Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indianapolis Colts Sign Former NY Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw

by Kent Sterling

The Indianapolis Colts have signed former NY Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw to a one-year deal, $1.35M deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in an effort to fortify their running game.

Bradshaw is 27, and was released by the Giants after the 2012 season – two years into a four-year deal that guaranteed him $9M of the total $18M. The Giants will reportedly take a $2.5M cap hit in 2013 for releasing Bradshaw.

The Colts will cross their fingers that Bradshaw is available for the majority of the season as he has played all 16 games only once in his six year career.

Last year, Bradshaw rushed 221 times for 1,015 yards in 14 games. His 4.6 yards per carry average easily outpaces any of the Colts backs from 2012. Vick Ballard (3.9), Donald Brown (3.9) and Delone Carter (3.8) were all under four yards.

The Colts worked hard this offseason to reconfigure its offensive line with the free agent acquisitions of guard Donald Thomas and right tackle Gosder Cherilous, and the drafts of guard Hugh Thornton and center/guard Khaled Homes. The signing of Bradshaw provides a low risk option at running back that will only cost the team a little more than one million, if Bradshaw’s feet won’t allow him to go full speed throughout the season.

Given the low level of impact running backs available through free agency and the draft, signing Bradshaw was the only option other than pinning all hope on the rushing firm of Ballard, Brown, and Carter.

The nominal value of the deal makes this a legitimate deal with almost no downside for a player who can create problems for a defense when healthy. If unhealthy, Jim Irsay will be out $1.35M. That might adversely affect Twitter contest prize levels, but not the ability of the Colts to try to earn a return to the playoffs.

What I Learned – From Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks

by Kent Sterling

Go ahead, try to find a picture where Ernie Banks isn’t smiling.

I didn’t get to see Ernie Banks play a whole lot. My cognitive memory developed just as Ernie Banks physical talents finally eroded, but he was the defining figure at that time in Chicago sports.

Banks’ unvarnished enthusiasm for his job was infectious. To watch a guy play baseball everyday who seemed to understand exactly how lucky he was to be in that position was powerful for kids growing up north of Chicago.

There was always a smile and an autograph for everyone who approached him, and in front of a microphone, Banks always said, “Let’s play two!” as though one game a day wasn’t enough for a 40-year-old man.

I’m sure as his knees failed him and his 19 162-game seasons dragged into August and September, Banks was privately a little less than enthusiastic about sweating his ass off during the shank of a hot day at Wrigley Field, but he never let us know it.

And so there is an entire generation of Chicagoans who learned from Banks that work is to be enjoyed, and that the least we can bring to a day’s effort is a smile.

Future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux tells a good story about a conversation that changed his life. Then Cubs Manager Tom Trebelhorn told Maddux that he was sick of players looking ahead to what is next – the next day off, the off-season, the next big contract. He asked Maddux why players couldn’t just be really happy today because they get to play baseball and live a dream. Maddux didn’t have an answer, but after thinking about what Trebelhorn said, stopped thinking about how much he would enjoy the next off-day and focused on how much fun his life was that day.

When I heard that story, I thought about how smart Banks was to have that figured out from jump street.

Work is only work if we let it be work. My grandmother would always tell me that turning work into a game was how she got through cleaning the homes of rich republicans. The men who play games and treat it like work seem especially silly given the example Banks and my grandmother set a half-century ago.

I’ve worked at two places over the past 20 years, and if I have any regret at either place, it’s that I didn’t smile enough – didn’t find a way to enjoy it as much as I should. It’s hard to look ahead to budget cuts that will mean the end of the road for some members of a staff. Smiling through that always seemed inappropriate, but did frowning help. Did being dour make the process easier for those who had to go? Moping through anything can’t do the fired folks or the remaining staff any good.

Having also been the victim of a cut myself I know that smiling through that unpleasantness is the best tactic. Being fired is a little like the old saying at closing time of a bar, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” Being fired doesn’t mean you can’t work – just that you can’t work there anymore.

So, because of the lessons taught to me by so many, and by Ernie Banks – I wake up everyday with a smile, try something new, and make damn sure I enjoy it, whether that’s while working for others or for myself.

Ernie Banks didn’t just make baseball look like fun; he showed us that everything can – and should -bring us joy.

Being happy is always in our control; it’s a choice. I choose to be happy. Thanks, Ernie.

Indy 500 Needs a Re-Boot, a Villain, and a Leader – Mark Miles Is the Guy to Do It

by Kent Sterling

[ed. note – Since posting earlier this morning, I have added an 11th necessity to the list below.] The Indianapolis 500 has not exactly been nimble in evolving forward throughout the years, and as a result there is eroding local interest and entrenched national apathy in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Creative thoughts from an outstanding leader are bubbling from 16th and Georgetown, and they give Indy 500 fans reason for hope that at some point decisions will be made based upon what makes sense and what will be cool rather than forcing fans to care less year after year about one of the formerly great events on the sports calendar.

There have been many men who have said the right things about moving the Indy 500 and the month of May forward, but have failed to make more than minor cosmetic changes. Miles needs to be the guy who gets it done, or the Indianapolis 500 might drift beyond the point of no return.

If you’re offended by someone pointing out massive problems with adhering to the history of the Indy 500 as a sign of disloyalty, get over yourself. Talk to a friend living in a different city, and many have only the vaguest notion that the race is still run.

Curt Cavin has had the unenviable job of covering the comings and goings at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for years, and continues to do an excellent job. His ongoing coverage of the passion of Hulman CEO Mark Miles has brought a smile to me face several times over the past two weeks.

There are some facts that Miles has to deal with – like the national TV ratings for the Indy 500 being equal to the ratings for the least watched NASCAR event, like attendance on meaningless practice days being closer to that of a family reunion than a sporting event, and that only three days on the May calendar at the IMS are compelling even hearty race fans to come out.

Reviving interest in Indy is a great challenge for a guy who has met many in the past by understanding that cool plays.

Miles talks about more concerts, and more races. Both would help drive additional attendance, but the key to getting people to give a damn about this race is to provide drama. Without drama, racing at Indy is about cars going around in circles while old men talk about how cool it was to see Bill Vukovich win back-to-back 500s in 1953 and 1954.

IndyCar doesn’t have the luxury to engage in the same hard racing that can exist in NASCAR, and that’s a problem, but it can be overcome. “Rubbin’s Racin'” doesn’t work with Dallara chassis that are far too fragile to run, but there can still be some rivalries in IndyCar that become meaningful.

The drivers in IndyCar are so relentlessly nice that it’s impossible to root against any of them, and that is a huge problem. When was the last time an IndyCar driver was booed? I can’t recall it happening once, and without villains, heroes can’t exist.

Speed is compelling, so Miles has issued the challenge of setting a new track record by 2016 – the 20th anniversary of the last record set by Arie Luyendyk. That’s a start, but the list of ten initiatives below can’t hurt:

11 – Televise the Indy 500 LIVE in Indianapolis. The days of anyone believing that the live telecast of a sporting event deters attendance were over 20 years ago. There are kids in this city who’ve never seen the race, and so have no idea how cool it is. It’s insane to willfully ban the segment of you population most interested in watching the race live. Until this arcane ban is corrected, the message is the same as when Indiana refused to participate in Daylight Saving Time – Hoosiers are a backward group with whom it is silly to do business.

10 – New video screens and message boards. Nothing screams “Hey, we just don’t care anymore!” like the 4X3 video screens and the electronic message board with 30% (by my informal count) of the light bulbs missing. Cavin’s pieces have mentioned that part of the $100M of casino cash allocated to the IMS will allow for new electronic displays.

9 – Find a way to engage NASCAR and its drivers. Driving the double is damn near a physical impossibility, but the best way to enthuse race fans is to bring in the stars they love to watch. The Brickyard 400 is an endless parade, but the Indy 500 is magnificent theater. Bring the NASCAR guys in for a Thursday event. There are practical considerations to be addressed, but Miles is a clever guy.

8 – No more ridiculous celebrities in the parade. There is nothing more tired looking than people who were famous 40-50 years ago being featured in the 500 Festival Parade. Anyone not immediately recognized by an average 18-34 year olds is banned. I know Florence Henderson is a good friend of Mari Hulman George, but she has drifted over the past 40 years into an ensconced irrelevance from which she will never emerge. The only exception is Jim Nabors, who is an icon at the track.

7 – Continue to evolve year after year. Staying nimble is the key to continued success, and the failure to do it is the reason people have stopped paying attention. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway shouldn’t be a living museum, but a dynamic and thriving home for speed, drama, and innovation. That process requires tearing it down, and rebuilding year after year.

6 – Get the old cars out on the track. I love the laps that are turned by the cars at the museum. Watching A.J. Foyt drive that roadster from 1961 was wonderful. A race among half-century old roadsters is probably impractical and dangerous, but it would definitely be cool to watch.

5 – Enact a “Cool Factor” filter. Whatever happens at the IMS, it must be cool. All of the surrounding ideas pass this test, as should all others.

4 – Include a race on Carb Day. The concert draws a reported 75,000. To not expose those people to a race in an effort to lure them back for the main event is a waste.

3 – Dump Bump Day. No bumps – no Bump Day. Qualifying the nine back markers not quick enough to make the field on Pole Day is not dramatic or even interesting.

2 – Truncate the Schedule. People showing up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway should always be rewarded with excitement. The Speedway continues to welcome groups for practice days. That does nothing but expose school kids and others to the relentless boredom of those meaningless afternoons.

1 – Hire a villain to drive. Some guy or girl needs to embrace being booed. There are plenty of these people in NASCAR. Grab one, and turn him or her loose. Kurt Busch, who tested at Indy last month, would be a start.

Tim Tebow to sign with Patriots – Only Team that Is a Great Fit

by Kent Sterling

Tim Tebow buys his wheat grass one blade at a time, just like the rest of us.

Quarterback controversies get unsure coaches fired, and two things are beyond question with the New England Patriots – there is no quarterback controversy, and Bill Belichick is not unsure.

What Tim Tebow will do for the Patriots is anyone’s guess. He could be an H-back, a tight end, a fullback, a change of pace wildcat option, or a defensive tackle long before he is going to threaten Tom Brady for playing time.

Any other team would have brought the unending barrage of questions to the coach, GM, receivers, and damn near everyone else involved with the organization. With the Patriots, Belichick don’t play that.

Tebow will show up ready to work, and Belichick will be ready to teach. And ESPN will be there with its cameras because for reasons having to do with shared religious beliefs, people cannot get enough news about the discarded Florida Gator.

No one has ever questioned Tebow’s character or leadership, but his ability to deliver a consistent ball has been in doubt since he was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos.

Tebow’s career as a starter began with a bang as he won eight of his first 11, but as defenses adjusted, the Broncos lost four-of-five, including two playoff games. Last season was spent with the Jets, where he played sparingly behind Mark Sanchez before being released at the end of the season.

In 33 games, Tebow has completed 48% of his passes and rushed 197 times for 989 yards.

If the constant media din surrounding the recently mediocre Patriots wasn’t loud enough for you last year, this signing should take it up a notch.

Evelyn Lozada Is the Typhoid Mary of Stupid Behavior

by Kent Sterling

I googled "domestic tranquility antonym" and look what picture popped up. Our couple of the day - Chad and Evelyn!

I googled “domestic tranquility antonym” and look what picture popped up. Our couple of the day – Chad and Evy!

Evelyn Lozada was engaged to former NBA star Antoine Walker, now bankrupt after earning $108,142,015 during a 13-year NBA career. She was also married for one month to Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson, who was sentenced to thirty days in jail today for acting like a tool in a Broward County (FL) courtroom.

This woman either attracts idiots like moths to a flame, or she turns them stupid with her vexing female wiles.

Whichever the case, I would enthusiastically avoid her if I were a professional athlete. Her attention would indicate that I either am a dope, or will soon become one.

Lozada is one of the star of “Basketball Wives” on VH1, as if athletes needed another reason to rebuff advances. Nothing smells of danger like dating a reality series cast member.

As for Johnson, he had a plea deal worked out that would have kept him out of the pokey until he was asked by the judge whether he was happy with his representation. Johnson responded by whacking his attorney on the ass.

Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh was not amused.

“I don’t know that you’re taking this whole thing seriously. I just saw you slap your attorney on the backside. Is there something funny about this? The whole courtroom was laughing. I’m not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn’t a joke.”

So, as is always the case when knuckleheads collide, there are lessons and laughs to be had.

First the lessons:

Never marry a reality show star with 1,171,7087 Twitter followers who knows how to use a broken heart emoticon

My heart is broke 💔

— Evelyn Lozada (@EvelynLozada) June 9, 2013

Check the credit reports of all former spouses or near former spouses
Never assume a judge enjoys frivolity in the courtroom
Never headbutt your wife, but especially avoid that if she’s the star of a reality show
If you are going to crack wise in a courtroom, pack for a month

The laughs always come when bad things happen to others, and this qualifies in so many ways, I get dizzy thinking about it.

Former Rutgers Hoops Coach Mike Rice and AD Tim Pernetti Should Still Be Furious with Robert Barchi and Chris Christie

by Kent Sterling

“That guy did it!”

At some point, you have no choice but to get pissed, and I’m pissed. I have no idea whether Mike Rice and Tim Pernetti are upset with being fired (Pernetti officially resigned, but if Rutgers would still have him, he would still be AD) at Rutgers for their roles in the abuse of Rutgers basketball players, but I steaming about this a little more everyday.

It’s not that Rice shouldn’t have been fired. He should have, but the ax should have swung much more quickly than it did. As soon as anyone knew he was throwing basketballs at his players and calling them inappropriate names, he should have been gone.

Not sure why managing 20-year-old athletes is different from managing 40-year-olds in business, but I can tell you that if a manager at any business where I have worked called a subordinate a “f**king fa**ot,” that person would be immediately dismissed. If that person had also hurled a basketball at the worker, the police would also have been summoned.

Why Pernetti was unaware of this recurring insanity is anyone’s guess. Monitoring coaches would seem to be an important part of an AD’s to-do list. When he saw the video, Pernetti paid a visit to the university’s counsel, and then acted based upon that advice by suspending Rice for three games and fining him $75K.

There is no way Rice should not have been fired, but that he was led to believe that his job was safe until copies of the video found their way to ESPN and many other media outlets is an absurdity that defies belief, and gives Rice some wiggle room to enjoy moral superiority because, well, no one else is worthy of it.

As for Pernetti, the mangling of his responsibilities to protect the interests of the Rutgers University student-athletes is well-documented. Not sure how any man would see a tape of what Rice did and said, and would fail to act decisively, but it’s possible that in these times of attorneys and litigation aversion dominating all decision-making that he was not acting of his own volition. He might have deferred to both Barchi and the school’s lawyer.

This entire pitiful episode cast Rutgers as a poorly run camp for wayward lackeys, and Barchi as the head boob. Somehow, he has managed to keep his job, and there is a good reason for that – Governor Chris Christie doesn’t want any of this mess to stick to him.

If Christie recommends the removal of Barchi, then he owns every miserable mistake the new president makes. If you’re a smart guy, and Christie is a smart guy, you hold on to the moron until the right moment and then punt his ass. Christie only gets one chance to fire Barchi, and that bullet will not be used until it’s absolutely necessary.

That is the part of this baffling drama that should frost both Rice and Pernetti’s nuts (as well as anyone with a craving for justice and truth) – that none of this has anything to do with what is right, wrong, or in the massive gray expanse in between. It’s all political, and as Hunter Thompson wrote, “When the going turns weird, the weird turn pro.” Christie is a pro.

When Eddie Jordan was found not to have a degree, and soon-to-be AD Julie Hermann was outed as a former abusive volleyball coach while at Tennessee, neither episode rose to the level that required Barchi’s removal, but the relentlessness of the minor explosions leave Christie with no choice but to wait for the big boom.

Because of that, Barchi continues to be allowed to bounce clankily around the halls of Rutgers believing that somehow he remains in charge because his business card says “President.”

The truth is that Barchi’s a dead man walking. The bullet in in Christie’s pocket, and again in Thompson’s words, “The hog is in the tunnel.”

So this is another magnificent reason to get angry at the absurdity of life in 2013 America. The smart guys never do what’s right because it’s right. They act to limit liability because if nothing is your fault, you don’t lose.

The buck stops over there! How presidential.

Top Ten Quotes from 1984 Assessing Indiana Baseball’s Odds of Playing in College World Series

by Kent Sterling

Indiana celebrates the sports equivalent of landing a manned spaceship on the surface of the sun.

The Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers are going to Omaha as one of eight college baseball programs with a chance to win the national championship, in one of the most improbable turnarounds of a collegiate sports program in the history of the NCAA.

Indiana Baseball hasn’t been routinely bad, but given the scarcity of the eight spots for teams in the event, earning a slot is one of the toughest accomplishments in sports.

Northwestern has never gone to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and there are 68 teams invited to play. The Big Ten hasn’t had a school make it to the CWS in 29 years.

In 1984, the last time a Big Ten team went to Omaha, I was a student at IU. Several friends and I put together a list of the ten events that would have to occur before Indiana Baseball got its ticket punched for the College World Series. We hit nine, but the Cubs refused to cooperate.

The ten predictions from these latter day Nostradumbasses:

“The Cubs will win a World Series before Indiana plays in the College World Series.” Yeah, that was just silly.
“Men will be allowed to marry other men – and will want to – before IU baseball plays in the College World Series.”
“Indiana will fire Bob Knight before the baseball team goes to Omaha.”
“The government will close all mental hospitals, filling our cities with dangerous psychotics before Indiana plays in the College World Series.”
“Indiana will play in Omaha when there is a black man named ‘Omaha’ in the White House.” So close!
“Gas will cost $4.00 per gallon before Indiana plays in Omaha.”
“Indiana will play in the College World Series when Augusta finally admits a woman member. No wait, a black woman member!”
Salsa will be America’s favorite condiment before IU plays in the CWS.”
100-inch TV’s will hang from walls with pictures as clear as a window when IU first goes to Omaha.
“Indiana will play in the CWS when every question can be answered by typing the question into a handheld computer using a service called ‘Moogle’ or ‘Toogle’ or something like that.”

If only we had used our talents for something positive.

Indiana Punches Ticket to Omaha – Sweeps Florida State with 11-6 Win

by Kent Sterling

The Indiana Baseball party will move from Tallahassee to Omaha next weekend.

Forget the Miracle on Ice. Super Bowl III when the Jets stunned to Colts was nothing. The Milan Miracle pales in comparison. Indiana going to the College World Series is the most unlikely happening in the history of organized athletics.

This Hoosiers team is really good, but the historic mediocrity (I’m being kind) of Indiana baseball makes this event Powerball winning weird.

I always thought that it was more likely – much more likely – that Indiana University would find its way to a Rose Bowl long before it qualified for a trip to Omaha.

The great Paulie Balst has always promised his kids he would take them to Omaha if Indiana ever qualified. At the time, he thought it was more likely he would have to make good on a similar promise to load them into the family rocket for a trip to the moon, if the technology ever allows Jetson-esque vacationing.

Having not won its last Big Ten regular season crown since the Hoover Administration 81 years ago, the Hoosiers have found some magic and have seen a remarkable resurgence in their baseball program that has come within three months of the opening of Kaufman Stadium.

You can almost hear the years of pleading from coach Tracy Smith to athletic director Fred Glass, “If you build me a stadium, I can get us to the promised land.”

Stadium built. Trip to Omaha. Check and check.

This isn’t only incredible because it’s Indiana, but because a Big Ten team will be among the Elite Eight to play for the national championship in Omaha. The last Big Ten representative to play in Omaha was Michigan in 1984 as Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale were in the process of wrapping up their parties’ nominations for president.

The Wolverines were led by future Cincinnati Reds hall of fame shortstop Barry Larkin.

A lot of water has passed over the dam since the Big Ten came to Omaha, and all the water has passed since IU made the trip – never.

Until this year, Indiana had won one NCAA tournament game ever, but have won five straight this season to quintuple that total.

Indiana will play the winner of the Super Regional between Louisville and Vanderbilt. Games from Omaha will begin on June 15th, and the double elimination tourney will wrap up on June 25th or June 26th.

As with all double-elimination brackets, it’s it’s way too complicated to try to explain. I recommend clicking on this link for details, and then booking flights to Omaha because if history is any guide, this won’t happen again in your grandchildren’s lifetime.

NBA Finals – Slick Leonard’s Idea for “No Talking to Refs” Rule Change is Long Overdue

by Kent Sterling

Bob “Slick” Leonard has made a living from playing, coaching, and describing professional basketball for almost 60 years, so when he talks, the NBA should listen.

What Slick wants is for the constant kibitzing between players and referees to stop, and he’s right. The jabbering to officials does nothing to enhance the game or the image of the players. It’s not just annoying – it creates an unfair advantage for the stars of the league who are already treated differently than the ordinary players.

The greater the relationship that is formed between a star player and a ref, the better whistle the player is going to get. Liking a player should not be an option for the refs, and human nature dictates that the more two people communicate, the more favorable the player will be viewed.

Human beings aren’t machines, and all but sociopaths want to be liked at least a little bit.

Secondarily, it’s damn annoying to see players whine constantly, especially when they’re multi-multi-millionaires. It’s untoward to gripe about a charge/block call with over $100 million in the bank, particularly when it’s done while a player should be hustling back on defense.

NBA players need to look a hell of a lot less like spoiled brats than they do currently.

I’m not looking to turn NBA players into even-tempered eunuchs, just penalize them for their acting like fools and attempting to gain an unfair advantage.

Like most ideas from Slick, this is a keeper.

Stellar “Ahead of the Curve” Ahead on 1070 the Fan Today from 11a-1p

The best investment of time you can make on a Saturday is to listen to “Ahead of the Curve” with Chris Hagan and Kent Sterling at www.1070thefan.com or in the Indianapolis area on 1070AM or 107.5FM from 11a-1p.

We jam at least three hours of content into every two hour show, and that saves you an hour for doing exactly what you want to to during your free time.

Guests on today’s show will be former Colts head coach Rick Venturi, who will talk about whether continuing to pursue former NY Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and IndyCar owner/driver Ed Carpenter. The Butler grad will talk about tonight’s Firestone 550 at the Texas Motor Speedway.

What I’m going to ask Ed is how IndyCar teams make money. Is the goal to break even, or is there cash to be made by owners in the series?

As always, there will be plenty of fun. It’s hard not to have a good time with Chris. He’s easy to work with for me, and always willing to tell stories about himself that require a little good-humored mockery. Mockery is my mother tongue, so that’s always a highlight for me.

We’ll talk about the Pacers early in the show, and the NBA Finals too.

This is our second show since returning to The Fan, so hopefully we continue to see plenty of improvement.

Hopefully, you enjoy listening to the show as much as we enjoy doing it. If you read this after 1p, come back next Saturday at 11as to listen.

The show is brought to you by Today’s Dentistry, so if you enjoy it, click on the ad at the top of the home page of this site and read a little bit about sedation dentistry.