The Colts must win it all and they must win it all now.

First appeared on December 23rd, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

All this talk about 16 and 0 has more heads spinning than the County Fair Tilt-a-Whirl. Go for it or don’t. It means everything or it means nothing. What will they do? Is Jim Caldwell really willing to sacrifice a 14-0 start?
With all this undefeated noise clogging our airways it would once again seem we are unable to see the forest for the trees. Forget staying undefeated in the regular season, it is the looming playoff run that will ultimately define the year as well as likely determine the fate of the Colts franchise. What are they? Are they truly champions? Perhaps they are merely just a team built to dominate the regular season. Are they truly the best or are they simply the ones who wanted it more when the games meant less?
Sure they have won the AFC South (like every year since the NFL created it). But what does that really get you? We also know how the NFL regular season works. Some teams get everybody’s best shot. Defending champions (Pittsburgh), the media darlings (Dallas), public enemy #1 (New England) and then there are those who fly beneath the radar gobbling up wins like a champion Hungry-Hungry-Hippo player. A small market traveling medicine show piloted by arguably the greatest football mind ever to lace them up. Is this an accurate description of the Indianapolis Colts or are they truly the best?
A Super Bowl trophy is the only thing that can prove once and for all that the Colts are the class franchise of the NFL. Without it they are all merely deckhands on the S.S. Manning charting a path towards the land where the Buffalo Bills roam. As great as this season has been and as amazing as Manning has played, history won’t remember 16-0 without a championship (see the Patriots). History is far kinder to champions. That’s why Emmitt Smith is doing Just For Men Hair Gel commercials and Thurman Thomas is, well we don’t really know what Thurman Thomas is doing now do we?
The point is the Colts have come too far not to finish this thing. Would anyone really care about Christopher Columbus had he almost made the Caribbean only to turn back home because he forgot to DVR “Desperate Housewives”? Not securing a Lombardi Trophy this season would be like the Allies successfully invading Normandy only to go on and lose to the Axis powers. We’re talking about history now and history is bigger than any sprained toe or sore knee. History is forever.
The answer is simple. The Colts need to play their last 5 games like they are the last games they will ever play. They need to play like caged lions turned loose in a Turkey pen on Thanksgiving morning. They need to play like they are foot soldiers marching to the sea with General Sherman. They need to play like they are all stunt doubles acting in the last five minutes of any Bruce Willis movie ever made (except Blind Date of course). They need to play with the reckless abandon Olive Oyl would show in a steel cage death match with a female East German Olympic athlete sporting thighs the size of an elephant’s neck. Well, you get the idea.
The time is now. The accomplishments of this season to date mean little. The gaudy statistics are nice, but without the luster of a championship trophy records tend to tarnish with age. Everything that matters lies on the horizon; the question is whether the Colts will make it that far or not.

Tales from Jim O'Brien's Christmas Stocking

First appeared on December 16th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

As Colts coach Jim Caldwell struggles with how best to play out his schedule, he has not been at a loss for advice. To the surprise of nobody, Peyton Manning and Dwight Freeney both say they want to play but will accept Caldwell’s decision. Most understand the pressures of mainstream society require that all card-carrying members of “The Former Coaches of America Club” weigh in on such unclear issues. Former Bears Coach Mike Ditka says play your starters till the end while Tony Dungy sticks by his decision to rest guys when there is nothing left to play for. While Caldwell wrestles with his decision, across town another professional coach is struggling with issues of his own. At the time of writing this the Pacers, despite winning two straight, were still 5 games under .500 and had just lost Danny Granger for a month.
While the Pacers struggles can’t be hung solely on one player, they likely will wind up hanging one man. It’s probably safe to say Pacer Coach Jim O’Brien’s season isn’t off to the start he’d hoped for. Though off season acquisitions Dahntay Jones and Tyler Hansbrough have brought excitement the Pacers still find themselves one game away from slipping into the Central Division basement; and taking up permanent residence here is likely not the best career move O’Brien could make right now.
According to the numbers the Pacers are better defensively. This comes as a relief after a long off-season that saw the front office wear the word defense out just as the mass media have drummed the Tiger Woods story to death. What then is the explanation?
One issue is Danny Granger. As good as he has been on the offensive end the Pacers need more from him defensively. Bird needs to rig the Pacer Secret Santa draw so he can gift Granger a DVD of Michael Jordan’s Greatest Hits. The idea is to understand how Mike dominated BOTH ends of the floor. To take his game to the next level, and win more games, Granger needs to welcome the match up with the opponent’s best offensive player (translation: stop making Jones guard LeBron). Granger’s athletic 6’8 frame should be enough to help him lock down the top scorers in the league.
The second hint Santa would stick in Jim O’Brien’s stocking if he were a Pacers fan is that its time to sit TJ Ford. In virtually every Pacer loss the team has suffered though dry spells where they’ve made scoring points look like a third grader trying to do Calculus. This falls on the point guard. It took Jarrett Jack about two months to put some doubt in O’Brien’s mind last year as to who should be starting. With Jack gone to Toronto, the same has now happened with Earl Watson.
The point is clear. When Watson is on the floor, the Pacers are stronger defensively and the ball moves better. Open shots are just one direct result of good ball movement and, with the shooters the Pacers have, finding more open shots should be enough to avoid those dreaded dry spells that have plagued them all season.
The point is not to give up on Ford. He can be a nice change of pace off the bench and provide your second five with some offense. If he doesn’t want this however, then the point is to give up on Ford.

Just another boring day in the life of the Indianapolis Colts

First appeared on December 11th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

So the Colts won again. With a 27-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Indianapolis ran its record to 12-0 on the season. Yawn. They also tied an NFL record with their 21st consecutive regular season win. Yawn. They have now won 12 games in a season for an NFL record 7th time. Yawn. The win was their 113th of the decade tying them with the San Francisco 49ers of the 90’s as the most wins ever by a team in a 10 year span. Yawn.
This is the typical reaction of so many to the success of the Indianapolis Colts. No matter what they do, those in the national media remain apparently unimpressed. There was more discussion on the post game shows Sunday about Ochocinco’s Sombrero and the state of Tom Brady’s pinkie finger than there was about the perpetual success of the Indianapolis Colts.
Be it a “small market conspiracy” or the fact that the face of the Colts is about as controversial and outspoken as a Buddhist Monk who’s taken a vow of silence, Indianapolis remains the NFL’s Rodney Dangerfield. What the Colts are doing has never been done before. I’ll pause while you think about that. Those of us in Indiana are likely guilty of overlooking them too. We see 18 take the field Sunday after Sunday and simply expect the Men in Blue to win as a result.
But the success of the Colts runs far deeper than Manning’s “laser rocket arm”. You could pay $75 for a ticket, $9 for nachos, squeeze yourself into a seat between the guy with a Colt blue mohawk and some dude who says he rotates Peyton’s tires and not see the real reason behind the unprecedented run of the Colts.
The real reason behind the success of the Colts can likely be traced to three things: The hiring of Bill Polian, his hiring of Tony Dungy and the drafting of Manning. The Colts were 3-13 the season before Polian was hired. The next year he sealed the fate of the franchise by selecting Peyton Manning and NOT Ryan Leaf (who draft guru Mel Kiper claimed had an attitude that would benefit any NFL team).
While most GM’s are working the phones and scratching the backs of greedy agents trying to land monster off season signings, Polian is standing in the rain on a Thursday night watching Ball State play Central Michigan. The draft is where he has built the Colts. The Colt’s have reaped the benefits of Polian’s notorious eye for talent and uncanny knack for finding difference makers in the most unlikely of places (see Pierre Garcon).
Bringing Tony Dungy in was a brilliant move as well. It can be argued that Dungy’s work in building the perfect beast that is the Colts was done largely off the field. He did more than simply coach a team up, Tony Dungy created a culture. And, though he is now working for NBC, that culture endures. Polian’s job then has always been to find guys who not only have talent, but also fit Dungy’s system; the prerequisite of which is to accept the responsibility that comes with being a Colt.
Of course thirdly is Manning whose success has been well documented so we’ll spare you the time. It would seem for now however the Colts are destined to remain the NFL’s “elephant in the room”, but if you happen to be a member of the Detroit Lions front office and are looking to blueprint anything about this franchise; forget about #18- you’d be wise to start with the culture.

What does Football on Hardwood, Al Gore, old Chevy Impala's and the Cold War have in common?

First appeared on December 1st, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

Well it’s that time of the year again; the proverbial “Most wonderful time of the year”. For Big Ten fans however, the ACC/Big Ten challenge has not been a wonderful time for anything. For far too long, or since its inception whichever you please, the Challenge has ended with the Big Ten finding itself in a familiar spot; safely strapped to the ACC’s whipping post.
There is a saying in Slavic cultures about whipping posts which goes “Nothin’ seems to change, bad times stay the same”, or maybe that was the Allman Brothers, either way for 11 years the numbers don’t lie. The ACC has been dominant winning all 10 challenges with an overall advantage of 62-35.
In years past one got the feeling the Big Ten had about as much chance of winning the Challenge as that of an Aztec prisoner escaping a ritual sacrifice. And for those of you who didn’t major in World History, that chance would be zero. The only thing more amazing than the ACC’s dominance in the Challenge is the fact that ESPN continues to pay for the rights to broadcast it.
The Big Ten’s inability to win the Challenge has been a harbinger of their performance on the national stage as well. For the last 20 years, rare has been the number one seed or Final Four. In fact since 1989 the Big Ten has notched only 2 National Champions while the ACC has seen 7 teams cut the nets down.
But this year is different. This year there is something in the air. Al Gore would tell you it is too much hair spray or the exhaust of a ’78 Chevrolet Impala, but I believe it to be the winds of change. This year the Big Ten seems to once again resemble the power basketball conference it once was.
To be clear, this is the year the Big Ten will finally win the challenge for the first time. Write it down, fold it up and send it in, there is no way the Big Ten loses for an eleventh time (at least not this year).
Currently the Big Ten boasts 5 ranked teams with 2 in the Top 10. Conversely the ACC has 3 ranked with only 1 being a Top 10 squad. While a few of the match ups may appear to be one-sided (see Maryland vs. Indiana), Sparty (the only Big Ten team with a winning record in the Challenge) facing UNC on the road and Illinois going to Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum are just two games that should prove extremely interesting.
Purdue’s “football on the hardwood” should be enough to manhandle Wake Forest while both Penn State and Northwestern have opportunities to open some eyes with tough road wins.
In a week where we should be discussing which undefeated college football team will wind up where, the BCS has once again reminded us that hers is a system born of that rare combination of indecision and incompetence. With this in mind, the Big Ten/ACC challenge moves to the forefront of our attention. So roll the balls out and let’s go.
For three days Purdue fans root for IU and Buckeyes cheer for the Maize and Gold. For three days the Big Ten is the United States and the ACC is the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. It’s corn-fed beef and combines versus shellfish and sailboats, the black and blue bang’em up style of the Big Ten versus the wide open play of the ACC. On second thought, maybe this is the most wonderful time of the year.

You can put lipstick on a bad decision and it's still a bad decision

First appeared on November 18th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

Sunday Night’s Colts-Patriots match up had it all. The bright lights of primetime, the drama that comes with two of the games biggest stars locking horns and, not to mention, all the excitement that comes with “Bring your own mousetrap night” at Lucas Oil Stadium.
With NBC’s Chris Collinsworth dubbing it the “greatest rivalry of all time”, this game had hype too. In fact when was the last time we saw so much hype surrounding anything? OK, obviously not counting Oprah’s interview with Sarah Palin. Patriot fans waited patiently and, this is just a guess, were probably disappointed (in both instances).
After the Pacers beat the Celtics Friday night, the weekend started very well for those who harbor a genuine dislike for professional sports franchises based in the New England area. And just when it seemed the Patriots would even the score Sunday Night, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick finally rolled the dice one too many times.
Chapter 1 of the “Idiot’s Guide to Beating the Colts” says load the line of scrimmage up and run the ball down their throats. In true Belichick style however, the Patriots threw the book out the window. New England appeared more interested in going after an Indianapolis secondary filled with so many new faces that even season ticket holders were busy scrambling for their programs.
It was quintessential Belichick, flying in the face of conventionality. Genius he may be, he still is as nontraditional as they come. Clad in a ratty sweatshirt and mousy hair, the Patriot’s head coach looks more like the volunteer assistant for a high school team rather than the leader of a three time World Champion. Despite this, all the guy does is generate game plans capable of stopping football’s version of Albert Einstein (Peyton Manning) in his tracks. Belichick is the image of the guy you’d see dipping snuff on the sidelines of a varsity game while telling 17 year olds to “check the tape” to prove he once scored five touchdowns against a county rival.
Looking back there were so many decisions that went wrong for Indianapolis. Poor choices that should have sunk them starting with the indoor fireworks that ignited the turf and almost caused the mass evacuation of 65,000 people. Then there was Peyton’s intercepted pass to Pierre Garcon in the 3rd quarter which became a poor choice considering it followed a momentum stealing pick by Antoine Bethea. And let us not forget the game time decision to keep the roof closed on the Luke; which one can only surmise was made to protect Al Michaels’ new hair hat from springing to life in the stirring Midwestern winds.
Of course the “Worst Decision of the Night” award goes to Belichick for not punting on 4th and 2 from his own 30 yard line with two minutes left in the game. In making the call so much was lost. The game, probably any hope for homefield advantage and perhaps even Belichick’s status as “Greatest Modern Football Mind”.
Forget the inability of the Colts to stop the run, the real story of this game was their inability to run the ball. Youth was another factor. All season long the Colts have leaned on a group of rookies for production. Sunday night this crew, who had previously been nothing but solid, finally looked like the rookies they are. All this together should have been enough to seal the fate of the men in blue, but then Belichick happened. Simply put, Indy’s the better team; and the good news for Belichick is we’ve got the tape to prove it.

Oh Danny Boy...Saturday is a must win for you.

First appeared on November 12th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

One can be certain there were many things Purdue’s rookie Head Coach Danny Hope expected to say in his first year. Tired phrases like “This was a learning experience” or “We demonstrated improvement” or perhaps even, “You throw the records out for the Oaken Bucket”. But surely not even Danny Hope himself, nor even the most optimistic of optimists for that matter, and yes this includes the President of the Optimists Club of West Lafayette should he be reading this now over his mug half full of steaming hot coffee, ever expected to be using the words “must win game” during Purdue’s 2009 football season. But that being said, sure as Nancy Pelosi rammed health care down the throats of the House last week, this Saturday’s match up at Ross Aide Stadium with Michigan State is just that. A must win game.
While the Big Ten was falling in love with that fickle temptress Iowa, Purdue was quietly overachieving; well overachieving as much as is possible while still having a 4-6 record. Purdue’s season can be summed up in a few words: inconsistent, amazing, ugly and baffling. Danny Hope rode in with zero expectations for year 1 and is suddenly two wins away from bowl eligibility. Somehow it all happened so quickly, almost as quick as Endora could turn her son-in-law Darren Stephens into an uninspired and overweight Tabby cat.
Of course Samantha could always fix the problem with a wiggle of her adorable little nose. Unfortunately for Danny Hope, when Sparty comes to West Lafayette Saturday it will take more than the wiggle of a witch’s nose to get the job done. On paper things don’t look good for Purdue, but when was the last time they did? While both teams are 3-3 in conference play, State has one of the top ranked offenses in the Big Ten and is the overall leader in total yardage. Conversely Purdue’s defense is not amongst the top ranked and leads in almost no categories.
Proverbially putting the cart before the horse for a moment, Purdue finishes the year in Bloomington. Imagine for a moment the possibility of a sexy Oaken Bucket game the outcome of which could propel the Boilers to a bowl bid. The drama that would exist if the Indiana Hoosiers were the only thing standing in Purdue’s path to a bowl game (wait, we’ve already been down that road haven’t we?).
Somehow Hope has to find a way to bury that talk for a week. Purdue needs to focus all its energies on beating Michigan State or this year simply goes down as “The last time we beat Michigan”. A forgotten season only to be revisited when the dust gets blown off the scrapbook 43 years from now as young wide-eyed Boiler fans want to learn more about the last Purdue team to win in the Big House.
The next two weeks possess multiple possibilities and still somehow the Boiler program lacks energy overall. From his slammed baseball cap and spread offense all the way down to his cowcatcher of a mustache, Hope is seen simply as a clone of Joe Tiller (by the way Danny-Magnum P.I. called, he wants his stache back). Hope has his work cut out for him if he wishes to escape the stereotype of being Joe Tiller Jr. Boiler fans somehow grew weary of Tiller’s perpetual bowl berths, so the pressure is on for Hope to carve out his own identity while winning enough games to keep his job simultaneously. Beating Michigan State Saturday would definitely be a step in the right direction.

When Dr. Jack is involved, you know you've got problems

First appeared on November 4th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

Someone get Dr. Jack on the phone. Apparently the nation is ready to pull the plug on baseball. Instant replay on home run calls was bad enough but now that everyone has come to the realization that Major League Umpires are in fact human, and not battery operated humanoids created by Japanese schoolboys with idle time on their hands, most are ready to supplant the judgment of the umpire with the technology of instant replay.
Bringing more instant replay to baseball however smacks of America giving up. Giving up on 150 years of history, giving up on umpires and giving up on the eternal struggle of man vs. computer. If movies like Artificial Intelligence have taught us anything, other than sometimes straight to video is a good thing, it’s that often more technology only muddies the water.
The real question to be asked here is why more replay and why now? Since when do we as Americans give up so easily? It’s entirely possible the current clamor for replay is a product of our long history as a progressive nation of inventors. Was it not us after all who found a way to build a car that could rust in the showroom? Were we satisfied by the convenience of TV dinners? No, we invented the Lunchable for those too lazy to use a microwave.
It would appear the only motivation for using more replay now is to sock the mouths of those whining for it. But while instant replay may bring us slow motion looks in high definition; what will it really solve? Technology or not, a human being will still make the final call at the end of the day. Using instant replay in baseball now would be like building a chair for the Statue of Liberty. Just because we can doesn’t mean it’s necessary; Lady Liberty has been standing fine on her own for 120 years after all.
The cold hard truth is that ours is an imperfect world. Much to their chagrin, the Umpire has long stood as the much heckled mascot of imperfection. This just in- man is not perfect, for evidence see every President since Theodore Roosevelt or simply ask my wife. So a few bad playoff calls have the natives restless. It isn’t totally surprising, as a society we’ve grown accustomed to being bailed out whenever we appear incapable of solving our own problems; I blame Batman, and the Chinese.
So rest safe ye fans of the rosin bag, unlimited time outs and stepping out of the batters box to tighten those batting gloves- replay will certainly slow baseball down even more. This won’t sit well with the younger demographic; which baseball views as an insurance policy. The last thing viewers accustomed to seeing dirt bikes turning somersaults 75 feet off the ground want to sit through is three foul ball replay reviews during the same at bat.
For the rest of us, the delays that replay will bring to Baseball will simply provide more opportunities to make trips to the kitchen, check our email or perhaps build an all-seasons room off the back of the house.
Baseball’s rich history is full of magical moments. There are no controversial calls clouding our memories of America’s game. Be it the Willie Mays catch in centerfield or Kirk Gibson’s pinch hit homer, it’s magical moments like these that we remember. The very reason we watch centers around the chance of witnessing another historic moment. As dramatic as baseball can be, magical moments aren’t so magical when we have to sit around and wait for the replay.