Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Will Kevin Wilson Succeed? Why Do the Cubs Suck? Will IU Win a 6th Championship Under Crean? Can Colts Win a Playoff Game? & Other Imponderables

by Kent Sterling

All day long, questions pop into my head, Facebook message center, Twitter feed, and email box. Answers swirl in my head at such speed that they can only be answered by short bursts in this post.

Q: Will Indiana University’s basketball program hang a sixth National Championship banner with Tom Crean as the coach? (M. Henke – Chesterton, MO)

A: Hoosier fans better hope so because Crean isn’t going anywhere as long as Fred Glass is the athletic director. Glass respects Crean a great deal, and given the luck needed to win the six straight games necessary to be the last team standing at the end of an NCAA Tournament, the lack of a banner isn’t grounds for dismissal no matter how long the drought.

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There are factions of Hoosier fans pining for Brad Stevens once his reign in Boston comes to an end, but they aren’t thinking clearly. Whether you love Crean or not, he will call Bloomington home until he decides not to.

The irony is that the only way he rolls out is if a better offer comes along – similar to the Celtics job that wooed Stevens to Boston – but if the results of his work at IU are so good it causes the employers at whatever his dream job is to make a big offer, no one will then want him to leave.

I can see Indiana going to several Final Fours given the level at which Crean recruits, but college basketball is too mercurial to guarantee a championship in any year or era.

Q: Will the Indiana Pacers win the franchise’s first NBA Championship this June? (T. Hammond – Grand Haven, MI)

A: Given their 16-2 record, I wouldn’t bet against them, but LeBron James is still the boss of the NBA and the Pacers victory train will have to roll over the top of him to earn that banner.

The Funny thing about winning is that teams need to learn how to win in order to win more. The core of the Miami Heat have won the last two championships, so they don’t need faith in their ability to win – or some goofy writer to confer hope upon them. They know they can win because they have.

The Pacers, from ownership to the front office to coaches to players to bellboys, are hoping they have what it takes.

In the end, it will probably come down to the health of the Pacers and Heat to determine who comes out of the Eastern Conference. LeBron is talking publicly about a back ailment and the Pacers are younger, so they have the actuarial advantage for continued wellness.

It would be the smart thing to say the Pacers will advance to the NBA Finals, but will get beat there because this roster has never been there. But my intellect is trumped by my belief in this group. There is a bond among them I think will carrying them a step beyond where smart folks will predict their road will end.

Q: Can Kevin Wilson and Darrell Hazell succeed at Indiana and Purdue? (B. Kidell – Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

A: Depends on your definition of success. If it’s bowl eligibility, they will both regularly reach that level. If success is entering the elite of the Big Ten, there might be an outlier season or two, but Indiana’s place in the Big Ten East is going to make a trip to the Big Ten Championship game as unlikely as Lloyd Christmas marrying Mary Swanson. The Hoosiers will compete with Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. No patsies there. Fortunately, Wilson knows that excellence comes one step at a time, and measuring the 2014 Hoosiers against Ohio State’s program is lunacy.

Purdue has an easier road in the Big Ten West, but the Boilermakers are a long way from worrying about strength of schedule in any way other than how they will effect SOS for the other programs.

Wilson is two years ahead of Hazell in his rebuilding, as evidenced in last Saturday’s Bucket Game. Indiana and Purdue will continue to get better until they reach the level to which both coaches are capable of leading their programs.

Q: Why do the Cubs suck? (T. Voss – Hessville, IN)

A: I believe the question as you have asked it was meant to elicit a response about the historical mediocrity associated with the Chicago National League Ball Club. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908, so there must be something in the delicious Lake Michigan water, right?

I am going to choose to answer the question differently, as in why will the Cubs suck in 2014 and 2015, and given their self-induced misery why do the Cubs continue to charge fans Sak’s Fifth Avenue prices for TJ Maxx baseball?

Minus a massive infusion of cash for free agents who can play, the Cubs are stuck with a farm system supposedly chock full of talent that is two years away. That means holding on to talent that will become expensive in 2014 or 2015 is wasteful, hence the upcoming deal to send Jeff Samardzija to someone for three prospects.

Trades of anyone of value for youth will continue because there is no meaningful downside for not trading them. Other than the saps paying the third highest average ticket prices (in 2013), who gives a damn whether the Cubs win 67 or 81 games? Until the loyal to a massive fault Cubs fans start voting with their asses and wallets, the wait for the kiddie corps will continue.

Q: Can the Indianapolis Colts win a playoff game? (P. Nagle – Monrovia, IN)

A: Hell yes, they can. Will they? Who knows. The Colts are 8-4 with the only win against the Seahawks, and wins against Denver and San Francisco. They can win games. Over the last five games that Colts fans lament as a portend of doom, they are 3-2. A win against Cincinnati this Sunday, and the Colts will lock up the AFC South. That will give them home field, and likely no worse than the #3 seed.

The Colts are a better team with Reggie Wayne than without, but as long as Andrew luck is drawing breath, the Colts won’t be overlooked by anyone.

Paul Page Named New Voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

by Kent Sterling

Nationally, Paul Page is best known for his work describing Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi dueling for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championship every Fourth of July.

Other than bring Sid Collins back from the dead, there is no hire that could evoke the history of the IMS Radio Network like that of Paul Page. Given that he still does great work, the decision to name Page to replace the easily agitated and verbose Mike King was logical.

The decision came down to Page, Bob Jenkins, and Mark Jaynes, and while I would have loved to see Jaynes get his chance to anchor the schedule of IndyCar. He’s a pro who is both adept at describing the action, but more importantly he can listen and anticipate what questions the listener would like answered.

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Many hosts can speak with grace, but few listen well. That’s what separates the good from the great, and I always suspected that Jaynes is a very adept listener. I found out first hand as the sidelines reporter for the 5A IHSAA Football State Championship broadcast that he anchored last Friday.

Jaynes never elevated his own importance above that of the game, and was exceptionally easy to work with as a result.

There is no question that Page knows racing, the Indianapolis 500, and how to use his team, and as long as Vin Scully is still getting it done, everyone under the age of 70 is still a relative kid in Broadcasting. Page is 18 years Scully’s junior.

King’s departure is not unpopular among his former co-workers, and if Page involves his team without upstaging them, he will be a very popular upgrade. One of King’s habits was to ask a reporter a question and then answer it. He also developed the habit of providing information to listeners before engaging a reporter prepared to provide it him or herself.

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The heritage of this network is one of the great stories in broadcasting, and Page was a big part of it for years as he was a part of Collins team from 1974-1976 while also doing traffic on WIBC. He was the host of the broadcast for the next 11 years.

Indiana Basketball – the Fun of Mocking Jim Boeheim Is at Stake Tonight in Syracuse

by Kent Sterling

If Indiana wins tonight, fans get to make fun of Jim Boeheim again.

The 2-3 zone has been mostly relegated to the dustbin of defensive contrivances employed by coaches of fourth grade basketball teams who don’t know enough about man-to-man to teach it to children – except in Syracuse.

Jim Boeheim has won 927 games using the 2-3 zone as his defense since 1976. That puts him only 36 wins behind Mike Krzyzewski for the all-time lead, which makes it hard to mock the guy or his teams.

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It was especially hard last March to feel superior to Boeheim as his Syracuse team sent the best Indiana team in 20 years home after vexing the Hoosiers with the same 2-3 he’s been running forever. The 61-50 loss ended the dream of a sixth NCAA title, but as is always the case in sports, more chances always loom on the horizon.

Tonight, Indiana will be at the Carrier Dome to face another test administered by Professor Boeheim. Syracuse is never great, but always seem to be good. One National Championship is a testimony to a lack of greatness, but anyone who scoffs at the Orange for repeatedly selling out with their 2-3 makes a mistake.

If beating Syracuse was as easy as moving the ball quickly and popping it into the middle, Boeheim would have been fired before the Reagan Administration began.

The days when Indiana fans could feel superior to those from Syracuse are over. Current students at Indiana can’t remember a time when Indiana’s program was superior to the collection of talented but flawed kids who guarded their areas instead of men in the New York snow belt.

Jim Boeheim is relentlessly nice, and he looked it. If you see him at the host hotel for the National Association of Basketball Coaches confab that runs concurrent to the Final Four, he will be gracious, decent, and accommodating. He treats fans and media with respect. To IU fans, that made him a bigger sap than what they already thought he was.

Indiana fans reflected their coach back in the day. They were haughty asses, and loved every minute of it. Those days are over – ruined by Bob Knight’s reluctance to recruit, Mike Davis’s indifference to IU’s history, and Kelvin Sampson’s unfortunate combination of arrogance and stupidity.

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My theory is that Indiana fans miss the license to mock others more than they miss the wins, and while Tom Crean has provided wins, it will take National Championships to credential fans to be worthy of ridiculing a coach like Boeheim.

Most of the old time guys who IU honks berated are retired or dead, but Boeheim continues to plow through the decades with eternal youth and consistent results. Dean Smith, Dale Brown, Eldon Miller, Joe B. Hall, Lou Henson, and countless others were targets of Hoosier condescension for generations.

Hard to mock Boeheim now, and unless Indiana can outpace last season’s clunker, Hoosier fans will be forced to endure another loss against the same guy who used to be easy pickins.

This game tonight isn’t for bragging rights – it’s for mocking rights.

Auburn Fan’s Poem Gloats Cleverly Over the Rotting Carcass of the Alabama BCS Championship Dream

We don’t publish the work of others very often, but I appreciate mockery done right. For the rest of his days, Nick Saban will privately regret the series of decisions that led Alabama to the defeat that robbed him of a third straight national championship.

It’s wonderful when the pious are rendered human. The end of the Iron Bowl reminded fans of that, and this poem is a wonderful epitaph for the Crimson Tides’ hubris.

‘Twas the night they’ll remember – Chuck Porretto 12-01-2013 –

‘Twas the night after Auburn

and all through the land,

not a “Roll Tide” was uttered

by a Crimsom Tide fan.

They used to be boisterous,

they used to be loud,

they used to be boastful,

and cocky and proud.

But they lost all their swagger,

they lost all their swing.

For one little second

had changed everything.

The score it was even.

The clock had run dry.

When Nicholas Saban

then started to cry.

He demanded a second

be put on the clock.

The worse that could happen?

A miss or a block.

But fate it is fickle,

and greed has a price,

and what happened next

just wasn’t too nice.

The previous kicks,

wide left and wide right.

So he put in a rookie,

’twas not very bright.

The kick was a boomer

of 56 yards,

but the extra yard needed

was not in the cards.

And back in the end zone

a lone Tiger stood.

He caught that ol’ football,

he caught it real good.

He started to run,

he heard the cheers grow.

The Crimson Tide offense?

Too fat and too slow.

One hundred and nine

he ran for a score.

If needed he could have

run one hundred more

The crowd it erupted

while storming the field.

The Crimson Tide’s season

was settled and sealed.

A cry of “War Eagle”

soon echoed the plain.

Nick Saban’s expression

was one of pure pain.

And up in Ohio

they shouted “Go Bucks”

For it gave hope to all

well except for the Ducks.

And in Tuscaloosa

you could hear a pin drop.

And in Tallahassee

a tomahawk chop.

For the night after Auburn

the Tide does not roll.

The new boss in town

wears garnet and gold.

Auburn and Alabama Fans Continue to Cement Status as Classless and Stupid

by Kent Sterling

ROLL TIDE!

“People are stupid” is a simple statement, but it explains almost everything wrong with our society. Obamacare website malfunctions, the cancellation of “Arrested Development”, and full season ticket renewals to watch the Chicago Cubs are only justified by acknowledging humanity’s inability to process information correctly.

College Football needs the playoff due to begin at the end of the 2014 season, but damn it, that mess at the top of the BCS standings is sure a lot of fun to listen to others shriek about. It’s a volatile topic in Alabama, where fans of both the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide are making spurious arguments to be invited to the BCS National Championship game despite each team’s single loss.

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If a playoff existed this season, it would be Auburn and Mizzou for the third spot while Bama would probably have had its ticket punched as the fourth team by losing to Auburn Saturday night. Seeing all those SEC fans happy would be a lost opportunity for those who love hysterical squawking.

That’s the shame of certainty. When there can be no argument about what is right and wrong, the idiocy of sports fans is disguised. Black and white is not where boobery thrives, but as has been the case through the millennia with human behavior, Alabamans will adapt and overcome.

Fans of Auburn and Alabama will find something else to yell about soon enough. What they lack in logic, they cover for in volume and resolve.

The college football playoff is designed to determine with certainty which team is the best each season, and there is nothing wrong with that. It won’t end the loud debates, but it will force fans to recalibrate.

Until then, Auburn fans are going to yell and scream about how they deserve a shot ahead of Ohio State. Mizzou fans will be equally miffed if

Go ABUURN!

they beat Auburn this Saturday in the SEC Championship, and believe me when I tell you that Mizzou fans are among the least gifted thinkers in the history of sports. Bama fans are still insane enough to believe a berth in the championship is a right not a privilege.

The screaming is deafening down south. Thank God for Twitter allowing us to read the idiotic rants of hayseeds who measure their life’s worth through the performance of 18-to-22 year olds on the gridiron.

When I was in high school, the Ohio River froze over (almost) solid. People decided the chance to walk from Indiana to Kentucky (and vice versa) across the ice was too fun to pass up. Several fell through the ice and were swept away to their deaths by the current. The grandfather of a friend described the phenomenon as “God’s way of getting rid of the idiots.”

Twitter is like the frozen Ohio. It reveals unbalanced morons as quickly as any psychological evaluation. Lucky for Alabama and Auburn fans they live far enough south that the rivers can never freeze. The spring thaw would reveal corpses that would perfectly match the combined capacity of Bryant Denny and Jordan Hare Stadiums.

In the midwest, college football still only qualifies as a diversion instead of the religion it is in SEC country – and that is anything but a compliment to our friends to the south.

November Twitter Rankings for Indy Media – @kentsterling Continues to Outpace All in Growth

The evolution of media employees is ignored at your own risk.

If you worked in sports media, and your boss asked if you wanted a billboard campaign that captured your essence and helped build your brand, you would be thrilled. The value of your presence in media is exactly proportionate to the value of your brand, and a billboard would help drive the value higher and higher.

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If you worked in sports media and had a method to communicate directly with fans through a short burst – an individual thought that is funny, informational, or simply conveys who you are – you would certainly take advantage of it, wouldn’t you?

There are those who understand that Twitter is like a personal billboard, only better because those looking at it have opted in. They want to read what you write, and some enjoy talking back.

Incredibly, some don’t participate at all. Others don’t care enough about Twitter to contribute regularly. It’s ridiculous. Twitter needs to be embraced as the incredible portal it is by media folks, or companies need to embrace those who do.

Twitter delivers a message of 140 characters of the user’s choosing into the feed of all who follow. It’s simple, dynamic, and serves as a reasonably accurate barometer of brand value. The more followers, the more people who value the perspective of the tweeter.

That’s power, and not sharing your perspective ignores not only the power of Twitter as a portal, but shows an indifference to the audience.

Why do I publish Twitter rankings every month? To motivate those in the media to embrace Twitter and become more and more valuable to their employers. Twitter is a method for everyone in Indianapolis media to become more successful, and for some a monthly ranking might serve as motivation to participate more.

Sports Radio in Indy

Kent Sterling – 1070 the Fan 4,111 to 4,691 +14.2%
Conrad Bruner 1070thefan.com 5,840 to 6,233 +6.7%
Mark Boyle – Pacers play-by-play 8,040 to 8,484 +5.5%
Greg Rakestraw – 1070 the Fan 5,402 to 5,700 +5.5%
Michael Grady – 1070 the Fan 9,792 to 10,331 +5.5%
Derek Schultz – 1260 WNDE 3,960 to 4,160 +5.1%
JMV – 1070 the Fan 19,348 to 20,153 +4.2%
Eddie White – Pacers Postgame 4,639 to 4,806 +3.6%
Dan Dakich – 1070 the Fan 61,168 to 63,271 +3.4%
Jake Query 1260 WNDE 7,908 to 8,086 +2.3%
Kevin Lee – 1070 the Fan/NBC 6,569 to 6,705 +2.1%

TV Sports Anchors/Reporters in Indy

Larry Hawley – Fox 59 1,274 to 1,364 +7.1%
Brittany Diehl – Fox 59 2,050 to 2,176 +6.1%
Eric Yutzy – WTHR 2,510 to 2,680 +6.8%
Rich Nye – WTHR 4,477 to 4,736 +5.8%
Amanda Maynard – WISH 950 to 1,003 +5.6%
Anthony Calhoun – WISH 6,317 to 6,623 +4.8%
Dave Calabro – WTHR 8,427 to 8,810 +4.5%
Chris Widlic – WISH 1,615 to 1,679 +4.0%
Dave Furst – RTV6 4,498 to 4,667 +3.8%
Chris Hagan – Fox 59 4,946 to 5,117 +3.5%
Jason Spells – RTV6 1,856 to 1,909 +2.9%
Jeremiah Johnson – FSIN 4,299 to 4,402 +2.4%
Brad Brown – RTV6 547 to 556 +1.6%
Chris Denari – FSIN 9,087
Charly Arnolt – Fox 59 2,056

Print/Digital – all with Indianapolis Star unless otherwise noted (beat in parenthesis)

Zak Keefer (Butler) 4,289 to 4,738 +10.5%
Mark Ambrogi 1,834 to 2,005 +9.3%
Stephen Holder (Colts) 9,712 to 10,245 +5.5%
Mike Chappell (Colts) 15,691 to 16,320 +4.0%
Kyle Neddenriep (Preps) 11,476 to 11,909 +3.8%
Curt Cavin (Racing) 12,342 to 12,747 +3.3%
Bob Kravitz (columnist) 37,609 to 38,739 +3.1%
Michael Pointer 3,683 to 3,786 +2.8%
Dustin Dopirak (Bton H-T) 7,615 to 7,816 +2.6%
Phil Richards 3,005 to 3,082 +2.6%
Mike Wells (Colts/ESPN) 26,785 to 27,446 +2.5%
Phillip B. Wilson 15,214 to 15,590 +2.5%
David Woods (IU Football) 5,550 to 5,582 +0.6%
Zach Osterman (IU Hoops) 5,492
Candace Buckner (Pacers) 3,998

Digital

Tom Lewis @IndyCornrows 4,327 to 4,659 +7.7%
Chronic Hoosier (hoosierchronicles.com) 16,316 to 16,945 +3.9%
Ken Bikoff @kbikoff 1,927 to 1,990 +3.3%
Alex Bozich @insidethehall 19,236 to 19,726 +2.5%
Terry Hutchens (Fox – IU) 12,746 to 13,027 +2.2%
Mike Pegram @peegs 13,378 to 13,608 +1.7%

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Being a Sidelines Reporter for the IHSAA State Championships – Almost as Much Fun as Playing

by Kent Sterling

Carmel and Warren Central played a great game Saturday night. Sadly, only one team could win.

Sidelines reporters for sporting events have it easy most of the time – ask two simple questions of coaches that elicit enlightening responses as teams exit the field for halftime, emerge from their locker rooms, and immediately after the game ends. Other than one or two unique observations per quarter, and that’s about it.

Coaches know what they want to communicate to the media, and the questions only need to open the door for that response. There is the option of being a provocative jerk like Jim Gray, but poking an emotionally raw coach might provide drama but does little to bring understanding to a big moment – especially during high school state championships.

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I had never done sidelines before the Indiana High School State Football Championships Friday and Saturday nights, and I really enjoyed the process.

During a normal radio show, interviews can last 12 minutes, and preparation is needed to have a worthy discussion with a guest. Doing sidelines requires a maximum of two questions, so comparatively it’s child’s play.

There are moments though that a coach is curt, and while I would never hope for that to happen while I’m talking to him, that it did during halftime of the 6A game was actually kind of fun.

Carmel and Warren Central were in the middle of an intense defensive battle. The halftime score was 3-0 in favor of Carmel, and the talk in the booth between play-by-play voice Matt Taylor and analyst Jan Boser turned to whether Carmel might try to open up its offense in the second half. Their conversation made the question relevant, and delivering an answer for listeners became the obvious choice for a second question to Carmel coach Kevin Wright.

The coaches know that they have an interview as they head into the tunnel for halftime, and as they come out. The coach of the leading team does TV and the other does radio when the first half ends. As they return to the field, those assignments are flipped. We make sure that there is no waiting for the coach – as soon as they come to us, we go live.

Wright walked out of the tunnel, and I said something like, “What a unique first half.” It’s not specifically a question, but a statement that is open to interpretation. It allows a coach to talk about whatever he thinks is relevant. Wright glared and responded, “What was so unique about it?” I told him 3-0 doesn’t happen very often.

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[I should mention that these are my recollections, and the quotes are likely imperfect. It’s also worth noting that I like Coach Wright, and in no way am I trying to paint him as petulant or his behavior as inappropriate. When in the middle of a battle requiring great focus, being perfectly accommodating to the media is a ridiculous standard. The media generally deserves the treatment they are accorded. I recount the story only because it was interesting to me. These things happen once in a while, and I enjoyed the experience.]

Then I asked the question from the booth about opening up the offense. Wright was no more pleased than my first little statement-question. I don’t recall the specific response, but it involved a Nick Saban-esque stare and had something to do with Carmel being in the lead. It’s true that questioning the strategy of the coach who is leading seems silly, but given the early conversation it was something the audience had reason to be curious about.

To be honest, I far prefer the unvarnished honesty of a coach like Wright to the inane blather from those trying to make inoffensive noise with meaningless cliches. I like Wright even more now than I did before the game, and his post game comments about Warren Central’s performance and the pride he felt in the way his team overcame some unique adversity were gracious and magnanimous.

State championship games are unique in that the kids playing them will never forget a moment. They are ingrained in their minds forever, and the coverage of the games need to bear that in mind always. Just as with the coaches and fans, the broadcasters are there for the kids. Our job is to tell the story of one of the great moments of their lives.

Doing a radio talk show is fun, but we sit in a studio trying to imagine the faces of those who are listening. Doing sidelines for the games, you are looking young men in the eyes as they compete. You talk to coaches who are trying their best to provide their kids an advantage as they try to help the team they lead to a dream validating victory. One team wins, and one team loses.

The emotions are raw, and the coverage should be dramatic but fair and free of blame. Congratulations to all the players and coaches who competed so fiercely throughout the six championship games.

It would be easy to talk about some of the play calls and questionable officiating, but the only relevant story was conveyed in the eyes and words of those who have sacrificed so much of their young lives to achieve a shot at that ring.

It was cool to be a small part of the permanent record of unforgettable championship level efforts, and it was fun to be the recipient of some heartfelt discourse from a coach who was concerned much more with the welfare of his kids than the sidelines guy with the microphone.

I would have said and done exactly the same thing.

Indianapolis Colts – AFC South Champs (probably) Beat Titans 22-14, But How Good Are They?

by Kent Sterling

Indianapolis Colts fans have seen it all this season. Signature wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, bad losses to the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals, and wins against bad teams that very easily could have been losses.

NFL teams are best judged by their records, but this 8-4 Colts team inspires more questions than answers with each week.

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The Colts won today’s game against the Titans because they forced four turnovers, and the Titans gave them a field goal at the end of the first half with a foolish unnecessary roughness penalty on former Colt Moise Fokou – the kind of penalty that costs teams games and championships, and goes a long way in explaining why Fokou is not a current Colt.

Until a 6:12 drive that covered 92 yards resulted in the Colts only touchdown, the totality of the offense production was a paltry 172 yards in 51 plays. Donald Brown, the leading rusher for the Colts netted only 54 yards (46 of which came during that last drive when the offensive line finally started moving Titans around a little bit), while the leading receiver only caught three balls for 50 yards.

Prior to that final drive, the Colts leading rusher was Trent Richardson with 19 yards – and they led 15-14!

That kind of output generates virtually no games in the NFL, but the Colts continue to find ways to pile up wins without the kind of showmanship and execution that fans associate with success.

The quality of NFL teams is assessed week-to-week, but the Colts who have gone 3-2 over the past five games with a win at Houston and two against the Titans has looked bad – and not just a little bad. They have been downright putrid for extended periods while being outscored 143-98.

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The problems for the Colts over the past five games would be catastrophic for most – an inability to protect its franchise quarterback, trouble consistently covering even mediocre receivers, difficulty running the ball, and a litany of injuries to offensive playmakers that has thankfully reached a plateau.

The Colts surrendered five sacks today, and caused only one, but the sack fumble from Robert Mathis changed the game, as did two interceptions by much maligned quarterback Cassius Vaughn, who blows coverages with regularity but holds onto the ball when it’s thrown to him.

So the Colts are four games away from the end of the regular season with an 8-4 record, scoring 285 points and allowing 274. Going into week 13, when the 7-4 Colts had scored 263 and allowed 260, they ranked 16th in points scored and 15th in points allowed. Thoroughly mediocre, and yet they will almost undoubtedly win the less than mediocre AFC South.

By beating the Titans, the Colts are now three games ahead of the second place Titans and hold the head-to-head tie breaker. To lose the South, the Colts would have to lose all four of their remaining games, while the Titans would have to win theirs. That should be rendered moot next weekend as the Titans travel to Denver.

Whether the Colts are able to continue winning two for every loss with an offensive line that can’t open a hole or form a pocket until the fourth quarter and a defense that is marginal at best minus Mathis will be the question whose answer will endure and define the 2013 season.

Minus Reggie Wayne, Ahmad Bradshaw, Vick Ballard, and Dwayne Allen, the odds are against them, but beating the odds is one gift this Colts team and coach Chuck Pagano seem to have a lock on.

Betting on them appears to be foolish, but betting against them ignores who they have become.

Rick Venturi on Indianapolis Colts vs. Titans II & Whether Problem is Trent Richardson or Offensive Line

by Kent Sterling

Answers about the Colts and NFL can be found every Wednesday in the sports section of the Indianapolis Star.

Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and AFC South rival Tennessee Titans is huge for both teams. For the Titans to continue to vie for the division crown, they must win, and the Colts need to right a ship that is listing badly after four weeks of post-bye week mediocrity.

Less than savvy fingers are being pointed at various members of the coaching staff, as though the genius that led the Colts to a 6-2 start magically devolved into cork-headed idiocy in one month.

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One of the many questions fans are asking is about the trade for running back Trent Richardson, and whether the third overall pick in 2011 is worth the 2014 first rounder the Colts swapped for him.

Some say Richardson has been slow to absorb the playbook. Others opine he isn’t hitting holes that close before his arrival. A third faction questions the ability of the offensive line to open holes for him.

One thing is for sure, Donald Brown is not having trouble running behind the same line, albeit in a slightly different scheme.

Coach Rick Venturi spent 41 years coaching defense at the highest levels, and he studies this kind of thing. His answers are enlightening, as are his thoughts about tomorrow’s game.

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Chris Hagan and I spoke to Venturi during today’s “Ahead of the Curve” on 1070 the Fan, which will air from this point forward from 11a-1p Saturdays, barring the occasional preemption by play-by-platy events.

IHSAA State Football Finals – Drama, Friendship, Struggle, a Lifetime of Work Comes Down to 48 Minutes

by Kent Sterling

Cathedral’s Terry McLaurin helped the school win it’s fourth straight state championship last night over Westfield 42-18.

Twelve dreams walk into Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend, and six come true. Three were granted last night, and three were dashed. Three more will be deigned worthy today, and three others scoffed at by the football gods.

That’s the Indiana State High School Football Championships in a nutshell.

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From the time these young men were eight years old, they dreamed of this moment. And this weekend it comes. In their minds, the result of this seminal day will serve to define their pre-college existence.

Never mind that there are a couple hundred rosters who were eliminated from contention for the six state championships that will be awarded, because losing is losing is losing is losing. It doesn’t matter when you lose your final game, it’s that you lost your last game.

There are seniors on all 12 of these teams who are very aware that their football careers will end after this weekend. This will be the last time they are taped, put on their pads, and strap on their helmets. It’s also the last time they will converge around a coach and huddle with the best friends they are likely to have.

These teammates become brothers through their sacrifice for the common goal of successfully competing. The endless hours in the weight room, practice in the cold and wet, and challenges both met and lost forged a bond among teammates that never diminish – ever. At the 25 and 50 year reunions, they will convene, look each other in the eye again, and know each of their brothers in a way those who compete cannot fathom.

And all we have to do is buy a ticket to be able to watch this final chapter play out three times today, just as we could have yesterday. It’s not an entry fee; it’s a gift.

That is what every state championship is, regardless of the sport. It’s a gift, a challenge, a goal for which people work with their friends for the majority of their young lives, and the rewards aren’t necessarily the championships but those moments in life where the eyes lock as they did so long ago when brotherhood was formed.

I am working as a sidelines reporter for the IHSAA Champion Radio Network, and I get to see it up close – the love and admiration the coaches feel for the players, the hope in the eyes of the players, the end of the hope when it becomes obvious that the cherished dream is not going to be a reality, and the joy in the knowledge that it will.

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I get to talk to the coaches at halftime and following the game to get their immediate reaction, and look into the eyes of the young men as they prepare to battle.

A missed tackle, errant pass, a plant foot placed too close or distant from the ball, a hold that lasts too long, or pre-snap flinch is sometimes all that separates winning and losing. Precision and ferocity are required, but too much of either can ruin a team.

The other 10 players count on your performance. If any one fails, the team fails. Do it right fifty times on both sides of the ball, and you celebrate. Fail, and the silent bus ride back to the school is the last time you will all be together.

A short lifetime of work comes down to two-and-a-half hours of controlled chaos. Family, friends, and classmates are all emotionally vested in the result, and letting them down would be a terrible burden.

I’m privileged to help tell the story of these kids and coaches from Warren Central and Carmel who will vie for the 6A championship on the radio network, and you can drive down to Lucas Oil Stadium to see it for yourself or listen. Seeing the dichotomy of one group of teenagers elated at the attainment of a championship and another who were able to come so close only to be denied by minuscule imperfections.

Such is the pass/fail world of sports, but while the losing denies a trophy that will gather dust for generations in the school’s display case, the real rewards aren’t seen on the scoreboard, but in the eyes of the players as they meet all those years later.