Biggest sports moments in Indiana history

Yesterday marked the 20-year anniversary of Reggie Miller's 8 points in 9 seconds. I started to wonder, where would that moment rank if it were played in the state of Indiana? Here are some from from recent memory:

• 2011 Indy 500: 100th Anny, rookie (JRH) leads final turn/lap, crashes; Wheldon wins again, his last
• 2006 AFC Championship in Hoosier Dome. 38-34. Cheaters lose
• 2010 Final Four: small, local school w/ half-court buzzer to beat #1 Devils
• 2011 Watshot 3-pt winner at buzzer over #1 and undefeated Wildcats
• 2001 Haston 3-pt winner at buzzer over #1 and undefeated Spartans
• 2014 AFC Divisional playoffs: Andrew Luck's 24-pt comeback win
• The NBA pipeline
• 2000 Pacers reaching NBA Finals

Last Century:

• Jeff Gordon winning inaugural Brickyard 400
• 1993 Notre Dame over #1 FSU (and '88 title)
• Bob Knight's championships, chair-toss & choke
• 1987 Pan Am Games
• Multiple ABA Championships in the 70s (and Nancy Leonard's fundraiser)
• Larry Bird
• Oscar Robertson
• Bobby Plump & Milan HS
• Hoosiers
• Rudy
• Breaking Away
• Slick Leonard
• John Wooden

Honorable mention: Tony Hulman, Mike Aulby, Isiah Lord Thomas, Shawn Kemp, Glenn Robinson, Damon Bailey, Billy Keller, Scott Skiles, Steve Alford

Lucas Oil Stadium ranked #1

The stadium that Peyton built, erected a year after the Colts won the Superbowl, sits alone at the top of the rankings - much like its neighbor down the street, Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Not only does Indianapolis provide a safe, affordable, compact downtown with plenty of hotspots, the city also offers the best basketball and football venues in the country. To top that off, the city also boasts impressive products on the field as well. How impressive? Well, both the Pacers and Colts are ranked #1 this year (or have been), while featuring the best young-pro-athlete-duo around: Paul George and Andrew Luck.
Anyway, back to Lucas Oil... Retractable roof? Check. Food variety? Check. Scenic view of the city? Check. Wide-open hallways allowing for easy access and decreased traffic? Check. With over 350 concession stands, lines rarely take more than a minute or two.  The stadium and the city also masterfully hosted a Superbowl last year.

Lets take a look at the other factors making Indy #1:

• professionals
• Airport
• dating
• jobs
• sex
• affordable homes
• spectator events
• sports

Indy features nations best young pro studs

1. Indy: Paul George and Andrew Luck
2. Washington: Bryce Harper and RG3
3. San Fran: Buster Posey and Colin Kaepernick
4.  L.A.: Mike Trout and Blake Griffin
5. Houston: JJ Watt and James Harden
6. Chicago: Derrick Rose and Jonathan Toews
7. Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby and Andrew McCutchen
8. Tampa: Steven Stamkos and Doug Martin
9. ATL: Julio Jones and Justin Upton
10. Dallas: Dez Bryant and Yu Darvish

Hicks v Knicks

The rivalry was unofficially born in '93, climaxed in '95, and renewed at the turn of the century. Six playoff meetings in 8 years ending in 2000. If you look at today's Pacers roster, all of them were just kids when this happened, even David West. Larry Bird built this team, following Donnie Walsh's footsteps, then Walsh built this current Knickerbocker squad. That's why this match-up is a basketball lovers dream: each team's playing style reflecting their home market's identity. NYC run&gun/street ball versus Indiana's defense/rebounding.
Hoosiers vs Hoopers, or Hoovers, or Hooders... I'm still working on an improved title, but until then its "Hicks vs Knicks"

My team is better than yours

The worst kept secret was released today: Indiana Hoosiers basketball is the top team in the land. Not only are they returning all 5 starters from last year, but Sheehey is the best 6th man in the nation and Yogi adds backcourt depth. Its an embarrassment of riches that wasn't exactly easy; Coach Tom Crean has pieced together a title contender in just 4 years after inheriting a program with 1 (former) walk-on.

IHSAA football sectionals begin this week, and look who is ranked #1... da Bears. Lawrence Central went to the title game in 2010 but lost to Fishers at Lucas Oil stadium while Mr Football Tre Roberson eventually took his talents to Bloomington.  QB Drake Christen leads the state's most prolific offense (42 ppg) while A-Rod and Isaiah Townsend own the run game and a solid D known for shutting-out opponents all season. Eyes will be on the sectional semifinal next week, where LC looks to avenge last year's loss to 2011 State Champ, Carmel Greyhounds.

Speaking of stout defense, Notre Dame has yet to allow a rushing TD this year as they sit undefeated in the BCS hunt. Their 6-0 record and top-5 ranking is boosted by downing three ranked opponents and could get better with wins @ Oklahoma & USC. Linebacker Manti Te'o is a Heisman contender and the other #5 leads the dynamic offense, even though veteran QB Tommy Rees has had to pick up Everett Gholston's slack a few times.

Pacers begin the season later this month with some unfamiliar faces, adding role players DJ Augustine, Ian Mahinmi, Gerald Green, Sam Young, as well as draft picks Orlando Johnson and Miles Plumlee. Some say the bench didn't really improve from last season, but the chemistry of the starting 6 (Hansbrough) strengthened, plus major improvement from George Hill and Paul George should compliment the frontcourt of Danny Granger, David West and Roy Hibbert, who signed a max-contract this offseason.

I am holding off on talking about the Reds until I've cooled off from their choke-job, but my headline still holds true unless you're a fan of SF, NY, STL or DET.

And finally the Colts. Yes, I'm still soaking in the victory over the Packers. All I can say is Andrew Luck is my hero. Other than that, ChuckStrong!

Guess Who's Bizzack

After a 6-month hiatus I am declaring myself back!  My excuse is I couldn't comfortably blog with the lack of hardware (ie. physical keyboard) and connectivity (ie. LAN), but now that I have those back you can expect more of my rambling nonsense...

Let's start with the NFL Draft -
Colts own the #1 pick and its no doubt they'll go with Andrew Luck. After that, its RGIII, then who knows. Well Jim Irsay is hosting a contest via Twitter that lets anyone guess the 32 picks (in order) to win a BMW. I entered my picks Tuesday and here's what I got:

1. Luck (Colts)

2. Griffin (Redskins)

3. Kalil (Vikings)

4. Richardson (Browns)

5. Claiborne (Bucs)

6. Blackmon (Rams)

7. Gilmore (Jaguars)

8. Tannehill (Dolphins)

9. Cox (Panthers)

10. Barron (Bills)

11. Keuchly (Chiefs)

12. Ingram (Seahawks)

13. DeCastro (Cardinals)

14. Floyd (Cowboys)

15. Kirkpatrick (Eagles)

16. Poe (Jets)

17. Upshaw (Benglas)

18. Reiff (Chargers)

19. Wright (Bears)

20. Coples (Titans)

21. Mercilus (Bengals)

22. Glenn (Browns)

23. Hightower (Ravens)

24. Martin (Steelers)

25. Brockers (Broncos)

26. Perry (Texans)

27. McClellin (Browns)

28. Smith (Packers)

29. Zeitler (Lions)

30. Fleener (49ers)

31. Hill (Patriots)

32. Konz (Giants)

We should see 2 Golden Domers (Harrison Smith and Michael Floyd) being drafted in the 1st round.

Tonight is also the final night of NBA regular season games. The artist formerly known as Ron Artest recently received a SEVEN-game suspension for a vicious elbow aimed at Thunder star James Harden. The weak suspension is further proof that David Stern is a fucking asshole that doesn't treat all franchises equally (big market = preferential treatment). Despite this disadvantage, the Indiana Pacers still managed to finish as a 3-seed in the East. The acquisition of David West and George Hill solidified a strong starting five, and adding Barbosa to the bench provides a deeper roster with many capable defenders and scorers. Coach Frank Vogel recently emptied the bench in the first half against the Pistons, and still won. Spurs and Bulls coaches may get more consideration for CoY, but Vogel should definitely be in the conversation. Also, I believe Larry Bird should win Executive of the Year for piecing together the 5th-best team in the league -despite not having a single star on the team.

The Hoosiers are the early favorites to win the 2013 NCAA Championship, Vegas odds have been set at 7:1. Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, UNC, MSU, and OSU are also contenders. The Hoosiers will be 'oversigned' by 1 scholarship, but Crean seems okay with that for now. 

Finally, lets talk tech. I recently added the new Google Docs mobile app (called Google Drive) and browsed over the comments to see what others were saying. The chief complaints were users mad at the file size of the app (approx. 15MB); usually this isn't a concern because we just move the app to our SD card, but this is one of those pesky apps that has to be installed on the phone's memory, which is limited to a couple hundred Megabytes. It got me thinking, if we can store 64 GB on an SD card (something the size of a postage stamp folded over) why can't these mobile phones have that much storage space built-in? Maybe you're one of those people who can't download new apps until you delete old ones, I know I've been there. Why do the 2011-2012 phones have less storage space than 2001-era iPods & digicams? Ponder that

Peyton Manning wins 4th MVP

As we enter the new decade with the Pacers on an 8-game losing streak and the Hoosiers undefeated in BigTen play, I wanted to keep my streak going of passing on tomorrow's news: Peyton Manning will win an NFL-record 4th MVP and the six Pro Bowlers mentioned below will also include Bethea but none of them will be available to play due to XLiV.

10 years later, Conseco still ahead of the curve

Modern NBA arenas (Charlotte, Ft Worth, San Antonio and Memphis - all cities without a public smoking ban) are modeling themselves after Conseco Fieldhouse. The shrine to Indiana basketball is part-museum, part-temple. USA Today called it "a cathedral to basketball" and Amusement Business Magazine called it "the Camden Yards of Basketball". The structure pays homage to Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse and features memorabilia spanning decades of high school, collegiate and professional icons such as John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Bobby Knight, Larry Bird and 3 ABA Championships.

Pacers 2009 draft preview

OK, here's how I see the '09/'10 roster: (no Marquis, no Rasho, no Tinsley)

PG - Jack, Ford (good pair here, no real need to draft another if Jarrett is re-signed)
SG - Rush, S.Graham (both young and inexperienced, but I do like Rush's future)
SF - Granger, Dunleavy (both excellent wingmen, no reason to add more)
PF - Murphy, McRoberts (I like the Irish a lot, but we really need another big man)
C - Hibbert, Foster (Jeff is old and we'll need a replacement for him soon)

My hope is we'll go with a PG like Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, or Ty Lawson or possibly a PF like DeJuan Blair or Tyler Hansbrough. The 2nd-round pick could be someone like AJ Price, Garret Siler or Robert Dozier.

I'd really like to see Indiana select Pike HS grad Jeff Teague but I don't

think he'll be available. VCC's Eric Maynor could be a nice addition but I think he'll fall to the bottom of the 1st round. Another hot prospect is Brandon Jennings, who played in Italy last year because he was too dumb for college (ie. Memphis must've been outta scholorships).

Need an update?

here it is, quick & dirty...

Pacers fail to make playoffs. Bulls/Celtics was epic. Still got an awesome gf. Reds still suck. BFF moved to Guatemala. Vegas was fun. Colts draft was decent. New job @ Bella Vita. And lastly, Twitter sucks because a.) it doesn't work well with Firefox and b.) even when I click the "Remember Me" box it doesn't remember me! WTF?

PS - Cinco de Mayo fiesta @ mi casa esta noche

Indy Hoops recap

Wednesday: J-O made a guest appearance at Conseco Fieldhouse, this time as a member of the Miami Heat. D-Wade's game-winning 3-pointer as time expired bounced in, and then out. Pacers continue to believe they can make a playoff spot...
Thursday: Duke and Purdue both lose, coach Billy Gillispie fired from UK. Is it my birthday?
Friday: While at my gf's parents' crib - amidst heavy drinking and charades - I observed Louisville trounce Arizona and Michigan State come back from 13-down to dethrone defending champion Kansas
Saturday: Indiana crowns 4 State champions today in High School Boys Basketball - including future IU PG and Mr Basketball Jordan Hulls leading an undefeated Bloomington South squad vs Ft. Wayne Snider; Pacers battle the Chicago Bulls at United Center - and it looks like Brandon Rush likes his new role as a starter, scoring 18 in the 1st Q; 'Nova takes on Pitt and Mizzou plays UConn
Sunday: Michigan State and Louisville go head-to-head at da 'Luc for a berth to the Final Four in Detroit; Tyler Hansbrough battles Blake Griffin for the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft. And finally, will Agent Zero make his '08-09 debut in Indy?

RIP Tony Dungy & Marvin Harrison

Some are y'all are gloomy about TD's departure, the recession, the subzero temperatures, the Hoosiers inability to win a game, Blue Monday, our current eco-crisis, and so on... but here's what I'm excited about:

• Danny-G thirty-three's All-Star breakout
• Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell
• The Obama Era...
• ...Bush's departure
• NFL playoffs. Will Edge, Jesus and the Cards halt Philly's championship streak? Can Joe Flacco handle the Steel Curtain and prevent an all-PENNSYLVANIA Superbowl??
• and finally...Teen sexting and "dirty old men in raincoats" - !o!

New school Pacers return to their roots

The Pacers begin anew tonight tipping off their preseason home opener at The Pepsi Coliseum, a house that has welcomed Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Roger Brown, Slick Leonard, Connie Hawkins, Rick Barry, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin and hoisted 3 ABA Titles. Larry Bird is actually carrying the torch of another bird... Bill Byrd. Now 62 and designing websites, IndyStar relives the past with him some 30+ years ago. Here's a nice excerpt...

After the 1973 season, the ABA champion Pacers played the NBA champion Knicks at a time when the leagues were competing for players. The Knicks of Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley won the NBA title, beating the Los Angeles Lakers with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.

"The Knicks came into town the night before and we had a little event, and Bill Bradley got up and kind of made fun of Indianapolis and the Pacers. The night of the game, Roger Brown said, 'Let me have Bradley.' "Roger hit him with 26 points in the first half and by the end of the third quarter, we had them down 17." The Pacers won and moved into Market Square Arena for the '74-'75 season. By 1976, the ABA and NBA had finally merged.

I feel like ranting so here it is

Notre Dame football will always be on national TV in America and most people don't like it. You either hate em or love em. Without sounding like an obvious homer (South Bend is upstate, my parents are from Elkhart County), they ring true excellence academically... less than a handful of BCS schools can claim that (Stanford, Duke... UCLA?). Their definition of a student-athlete is so far beyond any BigTen or SEC school it hurts (Northwestern? Vandy?). They refuse to join a conference in football, so now you hate them more. Those cocky bastards. Then they got Bellicheat's former protègè and he eats a lot. A lot. And they haven't won a bowl game for a decade and a half. Nevermind that they were Vegas' underdog in 7 of those 9 matchups dating all the way to their back to back Cotton Bowl wins in '93/'94 . The Cotton Bowl, the 5th member of the BCS Series, which is IU football's next step, after they install new turf of course. And get a real Head Coach. Chances that will happen with a lame duck Athletic Director? I've seen a lot of chaos since being 22-4 and whipping Purdont, well actually since I was a rioting student the week Kent Harvey's arm was grabbed by Knight. Before then, being a Hoosier fan was like being a Pacers fan. Nowadays being a Pacers fan is the more humbling than Notre Dame's current plight. This was my team growing up... Reggie Miller posters wall to wall... wearing the shorts and jerseys to school... waiting for autographs after games. Today tickets are basically free and management has turned over for the first time in 24 years. I'm 26. I cannot recall the Hoosiers winning it all in '87 or the Irish doing so in '88 but I do remember the Reds sweep of Oakland in '90. Then there was a huge gap til 2007, when Colts clinched their first in Indy. But that made it even moreso rewarding as a fan, or fanatic in my case. A team that was 10 years removed from 1-15 turned into 3 straight years of being undefeated in November... Colts are synonymous with AFC SOUTH CHAMP, literally, they're the sole owner of such a title. Holy shit I can't wait to see Lucas Oil.

Danny Granger wants a Batcave

Q. Here in your house do you have your sanctuary where it's all about you?
A. I do. It's in the basement where I play my video games. I think when I build a house a couple years down the line, I was telling my fiancée I wanted to have - once again with the superhero thing - you know how Batman drives into a hidden cave? I'm serious. I even met with like a builder and ask if this would be possible -- have a secret entrance to my house that no one knows about. Make it look like whatever, but have a secret way I can get to my house that I could drive my car in. It would probably cost way too much money but I really may think about doing that. Like seriously. I'm dead serious.

Happy Leap Day!

The Indianapolis Colts enter the free agency signing period this morning with no intent on snatching-up any marquee players. In fact, since 2003 only 1 NFL free agent has been offered a contract by the Colts (Adam Vinatieri). The Colts draft so well they don't have to scramble for talent, and thus eliminating any risk of grabbing a player in haste.

Also, Colts owner Jim Irsay has expanded the horseshoe logo to the LPGA by sponsoring golfer Becky Lucidi (pictured). 

Are the Indiana Hoosiers looking for a new head coach? That all depends on how well Dan Dakich's team performs in the NCAA tournament. He's probably more than capable of coaching this squad, but I fear IU is looking for a big-name hire to lure the top recruits. If we've learned one thing from Purdon't this year is that you can put together a no-name-team of underclassmen and still contend for the conference title - as long as you emphasize the fundamentals like defense and ball control. Of course, these players aren't really 'no-namers', they're actually Indiana HS All-Stars, but the point is IU doesn't have to shoot for the moon to win. Prominent names that have been thrown around include Thad Matta, Rick Pitino and Rick Barnes. Lesser-known candidates on the radar include ex-Boiler Kevin Stallings, Washington State's Tony Bennett, Wright State's Brad Brownell, Baylor's Scott Drew and Xavier's Sean Miller.

The Indiana Pacers are dealing with more off-court troubles now that Shawne Williams' pal has been arrested for a Memphis murder. This news comes after a report that a woman was raped at Marquis Daniels' home last month, David Harrison failing a 3rd drug test, Jamaal Tinsley the target of a drive-by, Williams arrested for having no license/expired plates/possession of gun & weed, JT and 'Quisy beating up a club owner, Stephen Jackson firing a pistol and kicking a retard... and all this after the infamous brawl in Detroit. We make the Bengals look like choir boys.

Jeff Foster does what Conseco security can't

You'd think that having a half-empty Fieldhouse would allow security and ushers to corrall this kid, but Kyle Spear's favorite Pacer (#10) saves the day.

Apparently our local thugs don't play fantasy basketball

With apologies to Jason Whitlock...
This doesn't happen in the Indiana I love. This Indiana hosts sellout High School gymnasiums larger than it's own town size. We worship free throws and 17 year old boys. John Wooden. Butler Bulldogs. Larry Bird. Bob Knight. "Hoosiers". Unfortunately we also have claim to Zeke, Shawn Kemp, and Purdue.
Tin-man's averaging career highs in assists, steals, rebounds, FT%, minutes as well as TOs (3.6 highest since rookie year, 3.4). Although he's on an NBA roster without any NBA-level backup (see Andre Owens, Travis Diener). He's thriving within this offense, especially when Jermaine doesn't play, his tempo is faster and better suited for his free-style. Jim O'Brien's doing a good job recognizing how to utilize these players to their potential, knowing full well we are no longer championship material.
So tomorrow we'll be saying "free JT" or "R.I.P. JT", but inside I'll be thankful for the eventual upgrade... whomever that may be.

Everyone's thankful we're Hoosiers

A.Starr and EJ respectively earn Players of the Week, celebrating THE greatest weekend in Bloomington of 2007. The football team will be playing their first Bowl game since '93, the basketball team is undefeated and atop the BigTen, and the Men's Soccer squad is ranked #4 overall headed into the Sweet16.
Non-Btown News: The Indiana Pacers, Notre Dame Irish AND Superbowl Champion Indianapolis Colts all halted their 2-week (too weak?) losing streaks. The problem is the Irish are on a good note, at 2-and-whatever. With Freeney done for the year and more nagging injuries for Jim O'Brien's frontcourt, it's still amateurs over pros (...amateur's overprose!).

ROX/SOX World Series?

► Pacers pick up options on Forwards Danny G#33, Ike D. and Shawne Williams
► Reds hire Dusty Baker(?!?) as skipper
► Bowl-bound Hoosiers lose bid/Old Brass Spitoon
► Heisman hopefull Matt Ryan and #4 BC beat #119 Irish (above)
► Colts had bye, my fantasy team suffered
► Sampson punished for receiving 3-way calls