Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 26 of 68)
An old guy’s perspective on all sports
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!
Life these days continues to revolve around basketball, with my calendar filled almost exclusively with games. Today, it’s the women’s tournament as both Oregon and Indiana play in San Antonio. The NCAA finally responded to their frustration by providing weight room equipment comparable to the men. Equal rights! Sports has always provided a political platform for leveling the playing field, starting with injustice in the Negro Leagues, for example. Owners eventually found a human side and brought change. Separate but Equal was never a good compromise because separate is never equal, as was recently exposed in San Antonio.
Separate drinking fountains, entrances, and accommodations was where this all originated. At least, it was a step up from the cruelty of slavery. The Indians were among the first victims that also included other people of color and women throughout history. Sadly, it still exists today, but inroads are being made. The business of sports has existed as a microcosm of this segregation madness. For too many years, we saw the stubborn refusal to pass the ball to blacks and women. Slowly, females are beginning to prove that they belong on the same field as males, coming together as players, officials, and executives. The world can learn from this transformation, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Providing athletes, regardless of sex or color, equal facilities and opportunities is part of this equation. Too often, the simple things like equipment are overlooked. If everyone is given the same chance to compete with no ceilings then the best athletes will eventually rise to the top. If the world of sports can practice equality, then so can the rest of us. Break down the barriers and make the entire world a better place to live.
I’m back home again from Indy with a busted bracket, hangover, and little sleep. Not quite as bad as the 1987 Final Four in New Orleans, but 34 years older and out of drinking shape. O’Reilly’s Irish Pub turned out to be our rendezvous spot between games. My friend who secured the hard-to-get tickets was following Illinois to their disastrous end, while my Indy buddy and I saw an assortment of teams live at both Lucas Oil Stadium and Banker’s Life. Purdue failed to please, falling to The Mean Green, as the sole representative of the state’s once-renowned round-ball heritage. IU stumbled once again and missed the Big Dance altogether. Oregon’s opponent was eliminated by Covid and the only other Beavs fan I met was due to a rest room break at a bar appropriately called The Wild Beaver. I was wearing my Oregon State baseball shirt.
The three flights in from Portland to Indianapolis went relatively smoothly but sleep was hard to come by. A 5:30 a.m. run through a nearly abandoned terminal at O’Hare got me through the night – that’s 2:30 a.m. Portland time! The first stop after the airport was The World of Beer where I enjoyed my first cold one. Former IU star Dan Dakich hosted a live radio show that was organized by another friend of mine. I tried my best to work in some of my oldest media pals into our fast paced schedule while I was in town, while grabbing some BBQ wings. The Day 2 lunch was at the Workingman’s Friend with other dudes from my past. Next, on the agenda were stops at The Yardhouse, Slippery Noodle, Harry & Izzy’s, and 10 West. For me, it was an exhausting trip down memory lane in the town where I spent 15 years of my life. I was proud that the Hoosier State could pull off this basketball extravaganza, but without the packed arenas and screaming crowds these efforts were futile.
Over the two night span, I got together with 7 fellow basketball buds and made a few phone calls to those who couldn’t be there. Everyone was curious about the unprecedented experience of all these games in central Indiana, but the crowds were disappointing and the venues seemingly empty thanks to Covid. Zip ties were used to disable seats that were strategically socially distanced. At first, it looked like you could move down to empty chairs closer to the courts, but you couldn’t sit in them. Entire sections were blocked off and the atmosphere was sadly sterile. Plus, the mask patrol was monitoring everyone on cameras and warning us of ejection. I’m sure the players were glad to have live supporters, but their voices were lost in the cavernous void. It was better to stay home and watch the action on TV, because the party crowds on the street or in the stands were sorely missing. A year ago downtown Indy was bustling with activity even on a normal day, but the tourney came off as a ghost town despite all these teams and fans in attendance.
One of my highlights of being back home again in Indiana was a bacon and maple cream long john, made by a popular donut spot. This was a late night surprise left on the doorstep of my good friend’s condo. His place is a bit far from the downtown action, so he did a lot of shuttling us around. We had a great time as always, bemusing about the miserable IU season and speculating on a new coach. March MADness took on new meaning with the anger we expressed in both 2020 and 2021. I’m home and back in the blog business, with lots of good weekend memories.
It’s laundry day – how’s that for excitement! Yesterday, I did get out the apartment for some wine tasting at L’ Angolo and Eminent Domain. It was good to spend some time with two lifelong friends – our first get together since November. In the meantime, it’s been Zoom calls, phone, and text, as we suffered through the downfall of I.U. basketball. The time together gave us a chance to discuss the upcoming NCAA tournament action and the uncertain fate of our Hoosiers as fellow alumni. There was little else to talk about. I will miss them both when we move from Oregon to Florida in less than three weeks.
The stress is building, as we continue to work on closing, packing, and traveling. I’m taking a break this weekend for some basketball games in Indianapolis, once I make my picks. A former business acquaintance in Austin lets me participate in her family pool. I’m sure they’re glad to take my money every year, so it’s become a tradition. With the cancellation of last year’s event, it was the first time I at least broke even. I’m inclined to pick the nine BIG teams to go as far as possible, but I’ll we’ve been able to see is them beat up each other down the stretch. There’s no means of comparing how they stack up to the other conferences, and frankly all I’m familiar with in making my selections.
I leave Thursday night for my flight to Indianapolis, and will wait until then to fill out my brackets. Covid could become an even bigger factor in determining who will be able to play. For the first time in history, there are also stand-by teams in case any of the 68 invitees can’t participate. It’s been an unusual year in college basketball, culminating with the firing of both the Indiana and Minnesota coaches – more conference fall-out from the teams that failed to punch their tickets to the Big Dance.
