Category: Purdue University Boilermakers (Page 4 of 10)
Purdue University Boilermakers P.U.
Santa started making deliveries this week, getting a head start on Christmas morning. The electric scooter arrived in Florida for my granddaughter. A Gamemaker2 program showed up on my grandson’s computer, and a kids table & chairs set is on the way for my youngest granddaughter. However, I did not get any of my holiday wishes granted yesterday. Santa, dressed in cream & crimson, did not deliver a basketball win at Florida State, a Bucket Game this year, or a top spot in the BIG10 Football Championship. The Buckeye Santa, also dressed in red & white, swayed conference representatives to allow his team to play for the title against Northwestern. Honestly, they deserve it after their 42-35 victory over Indiana and an undefeated record.
It was not a good day for I.U. or P.U. athletics as Covid once again has taken its toll. The Old Oaken Bucket rivalry (See Post #867) has existed since 1891 but games in 1895, 1896, 1903, 1906, 1907, 1918, 1919, and now 2020 did not happen due to various circumstances. The game this Saturday would have been the 100th consecutive in the series but has been officially cancelled. Overall, Purdue leads 74-42-6, but the #8 Hoosiers had hoped to narrow that wide gap as a heavy favorite. Thanks to Covid, The Boilermakers may have dodged a bullet! Up next for I.U. will probably be Iowa if Champions Week goes as planned. As we all know, nothing is certain in these viral times!
Santa is still coming to town, although there will be only one limited family get-together. My wife’s daughter and husband will be over for a dinner gift exchange next week, but all other family meetings will be limited to phone or Zoom. Kauai was cancelled and any travel into San Francisco for the other daughter is delayed. We will get together with my son’s family in mid-January with a trip to Florida and The Keys. We’re still waiting to see what happens with any home construction delays and the cruises we have scheduled for 2021. Santa is putting us in a new Florida home this year.
Yesterday’s errands turned out to be less of a hassle than originally expected. This is the plus side of being a pessimist. I didn’t have to deal with the garage hydraulics, traffic was light, parking was easy, appointments went as scheduled, and travel between them was smooth. There were no wrong turns and not once did I go out of my way. This is a rare accomplishment. The Social Security office was closed, so I put my paperwork in the mail, hoping that it will still get immediate attention. There was one extra unexpected task when the low-air indicator popped up on my dashboard. It required a stop at Les Schwab Tire, but they got me in right away. I will need two new tires before we head out to Florida, but that will wait until after the first of the year.
I was surprisingly home by noon, expecting all my tasks to take most of the day. My wife then offered to let me put-off cooking for a few days, allowing even more time for play. As a result, I watched two more James Bond movies – Diamonds are Forever (#7 1971) and Her Majesty’s Secret Service (#6 1969). Today, I’ll be home all day with more Bond movies, Big Sky, and Suits on the television viewing plan. This sadly is the new daily norm for me – run, blog, watch. Tomorrow, it’s back to the dentist for a crown and a filling, another deviation from the apartment routine. I’m glad to have something to do, but who really wants to go get drilled?
I.U. basketball is on TV tonight, with the ACC-BIG10 Challenge against #22 Florida State. BIG teams dominated yesterday’s action with a 6-1 record, with the only loss by Purdue against Miami. A Hoosier victory would be a positive step into the Top 25 after a mediocre performance in the Maui Classic. The other big news today will be the BIG10 Conference decision to wave the six-game minimum on playing for the title. With the cancellation of the Michigan-Ohio State game, the Buckeyes at 5-0 have not played enough games to qualify. Indiana at 6-1 could by-pass Ohio State, despite the earlier 42-35 loss, and play Northwestern for the championship. However, the vote could pander to the Buckeyes, allowing them to also compete for a National Championship. This would unfortunately knock the Hoosiers out of contention for the BIG title, despite the rules. One way or the other, it will be a very controversial decision. The Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue is also in jeopardy this weekend due to Coronavirus concerns, although it has little affect on Hoosier post-season destiny. Even though it might benefit I.U. football – Covid Sucks!
Indiana is having the best football season since before I was born. A once mediocre to poor program has been resurrected by coach Tom Allen. For me, watching them beat Wisconsin yesterday was a near religious experience. The post-game interview showed the love of the players for their coach. It’s encouraging to note that his enthusiasm, energy, and respect will bring top players to Indiana for many years to come. Football will become THE Hoosier sport. Next year, even Ohio State will have reason to fear the Cream & Crimson.
The next step is beating Purdue next Saturday for the Old Oaken Bucket. Rivalry games like this tend to bring out the best in a mediocre opponent like this year’s Boilermakers squad. I’ve seen many a solid I.U. team fall apart in this game. Weather may even be a bigger factor with the December match-up three weeks later than normal. There’s been nothing normal about 2020, and I.U. football success is one of the irregularities. The Hoosiers now boast the most wins in the BIG Conference at six, with Penn State, Michigan, and now Wisconsin as their uncharacteristic victims. In order to qualify for the Championship game, Ohio State still needs to play one more game. If the virus gets in the way, as it often has this year, the Hoosiers could still win the evasive title.
In my lifetime, only the Rose Bowl season of 1967-68 compares with 2020-21 success. The Hoosiers under John Pont finished 6-1 in the Big Ten that year, 9-2 overall, and became the last non-Ohio/Michigan team to win the Conference, losing only to Minnesota. They earned a trip to the Rose Bowl, but were thwarted 14-3 by USC’s O.J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy winner that year. The team featured wide receiver Jade Butcher, running back John Isenbarger, and MVP Harry Gonzo at quarterback: B-I-G. They were known by those three letters long before the Conference itself!
Virus willing – there will be at least three more games for the Hoosiers this year, including a major Bowl. Hungry Purdue at 2-4 will not qualify for post season play even if they pull-off the upset of I.U. – more reason for me to worry about next Saturday. My other hometown adopted teams are Illinois 2-4, Texas 6-3, and Oregon 3-2. Notre Dame stands at 10-0, with a chance for a National Championship. My heart is always with the Hoosiers. Behold – we are witnessing the resurrection of I.U. football!
Sports have probably never been a more important part of my life. It’s my sole entertainment in these pandemic times of isolation. I’ve gone through most of the movies and documentaries I’ve wanted to watch, waiting for live sports to finally return. Now, there’s almost too much to keep track of every day. My love of sports dates back to childhood and following my local high school team – The Elkhart Blue Blazers. A once dominant team in most every sport was eventually split into two high schools. Throughout the years, there was never a greater nemesis than the Penn Kingsmen in nearby Mishawaka, Indiana. Once I moved away from town, it seemed like every time I checked the scores it was another loss to Penn, particularly in football.
“Once A Blazer – Always a Blazer” is the motto of my generation, disturbed by the recent consolidation of the two Elkhart high schools into one again. They should have never been separated in the first place, but it did start another rivalry between the Memorial Chargers and the Elkhart Blue Blazers. Unfortunately, neither team was very competitive on the state level like Penn. The main problem with unifying the two programs became selecting a name. As a result, the Blazers or Chargers no longer exist, but the new Lions have become a football force. For the first time in 35 years, the final score of Friday night’s football match-up was Elkhart 20 Penn 19, and the team that I will always know as the Blazers are undefeated.
As I write this morning, I’m watching the final day of the Tour de France, reminiscent of our trips to Paris. It too was delayed several months as organizers made adjustments to deal with Coronavirus concerns. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won it in his rookie debut. Cycling, golf, auto racing, football, and baseball are all now competing with each other for television viewership, with little in the way of live fan support. Plus, last night the Portland Timbers pounded the San Jose Earthquake 6-1 for a MLS victory, after a draw the other night in the same stadium.
So far, 2020 has been a good year for my teams. The Chicago White Sox just claimed their first playoff berth in twelve years. The Cubs will also soon clinch, putting both Chicago teams in the same post-season battle for only the third time since 1906. The White Sox, known that year as the “hitless wonders” upset the powerhouse Cubs in the World Series. Could it happen again in this year of strange surprises? Last Sunday, for example, the Bears, Cubs, and White Sox were all victorious. I bought a new pair of Sox Socks to celebrate their success. My Bears and Cubs socks don’t have holes in them yet.
The Cubs had a five-game winning streak going into last night’s game against the Twins. Sadly, the streak ended badly and the Cubbies allowed the Twins to clinch the fifth spot in this year’s post-season. The Cubs magic number is now four with three games remaining against the White Sox. They could each knock the other out of the top spot in their respective Division races. A week from now the seeds will all be finalized. Could the Sox and Cubs collide for all the marbles again after 114 years?
Chicago baseball has witnessed two no-hitters this year, the only ones in the majors. I bought Topps cards to commemorate these two remarkable achievements from Luis Giolito of the White Sox and Alec Mills of the Cubs. At no other time in history have both Windy City teams had this happen in the same season. It’s just the beginning of what could happen in Sweet Home Chicago this year. Unfortunately, a Cubs-Sox World Series would be held in Arlington, Texas,
The other important development this past week in sports was the BIG 10 conference rethinking the earlier decision to delay Fall football. After much controversy, schedules starting October 24th were finally announced. I.U. will open at Penn State and conclude with Purdue eight weeks later. The ninth game for the Cream & Crimson will either be the BIG Championship or a bonus conference match-up with potential Bowl implications. Let’s hope it’s not the Toilet Bowl – they could easily go 0-9. Basketball will begin November 25th when the Hoosiers were originally planning to play in Maui. It will be a week later in Asheville, as a further indication of the strange twists in sports this year. Will 2020 also be good to both Hoosier teams, despite the delays?
The Lakers are in the driver’s seat for this year’s NBA Championship, with an opening round final four victory over Denver. The Tampa Bay Lightening lost their Stanley Cup Finals opener against the Dallas Stars. I’ll need to follow them as a future Florida resident. The Rays are comfortably in the MLB play-off field, while the Bucs and Tom Brady did not get off to a great start last Sunday. I’ve now lived in enough states to always have a team in contention, but Chicago will forever remain my favorite.
The strain and stress of isolation is beginning to distort my sense of personal privacy. I was always taught to refrain from discussing three controversial subjects in life: Religion, Politics, and Bobby Knight. These were the three most debatable subjects while growing up as a Hoosier. I was warned that each could easily destroy any good friendship and create irreparable alienation from others. Through my daily thoughts, I’m hoping to attract others to my words – not drive them away. With this in mind, I will cautiously step to the edge of the religious cliff and reveal some of my secrets. For those of you ready to stop reading, this is not about Coach Knight!
I know that we all would like to believe that after we die there’s a special place we go where we are rewarded for our goodness. I see it as the retirement party that I never had. A lot of things in life for me did not go as planned, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t turn out for the best. I never imagined that I would work for ten different companies, after my dad spent forty successful years at one. I never would have planned being married twice or moving over 30 times. Portland, Oregon was never on my radar, but Florida always was a Heaven on Earth and where I hope to retire next year.
I attended church and vacation Bible schools while I was growing up in Indiana. I never had any issues with following the basic principals of the Commandments, even to this day. They are good rules to live by, and the common foundation of every religion. However, it was always disturbing to me that every organized group of worshipers seemed to portray a superior attitude in their beliefs. Like clubs, fraternities, and sororities, religious affiliation appears to divide more people rather than it brings together. From my perspective, it’s been a alarming observation that 30% of the world are Christians and 70% are arguably wrong.
Heaven and Hell are the two choices we’re given, yet nobody really wants to go to Hell! Heaven could be really boring, filled with people that can do no wrong or at least never get caught. What would there be to talk about, and what does a two-bedroom condo cost there? Are there travel options to Hell and Back, just for a little variety? I’m not one to make fun of beliefs, but all this preaching about one God and two ways of spending eternity, leave me a bit baffled.
I can see where each of us carries a little bit of our God with us at all times. This enables us to distinguish between “Good and Evil.” I don’t see where “going to church” or following a specific God should be like a Walt Disney World Fast Pass to Heaven. You might not even speak his or hers’ language. I think we’ve already proven that our personal prejudices have made it impossible to live peacefully together on Earth, let alone in some other Eden-like world. Like most everyone else, these are questions that I silently ponder every day of my retirement life.
Every day could be my last, but I’m content with the way I’ve led my life. I know that when I close my eyes for the last time, I don’t expect to be transported to paradise, but I will be briefly reunited with those that I have lost. This is the one reward that I think everyone, regardless of good or bad merits, is entitled to experience. A final rush of remembrance. After that, it may simply be eternal sleep, which at times sounds pretty good after too many years of wondering what might happen next?
I’ll save the heated subject of Bob Knight for another time, after I’ve gauged any negative reaction to these thoughts on the after-life. While there may be a place in my heaven for him, I’ve heard too many Purdue fans say, “he can go to Hell!” I think my first wife might have said that of me, but I don’t think she really meant it at the time. Hopefully, we’re both happier with the way things turned out. Life is not a fairy tale, so not everyone will have a happy ending. I hold no animosity for anyone or anything, and if there is a God, I would be the last one to try to upset them. Just get someone where I go that can win a few basketball games for me!
Will it be March Madness, Badness, Gladness, or Sadness? One sad note is that my Elkhart High School Blazers have played their last basketball game forever, eliminated in the Indiana 4A sectionals. From this point forward, they will be known as the Elkhart Lions. My son’s high school team, #1 ranked Indianapolis Lawrence North, escaped defeat by legendary Indianapolis Crispus Attucks last night to make it to their sectional title game. Their girls team already claimed their first state title last week. Ever since I was a little kid playing with an aluminum foil ball and a bottomless Quaker Oats container, the Indiana high school basketball tournament was always the first sign that spring has finally arrived.
The second sign of spring was if I.U. was still playing basketball and Purdue wasn’t. However, that hasn’t been true for years. The two Hoosier seniors, De’Ron Davis and Devonte Green, have an opportunity today to at least get in the NCAA tournament for the first time in their college careers. Coach Archie Miller has also yet to produce a tourney-worthy team. Purdue has been there every one of those frustrating years, but find themselves in a bubble game today against Rutgers. IU has to beat Wisconsin to officially make their dreams come true. The game starts in a few minutes and will determine my mood for the rest of the day. If they fail, they at least have the BIG tournament next week to try to make the elusive field of 68 for the first time in four years. The IU women made the quarter-finals of the BIG tournament and play Maryland later this afternoon. Purdue has already been eliminated, another positive sign of spring.
With the clocks “Springing Forward” tonight, it’s the start of an ominous week that also includes a full moon, Friday the 13th, conference tournaments, and Selection Sunday. We fly to Phoenix on Thursday for Spring Training games and additional fun in the sun, so regardless we’ll escape from the Portland gray skies and rain. Typically, Friday the 13th has been lucky for me, so I really can’t lose when we see the Sox playing the Cubs, my two favorite teams. I’d then like to see the week end with I.U. men in the NCAA tournament and Purdue on the sidelines – the true beginning of spring.
I needed to get this off my aging chest. Why is it that when a senior has a computer problem it’s assumed that it must be user error? I’m a frequent visitor to Buffalo Wild Wings, hardly a renowned senior hangout. In fact, they don’t even offer a senior discount, but they do have a rewards program. I’m in charge of accumulating points from our once weekly “Leadership Meetings.” The way this works is that our entire order is put through on my account and we split the check equally. All the points then go to one central point – my Buffalo Wild Wings app. We get points for checking-in, ordering food & drinks, and participating in store promotions. At the end of the year, we initially agreed to use all the points to pay for our group holiday luncheon.
I have always refused to clip coupons but for some reason have always loved points. In fact, my wife claims that I love my Marriott points more than her. I also have the Landry restaurant app, along with Outback, Starbucks, and Open Table to further accumulate dining-out credits. There are also the airline mileage programs that operate through an app that I take advantage of using. What’s the point? Points! They get you free stuff with little effort other than sometimes providing a phone number when you order. In most cases, it’s mostly hassle-free and can save a few bucks on a retirement budget.
“Leadership Meetings” of late have not been as regular. One member now lives near the coast, while another has a new job that does not allow lunch flexibility. As a result, our Wild Wing meetings have shifted more to late afternoon to watch basketball games and drink beer. This now happens only every couple weeks, rather than on Fridays like clockwork as they used to be. We had a lot of points sitting in the app bank with no plans for a holiday party and uncertainty on when the next get-together would be. We decided to splurge his past week for the Indiana vs. Purdue game.
I checked in on the app and placed an appetizer order for Ultimate Nachos. The game was not going well so our mood at the table was impatience coupled with frustration. We had close to 15,000 points to use, a majority of which was intended for our dinner order. The company had updated their app so I had trouble both logging-in and placing the order. Keep in mind, I’ve used it hundreds of times through the past couple years. I mention this because what happened next was not a “Senior Moment.” I placed the single order and then noticed that most all the points had disappeared. The app had quadrupled my order. I called the familiar manager over and explained the problem, so he immediately sent an e-mail to the corporate webmaster asking them to reinstate our points. However, it would take some time to correct the problem, so we had no points to use for dinner.
I’d had a few drinks and proceeded to remain calm, but just knew that this was going to be a hassle. The score of the game only added to my anger as I read his e-mail. “A guest of ours accidentally redeemed four ultimate nachos when he meant to redeem one.” Why was it suddenly the old guy’s fault? I didn’t do anything accidentally! In my mind, there was clearly a glitch in their program. Isn’t the customer always right? Instead, I’m now trying to communicate with a computer geek thousands of miles away, while having paid for our meal that was supposed to be free. This morning, I finally got a follow-up e-mail from the webmaster (wingmaster). It was nothing more than canned instructions on how to “log-on’ properly to correct my “log-on” issue. I could in no way blame this on age discrimination or elderly incompetence since there’s no way he could know that I’m retired with a feeble mind. He was just trying to get an e-mail off his desk and blew me off with a form letter, while I’m no closer to getting my points reinstated.
I wonder how long it will be before I get my points back and the associated free meals? I do know that the manager will eventually take care of us, but I’m not sure when we’ll be back for the next Leadership Meeting? Whatever happens, I’m sure it won’t be worth the hassle. In the meantime, I’m still wearing the label of elderly incompetence and hungry for free wings.
Like a true masochist, I’m back in front of the television for another chapter in the “Season on the Stink.” The Season on the Brink was the John Feinstein book about Coach Bob Knight and the 1985-86 I.U. basketball team that lost to Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 21-8 record. The 2019-2020 version of the team has played some really bad basketball but could still get to that respectable 20-win mark. They’ve been particularly bad on the road, with a trip to Illinois today. Fortunately, my wife and Tally are not here to witness the frustration that is sure to overcome me. Tally will not have to cower in fear as I scream about turnovers, missed lay-ups, poor free throw shooting, and off-balance bricks. I’ve already documented about how much they “stink” this year. (See Post #1237).
It’s been a build-up of tension that began with the dismissal of Coach Bobby Knight 20-years ago. Twenty seems to be the magic number in this sequence of events that began in 2000. It wasn’t until 2020 that he returned to the court. Twenty regular season wins this year would be remarkable considering double losses to a mediocre Purdue team that foiled Knight’s big day. Instead, it was arch-rival Gene Keady that left with a smile on both occasions. There are three games left to get two victories, but today’s game at Illinois is the biggest opportunity to return to tournament glory. The team lacks confidence in a hostile environment, so “winning ugly” is their only chance. Otherwise, it will be another blowout loss, adding to the stink that already prevails.
The Illini are 13-3 at home this year, so our chances are slim. In fact, IU only has 33% chance for victory, while it’s closer to 90% that the visiting Hoosiers will stink up the place and retired Chief Illiniwek will dance on their tournament grave. I’ve sat in only five different BIG venues in my lifetime, including I.U., Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, and Illinois. Illinois is by far the most hostile, with memories of Eric Gordon’s rude reception after flipping his commitment across the border. He thrived on the controversy and it will take a similar performance from someone like senior Devonte Green to keep us in the ballgame. We can only hope.
it was the most consistent half of basketball that the Hoosiers have played all year. I kept waiting for the wheels to fall off – but they never did! Does this mean that it will all catch up with us the second half? Can struggling coach Archie Miller lead his team to a strong first five minutes out of the locker room, or will they come out flat like they did in West Lafayette a few days ago? Then came the 7-0 Illini run, but IU countered with threes and got to 50 first. The race to get to the key 60-point milestone would determine the winner. Unfortunately, back-to-back turnovers destroyed any chance for Hoosier momentum, failing miserably to get us there first, while giving up one of our devastating 9-0 trademark runs. It was all seven feet of Kofi Cockburn down the stretch, as Trayce Jackson-Davis faded in comparison. Indiana played well and hit back-to-back threes before the broadcast signal went out and the screen turned to black. I had to quickly switch to my phone to watch the final :30 seconds. It came down to free throws and Indiana missing their first two of the game, as Trayce blew the chance to tie. From what I could see on the small screen, IU guard Rob Phinisee somehow muscled-away the rebound but slipped in the process, and Chief Illiniwek & Company put the game away at the charity stripe 67-66.
The only thing that “stunk” today was the outcome, although it was a valiant effort. Indiana has lost heartbreaking one-point games to both highly-ranked Maryland and Illinois, while nipping non-conference foe Notre Dame by a bucket earlier in the year. The other games haven’t really been competitive win or lose, while they are certainly overdue for a last second break. It’s tough to be both bad and unlucky in the same season. Also, TJ-D not only missed the clutch free throws, but also the head-to-head battle with Kofi for BIG Freshman of the Year. Will he come back another year? More importantly, will team fate change as they go into tournament play or does The Chief come back to haunt us on Selection Sunday?
