Step 1: Why? Combining two bucket lists into one: visiting all 50 states in the U.S. and visit every MLB stadium. Crossed off 6 states in New England which now puts me at 48 of the 50 (New Mexico & Alaska).
Step 2: When? Juggling over a dozen different MLB schedules in late July, I wound up attending 8 games at 8 ballparks in 11 days. The Phillies gifted me a surprise double-header - ended by a walk-off Grand Slam - and I attended the Fenway tour, but unfortunately no game.
Step 3: Where? Starting from Circle City - also visiting Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Step 4: How? Using Hotels.com, HipCamp, Google Maps, Trip Advisor and the Ballpark app. I drove, camped, disc'd, fished, cheered & jeered, went sight-seeing & wondering & touring & exploring, slept in the car & hotel & tent & friend's house, and had gobs of seafood & ice cream along the way.
Some of my favorite photos (below) with more on IG: @Schrockstar
There are three distinct moments that stand out to me more than any; more than the Marco Killingsworth dunk over Duke in '06, more than the Knight chair toss in '85, or the hundreds of visits I made as a student, some of which included spying on a closed practice. I could write a book telling you about the details of each of those events. Trying to find the words to summarize them is difficult enough, but succinctly accentuating WHY the moment is so special to me is the true challenge. I'll try to put you in my shoes.
#1. My freshman year (2000) started off with a bang - Bobby was fired my first week of college. As a student reporter, I covered the story feverishly until the hype eventually died down weeks later, when the next big story came along - a Presidential election which turned into a runoff and recount, and again, as a reporter I pushed myself to the limit, exhaustively covering every detail possible. Little did I know that both of those experiences would be dwarfed by opening weekend of my 2nd semester.
My dormmates all had season tickets together, and some games were on the floor behind the hoops, and other seats were in the balcony, with a good mix in between. IU is notorious for having the most student seats and it was a real treat when you had floor seats, and a real downer when you're in the nosebleeds. The Michigan State game was one of those. Garcia & I decided that if the game is close at the final timeout (4-min) we'd run down to lower level and just stand on the sidelines. It was already chaotic, nationally televised (MSU was #1) so there was a healthy police presence by the benches. But they were fans too, and what they didn't notice is how I made my way to where the cheerleaders stand and just kinda blended in. Afterall, this was the final play of the game and I wanted a good view.
Rewind 3 years earlier when I was a spectator rushing the court at Columbus North HS after my LC Bears beat the Bloomington North Cougars (led by Jared Jeffries and Duany Duany) on a buzzer beater to advance to Semi-State on March 13th 1998.
So I was no rookie to court-rushing, which I think gave me the confidence to do what I did next, which is LEAP OVER a cheerleader to get on the court. No less than one second after the buzzer went off and that ball swished, I was the first fan on the court sprinting towards Kirk Haston. As the players stacked onto each other one-by-one, I had to decide whether to join the dogpile or do the smart thing and protect the players. So I slid to my knees and scooted into the pile, caught my balance and put my hands up in celebration. ESPN Sportscenter replayed this moment over and over and it was later voted the #1 play, forever memorialized on VHS and then YouTube. Yep, that's me.
#2. The date is December 10th, 2011. The weeks before, I remember extending my vacation in Guatemala beyond Thanksgiving and into December. But there was a nagging feeling that I need to go back home for this game. After all, Kentucky was ranked #1 in the nation and IU was undefeated. The rivalry was as strong as ever, and ESPN Gameday was in town - along with tons of alumni... it was an electric atmosphere.
My 2nd favorite memory from this day was how I obtained my ticket to the game. I'd been StubHubbing and Craigslisting all week hoping to get a ticket for under $125 but the only double-digit prices were Student tickets. As an expert scalper, I was counting on being able to get a good deal near tipoff. No luck; prices were even higher and harder to get. Now here's a lil tip I learned elsewhere and will forever thank my luck, because I walked up to the teller box, jokingly asked if there were any tickets available, and to my surprise she responded "let me check!" and lo and behold, she says "I have one. Thirty-six dollars." I couldn't believe it. What are the odds that someone actually returned their unused ticket just before I asked for one? Moments later, there I was: center-court, main level, 30 rows up. Fast-forward to the final play of the game, and I felt like I just had to get this on video, just in case. You know the rest.
#3. The date is October 16th, 2010: I'm in Btown cuz it's Homecoming weekend and duh, Midnight Madness - which is now called Hoosier Hysteria and played at reasonable hour instead of, well... ya know. This edition featured former-player autographs (Damon Bailey, etc) and then the show got started with the player announcements, lights, videos, and all that pomp. This year's squad was 'led' by senior J.Rivers, son of Doc. I use softquotes because really the stars were the sophomores: Mr. Basketball Jordan Hulls at point, Christian Watford up front, and wingman Mo Creek. Juniors VJ3 and Tom Pritchard were both 3-yr starters, so this was a pretty good squad. In fact, a couple of 3-star incoming frosh didn't really register on my radar until this night: Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo. There was a scrimmage, and a 3-point contest, but the event that stood out the most was the slam dunk contest. A handful of guys displayed their athleticism, but Victor immediately jumped into my full attention. He was doing NBA Slam Dunk contest-type dunks, including one where he gathered a group of children and had them stand under the hoop. Of course, he completely lept over them and it was a great PR for the program to incorporate fans as props, like a magician. This kid was beaming with talent. I remember thinking, "this kid is the next Michael Jordan; I have to go meet him." So naturally I walk across the court after the show is over, and ask for a picture.
He wound up starting a few games that year, before taking a giant stride his Sophomore year (see #2 above), and then an even BIGGER leap his Junior year. As we all know, Vic eventually reached the NCAA Player of the Year runner-up distinction, missing the top spot by a couple voting points. Then of course he was the 2nd overall draft pick, to the Magic, where his first game was right here in Indy with ya boy sitting courtside welcoming him home. I still feel pretty good about my MJ comparison and anybody who's heard me say that usually rolls their eyes. Then came the trade to Indiana, and the All-Stars, and his singing career, the All-NBAs... who knows what's next. I tried to tell em. They don't roll their eyes as often these days.
Strictly geographically speaking, Cincinnati could rightfully call themselves the center of the Universe when it comes to basketball. Problem is, we all know most of the basketball lore from Cincy is via an Indianapolis-native briefly providing his talents in the late 50s. The same man who the NCAA later named their Player of the Year trophy after: Oscar Robertson. Besides that, there's not much to say about Tri-State Hoops being the capital. Much of the collegiate success over recent decades have spread out to neighboring schools Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Louisville, Michigan State... the list goes far beyond just bluebloods and powerhouses - Dayton was a top-5 school just as March Madness was about to begin, until the damn panic shut it down. Creighton was contending for a top-10 spot. Iowa & Illinois were ranked in the top-10.
I might be so bold as to say that in any given year, at leasthalf the ranked teams are from the Midwest. Yep, that includes NET, RPI, Sagarin, and KenPom rankings.
So I thought, let's put together a crude lil map and then check every now and then to see how well the prediction holds up.
2021 Update: Naturally, the NCAA chose Indianapolis, and Indiana to host the entire Men's Basketball tournament this March with most games (including all elite8+ games) within covered-walking distance of Circle Center in the Circle City, just south of Carmel aka Roundabout City, which is quick drive to anywhere else around Indy, thanks to Interstate-465 highway, a circle around the city known for driving in circles (ovals). Get it yet? 🎯
Love the applause from the crowd getting Wallace to turn around and glare at them. He already knows.
First topic: fellow Hoosier Amy Coney Barrett
Wallace: Why is he right? Why is your opponent wrong?
Trump (no hello or thanks): She's good, all good, great, greatest, single greatest, etc...
Biden: First of all, thank you. (Trump: thankyou) Biden then goes off topic, gives historic numbers, some false about ACA. Then says WOMENS RIGHTS are in jeopardy and they're charged more for the same procedure. (Trump shakes head) So it's not appropriate to move forward.
Trump: Your numbers are false. (Narrator's note: AAAAAAND here.we.go)
Biden: The election's already started (chuckles) Wallace interjects: yep, we're open to discussion
Biden: {clarifies}
Trump: You're not the Democratic Party
Biden: I am the party
Trump: Not according to Harris
I noticed Joe won't look at Trump. He just smiles and freezes when confronted with troublesome facts.
Wallace wants to know what his health care plan is. Trump says he repealed the mandate in Obamacare. Again asks what his plan is. That sets up Biden for the first attack: The President has no plan. He hammers Trump over and over.
Then they traded jabs at an alarming rate and I'm purty drunk so I think I'm gonna quit blogging for now and enjoy the shitshow. Cheers!
Now that the tide has turned again for the B1G and football is back on for an 8 week schedule including a championship game in Indianapolis on December 19th, we can maybe safely assume PAC12 will eventually wise up as well and come to some sort of plan to play and no asterisks will be needed to crown this year's champ.
It turns out that Notre Dame's decision to join the ACC convinced them and others not to postpone their seasons.
Just as the tide was turning and pulling back, our lord savior Swarbrick stuck his mighty stick on the ocean floor and parted a clearing for the masses to follow towards salvation and the promised land.
3 years ago, the Lawrence Central basketball Bears were bounced from the opening round of the playoffs. The following year, D'Andre Davis and Nijel Pack advanced to the Sectional championship. Last year, LC posted a 22-4 overall record on their way to a Regional appearance. A loss, if you will, but still a Sectional Win. Either way you look at it is bittersweet. They're hoping to drop that bitterness when they contend for a State title in March of 2020; but right now, this dynamic duo is focused on it's annual Thanksgiving Eve matchup against Lawrence North. May the games begin.
Speaking of rivalries, Purdue hosts Indiana at Noon in their annual Thanksgiving Saturday matchup, aka The Old Oaken Bucket game. IU who is looking for their 8th regular-season win, is hoping for a Gator Bowl invite in warm, sunny Florida this New Year... or maybe that's just me. And before you ask: Yes, I'll even take Notre Dame as a consolation prize.
SmartAsset recently released a new study which found Hamilton County to be ranked #1 where people are best prepared for retirement. The study weighed four criteria: 401(k) performance, pension performance, local economic conditions (#1 in state), and access to financial advisors.
Another study by the same publication ranked the top places for small business owners to thrive. The study examined three factors: the percentage of people in a county with small business income, the proportion of that income to overall income and taxes paid by small business owners. Again. Hamilton County ranks #1 - beating dozens of top contenders.
In the bustling Nickel Plate District of Fishers, Indiana, Tracy Gritters can recall a time when things looked very different.
“It was a two-lane road 17 years ago,” she said of the property around her boutique store, Gallery 116, where she has sold locally made goods since 2002. “We were worried about Target coming to town.” The retail giant eventually did — it's located about an 11-minute walk from her store — but the city's expansion hasn’t been the scenario she feared.
Fishers, which was named MONEY's Best Place to Live in 2017, officially upgraded from a town to a city and swore in its first mayor on January 1, 2015. Mayor Scott Faddness is still in office, and in the years since his inauguration, the city itself has been transformed.
The newly developed downtown area became the Nickel Plate District, now home to an outdoor amphitheatre, plenty of retail stores and restaurants, a brewery, luxury apartments, and a high-speed internet coworking space. Soon, The Yard — an upcoming 18-acre mixed-use development — will add even more amenities, including at least 15 highly anticipated restaurants, an incubator for start-up chefs, 250 apartments, and a Hyatt Place Hotel.
“We have everything we need right here,” said Gritters of the city, which is located about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis. “We have great food, great shopping, [and] activities for the kids.”
Not only is the amped-up downtown increasing the entertainment value and sense of community for Fishers' residents, it’s bringing a lot of money into the young city’s economy. Fishers has seen $90 million worth of investments from four finished projects, and over the next few years it’s expecting another $170 million — $157 million of which will come from The Yard alone.
That kind of growth usually comes with growing pains, but the city appears to be handling it well, according to Gritters. (Fishers was one of the safest cities on our list as of 2018.) “Some of the people who have lived here longer than I have, they don’t like the traffic, but the city’s doing a good job of keeping up with the street developments and all the nuts and bolts of growing so fast.”
Employment is seeing the benefits, too. Job growth has expanded by an astounding 30.4% since 2010, according to Moody’s Analytics, and is projected to go up another 9.2% by 2023. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, was a low 2.7% in 2018 and the median household income was upwards of $104,300, which is even more impressive considering the low cost of living in Fishers.
Renters have it particularly good, but for anyone hoping to invest, now’s the time. The median sales price for a single family home was up 1.14% in 2018 to $263,500 — just about 2.5% times the median household income, commonly considered the rule of thumb for how much to spend on a home.
Overall, the future looks bright. “I love where [Fishers is] going to be,” says Gritters. “Because I think about our kids in 40 or 50 years. It’s going to just be beautiful.” — Prachi Bhardwaj
The 24k-capacity music center (affectionately known as Deer Creek by locals for the past 30 years) finished 2018 as the top-ranked outdoor concert hall in the nation world. Also known as 'Ruoff' something-or-other to outsiders, it's home in Noblesville is nestled upon 228 beautiful acres in Hamilton County, recently ranked #1 place to live.
Selling over 588k tickets to 50+ shows during it's Summer Series, Indy outpaced Houston, Denver, SF, LA, DC, Detroit, Philly, Boston and even Berlin - all ranked in the top 10.
Indy's largest indoor venue, Lucas Oil Stadium, had one concert all year (Taylor Swift) which sold 55k+ tickets at 100% capacity.
A number of former ExactTarget and Salesforce executives have gone on to start companies in the midwest city ExactTarget considered home. Former ExactTarget Co-Founder and CEO Scott Dorsey also launched a venture fund in the city as well.
In 2015, Dorsey launched High Alpha, a venture fund focused on investing in enterprise cloud companies that has already invested in more than two dozen startups. Another co-founder, Chris Baggott, started ClusterTruck, a fresh food delivery company in the city, the same year.
The central location, lower cost of living, and ability to hire talent for less money than other markets also makes the city appealing to founders and investors alike, Ziegler added.
“You can find direct flights to almost anywhere out of the Indianapolis airport,” he said. “And a recent study found that the city has one of the top five lowest rent to tech wage ratios. It’s a place where you can build a company capital efficiently. All these factors make for pretty interesting ingredients to build great companies, particular B2B tech companies.”
Edison Partners, which describes itself as a growth equity firm that invests in underserved markets and bootstrapped entrepreneurs, led financing rounds for two Indianapolis startups: Sigstr, a SaaS platform for employee email signature marketing and relationship intelligence, and Emplify, an employee engagement measurement company.
It put $2.35 million of a $4 million growth round in Sigstr, which the company will use to accelerate the rollout its newly released Pulse product and to scale sales and marketing. Sigstr has raised $11 million in funding since inception.
Edison also put $3.5 million in a $7.5 million growth round in Emplify. The startup plans to use the injection of capital toward investing in engineering and developing a go to market strategy for its products. Cultivation Capital and Allos Ventures also put money in that round. The company has raised $10.5 million since it was founded in 2016.
Founded in 2014, Sigstr has 60 employees and nearly tripled its revenue growth and customer base over the last year. The company expects to grow an additional 150 percent in the fiscal year ending January 2019. It now works directly with 400 B2B companies across five continents, including Amazon, AT&T, Experian, GoHealth, and Snowflake Computing.
“Every company in the world runs an employee email system, with billions of emails being sent every day,” Bryan Wade, CEO of Sigstr, told Crunchbase News. “We saw a massive marketing opportunity to take over email signatures with every employee.”
For Wade—who formerly served as vice president of email product for ExactTarget, and as senior vice president and chief product officer for Salesforce—Sigstr’s ability to attract companies in any industry is a big advantage.
“There’s a lot of vertical and niche products out there, but it’s difficult to find a technology like this that every business in the world can use,” he said.
In July, Sigstr launched its new Pulse relationship marketing application that uses artificial intelligence to map and quantify the collective networks of all employees to better identify recipients, and send more targeted invitations and missives to appropriate customers and prospects.
“There’s so much potential for organizations to use relationship intelligence from employee email to unlock relationships and drive targeted marketing and sales efforts. Employee email is still the best predictor of business relationships,” Wade said. Ziegler agreed.
“We found that the use of relationship data to inform account-based marketing at the B2B level was sorely missing,” he told Crunchbase News. “Sigstr fills that hole and does in a very special way by unlocking the value of the email channel to drive revenue for B2B marketers.”
Naturally, Wade is also bullish on the Indianapolis startup scene.
“There is a renaissance happening here,” he said. “A couple of years ago, there were a dozen startups, and now there’s 70 or 80 in town. The city is becoming a hub for B2B technology and software as the access to capital has improved and a number of large software acquisitions in the city have created a pool of talented executives who have started companies.”
