The Difference between Indiana and L.A.

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

So the Lakers start out 1-4 and Head Coach Mike Brown gets an unexpected vacation. And what can you really say, it is L.A. after all. There are no surprises here. The Pacers, with all their lofty preseason goals, have stumbled out to a 3-6 record and there is no groundswell to send Frank Vogel packing; even after a disappointing two point home loss to Toronto was followed by a game in Milwaukee where they trailed by 30 at one point. I suppose that’s the difference between Indiana and L.A.

A little Midwestern patience versus the ‘what have you done for me today’ mentality of the West Coast. The Lakers are masters at the art of sleepwalking through the regular season, winning just enough games to get a decent playoff seed before throwing themselves into winning a championship with everything they’ve got.

And yet this appears to be the mentality of the Pacers to this point. The trouble with following this blueprint is of course that the Pacers are not the Lakers. They do not have a rich championship pedigree or one of the largest fan bases in professional sports; and more to the point they don’t have Kobe Bryant. Such is the difference between Indiana and L.A.

So you have a franchise willing to can a coach a week into the regular season. One that has, with great regularity, made its name sending one aging All Star after another packing in favor of newer, younger models. A franchise that has amassed more championships than half the league combined. This is the difference between Indiana and L.A.

And so the Pacer fan waits. Patiently. His team will figure this out. They will discover that great defense begats steady offense. Their young coach will find a way to string some wins together and their sharpshooting small forward will return just in time to round himself into shape before the playoffs. There will be no panic inspired trades or front office demands. Such is the difference between Indiana and L.A.

For all Reggie Miller went through one can’t imagine a time when he would have felt it necessary to give his “blessing” to the hiring of a coach. In fact it’s unimaginable to think he’d have ever demanded a trade if the front office didn’t change coaches or turn the Earth on its axis trying to rebuild the roster. Pacer fans loved Thirty-One not for the championships he tallied, but for the memories he left behind. Memories of an underdog throwing unabashed uppercuts. But I suppose that’s the difference between Indiana and L.A.

And so we’ll remain the small market ne’er do wells. Sure we’ll still buy our tickets, eat our corndogs and be happy with maybe winning a first round series, maybe not. And while most days we’re just happy to have a little professional franchise to call our own, we’ll also be quick to tell you all about that one time we flirted with a championship. How in one fell swoop a franchise and a fan base both were taught the hard and cruel lesson that there’s more to winning an NBA Title than heart, hustle and desire.

How sometimes there are powers bigger than you at play. And so now when we tuck our children in at night we’re sure to remind them that sometimes in life the monsters under our beds may or may not have the authority to award the other team free throws and send your best players to the bench with foul trouble, and this is why we aren’t the lead story on SportsCenter. But such is the difference between Indiana and L.A.

© 2012 Eric Walker Williams

Indiana's "To Do" List quite lengthy

First appeared on November 7th, 2012
in The Lebanon Reporter

Dear Purdue,

This is Indiana. In case you haven’t heard I’m the national preseason number one in Men’s College Basketball. Save your congratulations; they’re not necessary and would be neither genuine nor heartfelt. I know what you’re thinking and I agree, it’s been a long time since I’ve been looking down on so many people, including yourself.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know I have big plans for this season. And when I say “big plans” I mean big as in a 1976 kind of big. Yogi Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Perea are part of the best recruiting class I’ve had in a long time and, oh yeah, they’ll team up with the Preseason player of the year Cody Zeller; so I’ve got that going for me.

Clearly I’ll be dangerous, after all why else would Kentucky be dodging me? Look, I’ll be frank, ours is a checkered past. And I don’t just mean that whole “We have Five National Championships” and “You have more Big Ten Titles” deal. We had a good run with that one guy in the sweater and the other guy who liked to toss his jacket into the stands, but this is not 1989. From the Duel in the Dome to the seventeen point beat down I left in the comb-over’s mouth after the last chance he ever had at beating me, it’s been fun but now it’s time for the dawning of a new era.

Let me cut to the chase. I don’t plan on showing any mercy this year. I’ve taken my lumps for far too long. Everyone from Lipscomb to Penn State has gotten their licks in and now I’ve got a long list of people who are going to pay for all that’s happened since my fall from grace. And I’ll be honest your name’s on it (remember the sweeps of 2010 and 11? I do). Your cell phone jokes are tired by the way; it’s time to get some new material.

This is going to be a big season for me. I plan on winning my first Big Ten Title since 2002 while also notching my first Conference Player of the Year since 2007. I plan to win my first Big Ten Tournament Title after snapping a twenty year losing streak at Michigan State’s Breslin Center. And of course, though I don’t want to jinx it, the NCAA Championship game will be held in Atlanta again this year and I’m sure you remember 2002’s Title Game in the Georgia Dome because I played in it and lost to Maryland.

Now I know this is a lot for you to process considering you’ve been the darling of the state for so long (that is as long as we both agree to overlook Butler in the same way ESPN has for so long). Either way let this stand as fair warning that this will be a season to remember; at least for one of us.

Yours in perpetuity,

Indiana Men’s Basketball



© 2012 Eric Walker Williams