I continue to enjoy the first pain-free week of this year, with just a touch of stiffness in my lower back. Chair Yoga was much more tolerable, although many of the poses are still not possible with my lack of flexibility. Hopefully, the additional injections next week in my lower back will be equally effective as those for my sciatica. I’m also encouraged that the Primidone prescription is reducing the shakiness and clumsiness in my hands. The keyboard isn’t as much of a challenge for my fingers this morning and I can use normal kitchen utensils, rather than the heavier ones, again when eating. The neurologist says that he will continue to slowly increase my dosage, providing that drowsiness, dizziness, or other side effects don’t affect me. My life is gradually turning normal and I’m thankful.
It’s that time of year – Thanksgiving – and next week the Johnston family will be back together again. My grandson has been accepted to technical school and my son will soon be moving to the east coast of Florida to rejoin his wife and two daughters. This year’s meal will be the last time that all of us will be in place for a while. He’ll be changing jobs and renting out their home in the process. My daughter-in-law is in optometry school over there and has an apartment. They tried to make it work it two different cities, but it’s good that they are joining forces to raise the kids. Part of the difficulty has been my son’s son, who lives every other week with his mother in Sarasota, and commutes by bus to high school. With his graduation and a long overdue driver’s license, he may be moving to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to live with his grandmother, my ex-wife. It’s complicated!
By the time Turkey Day arrives this may all change. One thing that never changes is that IU will be playing Purdue that weekend in the annual Bucket Game. The Hoosiers are a heavy favorite and may even be a national title contender. The Ohio State game this weekend will determine if playing for the Old Oaken Bucket is just another game or a battle for the unimaginable undefeated season, with more to come. More importantly, will these additional steroid injections finally get me back to thinking about running again? It will be an eventful Thanksgiving weekend for both the Johnston family and the Hoosiers.
It’s now been a full month since prostrate surgery, while ten months have passed since open heart. I feel pretty good lately thanks to the epidural injections I got last week to relieve the sciatica pain. My lower back is still very stiff and sore, but more shots next week should ease that discomfort, if only temporarily. I continue to go to the fitness center, hoping to take some weight off, especially after last week’s food and drink splurges. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, despite a very early start since my wife had jury duty. A good day for me was not so good for her.
My weekend football fortunes were not so good, thankfully the Hoosiers had an off week. Da’ Bears suffered yet another heartbreaking loss, so I hope that this misfortune doesn’t extend into the upcoming Ohio State game. The Buckeyes are twelve-and-a-half point favorites, another slap in the face by the experts during this undefeated season of doubt. The pessimist in me can’t see a victory and potential battle of the unbeatens against Oregon for the BIG championship, let alone a national playoff spot. Basketball was at least a bright spot for both the IU men’s and women’s teams. I’m much more accustomed to winning in basketball than football.
I’ve felt much more like socializing, making phone calls, and enjoying the sunshine this past week. I’m starting to put this difficult year of recovery behind me. I’m convinced that some of my back issues are related to not being able to move forward. It’s time to do so and relish yet another good day.
While IU football had the day off, Hoosier fans finally got a look at the prospects of this year’s basketball team. South Carolina came into Assembly Hall with an early season loss but at least provided a formidable early season test after a couple exhibition games and two comfortable victories. IU proved that they can hit the three this year, even without intention, after Kanaan Caryle’s lob to Mackenzie Mgbako found the net instead of outstretched hands. Hopefully, it’s a sign of what’s to come following this much improved 8-17 performance behind the arc. Guard play was hampered by injuries to Gabe Cupps, Jakai Newton, and Anthony Leal, but Myles Rice stepped up with 23-points and Carlyle added twelve in this 87-71 victory. There were still a lot of rough edges, but at least turnovers were limited to eleven.
Trey Galloway put the game away with three of his eleven points at the 10:46 mark for a 62-44 lead, allowing the “first to 60” to work its magic. Oumar Ballo had thirteen rebounds and finally scored his first of seven points once “Sixth Man” Galloway entered the lineup and started to feed him in the post. The fans got fed free French Fries when the Gamecocks’ Jacobi Wright missed two consecutive free throws with 26.9 on the clock thanks to the Finney’s promotion.
Morris Ugusuk led South Carolina in scoring with 18-points with Collin Murray-Boyles in foul trouble. Mackenzie Mgbako continued to impress with seventeen for the Hoosiers. Next up is UNC Greensboro in Bloomington before they head to the Bahamas and the first Battle 4 Atlantis game against Louisville.
After some frustration yesterday about injection ineffectiveness and unrelated computer hackers, I found it to be a new and brighter day. Following months of waiting and delayed appointments, I finally got my chance to get some relief from my sciatica (Lumbar Radiculopathy) pain through Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections at the Ramos Center. It was not immediate, as several friends had suggested, so I was sore and wary by the end of the day. This was coupled with a hacking issue on my computer from someone claiming to be a Microsoft representative. I spent about an hour with her on the phone after googling her profile, as requested. Her name was supposedly Kathy Williams, with a thick Indian accent, that made me even more suspicious. We agreed to talk again today, but after consulting a friend, we removed a “security” lock on my screen and shut down my computer. I bought a VPN service called Surfshark and will stay off my laptop for a few days. This is why I originally wrote this my phone to transfer to the blog.
The steroid injections made me a hyper (like speed), with a bit of an upset stomach, so sleep was sporadic. My wife had just gotten back from a west coast flight, and she was also restless in the middle of the night. I was worried about retirement finances, leg/back pain, and identity theft. It’s no wonder my blood pressure has been running high these past few weeks. Drinking with the boys failed to relieve this stress, despite a few hours of medicated enjoyment.
This morning my leg pain was gone, and I felt like walking to the fitness center and back. My paranoia over being hacked was also eased, and my blood pressure was back to normal. I go back for more injections in two weeks that will be more focused on my lower back, the other source of discomfort. I can’t imagine how much better I will feel, at least temporarily. It’s a New Day!
After a strong run to finish the regular soccer season and sharing a Big Ten title with #1 seed Ohio State, the Hoosiers fell short to Michigan with a strong sense of disappointment since they easily won the regular season match 5-0. They then had to patiently wait for their seeding in the NCAA tournament. The soccer men did then at least get to watch their football team get some means of revenge against the Wolverines on the gridiron. Typically, it’s been the other way around.
In the meantime, both men’s and women’s basketball were in action. It was not a magical time for the women, losing in surprising fashion against both Harvard 72-68 and Butler 56-46, while falling badly from their initial #25 rating to start the season. The Hoosier women shot a dismal 36% from the field and had 16-turnovers at Hinkle Fieldhouse against the Bulldogs. They had 27-turnovers against Harvard. The IU men had already topped ISUE in their opener and faced the Eastern Illinois Panthers at friendly Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosier men did not get off to a great start, trailing by five points before going on a 24-2 run early in the second half. Mgbako, Ballo and Reneau combined to make 23 of 32 shots overall and grab 22 rebounds. Indiana outscored Eastern Illinois 54-18 in the second half. They went on to win 90-55. Nakyel Shelton led the upset-minded Panthers with 17-points and made five threes to take an unexpected one-point halftime lead. They were a far cry from the team that lost by 45 at No. 24 Illinois in their season opener. IUs 24-2 run, the Hoosiers made 9 of 14 shots while the Panthers managed only one basket along with 10 missed shots. At the 12:26 mark, Malik’s Reneau’s layup made it a decisive 60-45 on one of eight assists from Trey Galloway. Overall, the Hoosiers added more magic by holding Eastern to well under 60-points. Plus, Luke
When this story began in the Bob Knight era, I wrote about a McDonalds’ promotion for free food for fans with stellar defensive performances. Finney Hopitality Group has offered a similar program, although not really aimed at defense but rather poor free throw shooting by a home opponent. “If an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws during a trip to the free-throw line, fans receive a free order of Finney Fries which will be redeemable at any Finney Hospitality Group restaurant in the state of Indiana which includes – The Tap, Yogi’s, Social Cantina, and SmokeWorks. None of these restaurants existed in Bloomington when Coach Knight and I came to town in 1971. I got my free fries from McDonalds.
The men host the South Carolina Gamecocks next. The women try to rebound against undefeated #24 Stanford. Will we see more magic and maybe get some free fries?
I had to let the Michigan game settle in a bit before commenting. I saw the vulnerability of IU’s undefeated season after admittedly being overconfident at halftime. The Hoosiers were clearly in control but not scoring at their usual high level. The Wolverines took the second half kickoff and were promptly stopped, relieving some anxiety that perhaps this was all a dream, too good to be true. Then Michigan “suddenly” took the momentum, using one of announcer Don Fisher’s favorite transitions when things turned on a dime. I was almost embarrassed by the end of the third quarter at the team’s performance. I saw this as a solid team, well balanced on both sides of the ball, but they quickly fell apart – turnovers, bad play calls, dropped passes, missed blocks. It was everything I was accustomed to after watching IU football for sixty-years.
IU was up 17-3 at one point, but the Wolverines cut the lead to 17-15 in the fourth quarter. The undefeated Hoosiers bent but they didn’t break, never relinquishing the lead and adding a field goal to seal the victory, 20-15, and preserve perfection at 10-0, a historical first. The outcome was hardly with the ease shown in the first nine victories, but this was wounded Michigan, struggling in defense of its national championship. IU Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a Heisman candidate, threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns, but he got no help from the running game and threw a very costly interception from his own end zone. Furthermore, he was sacked four times and pressured many more.
Michigan had lost just two times against Indiana since 1987. The Wolverines lost in ’87 and again in 2020, so any kind of a win should have been satisfying. However, I don’t think any IU fan, team member, or coach was happy. The game really meant nothing because Ohio State loomed ahead and only that kind of victory would have turned heads. Beating Michigan was simply a big step in getting to Columbus and a real chance to prove themselves to the college football experts.
Winning against the Wolverines certainly didn’t matter much in the ratings! Even undefeated, the Hoosiers are still ranked fourth in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. This is because people are used to seeing Indiana as a bottom feeder of the Big Ten, and while IU is a really good football team, Michigan lost the game because the Hoosiers couldn’t effectively close. Is this because there’s a flaw in coach Curt Cignetti’s plan or can’t his front line execute effectively down the stretch? I guess we’ll find out in two weeks against Ohio State.
It’s basketball time again, the wait lessened by the unprecedented success of the football team. The 2024-25 Hoosiers took the floor against Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville (SIUE). Once again, Indiana connections played in role in scheduling, as coach Brian Barone, part of Tom Crean’s staff from 2008-10 came back to Bloomington as an opponent. There was not as much pre-game fanfare as earlier in the week when coach Pat Knight of Marian University bent down to kiss the IU logo at center court, but a second Hoosier legacy was in attendance. One of Barone’s players, Kyle Thomas, son of Daryl Thomas, who played on Indiana’s 1987 national championship team, dressed but did not get a chance to play, an indication perhaps of how seriously the Cougars approached this game.
Daryl Thomas passed in 2018 at the age of 52. He was the 120th overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, selected by the Sacramento Kings, and played over overseas for 13 seasons and then with the CBA La Crosse Catbirds in 1992-1993, before becoming a coach himself for Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Illinois. His entire family was honored at Assembly Hall, where he once starred.
Once the formalities were over, IU jumped out to a 20-9, as Mackenzie Mgbako was hot early with 13 points in the first 7 minutes. However, the lead didn’t last long after the Cougars The sophomore wing had 13 points in the first 6:56 of the game. But as SIUE settled in and Indiana failed to lock down the defensive glass, the Hoosiers couldn’t create any separation. By the 4:48 mark of the half, the Cougars’ Ray’Sean Taylor tied the game at 27. After a Woodson time-out, his Hoosiers responded to claim a 42-30 lead at intermission. Malik Reneau and Mgbako combined for 30-points going into the locker room, but overall, the Hoosiers allowed 10 offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points in the opening 20 minutes.
16 turnovers and 6-16 from three-point range are stats that leave plenty of doubt about improvements from last year. Oumar Ballo was mostly ineffective until Trey Galloway began to feed him in the post. Mgabo finished with a career-high 31 points and added nine rebounds. Reneau and Ballo each totaled 15. At least, the Hoosiers were effective at the free-throw line at 14-17, despite the poor 37.5% shooting from the field. Mgbako also got them to the magical sixty-mark first at 60-46 with 9:46 remaining. His overall point performance was the best on opening day since Eric Gordon scored 33 against Chattanooga in 2007. The final score was 80-61.
There was a strange vibe in the air this morning. The dogs were not barking like maniacs, even in the presence of the big dogs down the street. In checking Facebook, Trump has apparently won the election, and the once-dreaded neighborhood bully of my childhood passed away. I wasn’t sure how to digest either of these developments, while waiting for the “third” hammer to fall. I’m not happy about the prospect of soon having another eighty-year-old in the White House, but I knew that sexist America was probably still not ready for a woman president.
The death of another Elkhart classmate was more disturbing than who won the presidency, by far. He was a mean kid, who taunted me, tried to steal my “girlfriend,” and gave me the nickname, “Smiley.” I probably haven’t seen him in over sixty-years, but the mention of his name on Facebook always stirred up unpleasant memories of the smirk on his face. These days, I would never wish death on anyone, but I sometimes felt that way about him as a young child. We went to the same grade school, and summer camp so I always felt uncomfortable in his presence. He wasn’t a big guy, so there was never any physical intimidation, but his words sure hurt. He had also moved away from town for a number of years.
I clearly remember an incident at the local movie theatre where he and his buddies ganged up on me and began to tease me about my smile, “a shit-eating grin” they called it, wondering what I was hiding? They made grotesque faces, mocking my expressions. I sometimes wonder if maybe they thought I was making fun of them? It made me very self-conscious, because I tend to laugh and smile more when I’m ill at ease, and the awkward experience somehow managed to make me hate what should have been a beloved trademark smile.
I should have embraced being called “Smiley,” but instead it made me angry. It was an early case of stolen identity, long before internet theft. Before I knew it, my real name was lost, and everyone called me by the nickname, unrecognizable if I used the name, “Mike.” They weren’t all making fun of me, in fact some thought “Smiley” actually was my last name. Even at reunions many years later, my name tag read “Smiley.” Mike no longer existed and identifying myself in a phone call was awkward unless I stooped to using the moniker. Instead, I just avoided using the phone.
I eventually named our dog, “Smiley,” as a diversion, so the name lived on. Now, the bully who first called me by that name is gone, probably never realizing how much he changed my life. Just recently, someone asked if “Smiley” was coming to our 55th high school reunion? I couldn’t attend, but if I had, I would have played along and smiled like it never bothered me. However, there’s still a strange vibe when I recall the circumstances, with sincere wishes that the perpetrator rests in peace.
I drove up to Tampa yesterday, stopping in Brandon to pick up more tiles for the fireplace, and at several restrooms along the way. The hernia specialist said that surgery was not necessary, but I was glad it was officially in the records as a follow-up to my heart surgery. The abdominal lump is apparently common when they weaken the muscles by cutting into the chest cavity. It formed at the bottom of my incision, adding to the deformity, but causing no real harm. If it grows larger or causes any discomfort, then we will revisit the issue.
I’m relieved that there is currently no surgery in my future, but there’s still the issue of sciatica, another by-product of the heart procedure. The back brace certainly helps, but I’m still at least a week away from getting the steroid injections. In the meantime, I continue to be non-productive, although the weight-limit restrictions on lifting from the prostate surgery have lessened. I did manage to do laundry, take out the trash, and store a few more Halloween decorations. I’m waiting for the window washer and tile guy to come this morning before I can take the dogs to the park. There is also a crack in the ceiling to repair, florescent bulbs to replace in the pantry, and something stuck in the outdoor kitchen vent. Most of these projects require a ladder, so I may try to pawn them off. I also have a birthday call to make. Just more of doing nothing, while being busy thinking about it.
I’m having a good hand day. The shakiness and lack of coordination seems better. I see the neurologist tomorrow afternoon to maybe make some adjustments to the medication. Fortunately, it’s nothing serious. The screen repair guy also comes tomorrow morning, as all the election results slowly filter in. I may need to install armor rather than screens. It seems like the decision comes down to those voting for or against Trump. I voted early, so my decision has been made, and it will be a relief to get all the political ads off the air, so we can focus more on Medicare enrollment options.
My wife leaves for San Francisco this weekend, so it will be just me and the dogs for a few days, as I continue my busyness doing nothing. Before she flies out, we have lunch with one of her old college pals and her husband. I will then be driving her to and from the Sarasota airport between dog outings. The pups get to go to Schnauzerville on Saturday to be groomed. I’ll go to the baseball card shop while I’m waiting for them to get finished, and will finalize plans for a few drinks with a neighbor, as a weekend bachelor. Watching sports on TV will, of course, occupy my busy schedule while I do nothing!
At this time in my life, it’s better to focus on sports rather than prostrate or back problems. It’s also best to whine over losses than pain, but I’m not suffering at all. Even though the Elkhart Lions lost a tough one Friday night in the high school football playoffs, they are really not my team anymore, having abandoned the Blue Blazer nickname. Besides, the nearby Venice Indians, my new HS team, won 42-8 over Sarasota Riverside to go 9-1 on the season. IU soccer, basketball, and football are on winning streaks, so I’m living a charmed life. On the other hand, Da Bears play today, after a painful finish last weekend, but I’m used to that!
Five years ago, I wrote an article about my Spartan frustrations called, “O for East Lansing.” (See Post #1509). It seemed like every time my football Hoosiers traveled to East Lansing they were crushed, especially if I went myself. The same was sadly true for games in Bloomington, dating back to Rob Stradley, a friend Kim’s brother, who wore #22 for the team. A sense of dread always fills me when I hear the name “Sparty.” I even once attended a pep rally in East Lansing where I was the only one wearing red. Other friends named Craig Cole and Jeff White gloated in victory. I mention all these names because they are weeping green tears today.
Winning against Michigan State doesn’t happen very often, considering the all-time series record is 50-19-2, but I.U. prevailed yesterday 47-10 in East Lansing, despite falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter. I don’t ever recall a chance to watch our players victoriously spit in the Old Brass Spittoon, a nasty ritual. I’m sure that at the end of the first quarter, Spartan fans like Stradley, White, and Cole were thinking that the Hoosiers were overrated. However, 47-straight points later they were crying in their beer, if they were still watching at all. I was!
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, returning from thumb surgery, threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Elijah Sarratt, and Amare Ferrell had two interceptions Saturday to lead No. 13 Indiana to its first 9-0 start in school history. #10 Texas A&M and #11 Clemson both lost, assuring IU of a Top 10 ranking and spot in the college Playoffs, if they continue to win. That won’t be easy against Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue.
The Spittoon trophy, first introduced in 1950, had been in the hands of the Spartans since 2007. It only lived in Bloomington a dozen times in all those years, filled with DNA from seasons past. 1967-69 was the longest stretch of Hoosier victories over the Spartans, all three in East Lansing, coinciding with IU’s only Rose Bowl appearance and only the second time they had won nine games until this year. I was still in high school, not yet a season ticket holder, so yet to experience “0 for East Lansing.” I can only hope that it never happens again! Go Hoosiers!
