Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Bob “Slick” Leonard Deserves a Spot in Basketball Hall of Fame – and a Statue Outside Bankers Life Fieldhouse

by Mark Tinsley

There are a lot of things that can change a child’s life.

One of those things for me was basketball. Growing up in Indiana, you hear all the stories. You hear about Larry Bird, Bob Knight, Glenn Robinson, Calbert Cheaney and probably the biggest legend Damon Bailey.

One guy always seems to be forgotten; that guy is Bobby “Slick” Leonard. Leonard won a national championship with the Hoosiers in 1953, beating the Kansas Jayhawks.

Leonard went on to have a very average NBA career as a player, averaging 9.9 points per game. However, Slick has had a greater impact after his playing days.

Leonard guided the Pacers, then of the ABA to three championships. To this day, those three championships are still Indiana’s only professional basketball titles.

Every year the basketball Hall of Fame elects one ABA person into their hallowed halls, and Leonard has yet to receive the call. To simple basketball fans this may not seem like a big deal, but for someone who knows Slick’s legacy, this is a crime.

Leonard has said multiple times it doesn’t bother him not getting into the Hall, he instead wants to get all of his guys in. As of last year, his guys got in. Mel Daniels got into the Hall in 2012 (alongside another icon Reggie Miller) and Roger Brown finally got in in the most recent class. Unfortunately Brown didn’t live to receive his honor.

Slick’s guys have made it, and with this class coming up, I have no doubt that he should be the one finally getting the much deserved call this year.

I catch some grief sometimes for supposedly diminishing the legend that is John Wooden. John Wooden is no doubt one of the greatest coaches to ever coach basketball, 11 national championships as a coach is damn good evidence, but I have a problem. The Wizard of Westwood has a statue in downtown Indianapolis, a statue that will stand forever, and immortalize him forever.

My problem with this is the city’s real coach won three championships, and only has a banner hanging in the rafters of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Granted this is a very high honor, but right outside of the arena there are steps that are vacant, naked, bare.

I wish the Pacers would come to their senses and put up a statue of Indiana’s real coach, a coach that didn’t leave, a coach that won for the city.

(Mark is a student at IUPUI, and is passionate about sports. Follow him @marktinsleyjr)

Indianapolis Colts – Safety John Boyett Arrested; Claims Status as Colt Provides Immunity

by Kent Sterling

What is it with the professional football players?

When Indianapolis Colts rookie safety John Boyett was arrested at 2:52 this morning outside Tiki Bob’s on South Meridian, he reportedly told police, “You can’t arrest me, I’m a Colts player.”

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During an offseason when more than 30 NFL players were arrested for a variety of offenses, including murder, day in and day out updates of police blotter information has been presented on Sportscenter.

A Colts player who shares the very same position as Boyett was arrested in Washington DC just over two months ago. Boyett was drafted in the sixth round in April, so I would assume he read about Joe Lefeged’s transgression.

The old NFL player immunity ploy is not any more successful than the old “I’m an undercover cop ploy” or the old “I’m a friend of the bar owner and I’m testing the staff’s response to a drunken and abusive customer at his request ploy.”

Boyett also made the error in judgment of trying to elude police, and now faces resisting law enforcement charges in addition to disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

The Colts on the other hand are quite good at issuing reponses to these ridiculous events. Their comment to WTHR-TV, “We are in the process of gathering the facts. Until we’ve completed that process we won’t be in a position to make any statement.” When another Colt was arrested in 2010, Bill Polian’s comment was, “We are in the process of gathering the relevant facts. When that task is complete, we will deal immediately with the issue of club discipline. Until we complete that process, we will have no further comment.”

Sounds like they have a whole lot more practice at dealing with players under arrest than the players themselves.

In order to keep the process of learning simple for those who slept in during the NFL’s Rookie Symposium on invaluable breakout session on how to avoid looking like an idiot while barely hanging on as a member of the active roster or PUP or reserve/non-football injury lists, we offer a very simple list of easy to remember rules to help avoid arrest (feel free to cut along the perforations and laminate for your wallet:

———————————————————————-

At midnight, go home. Nothing good happens after midnight.
Your NFLPA card is not to be confused with a get out of jail free card, which also won’t keep you out of jail.
When loaded on Grand Marnier and Cokes, call a car service, and pay a friend to retrieve your car in the morning.
Do not mix Grand Marnier and Coke. You will look like an idiot.
If you have to tell people who you are, it doesn’t matter who you are.
If you are asked to leave a bar, go ahead.
When someone who eats because of the tips earned by serving rich drunks copious amounts of liquor refuses to sell you more liquor, you should listen.
Don’t press send.

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Getting arrested isn’t easy. People have to show a complete indifference to rules and authority, and given that NFL players are almost uniformly unable to replace (or come anywhere close to replacing) the income available by playing in the NFL, not embarrassing the NFL is a wise career strategy.

Johnny Manziel Should Get Applause and Support from Sumlin, Not Punishment – Turn Johnny Football Loose!

by Kent Sterling

“Sure Johnny’s an idiot, but he’s our idiot!” is what Sumlin should say.

When I saw the discomfort of Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin during the postgame press conference following the win over Rice, I said, “He needs to cut Johnny Manziel.” The noise needs to stop for Sumlin to effectively lead his team, but the reaction I thought appropriate was not the right course of action.

I wrote it, and then on 1070 the Fan today, I argued it.

A manager of a high-strung employee like Manziel can choose one of three treks to deal with him – fire, tolerate, or support. Tolerate is the weakest and the worst response – always. I advocated firing Manziel after only considering the distress that the normally polite and considerate Sumlin expressed.

Put on your seatbelt and hold on for a violent u-turn because I was wrong.

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What Sumlin should do is back his guy. Tell the media to go to hell, and pat the kid on the ass. Accept the occasional penalty as part of the cost of doing business with a player for whom winning the game is the only important metric of success or failure. Manziel gets under the skin of opponents. He’s a street fighter – a guerrilla – who knows where the unseen advantages lie. Muzzling that asset strips him of his greatest talent.

Sure, he’s an immature tool of a kid whose parents enable his self-impressed lifestyle, but who gives a damn. That’s not Sumlin’s concern. Sumlin is paid to win football games, and Manziel provides the fuel for a winning engine. And that’s all of Manziel, not just the palatable parts.

Sumlin should stand up at the next postgame presser and say, “Yes, Johnny’s tightly wound, and I love him for it. I’m trying to get him to take it up a notch. Football is about having fun, and Johnny’s having a great time winning football games. The more fun he has, the better we are.”

Will that make him a more productive 40 year-old or a better father? Who the hell knows? What it will do is make the Aggies a better football team, and that’s Sumlin’s job as coach. Let Manziel’s parents worry about the adult the kid will become. Sumlin’s job is to maximize the potential of each individual person on the Texas A&M team to provide a stout unit willing to do what it takes to win the SEC, and Manziel being Manziel was pretty damn good on Saturday – 6-8, 94 yards, three TD, and six rushes for 19 yards. He ended what had been a pretty close game.

Up by only seven points after the halftime break, Manziel came into the game for five drives that produced 24 points, and 28-21 became 52-31. Matt Joeckel wasn’t too bad himself – 14-19 for 190 and 3 TDs – but Manziel lifts the play of the entire team by being who he is. Sanding off the rough edges might remove a lot of what makes Manziel great.

If a tree is pruned too severely, it dies. That’s what could happen to Manziel, and why Sumlin should put his stack of chips on the high strung kid who knows no other way to play – or live. If Sumlin wants to host an intervention for Manziel, there will be plenty of time for that. The behaviorally challenged have a long history of either huge successes or cataclysmic failures.

By many accounts, Mickey Mantle was no less crazy than Manziel, and neither was Joe Namath. Since when do we assess an attitude grade for athletes? Sure, we would like our sons to reflect the public persona of Cal Ripken Jr. more than Babe Ruth.

Life would be more easily managed for Sumlin and the administrators at Texas A&M if Manziel could will a lot of games without being a pain in the ass, but maybe the Aggies are winning because Manziel is a pain in the ass. They should embrace Johnny Football. Turn him loose. Unleash the gamesman.

High strung, but good heart is a pretty fair recipe for a kid who is going to succeed at a high level or wind up in prison. Penalizing Manziel severely is a massive behavioral dose of Ritalin, and sometimes it improves the output of the patient, while other times it corrupts the magic.

Sumlin should go see “Parenthood” for the scene at the end with Steve Martin finally embracing chaos and understanding that efforts to control are futile.

Let Johnny play. His way.

Filling in Today for Dan Dakich at 1070 the Fan Should Be a Gas

by Kent Sterling

I won’t be dressed this well, but I will be smiling today in the 1070 the Fan studio.

It seems like a lifetime ago that I sat in a conference room with some folks at Emmis Communications with some managers as the decision was made to slide the WIBC news/talk product to 93.1 FM, and launch a brand new product on 1070 AM.

It was almost exactly six years ago, but a lot has changed since then.

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Today, I go back into that building to host a radio show for three hours, filling in for a friend of mine whom I hired five years ago.

Another friend asked me yesterday if that feels strange. It doesn’t. Maybe I’m nuts. Maybe I’m either emotionally retarded or emotionally so well wired that I can move forward without the residual bitterness others might feel, but I like hosting radio, and see no reason to bear any kind of ill-will or resentment toward those still at Emmis who allowed me to pursue other interests I likely never would have if not for the change in career direction.

We tend to view the immediately unpleasant as a reason for irritation, and while it’s never pleasant to be told that your services are no longer need somewhere, it’s more often than not a great opportunity for recalibration of goals and dreams.

The reason I got into radio was to create content. The reason I have written enough to become a reasonably coherent writer is because I enjoy it. To process events with the end result being either a coherent post at kentsterling.com or a passionate monologue on 1070 the Fan is the kind of fun I always dreamed of having, but the kind that my career path never allowed.

Now, I get to go back to the Emmis Building and do what I should have been focused upon all along. That should feel good, not strange.

So I’ll report to Emmis today, walk into a very familiar studio, and talk about the Colts, Indiana Football, Purdue Football, the roof being open at Lucas Oil Stadium and how those complaining about the heat have their priorities out of whack, and to friends like Rick Venturi and John Clayton because their insights are worth the time of those listening to the show.

I normally don’t take calls, but today I think I’ll give that a shot. Hopefully, the callers have ideas worth sharing. If they don’t, their time on-air will be short. A radio station is not a soap box; it’s an option for media consumers who want to be entertained. They don’t tune in to hear some nut drone on and on just because he was lucky enough to get through.

Today, I’ll try to give listeners the best segment I can 12 times, at 3p it will end, and I’ll walk out wishing I had one more hour because there is so much to talk about. The great thing about radio is its inherent imperfection. No one is good enough to be perfect for ten minutes, much less three hours.

I love sports. I like talking about sports. I like the room where I will sit and talk from 12p-3p. I like the guy I’ll be filling in for. What’s to feel strange about?

Indianapolis Colts Fans – When the Roof Is Open Deal with the Weather Like Adults

by Kent Sterling

The best place to sit during a Colts game is in the sun when the roof's open, and if Dan Gulser doesn't like it, he should watch the game on TV.

The best place to sit during a Colts game is in the sun when the roof’s open, and if Dan Guiser doesn’t like it, he should watch the game on TV.

“And the heat – my God, the heat!” Elaine Benes of “Seinfeld” on the chief problem she would have with her soul being consigned to hell.

Dan Guiser, who wrote a letter published this morning in the Indianapolis Star whining about the heat in the sun when the roof of Lucas Oil Stadium is open during Colts games would happily nod his agreement with Elaine.

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“I invite those who make the decision to open the roof when it’s sunny and 80-plus degrees out to come out of the air conditioned suites or press box and come down to the to the main entrance end zone area,” writes Guiser.

You know what, they don’t have to because outdoors exists everywhere that is not indoors. They could walk down the street, mow the lawn, or have a picnic. They could go to Cincinnati and sit in any seat in the roofless stadium. They could watch football at Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue or Memorial Stadium at Indiana.

Yes, the conditions occasionally exist in the outdoors where a human being’s cooling system will be activated and perspiration will occur.

What a bunch of tools we’ve become where complaining about a less than perfect environment is a reason for a man to sit down and pen a letter about the impossibility of enjoying a sporting event played outdoors.

A football stadium is not a hotel room where an expectation of a perfect climate is warranted. This is a place for men to test their physicality, fitness, and athleticism. Guiser sounds like the kind of guy who needs a little more exposure to the elements – not less.

My season tickets were in section 153 for the first three years the stadium was open. That’s smack in the middle of the sun area of which Guiser complains. Yeah, it was a little warm – and I loved it. It’s good to sweat. It’s good to be outdoors. It’s good to enjoy a warm afternoon in the elements.

My only regret in the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium is that there is a roof at all. Sports are more fun to watch in the rain, snow, heat, and cold. Fans don’t need perfect comfort. Fans need perfect on-field execution.

Guiser should spend some summer afternoons at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, or Wrigley Field in Chicago during the middle of July when the thermometer tops 90 under a cloudless sky. That will make Lucas Oil at 80-degrees feel like that hotel room atmosphere he so loudly craves.

Or like my wife said after reading his letter, “That boob should go to a Dolphins game and sweat his ass off down there!” My wife is big on the old, there is always a worse place to be perspective, and Guiser could use a little time in Julie’s circumspect world rather than his myopic and whiny mental clubhouse.

You know who complains about the heat in those three stadia? No one. They grab another beer (not the best remedy for the heat, according to doctors, but what do they know?) and enjoy the day. And that’s what Gulser should do.

Sack up, be a man, and enjoy a little sweaty fun.

College Football Week One – Manziel Muzzled, Henry Tweets Off, Brian Kelly extension, and the Details an Issue for Fighting Irish

by Kent Sterling

I hope Notre Dame didn't order a quarter of a million of these cups.

I hope Notre Dame didn’t order a quarter of a million of these very flawed cups.

So many damn games and so little time. Flipping back and forth all afternoon is like a trip to Golden Corral – sure it’s all right there in front of you, but there’s no way to enjoy any of it because there’s just too much.

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Most of the games were like Michigan vs. Central Michigan and and Georgia Tech vs. Elon – games that there was almost no chance for the paid opponent to win. There were others like Alabama and Virginia Tech without enough context to draw meaningful conclusions about either team – maybe Bama is great and maybe Va Tech sucks, who knows?

A few things we do know…

Johnny Manziel is the same high strung kid America fell so quickly in and out of love with. Either he is a hyper-competitive snot or an unabashed jerk. Hard to know for sure because the media isn’t allowed any access to him. Whichever it is, and it’s likely both, Manziel is certainly not in any hurry to change his behavior because of the last few months of attempted consequences thrown at him.

ESPN’s Robert Smith had it right when he spoke of the level of consequence needed to control his one and three year-old kids, and how Manziel has never been subjected to any of it. It’s been written and said a million times before – the pain of change must be outweighed by the pain of staying the same. Pain is coming for Johnny Football because the pain experienced by his coach is mounting, and Kevin Sumlin is going to want that noise to stop. Answering for the antics of some brat is not what Sumlin signed on for.

The unsportsmanlike conduct for which Manziel was flagged undoubtedly involved a serious breach of obscenity etiquette judging by how the heads of the two officials snapped around. Each time Manziel misbehaves, Sumlin looks weaker, and while the administration wants Manziel on the field, Sumlin’s reputation as a leader diminishes. Manziel is a savvy enough gamesman that he knows as long as he keeps his nose clean off the field, it’s advantage Johnny Football. But if he gets in another bar fight, Sumlin will bring down a heavy hammer fatal to his Aggie career.

******************

Purdue quarterback Rob Henry was upset at himself for his play today at Cincinnati, and vented about it on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RobHenry15/status/373924273888317440

Owning your poor play in a 42-7 ass-whooping is one thing, but publicly flogging yourself is bad form. He would sound like an idiot if he tweeted something as trite as, “We’ll keep working confident that dedication will see us Boiler-up soon!”, but no need to present yourself with a public ribbon of shame.

A day of completing 18-35 for 161 yards and two picks isn’t anything to feel great about, but expressing defeat in such a public way, while goofily noble, is purposeless. Henry should let his play next week speak for him. Self-flaggelation doesn’t become a leader or quarterback.

He tweeted again:

https://twitter.com/RobHenry15/status/373924633130450944

As the great Tony Clifton (Andy Kaufman’s hilarious alter ego) would say – “That’s bettah!”

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There are reports that Brian Kelly is going to get an extension at Notre Dame despite being signed through the 2016 season. Why schools feel compelled to extend deals that already stretch for years is beyond my comprehension. Kelly is signed through the next four seasons already. If he walked out the door, would Notre Dame have a tough time attracting another good coach? Does Kelly possess some piece of magically unique charm that is so valuable the school simply must have it? The universities should have the stones to welcome a coach bailing out.

More than that, why does a coach believe he deserves a massive extension before completing half of his original deal. Seems wrong to me.

It’s a good thing that Brian Kelly isn’t responsible for the spelling of “Fighting Irish” on the cups sold at Notre Dame Stadium. How about proofreading or using spell check – unless drinking giant tub of Coke is truly a “Figthing.” (See above)

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By the way, Alabama is really good. That’s not an offensive line, they are five human plows that blew the Hokies five yards off the line of scrimmage throughout the game. This game, being won by the Tide as I write will be the 15th in a row won by the Tide away from Tuscaloosa.

******************

And we still have Georgia vs. Clemson in an early battle that will remove a top 10 team from National Championship contention. Mark Richt is a career 15-1 against the ACC while at Georgia, but that doesn’t put points on the board for the Dawgs tonight.

Ahead of the Curve Today Might Be All-Time Best

by Kent Sterling

The idea is to get better every week. That what Chris Hagan and I attempt on “Ahead of the Curve” (Saturdays 11a-1p on 1070 the Fan/107.5 FM/1070thefan.com), and each week I believe we have succeeded. That might have something to do with our lack of satisfaction with previous work, but regardless with Jeff Saturday and Mayor Greg Ballard as guests, the stadium can’t hold this one.

Indianapolis is bidding for another Super Bowl, and while strickly speaking that’s more a news story, the change in level of respect city leaders have it itself is very interesting. We have gone from a place that was thrilled to welcome people driving from Chicago to Florida as prized visitors to knowing that Indy can be a rotational Super Howl host. That’s worth talking about with the Mayor.

Jeff Saturday is becoming a media star on ESPN, and who has two thumbs and knew 13 years ago it would happen? This guy! Three things I want to know from Jeff – how’s life on the dark side, how’d he lose all that weight that damn fast, and what’s it like one season removed from being a Colt watching a team with only a handful of former teammates? And by God, find those things out we will!

Indiana has a quarterback controversy, but it’s not really because the coach likes all three equally and the three guys love each other too. It helped that Indiana scored the most points in its history since a 1901 76-0 waxing of Franklin College. Don Fischer will recall the thrill of calling that game via megaphone 112 years ago when he joins us. I’m kidding, but for a guy who’s been on the job at IU for more than four decades, he is the fittest man of all time. Actually, we’ll hear QB Nate Sudfeld’s thoughts on the three-legged stool that is Indiana’s quarterback situation.

In the Boiling Point, Chris and I will vent about all manner of things, but I will share an audio clip of the most insipid and idiot line in the history of film. It was on the Movie Channel this morning, and comes from a mainstream movie starring Jennifer Garner.

Lots more to pack into the best two hours of my week from 11a-1p today on 1070 the Fan and 1070thefan.com. As always, if you miss the show, the interviews will live right here shortly after they are complete on the air.

Ten Reasons Why Indianapolis Will Win It’s Super Bowl Bid to Host Again in 2018

by Kent Sterling

Monument Circle was a spectacle in 2012. Can’t wait to see what they do with it in 2018.

Indianapolis has decided to bid for their second Super Bowl in six years. Don’t they know that Indy is never going to be deemed worthy as a regular stop on the Super Bowl rotation, and that the first go-round was a weather driven fluke?

They don’t and they shouldn’t because it wasn’t.

While other cities were designed to confuse, bludgeon, and exhaust visitors both emotionally and financially, Indianapolis was built to host huge sporting events. With no apology at all to other cities, Indianapolis does it better than anyone.

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There are other cities with friendly people, a stadium within walking distance of hotels, and the absolute ease of dealing with separate governments that work together for the betterment of the attendees (what a unique concept), but none do it all as well as Indianapolis.

That much was clear throughout the week prior to the Super Bowl in 2012 that Indy hosted. For weeks prior, the staff at the radio station where I worked was a little less than thrilled that our annual trip to the Super Bowl was going to be to a less than exotic locale. I kept telling them, “Just wait.”

They moaned about the potential weather issues, the lack of nightlife, and the overall malaise they falsely associated with Indianapolis. In their minds it was still “India-no-place.” Then they got to know the city. The week they spent in Indy turned them all into fans of the city and its people.

There were hundreds of media people who flocked to Indianapolis for the entire week prior to the Super Bowl, and the chorus was unanimously positive. That has continued for the last 18 months, and that goodwill can’t be replicated in any other way.

It’s not always enough to be consistently great at something – look at the Big Ten’s decision to alternate the home of its men’s basketball tournament between Indy and Chicago after Indy made itself a traditional favorite with fans and media – defying stereotype is an almost daily requirement for this city. The NFL will make Indianapolis earn a second Super Bowl in six years.

Indianapolis doesn’t have an identifiable skyline, a nearby waterway, a pleasant climate, or famous food – minus the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s, a casino or other guilty pleasure attraction downtown. It’s lacking all the crap that screws up, but it does have ten things that separate it from other potential host cities:

Convenience – The airport is a 12-minutes straight shot west on I-70 from downtown. There is no more convenient city in the world for the purpose of hosting a massive event. Not only can tens of thousands of fans stay in a downtown hotel that is within easy walking distance of the stadium, but most never have to walk outdoors.

Nicky Blaine’s – Yeah, cigar bars are fading as cool places, but Nicky’s is a place where people can lurk in the catacombs and have a great time. It’s not a meat market, but a place where good conversation and good scotch meet. Hey, that’s pretty good. If Nicky’s uses it as a tagline, I want my own table reserved at all times.

Cab fare? We don’t need no stinking cab fare! – Sick of blowing your per diem on cabs? In Indy, the money is spent on the important stuff. There are cabs here, but not many. No need. Easy walk to everything of interest.

Ike & Jonesy’s – Remember what I said about Nicky Blaine’s not being a meat market? Can’t say that about Ike & Jonesy’s. For those looking to cast their own version of “Cougartown”, this is the place. The music is easy to dance to, and the lighting is on the dim side, but could be a little darker.

Shrimp, shrimp, and more shrimp – If you were asked in what city is the restaurant that serves the most shrimp in the United States, you would probably guess several towns before you settled on Indy. St. Elmo’s Steakhouse is owned by the very smart Craig Huse. He knows that being the -est of something is key to success, and everyone knows that the cocktail sauce at St. Elmo’s is known as the hottest anywhere. So everyone orders it. When I took the staff from 101 ESPN out for dinner, I ordered everyone a shrimp cocktail. Former Rams All-Pro defensive tackle D’Marco Farr was unaware of the spicy sauce. He scooped a huge dollop of sauce on one of the jumbo shrimp, and popped the whole thing in his mouth. It took a couple of seconds for the heat to build. When it did, D’Marco had a terrified look on his face, jumped from his chair, and bolted away from the table directly into the path of a server who never saw him coming. D’Marco’s final tackle came 12 years after he retired from the NFL.

Lucas Oil Stadium – It’s not the opulent palace that Cowboys Stadium is, but it is a great place to watch a game. A stadium should reflect its city, and that’s the case with Lucas Oil. It’s very functional, but not elegant or flashy. Not only does the walking distance thing make getting to the stadium for the game very simple, but it’s the same for Media Day, and every other reason people need to head to the stadium for work or fun.

Crowds? We’ll show you a crowd – A bunch of people visit the city hosting a Super Bowl during that week, and for most cities that number of tourists might be a once every generation challenge. In Indy, 250,000 spend Memorial Day weekend here for the Indianapolis 500. Indy knows how to accommodate and please giant groups of people.

Emmis Communications – What, I was going to list ten great things about Indy and not mention the broadcasting palace of America and the very welcoming engineering staff who make a visit to Indy so convenient for broadcasters in need of studio space?

Indy is not a bank breaker – You can find a $60 steak in Indianapolis, but you have to look for it. Sure, the NFL bigwigs and corporate honchos on expense accounts don’t care what food and hotels cost, but for the fans Indy is a financial breath of fresh air.

Friendly and Humble People – I’m not sure why people here are so damn friendly, especially during the weeks of huge events, but they are. Welcoming tourists and offering them a helping hand has been a part of the Indianapolis experience, it seems to be in the city’s DNA. We understand the role of hosts, and treat the week like our giant house is hosting a family reunion. And we know that Indianapolis isn’t New York or Miami – it’s a place where people too tired to continue west stopped. Every pioneer who helped settle Indy said the same thing when they pulled their buggies or wagons to a stop, “Good enough!” It is, and it should be for the NFL. Nobody does it better.

Indianapolis Sports Media Monthly Twitter Rankings Show @KentSterling Posting Massive Gains; @DanDakich Leads Overall

by Kent Sterling

Twitter is fascinating. Real time and precise measurement of audience is not something I’m familiar with having been in radio for years. It’s also a fun and immediate mode of communication with an audience who then can immediately reply directly.

Those you want to read, you follow. Those you don’t want to hear from are not followed. There is no bundling or unwanted communication. Twitter serves both as a personal news service, and a personal chat room.

It’s genius, and that accounts for its massive popularity. Width and engagement of your Twitter following goes a long way to determining the value of a media person’s brand. Some are very comfortable expressing themselves through Twitter, and others believe it to be the third rail of media. Say the wrong thing and careers end. True, but the same is true on live radio or TV.

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Gathering followers really shouldn’t be a focus, just as ratings aren’t the goal in radio, TV, or print. It’s providing excellent content consistently. Do that, and the rest takes care of itself. As the great Greg Solk always says, “Surprise and delight!”

Yes, I dominated the gains of followers by almost tripling the next highest percentage, but that’s a result of becoming a content provider instead of a manager. Over time, my number will trek back to the norm, but in the meantime, there is nothing wrong with throttling the others in media.

I have added some others to the monthly rankings, and as they gather more followers over the next month, they will merge into the print area and will be ranked based upon their percentage of growth.

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

Sports Radio in Indy

Kent Sterling – 1070 the Fan 2,514 to 3,021 +20.3%
Greg Rakestraw – 1070 the Fan 4,650 to 4,856 +4.4%
Derek Schultz – 1260 WNDE 3,513 to 3,640 +3.6%
Michael Grady – 1070 the Fan 8,869 to 9,117 +2.8%
JMV – 1070 the Fan 17,789 t0 18,234 +2.5%
Mark Boyle – Pacers play-by-play 7,432 to 7,589 +2.1%
Jake Query 1260 WNDE 7,309 to 7,441 +1.8%
Eddie White – Pacers Postgame 4,382 to 4,460 +1.8%
Kevin Lee – 1070 the Fan/NBC 6,257 to 6,346 +1.4%
Dan Dakich – 1070 the Fan 59,229 to 59,902 +1.1%

TV Sports Anchors/Reporters in Indy

Brittany Diehl – Fox 59, 1,745 to 1,851 +6.1%
Dave Calabro – WTHR, 7,200 to 7,562 +5.0%
Eric Yutzy – WTHR, 2,130 to 2,229 +4.6%
Rich Nye – WTHR, 4,009 to 4,169 +4.0%
Anthony Calhoun – WISH, 5,337 to 5,545 +3.9%
Chris Hagan – Fox 59, 4,494 to 4,660 +3.7%
Jeremiah Johnson – Fox 59, 3,850 to 3,986 +3.5%
Larry Hawley – Fox 59, 1,123 to 1,157 +3.0%
Chris Widlic – WISH, 1,467 to 1,511 +3.0%
Amanda Maynard – WISH, 867 to 889 +2.5%
Dave Furst – RTV6, 4,177 to 4,258 +1.9%
Brad Brown – RTV6, 515 to 524 +1.7%
Jason Spells – RTV6, 1,779 to 1,805 +1.5%

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

Mark Ambrogi 1,544 to 1,657 +7.3%
Mike Chappell (Colts) 13,048 to 13,983 +7.2%
Phil Richards 2,725 to 2,833 +4.0%
Zak Keefer (Butler) 3,841 to 3,989 +3.9%
Kyle Neddenriep (Preps) 10,452 to 10,798 +3.3%
Phillip B. Wilson 13,778 to 14,209 +3.1%
Mike Wells (Colts/ESPN) 24,616 to 25,310 +2.8%
Bob Kravitz (columnist) 34,737 to 35,459 +2.1%
Michael Pointer 3,677 to 3,733 +1.5%
Curt Cavin (Racing) 12,046 to 12,189 +1.2%
David Woods 5,497 to 5,549 +0.9%
Terry Hutchens (Fox – IU) 12,562 to 12,655 +0.7%

New Entries

Alex Bozich @insidethehall 18,546
Chronic Hoosier (hoosierchronicles.com) 15,583
Mike Pegram @peegs 12,961
Dustin Dopirak (Bton Herald-Times) 7.306
Conrad Bruner 1070thefan.com 5,256
Tom Lewis @IndyCornrows 4,030
Ken Bikoff @kbikoff 1,840

The only change in the rankings of raw followers was Brittany Diehl of Fox 59 screaming past Jason Spells. The substantial gains in the radio sector moderated this month. Mike Chappell did very well, as you would expect as Colts fans were looking for information on the Colts while they were at camp. The TV talent is cluster by station, minus Diehl, who appears to be working hard to build followers independent of Fox 59’s desire to promote the Twitter feeds of its talent. That makes sense. The more viewers, the greater likelihood to reach a broader swath of users.

Some see Twitter as a necessary evil, and other as a fun diversion – something to do during games that allows direct two-way communication. Is that why we got into this business in the first place?

Indianapolis Colts Preseason – Cuts Loom, But as Long as Andrew Luck Is Upright, Team Will Compete Well

by Kent Sterling

Andrew Luck has fun – always – and that means the Colts will too.

The NFL Preseason is a lot like Easter for kids. They look forward to the holiday, and when it arrives wonder why they bothered.

Fans look forward to anything that looks a little like the game they love, but the starters are pulled after a couple of series, and everyone whines about the price of the tickets. It’s as predictable as the sunrise.

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It’s over now, and we are left with a very incomplete look at which teams will thrive, and which will suck. We can guess that the Packers, Falcons, Broncos, and Patriots will be pretty good (although I have my doubts about the Pats), and that the Jaguars, Raiders, Browns, and Cardinals will suck. In between, there is a crowd of good teams that can thrive with a couple of breaks and continued good health.

Now we await the cuts. This is the most stressful time for players who are on the bubble. Rosters will be peeled from 75 to 53 by tomorrow, and making a team means financial stability for a family while being cut means getting a real job. Tough 24 hours coming up for players, but a lot of fun to play guess the roster for fans. For Colts fans, it’s even more fun because the downside for screwing up is very manageable.

The Colts have some tough decisions. Which mediocre safeties do they want to hold on to as back-ups? I like the way Delano Howell sticks his nose into plays, and Larry Asante had 14 tackles last night, but Joe Lefeged was a special teams captain last year. We all think Caesar Rayford has made the club because of his five sacks. And running back Kerwynn Bell has been good in games and workouts. Will the Colts choose to keep a fourth back, try to stash Williams on the practice squad thereby other teams a chance to swipe him, or cut Donald Brown to save the reported cap hit of $2+ million?

General manager Ryan Grigson will sweat those decisions throughout the day, as he and his brain trust make the decisions that change the course of the lives of players, but the name of the fourth safety or ninth linebacker just doesn’t matter with Andrew Luck as quarterback.

Whatever happens with the cuts, Colts fans have to be thrilled they are not likely (knock wood) to see anyone but the resplendent Andrew Luck under center. Of the 22 starters for the Colts, two can be described as possessing special elite talent. Those are Luck and future Hall of Fame receiver Reggie Wayne, Other than that, mediocre to good everywhere. Fortunately, that puts the Colts ahead of most. Would you rather have the best young will linebacker in the NFL or the best quarterback? Good answer.

As long as Andrew Luck is ambulatory, the Colts will be able to compete for a division title. His physical makeup is outstanding, but what separates him from other talented quarterbacks is his leadership and attitude. His unbridled enthusiasm for the mundane releases his teammates from cynicism. That’s a complicated way to say he’s fun to be around. Luck is a guy that sees work as an opportunity for fun, and when that’s the case, and team’s play can exceed the sum of its parts.

The Colts are the luckiest damn franchise in NFL history. They were in a position to draft the best three quarterbacks of the last 30 years. John Elway’s trade notwithstanding, being able to grab him, Peyton Manning, and Luck is an incredible run.

It’s not too early to put Luck in that company. A single year that featured 18 picks and 41 sacks doesn’t scream hall of fame, but barring a physical malady that recalibrates his physical makeup, Luck will be among the top two or three quarterbacks of his generation, if not the absolute best.

It’s almost impossible to write about the Colts without waxing rhapsodic about Luck, who combines the best qualities of some of the best of all time. He’s built like Ben Roethlisberger, keeps plays alive like Favre, and studies like Peyton Manning. His late release allows him to guide the ball accurately under duress. Colts fans who watched Luck play during training camp saw what a person who loves his job looks like. Regardless of what you do for a living, doing it with the joy Luck shows during workouts will put you on a road toward success.