. The standout rap collaboration is "I'm a Flirt (Remix)" with T.I. and T-Pain, a fun song that makes me more afraid to bring my girlfriend anywhere near Kelly than I already was.\nKelly has never been at a loss for sexual euphemisms, and the tracks on this album are full of them. In "The Zoo," he promises to be a "sexasaurus," and in "Sex Planet" he swears he won't stop until he gives you "meteor showers." The only females that could possibly find this attractive are under 16 -- but then again, I've heard that is his target audience.\nPart Marvin Gaye, part Richard Pryor and part Michael Jackson (and not the part that sings), Kelly is a mad genius who knows exactly what he needs to do to get attention. Some might consider his songs disgusting and brainless, but they are not in the majority. While there is enough filler and repeated ideas throughout the album to make you think he might actually mean what he says, Kelly is way too tongue-in-cheek for this to be true. He may be past his days of collaborating with Celine Dion, but there is no doubt that his new material is still great music. Double Up is a solid -- if somewhat bloated -- effort, and a great way to kick off the summer.

That's What She Said!

The line:\n"I always use the second hole and not the first one. I need something to fill that first hole."

Hoosiers push for place in Big Tens

On Wednesday night, the IU baseball team took another step in the wrong direction towards qualifying for the Big Ten tournament. But beginning with this weekend’s series against Penn State, the Hoosiers will try to salvage what remains of their season.\nReturning to Bloomington for their first weekend series since the first week of April, the Hoosiers will play against a Nittany Lion team that has won 9 of its last 11 games. Conversely, the loss to Miami on April 25 gave IU (14-23) its eighth loss in a row.\n“You gotta have a good series, there’s no doubt about it,” said IU coach Tracy Smith. “If we don’t win this series, then it’s going to be a tough run.”\nThe Hoosiers enter the series in second-to-last place in the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 4-12, 3.5 games behind 6th place Iowa. In order to qualify for the Big Ten tournament at the end of the year, the Hoosiers need to finish in 6th place or better. Penn State, on the other hand, is in 3rd place with a record of 9-5 and has won its last two Big Ten series.\nOver their 9-2 stretch, the Nittany Lions have experienced a rebirth in their offense, raising their team batting average nearly 20 points in that time. For the year, Penn State has been led by their senior duo of catcher Joe Blackburn (.387, 24 RBI’s) and shortstop Matt Cavagnaro (.347, 27 runs scored).\nSlowing the Penn State offense will be the key for a Hoosier team that has been unable to produce much offense this season. Throughout the first half of the year, IU’s pitching put itself in a chance to win nearly every time the team went out. However, the squad has given up an average of nine runs per game during its losing streak.\n“We need to come out with a little emotion, a little fire and make sure we are ready to play this weekend,” said junior first baseman Jon Fixler.\nEven though the Hoosiers have tallied 23 losses to date, Smith said his team is has been close in every game this year with the exception of a few. Because of this reason, he also added that gaining confidence and eliminating unnecessary mistakes can push the Hoosiers over the hump.\n“I think one of the areas that’s going to be key for us, particularly this weekend, is the process of baseball,” said Smith. “How you approach the game and how you approach adversity and when the game’s on the line, wanting the baseball. It’s time that we grow up and take advantage of other teams’ mistakes.”\nWith the series starting Friday at 3 p.m., the Hoosiers will give the ball to sophomore pitcher Joe Vicini, who will be making his first start of the season. Vicini has been solid out of the bullpen this year, with a 2-1 record and an era of 3.72. He will be going up against Penn State pitcher Seth Whitehill, who has won three of his last four decisions.\nThough mentally the Hoosiers are frustrated with their recent play, the team is hoping that shaking things up – such as adding Vicini to the starting rotation – can jump start the ball club for the last few weeks of the season.\n“We’re a bit behind in the standings, but we still have a chance to make the Big Ten tournament, and a good weekend right now can propel us for the rest of the season,” said sophomore right fielder Chris Hervey. “We still have half the season left and we can easily go 12-4, make the tournament, turn this around and have a good season.”

Hoosiers drop 8th straight game

Tracy Smith’s ball club had been looking for a win since April 15. But Miami University of Ohio dealt the Hoosiers their eighth loss in a row following a 10-1 loss to the Redhawks, as victory no. 15 eluded IU Tuesday night.\nReturning to Oxford, Ohio for the first time since he left the Redhawks to coach IU two years ago, Smith saw his Hoosiers succumb to Miami pitching with a team four-hit performance – all coming on singles.\nIn his seventh start of the season, junior pitcher Doug Fleenor failed to build on his 1-4 record and 5.02 ERA start to the season. The left-hander gave up six runs – four earned – over 4 and 1/3 innings as the Hoosiers dropped to 14-23 on the season.\nCoach Smith was displeased with his team’s apparent lack of effort Tuesday night. \n“I’m just disappointed because we rolled over and tonight, for whatever reason, we were very flat and lethargic,” Smith said. “There was no fight in us, and I just thought we didn’t have any competitiveness tonight.”\nAfter Redhawk pitcher Nick Kurash blanked IU hitters through the first two innings, Miami got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. With runners on first and second base, a fielder’s choice scored designated hitter Eric Darlage due to a throwing error by IU second baseman Evan Crawford.\nFleenor gave up three runs in the fourth inning, two of which came off a double by Miami freshman and right fielder Gary King. Another throwing error by the Hoosier infield – this time by IU first baseman Jon Fixler – scored another unearned run for the Redhawks and put IU in an early 4-0 hole.\nIn the following inning, Smith elected to go to his bullpen after Fleenor gave up two more runs. After retiring the first batter of the bottom of the fifth, the IU pitcher gave up a single, followed by a triple and another single to make the score 6-0.\nAdding to the team’s starting pitching woes, the IU bullpen failed to hold the Redhawk offense at bay, giving up three runs in the bottom of the sixth and one more in the bottom of the seventh.\nWith runners on first and second and two out in the top of the ninth, the Hoosiers scored their lone run of the game on a single from sophomore pinch hitter Billy O’Conner. However, the Redhawks retired freshman left fielder Sterling Mack right after to close the game.\nIn the midst of the Hoosiers’ longest losing streak of the season, Smith admitted the blame doesn’t just fall on his team’s performance, but on him as well.\n“Obviously I’m the leader of this ship, so something’s not clicking,” Smith said. “But you hope that, at some point, as a competitor and an athlete, you say ‘enough is enough.’ And at some point, someone’s going to need to step up and refuse to lose, but we’re just not getting that right now.”\nThe Hoosiers will return to Bloomington this weekend, with a four-game series against Penn State beginning Friday.

Hoosier shortstop has ‘Major League’ dreams for future

At the age of 5, Keith Haas played his first tee-ball game, much like thousands of other young children across the country. But unlike many of those children, he now stands poised and ready to complete his childhood dream of becoming a professional ballplayer. He plans to enter the 2007 MLB draft.\nFor Haas, draft day is his own ritual, and June 5 and 6 will be no different as the senior shortstop will wait and see if his name is just one of about 1,500 names selected. \n“At the time I’ll probably be nervous, but I’ll just watch it on the computer or something,” Haas said. “It’s something I’ve done the last 10 years of my life.”\nYet with the draft less than two months away, Haas is trying not to focus on draft day. Instead, he is just trying to help his team win and get back in the mix for the Big Ten tournament in May. \nBut when June comes around, Haas said he will stay humble, knowing his 5-foot-9 stature could hurt his draft status.\n“The draft is something you can’t control, and I’ve always been taught not to worry about the things you can’t control, just (to) do the things you can control,” Haas said. “I mean, if you follow baseball, I’m not the prototypical 6-foot-3-inch, 225-(pound) Alex Rodriguez that they’re looking for.”\nWhat Haas does best – and what his coaches rave about – is that while he lacks size, he plays scrappy defense and is a solid hitter.\nThough he is shorter than most big-league shortstops, scouts aren’t going to have to question his work ethic or heart, said IU coach Tracy Smith.\n“I think a guy like Haas, it would tickle me to death if he got a chance to play pro ball,” Smith said. “It would because I think for the same reasons we like him – that he plays hard and he’s scrappy – a manager that’s coaching pro would like the same thing.”\nAfter spending two years at Lakeland Community College, Haas transferred to IU and hit .353 in his first season as a Hoosier, committing only 11 errors.\nThough he has been in a slump this year – he’s batted only .224 in his last 14 games – he is fifth on the team in hitting with a .298 average, 20 RBIs and 21 runs scored. Still, his coaches believe he’s a clutch player who comes through in late-game situations.\n“He’s the type of kid (that) when the situation is on the line, he wants the ball hit to him,” said IU hitting coach Bryan Prince. “He wants the ball. He’s not afraid to make mistakes. He goes out there and lays it all out there on the line.”\nHaas admitted he needs to step up his play before season’s end, but he said transferring to IU has vastly improved his game. Haas said that, thanks to the advice of IU coaches Smith and Prince, he has learned aspects of baseball that his Lakeland coaches completely ignored.\n“In junior college they just tell you to go up and hit the ball,” Haas said. “You don’t really think about the little stuff, (and) small ball really isn’t played. Here, it really enforces small ball, bunting, moving runners, the little stuff.”\nAt this point it’s hard to say whether or not Haas will be drafted, his coaches said, but Smith and Prince both believe there is a place for him in baseball after college.\n“The draft is a funny thing, and I think Keith deserves a shot to play professional baseball,” Prince said. “I do not know how the draft is going to go this year. And it’s hard to predict the draft. I think if he’s taken, he’ll be taken late, but I think he’s more of a guy that’s going to get a shot to play.”

IU looks to avenge early-season loss against Sycamores

On March 6, the IU baseball team fell to Indiana State, 5-3 in Terre Haute. Today at Sembower Field, the Hoosiers get their shot at revenge.\nPlaying their first of five home games throughout the next month, the Hoosiers are coming off a disappointing weekend against Purdue. The Boilermakers took three of four games to put IU at 14-17 on the season.\n“I think our intensity level was better last weekend,” said IU coach Tracy Smith. “You’ve got to be able to play with a certain level of energy at the college game. It’s baby steps but it is a step in the right direction so we’re going to continue to build on that.”\nFreshman pitcher Chris Squires is scheduled to make his second start of the year today against the Sycamores.\nIn the first matchup between IU and ISU, Squires made his first scheduled start and gave up four runs in the first inning. In the second inning, Smith elected to throw freshman pitcher Billy Kitchen who pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-hit baseball.\nThe Hoosiers scored a single run in the second, fourth and sixth innings but were unable to come back from the deficit they incurred in the first inning. IU also lost freshman left fielder Kipp Schutz for the year after breaking his collarbone in the first inning.\n“We played them over there and didn’t swing the bats really well on a cold day,” Smith said. “They’re going to be solid, but we’re going to try to run some arms out there and get ready for Ohio State this weekend.”\nWhile the Hoosiers experienced a lack of offense on March 6, the team began to swing the bat well last weekend at Purdue and expect their hitting to carry over to today’s game.\nAgainst Purdue, IU’s offense came around as the team hit four home runs last weekend. Previously, the Hoosiers had only hit one round tripper in their first 27 games.\n“Hopefully this is the beginning of a sign of things to come because we’re still going to get the good pitching performances we’ve had all year,” said junior designated hitter Jon Fixler. “And if we put up a bunch of runs, I think this will be a turning point for us, hopefully.”\nHowever, the pitching for the Hoosiers last weekend was not as strong as it has been all year; they gave up an average of nearly eight runs per game against the Boilermakers. But the Hoosiers expect the pitching to turn around enough to allow them to win future games.\n“They’ve been pitching great all season,” said sophomore center fielder Andrew Means. “Once we put two and two together and use the positives of hitting, we’re going to start getting some more wins.”

IU drops 3 of 4 in series with Purdue

The IU baseball team scored 20 runs in its weekend series against Purdue, but it only managed to win one of four games in West Lafayette.\nEntering the game, the Hoosiers had been experiencing a slump on offense, while the pitching staff put forth solid performances throughout the season. \nBut this weekend it was the pitching staff that faltered, giving up double digits in runs twice during the series.\n“It’s obviously very frustrating,” junior infielder Jon Fixler said, “but you just have to keep on going, because we have a game Tuesday against Indiana State and we’re going to come out ready for that one.”\nThe Hoosiers (14-17, 4-8) began their weekend series with a 4-2 loss Friday. In the top of the third inning, sophomore right fielder Chris Hervey gave the Hoosiers an early 1-0 lead with his first home run of the season. \nIn the bottom of the sixth inning, Purdue began a rally on sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Tufts and eventually won 4-2. \nWhile IU had trouble holding onto its lead in the opening contest, Game 2 proved to be a different story.\nAfter scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, the Hoosiers had to finish play Sunday because the game was postponed due to rain. \nThe IU offense carried its momentum to an 11-3 victory, with one home run each coming from sophomore center fielder Andrew Means and senior first baseman Michael Nilles.\n“We’re definitely starting to swing the bat like we know we can,” Means said. “We know we can hit the ball very well, and once we start hitting like we’re supposed to, we should be on the right track.”\nYet as soon as the Hoosiers’ offense exploded, it dissipated just as quickly.\nFreshman starting pitcher Jason Ferrell lasted only two-thirds of an inning as the Purdue offense ran off 10 runs in the opening inning of game three. Ferrell allowed the first seven runs. \nIU was unable to overcome the early 10-run deficit, losing 13-0. \nIn the final Sunday game, the Hoosiers found their offense once again but lost 11-7.\nIU took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth, only to see the Boilermakers go on a four-run, two-out rally to take a 5-3 lead. In the following inning, Fixler hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 5-5. \nIn the top of the seventh the Hoosiers added two more runs, but Purdue tied it again.\nIU starting pitcher Doug Fleenor unraveled in the eighth and gave up five runs and the lead.\nThe Hoosiers eventually lost the game 11-7, and Purdue took three of the four games in the series. \n“We battled a little bit more this weekend,” IU coach Tracy Smith said. “We’ve just got to make plays when the game counts. That’s what it comes down to.”