Author Archives: bertbeiswanger

Danny Granger Returns to the Pacers

by Bert Beiswanger

In the wake of a VERY disappointing loss to the Miami Heat Wednesday night – a game the Pacers gift-wrapped with poor execution down the stretch after leading by as many as 16 points in the second half – fans anxiously turn their attention to the return of Danny Granger tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse versus James Harding, Dwight Howard and the rest of the Houston Rockets

And the return of Granger is something to get excited about.

One thing the Pacers’ 16-1 start did was convince a lot of folks that the blue and gold were flawless. Who could blame them? Clearly, this is one of the best teams in the NBA – no argument here.

But to attain the ultimate goal of winning a championship, it’s going to take having the #1 seed, in my opinion. And to get the #1 seed, the Pacers still need some help off the bench and another scoring threat on the perimeter.

If healthy, Granger should be a nice compliment off the bench and help carry some of the scoring load. If he’s not, the front office will be better off knowing that now rather than later.

Wednesday’s game reminded me of last year – can’t hit enough perimeter shots and too many unnecessary, lazy turnovers. It was just one game, but it was a big one. There’s no shame in losing in Miami. But the way the Pacers lost the game was disappointing. And it left them only one game ahead of the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings, a fact not lost on me.

As good as this team is, the sights are aimed higher this season, as they should be. The Pacers are all-in. People want to talk championship but the Pacers can’t get the #1 seed throwing away games like Wednesday night. Can they win the East without the top seed? Sure, they can. But do you want to bet on that?

I may sound critical here, but it’s only because I know the Pacers are close to the ultimate prize. The Pacers have made it to the conference finals on seven occasions only to come up short of the Finals six times. Who isn’t ready for the next step?

Make no mistake; this Pacers team is right there. But the bar has been raised. This isn’t the 1995 Pacers or even 2012-13 Pacers. The goal is a #1 seed and championship. Ask anyone within the organization. I think analyzing this team with that goal in mind is what people have to do.

And for those who think the Pacers don’t need Granger? Well, not having Granger is probably the reason they didn’t beat the Heat last year. They just needed that additional weapon.

The bench is better (how could it not be – it was brutal last year), but the Pacers need a consistent perimeter scoring threat off the bench. If that’s Granger, great. If not, Larry Bird and Kevin Pritchard will work hard to figure it out. The sooner they find out, the better.

Sports Grab Bag: College Football Championships, Grantland and the Pacers, Pete Lembo and Boyle

by Bert Beiswanger

I started working on a piece involving the Pacers and scenarios for how they deal with Danny Granger, but I couldn’t get a handful of other sports topics out of my head this morning. I’ll elaborate on the Pacers/Granger in a separate column soon, but it’s Saturday morning and a perfect time to once again hit the express checkout with a mixed-bag of fresh sports topics and thoughts.

Championship Weekend in College Football

ESPN’s College GameDay is live from Pan Am Plaza as we speak. While Indianapolis doesn’t need a show like this here to validate our town’s sports awesomeness, it is another cool happening that fits nicely into Indy’s massive sports landscape. Seriously, how fortunate are we to have one major sports event after another like the Big Ten Championship game? Pound for pound Indianapolis is the best sports town in America. Don’t let some blow hard from a big city tell you otherwise. We may not have the four major sports but we fill the gaps in with major races, Super Bowls and other events like this weekend. And we do it better than anyone. I’m always proud to live in this town. Ok, onto the games:

Michigan State vs. Ohio State: Am I the only one who thinks Michigan State has a legitimate shot at winning this game? No, I mean a REAL legitimate shot at winning this game. I watched the Spartans play at Notre Dame in December and walked away thinking that was about as bad a football game as I had witnessed in a long time. I would not have thought that was the last time Michigan State would lose (who knew the Big Ten would be THIS bad). But it is the last time Michigan State has lost. Their defense is very impressive. Ohio State’s isn’t. So, for me, it boils down to Ohio State’s offense versus Michigan State’s defense. I like Michigan State’s defense. And while Michigan State isn’t exactly a juggernaut offensively, I think they can score enough against Ohio State’s porous defense. Ohio State almost lost to Northwestern and Michigan. Why couldn’t they lose this one? I’m taking “Sparty.”

Missouri vs. Auburn: Am I the only one who thinks Missouri has a legitimate shot at winning this game? No, I mean a REAL legitimate shot at winning this game. Auburn is the flavor of of the week in college football right now. They deserve to be. Auburn has given us the two most exciting finishes in college football this year – in back-to-back weeks at that (stunning victories over Georgia and Alabama). But I’m also realistic enough to know that Auburn is very close to having three losses right now. Missouri’s SEC schedule has not been as challenging as Auburn’s, but Mizzou’s only blemish is a double-overtime loss to South Carolina when Mizzou was without senior captain QB James Franklin. Doesn’t it feel like there’s too much hype for Auburn right now and not enough love being thrown Missouri’s way? There is, that’s why I’m going with the Tigers from Columbia not Auburn.

Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois: If I had written this prior to last night, I would have told you that Bowling Green had a legitimate shot at winning this game…seriously. I didn’t think they would flat-out beat them down, but I wasn’t all-in with NIU. I watch more MAC football than anyone I know, so I’m very familiar with all of the teams. I strongly believe Ball State would have beaten NIU given a more aggressive play-calling approach from the coaching staff. Bowling Green knew the Huskies’ biggest weakness (the secondary) and attacked it relentlessly. And BG has a good defense by MAC standards. So, basically it was BG’s average offense/strong defense versus NIU’s porous defense/strong offense. It’s the same scenario in my mind as the Ohio State/Mich. St. game. The reasons I feel Michigan State has a legitimate shot to win are the same reasons I felt Bowling Green had a legitimate shot to win. It sucks for the MAC to lose out on another BCS bowl game, but NIU would’ve been badly exposed in a game like that.

Is Pete Lembo Leaving Ball State?

Reports this week have Ball State coach Pete Lembo interviewing for the Wake Forest job (and probably others, I’m guessing). Overall, I am sick of this aspect of college football: coaches allowed to leave before the season is over. If bowls are so important like we are always told they are, then why is the season considered over and coaches allowed to shuffle around before the bowls are complete. I understand it’s because of the recruiting calendar. Then change the recruiting calendar. Teams like Ball State don’t have 12-0 (2008 regular season) and 10-2 seasons very often. Allow these programs and their fans to properly see seasons like this to fruition before having them unravel due to coaching rumors/movement before the season is done. In 2008, speculation of Brady Hoke leaving started prior to the MAC Championship game. It no doubt had an impact on the team. A team that had rolled everyone that season lost that title game and the bowl game following. NIU lost it’s coach last year prior to them playing in the biggest game in school and conference history, the Orange Bowl! It doesn’t feel right and seems like it could all be avoided by changing the calendar so coaches don’t need to leave (or can’t leave) for another job until January.

Grantland – Bill and Jalen’s 33 Day Recap: The First Birdmester!

Ok, I have to hurry this along and get it published because everyone on GameDay just picked Missouri, making me look not so original with my picks. BUT if you want to get up to speed on everything NBA to date, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to watch the four-part Grantland special hosted by Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose called “Bill and Jalen’s 33 Day Recap: The First Birdmester!” It’s long but very, very entertaining and informative. Due to Rose and Simmons’ affinity for Larry Bird, it’s appropriately titled after Larry Legend himself, which they explain early on. Part 1 below includes much love for the Pacers. Watch all four parts as they do a great job of uniquely covering the league from every angle. It’s great stuff all the way through. The Pacers are featured in various parts but you can quickly get your Pacers fix by going to the four-minute mark of Part 1.

The First Birdmester

I Leave You With This: A Mark Boyle Quote

There are few announcers that entertain me more than Pacers radio play-by-play man Mark Boyle. A few weeks ago, I was out working in the yard and listening to the Pacers-Pistons game on the radio. At some point during the first quarter, Mark Boyle said about the Pistons’ Josh Smith (and I’m paraphrasing a tad, but not much):

“Smith hoists a three..and that’s unfortunate if you’re a Pistons fan because Josh Smith is NOT a good three-point shooter. You know, if you asked a girl out 100 times and she turned you down 99 times, sooner or later you would think you’d figure out you’re not a ladies man. The same principle applies to three-point shooting.”

Well done, Mr. Boyle, well done.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Ball State’s Willie Snead: Big Willie Style

by Bert Beiswanger

Willie Snead

“Big Willie Style,” that’s the nickname I now use to describe Ball State wide receiver Willie Snead. Yes, I stole it from the title of Will Smith’s popular 1997 album, Big Willie Style, so I’m not exactly being uniquely creative. But I’ve seen enough of Snead’s catches the past few seasons to come to expect reliable, big-time plays. He’s earned the moniker.

Snead and the rest of the Cardinals (8-1, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) will look to continue their winning ways tonight in Muncie against Central Michigan (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). Most important, a win against the Chippewas would set up a big MAC West showdown next week at undefeated and BCS No. 18 Northern Illinois.

As for Willie Snead, he made his mark on the Ball State football program early and often. More than halfway through his junior year, Snead has accumulated career totals of 21 touchdowns and 2,500 yards receiving. It’s now commonplace for Snead to have 100 yards receiving and a highlight reel catch just about every game.

Ball State's Willie Snead (3) catches the ball over a Virginia defender Saturday. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Ball State’s Willie Snead (3) catches the ball over a Virginia defender / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not just the overall production that stands out. It’s also the types of catches – a clutch sideline gem to put Ball State in position for a last-second field goal last year to beat Indiana, an acrobatic back of the end zone snag against South Florida last year that was a Sports Center highlight, and a one-handed touchdown grab a couple of weeks ago at Akron. This flare for making clutch plays started his freshman year when his first career touchdown catch came with 29 seconds left in a game versus Buffalo to seal a Cardinals victory.

Snead is currently third in the country with 1,057 receiving yards. It doesn’t hurt when your quarterback is Keith Wenning, who has been ranked in the top five nationally in passing yards all year. The two have been quite the combination the past few years. It’s not uncommon for Wenning to go to Snead over and over. He knows he’ll either be open with precise route running or be in position to make one of Snead’s signature catches – covered or not.

Snead, from Belle Glade, Fla., took an interesting route to get to where he is. Growing up in Florida, he played at Glade Central High School his freshman year before following his father’s coaching career north and moving to Michigan his tenth grade year. More interesting than that, though, is the fact that one of the nation’s leading college receivers was a bona fide quarterback in high school. His senior year, Snead was named Michigan Player of the Year and racked up 2,500 yards passing and 1,320 yards rushing.

So how did “Big Willie Style” become a receiver? In addition to growing up early on in the football crazy south, he also grew up in a family of wide receivers. His father, Willie Snead III, was a receiver for the Florida Gators in the mid-‘80s.

“My dad and uncle played wide receiver,” Snead said. “My family is full of wide receivers. I just felt like I could do it, I could change it up. If anything, playing quarterback helped me; just reading defenses and things like that. I just kept working and hoping for the best that some team would pick up on me, and Ball State came calling and I ended up here.”

While it’s easy for fans and media to look ahead, Snead knows there’s no room for his team to do so against Central Michigan. “We just make sure we come out every day to practice working and making sure there’s no talk about Northern Illinois,” Snead said. “We’re just focused on Central (Michigan), because our whole season could change if we were to lose this game.”

Maybe it’s my penchant for acting like I’m cool and thinking I’m cool around my kids sometimes – busting out obscure 90s rap lyrics – that made me think of the nickname for Snead. But when I said “Big Willie Style” after Snead’s one-hander against Akron, my son’s response was a smile. That’s all the validation I needed to know that I hit on something big.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Ball State Keeps on Wenning

by Bert Beiswanger

College football activity in the state was sparse at the FBS level yesterday. Indiana and Purdue were on bye weeks and Notre Dame was tucked away on the CBS Sports Network. But with RTV6 picking up the ESPN3 broadcast of Ball State at Akron, folks locally had a great opportunity to see the Cardinals earn another win to go 8-1 and remain the state’s best story in college football.

The 42-24 win at Akron won’t turn many heads. Frankly, Ball State (5-0 Mid-American Conference West division) is in the middle of a stretch of the schedule that won’t turn many heads. But what I’ve pointed out before and what many people still fail to embrace is that Ball State football is the best bang for the buck in the state right now, whether that’s actually paying to see the Cardinals play or taking three hours out of a perfect fall football afternoon to watch them on TV.

Quarterback Keith Wenning continued to show why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the county, completing 25 of 35 passes for 240 yards and five touchdowns, the latter tying a school record. Wenning went into the game ranked second nationally in total passing yards. He’s already passed Nate Davis on the school’s all-time list and extended his record to 10,119 yards.

Wide receiver Willie Snead did what he’s done all year: rack up 100 yards receiving and make a highlight reel touchdown catch. The junior from Belle Glade, Fla. is quietly one of the most productive receivers in the country. Snead went into the game ranked third nationally in receiving yards and continues to garner the attention of those at the next level.

To call Snead productive is probably selling him short. He isn’t just a possession receiver who racks up stats. Snead makes stats by consistently getting open against multiple coverages and making grabs like he did yesterday – a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone that made me say to someone, “That’s Willie Snead, he makes one of those catches every game.”

Willie Snead’s TD Catch Saturday Among Week 9 Highlight Catches

Junior running back Jahwan Edwards had a very workman-like Jahwan Edwards type of day. He rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. Edwards’ 37th career touchdown was a school record. He, too, is at the top of a list nationally, tied for first with 12 rushing touchdowns this season. He stepped up in a big way yesterday with fellow running back Horactio Banks missing the game to attend the funeral of slain high school teammate. All year, due to injuries and whatever else, stepping up when someone is down is what this team has done.

As for the defense, that will often be the question mark with this team. There are certainly some talented players on that side of the ball, no doubt. But too often it still looks like an average MAC defense. Whether there’s enough there to win a MAC title remains to be seen. There was enough on Saturday.

As I stated, this win won’t turn many heads. But Michigan escaped with a narrow win against Akron and No. 18 Northern Illinois only beat the Zips by seven. By comparison, Ball State took care of business in a convincing way. They did what they had to do – stay unbeaten in the MAC and remain on a collision course with undefeated NIU in a few weeks.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

FantasyFootball 96: 96 Hours in the Life of the Wombats

by Bert Beiswanger

NBC Sports Network has INDYCAR 36, NHL 36 and MLS 36, all fine behind-the-scenes shows that give fans a closer look at the athletes and action in those sports. Here at KentSterling.com, we’re going to take you behind the scenes and delve into the inner workings of a fantasy football league franchise – a winning one at that.

We were granted unlimited access to the 6-0 Wombats of the Castleton’s Finest League. Since I write for KentSterling.com and manage the team, it was an easy deal to broker. With a league week being Thursday-Monday, I documented the activity of all days during Week 6 of the NFL season, starting Thursday night, October 10.

That’s 96 hours of coverage, 60 more than NBC Sports Network gives you.

THURDAY: The NFL week didn’t start off well, mainly because I forgot the NFL week started at all. I didn’t get the memo that Charles “Peanut” Tillman was inactive for Thursday’s game. It was a front office blunder. That’s a big ol’ goose egg to start the week: ZERO points at the cornerback position. I was too busy sorting out how the heck I was going to get fantasy hockey points for Blades of Steel with Kari Lehtonen and Roberto Luongo laying eggs in goal.

So I lost a little focus and sacrificed eight-ten points; big deal. I did the same thing Week 5 with Patrick Willis (these Thursday night games tend to catch me off guard) and survived, though it took a stat correction on Tuesday to earn a dramatic four point victory. I thought the ‘Bats were 4-1 but were now 5-0, instead. Call it lucky, but just remember: stats don’t lie, especially the corrected kind.

The truth is, I don’t mind losing. But beating yourself is tough to deal with. With the Tillman screw-up following the Willis screw-up and a last minute substitution technical glitch (the explanation given by my son and Wombats intern) the previous week involving T.Y. Hilton – leaving me without his 26 fantasy points – I was starting to see a pattern here: 1). Guys didn’t want to play hurt as much as I expected them to play hurt, and 2). Negative outside forces were starting to seep into the Wombats inner circle. Maybe it’s because I’m not really one of Castleton’s finest. I’m one of Muncie’s finest. Regardless, the momentum of the season was starting to hit some unnecessary speed bumps.

As for the Hilton fiasco, there’s a reason I traded for him. Like everyone who wear’s the “W” I knew there would be a day I would need to call on him and he’d produce. He was on my bench, biding time. Then, down went Calvin “Megatron” Johnson and in went T.Y Hilton…or apparently Brian Hartline. THANKS YAHOO! But, hey, who needed T.Y.’s 26 points when I had Hartline’s six points…

Back to the Tillman mistake. To say my confidence in managing this team wasn’t a little rattled at this point would be lie. Frustration was mounting with these self-inflicted wounds. A Wombat is a tough little critter, but man…this won’t work come playoffs. Yes, I’m already talking about p-p-playoffs!

FRIDAY (24 hours in): This was a day of inactivity for me, fantasy football-wise. About the only thing I can say that relates to the Wombats is the fact that friends and family had to listen to me whine incessantly about my miscues the past couple weeks. Sucks for them, but such is life. When you eat, sleep and breath Wombat football, it comes with the territory. You get the bad with the good.

SATURDAY (48 hours in): Sunday is right around the corner and I’m back in a winning mentality. Here’s how I’m viewing the next two days: I’m 5-0 on the season. I thought the Wombats were awesome and the record proves it. I have Andrew Luck, Jimmy Graham, DeMarco Murray, Darren Sproles and Calvin Johnson (returning from injury). Stat projections have me winning again. Why wouldn’t it? It’s hard to argue with stat projections. After all, this game IS played on paper. I methodically built this team with depth. This ain’t no one-trick Wombat.

I was feeling good heading into the Sunday/Monday games and used the extra time Saturday to turn my attention to the next two weeks when I have to negotiate around the bye weeks of Graham, Sproles and Luck. Players can’t look ahead but I sure as hell can. You have to if you want to be a top flight general manager.

I’m looking at my bench, analyzing it to see who I can afford to drop to make room for a backup tight end and quarterback. The trouble is, I like them all and don’t want to drop anyone. So, I asked a friend in the league if it seemed stupid to drop Ndamukong Suh and go without a defensive tackle for a couple weeks. To which he replied, “No, that’s not stupid. You usually leave 20 points on the bench. What’s three or four…” Hey, that’s just the kind of validation I needed for my out-of-the-box thinking.

SUNDAY (72 hours in): This was the the type of day that tests your patience as a general manager.

Even though Calvin Johnson was back after sitting out Week 6, I really waffled on the decision to start him. I knew he wasn’t 100 percent. Sure, he’s got the heart of a fantasy Wombat, but I was afraid he’d actually play like the real thing. But as someone said to me, “You have to start ‘Megatron’ if he’s playing.” I did and he played like a real wombat: two points; two freaking points out of Calvin Johnson.

No worries, while “Megatron” was putting up mini points Jordy Nelson was putting up 17 points. It was a very salvageable day given I had Sproles, Graham, Murray and Frank Gore. I also had DeMarcus Ware capable of putting up strong numbers at defensive end.

Ok, now there were worries. Ware only managed two points before leaving the game hurt. Murray racked up 11 points in the first quarter alone, but he also left the game early. Sproles managed a very pedestrian seven points. And fantasy stat stuffing tight end Jimmy Graham?….zero points. Zero points for Jimmy freaking Graham. To top it off, the opposition’s quarterback, Tom Brady, drove the length of the field for a last second touchdown to tack on valuable points. Hmm…I thought, “Now what?” Well, I dodged a bullet with a stat-corrected win last week so karma was biting my Wombat butt.

I had two things going for me, though: 1). I had four players suiting up Monday night, and 2). The opponent was sucking about as bad as the Wombats.

MONDAY (96 hours in): I entered the night ten points down. That wasn’t bad considering I still had Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Antoine Bethea and Jerrell Freeman (a legit fantasy linebacker), while the opponent had Reggie Wayne and Danny Woodhead. Despite the disaster of Sunday, I was feeling confident the Wombats would come out on top. The long hours I’d put in earlier, namely picking up Freeman over the weekend and starting Hilton, was looking like the things of genius management.

As it turned out, Monday did nothing to correct the misfortunes of Sunday. The only difference in the two days was that I had to turn from beer to gin to get through it.

Luck put up his lowest points total of the year, largely due to multiple dropped passes by guys who clearly didn’t have the Wombats’ best interests at heart. But Hilton had a drop, too, and was basically non-existent. The 26 points he put up the previous week seemed like a year ago.

With the theme of the week being injuries, Freeman joined the Wombat wounded and left the game with a concussion. The Indianapolis Colts like to say, “Next man up.” That’s great for them, but it didn’t do me any good in the middle of a Monday night game and down a measly point. Gone were any more tackles from the linebacker position. Pfft, in a one-point game, who needed a middle linebacker and his tackle points?…He was road kill as far as I was concerned.

With the Colts down ten, the only real suspense was whether the Wombats would find a way to pull it off and remain the lone unbeaten team in the league. The score toggled back-and-forth: up a point, down a point, up a point, down a point. Honestly, it was only by the grace of the suckiness of the opponent that we still had a chance to win. I was watching the game with a couple of other league managers and we were following all of the scintillating action/real-time stats on a laptop. A pass completion to Wayne on the Colts’ last possession actually put the ‘Bats down (Wayne got more points on the play than Luck). Then, another completion put us back on top by a point.

You know when a classic game is unfolding in front of your eyes. This had all the suspense of a classic game. But I’m going to be very frank here, the stress of continuing to win and staying undefeated was real. Pass the gin, please…

With the Wombats up and Luck with the ball, we had a shot,. But Wayne could throw a wrench into everything. Weird, I know.

NOOOO!! Luck threw an interception. The Wombats were down by less than a point. My only hope to get another point was a tackle as San Diego ran out the clock. But with Freeman out, what were the odds a Chargers back would break through the first two lines of defense to our only remaining hope, safety Antoine Bethea? Actually, the way the Chargers ran the ball on this night, the odds were pretty good.

Up the middle went Chargers back Ryan Matthews, tackled with just enough time for San Diego to have to run one more play before kneeling down. Up the middle went Matthews again, only this time it was as if the seas parted. He went through a gaping hole, and waiting for him on the other side was Antoine Bethea. TACKLE! POINT WOMBATS! BALLGAME! THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!

“Peanut” Tillman

Celebration ensued. It was one for the ages. The thought of my team being 6-0 in it’s first season was starting to feel damn good.

If Bethea had been interviewed immediately after the game, I’m pretty sure he would have said something like, “That last tackle there, that was for ‘Peanut.’ We have a saying here, ‘Wombatter up.’ When a guy goes down, and that includes our general manager, it’s the next Wombatter up.”

But then we saw an update pop up on the laptop. What? A freaking stat correction?! OH, NO. NOOO! The Wombats lost. What an emotional night. What a disappointment. The Wombats have a truckload of injuries, bye weeks ahead and are now 5-1. Tuesday was going to feel like a hangover for more reasons than one.

Such is the life of a fantasy football general manager.

But wait….

(96 hours+: OVERTIME): Tuesday morning, I learned the NFL incorrectly attributed a fumble to Darren Sproles. Stat corrections kicked in again and the Wombats were awarded the victory by less than a point. Didn’t I just write last week there is no such thing as a bad loss? I did. The Wombats are 6-0, and we have another saying now: Even when we’re losing, we’re winning!

Some think the Colts could be on their way to a special season (well, they did before Monday night). But I have to say that the true team of destiny may be this team of Wombats.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Weekly Sports Grab Bag: Ball State, Uncle Verne, Grand Prix of Indianapolis and “The Hawk”

by Bert Beiswanger

With a mixed bag of thoughts on various sports topics the past week, locally and nationally, I could have pounded out an article a day given the time. Since life gets in the way sometimes, you do what you can. So I thought it best to hone in on a few freshly squeezed items and head to the express checkout on this beautiful Saturday morning.

Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning

Ball State Homecoming

Speaking of beautiful Saturday mornings, I will be heading up I-69 soon to witness the Ball State Homecoming game against Kent State (3 p.m., espn3.com). What I’ll look most forward to is once again watching the #2 ranked quarterback and receiver in the country, Keith Wenning and Willie Snead. Despite racking up a ton of injuries the past few weeks, Ball State is starting to put together more complete game and gathered some votes in this week’s USA Today coaches poll. The 5-1 Cardinals are coming off an impressive win at Virginia. Say what you want about Virginia but a 21 point win at an ACC school is impressive. It’s Homecoming weekend, sunny and 75 degrees. Tailgating should be good and Scheumann Stadium will be full. For the price, Ball State football is the best bang for the sports buck around right now.

Uncle Verne and the Gators/Tigers

Uncle Verne

My favorite sports time slot of the week is Saturday, 3:30 p.m.: CBS, Uncle Verne Lundquist (as sports radio personality Steve Czaban so appropriately refers to him) and Gary Danielson on the call for the SEC Game of the Week. This week it’s the No. 17 Florida Gators at No. 10 LSU Tigers. Florida has had an offensive spark in recent weeks with the play of backup quarterback Tyler Murphy. If nothing else, he’s steadied an offense that was prone to shoot itself in the foot over and over with Jeff Driskel at the helm (see Miami game). Timing in sports is a funny thing. Driskel’s unfortunate injury may be the Gators’ gain as it seems the No. 4 defense in the country now has some support. Florida has had its share of big losses on defense due to injury, but the Gators still play at a very high level on that side of the ball. This will a good one. If you’re out and about, DVR it.

Grand Prix of Indianapolis

With the announcement that the IndyCar Series will kick off the Month of May in 2014 by racing on an updated and improved Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, racing purists voiced their concerns that this could take away from the prestige of the “500.” How? How could this hurt the “500?” I’ve looked at this from every angle and I just don’t see a downside. Let’s be honest, opening weekend in May had become pretty stale. The crowd was friends and family and “Alley Cats” only, so the addition of the the grand prix weekend really provides the fans with excellent racing content leading into the “500.” Also, the race will be on ABC, not to mention the possibility of a title sponsor coming on-board and IMS having more of a product to sell to corporate suite buyers. Look, no one is expecting a “500” type of crowd or anything close. But I suspect we will see a nice race crowd in the 50 thousand range. When you put it all together, it’s a win for the series and a great lead-in to the Indy 500. NBC Sports commentator and RACER Magazine contributor Robin Miller has said there wouldn’t be 40,000 people if they made the race free. The race isn’t free, but very affordable. “R,” I’ll take that bet.

“The Hawk” Wasn’t Soaring in 2013

After getting fired last Friday, Dusty Baker said, “”All the coaches get blamed for everything.” To which my son replied, “Apparently, he hasn’t paid attention to the White Sox this year.” The boy was dead-on with that comment. I’m not sure I’ve witnessed a more fundamentally unsound team in all my years of watching Major League Baseball. If the coaching staff isn’t to blame for the debacle of 2013 and the comedy of errors, then I’m not sure when you would blame a coaching staff. Actually, I’m not sure why you would even need a coaching staff. Heck, I can sit on the bench and yell, “Catch the freaking ball!” The weight of the White Sox pom poms were even too much for announcer Hawk Harrelson. The clip below from earlier in the season could actually be packaged as “The 2013 Chicago White Sox Year-in-Review” and sold in discount bins everywhere for $1.99. By the way, if you don’t have time for the full 3:30 of this year-in-review, simply watch the first minute and fast forward to the three minute mark:

The Hawk Melts down. This sums up 2013 for the Chicago White Sox

And now, please rise and kindly remove your hats as we kick off this sports weekend with the anthem of the SEC on CBS:

The SEC on CBS

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Five Games In – How Good Are the Colts and Trent Richardson?

by Bert Beiswanger

So, five games into the season and discussions have already started with friends of mine about how good the Colts are coming off the solid win against Seattle last Sunday. With so many blue faithful giddy after the win, it’s a fair discussion. As can be the case with these types of discussions, the topic of quality wins came up, which I always think is an interesting discussion. You know: this team at 4-1 is better than that team at 4-1 because that team didn’t play anyone.

It was pointed out to me that, prior to the Seattle win, the first three Colts victories came against teams with a combined record of 5-10, so it was the Colts first quality win. Well, aren’t three of the reasons that 5-10 record is what it is because the Colts beat those teams? I mean, if the Colts only win one of the three (Jacksonville doesn’t even deserve a hypothetical win right now), then the combined record of those teams is 7-8. If you take out the 0-5 Jags altogether, you’re looking at a combined record of 7-3 for the two teams involving the hypothetical Colts losses.

See what I did just there? If you’re confused, you should be. What I did is actually make the argument of comparing the quality of NFL schedules kind of silly -well, in this particular scenario, anyway.

And a win in San Francisco isn’t a quality win? Despite the injuries the 49ers were dealing with and the funk they seemed to be in at the time (not to mention the coaching staff forgetting in the second half Frank Gore existed), that is absolutely a quality win, especially when you consider division foe Houston got throttled at San Franciso a couple weeks later.

If we’re going to play the strength of schedule game, look at New England’s wins – Bucs, Jets, Falcons, Bills.. By comparison, the Colts resume isn’t any worse. Actually, it’s better.

At some point a team is going to play good and bad teams in this league. And by the end of the season, who knows where teams will be. A 9-7 team can be the better team if they’re healthier than, say, a 12-4 team. In my opinion, it’s more about the quality of a team in general at a given time – the Colts, in this case – and how they’re playing, not so much the schedule.

Here’s one cliche I agree with: any win in the NFL is a good win, especially a road win. Who cares who the win came against. There are good wins and bad losses. There’s no such thing as a bad win and no such thing as a good loss. Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently.

Back to the Seahawks game. I think the Colts were VERY fortunate to beat Seattle. It was an incredible game and atmosphere. But Seattle is probably wondering how they lost that one. Short of the long TD bombs to T.Y Hilton, Indianapolis was out-played by Seattle. And Seattle didn’t get much help from the referees. The Colts did get help from the referees and they needed it.

It was a great win but lets not get carried away, yet, with putting this team in the upper tier of the league. The Colts are 4-1, so indeed in good position in the AFC (though, I still contend the Miami loss could haunt them). Having said that, Indianapolis is racking up a ton of injuries, and I did not leave that game thinking the Colts looked like an upper tier team, yet. It’s probably a tier two team right now – any team you think that is a contender not named Saints, Patriots, Broncos – and maybe, oddly enough, even Seahawks. The Colts are knocking on the door, though.

I would’ve loved to see this team have a five game stretch with its core to see how good it really could be – TE Dwayne Allen (HUGE loss) and Vick Ballard and Ahmad Bradshaw – but we don’t have that luxury. Allen can run, catch, block, you name it. Ballard and Bradshaw are 4+ yards-per-carry backs. But the Colts are pressing on without them and deserve a lot of credit for their toughness, resolve and ability to execute in the clutch.

If the Colts don’t go to San Diego and win with Denver coming in next?..it could be 4-3 just like that heading to Houston. So I need another three to four games to figure out where this team stands with me. By then I will also have legitimately figured out if Trent Richardson can average more than three yard per carry. I’ll also know just what tier this team truly belongs on based on its play on the field, not simply the schedule.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Bowling Green Game Huge for IU and Wilson

by Bert Beiswanger

Bowling Green is a huge game for Indiana football and coach Kevin Wilson. Doesn’t that sound odd? Well, coming off the defeat at home to the Navy Midshipmen last week, it’s the truth.

Despite the fact the Falcons come to Bloomington Saturday (Big Ten Network, Noon) as one of the best teams in an often underrated Mid-American Conference, a loss by the Hoosiers would most certainly turn up the heat on head coach Kevin Wilson.

Is that fair? After all, Navy and Bowling Green happen to be very solid teams, more than capable of handling their own against the bottom half of the Big Ten.

But here’s the deal: While a loss at home to one of them is acceptable, a loss to both isn’t. Not in a year when IU has created more football traditions than any school with a non-winning tradition I can think of. And not in the third year of a coaching tenure in which the coach hasn’t exactly rubbed a lot of people the right way.

After the loss to the Midshipmen, Wilson showed what I thought was a lack of leadership with his comment that he’s tried to get Navy off the schedule the last couple years. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Navy was unbeatable.

Athletics director Fred Glass offered this explanation: “Kevin made no bones about the fact that Navy is such a unique opponent with a unique style that it’s hard to prepare for and takes a disproportionate amount of time to prepare for.”

How does Navy even put together a 12-game schedule?

Navy, like Bowling Green will be Saturday, is a very solid match-up for IU at this stage. Frankly, those are solid home games for Indiana at any stage. While IU should be able to beat Navy at home, they lost to a pretty good football team. Why not just say “We got beat by a very good football team today.” Leave it at that and move on.

I can accept the Navy loss. Unlike so many people who only focus on the power conferences, I focus on the non-BCS conferences, too. I grew up around the MAC, so I know very well what teams like Bowling Green and Navy can do. What I can’t accept is the comment about wanting to drop Navy, no matter if it was truly facetious (as we were later told) or not. It just comes across as an excuse.

Isn’t that ironic that a program with the tallest flag pole in college football talks of wanting to drop a service academy from the schedule?

Isn’t it ironic that a program with the tallest flag pole in college football talks of wanting to drop a service academy from the schedule?

In a day and age of so many out of control football programs, me-first athletes and priorities completely out of whack in college athletics, playing the Naval Academy should be a freaking honor. I don’t care about excuses. Just lose with honor.

I just wrote a couple weeks ago how much I was looking forward to seeing Army at Ball State because any day inside a football stadium with a military academy is a good day.

One of my neatest college football experiences was watching Navy play at Ball State in 2008. The Middies had a very good team then, too, and Ball State and then-coach Brady Hoke beat them for the second year in a row. But it was the atmosphere and seeing the white uniforms in the stands that did it for me. To me, that’s what it’s all about.

While some think the Navy loss was a huge setback, I don’t. It was a minor setback. IU has still shown signs of improvement. The Hoosiers lost to a damn good team, one that’s pretty difficult to play against. It’s frustrating but time to move on.

Do I think IU will win Saturday? Yes, I do. But Wilson has put more pressure on himself and the program now because of his comments.

Bowling Green is very solid, having already rolled over Tulsa and Kent. The Falcons almost pulled off a major upset last year against Florida in “The Swamp.” I’m fairly certain “The Rock” won’t faze them.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Better to be LUCKy than Good

by Bert Beiswanger

Luck

Cheesy headlines aside, the Indianapolis Colts left a lot of questions unanswered in Sunday’s season opening comeback win against the Oakland Raiders.

We still don’t know for sure what the offense is going to look like under the play calling of Pep Hamilton. We still don’t know if the offensive line will ultimately protect Andrew Luck better than last year or help produce a consistent running game. And we still don’t know how productive the defense will be. The secondary certainly played well, though, especially considering they had to cover for five to six seconds sometimes while Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor scrambled around.

But once again the Colts found a way to win another game in the fourth quarter. Let me re-phrase that: Andrew Luck found a way to win another game in the fourth quarter.

Listening to many preseason predictions, I heard a lot of people talk about how lucky the Colts were in 2012 and how they can’t rely on winning seven games in the fourth quarter again.

Why not? Don’t we always hear how it’s the fourth quarter when quarterbacks make their money? There was Luck Sunday, putting the team on his shoulders again and orchestrating a fourth quarter comeback win for the eighth time. That’s eight times in his 17 regular season starts.

If those results applied to Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, all we would hear is the word “clutch” attached to those names. But all the Colts are is lucky?

Right now, Andrew Luck is one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the game. Overall, I think he’s one of the top eight or so quarterbacks in the league right now. He may be in the top five by the end of the season. The fact is he’s easily in the top ten and rising through the ranks fast.

I’m not sure there’s any QB in the league right now who had a heavier burden on his shoulders so soon in his career and produced like Luck. Luck was carrying a team and single-handedly winning games as a rookie last year with a bunch of players few casual fans – or people not named Ryan Grigson for that matter – had heard of. Sure, others contributed. But how many of those games do the Colts win without Luck? Maybe zero. With the exception of the ageless Reggie Wayne, the roster wasn’t exactly full of fantasy league stat stuffers.

I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with Colts tight end Dwayne Allen last year at the preseason kickoff luncheon. As much as I walked away thoroughly impressed with Allen’s maturity level and charisma for a 22-year-old rookie, I remember him shaking his head in disbelief when talking about Luck’s intelligence, skill and leadership. In Allen’s words, “Andrew’s amazing.”

Yesterday on his radio show, ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd brought up a recent conversation he had with Trent Dilfer. Cowherd asked Dilfer how he figures out who the best quarterbacks in the league are anymore with so many racking up huge passing yards and stats. Dilfer said you figure out who the best is in crunch time when the game is on the line; two-minute drill situations.

So, while the Colts still have a lot of unanswered questions, I don’t think they need to apologize for continuing to win games in the fourth quarter. Beyond the Detroit game last year (a true rabbit out of the hat trick), I can’t think of any other game where I would consider the Colts lucky to have won it. They just went out and won it when the game was on the line.

After the latest comeback win, Colts coach Chuck Pagano stated,”If there’s a minute left and we need a score, there’s no one I’d rather have under center than that guy.”

I would take that kind of Luck any day.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

High Expectations for Ball State Football

by Bert Beiswanger

Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning

There is a positive buzz in the air for Ball State’s 2013 football season, which kicks off tonight in Muncie against FCS school Illinois State (7 p.m., ESPN3). The Cardinals return a core of very skilled offensive players led by quarterback Keith Wenning, a fourth year starter and 3,000 yard passer in 2012.

With the overall production of Wenning, a wide receiver group that includes Willie Snead, Connor Ryan and Jamill Smith, tight end Zane Fakes, power running back Jahwan Edwards and change-of-pace back Horatio Banks, the reason for such a positive outlook is warranted.

Another key reason for optimism is this team is coming off a 9-3 regular season last year, playing a schedule that only included five home games, zero games against FCS schools, three games against BCS schools and a group of schools that included Clemson, Northern Illinois, Kent, Ohio and Toledo – all nationally ranked at some point. This year’s schedule is not as tough on paper, yet, I think 9-3 could still be regarded as an accomplishment.

In 2012, the MAC produced what many considered to be the best year the conference has ever had. With power ratings that put it right around the ACC and NIU going to the Orange Bowl (much to the chagrin of many nationally), it’s hard to argue.

Yet, one thing I’ve heard people say is, “If Ball State is supposed to be that good, then why are they only picked to finish third in their own division?” The obvious point that question reveals is that many fans and casual media types outside of the MAC still don’t give the conference the respect it deserves.

The reality of picking Ball State to finish third lies in the fact that, as good as they might be this year, Northern Illinois and Toledo – both division rivals – are just as good or better. All three teams, along with Bowling Green and Ohio, are essentially ranked in the top 50 (Bowling Green, No. 52, thus the “essentially” part of that statement) in Paul Myerberg’s USA Today preseason breakdown of 125 FBS schools (College Football Top 125 Countdown).

And as good as the aforementioned offensive skill players are, Ball State will have to answer the bell in a couple of key areas.

The Cardinals lost four of five starting offensive linemen from last year’s team. That’s no minor point when considering just how good BSU was offensively in 2012, a year in which they consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally in total offense and rushing. How the offense produces this year behind a revamped, young line will be interesting to watch. That line may be asked to to carry a heavier burden early as Wenning works his way into top form after undergoing microscopic surgery recently.

DE Jonathan Newsome

Another area of concern is the defense. The very bright side is defensive end Jonathan Newsome, an Ohio State transfer, and tackle Nathan Ollie should have huge years. They will lead a very capable front line that will be the anchor of the defense. But a lot of questions lie behind them. A porous secondary was a big reason the Cardinals surrendered more than 30 points per game in 2012. While the MAC didn’t get it’s “MACtion” nickname for having exciting, stellar defenses, Ball State needs to improve in this area if it has any shot of winning the conference.

Ball State will take it’s first shot of the 2013 season against Illinois State. While Illinois State is an FCS school, the roster is littered with FBS transfers, including quarterback Jared Barnett, who led Iowa State to an upset in 2011 over then No. 2 Oklahoma State. The Red Birds are ranked No. 3 in Myerberg’s preseason list of top FCS schools and No. 10 in the Associated Press poll.

The game could provide a better barometer of where the Cardinals are than some think.

Why all of the Ball State watch talk?

The athletics department didn’t miss an opportunity to promote the fact that Ball State players are on several watch lists. I don’t know what it all means, but hats off to them for creating a cool promo graphic.

Charlie Cardinal crashing the BCS mascot party.

Early season reasons to visit Scheumann Stadium in Muncie:

If you’re looking for a reason to get out and enjoy a nice college football atmosphere at an affordable price, mark your calendar for a couple of September dates: