A new Flaviar whisky shipment and the Home Run Derby kept me content last night. I also flipped over to watch the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team lose an unprecedented two straight exhibition games. We’re obviously no longer the world basketball power of years past. In fact, my whole perspective of the game has changed in the last twenty years with the demise of I.U. basketball and the rise of the rest of the globe. In some ways, the two are related with the failure to compete on the world stage of recruiting. For example, a team like Nigeria even a few short years ago was a non-factor on the court.
Pete Alonso of the Mets won his second straight Home Run Derby crown last night, after the cancellation of the 2020 All Star Game competition. The #1 seed, Shohei Ohtani, was defeated in the first round. The tournament play-by-play with all the buzzers and whistles is a far cry from my memories the original 1959 duals on television. Hank Aaron made seven appearances, while Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays each competed five times. Wrigley Field in Los Angeles was the site of the broadcast. $2000 was the prize back then compared to the one-million dollars that Alonso raked in last night. As a kid, we’d get out our whiffle balls and bats to belt our own moon shots.
Tonight’s All Star Game will feature Shohei Ohtani in the dual role of starting pitcher and lead-off hitter for the American League. It signals the half-way point of the season with my White Sox leading the AL Central by eight games over the Indians. Other division leaders include the Red Sox, Astros, Mets, Brewers, and Giants. The Cubs were 2-8 down the stretch to fall to third in the NL Central. The Giants also have 57 wins to lead the pack but only a two-game lead over the Dodgers. Games will resume after the four-day break.
The White Sox have prevailed despite a plethora of serious injuries, including Nick Madrigal out for the season. Sluggers Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert have yet to return. The early sparkplug of the season was Yermin Mercedes whose star has tarnished and was recently sent down to the minors. Andrew Vaughn and Adam Engel have recovered from injuries to recently pick up the slack. Billy Hamilton and Seby Zavala have also filled in admirably. I’m off to see the Sox at Tropicana in August and then to Pittsburgh to cheer on the Cubs. I’m expecting to see the Pale Hose in the post-season mix but have lost some hope for the Cubbies. Trades in the next few months will determine the fate of this year’s World Series Champion.
I had a discussion with a friend yesterday about organizing a reunion trip to Bloomington, Indiana and the hallowed halls of I.U. The last time I was there was five years ago to watch the Hoosiers lose to Nebraska on the court. We did not have time to see anything on campus other than Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, newly named and remodeled at the time. What we thought might be the beginning of great things turned into a nightmare of coaching changes and embarrassing losses. The last I.U. football game that I went to was 17-years ago, an upset win over Minnesota. Back then every gridiron win was an upset!
The last few years Indiana has put together a solid football program under Coach Tom Allen. There are great expectations these next few years, leading to this plan to visit Bloomington on September 3, 2022 for a game against Northwestern. I began to make a list for the Bloomington reunion, including a friend that lives in nearby Tampa. We shared season tickets for many years but have since failed to get together. I began to consider roommates and fellow students that I also haven’t seen since graduation.
I met my first wife in Bloomington, a marriage that lasted for 27-years. I should probably include my son on the ticket list. We could drive together and pick up my Tampa buddy for the excursion. It would be a convergence of friends from all over the country, including those that I left behind in Oregon and pals in California that I just visited. As the list expanded, I began to look up the whereabouts of those left behind in life. J. B. is still an Evansville attorney, while Buzz lives in the same city. Murph built a political career in Bloomington. My cousins are in that area and normally tailgate for football games, so we could all rendezvous before the kick-off. I’m excited for the opportunity to get together with everyone, see the campus, and maybe venture down to Brown County State Park.
I was hit with another wave of nostalgia yesterday with thoughts of a Bloomington get together, and began to reminisce about life on campus. It’s where great friendships were built, but also the sight of some of my worst memories. The scars still haunt me, despite taking the time to write the story of getting busted. With this in mind, there are those that I never want to see again – or maybe I do? Going back to Bloomington might help with the healing – so let the game begin. Go Hoosiers!
Last night I stayed up “late” to watch the Oregon State Beavers win their second straight elimination game in the ninth inning to continue their run for another College World Series (CWS) title. They did not have a great 2021 season with 23 losses but managed to eliminate #6 ranked TCU and forced a second game with Dallas Baptist last night in Fort Worth, a team that had put them in the loser’s bracket two days earlier. These two meet again this afternoon to determine who goes to the Super Regionals. Meanwhile, the #10 ranked Oregon Ducks dropped only 15 games this season and face LSU for a second straight day in hometown Eugene, hoping to punch their Super ticket. The Ducks were an unprecedented 5-1 against the Beavers this season and haven’t gone this far in the postseason since 2014, losing then to Vanderbilt. Two years prior they made it to the Super Regionals but no further. 1954 was their only trip to Omaha, while 1957 was their last conference crown.
Watching the CWS brings back great memories of traveling to Omaha in 2018. (See Post #573). My good friend and I were going regardless of the fact that Oregon State might not even be there. Instead, they not only made the field but won the whole enchilada. Since then, I’ve religiously followed the college baseball seasons of both the Beavers and Hoosiers. This year, the Ducks have really stood out, while Indiana baseball faded down the stretch and failed to make the first round of the tournament. The Beavers were fortunate to get the nod, going 6-8 in May to finish the regular season and finishing a disappointing 6th in the conference behind Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona State. Indiana finished 4th in the BIG at 26-18, while Nebraska, Maryland, and Michigan got into the dance. Last year Covid canceled the event.
Nebraska, the BIG champion knocked off #1 Arkansas (Pig Sooie!) last night. They will play again tonight for the chance to move on. Michigan and Maryland both failed to advance to the Sweet 16. 8 teams will ultimately travel to Omaha and Ameritrade Field. It would be exciting to see both Oregon and Oregon State in the mix. Step one is tonight for both teams with the season on the line, along with the precious opportunity to continue playing in the CWS.
I was having another great sports evening, watching the Cubs, White Sox, and IU Soccer, but in the end it was spoiled. A goal with time running out in overtime gave Marshall University its first ever NCAA soccer title. It derailed what could have been a 9th championship for the soccer Hoosiers and sent me to bed shaking my head. IU was seemingly outmatched during the entire game and barely held on to get to overtime. Where did these guys come from? They took out #1 seed Clemson, perennial favorite Georgetown, the home town Tar Heels, and storied Indiana to sweep through the tournament. Another unforeseen ending to an already strange Covid disrupted season.
Marshall has survived one of the greatest tragedies in sports history. The movie “We Are Marshall” depicts the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people: 37 football players on the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, along with five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters, and a crew of five. They’ve since achieved two NCAA Division 1-AA championships in football, but this is their first NCAA title outside of that sport – a long time in the making. It’s well deserved, even at the expense of my Alma Mater.
Just like Marshall – “We’ll Be Back,” and eventually get our 9th. The Herd may very well develop into a national powerhouse in the sport with few seniors on their squad. Despite the Hoosier loss, there were several positive recruiting stories in both basketball and football yesterday, as a legitimate 7-footer and several football studs entered the university athletic programs through the portal. Plus, both the White Sox and Cubs won last night, with Oregon State product Nick Madrigal, the Pale Hose second baseman, getting his first Major League homerun, while the Cubbies felt the temporary pain of former teammate Kyle Schwarber’s (IU/Cubs/Nats) dinger. These Chicago victories were worthy of sweet dreams in lieu of the “We Are Marshall” nightmare.
I continue to resort to the same headlines – in this case “Keep On Truckin'” – for the third time. I try to be clever, but there seems to be a reoccurring theme as the number of posts continue to add up. This will be the third time that I’ve used it, but in this case it actually refers to trucking rather than the music of the Grateful Dead or the Doo-Dah Man (Post #760 and Post#1603). The truck with our stuff should arrive within a week, the first sign that last night was going to be a good one. The good news phone call came when I was sipping on some Broken Barrel Whiskey as the red hot White Sox were losing the first game of a double header. They often say that good and bad news comes in threes, so after the dispatcher called with the report that our loaded truck would arrive in Tampa on Wednesday, it set off a wave of good fortune that continued through the rest of the night.
Whether or not it continues today I will soon find out. My run was painfully stiff, as soreness continues to rack my body. I’ve been doing exercises to offset the arthritis in my lower back, including the purchase of a body and back massage tool that resembles the hook of a shepherd’s staff at each end. It’s designed to reach those sore muscles and help them relax, recommended by my chiropractor. Today’s results were not encouraging. I go back again on Monday. However, with any sport or exercise there are always good and bad days. After 4,521 consecutive days of running, I should know as well as anyone. Regardless, last night was a great night of watching sports and the buzz was still there when I woke up this morning.
It started with a Cubs victory, as their relief pitching continues to be strong. They’ve needed it since 9 or their last 11 games have been decided by one or two runs. They’ve won six of those for a May record of 8-3, putting them four games behind the first place Cardinals. However, the offense continues to struggle with a run differential of minus 5, compared with the Cards at +26. They play next weekend in St. Louis, the first head-to-head of the young season.
I then turned over to IU soccer and watched the Hoosiers advance to the NCAA Championship in search of their 9th National Title. They edged out a tough Pittsburgh squad who dominated possession time but couldn’t score. The Panthers attempted twice as many shots but the Hoosier defenders prevailed. The Cream & Crimson, ranked #2, will face #10 Marshall in the Monday night finale.
At the same time the soccer game ended, the White Sox won the second game of the Kansas City doubleheader, going 8-2 in their last ten to keep pace with the Indians. The slugging Sox are +64 in run differential this season and just as exciting on the bases. Billy Hamilton has show some speed and promise, filling in for a number of serious injuries that have plagued stars like Jimenez, Robert, and now Abreu, So far, aging Tony La Russa has pushed the right buttons, although criticized for not knowing the newly established rules of doubleheader games. The Sox have so much depth that it doesn’t appear that there will be a La Russa-Pujols reunion in Chicago. I’m particularly impressed with rookie Yermin Mercedes and Oregon State product Nick Madrigal. The Sox are now referred to as the best team in baseball. Hopefully, that will continue.
To summarize the good news, our long delayed stuff is within reach and sports are going my way. The Indy 500 is on the horizon and my wife gets her second vaccine shot today. Both granddaughters celebrate birthdays this month. The future indeed looks sunny and bright here in our new Florida home. Go Sox, Cubs, and IU – and Keep On Truckin’.
We’re staying with friends on Marco Island for a few days. They came to visit us with initial plans of staying at our house, but without furniture this was not possible. As a result, we ended up at their temporary place, a Marriott Vacation Club. This morning I fought the humidity in a miserable attempt to run and ended up walking after two miles. It was one of my worst efforts in some time, with the feeling that my body was totally used up. I’ll know tomorrow if it was just a temporary set-back, or if I’m truly getting too old for this streak that now extends to 4,509 consecutive days.
This getaway to Marco Island was a last minute miracle, considering that only a few days ago we had no options for someone to take care of our schnauzer Tally. My wife met a woman at our neighborhood dog park, looking for advice on a groomer. She directed us to a couple that owns eight schnauzers. As it turned out, they were excited to board Tally for a few days so we could get away. To make matters even better, Tally seemed equally excited to spend time with their dogs, even after the grooming. She ran right into their house when we dropped her off, in sharp contrast to her last few visits to the dog spa in Portland where she shook in fear. My wife was relieved to find a great option for Tally when we travel.
We arrived on the island yesterday afternoon and took a walk on the beach. I spotted a tent with the IU Hoosiers logo and met some folks from the Evansville area who owned condos in the adjoining property. It reminded me to monitor the NCAA soccer tournament match against Brooklyn St. Francis later in the afternoon. The Cream & Crimson advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth straight year on penalty kicks. Hopefully, they can continue on to win their ninth National Championship – next up Marquette.
My wife finally got a good night’s sleep last night, as we both enjoyed the soft beds. It was also refreshing to stay some place with comfortable furniture to sit on. We have one more nights to relax with friends rather than squabble about what needs to be done in our new home. Hopefully, we’ll hear from the moving company this week about a potential delivery date for our stuff. Life is good on Marco Island!
It was a glorious sunset last evening, as the two of us celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Although we didn’t have our traditional chocolate covered strawberries, we did enjoy a profiterole dessert topped with strawberries and chocolate. It was our first opportunity to watch the Florida sunset in its entirety from our table overlooking the Gulf. Dinner itself did not go smoothly since they ran out of stone crabs and our waitress was initially inattentive. I guess they didn’t want us to forever associate stone crabs and kidney stones on our anniversary. We did devour some Cupid’s Choice oysters that I felt was appropriate for the occasion.
We are in the sunset of our lives. It oddly struck me when Notre Dame and Indiana recently announced a football home-and-home series scheduled for 2030 and 2031. I will be eighty years young when this finally happens. We’ll have been living in this home for ten years at that point and I’m sure it will all go by in the blink of an eye. Maybe our furniture will have arrived from Oregon by then? My wife bought new patio furniture yesterday and a couple of pictures for the living room. At least there will be something hanging on the wall today, but the outdoor stuff won’t arrive for a few months. My son and I will also install a couple of new TVs this morning. Things are coming together.
I expect to hear from North American Van Lines today about our delayed shipment, although I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it will be some time before they get the problem resolved. In the meantime, our stuff will continue to sit in the Portland warehouse while we receive a $100 a day compensation, hardly worth the inconvenience. Portland continues to be a hotbed of unrest as downtown businesses continue to experience fires, picketing, riots, and property defacement. It’s no wonder that no one wants to move there and many want to leave. They simply can’t get trucks and drivers to accommodate this demand. We miss our things with every sunset that goes by.
Our possessions apparently have yet to leave the Portland warehouse, so we’ve got time for extended stay in Indianapolis. Two extra days are now in the plan before we head to Atlanta, one step away from moving into our new home. The troublesome kidney stone was extracted yesterday and my wife is feeling much better. Even though the doctor has cleared her for travel, we decided it’s best to rest for a few days here and reschedule what we missed with Indy friends. Getting back behind the wheel can wait.
It was too rainy yesterday for Tally and I to sit outside and wait for the urologist to complete surgery. Instead of TD Alibi’s as planned, we drove up to a friend’s house in Noblesville. We dropped my wife off at the hospital downtown and spent three hours in waiting. Texts and phone calls kept me up to date on the procedure, since we were not allowed to stay. As she begins to heal, the freedom of retirement allows us the flexibility to adjust our schedule to eventually hook up with the movers, provided my brother-in-law can tolerate my presence for a few extra days. We’re in no rush – at least today, but house guests can begin to stink like dead fish when they overstay their welcome. Glad to have great, tolerant relatives!
I have a Leadership Zoom meeting this afternoon, continuing the once face-to-face Friday lunch tradition started back in Portland years ago. I can still be with my friends despite being thousands of miles away from them. I’ll catch them up on the trials of tribulations of moving to Florida and we’ll certainly discuss the fate of the I.U. basketball program that has been gaining credibility these past few weeks. Xaviar Johnson from Pittsburgh will take Armaan Franklin’s guard position as he moves to Virginia. Dane Fife joins the coaching staff and there’s no one from last year’s IU roster left in the transfer portal. The next step will be finding a big man or two to make us more competitive under the basket. The future of IU basketball has grown from dismal (almost as painful as a kidney stone) to bright in just the past two weeks. I’ll continue to monitor it in the local papers as we’re now in for an Extended Stay.
Today’s Easter leg (not egg or even leg of lamb) of our cross-country trek takes us from Utah into Wyoming with an overnight stop in Burlington, Colorado. My wife continues to battle a painful kidney stone, but made it through her two driving shifts. The scenery through Oregon was spectacular as usual and not as burnt-out in the Eastern section as it was seven years ago when we first crossed the state line. Idaho was short and sweet while Utah had some long stretches of boredom as the day wore on. We did catch a glimpse of the Great Salt Lake just before arriving at our hotel about 9 p.m., despite an hour loss from the Time Zone change.
I was monitoring the UCLA vs. Gonzaga NCAA Final Four match-up, hoping to get in front of a TV for the overtime. There were unfortunately too many hassles getting checked-in and hauling all our luggage to the room. As a result, I just missed the Zags buzzer-beater to remain perfect. I still have mixed feelings about their quest to tie the unbeaten 1976 Indiana 32-0 National Championship, but with the fortune of that final bank shot, all they have to do is beat Baylor Monday night. From the beginning of the 2020-21 season, this pairing has been on everyone’s radar since it was cancelled back in December due to the pandemic. We’ll soon have the answer. I did watch the White Sox blow an 8th inning lead against the Angels before I turned in for the night on a sour note.
The Sox have started an ominous 1-2 despite some record breaking performances by Yermin Mercedes – 8 for 8 in his first two games and the first grand slam of 2021 by Jose Abreu. Mercedes has filled in “perfectly” at DH for injured slugger Eloy Jimenez, who could be out of the line up for most of the regular season. Basketball, baseball, and the map app kept me occupied while I navigated 1-84 from Portland to Ogden/Layton. Today, as we cross the Continental Divide, it’s I-80 through Cheyenne, I-25 into Denver, and I-70 to our Burlington bed – the Easter Leg!
A few years ago it was Miller Time (See Post #35), and the Champaign flowed in celebration of I.U.’s new leader. Well, it’s that time again and fans are reasonably skeptical about the hiring of Mike Woodson as the new savior for the good old days of Bob Knight glory. Four failures have happened since his firing over two decades ago. Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean, and Archie Miller have each fizzled in his wake. None of them had a Hoosier player legacy to gamble away in addition to their coaching records. Now, it’s Woodson Time! Can basketball at I.U. really get any worse?
Will this be the fifth failure or a welcome relief? I.U. is sadly no longer a blue-blood program and teetering on the edge of disaster. Can two heads replace Knight, as Thad Matta joins the charge in the newly created position of Assistant A.D.? I guess we’ll never know until the two of them consistently win twenty games a season. Up until then, they’ll be under the microscope trying to salvage existing players and recruits. Coach Woodson has NBA contacts that are appealing to up-and-coming players. Thad Motta knows the college basketball wars. I’m not familiar with another arrangement like this where coaching and recruiting are handled separately. The odds of it working are probably not favorable and could be confusing. Two minds are not necessarily better than one.
Scott Dolson took what he could get under the circumstances. Once the student manager of an I.U. basketball National Championship team, he has risen to make one of the biggest decisions in the history of the school. “The Glory of Old I.U.” is tarnished and no longer appealing to the current masters of the game. Brad Stevens, who many feel is a sure bet, flat-out turned it down. Sentiment wanted a Hoosier native who could restore the winning culture dating back for decades. In all fairness, Archie was successful bringing Indiana Mr. Basketballs into the program but it was not enough to win compete. He also had to deal with Covid in the process and clean-up the mess that Sampson and Crean left behind. Fans were impatient, just as they will be with Woodson and Matta.
We’ll have to take advantage of the transfer portal while building for the future. Next year could be a train wreck if players leave the program as they’ve implied. The hiring of assistant coaches is critical, perhaps building on the theme of alumni and in-state ties. I’m not confident we can pull this off to the satisfaction of the disgruntled fanbase. Immediate gratification may not be possible, while Woodson is not a young man and another change may be necessary in the not too distant future. At any rate, it’s Woodson Time!
