12-4

Well, i called it a little early on the last post. Denver drowned themselves out of the postseason and it's off to San Diego we go for another playoff game. Last years playoff loss seems so long ago after the season we have had this year. The early season blunders left us all doubtful and then we finished with 9 straight, many of which were not decided until late in the game.
So here we go, the 5th seed, 12-4, Horse going against the 4th seed, 8-8, Chargers, in San Diego. If you were to break the playoffs down by wins and losses, the Colts, who share the 2nd best record in the AFC with the Steelers, would be the 2nd seed and have a bye in the first round, because they beat the Steelers in the regular season. And San Diego, who shares the same record as Houston and Denver, would not even be in the playoffs, because 2 teams, the Jets (9-4) and the Pats (11-5) have a better record than them. Though I do take pride in the fact that I called the patriots not making the playoffs (see post Wicky Wicky Wack, Sept. 23, and also note the Colts comments at the end of the post), i do not feel that the current playoff system is fair. I don't mind the fact that the Division winners make the playoffs regardless of their record. But once in the playoffs, I'd like to see teams seeded by season record. The playoffs are about the big picture, how did you do against the league?, and let's get it on from there. But I'm not whining cuz the Equines don't have a bye or a home game, that's just what i think. On the other hand, yeah, San Diego makes me nervous, but I think we can handle their business. And from there, hey, we've been there, we've got that ring, and that certainly is an advantage. Let's do it!
z

8 straight!

It was a close one last night as the Colts used a 4th Quarter comeback to get their 11th victory and make it into the playoffs where they will likely travel to Denver.
It looked bad from the start. The Jags stuffed it down our throats for a TD on that 1st drive. Then we managed only one first down and punted on our first possesion. After which the Jags used a long drive to score again. Next thing ya know, it's halfway through the 2nd Q and we are just getting the ball for the 2nd time. Then things seemed to be turning around, Reggie got a TD, and then we drove the ball into the red zone and were forced to settle for a field goal. Adam had me thinking 14-10 at half. But one shank and some bad D later and the Jags made it 17-7. I looked around for something to break. But alas, as has happened multiple times this year, I would have to wait until the final whistle before i knew whether to curse or cheer.
The third Q we fared a little better, trading TD's but not falling behind any farther. In the 4th Q, the O kicked in and put up 10 points to tie the game. And then the Defense showed up with 4:48 left in the game in the form of a pick-6 by Keiwan Ratliff to give us the lead and D Frizzle sealed it with a sack. 11-4.
I'm guessing our go-to guys get some rest next week vs. the Titans and then it's off to Denver where the Broncos may finish with a worse record than some teams that wont make the playoffs.
Our D is reminiscent of the 2006 D, shaky, but we got a ring. The O keeps getting healthier...I think. No Marv, No Jo...No problem. But we did have Clark and Saturday. crap, i gotta go to work!
i'm out!
z

Panic Button?

Your Indiana Pacers lost to Milwaukee tonight, making it six consecutive losses. We had a tough early season schedule, especially the last two weeks, but is it too early to hit the panic button? I don't know, but I've definitely lifted the cover off it and started the initiation sequence. With the loss tonight, we have fallen to a piss poor 7 and 16 on the year. A lot of those losses were close and to good teams, but as the old cliche goes: close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We need results. A team, that early on, looked like it might contend for a playoff spot, now looks like it may contend for the number draft pick. Good teams just don't lose six in a row, period. Here are a few questions that need to be answered for this team to turn this young season around:

-Where is our defense? I thinks we are something like 0-12 when teams score 100 points, which is on most nights.

-Who is our low post scorer? You know it ain't Murph, who spends the majority of his time hovering around the arc. We have to find an inside threat to make Granger, Daniels, and Ford more effective.

-When is Mike D coming back? Or shoud I say "is" he coming back? He won't help the D out any, but he may take some of the scoring pressure off of DG.

-Why the hell is Jack getting so many minutes? Especially late in the game. He's an ok backup, but just that a backup. Too many times this year he's been in with the game on the line. He's just not that good. Believe me, I watched him make key late game mistakes out here in Portland for the last 3 years. There was a reason he was ridin pine out here. He's just not that good.

Come on Larry. Come on JOB. Time to make the necessary changes and get us back on track.

the Dude

#4

Well, since we last sMURPHed out, the Blue and Gold have dropped 4 straight. 2 to Boston, 1 to the Cavs and 1 to JO's new squad, the Raptors. In the Cavs contest, DG went 2-7 and missed his lone free throw. A poor showing by the standard DG has set for himself this year. LeBron was held to 11 points but he also dished out 11 assists. In the first loss to Boston we got smoked but in the second one we had a lead and then Paul Pierce caught a lucky bounce and drained a three for the tie. We had 2 attempts at the winning shot but in typical fashion the wrong guy, Jarret Jack, attempted and missed both shots. Then we just lost in overtime. The loss to Toronto was a lazy one in which we settled for the outside shot, shooting 7-25 from 3 point land and shooting only 35% overall from the field. Of note, Carmelite Josh McRoberts minutes have increased significantly in the last 6 games from 0 to a couple minutes a game and he has played fairly well. Also of note: still no Mike Dunleavy.
Well, we are 7-14. Not good. We have some good talent but not enough. We are also a team of guys that have just begun playing with each other, so chemistry will take some time. But what is the future? Hopefully success in the 2010 free agency market. If we can add some solid talent to go with DG and TJF, develop Rush and Hibbert, hey we got a solid team. Wow, it really sucks when you have to look forward 2 years to have any hope. GO HORSE!
z
AND PACERS!

#6

As in 6 in a row. That's right, those pesky Colts have now won their sixth consecutive game. Finally, we got to see the Horse of old. The high powered offense was back, got a big lead early, and the defense took advantage of a poor Bengals offense. Peyton spread the love around with TD's by Rhodes, Marv, Gonzo, Clark. Granted we were playing one of the worst teams in the NFL, but it was nice to see a blowout, and more importantly, to see this team play the way it's capable of. Mr. Manning was fantastic in this one, going 26 for 32 for 277 yards and 3 TD's and a rating of 134.0 (even though I don't know what the hell that means). And the defense took care of the rest. Mathis and Freeney were up to their old tricks with 4 sacks between the two of them. Then there was Kelvin Hayden. You remember him, he sealed the Super Bowl win with that pick six late in the game. Well, in this one he had two interceptions, returning one 85 yards for a touchdown. Not much else to say, except that we seem to be getting it going at the right time of year. Next up the win less Detroit Lions at home. Come on Horse, we don't wanna give those guys their first W.

the Dude

sMURPHin'!

Jeff Foster didn't play last night against the Lakers, but, by the looks of the final play you would never have known it. Troy Murphy pulled one right out of the old Jeff Foster play book, tipping in the game winning basket at the buzzer and notching his 17th rebound of the game. It looked to be a typical Pacers game as we hung with the Lakers until the 2:30 mark in the 3rd quarter when, with a 2 point lead, we let the Lakers go on a 17-0 run to end the quarter. But, just when it looked like we were going to fall to 6-11, the defense kicked in early in the 4th and held the Lakers scoreless for just over 4 minutes and allowed the Lakers only 4 made baskets in the entire 4th quarter. The offense used its own 10-0 run and 7 offensive rebounds in the final quarter to get back in the game. With the Lakers up by one point, Kobe missed the teams final shot of the game and Murphy rebounded with :13 left. And, in what looked to be another typical quarter ending play for the Pacers, Marquis threw up a prayer of a reverse layup and then, out of nowhere, the hand of Murphy intervened with our dear Pacers seeming fate and tipped the ball high above the iron, and as Clark Kellogg would say, with a few 'fortuitous' bounces, leather brushed nylon and the Pacers won. 7-10. Mayhem in the fieldhouse.
This could be one of those victories that lights that fire under the team that can carry them through all 4 quarters of every game. It could give us the will to push .500. But hey, it's a long season and tonight we got the Celtics. so buckle down naptown and let's get on a roll!

zimminy sheesha

High Five!

5 in a row! Look out. Horse is riding! The Browns may be a mediocre team, but it is still a victory. The Defense was very impressive. No TD's allowed and 1 TD scored. The Dwight and Robert combo! Before that scoop and score i was nervous! We seemed to have dug our own grave with Jo's fumble, the failed 4th and goal, Adam missing a field goal and a Peyton INT, but the defense kept making stops and they did it with some BIG hits. And all this without Bobby Sanders, and "I'll have a caucasian, Gary" Brackett going out. 2 guys that impressed me out there today were Clint and Melvin. Mr. Session and Mr. Buillet have impressed me all year.
On the other hand, the O always seemed to be one play away from making something big happen, but never did. They couldn't finish drives and they were bailed out by the D.
I would hope that we would fare better against our next 2 mediocre opponents, Cincinnati and Detroit. After that, we just need to make sure we get in the playoffs and once there, we gotta make things happen.
HORSE!
z

MOKABUDOW

pacers topple rockets tonight! in a change of events, the pacers come from behind and pull off a W against a solid b-ball team in the Rockets although there was no T-Mac to contend with. oh well, a W is a W. and the way we have been playing, no W is secure till there is 0:00 on the clock. so far this year, most of our losses have come after maintaining the lead late into the game and letting it slip away in the 4th Q. in this one, however, the Blue and Gold were trailing entering the final period. Murph hit huge back-to-back treys and DG followed his own miss to give us the winning bucket. Weird how we lose games we're leading entering the 4th and win a game we're trailing. Ah, Naptown sports...

Speaking of, Fro's own Ball State Cardinals finished their season 15-0, to win the MAC West. A great story for the folks up in Muncie, and for every Hoosier, as the Cardinals seem to be the only respectable football team in the state. Big Ups BSU. In other naptown sports, Covenant Christians 6'8" Andrew Smith signed a letter of intent with the Butler Bulldogs. When it comes to those high school kids, you gotta give credit to the coaches. Big ups Muggs! In the Maui tournament the Hoosiers got smoked by Notre Dame then barely finished off Chaminade. Note: the Hoosiers are starting 4 freshman... Tom Crean's got his work cut out for him, but i believe...
Them Boilers are #9 in the land and rising, gettin' ready to play in the championship game of the preseason NIT. Those amazing freshman are now a year older and layin' it down. Hummel and Moore; if you don't know, you better ax somebody.

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll. Enjoy those garbage NFL games and don't forget about that Civil War on Saturday. Beavs about to be smellin roses. Them Nittany Lions and Senor (Senior) Jo Pa better get nervous. Did you study for the Quizz?

D n Z mokabudow

dog leg up

4 in a row. 7-4 doesn't sound too bad at this point in the season. We pulled out a gutsy one last night. Tony D with two 4th down attempts AND both converted. do you see what happens Tony? do you see what happens when you have a little guts and take some risks? Victory. and sweet revenge against the bolts who may not even make the playoffs this year. so we are now tied with the team that claims a region and Baltimore in the wild card race. both teams we have beaten. so i guess we have a leg up..whatever that means...sounds uncomfortable...i envision a dog peeeing. ANYway, 7 wins with 5 games left. and our next 3 opponents, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit, have a combined 5 wins. so i believe in one of our previous polls most of you thought the Colts would win 9 games at the most this season. damn you and your lack of hope.
Go HORSE!!
z

In the Hunt...

Somehow, someway, your Indianapolis Colts are figuring out how to win games. And don't look now, but we're back in the thick of things. Our D, minus the Plumber, looked a little soft, but Peyton and the O looked magical. That's what we've been waiting for all season. Jo got his hundred, Marv got a TD, and Senor Manning was no huddling and shredding that porous Houston secondary. I still haven't figured out what was/is wrong with my main man Bob, but just how valuable is this guy? The defense looks so solid with him, and then he's out and poof Slaton runs for a career high. Our D, just ain't the same with out that human guided missile blowin folks up at the line of scrimmage. Now we have to go on the road and play a struggling, yet dangerous Chargers team. Two letters for ya L T. Get well soon Bob!!!

Other observations:

-Jo finally got his first 100 yd game of the season.

-As good as our offense was, our receivers dropped 6 passes in the first half.

-Freeney got two huge sacks. Let's hope this gets him rollin'

-For the second straight game Melvin Bullit intercepted a pass to preserve the win. How deep are we at safety?


Finally a little shout to Miss Kate: your man Pujols (I won't make any jokes I promise) won the NL MVP. That may be the only baseball news you'll ever see here, at least till the NAP gets a team.

the Dude

Horsin' Around

Zoo here, back from an internetless interlude. and while i was disconnected, the Horse have managed a 2 game win streak, both wins coming against quality opponents. and as with every win so far this season, we really needed it. how about that D? 3 INT's, every single one coming at a crucial moment and a goal line stop (did you see how low Eric Foster got on that play?). and then there was the offense. it was there. just enough. it wasn't prolific. we got a couple lucky bounces. marvin once again disappointed. the running game didn't produce. but, somehow, peyton managed to do just enough. and so did the D, because if that last hail mary isn't intercepted, it is a catch for a touchdown, game over. but, instead, we are 5-4 and in the thick of the wild card race. and my brother Scott gets the bragging rights over his Steeler-lovin' wife Michelle (love ya Michelle).
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers have gotten off to what i must say is an impressive 3-3 start. They started off with a close loss to the Pistons, then defeated the reigning champs. Their other 2 losses were games in which they were very competitive and against quality teams in Phoenix and Cleveland. I must say that this team was a mystery to me at the beginning of the season. They have 2 rookies and 3 other new players, all who are contributing significantly. i admit that i have underestimated TJF (Terrance Jerod Ford, not Todd Joseph Flatt). he is quick and shifty, can penetrate effortlessly and has excellent peripheral vision. let's hope he can stay healthy. also impressive is Roy Hibbert. he is a little more athletic than i expected and has a surprisingly soft touch around the iron. he isn't getting a whole lotta minutes but if he keeps playing the way he is, i see that changing. then there is DG. Danny Granger is playing like an All Star! fillin up the net, dunks, 3's, D, he is a Man out there on the court and this is his team, there's no doubt about that. 2 seasons ago, he was on the come up, last year he was solid, but this year, he is The Man. OOOWEE! Ya'll better vote for that guy on the All Star ballot. We have a solid team. Mike D hasn't even played yet. it won't be glamorous but hey, the Eastern Conference isn't glamorous. there is hope. i don't expect a ring. but, i didn't expect much this season. at least it seems like Larry Legend may have us on the right track. I must say, I doubted the Mustached One. but now, i have some hope. It's a whole new naptown out there. l can't wait to see them on March 4th in Portland.
i'm out
zoo

Ramblings...

So...I'm back. I had to take a few off to cool down and reassess the miserable season the Horse are having. I know we're spoiled, as Colts fans, with the success we've had over the last decade or so, but this year sucks. Injuries have hampered us from training camp on, and we just don't seem to be the same old Blue and White. And let's face it, our defense blows. One bright spot, and I mean shining bright from the heavens, is that we beat those cheating d-bags from Baahhhston. Screw you Hoodie, you cheating, lying piece of dog doo. The offense looked ok, but we still can't run the ball. I think we ended up with 46 yds or something. Pathetic! And this bend but don't break D is about to make me lose my effing mind. First and ten: draw play, second and 4: draw play, third and 6: draw play etc, etc. all frickin' game long. Hey fellas, figure it out. Damn! But we got Bob back and that seemed to make a difference (read game saving pick). Maybe we can build some momentum after this win, but with the way our schedule plays out, it's gonna be real tough. But as always GO HORSE!!!

Now for the inaugural blog of the Pacers season. I haven't seen a game yet, but from what I've heard and read the ol' Blue and Gold are back. OK, maybe not championship run back, but exciting, good basketball back. An opening night loss to those other d-bags up in Motown was tough, but by all accounts we played very well and could've won the game, if not for some untimely turnovers and defensive lapses. Then, as if in a sign of things to come, we knock of the defending champs, the Boston Celtics. If you're scoring at home chowdaheaded losers, that's two-nil to the good guys. As Matt Damon would say in his best/worst Baaahhhston accent: "How do ya like them apples?!" We Naptowners are "wicked" awesome huh, you idiots. (That ramble was brought to you by the I Hate Boston Sports Fans Association of America.) Back to Pacers hoops. The team looks solid. Granger is fillin' it up (thank goodness we just signed him for 4 more years), TJ is holdin' it down at the point, and everyone else is just doin' what they get paid to do: fill in the gaps. And we're doing all of this without our second leading scorer from last year, Mike D. I've doubted you Larry, but you seem to have put together a pretty exciting, hard-nosed basketball team. It's still early, but not early enough for all you doubters out there (you know who you are) to jump on this bandwagon. To all you Naptowners out here in the City of Rain...I mean Roses, it's time to renew our seats at The City, cause the Blue and Gold are back. Z-Z-Zuuuuuuppppp!

the Dude

Questions Answered

Can we finally get a W in the new stadium? Hell yeah we can. And with authority, over a good team. Your Indianapolis Colts dominated on both sides of the ball. Defensively we stopped the run, holding McGahee and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens running backs to 51 total rushing yards. Plus we created 4 turnovers, three picks and a fumble. Now that's more like it. Couple that with four sacks and it's little wonder the Ravens only managed a measly 3 points.
Offensively, we looked like the potent, high scoring team we thought we would see all season. Looks like the rust may finally be shaken off. Manning was sharp, with a 63 yard bomb to Marv to start things off. Add a 22 yarder to Reg, and a 67 yarder also to Reg that was called back because of a holding penalty and lookout AFC. We did lose Joe to a hamstring injury, but Dom filled in nicely with 78 yards. We needed this win, moreover this kind of win badly. Our confidence looks to be back, and in the nick of time, as Zoo pointed out, our schedule is brutal the next month.
Other thoughts:

-Welcome back Marv. I'll gladly eat a little crow. He absolutely blew by McAlister on that bomb for the TD.

-No turnovers. That's huge against the league's best D.

-Mathis is a freaking machine. Three more sacks and another fumble recovery. With teams keying on Dwight, he's able run wild and wreak havoc in pass situations. Hey Zoo, time to find a nickname for this guy.

-Finally, can we get a Colts game out here on the left coast? Hey CBS, specifically KOIN, the Raiders suck. We don't live anywhere near Oakland and no one cares about them. At least show a watchable game.

Badeep, Badeep, that's all folks. Go Horse.

the Dude

2 more years with the Feisty One

The Pacers just made the best move of their off season by signing Mr. Feisty, Jeff Foster to a 2 year extension. They also traded the much maligned Shawne Williams to Rick Carlisles' Mavs for 15 year veteran Eddie Jones, cash and 2 second round picks. And, meanwhile, they continue to shop Tinsley around. I suppose once we get rid of him, we will finally have the 'character' team that we want....which is a sub .500 team. Now we just have to become a good basketball team. Unfortunately, some fans think that a good character team will bring the fans back, but let me tell you what brings fans in, and that would be W's. Just ask the Trailblazers. Because when they were the Jailblazers and they were winning, the fans still showed up, they just complained about character. When the Jailblazers began losing, THEN the fans stopped showing up. Now, I'm not saying that there isn't something to be said for good character players, but we can't construct a team without making basketball ability a top priority. Maybe once we rid ourselves of Mr. T (insley), we can get back to focusing on basketball and not morals. No one goes out every year to win the Sportsmanship Trophy. In fact, the Sportsmanship award usually goes to a bench player.


Z

Lucky Horseshoe

Wow, what a game! Talk about "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat". Thank you Sage Rosenfels. All he had to do was slide and the Texans probably win and we are off to a 1-3 start and lifting the cover off the panic button. Instead he goes helicopter, fumbles, and Bracket gets the TD. Then, Robert Mathis has the defensive play of the year, in my opinion, and lays out to strip Rosenfels, and recovers the fumble to boot. Top that you say. Well, let the chants of REG-GIE, REG-GIE rain down in Indy again, because I still don't know how Wayne hung onto that ball and got his feet in. We showed a lot of heart in a game we should have lost. I know these two Naptowners were ready to throw in the towel. Shoulda known better. This is what championship teams do; win games they have no business winning. Still there are a lot of questions that need to be answered:

-Will our defense ever stop the run?
-How good is Bob, that he changes our whole D by himself?
-Will Ugoh be back next week to shore up that O-Line?
-Can Peyton and Wayne or Marv hook up for that ever elusive deep ball?
-Will the overrated Titans lose this weekend?
-CAN WE FINALLY GIVE THE NEW STADIUM A VICTORY?

We have a tough game this weekend against the stingy Baltimore defense. It's time to put together a complete game and put the hurt on a good team. LET'S GO HORSE!

the Dude

FF, FR, TD

That would be Forced Fumble, Fumble Recovery, Touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am SHOCKED! That last post was posted with 5 and a half minutes left in the game, and the Colts down 27-10. I'm sure you know what happened next. Oooooooooooooooooeee! This win could be a season changer but we still have some serious business to take care of. Besides that last 5 minutes, the D was invisible not to mention the invisible O as well. But hey, as they say, a W is a W is a W is a holy crap i can't believe we got that W! WooooooooooooooooooHoooooooo! Party is back on!
-one elated zoo

Houston, we have a problem

Houston, we lost to HOUSTON! The party might be cancelled...
-one pissed off zoo

Gallop poll

WOW, according to our poll, 60% of voters have the Colts winning 9 or less games, while the other 40% have the Colts at no better than 11 games. If we only win 9 games this year, that would mean we would have to win 8 of our 13 remaining games. And after looking at the schedule, it looks entirely possible that we could lose 8 of those 13. This year we play every team in the AFC North, so that includes Pittsburgh and Baltimore, both tough, and later in the season we have Cleveland and Cincinnati, both of whom could easily turn things around by the end of the season. Then throw in 3 tough division games, 2 vs Tennessee and another against Jacksonville. And then add San Diego, New England, Green Bay and 2 vs Houston and I guess we'll see how tough we really are. For the first time in years, I'm worried about whether or not we make the playoffs instead of worrying about how we're going to do when we get there. The power in the AFC is shifting, but, hey, I still have confidence in the Horse, we're not done yet. Besides, the party is at my house...
z

Wicky Wicky Wack

OOOOOOOh Colts...what are you doing to me. I thought it might be a down year as far as regular season wins goes but this is making me nervous. 1-2 and 0-1 in the AFC South, 2 games behind Tennessee (3-0). i guess i'm just used to winning the first 9 or 10 games of the season. we're just gonna have to do it the pre-peyton-manning-colts way which is to scratch and claw our way into the playoffs. The good news is that the Colts aren't the only ones out of wack, the whole AFC is a little out of wack. the Chargers and Browns are off to slow starts, the patriots won't make the playoffs without lady brady (yeah i said it), surely the Bills and Titans can't sustain their fast starts and Old Brett Favre may not be the saviour the J-E-T-S were hoping for. so we have room to improve and i think we will only get better. we have a bye week and though i don't usually like early bye weeks, i'll take it this year. we need Ugogh, Saturday, Clark and Sanders healthy. Then we have Peyton, Marvin and Dwight fresh off surgeries. I think they will only get stronger as they get deeper into the season. So, if we can get past this early funk, we can get hot when it counts, and that's late in the season and going into the playoffs, where we will make our way to Tampa on Feb. 1 to pick up our second Lombardi trophy. Party at my house...
Z

Yikes...Whew!!!

We were this close (imagine me holding my thumb and index finger centimeters apart) from starting the season 0-2, before Manning and the offense decided to show up. As I predicted earlier, Peterson ran rough shod over our D, but the boys managed to keep them out of the end zone. And the offense in the first half? Sputter! I didn't get to watch the game, but saw extended highlights; mostly Peyton on the carpet, a lot, in the Metrodome. Then, perhaps, the play that may change our season: a 58 yard pass to Tony, who then lateraled to Reggie to get it to the one yard line, to be punched in by Addai. That seemed to wake up the offense, which also scored on a 37 yarder to Reg. You never know, sometimes plays like that flip the proverbial switch.

A few other thoughts from the game:

Still no Saturday. Come on big boy, we need you desperately, ask Addai.

No seriously, Addai only had 20 yards on 15 rushes. This needs to change in a hurry.

I think I read that Bob tweaked an ankle...GREAT

Where's Marvin? No receptions? This is something to keep an eye on...

Especially with the emergence of Anthony (Tony) Gonzalez, who had 9 catches for 137 yards. Watch your back Marv (and that doesn't mean get your piece out).

WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THE RUN!

But a win's a win and maybe we shook some more rust off. We have the Jags at home next week, who if we're smart, we'll put away and start them off 0-3. GO HORSE!!!

the Dude

The 08 NFL Report

Finally, we're back after a little Olympic hangover, helped along with the monotony of baseball season. But football's back in full swing in both the pro's and the college ranks. The Colts season got off to an inauspicious beginning with a loss to the Chicago Bears to open brand spankin' new Lucas Oil Field. It was almost painful to watch us struggle against such mediocre opponents, but to be fair we're still rusty, with a lot of our starters coming off injury or resting weary bones during most of the pre-season. To be honest, Peyton looked average at best, coming off that "minor" knee surgery, and of course no Saturday last Sunday. Supposedly he'll be back at center tomorrow, but we'll see. The defense, you ask: well they looked in mid-season form giving up over 100 yards to a rookie, Matt Forte, I've never even heard of. Next up, Adrian Peterson. Could we actually start of the season 0-2? We need to get our poop in a group, knock the rust of and ball. We play in the second most difficult division in football and an 0-2 start could really hurt our chances of winning the division.

And now for the good news: The Cheaters got a little taste of Karma last weekend, when Pretty Lady Brady (thanks Zoo) went down with a season ending knee injury. Now, supposedly no one wants to see anyone get hurt, but let's not lie to ourselves. I was actually laughing out loud. That Karma chick is a vengeful little bitch, huh Cheaterchik. I'm just anxious to see how they try and cheat their way out of this one. Maybe try and hurt all the other starting QB's in the league, Tonya Harding style? Have the commish change the rules for them again, stating that all teams must only play their second string QB? Or, just good old fashioned bribing the league? It was a weird first week in the NFL, could be a weird season. All I have to say is GO HORSE!!!

the Dude

GOLD!!!

Yup that's right, the gold medal is comin' back home where it belongs. And what a game. Spain gave us all we could handle. Fernandez is a true stud. If you don't believe me, look up the "and one" dunk he put on Howard. But in the end my prediction rang true, as Kobe was unwilling to let the US lose. In the fourth, he hit a three, followed by a three and one, and then a clutch runner in the lane. I know many of you out there, Kate, aren't big fans of the guy, but he can ball, and I'm sure glad he was on our team. And you should have seen these guys in the waning seconds and after the game. This wasn't just a game, it meant everything to them. Kudos to Jerry Colangelo and Coach K for putting this team together, but the biggest kudos go to the players, who played with a class, dignity and passion that HAD been lacking in USA hoops for far too long. Thanks fellas.

the Dude

Gold?

Dude here watchin' the gold medal hoops game live (no I'm serious, had to stream it). It's halftime and the US (read us) is up 8 on Spain. Story of the game so far, the frickin' zebras. The game has been plagued with bad officiating, both ways, and has slowed the game down to a crawl. This is definitely advantageous to the Spaniards, as no one can run with us. The other story is that both teams are shooting a ridiculous 65% from the field. Thank god for D Wade or we might be down in this one. Rudy Fernandez, who's coming this way to the Blazers next year, was on fire in the first half. Fans here (of which I am one 80 games of the year) can start getting excited about this kid. He's athletic, has moves, and is drain-o from deep. Well, the second half is about to start, so I'll be back after the game, hopefully with good news. Just a small prediction real quick, I think Kobe might go off. He got in foul trouble early and looked pissed about it. As someone far more smarter than I once said, "It is not wise to upset a Wookie".

Beijing Magic

Like I said in my previous post, I have Olympic fever. My fever is now running hotter than ever. Right now I'm watching badminton, a great game, but in my opinion, not an Olympic sport. More of a backyard barbecue drinking game, or fun interlude in high school gym class. But that's neither here nor there. What an exciting week so far. I'll start with Superman, Michael Phelps. This guy is unbelievable. He's seven for seven so far, with his most difficult event behind him and one relay to go. Last nights 100m butterfly was an amazing race with Phelps coming from behind to win by 1/100 of a second. He has now tied Mark Spitz's (from IU) record of 7 golds in one Olympic games. Unfortunately, I think the relay is this evening and I'll be at the Timbers game, and will most likely miss history. Thank Krishna for the Internet.

I'll finish with the Redeem Team. Our boys are playing some great basketball. They just got finished dismantling the much ballyhooed Spanish team. Kobe and Lebron are playing great ball, but the two guys that have put this team over the top so far are D Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade is freaking everywhere on both ends of the floor. O boards, steals, and if you haven't seen "the Play" go immediately to www.nbcolympics.com and watch his steal, save and then oop to Kobe. That play alone is what separates the "us" from "them". And the really scary thing, we may have found our touch from deep. We had to have shot close to 50% from behind the line against the Spaniards. We are officially through to the medal round with one more game in group play against Dirk Nowitzki and Germany. Let's hope we stay healthy in the final game, so that we can do what we came here to do: dominate each game and bring home the gold and never again let it go.

the Dude

U-S-A

For the first time in a while, I'm actually interested in the Summer Olympics. You may even say I have Olympic fever. The opening ceremonies were amazing (to be honest I only saw highlights). And they should have been. I've heard they were budgeted at $100 million. Yesterday I got to see the cycling road race which was an outstanding race and some swimming prelims along with some beach volleyball before I had to get on to the Timbers match (which they tied 1-1, by the way). But what I've been waiting for was the "Redeem Team", USA hoops. After embarrassing ourselves in Athens, the men's basketball team looks hungry. In their first game they put the hurt on China. To be fair China is not very good, outside of Yao Ming and Yi, who both play in the NBA, but it's the way we are playing that's impressive. Our defense is stifling. We've got Kobe and LeBron creating havoc with whoever has the ball. Then off a miss or turnover we're off and running, and no one can hang with us in the open court. I have to give a lot of credit to Brian Colangelo, who assembled this team. He didn't just throw an all star team out there and hope that our athleticism would win us the gold. Instead he got Coach K to lead these guys, and convinced Kobe to play. And with selecting Chris Paul and Derron Williams we have two great young point guards, who are fast and hard nosed. Add Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and Carlos Boozer on the inside, and we've got a lean, if not small, fast and determined team. And maybe the most overlooked and underrated member of the team is Michael Redd. In the past other countries would zone us up to keep us out of the paint, and we had no answer. Now we have a certified zone buster in Redd. Oh and did I mention 'Melo. He looked mean out there today, and we need that. We have to want to win. It won't be easy, though. The rest of the world has caught up with us. Spain and Argentina are legitimate threats, but as long as we play tough D and move the ball, no other country should come close. And at the risk of sounding conceited, that's the way it should be. Go USA!!!

the Dude

Pack It Up

Speaking of going away, Billy Packer is out as commentator for the Final Four and Clark Kellogg is in!!! Goodbye uppity A-hole, Hello Mr. Knowledge!!
Squeeze the Orange!!
Z

#4

Brett Favre...GO AWAY!!! There I said it...and now I feel better.

the Dude

New Look Blue & Gold

Some major changes took place while the Dude was out of the country. Seven to be exact. The trade of JO needed to happen, and in my opinion was one season too late. All we got for him was TJ Ford, Stepehn Graham and Rasho Nesterovic. Not bad players, but no superstar. Then we trade Bayless, our first rounder to the Blazers for Jarret Jack, Josh McRoberts, and Brandon Rush. I like Rush, but Jack is average at best and McRoberts shouldn't even make the team, no matter if he's from Carmel or not. And with three young point guards on the roster, this definately spells the end for JT. We also got big man Roy Hibbert in the draft. This pick I really like. He's a legitimate 7'2", and should be able to clog the middle and let the fiesty one get back to just clearing boards and givin us those all important hustle plays. The youth of this team is intriguing. TJ Ford is a real NBA point guard, if he can stay healthy. DG is still very young and just beginning to hit his stride. Dunleavy had his best season as a pro and hopefully will continue to get comfortable at this level. We add Brandon Rush, another swingman, who could turn out to be a lockdown defender, as well as someone who can get to he rim and create for others. Add our vets, like Foster, and hopefully Flip Murray, and we have a good solid base. We'll have to see what happens with Tinsley. He obviously is the odd man out. Can we get anything for him or do we just waive him? As Zoo said, it's time for patience, as we lay the foundation for the future. Let's just hope it's the near future, 'cause as we all know Naptown needs it's hoops. Come on Birdman, hook us up.

the Dude

newbies

well, the face(s) of the pacers has changed. We got rid of our only all-star caliber player and we got a lotta new, young guys. Alltogether we drafted Brandon (brother of Kareem) Rush and Roy Hibbert. And through trades, we got T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston(former Pacer for a season), Jarret Jack and Josh McRoberts. All this while dealing J.O. and Ike Diogu. Unfortunately for the Carmelite, McRoberts, there may not be room on the roster, say hello NBDL. Meanwhile, we have 2 new point guards, so ya gotta figure Tinsleys time here is short. so where does that leave us? heres my projected starting lineup...PG-T.J. Ford, SG-Mike Dunleavy, SF- Danny Granger, PF-Troy Murphy, C- Rasho Nesterovic. The loss of Jermaine leaves us with a serious lack of depth at the PF position. Actually, were not very deep in general. Hopefully, 4 things happen, we can re-sign Ronald Murray, Shawne Williams steps up his game, B. Rush and Hibbert can contribute immediately and we deal Tinsley. Then its just a matter of being patient and see if Larry Legend has anymore over the backboard shots up his sleeve.
GO PACERS!
z

BYE BYE BAND-AID

J.O. is no more. gone to the Raptors in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic , T.J. Ford(another band aid) and a draft pick. so we got rid of J.O. and we have a replacement for Tinsley in Ford. now we just got to get rid of Tinsley. then we just have to get good. which will surely take a few years. and a few different players. because we certainly arent gonna be playoff contenders with this line up. but we do seem to be on the right path. its just a long path and we are at the beginning of it.....patience is one thing i have little of. but its the only thing we go right now.....
Z

IT

We have been tagged. Kate informed me yesterday. So i checked her blog (see link) and sure enough, we have been deemed 'IT'.
And if you follow the trail, you will see that it seems to stream out endlessly through the Book Smugglers Club, Fantasy Cafe Realms of Speculative Fiction and on and on i'm sure. And what it means is that we must pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123 and copy down the fifth sentence here....
well, i have 2 books stacked on top of each other next to me on the coffee table. so i give you 2. the 1st from Pacific Northwest Camping..."The park has sandy beaches, located about 250 yards from the camp." This is in reference to Kopachuck State Park, in case you were wondering.
The 2nd is a little more difficult. The book is Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels. And if you have ever read any Jack, you know he doesn't just have run-on sentences, he has run-on paragraphs. So upon turning to page 123 i see one sentence and then the paragraph rambles on, interspersed with dashes, that doesn't end until we come to a question mark at the bottom of page 124. So i will interpret some of these dashes as sentence enders when it seems Jack takes us on to the next car on his rambling train of words. so here it is... "-They've come from Fillmore in cars, with their girls or without, the cool colored cats of Sunday San Fran in incredibly beautiful neat sports attire, to knock your eyes out, shoes, lapels, ties, no-ties, studs-"
there it is
As far as the Dude goes, who knows what books he chose to take to the floating city in the Mediterranean.
Dude, you got anybody you wanna tag?
zoo

Basketball and Futbol

Being a native to the Eastern Conference, i was happy to see the C's get the rings, though i agree with the Dude about Boston sports, though i still have a little thing for the Red Sox, but not being much of a baseball fan i dont care too much. Anyway i was glad to see the East defeat the West when the Western Conference was so loaded. in other NBA news, the city of Seattle vs. Clay Bennet rages on. i dont know who is more to blame, the fools who sold the team to a business man from Oklahoma City (where they were hugely successful hosting the Hornets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) or Clay Bennet who clearly and shamelessly had absolutely no intention of keeping the team in Seattle. the rich little schmuck couldnt even wait 2 more years until the contract with Key Arena expired to move the team. Personally, i'd hate to see the Northwest lose the Sonics and only be left with the Blazers. thats one less Pacer game i get to see live and in person. Anyhooo, basketball is over, baseball sucks and football is a long way off. but wait, this year we have futbol! the Euro cup is in full swing, having finished group play and begun the elimination rounds. And if you dont appreciate futbol, then you didnt see Turkeys amazing comeback against the Checks, in which they were down 2-0 and scored 3 goals in the final 15 minutes to help them advance to the next round. currently it is halftime of the Germany v Portugal game, and the Germans are up 2-1. I'm pulling for Portugal in this one. Overall, i always like the Netherlands. But this year the Russians are one of the younger teams in the tournament and are fun to watch. Unfortunately, they play the Netherlands in the first round, so i guess i'll be rooting for the winner of that game. the other matches in this round are Turkey v Croatia and Spain v Italy. so, if you havent seen any of the Euro Cup, its not to late to start watching. besides, futbol is the worlds most popular sport and hey, the matches are commercial free!
and im out
Z

Beantown Blues

Just a couple musings from the recent happenings in the world of sport. The C's proved me wrong and put it on the Late Show in the finals. I picked the Lakers, but was rooting for Boston. I love KG, he's probably my favorite player in the league. I am so glad to see him win a title, along with Ray Allen, one of the classiest players in the NBA. But, and it's a huge but, I hate Boston sports. Now we have to listen to all those chowdaheads, and everyone else in that region that claim Boston as their home team, talk about title town BS. I am coming to realization that even though I like the atheletes, my disdain for the city and it's fans now exceeds my willingness to root for the "teams". So to all you Beantown fans, thanks, I will never again cheer for your teams. Other than that, kudos to the "Big 3" and the rest of the Celtics. Their defense was stifling and their offense, good enough. Plus, this keeps that arrogant prick, Phil Jackson, from winning another ring. Life ain't so easy without two hall of famers is it, you condescending jerk?

On another note, how good is Tiger Woods? He wins the US Open on a shredded knee and two fractures in his tibia. Two words: Best Ever. He will go down as the greatest golfer ever. The competition on the PGA Tour is amazing right now, and he won severely injured. Now he's taking the rest of the season off to get surgery and rehab that bum left leg. If he gets right, look out next year. I thought nobody could be Tiger when he's at his best. Apparently, you can't even beat him when he's not.

the Dude

'a lone rogue agent'...

...thats what david stern called tim donaghy.... well, well, well, it seems tim donaghy is telling us otherwise. he is claiming that other officials have fixed games and that the league was a conspirator. and he claims that one particular playoff game was fixed, a 2002 game seven between guess who, L.A. (kobe and shaq) and Sacramento. and of course L.A. came out on top after shooting, drumroll please, 27, yes 27 free throws in the fourth quarter alone. well, well, well mr. stern, the spotlight is on you. are you a part of this? i guess we will have to wait till we get to see all the pieces of the puzzle. personally i'd like to see your reign as dictator come to an explosive finish....
zoo

Showtime vs. The Big Three Redux

So the NBA, and most of it's fans, got their wish last night, as the Celtics held of the Pistons to head to the finals to face the Lakers. Honestly, I'm stoked about this finals. After a rejuvenated regular season, this is the best finals match up the league could offer. Don't get me wrong, I really don't like either of these franchises, but it's the best thing for the NBA. Two big markets, on both coasts, with plenty of star power. KG vs. Gasol, Ray Allen vs. Kobe, and let's not forget the bad blood between, that Zen wannabe, Phil Jackson and the late Red Aurbach. The Garden and the Forum are gone along with Bird and Magic, but this should be exciting. As for my prediction, I'll take the Late Show in 6 games. They just have to much fire power, and with my apologies to Zoo, they have the best player in the game in Kobe. Get ready for a fantastic finish to the best NBA season in a long time.

the Dude

Live from Naptown

It's 12:45 pm EST, less than a half hour from the start of "The Greatest Spectacle In Racing", the Indianapolis 500. I have to tell you that I've got the fever. I haven't been this excited about the race since I was a wee lad. I think that my sister and I are the only 2 people in the whole city who aren't going to the race. We both actually had the opportunity to, but my flight leaves at 4 pm this afternoon. So, we'll just have to listen to it on the radio, which is also a tradition in it's own right. This is the first race with CART and IRL both in the 500. The excitement is back and you can feel it in the city. It's race weekend and I love it.

the Dude

My 2 Cents

So, Zulu gave you most of the facts, and I won't bore you with going over them again as much as possible. But, the fact remains that the Patriots, under the hoodie were caught cheating...for 8 years. And what does Roger Bush, I mean Goodell, do with the evidence? He destroys it. Sound familiar? Enron, Nixon, the list goes on. Conspiracy theories are what they are, but when evidence is destroyed, you have to think twice about them being a theory. And now once again, we have Congress (at least Arlen Spectre) calling for an independent investigation. That's overkill, but I do think we have the right to know the truth. If there truly is nothing on those tapes, then so be it. But I highly doubt it. Apparently, we live in a world of cheaters, or suspected cheaters. Presidential elections have been questioned (twice), sacred baseball records are now tainted, and the Patriots "dynasty" is clearly under scrutiny. As beautiful a day as it is here in Stumptown, the City of Roses, Bridgetown, it's a sad day in the world of sport for this Dude. What next Lakers vs. Celtics made possible by some controversial call?

the Dude

P.S. Zoo is right, it is not wise to upset a Wookie. Just ask anyone who's ridden in a automobile with him

8 YEARS

I JUST WANT TO REITERATE, 8 YEARS, THATS EIGHT YEARS OF CHEATING. EIGHT YEARS. 8 YEARS. THAT IS MOST OF BILLY CHEATERCHIKS HEAD COACHING CAREER. 8 YEARS....

billy cheaterchik

spygate is officially over. finally. apparently nothing new came from matt walsh' tapes. but he did say that he was told by billy cheaterchik not to get caught. which means that billy cheaterchik lied when he said he didnt know it was against the rules to do what he was doing.
so apparently he had a library of video that he compiled over 8 years. which means every game they played, he had a video he could go to in preparation for the game. so the BS excuse of ' well we didnt use the video taken during that game to gain an advantage during that same game' doesnt fly because they used it for the next game. and if you're the colts and you play the patsies 3 times a year then that most certainly gives the cheaters an advantage.
And for those who say this practice did not give them a competitive advantage, i ask, then why did they do it.
and now to a statement made by the patsies organization in which they tried to defend themselves saying that they didnt tape the rams walk thru before that super bowl and that everyone needs to stop trying to take that from them. whoaaaaaa...your coach is found guilty of cheating for 8 years and you are trying to rectify one game? besides, im sure billy cheaterchik already had a tape of the rams from a previous game. how about a statement that says were sorry for cheating.
and now to the punishment...billy cheaterchik was fined and the patsies were fined. do you think those small amounts of money means anything to these people? hell no! they got plenty of scrilla. then they took a 1st round draft pick. ok thats not bad. but ask pacman jones what he thinks should have happened to bily cheaterchik? pacman was suspended for over 1 year for off the field incidents (i am in no way defending pacs actions) that had nothing to do with football. billy cheatrchik cheated for at least 8 years, defiling the integrity of the NFL and calling into doubt 3 super bowls victories and he doesnt miss one single game? tell me theres not something wrong here?
i say this is pete rose level stuff.
i say the patsies should fire billy cheaterchik
i say the league should suspend billy cheaterchik for 1 year and up to forever
i say that the anger level is rising in this wookie
han solo says it is not wise to upset a wookie

wookie

Most Valuable Punk

Sorry Chris Paul. The MVP award may be a lifetime achievement award, this year anyway. Or maybe they just got it wrong and meant to give the award to the guy who apparently made all the difference for the Lakers this year, Pau Gasol. Or maybe we need to remember that this is a superstar league. And when superstar MVP's aren't happy, they trash their teammates, trash the front office and then request a trade. Then they change their mind. Then they change their mind again. Then when they win the MVP award they say the opposite of what they said at the beginning of the year...'I couldn't have done it without my teammates...This is a team award...My teammates deserve this as much as i do'. AAAAAAHH!!! hell. Throw that trophy in the trash, it's been rendered obsolete by idiot voters who have short memories. Voters who even said out loud, so we all could know how stupid they are, that it came down to the last week of the season, and whose team had more victories at the end of the season. So, i guess we can completely discount the other 20 weeks of the season and we can assume that because the Lakers had 57 wins and the Hornets had 56 that that means Crybaby Bryant is the MVP. AAAAARGG! Well, i guess the only justice left is for the Hornets to sting Crybabies Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. UUUUUUUGH! I guess i'm losing faith in the NBA. I mean, the officials don't even know how to count 5 seconds off. Who cares about proper procedures, just get the damn call right. anyway, i'll not dig into that right now...i'll just apologize to Chris Paul on behalf of all those who voted for Crybaby for MVP. And by the way, what makes sportswriters so smart that they get to vote in this matter?

ANGRY ZOO...OUT

With So Much Drama in the N-A-P...

...it's kinda hard bein' Zoo and the D-u-d-e. What the "H" Marv? A shooting? Really? That's all Nap needs, another pro athlete involved in a shooting. Until all the facts become clear, I'll only say a few things. Marv is known to be a quiet and respectable cat, both on and off the field, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt...for now. But this kinda garbage is happening way to often is sports. Sean Taylor, of the Washington Redskins was shot to death in his home, Eddie Curry and Antoine Walker, NBA players, were both robbed at gunpoint in their homes, and of course, the whole Pacman Jones saga. Are athletes now targets? It looks like it. I have no problem with having body guards or security, but people are now being shot and killed. Athletes have to understand that they are now targets for their money and their fame. But personally "packin' heat" is a little too vigilante. HIRE PROFESSIONALS. The jury is still out on Marvin, and rightfully so, but it's not so quietly becoming an epidemic that needs to be addressed out and cured quickly.

the Dude

15 year olds dude

Ohhh Roger Clemens. The Rocket. As a kid, i hung your posters on my bedroom wall. I collected your baseball cards, i still have your rookie card. I stuck with you when you betrayed the Red Sox and left them for their nemesis the Blue Jays and then went on to the Yankees. I was even happy for you when won the World Series even though i hate the Yanks. Your powerful arm and longevity reminded us of the great Nolan Ryan. You were a fierce and intense competitor with a menacing demeanor and a respectable passion for the game. Then you went and took steroids, i have no doubt. But i could probably have let that slide seeing as you were probably only one of hundreds that did the same. But then you had to lie about. You had to go around capitol hill glad-handing congressman. You turned on your loyal trainer. You betrayed your friend Andy Pettite. Lies, lies and more lies flew from your mouth. And now this. A 15 year old, dude. As a MLB All-Star and multiple Cy Young winner, I'm sure you could have been with any woman you wanted but instead, while you were married, you chose a 15 year old girl. Before you took steroids, your head must have already been bigger than your home state of Texas. Mindy Mcready owned up to it. Andy Pettite owned up to it. You have nothing left but to own up to the truth. Accept your rapid demise. Fess up to your wife. Fess up to Congress and MLB. Suck it up. You screwed up. Own up to it and quit with the lies. You are just getting more and more pathetic. Heroes rise and heroes also fall....
Z

Offense, Offense, and More Offense

Well another draft day, or should I say weekend, passes and what did we get? More offense. I may be wrong about this, but aren't we a pretty damn good offensive team. Isn't our weakness, the defense. That being said, Bill Polian is probably the smartest man in the NFL, and he usually does us right, as the Zoo pointed out. But three o-linemen, a running back, and more receivers. Geesh. Half those players probably won't even make the team. Still on the board in the third round was Antoine Cromartie's (yes, he of 4 picks against Peyton) little brother, who by all accounts is more gifted than his big bro. That's just down right scary. And were we even looking to trade for Jason Taylor? I understand he's getting older and has a huge contract, but imagine the pass rush we could put on with him and Freeney. Once again, scary. But that's why Polian builds championship caliber teams year after year, and I huck cases of wine around day after day. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
And now back to the NBA playoffs. I can't remember a time with more parity and excitement. Probably not in my lifetime to be honest. I don't like him as much as the next guy, but Kobe is unreal. We just may be watching one of the best ever. It pains me to say that, but I think it's true. And man would I love to see KG get a ring. He may be my favorite player of all time (sorry Reg). His game is out of control and he plays with such passion and fire (take note Big Boring Duncan). This is definitely his best, if not last shot. The only thing detracting from this years run for the title is the absurd amount of flopping going on. Pay attention Ginobli, and the whole Spurs team for that matter, you're making the game worse. I heard Kim Jung Stern on the Dan Patrick show the other week, and when asked what he thought about all of the flopping going on, he astounded me with his answer. He wants to possibly suspend players for egregious flops that effect the outcome of the game. I, for one, think it's a great idea. Flopping is basically cheating. The refereeing in he NBA, however lame you think it is, is incredibly difficult. And to deliberately trick the officials into thinking you were fouled is cheating, no other way around it. As much of a soccer fan as I am, it's the worst part of that game, and it's snuck it's way into the NBA. I can't actually believe I'm saying this but, go for it dictator, I mean commish.

the Dude

HORSE COLLAR

well, i hope you didn't waste your weekend watching the most over hyped event in all of sports, the NFL draft. yes, ESPN has a huge case of overkill. and i want to kill mel kiper jr. fortunately, we won't have to look at his ugly mug until this time next year. At least they shortened the selection times in hopes of streamlining the tedium. I mean who recognizes more than 15 or 20 players of the 2 or 3 hundred that are selected? the only player that the Colts drafted that i recognize is their 202nd pick, Mike Hart from Michigan. seems like a great pick that late in the draft and he could be a good combo with Jo Addai. we also drafted 2 tight ends....uhhh Dallas Clark. and we drafted 3 centers (yes, 3)...uhhh Jeff Saturday. apparently our first pick, center Mike Pollack from Arizona State will be trying to fill in at guard with the loss of Jake Scott. we also added a defensive end, a linebacker and a wide receiver (hopefully the WR won't see much turf this year marvin harrison). well, i dont know anything about most of these guys but i must say i trust Bill Pollian. after all, he chose Edge over Ricky Williams and Peyton over Ryan Leaf. not to mention choosing 2 undersized players in Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney that others doubted simply because of their size. all i got to say is Pro Bowlers!
if the Horse can stay healthy next year and get a little out of this draft class i think we could be looking at another run at some rings.
GO HORSE!
zoo out

Playoffs?!...Playoffs?!

It's only the first round, but the drama is top notch in the NBA. so many intriguing questions and we get to sit back and let the answers play themselves out. Can the 76ers actually knock off the old boys from Detroit? Who is the MVP? kobe and CP3 are playing out of their minds. can you say co-MVP? Will T-Mac ever make it out of the 1st round of the playoffs? If Denver, Dallas and Phoenix lose in the first round, what will happen to their teams in the offseason. Can you say powder keg? If they blow it up, Larry Legend better be their to pick up some pieces. We know about Chris Paul, but are the Hornet for real? Are they good enough to hang the banner? And what about the C's of Baawston? Can they add to the multitude of banners that hang above the parquet? And then there's the reigning Eastern Conference champs, can Bron-Bron lead the Cavs back to the finals? Will Flop Ginobli and Boring Duncan ruin another NBA finals? Is the Toronto/Orlando series relevant? Ahhhhh! so many questions require just as many answers...sit back and enjoy.
Go PACERS!
z

I'm Back

Now that my interweb connection is back where it needs to be, I can join the Zoo once again with my thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Let's get down to business. First things first, to wrap up the college basketball season, I think the hiring of Tom Crean as IU's new coach is a great hire. He's sorta old school and I think that's what that program needs. Plus he got great talent to go play at Marquette, so just think what he can do down in B-town. Hoosier fans may need to be patient though, as the team my get new sanctions and players may leave the program. I guess, we'll just have a to wait until November and see. Next let's talk some NBA. The Pacers mercifully did not make the playoffs and will enter June's lottery draft. This years draft may not be too deep, but I think there are some players in the top 10 that may be able to address some of our problems. Derrick Rose may be the #1 pick, but if he slips or we can trade up we can finally get rid of JT. We also need to look at what front court talent is out there. We definitely lack depth at the size positions. The Simons and Larry both promise changes and with Donnie now in NY, we'll really see what kind of GM Bird will be. And finally moving on to the playoffs. The West is just absolutely sick. There is no such thing as an upset over here. Right now it looks as if LA and Utah are the teams to beat, in my opinion. The Lakers just have so much fire power and if they get Bynum back healthy look out. And the Jazz may be the most under rated team in the league. Boozer is a beast and Derron Williams is strong point guard who is will to take and make big shots. Plus, I think they only lost 4 games at home this year. Back in the East it looks like a two horse race between the Celtics and Pistons. Both teams have veterans and know how to win. But let's not discount the Cav's. Lebron is a man, and can put that team on his shoulders (last year game 6 in the D anyone). But the NBA will want the Lakers vs. Celtics, and you know Adolf Stern will do what he can to make that happen. One last thought, is anyone paying attention to how bad Seattle is getting the shaft out here. They may very well have played their last game in the god-awful Key Arena, but it will be a shame. You (and the NBA) knew that the owners from Oklahoma were going to move the team to OKC, but how shady was it. To lie to the city and fans and tell them that they would do everything they could to keep them there and then find some BS reason to move them is ridiculous. All with the blessing of the dictator, I mean commissioner Mao Tse Stern. When will somebody finally stand up to this world-class turd fondler. I just hope someone does before it's too late and the NBA turns into MLB. Well kids, that's all for now. Zup.

the Dude

nobody got nuthin'

well, according to our poll, nobody picked Kansas or Memphis, so i guess we should all keep our regular jobs. damn...
both teams posted impressive victories saturday. Kansas jumped out to a quick 20+ point lead over Carolina and never looked back. I'm actually kinda happy that Kansas got a chance to stick it to Roy W. Memphis just looked plain goooood in its W over UCLA. D. Rose showed he is NBA worthy, while K. Love could probably use another year or 2 of college rock. Me, i gotta take Memphis on monday.
meanwhile, don't sleep on the NBA, every single game in the West has playoff implications. I'm pickin whatever team comes out of the East to win it all, though. i just think whatever team makes it to the finals from the West is going to be physically and mentally drained from the pressure of the playoff race and what i expect to be some seriously intense playoff matchups.
but, hey, that's me
Z

HOOSIER COACH?

Word on the street is that the Hoosiers are close to signing Tom Creen from Marquette. Unfortunately for him he may be coming in to a team with no returning starters. Dakich dismissed jamarcus ellis and armon basset from the team, DJ is out, Gordon is probably not returning. So we're probably gonna have to suck it up for a few seasons and see if TOmmy can get this program back to prominence.
Bring it Tommy. Do Work.
Z

GUS JOHNSON GOT THE KEY

just watched the memphis/texas game and billy packer has ruined yet another game with his arrogance, his repetitive stating of the obvious and his generally overbearing self. he actually made me appreciate jim nantz who had to endure it all. then they sent it back to greg gumbel in the studio...mute button! meanwhile boys have been on the hardwood becoming men. if kansas does what it do against davidson (go Davidson!) then we'll have 4 # 1 seeds goin at it next week. and they are the 4 best teams in the country and the tournament has brought that out. but hey, give it up to davidson and stephen curry (103 points), the slipper fits well. the hoosier state, meanwhile, sucked it up all over the gym. the boilers look to have a bright future while it looks kinda dim for the dogs and the hoosiers. over in the big ten, the badgers and spartans repped the conference sufficiently but not spectacularly. you had to see the badgers loss to davidson comin, the badgers are always the type of team that could hang with the best teams and lose to the worst and never makes the final 4.....so what was with cbs' coverage of the round of 16? 8 games, 2 days. why couldn't they show us all 4 games on both days. instead, they overlapped the games and our basketball viewing was cut in half. i gotcher prime time right here. well, if it aint gonna be davidson, i 'll probably be rootin for the oregon boy, kevin love, even though he plays for uclafaceland (at least they produced reggie miller). well, the kansas/davidson game is starting. gus johnson and len elmore are refreshing voices. gus johnson got the key.
just waiting for 'One Shining Moment'...
Zoo

A New Era?...

Well, I just read on Yahoo, that Donnie Walsh has officially stepped down as GM of your and my Indiana Pacers. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Donnie is truly one of the great GMs in the league and I hope that he doesn't go to another team and this move bites us in the ass. I do wish him well, whatever he does though. He has always been as classy as they come. That being said, we do need some new blood in that organization. I don't know if Larry's our guy or not, only time will tell, but like we've been harping on all season, they desperatley need to shake things up. Forget that, blow it up. Make all those bandwagon fans show up at the Fieldhouse again. The only way to do that is good basketball combined with likable players. Oh, and by the way, who has a 4 game winning streak and is threatening to mess up my whole offseason plan, that's right the ol' Blue and Gold. Really fellas, what's making the playoffs in the East with a losing record going to prove? It will just stymie us in mediocrity for longer. But as usual, I'll root hard for our boys even in their inevitable first round exit from the playoffs.

the Dude

Bulldogs bitten...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...yeah I know we're a long ways from Christmas, but to any basketball fan it's true. March Madness, it just doesn't get any better than this. 3 1/2 teams from the great state of Indiana and two from Oregon. These two hoop heads will be busy this week. IU, Butler, Purdue, Notre Dame (the afore mentioned 1/2 team), Portland State, and Oregon all in the tourney that mercifully finally begins this Thursday. Time to break out the lucky pen and start filling out brackets, but before I do this let's look at the "home" teams. Purdue gets a well deserved 6 seed and should advance against a resurgent and very game Baylor team, the Hoosiers end up the dreaded 8 seed facing a tough and athletic Arkansas squad, and Notre Dame gets the biggest Cinderella in tournament history, George Mason. Look out Irish. Chicagoans everywhere will mourn their early exit. The Vikings of Portland State are welcomed to their first Dance by 1 seed Kansas. A 16 seed has to win sometime, right? And KU is prone to upsets. Somehow, the Ducks make it as an 9 seed, and could get hot and make a run...or get run, which is more likely by a very good Mississippi State team. And then there are the Butler Bulldogs. This team is 29-3 and winner of both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles only to get screwed by the committee and end up a 7 seed. Not horrible until you see that they play South Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. This makes absolutely no sense. The 'Dogs have a great tourney pedigree, matched only by fellow mid-major Gonzaga. Drake, yes the same team Butler beat a month ago is a 5 seed. The 7 seed is bad enough, but to have to play what amounts to an away game, is a travesty. And their reward if they do win, a probable date with 2 seed Tennessee, which by the way, is my sleeper team this year. Well, no use cryin' over spilt milk. A great tournament awaits us, let's hope we are represented well and that the Bulldogs will avenge this snub with a nice little run. So, Boiler Up, Let's Go IU, Go Vikes, Go Ducks, and whatever the hell the Golden Domers say. BRRS!!!

the Dude

BIRD CALLS

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Pacers do nothing. Well, the team is sucking, J.O. is a band-aid and there is even a qoute on the Pacers home page from Larry himself that says "There has got to be changes made and we're going to make them." What? maybe you are what needs to be changed Larry. You acknowledge that there needs to be changes, yet you do not make them. WTF are you gonna do then? How are you gonna change the team? Here's my reccomendation; fire yourself, bench most of the starters then give players like Shawne Williams, Ike Diogu and Danny Granger (the only hope for the future that we have) as many minutes as possible, hope the team tanks and wish for luck in the lottery. Then play the field in the off season and try to get something for J.O. That's what i would do Larry, but hey you're the boss. I guess we'll have to suffer through the rest of the season. Thanks Larry!
Z

Boiler Up

After all the recent talk about the Hoosiers, and rightly so, I think we need to give those kids up there in West Lafayette some love. Not only do they have to deal with living in West Lafayette, but they are the hottest team in the Big Ten. They have won 13 of their last 14 and at this point they lead Northwestern by 4 at the half. And I believe they have got IU, in what will be the most anticipated rivalry game in recent memory, on Tuesday. And they're doing this with four freshman. With all the talk about Sampson, we need to recogize that Matt Painter is doing a helluva job. He's probably already a lock for Big Ten coach of the year. And let's hope to God, he's doing it legit. I tend to think so, but I've been wrong before. This Boiler team, if they can stay healthy, may be around for a while. I love it. I'm so excited about the state of college hoops in Indiana. Let's hope that IU can get everything sorted out, hopefully avoid the dreaded NCAA sanctions, and continue to rebuild that once proud program. Like the saying goes: "In 49 states it's just basketball...but this is Indiana". Zup.

the Dude

This Cheating Will Not Stand

Ironically, shortly after we post about the success of the Hoosiers and how Sampson is such a great coach, a story about his alleged NCAA violations surfaces. Great...way to go. There is one thing in sports the Dude will not abide and that's cheaters. From Belicheat to Bonds to Clemens, if you cheat you're a d-bag and should be gotten rid of promptly and without apology. If these allegations are true, then IU needs to get rid of him ASAP and avoid as many sanctions as possible. Gordon and White will be gone next year anyway, so might as well clean house and start over. Until then, I guess we just wait and see. AARGGHH.

the Dude

Let's Go IU

Well, I suppose it's about time this blog gave some love to the Indiana Hoosiers. They are coming off a spectacular, if not dangerous, 3ot win against the Illini and a gritty W against a pretty tough Ohio State team, both on the road. With only one loss in the Big Ten, they are tied for first with none other than the Purdue Boilermakers. What is this 1988? Sampson has got these guys playing tough, defensive basketball. And with DJ White inside and the amazing Frosh, Eric Gordon outside they might be able to make a run in the tournament. The NCAA tournament is about getting hot at the right time, just ask the 06 Florida Gators, and these Hoosiers are playing their best basketball right now. It's been so long since college hoops have been relevant in the state of Indiana. Now we have the Hoosiers and the Boilers sittin' atop the conference and don't look now but the ever Cinderella Butler Bulldogs are #10 in the land and we know what they can do come March Madness. No matter who your squad is, it's great to see Indiana basketball back where it should be, at the top. Let's go IU!

the Dude

2nd half

finally murphy hit from outside, 1st half he was broke...and now he forced it...free throws, i'll take it. the worst part of the game so far, as the Fiesty One gets a dunk, is that Fieldhouse is virtually empty. Apparently we have the worst attendance in the league, which is insane in such a hoop-crazy state. Come on Larry Legend, give us something. The Blazers are turning it over, time for our boys to put them away. where the hell is Diogu. with JO out shouldn't he be gettin' some minutes.
its an ugly 3rd quarter and the pacers have built a small lead but cant extend it despite multiple turnovers by the blazers. the threes aint droppin'...end of the third and up eight, we just gotta maintain for 1 more Q, translation, we gotta make shots...Foster picks up two O-boards and finishes both of them. Holdin' onto a 9 point lead. We're about due for a tre...and Deiner comes thru for me. DG thru the lane... and one. Thank goodness for Danny, who knows where we'd be without him tonight. Hell yeah, make it 9 in a row. They didn't have Roy, but a win's a win. In fact, that's 2 in a row. Go Blue and Gold. Naptown represents!!!

Zoo and the Dude Live

With the Blazers in Nap, Zoo and I are able to watch the game and blog live. At this moment they are 2 minutes left in the second quarter and the Blue and Gold are lookin' good. So far, we're launchin' tres with no conscience. DG is hot so far. By the way, the local Blazers broadcasters are horrible, especially one Mike Rice. He may possibly be the worst color commentator in the league. He tried to make the statement that Indiana basketball fans like their run n' gun style. Which is completely untrue, as anyone from anywhere knows. We Hoosiers like our traditional basketball, fundamentally sound and at times very boring. Rick Carlisle anyone. Anyway, at the half the good guys are up 51-48.
Zoo here, Pacers got a lead at half, an eight game win streak against the blazers at stake, not much else. As other teams make moves to improve, the pacers are sitting on their hands and enjoying just ending a 7 game losing streak. J O has been out and tinsley has been in and out, so who do we got? from the looks of it, not much more than solid group of role players. At this point in the East, the last spot in the playoffs is up for grabs and honestly, i'm not interested. i'll take our chances in the draft because it looks like larry isn't going to make any moves....well, 2nd half is about to start. Go pacers! i hate losing but i'll always love my pacers.

BOBBY!!

Oh Bobby, it's just like you to go out unexpectedly, suddenly, mid-season, no one had a clue. You did it your way. Always your way. And it was the best way. Always the best way. You always ran the cleanest damn program in the country. And the passion you have for the game and its integrity is unsurpassed. I can relate to a man that throws chairs across basketball courts. That's intense passion. That's what pushes men towards greatness. And you always stressed greatness off the court. You stressed education and honesty. You taught boys how to be men. And all the while, you were yourself... an intense basketball coach, a teacher of life, a role model and an icon. no more and no less.... we love you bobby!!
z

Oh Glorious Day

At the risk of being redundant, I just have to revel in last nights Super Bowl victory by the New York football Giants over the cheaters. It was made even sweeter by the fact that a Manning beat them with classic Manning heroics. And how sweet was it to see the pretty boy on his ass all night and yelling at his receivers. Hey chowdaheads, he's human just like Peyton. And like Peyton, when you get pressure on him he makes mistakes. No perfect season. I'm so glad they made it so far undefeated just to lose in the biggest game, on the biggest stage. It's sort of sad to say, but I've never in my life rooted so hard for one team to lose. The Horse might as well have been playing. So all you Patsies fans, you lost fair and square, to a better team. And just for the record there were no Patsies fans on the Indy Star forums last night or today. Like their coach they are as classless in defeat as they are in victory. Here's to hoping Belicheat gets his in the Spygate Part Deux. What's that famous axiom "Cheaters ..." See ya next year jerks.

Now a short rant on the Blue and Gold. We've lost five in a row and things are looking grim. JO is out (thank God) and JT is oft injured or sick. That leaves our subs. Out here in P-town the Blazers second unit is called the "white unit". In Naptown we have the real White Unit, and they are not nearly as effective. Deiner, Foster (God bless him), Mike D, Murph. They just can't get the job done. I like O'Brien's philosophy, but we need more athleticism to make it work consistently. Looks like we need to make some deals and then hope for the best in the lottery. Maybe we can get Gordon. How great would that Naptowner look in the Blue and Gold. Do it Larry Legend. We need something to look forward to until the Horse get rollin' again.

the Dude

Cheaters never...

..win. ohhhhhh sweet justice! Made even sweeter by the fact that it was another Manning that knocked off the cheaters in the postseason. Thats 2 years in a row, billy cheaterchik, that a Manning has gotcha. It's bad enough you're a cheater (and apparently you may have cheated in winning your first Super Bowl against the Rams) but your a bad loser also. Walking off the field early in the Super Bowl...that's monumentally classless. Great coach? check. D-bag? check. Cheater? check. Undefeated? i don't think so.
You gotta give it to the G-men. Their D flat out shut down the high powered O of the cheat squad. The model has never tasted so much turf. I enjoyed every sack and knock down. Thank you G-men. It wasn't the Horse but it still tasted sweet.
Next year....? Colts 31, Cowboys 28.
Z

The Future

Pacers win...Pacers win. And surprise, surprise, without JO. I read today on Yahoo that he said worst case scenario he's out for the season. Well what the hell else is new. Trade this band-aid as fast as we can, for whoever we can get. I'd settle for a second round pick at this point. On a more positive point the pick up of Kareem Rush is looking pretty decent right now. He's had to season high nights in the last week. I think we finally may have found a dead eye shooter. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm going to try and stay optimistic about this season and the future of this ball club, because as a fan that's all you can do. You stay with 'em through the lows. No jumping ship here.
And here's to Manning ending the cheaters perfect season. No, not Peyton, but little bro Eli. He's playing very well, not turning the ball over, and making big plays when he needs to. That's exactly what he has to do in 2 weeks to beat the hoodie, pretty boy and company. With that amazing defense the Giants have, if they can hang onto the ball and score when they get into the red zone, then I truly believe that the G-men have a good shot at the Super Bowl. Let's hope they get it done so I can go to the regions newspapers and rub it in all the chowdaheads faces. Man, those people are just about the most obnoxious fools around. Go Giants

the Dude

Time to move on...

So there it is. Our fine Colts season gone in less than 4 hours. I had to sit back for a couple days before posting, because I was trying to figure what the hell just happened. First of all let's pray that next year we don't get a first round bye. We suck after resting our starters in the last game of the season and then the bye week. Second, let's get a new offensive coordinator. Or better yet, just let 18 do the job and save some money for some more defensive players. We all saw what happened when Dwight went down. No pass rush. And Meeks, you might wanna call a blitz against their second stringers, just to see how they handle it. Plus how many turnovers in the red zone can you have and still be in the game? The fumble by Marv, in my opinion, was the turning point in the game. We had them on the ropes, go up 14-0 with that crazy crowd and I really think that the rout would have been on. And where the hell was our running game. Jo is a Pro Bowler, we should force feed that guy. That's on Moore, and so was the crappy play calling at the end of the first half and the possession where the ball tipped of Kieth's hands and was intercepted on the 2. Why are you throwing a middle screen that close to the goal line? There are just far too many bodies in there. Let's be honest, the better team yesterday was the Chargers. We even got the benefit of some lousy calls. We won one title, now it's time to move on and win another. Here's to hoping Tony D. comes back along with Dallas and we make some more moves to improve our D. And here's to someone beating the hoodie and that pretty boy. In case anyone from that region is reading, stay the hell of the Indy Star posts. Talking trash after a team loses on their newspapers website is just another, in a laundry list of reasons, your team, players, coaches, and "region" have no class. Go Bolts. LT, hit 'em up for 200 with 3 TDs. Still Loud n' Proud.

the Dude

ps Peyton, quit with all the commercials, it's getting old, even for a die hard Horse fan. Overexposure is no good.

1-4

5 game road trip and 4 losses. Yet the Pacers still sit in the ninth spot in the East behind Atlanta of all teams. That's the east for ya. But here we are at 17-22, a week away from the midpoint of the season and , well, i'm pretty dissapointed. right now doesn't look so good and neither does the future. So, I'm all about some moves right now. Let me see something. It's time for Larry to make it happen. Put everybody on the block and see what you can come up with. You don't have to get trade happy, but just see what's out there. i want me a ring dammit!! Colts got nothin for me so all i got left is Larry. Come on!!
z

See ya next year...

The horse is in the barn. The defense was nowhere to be seen. And if ya didn't know why we pay D Freeney so much money, now ya do. Rivers had all day to pass. Oh yeah, and Volek. we couldn't get anybody near the QB. Yet, once again we still had a chance to win. But 4th down and season with no marv and no reg...........Marv probably should not have even played. Peyton didn't even look his way. And we know what happened when he did. turnovers in the red zone are killers but you gotta give credit to the bolts for gettin their hands on the football.
the referees even seemed to be givin it to us yet we couldn't take it.
hell i don't even want to talk about. Let's just say goodbye to an injury riddled season and hope for a better ending to next season.
Go Bolts!...or Giants.....or Packers.......
Z

It's the Opening Salvo...

Heeerree we go ya'll, playoff time. We owe the Bolts one. Peyton struggled without big D, Marv, and that polished rook Tony G. They still scare me, but we must get to that AFC Championship game. Plus, we have the Defensive Player of the Year. Has there ever been a more deserving player. Yeah, you know who I'm talkin' about, that heat-seeking missile, the Plumber, Bob Sanders. I've never seen a defensive back dominate a game like my man. So, LT, a little warning, keep your head on a swivel or the Plumber might knock ya out. This should be a statement game to the Patsies. Don't sleep on us. This is just round one and we still have to win on Sunday, but it could be the springboard to another ring for the best team in the NFL. Pay attention this weekend 'cause you might be witnessing a dynasty playing, and they're playing on Sunday, not those cheating a-holes in the Northeast. Naptown ya'll.

ROAD TRIP!

we got the Jazz tonight as the 2nd game of a 5 game road trip out west. lost the first one badly to the lakers. Suns tomorrow, then Sac and G State. we are in desperate need of some W's. Currently playing for the 8th spot in the east and fresh off a 5 game losing streak. so this road trip is a big test. we'll see where we really stand after G State on sunday....Andre Owens is playin alotta minutes. i hear memphis is tryin to unload D Stoudamire...New Poll Question. Vote!
i'm out
Z

2 4 1

i'm here and so is he, that's the dude, and i'm me. we broke the losing streak. Tinsley was out for 4 of the 5 and tonight andre owens had a career high 4 assists. so.... we're not deep at the point. and also, should we trade JO? that's the question the dude thinks we should ask. we honestly don't have much going for us right now. he thinks we should get something for him. some draft picks or something for the future. let's be honest a lineup with JO, DG, and Mike D is not going to get us very far. EVER! trade JO while he's worth something and honestly rebuild, a la the portland trailblazers. nobody wants to watch a .500 team barely make the playoffs each year in a weak conference, only to get beat in the first round and get a mediocre draft pick.
speaking of mediocre, the cheater, with the hoodie that coaches a team that claims a region because no state in their right mind would take them, who was voted coach of the year by media members with short memories, awaits his own playoff demise. And we as loyal horse fans await the emergence of the overlooked reigning Super Bowl Champions. Hello Marvin Harrison. and to quote Barney (from the Simpsons), "Where have you been all my life!" Look out AFC swine!! we haven't had our full offensive arsenal all season. now, with Dallas, Marv and R-E-G, plus Jo runnin' it at ya; TADOW! ain't nobody should just sleep on us. Yimineesheeshaaaa!!! Gotcha! Super Bowl rings, make 'em doubles!!!
Dude and Zoo all at once..