Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indiana University’s Little 500 – Eight tips on avoiding arrest from a veteran – #1 “Don’t be the idiot”

by Kent Sterling

This is a picture from our Little 500 party at Walnut Knolls. The only thing that kept it from being busted was it would have caused more damage than it saved.

This is a picture from our last Little 500 party at Walnut Knolls. The only thing that kept it from being busted was it would have caused more damage than it saved.

Not getting arrested in Bloomington during Little 500 weekend is a lot like not being caught by a grizzly bear chasing a group of campers, you don’t have to be fast, just don’t be the slowest.

Avoiding police attention during the Little 500 weekend that started in earnest last night does not require sobriety or or a resistance to acting like a fool. You just can’t be the drunkest or the biggest idiot.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Friends used to bring gallon jugs of screwdrivers into the race because people tend to doubt audacity. Security knows what a hidden flask looks like, but few suspect a group of 20 students each carrying a gallon jug filled with what appears to be orange juice would be bold enough to have emptied a fifth of Popov into each.

Our impudence grew over the years to finally include fake credentials that boasted our status as “special provosts,” and during our final appearance, ushers escorted us to a special entrance so we could avoid the line.

Over the years, friends who had trouble with the law were those who earned it. One drank himself stupid, wandered from the group, and found his way to Sembower Field. Too drunk to locate the gate or successfully climb the fence, police arrested him as he slept in the middle of center field.

The consequences for acting stupid rarely involved the police for our friends. A broken ankle after falling in a ditch, some bumps and bruises after doing donuts with an RV in the Memorial Stadium parking lot, random nudity, and hurt feelings of those we either directly or inadvertently insulted were the worst of the collateral damage because we maintained reasonable limits or so far exceeded the limits that authority was mystified into inaction.

Nothing in all of this to be proud of, but there are lessons learned through many years of experience that may be of some use for those in Bloomington this weekend hoping their fun does not come with a price any steeper than a groggy and wasted Sunday.

Here are some rules of the road to keep yourself and others safe:

Don’t be “The idiot.” If everyone in the room or at the race is watching you do something, you are the idiot. Being the idiot will get you mocked and then arrested. Laughing at others is a lot more fun than being laughed at, so either don’t be a moron, or surround yourself with people even more moronic than you.
Do not drive after drinking. Period. Not only will you likely be arrested, you will put lives in danger. Lives are ruined because of the choice to drive while addled. Everything in Bloomington is walking distance, so walk or if you are lazy – call a cab. This weekend should be about laughs and fun, and driving drunk results in tragedy far too often to be fun.
No fights. This was never a problem for us because the fun ratio for fighting is always out of whack. Only the psychotic laugh as they fight, and if you can’t laugh at it we didn’t want to do it. The police are really in the business of keeping people safe, and nothing threatens the immediate safety of drunken college students quite like punching each other.
Always have an exit plan. If you are at a huge and loud party, at some point the cops will find it. As you exit, do not run. Walk confidently in the opposite direction of the police presence, and under no circumstance mouth off to them. As a primer in this arena, watch an episode of “Campus PD.” Runners and loudmouths are always the first targets. If you look like you are doing nothing wrong, police tend to leave you alone.
Never host a party. When you are the host, you are responsible for everyone and everything. That is a jackpot to avoid. Being responsible for yourself when you are 22 is a full time job. Responsibility for a house or apartment filled with drunk and energetic guests is destined to end in misery.
No selfies of moronic behavior. After an arrest, selfies are called evidence. Prior to an arrest, selfies posted on social media can be called probable cause. Nobody wants to see pictures of themselves wasted. Resist the urge to document everything – or anything.
As always, treat people as you would like to be treated. Take care of one another, and if reason takes a holiday for a friend, encourage a long nap.
If you are famous in Bloomington – like a basketball player – do not try to get in Kilroy’s Sports Bar with a fake ID. This is especially true when the media is reporting that excise police are everywhere in town for the expressed purpose of catching underage drinkers.

Part of a college education is learning where societal boundaries lie. I have been there, tested the strength of the life’s fences, and made it through unscathed. Of course, all concern for being arrested can be avoided by abstaining, or leaving Bloomington for Little 500 weekend. People smart enough to do that require no counsel. This post is for those who still enjoy being in the middle of a beer and sweat soaked crowd as they bounce through a weekend of indulgence.

Click here to take THE BEST care of your teeth with the help of IU grad Dr. Mike O’Neil at Today’s Dentistry in Fishers

Little 500 Weekend should be the World’s Greatest College Weekend, but great doesn’t happen in the Monroe County lockup.

Indianapolis Colts “easy” 2014 schedule will lead to #1 seed in the AFC

by Kent Sterling

The Colts have a very good chance of making Andrew Luck’s #1 gesture an accurate depiction of where they will finish in 2014.

Quite and schedule the NFL put together for the Indianapolis Colts. Back to back 11-5 seasons and a step in the right direction with a thrilling playoff comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs have prompted a prime time heavy lineup.

Five times the Colts will be featured on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday Night Football, including the first two weeks.

As tough as the Colts schedule appeared to be last season, it looks just that reasonable in 2014 (no schedule in the NFL can be called easy).

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

The final roster isn’t even close to set, Reggie Wayne is a complete question mark, a center is not only on the wish list – it’s on the must have list, and what about Daniel Adongo? The NFL Drat starts two weeks from tonight, but the Colts only have five picks so it’s really not as big an issue as it might be. April 24th is four months early for reasonable prognostication, but I’m feeling cocky after guessing 11-5 last year.

Here is the schedule, and my ludicrously premature predictions for each.

Sun, Sep 7 at Denver 8:30 PM – Tough to beat the master at home to kick off the season. While the Super Bowl certainly stung more severely, the return to Indy defeat for Peyton Manning wasn’t much fun either. Manning will come out hot and stay hot. This is a loss for the Colts. (0-1)
Mon, Sep 15 vs. Philadelphia 8:30 PM – The home opener against an Eagles team that started cold in 2013, and became better than average. The Eagles were doubtless the worst of the division winners, but the still won the woeful NFC East. DeSean Jackson is gone, but that could be a net positive. The Eagles will be coming off a win against Jacksonville, and I can’t imagine them winning two to start the season. No matter who holds the remotes and where Pat stands, the Colts find a way to slow down the Chip Kelly offense. The Colts avoid an 0-2 start with a win here. (1-1)
Sun, Sep 21 at Jacksonville 1:00 PM – The reason the Colts schedule grades out as easy is the six games they play against the AFC South. Maybe the relentless high draft picks that keep piling up in the division will bear fruit at some point, but Jacksonville will be lousy for the foreseeable future. I looked up and down at their roster, and if there is a reason for the Colts to fear the Jags, he’s has yet to join the club. Colts win. (2-1)
Sun, Sep 28 vs. Tennessee 1:00 PM – It’s been since the 2008 season that the Titans have gone to the playoffs, and they could be 0-3 going into this game after playing at Kansas City and Cincinnati while hosting Dallas. It’s nut cutting time for QB Jake Locker, and if the Titans are 0-3 heading into this game, his nuts might have been cut. As mediocre as Tennessee was in 2013, the Colts beat them by three and eight points, so winning this game might not be as easy as it appears. Colts win. (3-1)
Sun, Oct 5 vs. Baltimore 1:00 PM – If predicting the outcome of games involving most NFL games over four months before the beginning of the season is silly, guessing what might happen with the Ravens is futile. Somehow they were 8-8 last year with Ray Rice who appeared to have lost all steps. He’s unlikely to get better, whatever the disposition of his prosecution for allegedly knocking his wife unconscious in a casino elevator during the offseason. The Ravens are a shadow of their 2013 Super Bowl championship selves. Colts win. (4-1)
Thu, Oct 9 at Houston 8:25 PM – If the Texans grab Jadeveon Clowney #1, they will give the Colts offensive line and Andrew Luck nightmares. The defense will be tested by the ageless Andre Johnson, who enjoyed a season in 2013 that compares nicely with the best of his outstanding career. While I have a tough time imagining the Colts losing in Houston, I’m going to pick the Texans because winning on the road is hard. This smells like a trap game to me. Colts lose. (4-2)
Sun, Oct 19 vs. Cincinnati 1:00 PM – The Bengals are getting better bit by bit along with the perpetually angry looking young quarterback Andy Dalton. The Bengals will be coming off games at New England and at home against Carolina before visiting Lucas Oil Stadium, so I like the Colts chances despite last years demolition of the Horseshoes in Cincy last season. Colts win. (5-2)
Sun, Oct 26 at Pittsburgh 4:25 PM – If you asked 100 NFL fans where Ben Roethlisberger is in the continuum of his career, 80 would say “in decline.” And they would be wrong. Despite being 32 years old and suffering hundreds of hits in his decade with the Steelers, Big Ben had one of his best seasons in 2013 setting career bests in attempts and completions while amassing the second highest totals in yards and TDs. This is going to be a tough game for the Colts as Pittsburgh is not a very hospitable town. Colts lose. (5-3)
Mon, Nov 3 at NY Giants 8:30 PM – The Giants were not good last year, and I am unconvinced the bottom is still ahead for Tom Coughlin’s team. Monday Night Football is not quite the same environment as it is elsewhere for some reason, and I like the Colts to grab this one on the road to run their record to 1-1 versus the Mannings. Colts win. (6-3)
*Bye
Sun, Nov 16 vs. New England 8:30 PM – I will never pick New England over the Colts ever. If Teddy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Kevin Faulk, and Mike Vrabel return in their prime, I pick the Colts. Colts win, and I hope they score 70 damn points. Colts win and make it hurt. (7-3)
Sun, Nov 23 vs. Jacksonville 1:00 PM – As good as two guaranteed wins are for playoff seeding purposes, these games are been-there, done-that monotony. There is no danger in taking the Jaguars too lightly because they are exactly as bad as expected every game. This begins an incredible four-game run against the four teams with the worst records in the NFL. This should be where the Colts begin their move to the front of the AFC class. Colts win. (8-3)
Sun, Nov 30 vs. Washington 1:00 PM – Game two against the worst of the worst – at least in 2013. Who knows whether RG3 will be healthy at this point, or whether it will matter. Washington’s plight makes me wonder whether NY Knicks owner James Dolan and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder spend a lot of time commiserating and advising each other. Colts win. (9-3)
Sun, Dec 7 at Cleveland 1:00 PM – The Browns are in irreversible turmoil, and depending upon whom they draft, this should be the third straight walkover for the Colts. If the Browns draft Johnny Manziel, that at least gives the Browns a chance to make plays and surprise someone. Manziel to Josh Gibson would be a bit of a headache for defensive coordinators. Colts win. (10-3)
Sun, Dec 14 vs. Houston 1:00 PM – My God, stop the madness. Another game against a poorly manned team. Remember that the Texans weren’t always awful, and might awaken at some point – ah, who am I kidding? This game is a done deal if Andrew Luck and Robert Mathis remain ambulatory, and the Colts find someone to give Luck the ball (if Khaled Holmes isn’t the guy). Colts win. (11-3)
Sun, Dec 21 at Dallas 4:25 PM – The Cowboys are going to finish the season 8-8 or within a game of it, and this tilt is on the road, so anything can happen, but Jerry’s boys should be easy pickins for the Colts. Frankly, I’m exhausted by looking at these meager rosters trying to find a way to predict a loss for the Colts here and there so I don’t look like a kook for picking them to run off 15 straight after losing the season opener. Colts win. (12-3)
Sun, Dec 28 at Tennessee 1:00 PM – There is a legit chance that the Colts will have nothing to play for in this game and may sit the starters, so I am going to hedge my bet in week 17. If the Colts have already clinched home field throughout the playoffs, I pick the Titans to win. If the Colts are playing for something, they win. The Colts will end the season 13-3 or 12-4 depending upon the meaning of this game.

Indiana Pacers revert back to form in wasted Game Three; fall 98-85 to Atlanta

by Kent Sterling

Jeff Teague may be virtually emotionless on the court, but so far in this series he has been the best competitor on the floor. If that doesn’t change, the Pacers season will end before April does.

This up one game, down the next stuff is getting monotonous. The Indiana Pacers did a lot of good things – only 13 turnovers, allowed only four offensive boards, had five more steals than Atlanta, and made four more field goals. Sadly, none of that matters a damn when outscored by 14 points at the foul line.

As a result of this strange and uneven effort, the Pacers lost Game Three to the Atlanta Hawks 98-85. The tonnage of Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver’s 22 and 20 points didn’t kill the Pacers, but the timing of their scoring did.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

There were glimpses of hope throughout the game, but it never seemed likely the Pacers were going to be able to get over the hump. Each time the door opened a crack, Teague or Korver shut it.

Teague’s three-pointer after stepping out of bounds as the shot clock ran down to zero was the final dagger as a six-point lead became nine with 2:48 left in the game. The officials reviewed the play, and the replay showed Teague was out of bounds but re-established residency within the boundaries before launching the shot. Whether the shot was from beyond the arc is reviewable, but that Teague stepped out prior to taking it isn’t.

Such are the vagaries of the NBA’s moronic replay system that draws refs to the center court monitor like moths to a porch light, repeatedly interrupting the flow of the game. If you can’t review whether a guy with the ball is in bounds, what the hell good is the system? And if the referees aren’t able to see a player with the ball step out of bounds, what the hell good are they?

Speaking of ridiculous officiating while using the monitor, how about the offensive interference non-call to end the first call? C.J. Watson clearly touched the ball while it was in the cylinder, and unless the rule has changed, that bucket should have been disallowed. But I digress, especially since the call benefitted the Pacers.

A team that finished the regular season six games below .500 are making the top seed in the East look weak, and with a win Saturday afternoon will earn three bites at the apple to send the Pacers season to a premature dirt nap. It isn’t like the Hawks lucked into two wins. They flat out beat the Pacers – twice – and badly. Jeff Teague, for the love of God. JEFF TEAGUE! How can Jeff Teague be the best player on the floor during a playoff series?

The Pacers aren’t dead yet. It’s cliche to say that a team needs to assert its will to achieve, but that’s exactly what the Pacers need to do in order to win Saturday. The Hawks are outmanned at virtually every position, and the Pacers are playing against them like they are an unholy combination of the 1986 Boston Celtics and 1996 Chicago Bulls.

It’s just not that tough to beat a 38-44 team four out of seven times. Good thing this is best-of-seven and not best-of-three.

So beyond will, what needs to happen to bring the Pacers a win in Atlanta? I like the small lineup that Frank Vogel uncorked with 9:23 remaining as David West entered the game for Ian Mahinmi. Roy Hibbert might be disappointed to sit for the final 17:30 of the game, but if a center can’t defend, rebound, or score, he has no business being on the floor.

That doesn’t make Hibbert useless as a basketball player – just useless against this quirky basketball team.

Scola and West appeared to functioned reasonably well together on the floor. C.J. Watson needs more minutes too. Oh, and maybe move the ball a bit more quickly so the Hawks can’t trap on almost every catch on the wing.

Words are cheap, and the talk of the Pacers as a championship team appears to have been nothing but talk. Championship teams compete for one another, and find a way to make every possession count on both sides of the floor. If the Pacers want to wait for the switch to flip as it did Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, they will certainly fail to advance beyond the first round.

And the switch isn’t out there in the ether someplace – it’s inside each of them – and flipping it is as simple as making the decision to keep Teague out of the paint or refusing to allow Korver to catch because if you do neither, losing is the certain result.

Even with all the panic and consternation among fans, the Pacers are a win in Game Four from taking control of this miserable series.

It’s a shame that the Hawks appear much less likely to go quietly Saturday than the more talented Pacers.

Indiana Pacers – Truth is that Frank Vogel is the kind of coach that wins

by Kent Sterling

Calm and reasonable when the winds turn ugly is a great way to lead, but a bad way to engage fans.

The air of regality with which many coaches cloak themselves is absent from Frank Vogel’s demeanor. He’s a nice guy who works diligently to put his team in a position to win.

That’s what great coaches and managers in business do. They concentrate their focus upon helping players as individuals reach their potential, and motivate a coalescence of the parts to form a successful collective. They hold players accountable, and honestly communicate expectations to players. That’s leadership, and that is what Frank Vogel provides.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Fans like outrage that mirrors their own. They like overt displays of displeasure so it’s clear to even the dopiest of us that the coach understands that something must change. Press conferences with fire and brimstone displays of ill-temper make fans feel better. Calm doesn’t sell papers or bond fans to coaches.

Those outbursts of anger do nothing to improve play, but it enforces the belief that the coach is large and in charge.

Former NFL coach Dick Vermeil has seven principles of great leadership:

1. MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW YOU CARE ABOUT THEM

2. BE A GOOD EXAMPLE

3. CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT PEOPLE ENJOY WORKING IN

4. DEFINE, DELEGATE, THEN LEAD

5. BRING ENERGY TO THE WORKPLACE

6. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AS YOU IMPLEMENT YOUR PROCESS, VISION AND VALUE SYSTEM

7. ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY BY BEING SINCERE, BELIEVABLE, AND TRUSTWORTHY

I’m not around Vogel everyday, and only get to see the portions of practice that are open to the media, but Vogel appears to be a leader who embraces Vermeil’s principles.

The only two reasons to replace a coach are because it becomes obvious that a replacement can squeeze a higher level of effort and execution out of the players, and because fans need to be convinced (duped) of an attitudinal reboot that will energize ticket sales.

No one at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is complaining about ticket sales, and where is the coach who can get more out of the current roster than Vogel?

Vogel isn’t slick, a media whore, or an outraged disciplinarian. He’s cares about his players, grinds throughout the season in the same way he asks his players to, and (not coincidentally) he wins.

For those who see a change in the offing if the Pacers lose this series, I would be interested in your ideas for coaches. Mark Jackson (if he’s spiked at Golden State), George Karl, Nate McMillan, P.J. Carlesimo? Given those options, I stick with Vogel.

Do the Pacers want to be a franchise that changes course at the first sign of adversity, or will they stick it out with Vogel – if the Pacers lose in the first or second round?

[polldaddy poll=7994349]

Indiana Pacers – Frank Vogel “coaching for his job” story is lunacy one way or the other

by Kent Sterling

Not sure by what measure Frank Vogel has not been an effective leader for the Indiana Pacers.

Either ESPN is creating a story out of whole cloth or Indiana Pacers management is clinically insane. Firing Frank Vogel, a coach that has giving his team a better and better chance to win over the course of four seasons would be madness.

There is no denying that the Pacers suffered a virtual collapse after the 59th game of the season with the team boasting a gaudy 46-13 record. Finishing 10-13 gave fans cause for worry, and the bad home loss to open the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks brought panic.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Pacers president Larry Bird is well known for a lot of things, but panic is not among them. Owner Herb Simon is about the furthest thing from a activist as there is in sports.

The Pacers players were unanimous in their support of Vogel after yesterday’s practice, and David West rolled his eyes with incredulity when asked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOAXUVwHpu4

Here are the numbers on Vogels 3+ year tenure as coach:

2010-2011 20-18; lost first round (took over after Jim O’Brien fired for 17-27 record)
2011-2012 42-24; lost second round
2012-2013 49-32; lost Eastern Conference Finals
2013-2014 56-26; ???

For that, a coach is fired?

The Pacers under Vogel have won consecutive Central Division titles for the second time in franchise history, and the Pacers SRS (simple rating system) score has improved every year he’s run the team. He is the second coach in the Pacers NBA history to lead the team to three straight seasons winning more than 60% of its games. The other was Bird from 1998-2000.

Anyone who was in Indianapolis during Bird’s days as coach remembers that when he left after taking the team to the NBA Finals, he explained that players tend to tune out a coach after the third season. This being Vogel’s third season, maybe Larry Legend sees the second half collapse as evidence that the Pacers could use a new voice of leadership.

The Chicago Bulls are down 0-2 to the Washington Wizards after two games at the United Center, and no one in his right mind questions Tom Thibodeau’s leadership. The San Antonio Spurs are an even 1-1 after losing last night to the Dallas Mavericks, and lost the Dallas Mavericks – the eight seed – 4-1 in the first round in 2011. Gregg Popovich’s job is safe.

Neither situation is an apples to apples comparison as the Bulls lost Derrick Rose to injury and team leader Luol Deng was traded. The Mavericks 49-33 record would slot them as the third seed in the East. The Hawks finished 11 games in front of the Hawks.

And if Vogel is coaching for his job, why are Larry Bird, general manager Kevin Pritchard, and special assistant Donnie Walsh not accountable for signing Andrew Bynum and trading Danny Granger for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen?

Click here to finally get your teeth fixed by the best – Dr. Mike O’Neil of Today’s Dentistry

Citing Granger as a team leader and mentor for Paul George was always inaccurate, but whether or not the signing and trade did any harm, the moves sure didn’t seem to do much good.

This all assumes that the Pacers don’t make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. If they get past the Hawks, winner of the Bulls vs. Wizards series, and whomever they play in the Eastern Conference Finals, all the guys at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will go hoarse talking about how they had endless faith in Vogel and each other. And they might be telling the truth.

Vogel might be a nice guy in the right place at the right time, or he might be a very adept leader who understands consistent and positive management is the best way to extract the best effort and play out of his players.

The proof is in the pudding for Vogel. The team has achieved better and better results from season to season, and not attributing some of the credit to Vogel is ridiculous.

Should the Pacers fail to win this series against the Hawks, there will be some tough decisions to make, but continuing to keep Vogel as the coach isn’t a tough call at all. It’s the only call.

This story has sounded like a news outlet trying to create controversy from the beginning, and I’m not buying it. It doesn’t sound like the kind of thing Bird would leak, and he’s the decision maker unless Simon decides to channel Knicks owner James Dolan.

Chicago Cubs collapse is perfect companion for Wrigley Field’s 100th birthday

by Kent Sterling

The Cubs 7-5 loss yesterday happened exactly as it should have; exactly as it had to on the day Wrigley Field turned 100.

According to the win probability chart at baseball-reference.com, the Cubs had a 97% probability of winning when the top of the ninth inning started with the Cubs holding onto a 5-2 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks, but math doesn’t recognize the opportunity for a perfectly horrendous moment. Watching the game, there was no doubt that the Cubs would find a way to blow this lead as they have since they took residency at Wrigley in 1916.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Being a lifelong Cubs fan, recognizing the rancid stench of doom that accompanies such moments is child’s play, and it was thick in the air as Pedro Strop took the mound. All that stood between the Cubs and victory was the fairly routine challenge of getting three outs before the D-backs plated three runs.

Strop had trouble finding the plate, walking Chris Owings before inducing a tailor-made double play grounder to Starlin Castro. As he has done so many times since being brought up to Chicago as a 20-year old, Castro became confused while trying to do three things at once, and committed an error.

Still leading 5-2, Strop walked Eric Chavez to load the bases. After a strikeout, Martin Prado brought the D-Backs to within one with a single. Strop notched another strikeout because what fun would it be to allow the lead run to score with less than two outs?

Miguel Montero tied the game with a single off James Russell, and Aaron Hill tripled off Justin Grimm to finish to collapse/comeback (depending upon your perspective) and provide Cubs fans another reason to believe nothing good can happen when the Cubs have a big game on the line. Let’s face it, the 100th birthday celebration is the only marquee event on the calendar for the Cubs in 2014.

Despite owner Tom Ricketts’ absurd protests to the contrary, this is a bad baseball team – perhaps the worst in the majors other than the Houston Astros who hope one day to be the Cubs.

The only positive for Cubs fans was the injury to right fielder Justin Ruggiano, who should have made the play on Hill’s triple to keep the score tied at five heading to the bottom of the ninth. It wasn’t good in that fans would ever cheer for a player to get hurt, but because the Cubs have a dozen guys in the organization who are his equal as a replacement.

When there is a dearth of talent on the roster, replacing injured players is much less problematic.

And for Cubs fans, replacing the thrill of paying exceptionally high prices for tickets to watch this mess should be quite simple. The very best reason to go to Wrigley Field in 2014 and 2015 is to teach children growing up on the north side of Chicago and northern suburbs to deal with heartbreak early in life.

Being a Cubs fan has brought emotional caution into the lives of north siders for generations stretching back 105 years. Peeking around the corners of life to help anticipate disaster is the one thing at which Cubs fans are very adroit. Business that want a risk management expert should scan resume’s for Cubs fans.

Click here to buy a custom Indiana made hot tub from Bob Dapper at Royal Spa

Any situation where bad can happen is best diagnosed by someone who has spent a lifetime anticipating walks, errors, dropped third strikes, balks, black cats, catchers interference, billy goats, and Bartman.

Wrigley Field is the only place on Earth where a 97% probability of success translates into a 100% chance of failure. It’s beautiful, magical, strange, and the host of more torment than any stadium since the gladiators lost again and again to the lions.

Happy birthday, Wrigley Field. While the Cubs threw you a great party, you thanked them as you always do – with another reason to promise never to return.

Indiana Pacers – Stephenson vs. Turner fistfight? Another chapter in “As the Pacers Turn”

by Kent Sterling

Whether Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner had a fistfight in Friday’s practice is the latest fascinating pieces of the Pacers puzzle.

Whether Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner squared off in practice Friday afternoon, the questions that Pacers coach Frank Vogel has to answer before Game Three tomorrow night are many.

The status quo wasn’t working last night, so the equation was changed. Luis Scola and C.J. Watson not only played well, but with energy the players they replaced lacked.

Offensive sets clicked, players got on the floor after loose balls, and the defense swarmed the ball. Everything changed, and the hopes for a successful postseason returned.

So now what the hell does coach Vogel do in Atlanta tomorrow night? Will Watson and George Hill be on the floor at the same time more often? Can Luis Scola and David West play together? How will Stephenson adjust to fewer minutes if Watson replaces him? Will Roy Hibbert be okay with being a cheerleader?

Now with reports of a fistfight during Friday’s practice between Stephenson and Turner, how does that affect the chemistry of the team.

This Pacers season continues to confound and mesmerize as expectations are constantly defied. Just when you think the Pacers are fixed, they appear weak if not broken. Just when it appears they have fallen too far to rescue themselves, they resurrect hope with spirited play and a dominant win to even the series against the Hawks.

Stephenson in particular is a mercurial man with equal parts passion and athleticism. He can create offensively in ways no other Pacer is capable, but he can destroy consecutive offensive possessions through pounding the ball. His risk-reward ratio fluctuates wildly from game to game.

He can be supportive or sullen, but fans love him. Of all the Pacers, he is the only one who would have been right at home as a Bad Boy of the Detroit Pistons, but that doesn’t reflect the mostly nice guy personality of the team.

Contract hopes and dreams might be a factor in Stephenson’s behavior as he currently earns less than 1/14th of Hibbert’s salary, and the Brink’s truck is fueled and ready for the trip to Lance’s house. How much cash will be in it is still to be determined in part by how he plays during this postseason. Minutes shrink – dollars shrink. That’s surely not lost on Stephenson.

What about Paul George’s reaction to the yipping and yapping from Hawks point guard Jeff Teague. Can that motivation be sustained through games three and four in Atlanta? George at his best is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, but his Player Efficiency Rating ranked only 26th through the regular season. Which George will show up?

Vogel has a lot of decisions to make, and the fragile emotional state of the team is a factor in all of them. If Turner and Stephenson are ready to throw down in a practice, imagine Stephenson’s response if Vogel’s decisions are perceived to adversely affect his next contract.

This drama appears to have no end, and if I didn’t want the Pacers to win because I enjoy watching them play, I would want it to go on forever because the curiosity in what might come next is riveting. I wouldn’t want Vogel’s job for any amount of money, but from a distance this might be the most interesting team since the Bronx Zoo New York Yankees of the late 1970s.

Another game tomorrow night, another chapter in the is intriguing saga. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Pacers.

Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field celebrates 100th birthday – a Cubs fan remembers

by Kent Sterling

Wrigley Field isn’t unchanged in my lifetime, but it’s close enough that I spend more time being bombarded by memories rather than watching the game when I make a pilgrimage there.

Sure, I’m pissed off that the Cubs have no chance to win this season or next, and that Tom Ricketts lies to fans as he tries to germinate false hope, but that doesn’t diminish my love for Wrigley Field nor my memories of it on its 100th birthday.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Driving south with my Dad from north suburban Lake Bluff was an oft repeated tradition in my family that evolved into taking the Chicago Northwestern to Davis Street, and hopping the Howard to Addison, and then to putting my son on my shoulders for the six block walk north from our apartment for a day in the bleachers, and finally to pulling him out of school in Indianapolis for a drive to the ballpark.

Wrigley Field is a joyful place where generations of families have bonded for a full century. Countless dads, including my own and then me, taught their sons to keep a scorecard and discuss America’s game during spring, summer, and fall afternoons.

It was where I got Fred Whitfield’s autograph instead of Pete Rose’s when prompted by my Dad to “get the guy in the red hat to sign this scorecard.” It was where my wife and I took our son on his first trip outdoors on the day he turned one month old for a doubleheader against the Dodgers. Of course, the Cubs were swept. And it’s likely where my son will teach his kid(s) to appreciate the most social spectator event in the world.

I cried like a buffoon when the Cubs circled the field on Harry Caray Day – the last home game of the 1989 season – as fans waved their rolled up posters and cheered for the soon-to-be National League East champs.

Sitting in Wrigley for Game Seven of the 2003 NLCS, I learned what collective despair sounded like as 40,000 fans silently filed out after watching the Cubs lose their last best chance to go to the World Series. And it was where I stood anxiously in line to pay for the NLCS and World Series tickets I was given the right to buy by the Cubs for sitting in the bleachers throughout most of the 1989 season.

The red marquee sign was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen when it appeared from behind the trees on West Addison as my Dad drove toward the ballpark for that first ever game I had seen there.

I waited for Don Kessinger (#11) go build a 1-1 count with one out, so my Dad could look at the iconic manual center field scoreboard and say “Aces wild!” as he always did.

Roberto Clemente was thrown out at the plate by Kessinger on a caught pop up in shallow left field in a game that ended a 1-0 Cubs win on a Joe Pepitone home run in the bottom of the 12th. I saw the homer on TV because as always we beat the traffic by leaving at the end of the seventh inning. Ken Holtzman threw all 12 innings, and the game took a total of 2:35.

It’s the place my wife and I spent our honeymoon in 1987. Game after game of futile baseball played by Mike Brumley and Paul Noce instead of the injured Shawon Dunston and Ryne Sandberg before we headed to blues bars on Halsted. Guess which one of us planned the itinerary for that trip, and who was the best sport in the world as she enjoyed it.

I sat in awe in the right field bleachers as Andre Dawson would turn loose a throw that seemed to gather speed and rise as it beat a runner trying to go from first to third on a base hit to right, and watched Billy Williams get up on his toes in left field as every single pitch was delivered.

Standing outside of the Cubs parking lot in 1977 hoping for an autograph, I saw virtually every Cub get into his car holding a plastic cup of beer. Seemed cool rather than dangerous at the time.

Teeth hurt? Click here to get them fixed by the best – Dr. Mike O’Neil of Today’s Dentistry

As Fergie Jenkins was pulled from the final great start of his career with a 3-0 lead in the top of the ninth with two outs, I sprinted to the fence just to the home plate side of the visitors dugout from my seat screaming at manager Lee Elia that his termination was imminent. He was fired four days later.

The best pitchers’ duel I’ve seen was in May, 1988, as Cardinals starter John Tudor and Cubs ace Greg Maddux both threw nine inning shutouts. Tudor faced the minimum through seven innings, and allowed three hits on a total of 79 pitches. Maddux threw 10 2/3 innings of shutout ball that he ultimately lost because a ground ball by Luis Alicea hit the lip of the infield grass, and bounced over Ryne Sandberg’s head. That 11 inning game lasted only 2:41.

Randy Hundley stealing home, Rich Bordi missing a no-hitter because of a flare double by Garry Maddox, the first official night game, a Clay Carroll balk for a Cubs win, and hilarious heckling of Lenny Dykstra were among a million more memories seared into my memory through a lifetime of afternoons and evenings at Wrigley Field.

But being a Cubs fan at Wrigley Field isn’t about baseball or the alternately excellent and pathetic exploits of the Cubs and their opponents. Sitting among family and friends talking and sharing during a game that plods along at a pace deliberate enough to allow the mind to wander defines the place. It’s about sons and fathers sitting together on a sunny day sharing an indelible experience.

Wrigley Field is a generational touchstone that evokes very specific memories of days long past with those we loved now departed for a place where bad hops, billy goats, and Don Young can’t torment them anymore.

Who would have thought after 100 years of hosting futility that looking back at Wrigley Field would be much more rewarding than looking ahead toward what’s to come?

Indiana Pacers fight back – even series at 1-1 after 19-0 run seals deal in 101-85 win

by Kent Sterling

David West hit four-of-five shots against the Hawks tonight in a very necessary win.

The veil of misery was lifted for a beautiful night in Indianapolis, and whether or not it remains in the trash bin of the past, it was great to watch the Pacers play with some joy for the first time in months.

Home wins against the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat were grind it out affairs with a positive outcome, but the second half tonight was a mirthful romp in the 101-85 dissection of the Atlanta Hawks.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

There was a time when the Pacers owned the third quarter. Teams with the temerity to stick with Indiana after the first half were routinely vanquished during the following 12 minutes.

With the season on the line in Game Two of the best-of-seven series against the Hawks, the Pacers went to the locker room at halftime staring at a 52-48 deficit. Fail to compete in the second half, and they would have been belly up like a goldfish in an aquarium cleaned with Top Job with no one to blame but themselves.

Focus returned to Bankers Life Fieldhouse just in time with the Pacers holding a 68-65 lead with 3:33 left in the third quarter. Paul George, David West, and the prematurely eulogized George Hill asserted their will on both ends to reel off a 19-0 run that ended with 9:03 left in the game and the Pacers ahead for good 87-65.

The vapid stares that seemed to be permanently etched on the tired faces of the Pacers over the past two months were replaced with joyful grins and laughter. Roy Hibbert, so maligned since his unfortunate and ironically selfish remark about “selfish dudes” became the team’s biggest cheerleader.

Whether this beautiful half of basketball marks the renaissance of the team Indianapolis fell in love with as a dominant team-first defensive juggernaut, or a temporary glance back through the looking glass of potential – we’ll see on Thursday night in Atlanta.

Paul George had the gaudiest stat line with 27 points on 9-16 shooting (5-7 outside the arc) 10 rebound, six assists, four steals, and a +/- of +29, but equally important was the accuracy and energy of Luis Scola. People who began to criticize the Scola for Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee trade are likely dialing it back quite a bit after tonight. Scola turned back to clock to score 20 points in 19 minutes on 9-14 shooting.

Most importantly for the Pacers were the 25 assists on 36 made field goals. When the Pacers are generous and move without the ball, they tend to score.

Roy Hibbert (six points in 24 minutes), David West (eight points in 24 minutes), and Lance Stephenson (seven points in 25 minutes) had tough nights, but greatness – or even goodness – from them was unnecessary because of the outstanding work from George, George Hill, and the bench.

Tonight, the Pacers finally looked like a one seed with the best home record in the NBA, and the Hawks like the eight seed with a 38-44 record.

The road to advancing to the second round against either the Bulls or Washington Wizards became clearer tonight. A Pacers win in Atlanta either Thursday or Saturday makes the loss in Indy moot, and all of a sudden the Pacers will own home court advantage again.

The Pacers will board a plane smiling, and there is something to be said for that. This team tends to play to its mood, and the longer the happy times last, the longer they are likely to continue.

Stealing one in Atlanta is now the focus. Let’s see if the bounce back continues.

Indiana Pacers – Offensive efficiency hurt by four starters going to rim less in 2013-2014

by Kent Sterling

Larry Bird and Frank Vogel know what the problem is, but can they get it fixed in time to give the Pacers a chance to get past the Atlant Hawks.

Basketball is an easy game. If offensive efficiency drops, it’s almost always because two-point field goals are being attempted farther from the rim. Shots taken from a greater distance are less likely to go in. That’s physics, and there is no changing physics.

Want to know why Roy Hibbert is struggling to score? The percentage of shots he has taken from 0-3 feet from the rim has dropped to a career low 24.5% from 36% over the previous two years. From 10-16 feet, Hibbert has attempted a career high 15.5%. Shots from 16 feet to the arc comprise another career high of 15.1% of his shots. Hibbert needs to listen to those telling him to restrict himself to catching and finishing tight to the basket.

Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter

Hibbert’s player efficiency rating (PER) as calculated by ESPN (Player Efficiency Rating is the overall rating of a player’s per-minute statistical production – the league average is 15.00 every season) dropped from a very respectable 17.3 to 13.5.

Fans don’t need an MIT degree to know that Hibbert is struggling on the offensive end. It’s not a matter of confidence, as many assert, as much as it’s physics. Maybe a lack of confidence has built through the season, but shooting from a greater distance is going to erode offensive production.

How about David West? No one talks about David’s decline because he always appears to work hard, but the statistics don’t lie. Over the previous two seasons for the Pacers, West took an average of 33% of his shots from 0-3 feet. This season, that number plummeted to a career low 20.1%.

As all readers of kentsterling.com are exceptionally bright, you are likely noticing a trend here.

Over the past two seasons, West shot only 23.1% of the time from 16 feet to the arc. This season, that number jumped to 31.1%. Predictably, West’s PER dipped from 20.1 to 17.5.

How about embattled point guard, Indianapolis native George Hill? Since entering the NBA as a first round pick of the San Antonio Spurs, Hill has gone to the rack less and less. This season, Hill shot from 0-3 feet only 18.3%, and his PER dropped from 16.6 to 13.4.

The story is mostly the same for former MVP candidate Paul George. The last two years, George made it to within three feet of the rim 26.9% of the time. This season, that number dropped to 20.8%

There is nothing wrong with jacking up threes. The extra point reward justifies the risk, but jumpers from 16 feet to the arc provide the lowest return possible on investment. Over the past two seasons, George increased the percentage of shots from that no man’s land from 15.9% to 19.1%

George’s PER has actually risen this season from 16.8 to 20.2. That increase ranks him 26th in the NBA, right between Kyle Lowry and Kyrie Irving (Hawks stretch four Paul Milsap is 32nd just 0.3 behind George).

None of those numbers in a vacuum a cause for worry, but when an aversion to finishing at the rim is consistently pervasive (minus Lance Stephenson who continues to play the way he has always played), there is something wrong, and it’s causing major offensive problems.

What causes shots being taken deeper is as logical as our previously discussed rule that the farther the shot, the less likely the ball is to go in. When people and the ball move with purpose, the defense is more likely to make an error. Errors cause openings closer to the basket. When offensive players other than the ball-handler stand motionless, defense is easy.

The only thing mystifying about any of this is that the Pacers are miserable offensively despite knowing all this stuff. They have guys on the staff who crunch numbers all day long and share the results with coaches and the front office. How is it possible that no visually obvious steps have been taken to alter the failed dynamic of settling for shots from farther rather than closer?

Frank Vogel has one more shot to get his team to move, pass, and attack. It comes tonight with the season on the line.