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(03/08/07 5:00am)
There’s always that one kid. That one outcast who is doing his own thing while the rest of his friends are doing whatever is considered “in” at the time. We all know him. We all love him. But have you ever been him?\nI have.\nI’m that one kid who doesn’t really enjoy baseball. I’m that kid who doesn’t tie spring to spring training and summer to the regular season. I’m that kid.\nAll my fans have been asking me for a baseball column to kick off spring training, but I care for baseball about as much as I care for Mike Tyson’s SAT scores – fun to know about, but probably just bad.\nBefore you hop online to send me hate mail or quit reading this column, let me tell you that I’m a man for the people, and if baseball is what people want, then baseball is what they get, but on my terms (I mean, it is my column).\nSince I don’t follow the sport enough to give you an in-depth analysis of who is going to win the World Series or who has made the right off-season moves, I’ve got something more entertaining to tell you about. Dwyane Wade’s shenanigans have me all juiced up on injury stories, so I have some entertaining sports injuries from the baseball world.\nThese injuries are all real and most of them caused the players to sit out several games.\nIn the mid-80s Red Sox third baseman and Hall-of-Famer Wade Boggs sprained a muscle in his back when he fell trying to put on his cowboy boots.\nFormer Cub Sammy Sosa sat out with a hurt back caused by sneezing and hurt his shoulder from sleeping with bad pillow positioning. He missed several games for the sneeze and the Home Run Derby for the bad shoulder.\nIn 1995 Marlins pitcher Randy Veres suffered a swollen tendon in his pinky when he punched the headboard in his hotel room while trying to get the attention of his noisy neighbors.\nIn 1990 Blue Jays outfielder Glenallen Hill missed a game because of sleepwalking. Hill has arachnophobia and reportedly scraped his knees and elbows trying to get away from the imaginary spiders in his dreams.\nThese guys were good, but Brewers pitcher Steve Sparks takes the cake. In 1994 Sparks dislocated his shoulder tying to rip apart a telephone book after the team watched two guys do it in a performance. \nThe list goes on and on, but you can only have that “Really?” reaction so many times in one reading. So I’ll stop there and leave you with one last thought. It is clear that I’m not a hardcore baseball fan and that I’m much more of a basketball fan, but I can say one good thing about baseball and its ridiculous injuries.\nAt least these guys didn’t get taken off the field in a wheelchair.
(03/01/07 5:00am)
Have you ever stayed up way past your usual bedtimes reading useless ramblings on message boards on the Web?\nIf your answer is “no,” then you should rethink your Internet reading decisions. I must bow down to the blogging powers from above and admit that I have spent a significant amount of time reading these boards of late.\nI recently arrived at ESPN’s message board to see what the average fan thought of Scottie Pippen’s potential return. I think it’s a joke, but that’s for another day. While perusing the board, I ran across a four-page debate on the differences between NBA and NHL fights, and the posts were astounding.\nAlthough I have a strong opinions on the subject, I feel the need to let the posts do the talking.\nThe initial argument started due to the large Buffalo/Ottawa fight last Thursday night, which for those of you who didn’t watch, was a hockey fight at its finest.\nThe dispute turned to the usual race issue since the NBA is perceived as predominately African-American while the NHL is perceived as predominately European. \nBut the next argument displays the beauty of blogging. DumpsterAgain posted, “Big Ben would wreck any of those white crackers in the NHL. BOOK IT!!!” \nFollowing this, IdiotsEverywhere posted, “Those NBA guys can’t fight unless they have a gun or its 8 on 1; 3/4 of the hockey guys would tear up anyone in the NBA.”\nStyl_N_K continued by writing, “hockey players are a million times tougher then NBA players...the way Wade went down from his shoulder separation...an NHL player would have gotten up easily and went into the dressing room.”\nThe argument went on and on. People even started citing resources, posting links to YouTube videos that displayed hockey and basketball fights, causing my amazement and obsession with the board to reach a new height.\nAfter perusing these boards for hours upon hours, I can now honestly say they are the greatest creation since the mullet. They have become the global bickering headquarters for bored souls.\nPeople from all different cultures can come together to argue about completely irrelevant topics. Defamation and libel aside, these boards are a great invention that bring the First Amendment to new levels.\nNot everyone has been graced with the opportunity the IDS has given me to ramble on about professional athletes who do things I can only dream of. But blogging has opened the doors for average Joes to post their thoughts and dissatisfactions in a public forum, and I think it’s great.\nSo argue, bicker, rant and rave, America. It’s your chance to let your thoughts be known.\nAnd if you don’t want to, you can always keep reading what I think.
(02/22/07 5:00am)
Despite Canada being responsible for many untalented people like Avril Lavigne, Keanu Reeves, Alanis Morissette, Mike Vanderjagt and Celine Dion, some good has come from our neighbor to the north. \nThat good comes in the form of a game. It is the game of ice hockey.\nHockey might not be America’s pastime, but it is definitely the most exciting thing on ice (yeah, it beat out both figure skating and curling). The growing sport took a step back a few years ago because of the lockout, but it is now trying to get back on track.\nThe NHL has gained some young talent that is playing a style of hockey that can only be described by one word – nasty. Daniel Briere, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and many more are doing things on the ice that seem impossible to the average man. These stars are doing things even the all-time greats are standing up to applaud.\nBut who knows how good these guys really are? Besides Barry Melrose, me and the five other hockey fans currently living in America, the answer is no one. \nThe lockout killed the NHL to a point of no return. Right now Americans don’t care about hockey, and can you blame them?\nCities that don’t deserve a team (cough, Tampa Bay, cough) have teams, players are sporting names that little kids can’t pronounce, and, most importantly, the games aren’t on TV.\nIf you can tell me what channel Versus is, or even why you would need to know that channel number, then you deserve a cookie and a fist pound.\nIf you can name the Original Six, then you deserve an even bigger cookie and a pat on the back.\nAnd if you can tell me where the Hurricanes last resided, you deserve a cookie cake and a personally signed copy of this week’s column. (If you have the answer and see me around campus, I’ll sign, but the cookie cake is on you.)\nBut the likelihood is you’re going to be hungry with an unsigned paper, and that just shouldn’t be the case.\nThe NHL worked hard to create a new-and-improved, upbeat style of hockey that has more scoring, and even shootouts, to increase the entertainment value. The games are at an all new high. But how are we supposed to know that when NBC shows only one game a week, starting the last few weeks of the season, and Versus (Channel 549 and yes, I ate my cookie) isn’t included in most basic cable packages?\nAmerica wants and needs to be back to a four-major-sport country, and right now we’re at 3 1/2.\nIf America doesn’t do something about this soon, we might get stuck watching the wrong Canadians on TV instead of hockey players. \nAnd no one wants that.
(02/15/07 2:58am)
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.\nThat saying is so true, and it is one that will be exemplified this weekend when the NBA rolls into town for the All-Star weekend festivities.\nWith this year's All-Star weekend being in Las Vegas, I had some questions to ask NBA Commissioner David Stern. I decided to conduct a phone interview with him.\nHere is a written transcription of my interview with Stern (note to my gullible readers: This is a fake interview and did not actually happen).\nMe: Commissioner Stern, thank you for your time.\nStern: The pleasure is all mine.\nMe: Let's jump right in. Why did you decide to move the All-Star weekend to Las Vegas instead of locating the events in the hometown of an NBA team? \nStern: The league is trying to expand the NBA community to other cities around the United States to gain more fans and this is a big first step. Las Vegas is a magnificent city that has been very welcoming throughout this whole process. We feel the city and the NBA will both benefit from these events. \nMe: With the current reputation of the NBA, do potential legal troubles from the weekend worry you?\nStern: Not at all. I am completely confident that the entire NBA community will behave in the utmost professional, respectful manner and show the city the same respect these individuals show their hometowns.\nMe: But they don't even show their hometowns respect sometimes.\nStern: That is not true. These players do wonderful things for the community and the few bad news stories should not change people's perspective of these caring players. \nMe: (long pause) OK ... moving on. Some people seem to think this weekend is a test to see if an NBA team could potentially relocate in Las Vegas. Is there any truth to that matter?\nStern: That is a completely baseless rumor. The NBA is not exploring the option of moving a team to Las Vegas at this point in time.\nMe: So the Maloof brothers have not presented the idea of moving the Sacramento Kings to Las Vegas, given their ownership of the Palms?\nStern: They have not brought the idea to my attention. The Maloofs are great owners that care very much for their organization and they have a great city right now in Sacramento. The city embraces and supports a team that has a bright future. I do not see the Kings moving away from Sacramento right now.\nMe: Will the players be using the new or old ball this weekend?\nStern: The old one, of course.\nMe: Why did you put the new ball into play in the first place? \nStern: Spalding and I decided on what we thought was the best synthetic ball to replace the old one. We felt it needed to be changed since high school and college both use that material. The players did not adapt to the change and we decided to go back to the leather ball until players and league officials can come to an agreement on a new synthetic ball.\nMe: So basically you made the wrong decision.\nStern: I wouldn't call it a wrong decision. It was more of a failed experiment that was easily corrected but is by no means over.\nMe: You were wrong, but I'd like to thank you for honestly answering all my questions. I appreciate your time and the dedicated work you put into trying to revive the image of the NBA, despite doing it in a questionable manner.\nStern: Thank you, and you are a great journalist.
(02/08/07 8:11pm)
We all know that L.A. and Philly stay jiggy, but on the sneak, Indiana bringing heat for real. Y'all don't understand … the Colts just won the Super Bowl!\nCan you believe it? Did you ever actually think it was going to happen? Did you think that Peyton Manning could overcome that perennial "monkey" to win the big one? I sure did. And I have proof. \nOn Jan. 11, I made a lot of predictions for 2007 in my IDS column "Looking at my crystal ball." These predictions are slowly coming true, inflating my ego to new heights.\nBeing a man of my word, when I said, "if they do pull it off, I can say I predicted it and write a column the week after about how amazing I am." I wasn't lying.\nBut no one wants to read an entire column dedicated to me being amazing besides me. So I just want to say four little words that exemplify my greatness -- I told you so.\nNow that I've gotten that out of the way, let me get off my high Colt and make some comments on the game.\nFirst and foremost, I think the entire nation would have been better off watching the game on mute. Jim Nantz's and Phil Simms' commentary was so dry, I thought they might stop the rain. \nOn a similar topic, who tells those two the random statistics they spit out like its vital information for every listener to know? Do I care that the NFC team has won the coin toss the last ten years? I wish I was making this up, but the dynamic duo informed me of more useless information than Alex Trebek ... and at least Trebek pronounces everything correctly.\nNext, why did the Colts kick Devin Hester that first ball? It was clear that he is a game changing player and that the special teams would be unable to stop him. Why did they have to test it out on the first play and dig themselves a hole?\nLuckily, that is the only good thing I need to say about the Bears in this column. Their playing did enough talking.\nFinally, I'm unsure that Peyton deserved MVP of the game. I think it was a given that if the Colts were to win, he would get it, but don't you think Rextasy (Bears quarterback Rex Grossman) deserved a co-MVP? He threw just as many TD passes to the Colts as Peyton did. Sexy Rexy may be wrongfully blamed for the loss when it was an all around team effort, but he helped the Colts way more then he hurt them.\nBut enough about the game. Let's talk about the split campus full of fans.\nTo the Bears fans who talked a big game for two weeks, welcome back to Earth. Damn near every Bears fan was so out of touch with reality these past two weeks that they actually thought their team was better than the Colts when they weren't. The Bears were written off by the media for a reason. Accept it. Hug it out. Move on. There is always next year.\nAnd to all the Colts fans that need this more than any city (excluding New Orleans), embrace the victory. Wear your Super Bowl championship T-shirts all around and let the world know that the Colts are the world champs because it's about damn time.\nI plan on wearing my shirt riding around on my high Colt saying "I told you so"
(02/01/07 4:55am)
Enough is enough.\nNo, I'm not sick of those snakes on that plane. I'm sick of the new and improved ghetto NBA.\nWhat happened to the good old days? What happened to the Spree coach choke or the Bird-Doc J fight, or anything more docile then the present debaucheries of our beloved stars?\nA player who makes more money playing in one game than most of us will make in our entire first year out of college needs to just shut up and play because I've had enough. It's time for an intervention. \nHere are the players NBA Commissioner David Stern needs to invite to the intervention:\nInvite Stephen Jackson, for firing five bullets in the air at 3 a.m. at Indianapolis Gentleman's Club, Club Rio, during training camp.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Eddie Griffin, for crashing a car while allegedly driving drunk and reportedly masturbating to porn playing on the in-dash screen.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite J.R. Smith, for making fun of a teammate for reading a book.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Ron Artest, for going into the stands to fight a fan and for asking for time off to promote a record deal midseason. Essentially, invite Ron for being Ron.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Allen Iverson, for just talking about practice. Not a game, but practice.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Rasheed Wallace, for getting more technical fouls in a season than I've had birthdays.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite future Dr. Alan Henderson, M.D., for checking in his luggage at the airport with a loaded gun in the bag.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Carmelo Anthony, for being caught multiple times with his "friend's" weed in his car. And for sucker-punching Mardy Collins.\nTell him: Enough.\nInvite Collins, for getting identical flagrant fouls on back-to-back nights, the latter of which instigating a brawl.\nTell him: Enough.\nThis intervention needs to happen now because it's starting to get ridiculous. Stern needs to call the Holiday Inn, book the party room, rent some metal detectors and fly the party list in for some punch and pie and a little chat. Because I fear if this doesn't happen soon, we will see an NBA player passed out on the roller coaster in the Mall of America from a drug overdose. \nI'm getting really sick of reading, writing and talking about these stories, but it's all that arises when the topic is the NBA. We don't hear the good stories. We don't hear about how Caron Butler spent almost two years in a juvenile detention center before he made it into the NBA and cleaned up his act. We don't hear about the charity these players do unless it's those annoying "Read to Achieve" commercials. We don't hear about the happy families and smiling children of the stars. Instead we hear about Shawn Kemp's children from his multiple baby mamas.\nMaybe we only get the bad because these stories sell or because they are quite amusing. Maybe it's because they are just so utterly ridiculous. \nWhatever the reason is, I say: Enough.
(01/30/07 3:37pm)
What do Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day after the Super Bowl have in common? Besides falling on the first day of the work week, not much. But freshman Zac Foutz and more than 4,000 other students hope that, like MLK Day, IU students can take the day off after the big game. \nFoutz created the Facebook group "Petition for IU to cancel classes after Super Bowl Sunday!" -- which, despite starting as a joke, has created quite a stir around campus. \nDue to the popularity of the Facebook group, Foutz created an actual petition he will submit to IU Dean of Students Dick McKaig on Friday. \nFoutz said he decided to pursue the petition when he started to receive e-mails and messages from people who were serious and who gave him advice on how to go through with the petition.\nAlthough more than 4,000 students have signed the petition, others do not actually believe that getting the day off is feasible.\n"I'd love to see it happen, but I doubt that the University will give us the day off," sophomore Alex Damron said. "Since I'm not a Colts fan or a Bears fan, I'd probably just use the day to sleep."\nWhile many students support the movement, some faculty members think the push \nis misguided.\n"I think if we cancel classes we would only be hurting students," journalism professor Jim Bright said. "We need to be held to the same standards as the other major universities. I just think it would be a big mistake."\nBut many other Indiana establishments are celebrating -- or recuperating -- by taking Monday off. \nHeritage Christian, an Indianapolis private school, has announced the cancellation of classes on Super Bowl Monday, along with many other Indianapolis businesses. \nBall State also has a similar Facebook group called "CANCEL CLASSES AFTER SUPERBOWL SUNDAY," which currently has more than 2,500 members. \nFoutz knows his efforts might be in vain.\n"I don't think the odds of this happening are too great," Foutz said. "It will at least allow the dean to acknowledge what we are doing." \nMcKaig said he has been informed of the petition by a co-worker and also by students during the "Keg With Dean McKaig" event last Thursday, but Foutz said McKaig will not officially receive the petition until Friday. Foutz plans to hold a rally of students Friday at 3 p.m. in the Teter Quad courtyard. Foutz hopes the students can walk to McKaig's office to present the petition together.\nAlthough McKaig will receive the petition, IU President Adam Herbert has the final say in the issue. McKaig believes the odds of Herbert granting a day off are very slim, but he applauds the cohesiveness of the students in what he believes is a time of societal diversity. \n"I think it is pretty cool," McKaig said. "One of the things in reality now is that there seems to be so much difference that there aren't things that draw communities together like they once did. But sports remain one of those activities that seem to have a community impact." \nMcKaig could only recall one other time at IU when the administration canceled classes and that was a result of poor weather conditions. Those missed classes were made up on Saturdays. The University did not cancel classes the day of or the day after Sept. 11, 2001.\nA better petition would include a suggested time to make up the missed classes since many teachers have lectures planned out months in advance, McKaig said. \n"We have to remember that the primary mission here is education," McKaig said. "There is an education function that has got to go on. In real life, you can't make up time that is gone. Maybe the petition would make more sense if the students propose to cancel Monday classes and hold them all on Saturday, but I don't think many students would sign that petition."\nRegardless of the chances, Foutz still plans on pushing the petition and is now using the media as his biggest ally. Foutz said that he is sending information to many local media outlets to get them involved. IU Student Television has noted the petition, and the Indianapolis Star covered Foutz's petition last week. Indianapolis news station RTV 6 is doing a piece on the Ball State petition this week.
(01/25/07 5:38am)
We have black versus white, male versus female, pre-med versus Kelley, Foster versus Forest, Greek versus nongreek. The list continues. Why must we divide our school once more?\nAs much as we all hate to admit it, IU has now been divided between Bears fans and Colts fans. Call me Lucifer, because the next two weeks at IU are going to be hell here in B-town. Here is why it's going to be hell:\nIf you are one of the minorities not from Indy or Chicago, whom do you cheer for? Do you cheer for the annoying Hoosiers who think Peyton Manning is their lord and savior, or do you cheer for the cocky Bears fans who can't spit out complete sentences without throwing "Da Bears" in there somewhere?\nDo you cheer for a defense that allowed Houston Texans running back Ron Dayne to rush for 153 yards in one game, or a quarterback, Rex Grossman, who threw three or more interceptions five times during the regular season? Either way you're screwed.\nOne the other hand, if you are from Indy or Chicago, you have to deal with all the fair-weather fans. If you can't name more than three Manning commercials, then you shouldn't be wearing a Colts jersey. If you can't tell me at least one of the guys in the Bears skit from "Saturday Night Live," then you shouldn't be wearing a Bears jersey. Unfortunately, these rules aren't actually enforced. Instead, we will have uneducated "fans" talking trash by spouting incoherent ramblings that revolve around nothing that could be considered a legitimate thought by any true fan.\nBetween these fair-weather fans, the Colts fans and the Bears fans, all hell will break loose. We will have a riot in the Arboretum and brawls in the HPER. (Note to Bears fans: Don't brawl with Colts fans. We already have experience with the Pacers.)\nWith all this tension building for two weeks, what are we going to do?\nWe can try to unite around D.J. White and the basketball team, but that won't be enough. We can try to enjoy coach Hep's recruiting, but that won't be enough. We can try to put past our hometowns and remember we are all Hoosiers united with the common goal to hate Purdue in every facet, but that won't be enough.\nThe only thing that will unite the school back together is time. All we can do now is wait.\nIn two weeks, this will all be over. No matter the outcome, you will have one friend giving you a high-five while the other is crying on your shoulder. Half the campus will be running around proudly in their team's colors and the other will be locked in their rooms drinking their sorrows away.\nAs for me, I'm going to do my best to unite the school this week with a "Stand up, old people" chant.
(01/18/07 1:43am)
Stick a fork in me because I'm done. Finished. Completed. Ruined. Dead. OK, maybe not dead, but my short, glorious career is over.\nOn Wednesday, the Indiana Pacers decided to participate in a "blockbuster" trade involving eight players.\nThe Pacers sent Stephen Jackson, Big Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, Mike Dunleavy and Keith McLeod.\nI'm not really ready to contemplate the thoughts going through Larry Bird's head when he was looking at this trade (that is for another time, another day). But this could be the end of me. \nOriginally for this space today, I had a column about IU basketball coach Kelvin Sampson coaching the Pacers. It was a hypothetical reality-TV show that had conflict, resolution and even a little tragedy resulting from Sampson's hard-nose, grind-it-out, disciplined basketball being taught to the (now former) Pacers. I loved the idea and the story (which, if you're still interested in reading, let me know), but it revolved around jokes made about players who were traded. Now if that story ran, it would be completely irrelevant. \nNow that Jackson is gone, I have nothing. The former Pacers team was a journalistic dream. They had so many problems that they were exposed to so many easy jokes and punch lines. But what now? \nAt least 75 percent of my jokes are now gone. I can't make fun of our new guys for shooting at people at a strip club in Indy. I can't make fun of the Pacers for being ghetto and out of line anymore. Now all I have left is the brawl and Jamaal Tinsley. This trade might not only take the Pacers out of the playoffs, but more importantly, it takes my punch lines out of this semester. \nWith all that said, I need to take my last shots while I have my chance. I did a little research for Jackson about his new home. There is a strip club on 14th Street in Oakland called Geoffrey's Night Club and it's a premier nightclub, according to its Web site.\nAlso, Bob's Guns is in a neighboring city about 15 minutes away. I am sure Bob has reasonably priced bullets for a 9 mm pistol.\nOn that note, why doesn't Jackson just buy blanks, since he's incapable of hitting anyone with his bullets anyway? Just thought I'd throw that out there.\nThis is enough about Jackson, though, because he will always find a way to amaze me, whether he's a Pacer or a Warrior.\nWhat I really want to say is good luck to Warriors coach Don Nelson. You might have got the better end of the deal talent-wise, but good luck dealing with ghetto, trigger-happy, "there's no 'I' in team -- only 'me'" type players.\nAs for me and my jokes? Well, you will just have to keep reading to see.
(01/11/07 5:03am)
The world of sports in 2006 left us with many memories. Some were good, some were bad and some were sad. We watched Roger Federer dominate tennis, we watched another NBA brawl and we endured the passing of legendary NBA coach Red Auerbach. With all the excitement and sorrow of 2006, I can only imagine what 2007 has in store for us.\nI may not be Nostradamus, but I have some predictions for this year. Here's what I see in my crystal ball:\nThe Cincinnati Bengals will have a player arrested before training camp.\n"Rocky VII" will go into production. The story line will go as follows: Rocky fights an 8-year-old kid on the Nintendo Wii "Sports" boxing and -- spoiler alert! -- Rocky loses.\nSadly, the NHL will move the Pittsburgh Penguins to Kansas City where phenom Sidney Crosby will single-handedly be the reason the NHL gets a TV contract with ESPN. The loss of the Pens, as well as Steelers' coach Bill Cowher, will be too much for most Pittsburgh natives to handle. \nThe Colts will win the Super Bowl, silencing all the doubters. I am writing this for two reasons. First, even though I'm probably going to be wrong, if they do pull it off, I can say I predicted it and will write a column the week after about how amazing I am. Second, I made a New Year's resolution to be more optimistic, and this is the first step.\nFor all you Reds fans, Ken Griffey Jr. will get hurt midseason.\nNBA Commissioner David Stern will produce a children's video game called "Where in the World is Keith Van Horn?"\nFantasy sports will run the lives of men ages 13 to 65 and cause thousands of divorces throughout the United States.\nThe Utah Jazz will win 50 games during the regular season yet still be an underdog in the first round of the playoffs.\nThe AFC will beat the NFC in the Super Bowl.\nMy column's readers will tally double digits by the end of semester (my optimism resolution step two).\nKobe and Shaq still will not be friends.\nThe World Series of Poker champion will be someone you've never heard of before and will never hear of again.\nTiger Woods will win two more majors.\nThe Xbox 360 "Madden 07" tournament at Times Square (airing on ESPN) will draw a higher attendance than the first game of the Stanley Cup finals.\nAfter the Eagles lose to the Saints this weekend, the entire city of Philadelphia will implode after years of dealing with disappointing sports teams.\nJohn Madden will point out the obvious approximately 64,536 times.\nRon Artest will have a Ron Artest moment in Sacramento making Pacers fans around the world, myself included, chuckle.\nI will go through another entire MLB season wondering why the American public likes watching baseball on TV.\nThe likelihood of all these things actually happening is slim, but it would surely make for an entertaining year of sports. But if all these things do actually happen, I'll be first in line to see "Rocky VII"
(11/27/06 4:38am)
Indianapolis -- This is a running diary of my first media experience in the professional world of sports. It is a journal of my thoughts throughout the Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game Friday.\n6:01 p.m. -- I arrive at Conseco Fieldhouse excited and ready to go. After a challenge finding the media door, I finally get my credentials and enter the media room, a place as close to heaven as a journalist can get.\n7:01 -- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle does a small interview with just a few people (the big media reporters and me). Carlisle addresses the starting lineups and how to defend Cavs star LeBron James. I personally got a kick out of him saying that Jamaal Tinsley's goal for the year is to play all 82 games. That is about as likely as Stephen Jackson making more than half his shots tonight.\n8:06 -- I get to my seat and start looking around. Jared the Subway guy walks to a center court seat wearing a Cleveland Scott Pollard jersey. Looks like the jersey size is an XL. He must have had too much turkey.\n8:14 -- It has been a slow start since tip-off. It takes the Pacers about three minutes to finally score their first point.\n8:16 -- It's retro jersey night for both teams. The Pacers are wearing jerseys from the 1967-68 season. The Cavs are wearing some orange things. I can't find a way to describe what exactly they are.\n8:17 -- LeBron makes a sick dunk. Am I the only one who watches sporting events and grades nice plays based on how high I think they will be ranked on SportsCenter Top 10? This dunk is probably about No. 6.\n8:32 -- Jackson gets a \ntechnical foul. I'm not sure what he said to the ref, but I'm sure it's not Indiana Daily Student appropriate.\n8:37 -- The Pacers look full from Thanksgiving as they end the first quarter down 15 points (27-12). I don't know what is wrong with the team. They seem to start every game slowly, so I'm really not worried.\n8:57 -- Tinsley gets a technical foul for talking trash. First Jackson gets a tech and now Tinsley. Am I lost at Club Rio, or is this just a preview for that "Deja Vu" movie?\n9:13 -- It was quite a slow first half for the Pacers. The Cavs lead 56-44, and LeBron draws fouls every time he was touched. I know he's a superstar, but it's getting excessive. When he walks down the tunnel to the locker room, a little kid gives him a high five and immediately gets called for a flagrant foul by the refs. On a side story, the crowd erupts when it is announced that Butler won the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament.\n9:38 -- Finally something entertaining happens. Cavaliers guard Eric Snow drives the lane for a layup and is blocked badly by Jermaine O'Neal. He turns to the Pacer bench and says with a huge smile, "I should have dunked it."\n9:45 -- Snow drives the lane and actually tries to dunk it on O'Neal. He is blocked again and complains to get his technical. It's funny how things work like that.\n9:56 -- My dad finally tells me how LeBron described the Cav's uniforms: "orange sherbet." Not a bad description. The Cavs only score nine points in the third quarter, and the Pacers now lead 69-65. \n10:13 -- Sarunas Jasikevicius and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are finally on the floor together. It's nice since they are longtime friends, but this got me thinking: What if the NBA did the all-star game like the NHL use to do with the USA vs. the world? This would be a play-by-play nightmare: Jasikevicius passes to Manu Ginobili. Ginobili kicks it out to Dirk Nowitzki, who dumps it down to Ilgauskas, who alley-oops it to Wang Zhizhi for the dunk.\n10:20 -- Tinsley steals a pass from LeBron, which leads to an O'Neal layup. LeBron fouls out right after with a quiet 30 points and only one highlight dunk.\n10:40 -- The horn sounds, and the Pacers win 97-87. I go down to the media room to get the final stat sheet and then head to the press conference room.\n10:53 -- Carlisle comes to the podium and talks about the game but more about the teams' slow starts to games. In a shocking display of humor, Carlisle said, "I need to call (NBA executive) Stu Jackson to see if we can start the games in the third quarter." He continued to talk about the tough road stretch the Pacers will face as they travel west for five of the next six games.\n11:01 -- Since players don't do podium interviews during the regular season, my night is over. It has been a great experience, but I'm ready to go home to eat some Thanksgiving leftovers.
(11/15/06 5:08am)
The IU men's hockey team opened league play with two wins to help keep the team at one loss for the season.\nThe Hoosiers faced off against Ferris State University this weekend in Bloomington, winning both games. The team is now 2-0-0 in the Great Midwest Hockey League and 7-1-2 overall. The losses pushed Ferris State to last place in the league with a 0-5-0 record and an overall record of 3-6-2.\nGiven Ferris State's winless record, the Hoosiers came into the weekend with high expectations, junior forward Dan Karlander said.\n"We expected to win both games," Karlander said. "Both games were close at the beginning, but it ended up being solid wins. We should have been able to handle them easier."\nThe Hoosiers were able to score in the first three minutes of Friday's game, then kept the lead the rest of the game. With senior forward Reed Schafer and Karlander's goal and assist each, the Hoosiers were able to capture a 5-2 victory. There was also impressive play from freshman goaltender Logan Tucker, who made 30 saves on 32 shots with both goals coming off power-play opportunities. \nSaturday's game started opposite of Friday's for IU, with Ferris State scoring two minutes into the game. But the Hoosiers weren't fazed by the goal and took a 4-1 lead going into the second period en route to a 7-4 win.\nThe game took a nasty turn nine minutes into the third period, however, when Ferris State forward Kevin Wigren kicked Karlander in the head, an action that automatically resulted in at least a game disqualification and a two-game suspension.\n"The game was pretty much over," Karlander said. "There was a delayed penalty, and he came in and kicked me in the head. He really rung my bell, and he even broke my helmet. It was out of nowhere, and I don't really remember it since it happened so fast. The head ref was trying to get him more than the two games after the game ended."\nDespite the event, the team's depth continued to be the Hoosiers biggest asset on the weekend and the season, senior forward Mark Fischer said.\n"All four forward lines played very well this weekend," Fischer said. "It seemed like every line was able to chip in and help the team out in some way."\nThe Hoosiers look to keep up their perfect league record when they travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday and Saturday to face off against Davenport University, the only other undefeated team in the league. The games will be played at the Patterson Ice Arena at 8 p.m. and 3 p.m.\n"We are preparing to play two of our toughest games in our league," Karlander said. "We want to go undefeated in our league and (Davenport) is our toughest task. If we can beat them, then we think we can take anyone in our league and the entire nation"
(11/13/06 5:20am)
The football team wasn't the only Hoosier sports squad to struggle against Michigan on Saturday.\nThe IU women's volleyball team lost two more conference games to Michigan State on Friday and Michigan on Saturday. The losses extended the Hoosiers' losing streak to 15 games and keeps the team in last place in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers now own a 1-15 Big Ten record and a 10-18 record overall.\n"We can't catch a break," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "Michigan came in strong today after an upset against Purdue (Friday)."\nMichigan State swept the Hoosiers on Friday (20-30, 27-30, 22-30) to kick off the weekend, pushing IU's losing streak to 14 games. The win increased the Spartans' Big Ten record to 7-8 and 16-9 overall. \nThe game, which was televised on tape delay on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, featured the Spartans tallying more than double the Hoosier's kills (64-31). Sophomore outside hitter Erica Short's 12 kills led IU in the contest.\nThe Hoosiers were swept again Saturday against Michigan (20-30, 21-30, 28-30). Once again the Hoosiers were out-killed (60-40) by their opponents. Short led IU again with 12 kills, while freshman setter Allison Regas added 29 set assists and five kills.\n"I thought Allison did a great job getting her kills tonight," Short said. "She needs to do that more often."\nRegas notched four of her five kills in the third game against Michigan, but the team's defense was something she said needed work.\n"I think we need to work on our block setup," Regas said. "It would have helped our defense get more digs."\nWeismiller said the absence of sophomore outside hitter Emily Zulauf played a factor in the losses as she sat out the weekend with a foot injury.\n"Zulauf had a career night last time we played Michigan," Weismiller said. "We missed having a player that had a career night. She likes to play against Michigan."\nThe Hoosiers will try to snap the losing streak when the team travels to Illinois to face the Illini at 8 p.m. Friday and Northwestern at 7 p.m. Saturday. The team said it wants to step up its defense for next weekend.\n"I felt we could have dug some more balls tonight," Short said. "We couldn't channel our balls to our defensive players, but we will just have to come back in practice and work on it for next week."\nWeismiller agreed that practice this week will be important.\n"Last week, we had a strong practice," Weismiller said. "We worked hard, had some big swings at the ball and played defense. This week we have to come back"
(11/10/06 3:51am)
The IU women's volleyball team looks to break its 13-game losing streak when it tackles Michigan State and Michigan this weekend.\nThe Hoosiers will try to pick up victories at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the University Gym. \nThe team knows the streak is now a psychological issue, senior defensive specialist Sara Diehl said.\n"The Big Ten is a very tough conference," Diehl said. "It's hard to get on a roll when you don't start getting wins. We started out with a great (win) against Michigan, but we need to get back on track. If we get our mental toughness back, we can finish strong."\nFriday's game brings the team that started the losing streak, Michigan State, back into Bloomington. The Spartans beat IU Sept. 23 in four games to notch IU's first Big Ten loss. Since then, the Hoosiers have moved their record to 1-13 in the conference and 10-16 overall, while Michigan State has increased to 6-8 in the Big Ten and 15-9 overall. The game will broadcast on tape delay on Comcast SportsNet Chicago at 4 p.m. Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers will again try Saturday to beat Michigan, the only team IU has been able to beat in Big Ten play. IU beat the then-No. 19 Wolverines Sept. 22 in five games, a match in which the Hoosiers set a school record for blocks in a five-game match recording 23. The Wolverines have increased their record to 5-9 in the Big Ten and 18-9 overall after their home opening loss to IU but have dropped out of the polls.\nThe team has been working defensively to prepare for Michigan and Michigan State's outside and middle attacks, IU coach Katie Weismiller said. The Hoosiers have not forgotten about offense, though, she said.\n"We need to come out and be the aggressors," Weismiller said. "We need to be aggressive from the service line, but most importantly, we need to terminate balls. Our passing has been much better so we just need to terminate balls now."\nWeismiller said IU's offense and defense will need to execute to get the wins, but she doesn't expect the games to be easy.\n"I expect (Michigan and Michigan State) to have a balanced offensive and outsides that can terminate the ball," Weismiller said. "They will come out aggressive and take some big swings against us."\nDespite the challenges, Diehl said she still thinks the team can win the matches.\n"I expect two tough matches this weekend," Diehl said. "Michigan is out for revenge, but we have the same team that started out against them, and it was a great game. I think we can do it again against them"
(11/08/06 3:40am)
The IU men's hockey team split games last weekend, tallying its first loss of the season. \nThe Hoosiers lost their first game Friday but won the second game Saturday against Lindenwood University, currently ranked No. 7 in Division I. The split put the Hoosiers at 5-1-2 on the season.\nIU kicked off the first game with a goal from freshman forward Casey Christensen. But the team struggled the rest of the game, losing 7-3. With the referees strictly calling obstruction rules, 66 minutes of penalties were assessed with 15 power-plays for Lindenwood and 17 for the Hoosiers. The Lions scored six of their seven goals on the power-play, which helped them win the game. \nThat statistic did not go unnoticed by the Hoosiers.\n"Friday's game came down to us taking too many penalties," senior forward Reed Schafer said. "It is tough to beat a team when you're in the box a lot."\nUnlike the Friday night game, the Saturday game involved only nine power-plays for each team. Neither team was able to score during those power-plays, and the Hoosiers were able to win 4-1.\n"We dominated them in five-on-five play," Schafer said. "All of our goals Saturday came in five-on-five play. That really shows the depth of our team and our ability to wear a team down."\nThe net-minding of goalie Craig Butler was a big factor in the Hoosier victory. The freshman started and made 37 saves on 38 shots.\n"I was really nervous since this was a good (Division I) team," Butler said. "But I had a good warm-up and was able to relax. Saturday, our defense gave up low percentage shots so it was easier for me."\nThe Hoosiers start their league play against Ferris State University at 9:15 p.m. Friday and 2:15 p.m. Saturday at the Frank Southern Ice Arena in Bloomington.\n"We have to start our league play against a pretty good team," Schafer said. "We have to keep going right into the heart of our schedule."\nButler has a more simplified plan.\n"We have to take each period and each shift one at a time," Butler said. "If we win those, then we win the games"
(11/01/06 5:11am)
The IU men's hockey team remained unbeaten last weekend with two wins against DePaul University. The Hoosiers improved their record to 4-0-2 with the wins in Chicago last Friday and Saturday.\n"Both games showed some challenges for the team, and I'm happy to see we overcame those challenges," senior forward Reed Schafer said. "We had all four lines play hard, and that is something we look for early in the season. In general, I'm happy about how the team played as a whole this weekend."\nFreshman goalie Craig Butler's net-minding led the Hoosiers in the first game as IU overcame a 2-1 deficit and won the game 4-2. Senior forward Mark Fischer said that Butler's play was outstanding. Fischer also added that it took the Hoosiers a little time to adjust to playing on a bigger rink since the team had played all but one game thus far at home on the smaller Frank Southern Ice Arena.\nThe second game was back and forth for IU until the third period. The Hoosiers led 3-2 heading into the third but gave up the first goal of the period, However, IU was able to finish out the Blue Demons with a final score of 7-4.\nThe Hoosiers will strive to stay unbeaten this weekend when they host Lindenwood University on Friday and Saturday. The weekend will provide tough games for the Hoosiers, Fischer said.\nThe Lions come to Bloomington with a 8-3-0 record and are in the midst of a nine-game road stretch. The team has won seven of its last eight games and swept Kent State University last weekend.\n"These games will definitely be a measuring stick for us," Schafer said. "They are a very good team that we are lucky to play at home. These games can prove that we are capable of playing with the top teams"
(10/26/06 6:41pm)
With the new NBA season upon us, I wanted to let Shaq know the new ball is not an excuse for his inability to shoot. Anyway, here is how I feel the NBA will play out this year based upon preseason play and summer transactions.
(10/25/06 4:18am)
The IU hockey team remains unbeaten after winning both games this weekend against Robert Morris University.\nThe Hoosiers (2-0-2) beat Robert Morris (1-4-0) Friday and Saturday at the Frank Southern Ice Arena in Bloomington, notching their first wins of the season.\nIU forward Dan Karlander kicked off the game with an early goal. From that point on, the Hoosiers never looked back. Though the team won the game 4-2, they suffered other losses on the ice.\nThe game, which senior forward Mark Fischer called "chippy," included two disqualifications of Hoosier players and another who was kicked out of the game. Senior forward Adam Fishbein and senior defenseman Richard Young were the players disqualified from the game for retaliation penalties. They had to sit out Saturday's match. Senior forward Matt Henderson was kicked out of Friday's game but was allowed to play in the match Saturday.\nSaturday's game was not much cleaner, with the scrappy play continuing. Another Hoosier, senior forward Mike Casper, was disqualified halfway through the third period for retaliating to a slash. IU took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but the Eagles cut the lead midway through the final period. The Hoosiers came right back and scored a goal to put the game away. IU prevailed 4-2. Senior goalie Jimmy Hugill led the team with 25 saves during the game.\nThe team struggled with the new, stricter obstruction rules and had trouble adapting its game to the referees, Fischer said. He added that it was hard to establish a flow during the game because of the number of penalties and amount of combative play.\nThe teams combined for 56 minutes of penalties during the first game and 78 during the second game. The first game also had five major penalties and the second game had four.\nThe Hoosiers look to work on some aspects of their game in practice this week before they travel to Chicago to face off against DePaul University (4-3-2). The games at 9:15 p.m. Friday and 6:30 p.m. Saturday will be the home openers for the Blue Demons, who split their games on the road against Miami University of Ohio this past weekend.\n"Under the new rules, a lot of the game is spent on either the power play or the penalty kill," Fischer said. "These are the two aspects of the game we are going to work on this week"
(10/18/06 4:19am)
Moms always say to play by the rules, but rules change.\nThe new hockey rule change which enforces stricter obstruction penalties was a huge factor in the IU men's hockey games this Friday and Saturday. \nThe Hoosiers took on the University of Kentucky Friday night in Bloomington, playing the undefeated Cool Cats to a 5-5 tie. The story of the game, though, was penalties. IU served 28 minutes in the box while Kentucky served 40, due in part to the new rule. Sophomore forward Joe Fornari's two goals and one assist led the way for the Hoosiers.\nIU traveled to Kentucky to play a midnight game Saturday and again tied the Cool Cats 4-4. The physical presence was greater in this game, but the penalty problems continued. IU served 26 minutes for penalties, while Kentucky served 30 minutes. Forward Adam Logue paced IU with two goals.\nPlaying in front of the Kentucky crowd was a tough task, forward Dan Karlander said.\n"It was good going into Kentucky's tough arena and to come from behind to get the tie," Karlander said. "I'd rather have the win, but the tie was good."\nPenalties were an issue in both games last weekend, and it was something IU tried to adjust to, senior forward Mark Fischer said in an e-mail.\nKarlander agreed with Fischer but was surprised that there weren't more penalties called in the games. He said that the team has to adjust and get a feel for what the referees will enforce.\nThe Hoosiers will try to feel out the refs this weekend when they face Robert Morris University at 9:15 p.m. Friday and 2:15 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington. Robert Morris brings a record of 1-2-0 after losing both games this past weekend to Quinnipiac University. Those teams also dealt with the penalty adversity, sharing 60 minutes worth of penalties.\nThe Hoosiers look to notch their first win Friday night.\n"We haven't played Robert Morris in a few years, so we don't know what to expect," Karlander said. "But we are hoping to get two wins"
(10/13/06 4:56am)
The IU women's volleyball team doesn't want to beat itself this weekend.\n"We are concerned with our side of the court," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "When we beat Michigan, we talked before the game about playing our game. We want to do that again this weekend."\nThis weekend the Hoosiers hit the road to face two more ranked Big Ten teams. IU travels with a Big Ten record of 1-4 and an overall record of 12-5.\nSaturday, IU will try to end its four-game losing streak against No. 23 Minnesota at 7 p.m. in Minneapolis. The Gophers boast a 12-5 record and have won nine of their last 10 games. Minnesota split its weekend games, losing to No. 2 Penn State and beating then-ranked No. 14 Ohio State.\nThe Hoosiers travel to Madison, Wis. to play No. 14 Wisconsin at 1 p.m Saturday. The Badgers carry a Big Ten record of 4-2 and an overall record of 12-4. Wisconsin lost both games this past weekend to Penn State and Ohio State.\nBoth games will be tough, but Weismiller said that the team won't do anything differently to prepare for these particular games.\n"We prepared just like we do for every Big Ten team," Weismiller said. "We worked a lot on defense and ball control."\nThe players understand the toughness of these games and said they are trying to stick together. \n"Both places are hard places to play," senior outside hitter Anne Grabow said. "We worked a lot this week on communication, being loud and non-stop talking. We need to stick together as a team when we go to these tough environments."\nSenior defensive specialist Sara Diehl agreed with Grabow.\n"We want to focus on our side of the ball," Diehl said. "We just need to play as a team and keep it all together. I want two wins this weekend"