Trayce Jackson-Davis surpassed his coach, Mike Woodson (2,061), for fifth place on the all-time Indiana University basketball scoring list (2,081). After the narrow Illinois victory, his total stood at…. Calbert Cheaney leads the pack at 2,613, followed by Steve Alford at 2,438, Don Schlundt at 2,192, and A.J. Guyton at 2,100. TJD needs just 20 more to top A.J. Most likely that will happen in East Lansing.
Coach Michael Dean Woodson was I.U. player Woodson from 1976-1980, under the watch of Coach Bob Knight. That team won the 1979 NIT over rival Purdue 53-52 on Tourney MVP Butch Carter’s dagger. Carter was also the hero with two seconds to go against Ohio State when he sank two free throws to get them to finals. Woodson was named to the first team All-Big Ten and went on to win a 1979 Pan American Games gold medal as captain of the U.S. basketball team. His senior year at I.U., Woodson, along with Isiah Thomas, won the conference title, was named the 1980 Big Ten Player of the Year, recognized as a NABC All-American, and ultimately awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball. Purdue evened the score with Woodson, upsetting the #2-seeded Hoosiers 76-69 in the 1980 NCAA Sweet 16. He then went on to play and coach in the NBA, winning a championship ring with the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons as an assistant during the 2003–04 season.
The number 60 probably means little to Coach Woodson. He was born in 1958 and turned 60 in 2018 while serving as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Atlanta Hawks hired him as a head coach in 2004, where he served in that capacity for six years before moving on to guide the New York Knicks 2012-2014. It’s now his second year at Indiana University.
Coach Woodson was undoubtedly proud watching TJD score 26-points, grab 12-rebounds, and block five shots in leading the Hoosiers over the Illini 71-68. It was the senior’s fourth 25-10-5 game. Per ESPN Stats and Info: “No other player in the Big Ten has more than one such game in the last 25 seasons. In fact, the rest of the Big Ten has recorded 5 such games combined over that span.” It took that kind of effort to pass his coach on the list of I.U. scoring greats.
With the score tied 59-59 against Illinois at the 5:59 mark, I thought about how much this Woodson coached team has tried to defy my Rule of 60. The first team to 60 usually wins but in two of the last three games the opponent has crossed that line ahead of Indiana. Matthew Mayer hit a free throw 16-seconds later and then the back end to make it 61-59 in favor of the Illini. However, they lost in the end 71-68. Last game, Northwestern got there first, 60-56 with 2:26 remaining and went on to win 64-62. Previously, Michigan hit 61 on a Hunter Dickenson jumper at the 5:19 mark, then lost 62-61. Rutgers barely got to 60 at the buzzer and saw the I.U. side of the scoreboard turn over to 60 on a Trayce Jackson-Davis layup at 2:26, leading the Cream & Crimson to a 66-60 win.
The Hoosiers surpassed 60 against Purdue to lead by 11 at 11:45 and held on to win 79-74. Maryland left Woodson & Company 5 short of 60 for a 66-55 victory. You can begin to see how my magic number 60 consistently comes into play in the Hoosier game. Sixty is really an arbitrary defensive goal that I monitor during every game I watch or go to. It seems to be an effective barometer to an I.U. victory, especially if the opponent is held to under 60-points. Wisconsin only managed only 45, Minnesota 57, Kennesaw State 55, Jackson State 51, Miami OH 56, Bethune 49, and Morehead State 53, accounting for seven Hoosier victories. On the other hand, Rutgers held I.U. to 48 in the first game, while Maryland allowed only 55, equating to two losses. The fact is that when I.U. reached 60 first this season so far, they’ve won 18 games and lost one to Iowa, after allowing 91-points, not their best defensive performance.
If the opponent gets to sixty first, then the IU defense is not doing its job. This was the case in all the other I.U. losses this year: Arizona, Kansas, Northwestern twice, Rutgers, Penn State, and Maryland. Iowa has already been discussed. In those eight losses, the defense allowed an average of 78.2-points per game and the offense only scored an average of 67.5-points. Defense<60 + Offense>60 = WIN. It’s the magic formula for Hoosier basketball success.
College baseball season has started, just as catchers and pitchers report to spring training. Our neighborhood stadium featured Indiana State, Iowa, U. Conn, and Ohio State in last night’s Snowbird Classic, while Braves players are welcomed back to town this weekend as part of an open house. The first Grapefruit League game here is Saturday when the Red Sox visit Cool Today Park, just a mile from where we live.
I.U. basketball suffered another setback this past week, losing to Northwestern in the series that dates back to 1908. The Hoosiers lost that game 21-18, but at one point won 26-straight against the “Mildcats,” as they were once known, with an overall record of 119-56. The two teams have split the last ten matchups, but it’s a rarity when I.U. fails to win in both Bloomington and Evanston the same year. When this does happen, as it did this season, you can expect bazaar circumstances. All we can do is perhaps look forward to another opportunity to redeem ourselves in the BIG Tourney, although this year it’s in Chicago.
After storming the court against the Boilermakers last Sunday after the program’s first win over an opponent ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, the suddenly well-respected Wildcats (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) jumped out to a 21-point bulge but needed a Boo Buie basket with two seconds left to ultimately put the Hoosiers (18-8 9-6) away.
I.U. was only able to score a season-low 20-points in the first half and trailed 39-20 at the break. They watched Northwestern attempt 18 3-pointers, mostly uncontested, plus gave up five dunks or layups and twelve perfect trips to the line. From this fan’s perspective, the worst moment was when two technical fouls were called on the I.U. bench, protesting a missed traveling call. Here’s how another obviously bitter fan reacted on the Inside the Hall website:
“Coach Woodson should absolutely file a formal complaint to the Big 10 about official Larry Scirotto. He has demonstrated a clear bias against IU in every match he has officiated (most notably the Iowa game and yesterday vs Northwestern.) He is an alumni of Northwestern University school of police and command which is a clear conflict of interest in any game they are contesting and he has a checkered past in which he was fired from the Ft. Lauderdale police department for discrimination in hiring practices. If the Big 10 conference is serious about cleaning up the myriad problems it has with their officials it should start with the dismissal of Mr. Scirotto who is clearly not impartial , doesn’t address issues which may endanger players from certain teams and appears to be on a power trip of his own. Enough with officials like these!”
Besides the team’s gutsy resilience in this game, the most positive factor was Race Thompson, no longer sporting a brace, looking like his old self, while hitting 4-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis had a game high 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots after playing for all but one minute of this come-back effort. Disappointment is all I can say for Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp, who in three games against his former team has only managed a total of 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field. Jalen Hood-Schifino added 13-points but could have made the Hoosiers hysterical if his half-court, last-second shot hadn’t bounced off the iron with the scoreboard reading 64-62.
Once again, I.U. lost the critical race to 60 at the 2:26 mark just as they did against Michigan, but in this case the ball didn’t bounce the right way at the end. The hapless Hoosiers had 13-turnovers while forcing only four, but they shot better from the field than the Wildcats (48.9% vs. 36.8%). One more basket would have positioned the Hoosiers just one-and-a-half games back of Purdue, who lost to Maryland. Instead, Northwestern took over sole possession of second place with a chance to catch the Boilers. “Mildcats” no more! The Illini are next on the schedule.
I can remember being in Ann Arbor back in 1976 during the undefeated season for an 80-74 road win. It was the first of three occasions where the two teams clashed that season, including the National Championship game. Crisler Center and its predecessors, have always been tough venues to play, with the Wolverines holding a 48-41 home advantage dating back to the 1917-18 series. The last time the Hoosiers won there was 2016.
When it wasn’t Purdue’s Zack “Big Maple” Edey stealing Trayce Jackson-Davis’ thunder, it was Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson. However, the Hoosiers were not to be denied on this trip to Ann Arbor. Although they struggled early, Trayce Jackson-Davis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, compared to Dickinson’s sixteen and seven performance. Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 21 points, after failing to convert during the first seven minutes, and No. 18 Indiana held on at the buzzer. I.U. played with only seven, as Race Thompson sat out for precautionary reasons. Geronimo started but at one point found himself on the bench nursing his leg with an ice pack. There was also a scary moment when Hood-Schifino hit the floor hard and came up in pain holding his elbow. It’s been that kind of season!
The Hoosiers couldn’t initially contain Jett Howard or Kobe Bufkin and ended the game with 13-turnovers. Late in the first half, Michigan led 32-21 on a Bufkin layup and Indiana looked to be roadkill. Hood-Schifino then went on a roll and scored eight straight points to bring Indiana within five at 34-29 at the half. A couple of errant layups could have evened the score.
In the second half race to the “Rule of 60,” Indiana finally grabbed the lead at 40-39 on a Jackson-Davis bucket, but the Wolverines responded with a 10-2 run and soon led 56-54, on the verge of defying the magic. With 5:19 to go, Michigan crossed 60 on a Hunter Dickinson jumper to lead 61-58 but never scored again, as I.U. survived for its 18th victory of the season and ninth in conference play. The win was good for sole possession of 2nd with a 9-5 record, if Purdue bests Northwestern as expected. This means the Boilers would take a commanding 3.5-game conference lead over the Hoosiers with 6-games left in the regular season.
Only six of the seven Hoosiers who played put points on the board, since Tamar Bates was held scoreless during the 17-minutes he was on the court. To make matters worse, Reneau only had 2, Kopp 3, and Galloway 4. As a result, 79% of the offensive production came from Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino. The other oddity in this performance, was that we lost the race to sixty but won the game!
Since losing to Penn State and giving up 85-points, the Hoosier defense has held nine opponents to an impressive 64-point average. It’s resulted in eight wins with the sole loss in that stretch to Maryland, whose stingy D held I.U. to only 55-points. By comparison, in the first three losses of 2023, the Indiana defensive average was a pitiful 86.67. This was after starting the BIG campaign at 1-1, managing only 48-points against Rutgers in a 63-48 loss before topping Nebraska 81-65. Defense is clearly the key to winning, especially when the offense then produces over 60-points.
While the men have been on a roll, the #2 ranked Hoosier women knocked off arch-rival Purdue 69-46 and then beat #5 Iowa 87-78, in front of record crowds, taking another big step to the conference championship. The Hawkeye’s all-world player Caitlyn Clark had 35 points, but her teammates were shut down, while Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes combined for fifty-points. The Lady Hoosiers are now 23-1 overall and 13-1 in the BIG league.
As an I.U. fan, it’s been frustrating to watch this team struggle with inconsistency. They’ve overcome injuries, but every time a player hits the floor, I wonder if they will get up again. Geronimo and Duncomb are out again, while Thompson is a step slow, and X has yet to return. Yet, they’ve won four straight, but Maryland has also been hot, winning three of the last four after being edged by Purdue. Plus, they’ve yet to lose a conference game at home.
Unfortunately, this streak continued for the Terps as Indiana shot just 38 percent from the field with only three made 3-pointers on 11 attempts. Maryland was even less effective at 34 percent, but with five 3-pointers on 22 attempts. IU allowed 22 mostly uncontested shots from beyond the arc. With just under five minutes to go in the first half and in a span of one minute and 36 seconds, the Hoosiers turned the ball over three times and gave up five points. Entering halftime, they trailed 37-29.
The Hoosiers never got to 60 and watched Maryland cross that threshold at 3:01 with a nine-point lead. 66-55 was the final, after the home team went 25-29 from the charity stripe and Jahmir Young led all scorers with 20. TJD countered with 19 and Race totaled 11, but it wasn’t enough, as IU fell another game behind Purdue in the standings. The #1 Boilermakers were headed to Bloomington with a 9-game winning streak.
The good news for the Hoosier faithful was that Mackenzie Holmes delivered 28 points with four blocks while Sydney Parrish contributed 23 points, five steals and eight boards to help the No. 4 Indiana women soundly defeat Minnesota 77-54.
At last, despite the road loss to Maryland, the Hoosier men were back in the Top 25. It was time for Hoosier fans to raise the roof at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, also referred to as “Ass Hall” by my Boiler buddies. It turned out to be a classic rivalry battle to the 60-mark that saw IU take down it’s first #1ranked opponent in a decade. The Hoosiers jumped out to a 15-point halftime bulge, scoring a masterful 50 at the mid-point buzzer.
It was Edey vs. TJD, battling for Player of the Year in the country, if not certainly for the BIG individual crown. In the end, Zach had 33 with 18-rebounds while Trayce managed 25 and only seven. Purdue was dominant on the boards 38-22 but I.U. won the game 79-75. In the process, the Cream & Crimson also won the race to 60 at 12:46 on a Schifino jumper. Jalen was also the biggest scoring factor down the stretch. The rivalry would continue in three weeks, but first a visit from the #24 Scarlet Knights.
It only seemed appropriate that Trayce Jackson-Davis finally won a series game against Rutgers and in the process became the 6th player in Hoosier history to exceed the 2,000-point achievement. The victory also moved I.U. into a 2nd place conference tie after prevailing in seven of their last eight games.
At the start of this week, I was looking forward to some good basketball, with BIG games on the horizon. The Golden Gophers were without leading scorer Dawson Garcia and backup forward Pharrel Payne when the Hoosiers came calling at “The Barn.” Regardless, the Hoosiers still couldn’t “hit the proverbial side,” shooting 41.1% from the field 4-14 from behind the arc, and 11-18 from the line. The home team was even worse at 34.4%, 5-25, and 8-14, but I.U. had twice as many turnovers, half of those in the first eight minutes of the game. It may have been one of the ugliest games I’ve ever witnessed.
The ”Rule of 60” was working against us at traditionally unfriendly Williams Arena as Minnesota took a 57-54 lead with 3:20 go in the game after Jamison Battle hit a contested 3-pointer and Taurus Samuels sank two free throws. The savior was once again Trayce Jackson-Davis with 25 points, and 21 rebounds, including a game winning tip-in off a free-throw miss my Race Thompson with 43-seconds remaining. It prevented Minnesota from reaching 60 first with the score tied at 57-57. You also have to credit the IU defense as Indiana would dominate the final 3:20 of the game, allowing no points while scoring seven of their own. The final score was 61-57 after a pair of Trey Galloway free throws with 8-seconds to go, getting the Hoosiers over that magical hump. Ta’Lon Cooper missed a 3-pointer on the next Minnesota possession and Miller Kopp grabbed a loose ball and called timeout with just over 20 seconds to go.
Regardless of the circumstances, a big, BIG road win was the result, in a setting that has never been kind to the Hoosiers. It was their fourth straight conference win, tying them with Illinois and Michigan State at 5-4. They are a half-game behind Michigan and Northwestern, one game behind Rutgers, and three behind Purdue. Mike Woodson did not travel with the team since he was recovering from Covid, so Associate head coach, Yasir Rosemond took the reins. Next up, Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
With an 86-70 win over the Buckeyes, it meant five straight conference wins for the HOT Hoosiers for the first time since the 2015-2016 season. Two nights earlier, the IU Women’s team conquered the #2 ranked Ohio State ladies on the same floor. Both Hoosier teams used huge runs to breakaway to comfortable victories.
Freshman sensation Jalen Hood-Schifino had 17 of Indiana’s first 21 points, and finished the first half with 20, including 6- treys for a 46-30 Hoosier edge. In the end, JHS scored a game-high 24 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis continued his recent dominance with another double-double. He had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the victory while Malik Reneau, showing signs of shedding his freshman slump, added 15-points and 8 boards. Turnovers still seem to plague this team with nine compared to 8 for the visitors, but the Hoosiers shot 50% from field and 50% from three.
I.U. now sits at 15-6 and 6-4 in conference play, after a 1-4 start. The “magical moment” was a TJD dunk at 13:30, making it 60-43. Hopefully, this momentum will continue when they play at Maryland on Tuesday night, before hosting Purdue on Saturday. The Boilers have already won 21-games after revenging their only loss to Michigan State and claiming 4-straight since. The BIG Showdown is coming next weekend.
I was really confused on what day of the week it was today after a busy week. Our Sunday night Lunar New Year Party went well with 34 guests, but it seemed like more of a Friday or Saturday night affair. Confucious or Confusion? Monday was a traditional “Matinee” day, but we went to the movie “Plane” a bit earlier to get home for another party of neighbors planning a cruise, so dinner wasn’t even “Meatless.” Tuesday, I went to my first chair yoga class and stretched a few rarely used muscles. Temperatures have been cold, and therefore swimming has been more sporadic than normal, disrupting that routine. We had also strayed from the habit of having the kids over for Tuesday Eve dinner, getting that family tradition back on track.
Wednesday night, I watched I.U. men’s basketball barely edge Minnesota, but usually they play mid-week Thursdays, so that threw me off a bit. I was also up late for the game, fueled by adrenaline after a late tip-off. My wife and I ended up going chair shopping in Sarasota yesterday, our second visit there in the past week. We also gorged ourselves on Amish cooking at Der Dutchman and had no need for dinner, another unusual twist to the week. The night ended with an I.U. women’s basketball victory over #2 Ohio State.
In the middle of my run today, I suddenly realized it was Friday already. Jogging has at least been a consistent habit for me. That hasn’t changed in the last fourteen years, as “The Streak” now stands at 5,143 consecutive days. I also did not vary from my 3.1-mile course and was not rushed into a shorter distance. In addition, I’ve done a lot of writing this week, adding to the chapters in my Storyworth ramblings. Nothing much is planned for the weekend when traditional partying is done. We got it out of the way early this week, and that was the beginning of my retirement confusion.
This is a continuation of my last post where I listed my Top 10 Sports Moments (See Post #2257). However, there were just too many others that need to be mentioned. Because of my media connections and extensive travel opportunities, I’ve had the good fortune to attend 9 Final Fours (New Orleans 1982, Minneapolis 1992, Indianapolis 1991, 2000,2006, 2010, and Houston 2011) and 4 World Series, plus numerous auto races, games, championships, playoffs, tournaments, inaugural events, matches, stadiums and venues. To recall all of this was all a real test for my memory banks, aided greatly by diary mentions.
I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, about 100 miles east of Chicago. There was little in the way of sports on TV when I was a kid, but on occasion my dad would take me to games in The Windy City. I wanted to see Mickey Mantle play, so we went to Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox. We also went to Wrigley Field and on one trip, he took me to lunch in the Prudential Building with Jim Coker, a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. I also had an uncle who coached football at the University of Notre Dame and a cousin, Denny Murphy, that was an Irish tight end. I remember meeting him at a game against Cal. In addition, he took me to a N.D. basketball game at the Athletic and Convocation Center (ACC) that looked like a giant bra. These were my first personal connections with top athletes. I went back to Notre Dame in 2017 for the stadium remodel, my boss, a N.D. grad, gave me front-row seats for the unveiling.
My dad would often take me to high school basketball games at nearby North Side Gym, one of the largest in Indiana. He knew John Longfellow, the coach for the Muncie Central Bearcats, one of the best teams in the state. I got to go into the locker room after the game, another brush with greatness. Other than the annual high school basketball tournament, this venue mainly hosted some concerts, professional wrestling with Dick the Bruiser, and Roller Derby matches when the Bay City Bombers would come to town. Before single-class basketball was eliminated, I watched a classic battle for high school supremacy from our Hoosier Dome suite that I could never had imagined when I first went to Hoosier Hysteria games with my dad. A national record 41,046 were in attendance in 1990 when future I.U. star Damon Bailey led Bedford North Lawrence to the title, upsetting top rated and undefeated Concord High School and future NBA star Shawn Kemp 63-60. Concord was only about 15 minutes south of my hometown. It would be the last of 61 consecutive IHSAA finals sell-outs.
By my 10th birthday, I had lost interest in the Yankees and took my dad’s suggestion of picking a team closer to home. As the White Sox played in the 1959 World Series, I was able to watch on black & white TV my catching idol, Sherm Lollar of the Sox play for the first time. We did go to a few games to see him in person, but I never got to meet the man. He and his teammates have become the main focus of my baseball card collection and lifelong allegiance to the Sox.
I wrestled in high school and ran some track, but sports surprisingly were not a priority. Elkhart High was a big school with over 1000 students in my graduating class. We were state champions in football, wrestling, cross-county, and track, but I remember only occasionally going to Blue Blazer games or meets. I chose Albion College in Michigan after actually considering Purdue and played some intramural flag football for East Hall and eventually my fraternity Sigma Chi. I probably also attended a homecoming football game to watch the Britons. My frat brothers were hot on hockey and talked me into a Red Wings game. I also went to Milwaukee in 1971 as a weekend getaway and ended up at my first NBA game to watch Lew Alcinder and the eventual champion Bucks’. Outside of Chicago baseball, these games were my initial foray into professional sports.
A year later, I transferred to Indiana University, rode for the Sigma Chi Little 500 team, and settled into an apartment with my high school classmate, Alan. I do not remember going to an I.U. game at the old fieldhouse, but I do recall a blowout win against Notre Dame at the new Assembly Hall. I met George McGinnis at a party and began to follow the Hoosiers. I must have come back to Indianapolis in 1971 from Bloomington to see my high school team compete for a state championship. I couldn’t get tickets for the game that was played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University where the movie Hoosiers was filmed. I ended up watching the game on TV at the Sigma Chi house across the street. The Blue Blazers topped New Castle, and future I.U. big man, Kent Benson 75-70 in 3-overtimes. Benson led the undefeated Hoosiers to an NCAA title in 1976, an accomplishment that hasn’t since been repeated. A loaded East Chicago Washington squad won the championship game 70-60, but without ticket connections, I must have gone back to Bloomington. Ironically, I would never have to want for a ticket ever again!
I do remember getting excited about I.U. basketball when they made it to the Final Four in 1973 but lost to UCLA. I had a flat tire that morning and badly cut my hand on a piece of glass trying to fix it. I still have the scar as a reminder. The next few years, despite marriage and the birth of Adam, I became obsessed with basketball for the first time since I played in grade school and went to basketball camp.
I began to follow sports even more once I got in the radio business and began to sell sponsorships for Blue Blazers basketball and football, plus Hoosier Hysteria, Notre Dame, Purdue, and I.U. games throughout the season. Eventually, our family moved to Ft. Wayne, another hockey town, anchored by the Comets on our 50,000-watt competitor and music became my major selling point. Free concert tickets and trade were job bonuses. Plus, working with our National rep I began to travel to New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit. I went to Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Tiger Stadium. I also worked a deal with the Chicago Sting and played against the Harlem Globetrotters. However, it wasn’t until I got the job at WIBC radio in Indianapolis that I truly found my calling. I now had the Indianapolis 500, Colts, Indians, and Pacers to promote.
As a newcomer to the Capital City, I was asked by station management to host our suite for the Coca-Cola Circle City Classic. It was more than a football game between two black universities, it was a halftime battle of the band’s extravaganza. Apparently, no one else wanted to do it! This was my first experience with entertaining at events and would become the key to seeing every major sporting event or concert that came to town. The station had suite and hospitality access at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hoosier Dome, and Victory Field. I also made my own partnership deals for racing through The Machinists Union, BRG Sports, Blackburn Sports Marketing, and Indianapolis Raceway Park. Many of these deals transitioned with me when I moved to WISH-TV. In addition, CBS Sports had almost every major sporting event from the Masters to the Superbowl, along with baseball and the Olympics.
Beat The Pro was a promotion we sold at the insistence of my golf-loving boss. I had to spend most weekends on the golf course measuring distances to the pin. The only benefit for me was tickets to a White Sox suite, another memorable sports experience. I also earned a similar day at the park with the Wheel of Fortune syndicators. I was never in a suite at Wrigley, but they did have a club that served hot dogs on fancy Cubs’ china plates. They have since updated their facilities.
During my time in Indy, I attended and worked with the AAA Indians at Bush Stadium where we had both press box seats and season tickets. I once celebrated on the field with Randy Johnson after a league championship. In addition, I frequently took clients to Colts training camp and on the field. World Gymnastics once did an exhibition, the U.S. Track and Field Championships and NCAA Finals provided autograph sessions with Gayle Devers and Michael Johnson, the PGA Championship came to Crooked Stick Country Club, while John Daly was the upset winner. NCAA Swimming and Diving was another big draw for the city. I also had ringside seats for a gruesome light heavyweight bout won by Marvin Johnson. Finally, I sat many times on the floor to watch the Pacers and Reggie Miller, including the NBA Playoffs.
When I moved to Lafayette, it was all Purdue, but I.U. came to town at least once a year in basketball and every other year in football. I quickly learned that when Purdue won, business was better, so I put my Hoosier allegiance on hold. Plus, my mother-in-law was a big Boiler fan, so I presented her with front row seats for a game. I also had press passes, hospitality, and a beautiful stadium suite. I got close to the Purdue Athletic Director, along with Black & Gold Magazine and expanded our local coverage with the Joe Tiller and Gene Keady Shows. My wife was at WISH, so we continued to benefit from suite access to concerts and events. We saw Cathedral, where her girls went to school, win the state high school football title at the Dome. We also went with clients to the RCA Tennis Championships, with hospitality and great seats. During that timeframe, I played on the WISH softball team, as well as the traveling Pearson Group club, that appeared in the Media World Series held in Dallas, Phoenix, and Ft. Lauderdale. Add three more World Series to my list! I would eventually go to Omaha and the College World Series but only as a spectator.
Most of my attention was still focused on racing, like the Indy 500, but I tried to diversify with other speed events like the U.S. National Drags and the Carquest Sprint Series at Raceway Park. They were each a far cry from the New Paris Speedway dirt track and the side-show demolition derby that I went to back in high school. While still part of the Indy media, I once spent an entire IndyCar season as a weekend warrior, going from track to track around the country. I was on the pit crew at Mid-Ohio and worked with sponsors at Elkhart Lake, Michigan International, the Milwaukee Mile, PIR, Monterey, and Laguna Seca. I also got tickets for the inaugural Las Vegas 400 Nascar Race. This all started when we would supplement our broadcast media packages with show car appearances, suite hospitality, driver endorsements, and sponsorship logos. However, in the month of May I was usually at the track with my all-access Gold Badge every day working these partnerships.
Years later, the track expanded to include Nascar’s Brickyard 400, Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix, an IROC Series, and the Brickyard Crossing PGA Championship. I was there for all four of these inaugural events and in the future secured tickets through my wife to the Daytona 500 and Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. We’ve also used her connections to see the Mariners and Seahawks in Seattle, the MLB All-Star Game/Home Run Derby in Miami, and several Portland Trail Blazer and Timbers MLS games, including a Playoff match. Most of the Blazer games were from the suite, but one was another unforgettable front-row seat.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Bloomington, but I’ve still managed to keep up with I.U. sports. I’ve been to Ann Arbor, Champaign, West Lafayette as previously mentioned, and East Lansing for games and went to Seattle to watch the baseball team play Oregon State at T-Mobile Stadium. I drove to both the Liberty Bowl and Independence Bowl to experience Hoosier football, but never smelled the roses. My wife and I also traveled up to North Texas for an I.U. gridiron loss against the Mean Green. I’ve seen the Hoosiers win at Conseco and Lucas Oil Stadium and lose year after year in the Big Ten Tournament. They did not make the Big Dance when it was held exclusively in Indy, but I was there in the midst of the pandemic. Hoosier soccer fell short in the championship game I attended in Santa Barbara with a college friend. Twice, I’ve followed the Hoosiers to Hawaii for the Maui Classic. On the first occasion I met Bob Knight and got his autograph.
The Oregon Ducks became a favorite when we moved to Portland. I’ve been to both Autzen Stadium and Matthew Knight Arena. I’ve also seen them win in the Rose Quarter aka Moda Center for two Phil Knight events. Oregon State also played there. Plus, friends and I went to two Les Schwab Invitationals to watch several prospective college recruits impress the scouts. While living in central Illinois, we supported the Illini, so Assembly Hall was our new home for basketball and Memorial Stadium for football. I sat with retired Coach Lou Henson for a game.
On the NBA front, I’ve been to America West in Phoenix to watch the Suns, Orlando to see the Magic at Amway Center, and to San Antonio’s AT&T Center for the Spurs, long after that initial big-time-basketball exposure at Milwaukee County Stadium while I was still in college. The Pacers and Blazers were the result of station-owned season tickets. The Knicks were always the favorite team to visit, especially when Reggie and Spike Lee were at each other’s throats.
I’ve never been to the Olympics but have experienced the Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene after it was delayed a year due to Covid. I also sat and watched the Olympic Freestyle Championships in both Breckenridge, Colorado and Stowe, Vermont when I was there on ski trips. Speaking of games on ice, exposure to the game of hockey has been sadly limited to the Ft. Wayne Comets, Indianapolis Ice, the Detroit Redwings 50 years ago, and the Portland Winterhawks a few years ago at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.
Another of my bucket list goals, was a Super Bowl. We had access to tickets every year but never wanted to pay the price. It likely will never happen, but I certainly can’t complain about a lack of big tickets throughout my lifetime. I thought about going to Miami when the Colts played the Bears, but honestly couldn’t decide on which team to support. My first football love was Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts, who conveniently moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night. However, the ’85 Bears had pushed the needle once again to Chicago sports. I’ve been to Soldier Field and continue to follow the Bears after all these frustrating years. I’ve worked closely with the Colts players and coaches through the years and have been to several Playoff home games. Road games have been in Houston and Chicago. I saw the Bears play in Indy.
The one Chicago team that has had the most success is the Bulls. I was never a fan and actually picked a suite game the year after Michael Jordan retired. I tried to give them away, but no one was interested. The Pacers Market Square Arena suite was nothing more than a long couch in a closet positioned behind a glass panel. It was hardly fit for entertaining but came with extra tickets and a bartender. At the last minute, I ended up giving them to Adam and hours later M.J. announced his return. They were suddenly the hottest tickets in town and Adam reaped the benefit. His friends were even previously reluctant to go, but I remember his pager (prime technology at that time) buzzing like a hive of wasps on our coffee table just before game time. It was certainly one of his greatest sports moments. We probably could have made a fortune selling them, but scalping was illegal, and they were technically the station’s tickets. I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of unloading them because no one really knew I had somehow picked them at the beginning of the season.
Baseball has endured as a consistent favorite from early childhood throughout today. I’ve already shared my stories of Chicago and Detroit games growing up and the four World Series attended. I never went to a college baseball game in Bloomington but got into it when we lived in Austin and learning the phenomenal record of longtime coach Texas Longhorn coach, Augie Garrido, who won two College World Series in his tenure. It was really the first time that I sat down and watched the entire tournament, inspiring me to attend one day. While in Portland, I began to follow the Oregon State Beavers and went to a few of their games at Hillsboro Stadium, home of the Hops, and at Portland State.
I enjoy baseball but it’s often boring, too many times ideal for a nap. It’s easier to mention the Major League stadiums I haven’t been to: Milwaukee’s Miller Park, Minneapolis, San Diego, Philadelphia, Arlington’s Globe Life Field, Atlanta, Montreal, Arizona, and Oakland. Two stadiums, Coors Field and Progressive Park in Cleveland I’ve only just jogged around, while I saw the Texas Rangers play in their former Arlington home from a luxury suite. Our Dallas TV station carried their games, but Covid prohibited a planned visit to the new facility two years ago. I’ve also been to Minor League Stadiums in Round Rock, Texas to see The Express, Jupiter Beach for the Cardinals, Surprise AZ, Charlottesville FL, Hohocum Scottsdale, and Cool Today, our neighborhood Braves Spring Training facility. The other day I drove around the Baltimore Orioles’ Buck O’Neil complex in nearby Sarasota.
Visits to Cooperstown, the College Football Hall of Fame, and recently the NFL Hall of Fame rekindled many emotional sports memories. Recently, my wife and I went to see our local Venice High School Indians host a football playoff game, with thoughts of her two girls at the Hoosier Dome championship game we all went to before our marriage years ago. My dad gave me a love of sports at all levels, and we shared this passion throughout life. It continues with Adam and his favorite teams since childhood, the Dolphins and Cubs. What will be our next great moment?
I’ve certainly had my share of great stadium accommodations, including luxury suites for the Colts, Pacers, St. Louis Cardinals, Longhorns, Purdue, Texas Rangers, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Circuit of America, Portland Trailblazers, and Chicago White Sox, plus front-row seats for the Pacers, I.U., Trailblazers, Boilermakers, and Notre Dame. I’ve been on the field, in the pits, sat in the Press Box, celebrated on the court, and frequented numerous VIP sections and hospitality rooms watching a variety of sports from the Domes to the Velodromes. With this in mind, I’m challenged to pick my Top 10 Lifetime Greatest Sports Moments.
Although we didn’t have the usual great seats, we were fortunate to even secure tickets to Game 5 of the first World Series at Wrigley Field to see the Cubs win on Halloween Eve of 2016 (#3). The night before we were there for the loss against the Indians. (#4) Both games will forever be near the top of my list, but overall, I’ve been to four World Series in three cities, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. The White Sox opening game win against the Astros at Cellular One in 2005 was the beginning of a four-game sweep. I had media passes for that game and rode with my WAND-TV camera crew. (#5).
Several other unforgettable events for me happened at Wrigley, including Sammy Sosa’s 61st and 62 homers on Sunday, September 13, 1998. (#6) My dad, son, and best friend were with me that day. The following year on Opening Day a special Tribute was held for announcer Harry Karay on April 3rd. He died February 18, 1998, and never got to watch that great season-ending showdown between Mark McGwire and Sosa. McGwire was the home-run king with 70, but both have failed to make the Hall of Fame after steroid suspicions. Adam, Gavyn, and I have a commemorative brick at the park thanks to my wife. The “3-generations” first got together for a game on September 10, 2007, and the Cubs won 12-3 over the rival Cardinals. (#7).
The top two moments on my list would have to be at the Louisiana Superdome in 1987 when I.U. Basketball won the National Championship. Keith Smart’s winning shot happened in front of my eyes on Monday, March 30, 1987, against Syracuse. (#1). Two days earlier, Steve Alford beat UNLV on the same court. (#2) It was an unbelievable road trip with Bill, Mark, and two close friends of Peter, who set the whole trip up but couldn’t go because his father passed.
The three final Top 10 sports moments were more about the transportation than the events themselves. A friend flew me to Bloomington on his private plane from Ft. Wayne for an I.U. basketball game. I don’t remember the date or game details, but this special V.I.P. treatment will always stand out in my mind. (#8). Similarly in 1998, I was whisked into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by helicopter while entertaining our television station owner, Craig McCaw. A golf cart took us to the Hullman Suite to watch the race and the same chopper brought us back downtown, avoiding the massive crowds. (#9) Last but not least was the Chauferred, PINK limousine that took two close friends and I to a big Monday Night Colts Game at the Hoosier Dome. It was Halloween night, and we wore costumes that you had to see to believe. One buddy and I were dressed as George Dickel whisky bottles with a twist-off cap as headgear. The other pal was Colts running back star Eric Dickerson, but in this case, “Dickelson.” Each of us wore pink tights. On the back of our outfits, it read, “We’re Dickeled Pink to be here.” Never, have we attracted more attention, including a newspaper article with pictures. We, of course, celebrated the victory with shots of George Dickel. (#10).
I have written on many occasions about the “Rule of 60” or the “Magic of 60” in following Indiana University basketball through the years. Looking back on the beginning of last season, I thought that the Bobby Knight magic might have been reincarnated with the hiring of Coach Mike Woodson. Defense was once again a priority as I reread Post #1950 and expectations were high. They have now sunk to a new low after Penn State’s record 18 3-pointers. Two more and they would have gotten sixty-points from solely beyond the arc.
The first to 60 usually wins, was my magical formula for victory, dating back to a McDonald’s promotion when I was in college. It was a simple challenge – hold the opponent under 60 and you win free food. This was before the 3-point shot was ever a factor, but I still find that 60 rules! It remains a magical mark in college basketball, but not of late for Indiana. It worked in their only Big Ten victory so far this season against Nebraska with the score 62-41 with 9:23 remaining in the game. It also took a historical triple-double from Trayce Jackson-Davis. Only Steve Downing in 1971 and Juwan Morgan in 2018 had achieved this feat.
The Hoosiers then almost pulled out a victory against Arizona after trailing by 19 early but narrowed the gap to only 59-56 before the bottom fell out. TJD was showing signs of back problems and did not play the next two games against Elon or Kennisaw State, but the worst was yet to come. Kansas easily got to 60 first, leading 60-42 at the 11:35 mark after the porous Hoosier defense gave up 44 in the first half. Xaviar Johnson suffered a broken foot in this 23-turnover disaster. Kennisaw State hit their first 5-3’s and surprisingly matched the short-staffed Hoosiers through the first half only to fall 69-55.
After the New Year, with Jackson-Davis back in the lineup against Iowa, Race Thompson went down with a knee injury while the Hoosiers raced to an impressive 21-point road lead. The Hawkeyes battled back to make it 59-58 with 12:40 remaining and took their first lead a minute later at 61-58. IU did get to 60 first but after squandering such a big lead the “Rule of 60” did not hold up and Iowa prevailed 91-89. Northwestern then easily beat us to 60 at home with 41-points in the first half and an 84-83 upset despite 33 from Jalen Hood-Schifino. That brings us up to the 85-66 debacle at Penn State, our largest loss margin against the Nittany Lions in history.
Here we stand at 1-4 in the BIG with pre-season expectations of a championship long unrealized. Wisconsin is next to come to Bloomington with a 5-game winning streak and 9-1 record over the hapless Hoosiers in recent matchups. It gets even worse if you go back to 2010 with the Badgers dominating 20-3. It does not look promising for the hobbled Cream and Crimson, especially after already proving that they are vulnerable even at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It will take a lot of magic to win this game and right the sinking ship.
Giving up on average nearly 70-points a game, IU defense is far from magical. #1 Houston gives up only 52.9-ppg. Keeping your opponent under 60, among other factors, is what it takes to be a top contender. Sadly, at least so far, it’s the death of 60 for this year’s Hoosiers.
