These are interesting times for Indiana sports fans. Mediocrity is everywhere, but all that may be about to change. Professional teams boast potentially transcendent talent that are capable of championship level play, and the college football and basketball teams are arching toward meaningful improvement. I’m normally a cynical critic of management and mediocrity, but there […]
Michael Grady will be honored as the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year by the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Sunday night, and I’m certain the decision to bestow upon him that award was as simple as my decision to hire him just over a decade ago as a board-op on WIBC Radio in Indianapolis. The only prerequisite […]
Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel came on my radio show and said something many thought was crazy – that Paul George should have been dealt at the trade deadline six weeks ago.. When he said it, I didn’t think he was crazy. I thought he was seeing the Pacers as a good general manager would – as […]
Hoping is more fun than giving up, so Indiana Pacers fans continue to believe in a team that seemingly has lost all hope in itself. Last night’s 20-point loss to the Orlando Magic was a low point for a team that somehow remains one-game in front of the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and last playoff […]
There may come a time when Frank Vogel, Mike Brey, Matt Painter, Chris Holtmann, and Tom Crean qualify to be listed among the all-time greats in a state that is well known for its love and mastery of basketball. But that day is not today. This list – like all lists – is imperfect. Qualifying […]
Yesterday was one of those days. It seemed every story – every single thing I talked about on my radio show affected me emotionally. My emotional spectrum runs from inspired to annoyed, and all that happened pushed one of those two buttons. March is like that in Indiana. With high school and college basketball becoming […]
Basketball is a great game 11 months a year, but in March it’s special. And March starts this weekend. If you live in Indiana, there is nothing like March. Starting tonight, even passive basketball fans pay attention to the drama of sectional weekends, senior days & nights, conference tournaments, bracketology, and the Pacers drive for […]
The Indiana Pacers lost a tough game in Miami last night, and guard Monta Ellis was a big reason the Pacers left Miami wanting. Ellis hit only two of 17 shots (worst shooting percentage in the NBA this season for a player with more than 15 attempts), and missed a free throw late that would […]
Basketball is Indiana’s game, and rarely have we enjoyed a season across levels as competitive and fun as this one. Regardless of the level, basketball in Indiana has never given fans more reason for hope as the season heads toward its third act. The Pacers could win multiple playoff series, or miss the postseason entirely. […]
To hear fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse chant “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” last night made my skin crawl. Some called the fans’ appreciation of Kobe Bryant classy. I call it ignorant, narrow-minded, and ridiculously forgiving. It wasn’t as bad as people advocating for criminal behavior by paying to watch Floyd Maywether Jr. fight, but I found myself […]
