Author Archives: Kent Sterling

LeBron James Just Fine as Indiana Pacers Lose Heartbreaker to Miami Heat 97-94

by Kent Sterling

Last year’s graphic will likely work just fine for the 2014 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

All the media driven consternation over whether LeBron James was going to play was just that as he appeared to suffer no ill effects from a tweaked ankle during the Miami Heat’s 97-94 comeback win tonight against the Indiana Pacers in Miami.

Pacers forward Paul George is a good player who may evolve into a great one, but James left no doubt tonight who wears the king’s crown in the NBA. James’ plus/minus was +16 to George’s -7. It didn’t help that Roy Hibbert picked up his fifth foul with 8:33 left in the third. Hibbert’s absence gave the Heat the ability to drive and finish or dish, and that turned the game although the Pacers biggest lead grew to 15 points three minutes later.

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If the Heat were good to their word that this was just another game, the Pacers would have coasted to a win, but like happened in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, when the time came to fight or lay down their weapons, the Heat reloaded and went to work.

As nauseating as it is to watch Heat fans celebrate a win tonight, the Heat were the better team when it mattered, and if George believes a referee like Joey Crawford is going to call a foul on James for having a hand on his hip as he takes a last second shot to tie, he hasn’t been watching the NBA for very long.

It’s not that George wasn’t good – he was. Scoring 25 with eight boards and six assists almost exactly duplicated James’ 24 points, nine boards, and seven assists. In fact, both hit eight field goals and seven foul shots, and committed three turnovers. James had three steals to George’s two, and George committed one more foul, but when the game was on the line, James made the plays on both ends to change the result.

If this was a preview of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, sign me up for tickets to all seven games – and there will be seven. These teams raise the bar for competitiveness in the league, and makes the two-and-a-half hours each of these games last an absolute joy. There is no doubt that both teams save their best for the other, and are very aware that a championship will come only after vanquishing the other.

It’s a little early to irrevocably claim the irrelevance of the other 13 teams in the East, but since the injury to the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, that’s exactly the sad state of affairs in that half of the league.

It’s a shame that these two teams won’t play again until March, as if we needed another reason to hate winter, but the two games left will be all-out wars the likes of which we don’t see often in the regular season, so we should look forward to them rather than lament their scarcity.

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By the way, Dwyane Wade was pretty good tonight too, but even scoring 32 points on 15-25 shooting, James’s shadow made it almost impossible to see his contribution.

How good was the effort at both ends? The two teams totaled 11 offensive rebounds on 81 missed shots. That means there were a lot of guys doing exactly what they were supposed to with some serious fundamental vigor.

People who whine about the quality of hooping in the NBA must not be watching, or at least they weren’t watching this game. There might have been a time when the NBA was dull and the effort lacking, but those days are about 35 years past.

This was a great basketball game played by different teams built in different ways at different points in their evolution. There will be additional chapters written – probably nine this season, and I can’t wait to see how they unfold.

Emmis Communications Building Celebrates 15th Anniversary – My Nine Favorite Memories

by Kent Sterling

The Emmis Building houses four radio stations, a radio network, a magazine, and the Emmis corporate headquarters. It looks like a palace because it is a palace.

The Emmis Building opened 15 years ago today, and there have been a lot of great moments on and off air that have made that an incredibly cool place to work since that day in 1998 when the difficult-to-produce-under-the-best-of-circumstances WIBC Radiothon was the first broadcast from the showcase studio.

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So many people and so many memories. These are my top ten:

General manager Tom Severino and program director Jon Quick thought it would be funny in 2000 to tape a sign to the proximity card reader that allowed people to exit the parking garage that read, “Please say your name followed by the word ‘Open’ to use our new audio recognition gate operation system.” Of course, there was no voice recognition system, and the gate didn’t respond to the yelling as Tom, Jon, and I hid around the corner laughing. Some used their cards as always when the system didn’t work. Traffic director Trish Boone ignored the sign completely, and exited without issue. An Indianapolis Monthly editor irately screamed his name again and again until the garage manager was forced to come to his rescue. When he saw the

This is the actual sign that was taped over the card reader. All of it of course is nonsense. That people believed there was such a thing as the Emmis Audio Activation Team speaks to their trust in the company.

sign, the manager was not amused. Tom emerged from the shadows to explain, and the manager said, “Well, I’m glad you think it’s funny. I’m going to call the person in charge.” That person, of course, was Tom.

I enjoyed all of the meetings in Tom’s office with Tom and Jon equally. They were all the same. I played with the Slinky that Tom kept on his little conference table while Tom and Jon argued while representing the exact same viewpoint. It went on until the amusement of the spectacle ceased, and then I told them they were saying the same thing. Meeting over – back to work.

WNAP talent Brian Casey enjoyed the occasional sauna in the fitness area in the basement, and once he laid a towel over the rocks. The towel ignited, and then the wooden walls caught fire. Brian ran nude in the basement as he hysterically tried to figure out how to extinguish the blaze. The security guys recorded the mayhem, and I regret I don’t have a copy to share.

Dave “the King” Wilson is one of the best storytellers in radio since Jean Shepherd, and I always looked forward to our meetings because it was never hard to get Dave to share a great one from his days on the road as a stand-up comic. My favorite was from a Redd Foxx lounge show in Vegas. The band played him on stage with the theme from ‘Sanford & Son’, Foxx limped out, looked at the audience of 12, and barked, “12 people? I ain’t playing for no 12 f**king people.” The band played him off to the theme from ‘Sanford & Son.’ Dave tells that story and every other with more grace and glee than I’m capable of.

Eric Wunnenberg is the sales manager for 1070 the Fan, and five years ago, I bragged to him that I was the fastest runner over the age of 40 in the world. After several minutes of disagreement, we decided that a race was the only way to settle the argument. As you might guess, despite Eric’s advanced level of fitness, I blistered him. Eric continues to use the alibi of wearing dress shoes to explain his defeat. The offer to race him in the footwear of his choosing still stands.

Greg Garrison is a gifted orator. During those shows when politics aren’t at issue, he can be exceptionally eloquent. The day after the 9/11 tragedy, Greg delivered what I consider to be the absolute gold standard of monologues on what happened and how people should respond. He was brilliant on that day and many others. I wish the show was always stripped of rancor and divisiveness so more would hear Greg do what he does better than anyone.

Speaking of 9/11, the morning of the attacks, I was at my desk listening to the Morning News with Jeff Pigeon, Terri Stacy, and Steve Simpson when Pidge mentioned reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I thought it was simply a matter of bad luck for an inexperienced pilot of a Cessna who couldn’t avoid flying into what he looked at. Then we heard that it was a commercial airline, and I still thought it was because of poor piloting or more likely a sick one. I ran down to the studio in time to see the second plane crash. At Noon that day, Steve and I stood on the fourth floor patio looking at a clear sky completely vacant of air traffic. It was eerie and awful, but reminded us of what WIBC does best – serve as an informational touchpoint for Indianapolis.

Celebrities stop by the building periodically, and I remember walking down the hall and glancing at the guy who was passing in the opposite direction. I thought, “Hey, that’s Jim Palmer!” I stopped, turned, and shouted “Hey, you’re Jim Palmer!” He turned around and said that he was indeed Jim Palmer. Palmer enjoyed a Hall of Fame pitching career with the Baltimore Orioles, and it was an unexpected thrill to see him walking through our halls.

The parties that heralded the grand opening of the Emmis Building were phenomenal, and culminated in a free downtown concert by Kool & the Gang and Rod Stewart. My wife and I were lucky enough to ride on the bus to the show with Emmis owner Jeff Smulyan, and I knew that Jeff would have access to whatever areas he wanted, so we stuck close to him. Sure enough, Jeff welcomed us backstage. As Stewart was on stage, Colts players Ken Dilger, Adam Meadows, and Peyton Manning came to the edge of the public area. Ken yelled at me, and made a gesture that he and his teammates would like to join us. I put my arm around the security guard and told him that Ken, Adam, and Peyton were okay. Morphing from meaningless middle manager to gatekeeper for backstage access is the kind of thing that happens to me a lot. I’m not great at sneaking swag for myself, but I’m hell at getting it for others.

Every Saturday I get to spend with Chris Hagan hosting “Ahead of the Curve” on 1070 the Fan.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat – LeBron James Will Play and Try to Teach Youngster Paul George a Lesson

by Kent Sterling

LeBron James does not look like a man ready to share the spotlight tonight during the Pacers vs. Heat tilt.

A tweaked ankle is not going to keep LeBron James from playing tonight against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers.

James is the best basketball player on the planet, and as good as anyone who has ever played the game. He’s also incredibly durable, having missed only ten games in 11 seasons.

As the national media hones its focus on the game tonight, James will take full advantage in making certain the pundits are talking about him. Stars love being the focus, and while George might be able to battle James to an occasional draw on the court, in the media LeBron is truly “King” James.

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Not only will ESPN’s Sage Steele, Tim Legler, and Chris Broussard yap about James ankle all day during live shots from Miami instead of anything Pacers/George related, this ankle narrative will be all that NBA fans are talking about today.

That attention sells, shoes, headphones, Gatorade, McDonalds, and Coke, and is the reason why James is so valuable as an endorser. He not only knows how to draw the spotlight, like Michael Jordan before him James pays it off too.

The Pacers have been the media darlings of the first quarter of the 2013-2014 regular season, winning their first nine and 16 of their first 17 games. They do it with a team first attitude and vibe, exemplified by Paul George asking that ESPN interview the entire starting five plus coach Frank Vogel on the Sunday Conversation.

Every person who is great at anything takes challenges personally, and James has seen the Pacers intrusion upon his airtime and the team’s superior record as a threat.

Today’s hysteria over a tweaked ankle is a reminder to George that he is still the King, and that all this bluster about George being an MVP candidate needs to come over the top of a candidate as the best player of all time. James is not going to willingly accommodate George’s ascension into a position that challenges James’ legacy.

It’s one thing for Paul George to become good – to be the best player on the Pacers, to be an NBA All-Star. Raw athleticism, dynamic physical attributes, and a tireless work ethic can get a player there, but to earn a spot on the top of the mountain takes an almost sociopathic drive, shrewd guile, and mad daily search for challenges.

Being the best requires an acceptance that he will stand peerless, above friends, above family, and utterly alone. Not everyone is built for that kind of life. Wilt Chamberlain was. Michael Jordan was. LeBron James is.

A tweaked ankle? Today’s coverage and tonight’s game are warning shot to George that as he climbs the mountain toward the rarified level of the best all-around player in the NBA conversation, there is very little air and less space. James has no interest in allowing George to enjoy more than the provisions he decides are appropriate for the 23 year-old.

To get to the top of the mountain, George is going to have to knock James off.

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James saying, “tweaked ankle” and “it’s 50-50 whether I play” are all about showing the Pacers that the bright lights shine on the Heat and away from the Pacers when he decides they should.

Playing well tonight shows the Pacers and the country that he’s not only the best, but also the toughest player in the NBA, and that’s exactly how James likes it.

And James takes what he likes.

Baseball Hall of Fame Voting – Ranking the Candidates; Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds

by Kent Sterling

No pitcher I ever saw did as much as well as Greg Maddux.

There are 36 names on the 2014 ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame, and it’s virtually certain that fewer than five will get in this time around.

We don’t know exactly how many ballots are distributed, but last year 569 were returned with 6.6 votes per ballot – voters are allowed to vote for up to 10. There are rumors of many people continuing to receive ballots because of their former ties to The Sporting News – people who blithely mark their ballot without any thought or reasoning. That might explain no one being elected last year through this process.

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There are some interesting notions of who should get it – and more importantly when. There is a hierarchy at play that rewards special players as first time electees, Voters are the gatekeepers of a very exclusive club and they exercise their own sense of value that both makes a spot in Cooperstown very special, and a seemingly arbitrary exercise in hubris.

You will believe what you believe. Voters will believe what they believe. And here is what I believe:

I am one of those snobs who believes that only very special players should get in on their first ballot. I am also a snob in that I do not believe any player who has avoided election during his first 14 years should be welcomed during his 15th and final year of eligibility.

The Baseball Hall of Fame should be for the great of the great – not the good of the good. And it’s definitely not for cheaters, but I believe Shoeless Joe Jackson should be in.

Players must have been the dominant player at his position in his league for a decade, won an MVP or Cy Young Award, or put together such a stunningly consistent career that the Hall of Fame would be diminished through his absence.

These capsules are minus (most) stats which you can look up on your own. I like a narrative as the impetus for a vote, not raw numbers. As relevant as statistics are in baseball, it’s the stories of the game and its players that make it special.

Greg Maddux – This is the one no brainer. I wondered if a pitcher could possibly win 350 games in my lifetime. Both Maddux and Clemens did it. I loved watching Maddux pitch when he was young. When he first came up with the Cubs, he was the ballsiest pitcher on the staff. After watching Cubs nibble on the outside corner for years, Maddux came up and back hitters off the plate. He was excellent in most starts, minus one inning that went wrong because the Professor got emotional. Maddux was one of the more overtly fierce competitors in the last 50 years of Cubs baseball.

Frank Thomas – A great hitter, and one of the most productive offensive players in history. When he came up with the White Sox, I went to see him. Sitting by myself at Old Comiskey Park, when I saw him, all I said was, “Jesus.” He was enormous. The Big Hurt was the face of the Sox for a generation, and he won back-to-back MVPs. He’s tied with Ted Williams on the all-time home run list, and knocked in more than 1,700 runs. He walked more than he struck out, so hitting that many bombs while maintaining excellent discipline at the plate earns him a special place in baseball history.

Barry Bonds – Okay, Bonds was a dick, and almost certainly a cheat, but before the (his) steroid era began in earnest, the guy was still the best player in the game. Regardless of steroid use, his on base percentage of .609 in 2004 is astounding. He walked 232 times, and notched 135 hits in 617 plate appearances. He hit 45 home runs and drove in 101. Those 101 RBIs came in 373 at bats. As little as I want to endure Bonds sanctimonious and self-congratulatory speech, how the hell can there be a Hall of Fame without Bonds? I feel the exact same way about Pete Rose, who in my mind was not a cheater, but an entitled boob who couldn’t help himself from gambling on his own team.

That’s it. Nobody else gets a pass to join Ruth, Cobb, Mays, Young, Hubbell, and Clemente.

Tom Glavine gets my unofficial vote next year. Maddux was better, so Glavine doesn’t get to go in with him.
Jack Morris doesn’t get in either. He never finished in the top two in Cy Young balloting. Jim Kaat isn’t in, so Morris doesn’t get in either.
Craig Biggio will get in eventually, but not yet. He was a good hitter, but not a great one. He wasn’t fearsome, just really good.
The end of Mike Piazza‘s career was so stupefyingly mediocre that I can’t get that image out of my mind.
Roger Clemens is the pitching version of Bonds, but a steroid user doesn’t get the honor of standing alongside Maddux at the induction. He must be awarded this honor eventually because he we singularly excellent in the American League.
Mike Mussina is going to be the new hotly debated pitcher, and it will be a great debate. He’s so close to so many benchmarks that he’s hard to ignore. No signature moments, but lot’s of really good years. Finished excellent career on a high note with only 20-win season, but never a Cy Young, and that one 20-win season. He will need a year without a bunch of guys ahead of him. Coolest sideburns since Mudcat Grant.
Jeff Bagwell is likely going to be treated like Andre Dawson. Similar to Dawson, he won some Gold Gloves and was a one-time MVP and Rookie of the Year. Dawson got in during his ninth year. This is Bagwell’s fourth.
Lee Smith does not belong in the Hall of Fame at all, and neither do the rest of the former goods and cheats who are on the ballot.

Chicago Cubs – Preparations for a Dismal 2014 Well Under Way

by Kent Sterling

When Tom Ricketts bought the Cubs, he promised to change their image from “Lovable Losers,” and he’s done it. Now, they are “Losers.”

Through the first 10 weeks of the postseason, the Chicago Cubs have made exactly no strides toward an improved roster for the 2014 campaign.

Below is the complete list of transactions as reported by Major League Baseball. New blood on their way to Chicago include LHP Wesley Wright, catcher George Kottaras, OF Justin Ruggiano, and Australian pitcher Liam Hendriks with his not so gaudy 2-13 career record.

The positive is that because the roster is so putrid, losses are of no consequence. Goners include Marcos Mateo, Brian Bogusevic, Daniel Bard, Mat Gamel, and Chang-Yong Lim.

I’m looking forward to getting a look at the single game ticket prices that should reflect a lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen almost completely bereft of quality big league talent.

I forgot to include the excitement that will surely surround Rick Renteria’s first season as a big league manager.

Here’s the litany of moves for which Cubs President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer get paid huge money to execute. Glance through this before committing your cash to purchase a season ticket package:

10/01/13	Chicago Cubs activated C Welington Castillo from the 15-day disabled list.
10/03/13	Chicago Cubs claimed 1B Mat Gamel off waivers from Milwaukee Brewers.
10/09/13	Chicago Cubs sent C J.C. Boscan outright to Iowa Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs sent RHP Rafael Dolis outright to Iowa Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs sent LF Darnell McDonald outright to Iowa Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs sent RHP Trey McNutt outright to Iowa Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs sent LF Thomas Neal outright to Iowa Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs sent RHP Zach Putnam outright to Iowa Cubs.
10/02/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent C Daniel Canela to a minor league contract.
10/31/13	Chicago Cubs activated RHP Matt Guerrier from the 60-day disabled list.

11/04/13	Chicago Cubs activated RHP Kyuji Fujikawa from the 60-day disabled list.
	Chicago Cubs activated 1B Mat Gamel from the 60-day disabled list.
	Chicago Cubs activated RHP Arodys Vizcaino from the 60-day disabled list.
11/11/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent RF Aaron Cunningham to a minor league contract.
	Chicago Cubs signed free agent SS Walter Ibarra to a minor league contract.
11/12/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent C Eli Whiteside to a minor league contract.
11/20/13	Chicago Cubs selected the contract of 2B Arismendy Alcantara from Tennessee Smokies.
	Chicago Cubs selected the contract of RHP Dallas Beeler from Tennessee Smokies.
11/19/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent 2B Chris Valaika to a minor league contract.
11/20/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent LF Casper Wells to a minor league contract.
11/19/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Carlos Pimentel to a minor league contract.
11/20/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent LHP Jeffry Antigua to a minor league contract.
11/18/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Paolo Espino to a minor league contract.
11/15/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent 2B Jeudy Valdez to a minor league contract.
11/26/13	Kansas City Royals traded C George Kottaras to Chicago Cubs for cash.
11/22/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent LF Darnell McDonald to a minor league contract.

12/02/13	RHP Daniel Bard elected free agency.
	1B Mat Gamel elected free agency.
	RHP Chang-Yong Lim elected free agency.
12/12/13	Arizona Diamondbacks claimed Marcos Mateo off waivers from Chicago Cubs.
	Chicago Cubs traded LF Brian Bogusevic to Miami Marlins for Justin Ruggiano.
12/13/13	Chicago Cubs claimed Liam Hendriks off waivers from Minnesota Twins.
12/16/13	Chicago Cubs signed free agent LHP Wesley Wright.

Indiana Pacers – 101-96 Loss to Pistons Not Because of Ref’s Bad Count, But It Didn’t Help

by Kent Sterling

Every loss is tough, but losing to a team with Josh Smith is especially galling.

The Indiana Pacers didn’t lose last night because a referee doesn’t know how to count past five, but it sure didn’t help. The Pacers lost 101-96 because Paul George, George Hill, Roy Hibbert, and Orlando Johnson combined to hit 8-35 shots, and the defense allowed 20 offensive boards.

An 82-game season is long enough that everyone is going to feel punky a couple of times during the season, and the match ups will occasionally feature a team at their worst playing another team at its best.

That’s what happened last night.

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Complicating matters for the Pacers is that as the team with the best record in the NBA (going into last night’s game, now they are one half game behind the Portland Trailblazers), they are getting the best shot from every team they play. The Pacers are not some under the radar collection of anonymous and unheralded players.

There are different levels of development for a young team, and despite the advanced ages of David West and Luis Scola, the Pacers are still young in that they have very little playoff experience beyond the conference finals. Ian Mahinmi is the only Pacer to have played in an NBA Finals or to win an NBA Championship, and his role was minimal with Dallas in 2010-2011.

It’s one thing to improve your level of play to the point where winning a championship is possible – it’s another entirely to actually do it. Consistent winning requires laser focus as well as talent. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs is won on Monday nights at home in December against lesser opponents.

The Pacers couldn’t get the job done last night, and that might be the game that separates the Heat and Pacers in the standings that sends Game Seven to Miami.

That’s the great thing about sports – all games count the same. Fans will measure the Pacers progress against the Heat tomorrow night as they try to follow up their big win last week at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with another against the defending champions.

Back to the game last night. The Pacers didn’t go quietly, giving themselves a chance to win on a night when the Pistons brought some intensity to the party. Josh Smith doesn’t do that every night, but when he’s playing hard, he’s pretty good. Still, the Pacers had a chance to force a turnover down three with 16.1 to play.

The official who handed the ball to Kyle Singler (the proud wearer of the worst hair in the NBA whose name isn’t Josh McRoberts) reached the count of five at 6.3 seconds, 0.6 seconds after the ball left Singler’s hands. If you aren’t a math major, that means Singler held onto the ball for 5.7 seconds – 0.7 seconds longer than rules allow.

Don’t believe me, check the video from Fox Sports Indiana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBTyYD8OmVk

That 0.7 differential between what is allowed and what was counted represents a 14% overage in the amount of time Singler took to make the pass, and the 1.3 second difference for the referee’s five count is a 26% error. In what profession can a person be paid up to a half million dollars per year with a 26% deviation in accuracy of counting to five?

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If the call is made correctly, it’s Pacers ball with a chance to tie to game to force overtime. Smith had five fouls to go along with his 30 points, and that would give the advantage to the Pacers.

There were plenty of ways the Pacers could have found to beat the Pistons without relying upon a referee’s ability to count to five seconds – like not allowing the Pistons to grab 20 offensive rebounds, but that doesn’t mean the blown call was meaningless.

So the Pacers will travel to Miami with a two game lead in the East. There will be two more match ups with the Heat, but neither before March 26th.

Dallas Cowboys – Forget Romo and Garrett; All Problems Lead Back to Owner Jerry Jones

by Kent Sterling

Never trust a man wearing a muffler or one who hires himself as a subordinate.

Dallas Cowboys is one of the five worst owners in professional sports because he’s unaware that his general manager is an idiot, and as a result refuses to blame him for the entrenched mediocrity in which his franchise is mired.

That the GM and the owner are both the same guy makes firing him problematic.

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I can’t blame Jones. What could be more fun than to pull the strings for an NFL franchise. It would be like being a fantasy football owner/GM 365 days a year, except without the fantasy part. For people who have difficulty saying no to themselves, allowing yourself to indulge your own appetite for fun at the expense of managerial logic would be impossible to deny.

Jerry Jones gets a bang out of being Jerry Jones. Making a billion bucks in the oil exploration business allows idiocy to relentlessly reign without consequence, and that has caused the Cowboys to hang a perfectly average 135-135 since 1997 with a 1-6 playoff record.

So yesterday, when Tony Romo threw two picks in the last 3:00 of what became a horrific 37-36 loss to the Green Bay Packers in JerryWorld, people went looking for a person to blame.

Some looked at Romo because he checked out of a run to a pass, which led to one of the two late interceptions. Others look at coach Jason Garrett, who authorized offensive play calling that resulted in eight second half runs and 22 drop backs despite leading 26-3 at the half. Still others project their anger onto petulant receiver Dez Bryant for leaving the field before the game ended.

The finger should be trained directly at the hubristic noodle of Jones – a man so in love with his own talents that he doesn’t see his limitations. Blaming Garrett is futile because everyone remotely engaged in watching the Cowboys knows that Jones runs the family and players answer to Jerry. Romo is Jones’ guy, and Garrett is Jones’ guy. No one in Jerry’s house is accountable to anyone but Jerry, and that makes Garrett a toothless skipper.

Jones is a benevolent sovereign, who allows chance after chance after chance to those who fail him. The goal for Jones isn’t winning championships, but the continued leveraging of the flagship franchise of the NFL for both the cash and position it affords Jones.

If the goal was a championship, Jones would look in the mirror and hire a general manager capable of winning one. That GM would hire a coach capable of teaching the game to his quarterback. Jones would fade into the background, available for televised cutaways in his suite accompanied by a saccharine homage from Jim Nantz but little else, just like Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots.

The hierarchy of power in winning organizations is owners own, general managers generally manage, and coaches/managers coach. Direct accountability exists at all levels, and those who fail are replaced by others who strive for excellence. Talent is prized in a pragmatic way, and obsolescence is recognized and discarded without remorse.

Those who run their franchises thusly achieve a very meaningful point of differentiation leading to a competitive advantage. Those who don’t, sleep well knowing they treat others with kindness and decency – while losing.

Activist owners do not win because they are incapable of creating an environment where excellence is the chief attribute because an oilman, internet billionaire, or real estate mogul is incapable of recognizing the athletic, behavioral, and intellectual traits necessary for great success in football. It’s no less ludicrous to expect a genius businessman to become a football savant than it is a football coach to become a billionaire oilman.

The Cowboys have had six head coaches and seven starting quarterbacks since 1997, and have both won and lost 135 games. They have had one owner and general manager. You tell me who’s to blame.

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Indianapolis Colts Pummel Texans 25-3 – Who the Hell Are These Colts?

by Kent Sterling

Trent Richardson had his best game as a Colt yesterday. Whether that makes him more or less likely to play well against the Chiefs is anyone’s guess.

The Indianapolis Colts are enjoying one of the more enigmatic NFL seasons in history. They are capable of looking terrible while winning, and being very competitive during a loss. Yesterday’s win against the Houston Texans was the first since September 29th that the Colts won by a margin greater than one possession.

Since the bye week, the Colts are 4-3 with two wins each against the Texans and Tennessee Titans, and losses to the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bengals.

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What we don’t know about yesterday’s big win is whether it was more a matter of excellent execution by the Colts, or abject malaise from the Texans as they played their first game under interim head coach Wade Phillips following the expulsion of Gary Kubiak.

For the second consecutive week, the Texans committed 14 penalties. Not that the Colts needed the bonus yards, but they sure didn’t hurt.

And now, the Colts are no longer looking at the AFC playoff picture and saying that they aren’t playing for something. Going into the weekend, the Colts appeared to be locked into the fourth seed as the division champ with the worst record. With losses by the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Bengals, the Colts slide into a tie with the Bengals, are one game back of the Patriots, and two behind Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Suddenly, the Broncos are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs, so this Sunday’s game at Kansas City will go a long way toward determining the winner of the AFC West and which grabs the #5 seed.

New England is at Baltimore while Minnesota travels to Cincinnati in Week 17.

A win in Kansas City seemed unlikely until the Colts smothered the Texans. The offensive line moved people in ways they had been unable to since the win against the Broncos just prior to the bye, and the defense allowed a season low 132 passing yards for the Texans.

Quarterback Andrew Luck was hardly magical, but he was good enough – 19-for-32, 180 yards, two TDs, and one pick. Maybe best of all, Luck was sacked only once for a loss of one yard.

Speaking of sacks, OLB Robert Mathis posted another strip sack that resulted in a safety. It broke the all-time single season franchise record as well as the career record for sacks. Mathis spent nearly his entire career excelling in the shadow of Dwight Freeney, but that is true no longer.

Trent Richardson enjoyed his best game as a Colt with 64 yards on 19 carries – the first game in two months that he’s carried the ball nine or more times. Donald Brown’s stinger opened the door for Richardson, and Richardson marched through that doorway and nice holes all afternoon. He also had four catches for 38 yards, making this the first time he has accounted for more than 100 yards from scrimmage since the trade with the Browns brought him to Indy.

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So now the Colts roll out to KC where the biggest challenge will be to control quarterback Alex Smith, who yesterday posted the first perfect quarterback rating of his career with 17 completions in 20 throws for 287 yards and five touchdowns. The odds of Smith doing it in two consecutive weeks are remote after not doing it once in his first 93 games, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be efficient.

Whether it’s the good or bad Colts walk out of the tunnel in Kansas City we won’t know until game time, but the team that scored 20 first half points yesterday seems a lot more likely to compete against one of the best teams in the AFC on their turf than the group was was outscored 114-24 in the six games since the bye.

The Colts finally scored a touchdown in the first half yesterday – also a first since the bye.

Good luck trying to predict what the hell this team will do in Kansas City. The only consistency is in their inconsistency. They have beaten outstanding teams like the Broncos and Seahawks, and 49ers, and been hammered by the mediocre – like the Rams and Cardinals.

The Colts have alternated wins and losses since the bye, so logic would tell us that it’s their turn to lose, but logic doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with the Colts.

Indiana Basketball – Is Two Weeks Enough Time for Hoosiers to Find Reason to Care

by Kent Sterling

Until these five players learn to trust one another, Indiana will lose against the Notre Dames of college basketball.

Tom Crean’s sixth Indiana basketball team is young, athletic, and lacks a collective purpose.

The Hoosiers lost to Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic 79-72, leaving fans to wonder who in the Big Ten they might beat. Hoosier Hysteria doesn’t only refer to what happens on the court. It’s also an apt adjective of what fans feel after losses where the players appear to be unwilling to do what’s necessary to compete.

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Indiana is 15 days away from its Big Ten opener at Illinois, and after a loss against a team that three days before lost at home to the North Dakota State Bison, it’s hard to imagine the Hoosiers putting together a conference season that could earn them a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

A record of 8-3 isn’t all bad, but the only school they have beaten that most people have heard of is Washington. After what fans will consider wins earned through scheduling against Nicholls State and Kennesaw State, Indiana will begin its Big Ten schedule with a record of 10-3. That will leave the Hoosiers a 10-8 conference record short of 20 wins and being relatively sure of a reasonable expectation of an invitation to March Madness.

The problem with Indiana isn’t length, size, athleticism, or any other measurable, but all the other stuff. Sure, the Hoosiers lost a lot of scoring and rebounding as graduation and early departures for the NBA left a massive statistical void, but what is especially missed is leadership and emotional investment.

On Saturday afternoon, Indiana played like five fingers attached to different hands instead of a tight fist. Defensive communication was awful, and offensively they had trouble (again) attacking Notre Dame’s 2-3 zone.

Worst of all, Indiana appeared indifferent to the result of each defensive possession, if not the outcome of the game. It’s easy to watch a game and guess at the cause of problems during a loss, and estimating the needs that can turn things around. Here are some of the thoughts that have found their way into my email box by passionate fans in need of a outlet for their disappointment:

“Tom Crean recruits to specific physical traits, but competitiveness must not be something he looks for.”
“Where’s the leadership, and who fits what role? I can’t tell by watching these guys.”
“I get not being able to attack a tough defense, but hell, defending with toughness should be a given.”
“They play like they don’t like each other.”
“Crean can build players, but the whole is never greater than the sum of the parts.”

Not sure how accurate any of those thoughts are, but watching the loss against a team that had been beaten by the Bison in South Bend left fans with a a lot of unpleasant questions and assumptions.

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The proof will be in the pudding as the Big Ten season unfolds, but the team that refused to compete and communicate at a high level Saturday isn’t likely to beat a lot of teams in America’s premier basketball conference.

Winning is tough in college basketball – really tough. Indiana has yet to figure out how to beat a good team this season, and with expectations through the roof the last two seasons, the Hoosiers were unable to advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen. That’s not bad, but 26 years since a national championship is starting to become a Cubs like run of futility. After all, this is Indiana.

Talent doesn’t always triumph, and the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The sophomores need to become sophomores too. And all need to find some joy and toughness out on the floor. Great basketball is not played by unhappy and unfocused men.

This season can go one of two ways for several teams in the Big Ten, and right now its a coin flip which way it goes for Indiana.

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Brownsburg Native Drew Storen Giving Back at Baseball Camp Next Weekend

by Kent Sterling

Drew Storen is a great role model for young kids who want to learn to pitch.

My son grew up playing basketball and baseball against Drew Storen, and it’s been fun to watch him become a very successful major league pitcher for the Washington Nationals.

There must have been something in the water in Brownburg as several guys in that age group have become outstanding professional players. Lance Lynn is an all-star with the St. Louis Cardinals, and Gordon Heyward is putting together a breakout season for the Utah Jazz.

Storen joined “Ahead of the Curve” today to talk a little baseball with Fox 59’s Chris Hagan and me this morning, and he is exactly the same decent and erudite guy he was as young athlete a decade ago.

He’ll be back in town next weekend to take part in the Power Alley Baseball Academy’s Big League Holiday Pitching Camp with Lynn, B.J. Rosenberg, and Cory Wade.

Talking to people who went to Stanford as Storen did is always fun because they are smart and balanced. Most have a sense of humor and enjoy the conversation.

There is a bit of a weird dynamic interviewing people on the radio because to do it well, you ask questions that well-mannered people would never ask in a private conversation. Somehow, it’s appropriate while the answer will be broadcast on 50,000 watts. I asked a personal question that I hoped would elicit the answer that Storen gave.

When he was young, Drew was a very emotional kid. He demanded a lot from himself, and at the time I thought it was a shame because my belief has always been that youth sports is a diversion and win or lose, popsicles made everything okay.

Well, the kids I knew back in the day who took failure very personally almost all became very successful in sports, and I have changed my tune. Instead of trying to counsel kids to relax and see the big picture, I’ve become a proponent of letting kids be who they are. If they want to shut down after a loss, let ’em. Of the kids who were wired tight, they all seem to be well adjusted adults, so who am I to question?

Drew answered the question like a champ and I’m certain gave comfort to parents listening who might be worried about their 10 year-old kids taking failure too personally.

If you have a kid who loves baseball, I can’t imagine two better kids to learn the game from that Drew and Lance. Do your son a favor, and sign him up for the camp.