Time for Purdue Fans to do some Byrd-Watching

First appeared on February 16th, 2012
in The Lebanon Reporter

By nature, birdwatchers are an optimistic bunch. Anyone willing to use the logging of a brief glimpse of a tail feather pattern or the gargled rhythm of a faint chirp as justification for countless hours on the hunt has to be brimming with optimism. Seven years ago it was an optimism of this sort that spurned a group headed by the Cornell Ornithology Department to embark on a yearlong search of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas to find what they believed to be a single remaining Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

T here was no reason for the Lord God Bird himself to be optimistic over the prospect of being found, after all the birding world had all but declared him extinct before the end of World War II (1945). All that remained were grainy memories of those lucky few who’d ever seen one in the wild. And those who did claim to have seen one were most often tossed in with fans of Sasquatch and the BCS.

Things were so glum the only hopes of ever seeing an Ivory-Bill take flight again seemed to rest in the possibility of bringing some yellowed truck stop taxidermy back to life or getting Al Gore to invent a time machine by calling upon all the wisdom and supernatural powers he harnessed while inventing the internet.
Clearly optimism for a return of the Lord God Bird was wilting until a 2004 sighting whipped the bird watching world into a frenzy. That’s the funny thing about optimism; it has a way of reinventing itself at the very moment you’ve decided there’s no reason to hang on to it.

At 5-6 in conference play the Purdue Boilermakers had no reason to be optimistic. Three other teams already had 9 conference wins and the wounds from their arch enemy pummeling them at home in front of a capacity crowd of disbelieving fans were barely starting to scab. With only one Boilermaker averaging double figures on the year, whatever optimism Matt Painter had for a second scorer to surface was on life support until sophomore wing DJ Byrd went into Columbus and lit the Ohio State Buckeyes up for 24 points. This break out performance included 7 three point bombs.

Byrd’s encore included his putting up 20 points and 4 assists against Northwestern Sunday night. This scoring was perhaps only bested by Byrd’s zero turnovers in 36 minutes of play. “I think everyone’s starting to understand what doing your job means”, Byrd said after his Boilers dispatched of the Wildcats at Mackey. The win brings Purdue to 16-9 overall and 6-6 in conference play. And while Byrd’s sudden knack for scoring has brought some optimism to Boiler land he has inadvertently placed whatever hope Purdue has of a tournament berth this season squarely upon his shoulders.

Let the scouting report reflect Byrd’s clearly demonstrated an ability to make open shots in the last two games. Adding this dimension should open things up for the slashing Lewis Jackson and senior stand out Rob Hummel. This could serve as a welcome boost to the Boiler offense which has sputtered for much of the Big Ten campaign.

And now that he’s stumbled upon a second scorer, the trick for Matt Painter is to find a way to get his Boilermakers to play consistent basketball the rest of the season. “We have to separate ourselves”, Byrd said of his team moving forward, “Every game from here on out is important”. Clearly Boilermaker fans wishing for a postseason would be wise to start doing a little “Byrd watching” of their own.

© 2012 Eric Walker Williams

The Block Heard Round the Big Ten

First appeared on February 8th, 2012
in The Lebanon Reporter

The moment came inside of 3 minutes left to play. The record crowd at Mackey was raucous, frothing with anticipation. Purdue was busy erasing Indiana’s double figure lead and when Lewis Jackson came up with a steal at half court it seemed the final domino was destined to tumble.

His break away would have brought the Boilers to within 2, possibly 1 if fouled. It looked as if the Hoosier’s boat had taken on so much water that sinking was an inevitability. Everything was going Purdue’s way and then it happened. What came next is perhaps best described as the play that saved Indiana’s season.

Coming into Saturday night Indiana found themselves below .500 in Big Ten play, mired in a logjam in the middle of the conference. A stunner home to Minnesota, a heartbreaker at Nebraska and one they nearly stole at Michigan despite digging a 21 point hole undoubtedly still stuck in their craw as they headed for West Lafayette to tackle not only a difficult road test but their biggest rival as well. Yes, those scheduling gods are most definitely crazy.

Compounding matters was the sudden emergence of what had been a lifeless Boilermaker team. Inexplicably Purdue was charging hard and appeared destined to do what so many had done to Indiana over the last 2 years, steal one the Hoosiers deserved to win. And as both the game, and IU’s season, were seemingly swirling away all Tom Crean could do was pace back and forth helplessly on the rim of the toilet bowl clapping and tugging at his belt nervously while contemplating yet another substitution.

Then it happened. A moment Hoosier fans, nay Americans perhaps, will speak of for generations to come. Just as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and that one French guy tight roped over Niagara Falls, so too, for one night and one brief moment in time, did Indiana’s sophomore forward Will Sheehey walk on air.

To say Sheehey flew is no exaggeration. With the diminutive Lewis Jackson racing towards the basket, and a rabid Paint Crew awaiting his arrival breathlessly, Sheehey came out of nowhere to spike Jackson’s layup attempt off the glass.
No that doesn’t do it justice. Sheehey didn’t just reject Jackson’s shot. Rather he flew from the hardwood of Keady Court as if sprung by a Broadway guide wire. It was as if Sheehey were wearing tights and a red cape instead of the Cream and Crimson as he absolutely pounded Lewis Jackson’s feeble layup attempt so hard off the glass that he apparently injured his own hand.
Not only was Purdue’s final chance at nibbling the Hoosier lead to 2 points erased but the spectacular play was made all the more impressive by Sheehey’s presence of mind to hammer the layup off the back board so that it stayed in play and was recovered by another hustling teammate.

In short the play saved the Hoosier’s season. Indiana’s GPS had them veering off the NCAA Tournament path and a loss at Purdue would have certainly sent them plunging into the wilderness of desperation, which by the way happens to border the Valley of the NIT.

But with Sheehey sealing a much needed win at Purdue, the Hoosiers can now steer themselves home safe in the knowledge that 3 of the next 4, and 4 of the final 6 conference games, will be played at Assembly Hall where they have only lost once this year. Yes it would seem, for the Hoosiers at least, good fortune rode in on the same wind that carried Will Sheehey airborne Saturday night.


© 2012 Eric Walker Williams

All Hail! The Mighty Super Bowl has arrived

First appeared on February 1st, 2012
in The Lebanon Reporter

Gather up now my Children of the Corn for the eyes of the world are upon you. Our sleepy little capital is no longer simply the crossroads of America. Instead, for one week at least, she is the crossroads of professional football and everything hip and now. The time for Super Bowl 46 has arrived which of course means it’s time for us to roll the welcome mat out. To brandish that legendary Hoosier Hospitality and live by the golden rule of Hoosiers everywhere: “Give unto others and expect only a condescending response in return”.

And for those visitors- welcome. Welcome New York Giants and, with a somewhat less than enthusiastic tone, New England Patriots. Welcome media members from coast to coast and anyone with enough money to afford to spend an entire week in a hotel charging Super Bowl rates. Welcome 400,000 people who have come to celebrate a game only 70,000 can attend.

Come one, come all. Give us your Chowder heads and Cheesecake-heads? Your Kim Kardashians and those Kim Kardashian look-a-likes hoping to find an endless supply of good hearted souls willing to cough up $250 for a photo opportunity.
Welcome to our little corner of the world. The land where welcome scarves are the equivalent of Hawaiian Leis and sandy beaches have been replaced with Astro-turfed sidewalks. Here you will find an army of volunteers ready to bowl you over with enthusiasm and accept your belittling sarcasm with a warm, ”I wish I could say what is really on my mind right now” smile.

So cast your fears aside ye new explorers of the fabled Circle City. Jump in with both feet for here you will find no tractors in the streets. Move forward knowing both that you will discover an event planned by the most meticulous of organizing committees and that at no point will Bobby Knight try to throw a chair at you.

Leave your stereotypes at the door. I can promise you Leslie Knope played no role in the planning of the Super Bowl and you will find Patricia Heaton in “The Middle” of nothing here. As a visitor to Indianapolis what you can expect to find is honest people who will do whatever they can to help you out. You will find open arms and warm smiles. You will find a people proud of their city and state. People who will swell with pride as they slap you on the back while telling you, “Close-but Madonna’s from Michigan, not Indiana.”

The NFL will tell you this is their party but Hoosiers everywhere know that every part of this week belongs to them. That’s why they’ll labor to ensure you enjoy every moment you spend in the birthplace of Fred Mertz.

So as you stand in the shadow of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument bracing yourself against the 40 mile an hour winds, let the debate begin as to which was the bigger coup: Indy getting the NFL to bring their Mardi Gras here or the NFL getting A List stars to book a flight to the Midwest in February.

And for those with an actual vested interest in the game, the time is near. The time to grab history, to grab lady opportunity by the arm or, in the case of Bill Belichick, to refuse to grab a welcome scarf. Stand up straight and say ‘fuzzy pickle’ Indianapolis-this is your finest hour.

© 2012 Eric Walker Williams