Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indiana Pacers – David West Is Impressive in Assessing Paul George’s Potential

by Kent Sterling

There is still some gas in the tank for David West as a player, but when it’s gone, he’s going to make a hell of a coach.

When Indiana Pacers power forward David West signed a new deal to remain a Pacer for the next three years, team president Larry Bird was effusive in praising West’s ability to lead.

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As West discussed Paul George as a teammate, and future star in the league, it was obvious why Bird feels the way he does. West is still a very productive player, and I don’t know if he’ll ever be ready to take the pay cut that would be necessary to coach, but the guy oozes the thoughtfulness and confidence of a very effective leader.

West is fascinating in that when he talks, I absolutely believe what he’s saying. His words are carefully chosen, and his mannerisms demand attention. There is a palpable sense that West sees himself as a mentor for George, and that he is driven to see him succeed.

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Every championship team needs a guy like West in the locker room, and because of West’s belief in George, he is much more likely to succeed.

I’m posting this video not only because of the assessment of the best 23-year old in the NBA, but because I like listening to what the guy has to say about anything.

The Pacers will look back on this past offseason as critical in the history of the franchise, and among all the move executed by Bird, re-signing West won’t be the most heralded, but it will be the most important. His combination of words and actions will keep this team on track, and his scoring and rebounding will win games.

Big 10 Will Expand to 20 eventually – Texas and Oklahoma Will Be Among Them

[Editor’s note – This was posted as a comment by someone identified as BIG20, and presents an interesting perspective on conference realignment. What I like best is the writing style that is sort of like listening to a guy talk sports in a bar. He argues with himself a bit, and although I don’t really agree with too much, the perspective and execution is interesting enough to share.]

If we are talking about BIG expanding to 20 schools, the conceivable targets include: Virginia, UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Vandy, BC, Syracuse, Florida, Iowa State, and UConn. I added some I don’t really believe in to make some people happy. So lets cut it down.

We all know the BIG 3 rules to expanding, contiguous, AAU, and media markets. Let’s add the unspoken considerations of research dollars, large alumni base, cultural fit, avoiding hitting the same market twice, the exceptions of huge football brands, and being Notre Dame. Let’s also consider that the ACC is more likely to stand than the Big 12, and people don’t leave the SEC lightly. Now lets begin cutting down the list.

The AAU schools include: Texas, Virginia, Kansas, UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Missouri, Florida, and Vandy. Well that’s 10 right there! But hold on. Iowa State doubles a market, so its off, Duke and UNC double each other, UNC is preferable so Duke is off. Texas, Florida, and Georgia Tech, aren’t contiguous even considering those others so their off and we are left with five. Virginia, Kansas, UNC, Missouri and Vandy. But would Vandy ever leave the SEC? No… Would Missouri? Yes! Why? its a lateral move, except they can compete easier for now, love the culture match better, and as we’ll see, have closer rivalries than with the SEC. The trouble seems to be the BIG not giving them an offer.

Would UNC ever leave the ACC? Odds are against it. UNC and ACC seem like they’re glued together, and if the Big 12 falls then the ACC won’t, and if the ACC isn’t gonna fall its not gonna give up one of its linchpin members.

Would Virginia leave the ACC? the odds are better there, and if the price is right the BIG could nab anyone they want really, and Virginia’s research dollars and recruit homeland is just what the BIG wants. Would Kansas leave the Big 12? Yes. But, lets say our list ends with one guarantee and two maybes, Kansas, and then Missouri and Virginia.

Now lets take a look at some of those huge football programs: Clemson, Florida State, Florida, Notre Dame, Texas, and Oklahoma. Clemson has good football now, has new markets, would potentially be contiguous, but doesn’t fit with AAU, or culturally, the odds are against this add.

Once again Florida and Florida State are not contiguous, but hold on. Florida is an AAU, new markets, all things considered there’s a lot to offer, but unless Florida doesn’t like their fit in the SEC anymore, this won’t happen.

Florida State is not AAU, but could be if the effort is put in. Notre Dame has everything BIG wants except the research dollars, the AAU membership, and the new markets, but it is a national brand, and meets one of our exceptions. Would ND join? Odds are no, not unless the ACC falls or ND is forced into a full membership to sit at the “big kids table” and decides on the BIG over ACC. But here’s the thing, they will be forced to a full membership somewhere, and I believe its a 50/50 shot between BIG and ACC when it comes down to it, so let’s list them as a maybe.

Oklahoma is now contiguous, still doesn’t meet the academics, but is a national brand, would upgrade the football quality and more. Would OK leave the Big 12? Odds are better than you might think; they know they world is changing and bringing along OK State isn’t possible anymore, the only other rivalry the can’t live without is with Texas, and lets see. With the possible add here Texas is now contiguous! and oh yeah! AAU member, huge media markets, obviously the BIG wants them.

Would Texas leave the BIG 12? Again, the odds are better than you might think, but lets go with the nay-sayers for a second. Alright fine, Texas won’t leave the Big 12. Well luckily, Texas is the Big 12. And if it means going to a conference which has rivals OU, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri again they might just feel more like home again. I do understand that politics with those other Texas universities cause problems, but politics is run by smart (supposedly) people. And anyone smart knows that times are changing, and that it will come to the point, at sometime, that the state of Texas will LOSE money comparatively if they keep packaging Texas schools together, which no conference will accept. Texas will be allowed to leave, must leave. Texas won’t be allowed to take the the LHN with them to any new conference, and the BIG will be their best fit. So lets put down OU and Texas as guarantees and ND as a maybe.

Any schools I’ve missed? BC, UConn, and Syracuse. All of three of these schools double up on the NY market the BIG supposedly had a hold on. None of them are AAU, none are huge football schools, they do not seem to be real considerations. Sure BC adds Boston, sure UConn and Syracuse are good at basketball, but these are all unlikely. Would they leave their respective conferences for the BIG? Yes, but they won’t get offers. Best shot is UConn, but its not Contiguous, (although the mileage between UConn and Rutgers is far less between many other distances in the current BIG.

It seems we have ended with Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas as sure picks, and Notre Dame, Missouri, and Virginia as maybes. Odd that makes 20.

If some things go different ways, the BIG still will get to 20, and listed are the only schools under consideration. Sure if the ACC is the one that falls, the BIG may go straight down the east coast, or maybe they stand pat at 16 with Kansas and UConn for all I know. I’ve said what I can, but lets be sure of this much, four super conferences are coming, not five. The BIG, SEC and PAC aren’t going anywhere. Notre Dame will have to pick a conference.

Money is key. And Grant of Rights are just exit fees.

Chicago Cubs Brainstorm May Have Been Reason for Dale Sveum’s Firing

by Kent Sterling

“Who just said Robinson Cano? Get out! GET OUT!”

Meetings happen all the time at businesses to uncover the solutions to problems. Rooms are filled with people of all stations at a company. The problem owner (the boss who convened the meeting for the purpose of finding a creative solution to his most troublesome worry) identifies the issue to be discussed, and the facilitator writes it on the board at the front of the room.

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The problem that Cubs owner Tom Ricketts most wants to solve is the erosion in the season ticket base. Three years of unprecedented losing and little hope for improvement until 2016 when some of the highly touted kids will be ready to contribute have caused attendance to drop more than a half-million since 2008, and the season ticket renewal market is incredibly soft.

So at Tom Ricketts direction, the facilitator writes, “In what ways might we retain all 2013 season ticket holders, and cause overall attendance to return to the three-million fan level?”

Some facts are listed to guide the people in the room, like the attendance data from the past six years – 3,300,200 to 3,168,859 to 3,062,973 to 3,017,966 to 2,882,756 and finally in 2013 to 2,642,682. That last number represents 79.3% of capacity and does not factor in the no shows which were substantial.

The other numbers which are not shared in the media are the financials for concessions and swag. Tickets are responsible for some game day revenue, but the business of Cubs baseball is separating you from as much of your cash as possible once you walk into Wrigley. There is an average amount of money syphoned from fans for incidentals like beer, hats, programs, Frosty Malts, and the $11.50 Sheffield Dip sandwich.

Certainly, the Cubs are aware that losing now in order to win later (a spurious notion that will be debunked in a future post) would have a cost in the number of tickets sold, and worse in the number of tickets used. That doesn’t keep Ricketts from convening a brainstorm to discuss creative ways to re-energize the fan base to the tipping point where they will pony up for tickets on the primary and secondary market.

There is a significant number of season ticket customers who are fans of cash rather than the Cubs, and as the secondary market has softened, so has their motivation to renew.

The first idea is to hire more people. This is always the first idea that members of the staff advances. The motivation is to relieve work load, but it’s couched in helping the business. In this case, the idea is actually adopted to allow a group of people to work the phones to talk to those on the season ticket waiting list. I am actually on that list. In 2007, I was 100,010 from qualifying. Living in Indianapolis, I obviously had no interest in making the purchase, and I doubt many on that list would feel differently today. But accessing them can’t hurt.

So this meeting takes place and one of the ideas that a member of the staff offers is to win more games. Nothing causes the turnstyles to spin like roulette wheels like 90+ wins. The facilitator asks the group to focus upon that for a few minutes. It’s determined that the cost of an immediate influx of talent to the level where the Cubs could compete in the National League Central would be $86+ million per year. So that’s immediately scrapped.

The next element offered by a member of the resource group is an aggressive external marketing campaign. Okay, the facilitator says, “Let’s drill down there. What kind of marketing message can compel fans to re-engage?”

The next 15 minutes are spent talking about people who are Cubs assets that might move the needle. Starlin Castro? Fans don’t like him. He’s seen as aloof. The Cubs put him on that billboard a couple of years ago with Derek Jeter for which they were pilloried in the media. Plus, he reeks of the problems that have caused the lost attendance in the first place. A restaurant that puts pictures of its most reviled item on the menu is unlikely to see a spike in sales.

Anthony Rizzo? He hit .233, and had a lower OPS than catcher Wellington Castro and outfielder Nate Schierholtz. How about Jeff Samardzija or Travis Wood? None of the current Cubs pitchers reached double digits in wins in 2013, so it’s tough to present any as a reason to motivate fan re-engagement.

How about the older guys that Cubs fans still love. Soon-to-be 84-year old Ernie Banks is beloved, but after taking a look at the actuarial tables for life expectancy for a man of Ernie’s maturity, it’s decided that’s not prudent.

No, they answer lies outside the Friendly Confines. Making a list of the free agents who could excite fans is futile for the same reason that hastening the rebuilding process is. Signing Robinson Cano will require a minimum of eight years and $220 million. The person who quietly mentions Cano’s name is asked to leave the room. No idea is a bad idea in a brainstorm, except that one.

Okay, thinking outside the box, what about a manager? Dale Sveum is not the most compelling communicator in the history of Chicago sports, and he cannot stay clean shaven long enough to photograph. So who can the Cubs go get who might look great on a billboard, has Chicago roots, and maybe even played for the Cubs at one time.

Someone says the name everyone is thinking, “Joe Girardi!” Holy crap! That’s it. The room is abuzz. They have the answer. Then, they talk about the financials. What does the manager of the New York Yankees make? Girardi is coming to the end of a three-year, $9 million contract signed before the 2011 season.

“Wait a minute, we can hire our billboard guy – the guy we can legitimately put on the cover of a program – for $5 million a year, and he’ll thank us? Call Theo. Looks like Dale is a goner.”

I’m not saying it happened exactly like that, but I’ve been in rooms where similar decisions were made that quickly and for those reasons.

Unless Girardi values geography over cash, comfort, and ability to win, he will never come to Chicago – unless the Yankees want him to – but there is more to the Sveum’s firing than Epstein deciding that the youngsters aren’t developing.

Theo Epstein Fires Dale Sveum Like a Callous Hack

by Kent Sterling

“Arrogance, thy name is Epstein.” Kent Sterspeare

Didn’t Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein watch “Moneyball” where Bitt Pitt as Billy Beane taught Jonah Hill how to cut someone, or tell him he’s been traded?

Maybe the part with the baseball executive drinking beers with someone being fired was in the Blu-Ray extras, but I didn’t see it.

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The most humane way to gas an employee, even one with whom you have been friends for a long time, is to call him into an office, tell him that he is no longer an employee, and either give him his separation agreement or tell him what the next steps are.

Talking to him for two hours over beers, as Epstein says he did last night after the season finale in St. Louis, is incredibly self-indulgent and irresponsible.

It’s self-indulgent because the employee will only stick around to be polite (and not jeopardize the rather large check Sveum will get for the final year of his deal), and the result won’t make him feel any better. The only person who gains from the conviviality is the person doing the firing. It’s irresponsible because being fired is an emotional experience, and alcohol tends to magnify the response. As evidence, you don’t see a lot of fights in classrooms, churches and workplaces, but there are plenty in bars.

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To invite Sveum into an environment where he is more likely to say or do something regrettable because it improves your mood is a pathetically selfish act.

I’ve fired a dozen or so people, and there is no way to make it more pleasant for person being fired. None. I tried. It makes for a crappy day, but that’s the job. A manager with any understanding of what’s going on knows that there are three things you want – the person to leave the building immediately, that the person is allowed to retain some dignity, and that his first call is not to an attorney.

The truth is that after it becomes clear to the employee that he’s been fired, thoughts turn to how to tell the wife and kids, what he will do tomorrow, and how much he’ll miss his co-workers. Whatever spews from the mouth of the manager at that point goes in one ear and out the other.

Epstein may be a wonderful numbers cruncher, and a reasonably adroit assessor of baseball talent, but in the area of empathetic management, he is an idiot. That he felt it important to explain himself shows an insecurity that he should have resisted. The person being fired is never going to respond, “You know what, you’re right. I do deserve to be fired. Thank you for making me understand that.”

To tell the media that he and Sveum drank some beers during the meeting is a pathetic attempt to appear to be a “real” guy. Real guys drink beer and complain about their bosses, not fire people their staff.

Epstein may ultimately be successful as an executive with the Cubs, but to this point his work has had nothing but negative affects on the major league roster and the overall temperament of the fans.

Epstein invested for too much money in a flaky kid from the Dominican Republic, and when his response to all that cash was to stop giving half a damn about baseball, Sveum gets canned. That makes sense.

The guilt that drove Epstein to try to make Sveum’s firing a little more palatable for him should have been directed toward a resignation. After two years, the only bounty for his work has not yet materialized in Wrigley Field and may not until 2015.

Maybe Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, and Albert Almora will be all-stars if/when they develop into major league players, but I remember all too well the goose bumps Cubs fans got when dreaming of the quick ascension of Shawon Dunston, another can’t miss hall of famer. Whether Brooks Kieschnick was supposed to be an all-star pitcher or outfielder was supposed to be up to him. My wife has a Mark Prior jersey to remind our family how fleeting excellence can be, so before any of the farm hands is crowned the next king of Lakeview, let’s take a deep breath.

In the meantime, Epstein should go see a human resources specialist and learn how to fire someone with a little dignity and grace.

September Twitter Rankings Update for Indianapolis Sports Media

It’s the last day of the month, so it’s time to update the Twitter rankings for the Indianapolis media. You can either embrace Twitter as a way to immediately communicate directly with a limitless number of media consumers or not. With every opportunity that passes to build a brand, the value of that brand recedes.

Tweeting is easy, instant, and engaging. If people in the media get tired of communicating directly with listeners, viewers, and readers, they should sell insurance.

Kent Sterling led all media types with a 12.9% gain, which more than doubled the next most aggressive gainer in the radio division. WISH-TV’s Anthony Calhoun led the TV talent with a 6.8% gain. As you might expect, one of the two Indianapolis Star’s Colts beat reporters, Mike Chappell rides his seasonal Colts to a 7.4% positive move to lead the print group.

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We added a digital section which will grow as I find more people writing about Indianapolis sports, but Ken Bikoff led that group with a modest 2.9%.

Here are the updated standings divided by media (percent increase followed by total followers):

Sports Radio in Indy

Kent Sterling – 1070 the Fan 3,021 to 3,410 +12.9%
Greg Rakestraw – 1070 the Fan 4,856 to 5,108 +5.2%
Conrad Bruner 1070thefan.com 5,256 to 5,513 +4.9%
Derek Schultz – 1260 WNDE 3,640 to 3,767 +3.5%
Jake Query 1260 WNDE 7,441 to 7,663 +3.0%
Michael Grady – 1070 the Fan 9,117 to 9,380 +2.9%
JMV – 1070 the Fan 18,234 to 18,740 +2.8%
Mark Boyle – Pacers play-by-play 7,589 to 7,793 +2.7%
Eddie White – Pacers Postgame 4,460 to 4,534 +1.7%
Kevin Lee – 1070 the Fan/NBC 6,346 to 6,439 +1.5%
Dan Dakich – 1070 the Fan 59,902 to 60,407 +0.8%

TV Sports Anchors/Reporters in Indy

Anthony Calhoun – WISH, 5,545 to 5,924 +6.8%
Eric Yutzy – WTHR, 2,229 to 2,369 +6.7%
Larry Hawley – Fox 59, 1,157 to 1,216 +5.1%
Dave Calabro – WTHR, 7,562 to 8,068 +5.0%
Rich Nye – WTHR, 4,169 to 4,344 +4.2%
Jeremiah Johnson – Fox 59, 3,986 to 4,138 +3.8%
Amanda Maynard – WISH, 889 to 920 +3.5%
Brittany Diehl – Fox 59, 1,851 to 1,914 +3.4%
Chris Widlic – WISH, 1,511 to 1,561 +3.3%
Chris Hagan – Fox 59, 4,660 to 4,805 +3.1%
Brad Brown – RTV6, 524 to 539 +2.9%
Dave Furst – RTV6, 4,258 to 4,358 +2.3%
Jason Spells – RTV6, 1,805 to 1,826 +1.2%

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

Mike Chappell (Colts) 13,983 to 15,013 +7.4%
Mark Ambrogi 1,657 to 1,755 +5.9%
Phillip B. Wilson 14,209 to 14,886 +4,8%
Kyle Neddenriep (Preps) 10,798 to 11,217 +3.9%
Phil Richards 2,833 to 2,937 +3.7%
Mike Wells (Colts/ESPN) 25,310 to 26,121 +3.2%
Zak Keefer (Butler) 3,989 to 4,102 +2.8%
Bob Kravitz (columnist) 35,459 to 36,435 +2.8%
Dustin Dopirak (Bton H-T) 7.306 to 7,460 +2.1%
Curt Cavin (Racing) 12,189 to 12,342 +1.3%
Terry Hutchens (Fox – IU) 12,655 to 12,777 +1.0%
Michael Pointer 3,733 to 3,760 +0.7%
David Woods 5,549 to 5,553 +0.1%
Stephen Holder (Colts) 9,104

Digital

Ken Bikoff @kbikoff 1,840 to 1,894 +2.9%
Chronic Hoosier (hoosierchronicles.com) 15,583 to 15,892 +2.0%
Alex Bozich @insidethehall 18,546 to 18,843 +1.6%
Mike Pegram @peegs 12,961 to 13,157 +1.5%
Tom Lewis @IndyCornrows 4,030 to 4,066 +0.9%

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Some see Twitter as a necessary evil, and other as a fun diversion – something to do during games that allows direct two-way communication. Isn’t that why we got into this business in the first place? What it really allows is brand building with enthusiastic media consumers.

Chicago Cubs Fire Dale Sveum, for All the Wrong Reasons

by Kent Sterling

If you were choosing a manager based upon ability to grow a full beard in 15 minutes, Dale Sveum would be the only choice.

Every major league baseball manager knows that he will be fired before he agrees to take the job, and with the Chicago Cubs, they know that the chances of lasting five full seasons are almost nil.

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Only one manager in the last half century has avoided being gassed by the end of his fifth season leading the Cubs, and that guy, Leo Durocher was told to pack his things just over 40 years ago.

The Cubs won’t fire Sveum because he is a bad manager, although the team clearly quit this weekend in St. Louis, scoring in only one of the 27 innings they played. Sveum will be replaced for marketing reasons.

Season ticket holders need a change in the narrative – a reason for hope – to prompt renewals, and hiring a big name manager is a cheaper alternative to dropping massive long-term dough in the lap of a free agent like Robinson Cano.

The Cubs need a billboard worthy asset, and no one on the roster qualifies. As much as owner Tom Ricketts enjoys seeing his mug on TV and fancies himself a modern day Bill Veeck, unless he wants vandals adding horns to his forehead, he should stay off billboards.

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Sveum is a lot of things, but an enthusiastic and compelling reason to attend Cubs games is not among them.

It’s a shame that Sveum will be evicted from a position that came with a guarantee of misery, and a likely early death. Whether he might be able to lead a team to more than 70 years, we will likely never know. Of the 10 men who preceded Sveum as manager of the Cubs at the beginning of a season, only two have ever managed again – Dusty Baker and Jim Riggleman.

For Jim Frey, Gene Michael, Don Zimmer, Jim Essian, Tom Trebelhorn, Jim Lefebvre (who mopped up the 1999 season for the Brewers), Lou Piniella, and Mike Quade, the Cubs were the end of the line. Although some became general managers, most receded into anonymous roles with a string of other teams.

The sad truth is that for most, accepting the job of managing the Cubs is a career death sentence. Sveum wasn’t hired to win, he was brought in to hold the spot until the Cubs decided it was time to become competitive. That day hasn’t come yet, but the Cubs need a marketable face without overcommitting more of the Ricketts family fortune to a player that won’t be worthy of it in three years.

While under different ownership, the Cubs did this repeatedly with disastrous results.

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Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Zambrano, and Aramis Ramirez were paid for successful seasons they had already enjoyed.

People in the media have bought into the bill of goods that the Cubs are three years from being a player in the National League Central, so fans can look forward to 2016, I suppose.

Coming of the worst three year run in the history of one of the least successful teams in the history of sport, selling tickets is going to be a challenge. The firing of Sveum, and the hire of a manager like Joe Girardi will give the ticket office something positive to tell fans as they continue the daily death march of calling season ticket holders to talk renewal at roughly the same rate.

The Cubs have no chance to compete with the Pirates, Reds, or Cardinals in 2014, so it’s logical to wonder why a guy like Girardi would agree to lead a guaranteed loser.

Tearing down a team is the easy part, and the Ricketts regime has performed well in selling off parts. Now, the second step begins – acquiring and developing talent who can win at the major league level.

Sveum won’t be a part of those plans, whether he is canned today or not.

Indianapolis Colts Smother Jacksonville Jaguars 37-3 in Portend of Great Things to Come

by Kent Sterling

Donald Brown has been quietly effective in 2013, and the Colts have used him well.

It was virtually a foregone conclusion that the Colts team that beat a good 49ers team easily in Candlestick would wallop the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but the Colts don’t win a lot of road games by 34 or more points.

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The last time the Colts put an ass-whooping on a host was in St. Louis on October 25, 2009 against a historically bad Rams team. They won 49-14. That Colts team punched a ticket three months later for the Super Bowl.

Prior to that, you have to look back 10 years and one day ago in New Orleans, during a Peyton Manning homecoming that saw the great conductor complete 20-25 passes for 314 yards, six touchdowns, and one of his three full game efforts with a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating.

Watching the game, it was hard to tell whether the Colts are really good, the Jags are terrible, or there was a very pleasant combination of the two.

Andrew Luck was his ordinary self under center today, going 22-36 for 260 yards, two TDs, and a pick. His counterpart was as awful as Jacksonville fans have come to expect. Blaine Gabbert was 17-32 for 179, and three picks – one of which was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Darius Butler.

Just as impressive was the unholy terror Robert Mathis unleashed on Gabbert. All of his five tackles were for loss, and three were sacks.

It’s tough to compete in the NFL with a no facet offense that threw for less than 200 yards and ran for 40. Maurice Jones-Drew averaged 1.8 yards per carry with a long of six. That’s a hell of a difference from what the Colts used to endure from Jones-Drew and the Jags. Back in 2006, Jones-Drew ran for 166 yards, Fred Taylor for an additional 131, and Alvin Pearman enjoyed the best day of his career with another 71 yards.

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The Colts won the Super Bowl that ended that season, but that game still sticks in the minds over many as a uniquely miserable effort.

Donald Brown had an interesting day as he led the charge with 65 yards rushing on only three carries. For the season, Brown has carried the ball 13 times for 120 yards. Brown is one of those weird guys who fans never seem to enjoy. Ask a Colts fan today about what they think of when Brown is mentioned, and the majority will talk about the missed blitz pickup that allowed Philip Wheeler to assault Luck late in the loss against the Dolphins. Never mind the efficient running. He almost got our Andrew killed.

That’s understandable as Brown is unlikely to win the Colts a Super Bowl, but Luck will have to if the Colts are to hoist a baby brother for the Super Bowl Champ banner currently flapping at Lucas Oil Stadium.

I wrote this who post without mentioning the unbelievable consistent and splendid Reggie Wayne, who caught five of Luck’s passes for 100 yards. I can’t recall a hall of fame type receiver whose ratio of excellence to recognition has been higher. There is never a week when asking what Wayne did is the first question for Colts fans, but there have been very few in NFL history who have done it better.

Wayne is on pace for 88 catches, 1,200 yards, and eight TDs. Sometime next season, Wayne will pass Marvin Harrison for the #3 spot all-time in receptions. That will give the Colts two of the top for all-time, and the top two in receivers who spent their entire careers with one team.

It’s odd to think of Wayne as a statue guy, but he absolutely is.

The Colts have never combined to win consecutive road games by a total of 54 points, but what these two contests will represent in the end will be determined by what happens from this point forward. Much as the gashing by the Jags in 2006 meant nothing as the Colts marched to their only Indianapolis World Championship, these wins won’t keep them from losing down the road.

Being 3-1 during the first quarter of the season is all a reasonable fan might have hoped for, and the schedule gets no easier moving forward.

Next up is a home game against the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Houston Texans today in overtime, and then they travel to San Diego for a winnable game against the Chargers. And right before the bye week, Peyton Manning returns to the building that would never have been built without his excellence from 1998-2010.

Given the rash of injuries, Chuck Pagano should feel very good about his team as the Colts will end today tied with the resurgent Tennessee Titans at 3-1 at worst.

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USC’s Lane Kiffin Fired in Ill-tempered and Finacially Indifferent Pique

by Kent Sterling

No word on whether former USC coach Lane Kiffin was told to turn in his visor as he was escorted from the team bus.

Defending former USC football coach Lane Kiffin is impossible. His ability to get jobs is his greatest skill. As a coach, he has always been reported to be an overmatched weasel filled to his visor with hubris.

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Only the assumed lunacy of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis’s rant about Kiffin being a liar kept the stink of his departure there from making him one of the youngest head coaches in any level of football history to render himself unhirable.

He caught on quickly at Tennessee, and then quickly ran out 14 months later when USC came knocking.

And last night, the environment at Southern Cal had so horribly deteriorated that athletic director Pat Haden couldn’t wait until this morning to pull the trigger on his embattled coach.

The decision to punt Kiffin was reportedly made during a 28-0 run during the third quarter of Arizona State’s 62-41 win over the Trojans, and it was executed by pulling Kiffin off the team bus after the charter had landed back in Los Angeles.

Kiffin has always appeared to be the kind of weasel that has no business leading young men onto the football field or into adulthood. His arrogance was palpable, even in brief soundbites.

Haden must not have liked anything about the coach to not give himself a night to take a deep breath, gather his human resources crew, and execute a plan in the termination of the university’s highest profile employee.

What tends to happen when a weasel is fired is that he calls an attorney, and begins legal proceedings that will motivate the employer to cough up a few extra bucks. Haden was sufficiently eager to pull the trigger that he couldn’t wait until Kiffin returned to his office.

Without question, there is a part of Kiffin’s personality that rubs people the wrong way. There are two kinds of people in the world – the Omegas and the Delts. This goes back to the 1978 film “Animal House,” where the Omegas were arrogant trust fund douchebags, and the Delts lived lives of good humor that encouraged street justice.

Kiffin would have doubtless recruited by Greg Marmalard and Douglas C. Niedermeyer to become an Omaga. The Delts would have seen through his obvious lack of character, and tormented him mercilessly.

Haden must not have a serious aversion to Omega types.

Maybe Kiffin is such a substantial weasel that any method of termination would have motivated legal action, so it didn’t matter how or when Haden pulled the trigger, but prudence is always better for administrators, and that’s why so many attorneys have become valued athletic directors.

Lawyers know how and when to take a deep breath, dot I’s and cross T’s. Haden satisfied his basic competitive desire to quickly identify a problem and correct it as quickly as possible. Many times, that level of impetuousness brings with it a new set of problems, and that may wind up being Kiffin’s most damaging legacy at USC.

That Kiffin would be fired was ensured the minute he was hired, but the way it was handled might cause dominos to fall that have negative ramifications for Haden too.

“Ahead of the Curve” on 1070 the Fan – Saturday 11a-1p Might Be Best Ever!

by Kent Sterling

There is enough going on right now that talking sports in Indianapolis is more about choosing what not to talk about than what to talk about.

Saturday at 11a, Fox 59’s Chris Hagan and I will talk Indiana Hoosiers – media Day was Thursday and provided a little clarity as to whether IU’s rebuilding year will be a reloading year. Two freshman expected to be contributors are on the shelf for a bit as Troy Williams injured his wrist and Luke Fischer sprained his shoulder. It’s not too debilitating as they are both expected back by the time the Hoosiers start playing exhibitions against the University of Southern Indiana and Hillsdale College.

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Workouts for the Indiana Pacers begin Saturday, and Larry Bird has done everything he can to give Frank Vogel a roster that should provide 48 minutes of hell for opponents. They are talking about a championship run at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, and the way the second unit is coming together they could make the difference.

The Colts are rolling into Jacksonville with a mandate to beat the worst team in the NFL. Barring a miracle win by the Jags, the Colts will return Sunday with a 3-1 record, which will be right on schedule. It’s a must win for the Colts. After playing so well against the 49ers, expectations are that the Colts shouldn’t have any problem, but this is the NFL.

Chris and I will talk to Pacers all-star Paul George, and Fever MVP Tamika Catchings.

We’ll try to squeeze in some talk about the EA Sports settlement, and where the pay for play in college sports is headed.

Indiana Pacers – Ten Reasons Why the Pacers Can Win the NBA Champions

by Kent Sterling

Pacers move into position for a team picture. That six players joined coach Frank Vogel revealed nothing about who Vogel plans to start.

Before you think I’m off my meds and have developed delusions of the Indiana Pacers winning the NBA Title, read the headline carefully and notice “can” not “will” as the verb. It would be a stretch to pick the Pacers to win the championship without seeing this group play together for a couple of months.

The thought of the Pacers being good enough to win its first world championship isn’t evidence of a mental defect – maybe for the first time in franchise history – and there are legitimate reasons to believe it possible.

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Today was media day for the Pacers, and with every interview, I loved the construct and vibe of this team more. Anyone who has been around professional sports teams for any length of time can smell a loser a mile away. What the Pacers smell like is anything but a loser.

It takes talent to win in the NBA, and the Pacers front office went out and got some this offseason to help fortify the second unit, so that during the 15-18 minutes each game the starters sit, leads don’t become deficits.

The Pacers dealt for Luis Scola, signed Chris Copeland and C.J.Watson, and hope for a full season of health for Danny Granger. Those four additions represent upgrades in talent at each position, but more importantly all of those players have “been through the wars,” as power forward David West put it early this afternoon.

Hear are 10 reasons the Pacers can win its first NBA title nine months from now:

David West is a locker room sheriff teammates have to take seriously. He is thoughtful and honest, as most tough men are. If I was a screwball and West told me quietly on the team bus, “Listen, I have three or four years left to play this game and try to win a ring. Your behavior is screwing with my ability to achieve that dream, so that behavior will stop. Thanks for the talk,” I would immediately modify the behavior he found offensive.

Paul George is the best wing defender in the game. George led the NBA in defensive wins created, and the gap to second place finisher Marc Gasol was a substantial 0.9. He’s long, tough, and only 23. Fans like to watch the ball. Do yourself a favor and lock in on George as he defends away from the ball. There is a long way between where George is today, and where his potential can take him. A coach with USA Basketball texted West saying that George is a top five talent, and has the potential to be a league MVP. Sports Illustrated ranked George 25th among all NBA players in this week’s edition, which shows why no one reads SI anymore.

Roy Hibbert is figuring out how to improve a little every year. Hibbert added 10-12 pounds this offseason, and is now stronger than last year during the playoffs when he was pretty damn good. Hibbert has built himself into a traditional NBA center who can defend and run the floor. Who thought that was possible after watching him play at Georgetown?

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George Hill is a funny man. An almost uncomfortable amount of time during Hill’s time at the microphone today was spent discussing his ability to “lose ten pounds,” and he didn’t mean through diet. The word “poop” was used a lot. The NBA season is long and arduous, and having someone funny enough to break the monotony is a valuable tool in keep psyches fresh. Hill appears to be that kind of guy.

Larry Bird says they are capable of winning a championship. If basketball fans have learned anything during Bird’s time in Indianapolis, it’s that he tells the truth. If the Pacers had no chance to make the playoffs this year, he would convey that in an indirect way that would leave no doubt without actually saying it (no need to unnecessarily repel the ticket buying public). During the press conferences announcing the re-signing of West and the extension for George, Bird was effusive in his praise for both, and has reiterated several times that the Pacers are “all in” for the 2013-2014 season.

There is something about Luis Scola that smells like winning. I followed Scola around as he reported to different stations on the practice court today for photographs, and there was no nonsense to him at all. He wasn’t gruff or unpleasant, but had the aura of a guy impatient to get to work. It was as though he knows this year could be special, and can’t wait for the nonsense to end so he can get to work at his real job.

The way teammates spoke about first round pick Solomon Hill. Fans didn’t have much of a clue as to who Hill was, and many experts ranked him outside the draft completely. When asked if anything had surprised them during pick up games, Hill’s new teammates were unanimous in saying that Hill did, and that he will be able to help them win sooner rather than later.

Selflessness. Every team preaches winning over individual success as its mission, but the Pacers seem to sell it with a little less insistence and a little more sincerity. When Danny Granger was asked about his role with the team as a scorer, he said that offense would be the least of the pacers problems, that hey can get offense from virtually anyone on the court from either the first or second unit. This is a guy coming into the final year of a huge contract – a guy who would like to sign at least one more big money deal before he starts living off his NBA cash. if anyone had reason to squirm a little bit about sharing the ball like he plays for the CYO team, it’s Granger. But he seemed earnest in only wanting to win with this group of guys.

Granger might return as healthy and strong as ever. Speaking of Granger, how many teams in the NBA are adding a former all-star and NBA Most Improved Player Award winner to the roster this year without giving up anything in return? None. The pacers not only went out and nailed their acquisition targets, but will add depth through the activation of a selfless player ready to contribute.

Depth will help in practices too. There is something to be said about the improvements a team can make during practices by playing against a group that is nearly as gifted as the starters. The Pacers starters are going to have to perform better during practice to avoid being shown up by the second unit. There is nothing more satisfying for those who are reminded everyday of their station on a team as back-ups that beating those starters during scrimmages, and that makes everyone better.

David West answered a question about goals for the season by talking about the need to earn the right to play game sevens at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. I wouldn’t bet against the Pacers.