Pacers Playoff Hopes Ride on Defense

First appeared on January 19th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

It was a quaint gathering that saw Roy Hibbert sink a jumphook with the shot clock running down in the Pacers game with Philadelphia last week. Nothing about the night seemed extraordinary. The stale air of a half empty arena was filled with computerized noise and the typical array of semi-amusing taunts you’d associate with a Philadelphia crowd. A mascot waving his arms in vain at a sea of empty seats dotted with frowzy businessmen, parents coddling children texting friends and the occasional passed out college kid.


After blowing a 16 point lead and melting down in the 4th quarter again the Pacers appeared destined for another flame out loss. Another game they’d won for 3 quarters only to toss away like a bag of stale Bugles.

In that particular possession, Indiana had exhausted all options. The ball had swung from one side of the floor and back. Nobody could get loose before it landed in Hibbert’s lap with less than 10 seconds to shoot. What followed is best described as the biggest shot anyone has hit in a Pacer uniform in 5 years. OK, at least it was the most important jumphook since the days of Derrick McKey.

That shot secured a 111-103 victory and also proved that, despite his recent struggles, the Pacers players value Hibbert. In the midst of a huge run that saw Indiana’s 16 point lead disappear faster than free beer, the Pacers turned to Roy during a key possession. If he’s not a legitimate option he doesn’t get a whiff of the ball there. If they don’t believe in Roy, Danny Granger heaves a 25 footer with a hand in his face instead or Darren Collison knifes into the lane to force a runner over a larger defender in fellow UCLA Bruin Jrue Holiday.

But they didn’t and the fact they turned to him in such a critical spot proves Hibbert’s standing. At 16-21 the Pacers are not playing the basketball anyone had hoped for. Even with the 7th spot in the East locked down right now, unfortunately everyone knows Indiana has plenty of time to find themselves marooned once again on “out of the playoffs island”.

That being said, defense has made this a better team than last year. Part of the credit belongs with Hibbert’s newfound ability to stay out of foul trouble which allows him to protect the basket for longer stretches.

The Pacers are better for other reasons too. Considering good defense begins with good guard play, don’t overlook the acquisition of Collison for he clearly is the most defensively minded point guard Indiana has had since Mark Jackson.

However, to coin a term my Uncle once beat me with in Scrabble, the Pacers remain a conundrum. While their defensive numbers are up, the offense is lagging. Credit Head Coach Jim O’Brien for addressing this by finally breaking the mold that had encrusted his rotation offensively. Playing granger at the four has made the Pacers not only quicker and more versatile, but more effective as well.

Tyler Hansbrough, Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts are all effective niche players, but the Pacers are stronger using each in short spurts against favorable match ups. O’Brien’s move has created more opportunities for Granger to team up with Brandon Rush, Mike Dunleavy and Rookie Paul George which makes Indiana harder to defend.

Barring a key injury, this team will make the Playoffs (if you’ve seen the Eastern Conference standings, you’re not impressed). Either way, the playoffs would be documented evidence of progress and that’s just what the doctor ordered for the Pacers franchise

Anatomy of a tough loss

First appeared on January 11th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

With the exception of players betting against their own teams, nobody likes to lose. Losing is deflating. Like the peeling of an orange, losing strips us down revealing our true selves; something we often find unappealing. Nothing crushes the soul more than loss.


By definition we must lose something to experience loss. Be it loss of time spent with family or the loss of Super Bowl aspirations; some losses cut to the core. Some fester until a part of our soul becomes so gangrenous it’s lost forever. Such was the Colt loss last year to the Jets that shattered all hope of perfection. That surreal defeat struck many fans like a nail to the skull from an air hammer. A nail buried so deep the only hope of extraction was found in assembling a team of the best surgeons from four different continents.

But as hard as Curtis Painter’s coming out party was to watch, we haven’t seen a loss like this past Saturdays in some time. Obviously losing the Super Bowl wasn’t enjoyable but fans did move forward knowing the Colts made it to a stage 30 others had aspired for.

Saturday’s loss to the Jets was more along the lines of the 1996 AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh. A 29 yard game winning pass from Jim Harbaugh that bounced off Aaron Bailey’s chest in the end zone. That was a loss that sent Colt fans scrambling for snowy bridges over icy creeks only for Clarence to show up in the form of Peyton Manning’s draft choice. Losses of this caliber are torturous for fans and leave them bleary eyed from “what might have been” hangovers.

Extenuating circumstances often compound losses. Last year saw the prospect of perfection lost, in ‘96 it was the fact Indianapolis appeared destined for a Super Bowl after an unexpected playoff explosion.

The salt in Saturday’s wound was undoubtedly found on the Jets sideline. All the way from his high-water Dockers and white socks past a generous midsection so weakly camouflaged by your grandfather’s sleeveless sweater up to that notoriously loud mouth clogged by horse teeth, Jets Coach Rex Ryan personifies everything not Midwestern.

Despite the fact over 100 different men would play a role, the always blustery Hurricane Rex blew into Indianapolis Saturday night basically proclaiming the first round match-up between his Jets and the Colts a colossal game of one on one between himself and Peyton Manning.

Ryan declared the game “personal” and you really can’t blame him for being a frustrated man. Coming in Manning had owned Ryan’s defenses posting a 5-1 record shredding them for 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns.

That being said, Ryan is everything Midwesterners are not and that is what made Saturday’s loss so unbearable. The game became more than Jets vs. Colts. It morphed into a clash of styles. Ryan’s brash, in-your-face approach versus Jim Caldwell’s quiet wisdom.

Indy fans rallied behind Caldwell for not injecting himself into the game as Ryan had (as for the time out he called with 30 seconds left, that’s probably best left for another column). The point here is who needs Ryan anyway? Considering it was 19 outside, I’m sure there was plenty of hot air in Lucas Oil already.

This being said, it’s the shadow of Humpty Dumpty wearing a Motorola headset that will make this loss most difficult to move past. And while all the sand may not be out of Peyton Manning’s hourglass just yet, Moby Rex did his best to force as much through the neck as possible. And that’s the loss that stings the most.

Miami has turned up the Heat on NBA ratings

First appeared on January 4th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

In tough economic times such as these it’s natural for only bad things, like gas prices or unemployment, to be on the rise. But with over two months in the books, it has to be a good feeling for NBA Commissioner David Stern to know his television numbers are through the roof (up 30% over last year). Simply put, he can thank the Miami Heat.


Be it hunger for a Sports Center highlight or the closeted hope one will witness a volcano of egos resulting in LeBron slapping Wade or Bosh stepping on Head Coach Eric Spoelstra as if he were a cockroach so fattened on dried grease from the oven that he can’t dodge a size 22 shoe, people are tuning in to professional basketball in numbers the league hasn’t seen in some time.

The answer to what makes the Heat so attractive isn’t overly complicated. Don’t let the Girl Scouts or bank tellers fool you, Americans feed on drama and television is Example A. Art imitating life, the best television is chocked full of drama.

Drama is what made the CBS hit reality show Survivor such a ratings dynamo. Maddeningly popular early on, viewers eventually realized that despite new challenges and the most exotic locales possible essentially the drama never evolved from season to season and, despite their choosing to continue filming episodes, we collectively stopped watching.

The most important ingredient in any good drama is a bad guy; or an antagonist for those who watch Inside the Actors Studio. Throughout history we’ve seen it played over and over. A Great Britain for the Father’s of our Country. A Soviet Union for American children of the 50’s and 60’s. A Joker for Batman or common sense for Al Gore.

Before Miami’s big three, NBA fans knew the Spurs with their gentle giant Tim Duncan or the Lakers and all their sensational Hollywood glitz would win a title (9 of the last 12 to be exact). It was a certainty, as sure as Tom Cruise running in every movie he’s ever made or Will Ferrell appearing shirtless in his.

But now we have someone to hate. For whatever reason. Greed, popularity or the fact James punched a blue collar town like Cleveland in the stomach, it doesn’t matter-the Heat annoy us. The Heat are like television weathermen or the guy who never volunteers to coach his kids but is first in line to question those who do.

It’s not an open hatred mind you (except for those who live in Cleveland) rather it’s more a quiet disgust. Similar to the way you feel about junk mail or the guy who jogs into the store after taking the handicap parking space you had your eye on.

In one summer, in the course of one hour on ESPN actually, LeBron went from a player many rooted for to one old ladies mention in prayer circles or guys throw darts at in seedy bars late at night. But as ugly as both “The Decision” and the pyrotechnic coming out party the Big 3 threw for themselves in the off season were, this is EXACTLY what the NBA needed.

The NBA hasn’t had this kind of black hat since the Knicks of the mid ‘90’s or the Pistons of the late 80’s. And this was an era you could argue the Association was at the height of its popularity. So if you’re David Stern what do you do next? Simple, put as many Heat games on television as possible and charge sponsors Super Bowl commercial-like money to be part of the action.

For Sale: Everything College Football

First appeared on December 23rd, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

It’s that time of year again. Time to fight crowds like a salmon gone to spawn. Time to locate overpriced gifts before elbowing to the front of the line, knocking down some old lady who’s brandished her checkbook to pay for a single spindle of ribbon. Time to drive two hours in holiday traffic just to sit in a crowded house wearing a turtleneck you had no role in choosing but which makes you so hot you sweat harder than a hog going to sale.


But beyond the crowds and shoppers elbows, far worse than the $5.00 check writer or holiday traffic is the fact that Bowl season is once again upon us. “The most wonderful time of the year” ESPN would have us believe. Words obviously chosen to appease Capital One for having the (insert word of your choosing here) to sponsor the ENTIRE bowl season.

Bowl season, like Christmas, means something different to everyone. To me the majority of Bowl season needs to be jettisoned off like space trash. At its core bowl season is simply a never ending string of mediocre teams playing in overhyped games found in destinations that wouldn’t even be desirable in July, let alone wintertime (all apologies to my relatives in Detroit).

The NCAA says the mission behind college football is to provide youth with the “…motivation to pursue higher education”. Ah yes a fine goal indeed, however apparently in order to accomplish this one requirement is to tap an unlimited spigot of cash first.

Enter the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. I know what you’re thinking, these aren’t exactly names that roll off the tongue in the way the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl does. The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl earns the award for longest name of the season (sorry Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl) while the Texas Bowl simply proves once again that, if the state can afford to sponsor a bowl in these economic times, nothing truly is bigger than Texas.

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl are proof that somewhere, closeted up and rarely exposed, the NCAA does have some semblance of a conscience. Forgetting the idea of having any conscience whatsoever for a moment, the Godaddy.com Bowl should definitely have the best halftime show while the New Era Pinstripe Bowl will only interest me if the Italian Mafia will be attempting to “whack” the New York Yankees.

If you actually believe College football is about opportunities at higher education, then you probably still believe Santa Claus is real or that anybody in Washington actually cares about you and I. College football, like Washington ironically, is about money. And it’s not just ‘about money’ it’s blatantly about money.

In fact College football is so much about money they should play with green footballs, wear dollar signs on their helmets and install ATM’s in the end zones. Instead of T-shirts, male cheerleaders should shoot Tony Soprano-sized wads of cash into the stands and Cheerleaders should wave pom-poms made of shredded thousand dollar bills.

College football is so much about selling an experience to the highest bidder that it’s disgusting. If all they want is to sell something why don’t they do the respectable thing and run an ad in the Auto Trader or park it in their front yard like everyone else? This being said, I’ll be watching. After all, what’s the alternative? Dominating my 7 year old nephew in Trivial Pursuit for the third straight year or watching home movies of somebody’s trip to Poland?

Bermuda Triangle popular December destination

First appeared on December 15th, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

In 20th Century Fox’s soon to be released movie “Gulliver’s Travels”, Jack Black plays a travel writer who stumbles into the Bermuda Triangle. As you can probably surmise, once there life as he knows it changes dramatically.


For almost a decade life as fans of the Indianapolis Colts have known it has included twelve win seasons and a string of playoff appearances. And as the 2010-11 season began there was no reason to believe things would be changing anytime soon.

Enter the Bermuda Triangle. Or, perhaps more accurately, this is the point at which the Colts entered the Bermuda Triangle. Either way, looking up at Jacksonville in the AFC South with a 7-6 record, it’s safe to say these are uncharted waters for this current group of Indianapolis Colts.

The lexicon of the average Colt fan includes oft-used terms like undefeated, home field advantage, record setting and MVP season; but what is this “must win game”? Fundamentally the concept of having to win any one particular game is foreign to the Manning era Colts.

And before you go all “there’s no bigger must win than a Super Bowl!” on me, let me stop you. A must win game the Super Bowl is not. The Super Bowl is confirmation of one’s prowess, the culmination of a long season of hard work. Super Bowls’ don’t smack of desperation in the way must win games do.

Must win is a term that haunts the dreams of mediocre teams and lame-duck coaches. Teams who face a must win have, at some point, generally bungled all other opportunities at success. Must win games conjure images of teams who fell short of their promise.

The idea of the Colts ever playing a must win game was previously unheard of. About as unlikely as Obama’s approval numbers ever reaching Bush the Second level or Hollywood remaking a movie that wasn’t all that good to begin with; like say “Tron” for example. This is the part of the season where the Colts are supposed to blow the season by sitting their starters, not by actually losing a game.

For years we’ve raved over the way Manning’s “laser, rocket-arm” and Bill Polian’s eye for talent have enabled this team to win more games than the experts forecasted. Now, as the franchise drifts into the unknown abyss that is the mythical vortex of sub-reality known as the Bermuda Triangle, some are questioning Manning’s decisions and suddenly there’s a “Help Wanted” sign in the window of the Colts front office.

And as so many pronounce the Patriots and trumpet the Chargers as the Darth Vader to the Colts’ Luke Skywalker, here comes a match up with the one team that has been the proverbial thorn in the side of Indianapolis for many years now.

If there’s one team the Colts should fear in the AFC South it’s this week’s opponent. If someone can line up and pound the ball down their throat it’s the Jaguars. If anybody can hog the clock and keep Manning on the sideline it’s Jacksonville. Sunday the Jaguars can drive the first in a rapid succession of nails effectively burying the Colts’ season.

During his trip through the Bermuda Triangle, Jack Black discovers an air of invincibility after battling a navy comprised of sailors who are less than 6 inches tall. The Colts would do well to relocate the air of invincibility they once wore like a badge of honor. The trouble for Indy is that Jacksonville will likely put up a bit more resistance than any tiny navy lobbing pea sized cannonballs ever could.

Even Peyton has to be wondering: Who are these guys?

First appeared on November 18th, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

The secret is out. Producer Mark Burnett has chosen a destination for the new season of his hit series Survivor and the filming is already underway. And, despite generally being cloaked in secrecy, details are leaking out as diehard fans eagerly await the debut of “Survivor: Indianapolis”.


Word has it fan favorite Bob Sanders was the first voted off the island. And while this was undoubtedly a big power play, it’s really no surprise considering Vegas had him as a favorite not to finish the season anyway.

Such is the 2010-11 campaign for the Indianapolis Colts. We have watched with bewilderment as every week someone new limps to the bench after being “voted off the island”. And despite a rash, wait check that, despite being ravaged by injuries the Colts have somehow managed to stay together while staying competitive (See Dallas Cowboys). Save a moment Sunday when Jim Caldwell was scrambling for his “Idiot’s Guide to Covering Onsides Kicks”.

NFL teams carry a 53 man roster and of that 53 Indianapolis had 14 listed on the injury report before Sunday’s game with Cincinnati; 12 others are on injured reserve. And the names read as a “Who’s Who” of the Colt’s franchise.

Which begs the question: who are these new guys making all the plays? A quick rundown shows they understand winning.

Tight End Jacob Tamme gets an A for his Dallas Clark impersonation but an F for his “Earl Hickey in a football helmet” facial hair. After winning four straight Kentucky State Titles in high school, Tamme went on to become a two time First Team All SEC selection at UK.

Originally an undrafted free agent, former Brigham Young Safety Aaron Francisco’s name should sound familiar. A “boomerang guy”, Francisco’s been released and asked back by multiple NFL teams during his 6 years in the league. He was part of Indy’s playoff run last year recording 2 Special Team tackles in the Super Bowl. He’s also spent time with three other NFL teams including a playoff berth with Arizona.

Wide Receiver Brandon James is also an undrafted rookie who, like Tamme, won a championship in high school before choosing to stay in state to play at Florida. At Gainesville he was a 4 year letter winner who set 4 SEC and 11 Florida records for kick returns and was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year as a junior.

Another undrafted rookie, Javaris James attended the University of Miami after rushing for over 4,500 yards in high school. Before finding his way to Indianapolis he spent time on practice squads in both New England and Washington.

Unbelievable as it is to say, Blair White is yet another undrafted rookie who’s helping the Colts. After walking on at Michigan State, White became a four year- All Academic Big Ten selection. He was a First Team All Conference receiver his senior year before signing with the Colts as a practice player in September.

Things could be much worse of course. Manning could be hurt or the Colts could have signed Randy Moss. And with the season’s most difficult reward challenge ahead in Foxborough, the Colts have to play the hand their dealt for there is no merge with the ’76 Steelers coming anytime soon.

So here’s to hoping someone like Wayne, Mathis or Freeney stumble across the hidden immunity idol or Eighteen doesn’t find Jeff Probst asking for his torch. For, as long as he’s under center, the Colts should always have a chance no matter who’s lined up at wide receiver (and, yes that includes Rupert and Parvarti).

Merry Christmas Hoosier Fans

First appeared on November 30th, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad Hoosier fans. Here’s to a good Kwanzaa and a Happy Festivus too. The time has come to celebrate so bust out the fruitcake and a plate of Buneulos. Tell the kids to fill the Unity cup and put up the old aluminum pole.


November 2010 will go down as a turning point for the Indiana University men’s basketball program. For not only have their fortunes changed, but the last month has confirmed what so many Hoosier fans were beginning to doubt. As far as rebuilding what once was one of the nation’s top programs is concerned, Tom Crean is the right man.

In signing Washington’s Cody Zeller and getting a verbal commitment from Park Tudor’s Yogi Ferrell, Crean has amassed a group of recruits that will serve as a steroid shot to the arm of his program. And not just your run of the mill “I’m a 150 pound shortstop who wants to slam 40 homers “steroid shot either. Rather we’re talking the kind of steroid shot that would have had Barry Bonds slamming balls not just over McCovey Cove, but across all 5,500 miles of the Pacific Ocean.

A Home Run ball long enough to shatter the window of Kim Jung IL’s palatial Pyongyang palace before ricocheting off his head. A shot hopefully strong enough to do irreparable damage to the tiny pea brain his bulbous, gourd-like skull protects. For hitting a rocket like that, Bonds might even once again regain American Hero status.

If there were any doubt after a 16 and 46 start to his career in Bloomington, this has to be the sign so many were looking for. All his tempered comments, all his hustling around the nation keeping a finger on the pulse of AAU basketball and all his titillating tweets appear to be finally paying off.

In landing Zeller and Ferrell, Crean has not just ensured a competitive future on the court for the Hoosiers, but he has also ensured they will once again be a viable option for the nation’s top talent. Prospective in-state kids will now see Indiana as a desirable place. And, once Zeller and Ferrell are on campus, prospective out of state kids will see many IU games on ESPN.

In landing Zeller and Ferrell, Crean is also one step closer to fulfilling his goal of building a program on local talent. For too long Hoosier fans have watched as the state’s top kids migrated to better locales, but now Crean has taken a major step towards taking the state back.

And while the forecast for the long term looks promising, the short run still promises a mighty hill for Indiana to climb. To this point Crean’s Hoosiers have taken advantage of a lighter than normal preseason schedule to get out to a solid start. But with 5 teams currently ranked in the top 20 nationally (3 in the Top 10), the Big Ten schedule may be one of the most brutal in recent memory.

Which brings us back to Crean. Contrary to popular belief, the measure of a good coach isn’t always wins and losses. A good college coach sells his program to his kids. A good college coach sells his vision to kids. A good college coach can keep a group of young men together in the face of tremendous adversity.

For Crean, he has proven he can sell his program and his vision. His next test is to keep his kids together in the face of a difficult Big Ten schedule. If he can do this, the wins and losses are sure to follow.