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?
P….U…. is the only way to describe how Indiana played against Purdue last night. I gathered with friends at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the stink-fest, trying to think of it is as just simply another “Leadership Meeting.” I did not want to contemplate a seventh straight loss to the Boilermakers, especially considering they aren’t very good this year. A Hoosier victory would surely save Archie Miller’s job and guarantee an NCAA tourney bid. That seemed too good to be true! I was in fact prepared for an I.U. loss, but the overall effort was an embarrassment. We could not hit the broad side of a stinkin’ barn.
Archie had already secured more years at I.U. with the announcement of another 5 star recruit. I’m still trying to figure out why he was drawn to the program? He made his announcement after attending the Penn State victory where the team showed hope, especially after just ending their road woes with a win at Minnesota. Two straight away wins was just too much to ask! Purdue had already experienced an uncharacteristic double home set-back, adding to the reasons why they would rebound against their in-state rival. And rebound they did 40-37! However, it was the 33% 3-point shooting that caused the biggest I.U. stink!
As expected, Purdue big men double-teamed Trayce Jackson-Davis and held him to 6 points and 4 rebounds. Back-up Brunk stunk once again, and De’Ron Davis didn’t get a single rebound. At the same time, I was having trouble with my Wild Wings app to add to the frustration. It inexplicably quadrupled our nachos order while I.U. fell apart going into halftime and started the second period scoreless for over 6 minutes. I had little appetite when all was said and done. I woke up this morning with a bad taste in my mouth with nightmarish thoughts of the stinking ugly loss. I.U. basketball is becoming a joke, with yet another road game at Illinois to go and two tough home games. To get to the Big Dance, we’ll need to win at least two, even though this is not a team that is worthy of a post-season bonus. In fact, they may not win a tournament game, and face the risk of more stinking embarrassment to end the season.
It’s now day six since the crud first inhabited my body, attacking it with constant hacking fits. It’s the longest sickness I’ve endured in at least the last 20 years, but I should now be on the road to recovery. Running has been my biggest challenge every day since most of my time has been spent on the couch. I’ve cut back on medication and now actually have some brief periods of motivation. Tonight, we will go to a wine tasting with friends, ending a full week of reclusiveness. We might even go to a movie this afternoon?
Today is a working Monday for most of you, but just another day for me. Traffic was heavier this morning, so I could tell that the weekend was over. The only highlight of this “lost” week was two consecutive I.U. basketball victories to put them back in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. I may even gather some friends for a Buffalo Wild Wings “Leadership Meeting” to watch them face Purdue later this week. Is it really possible to lose seven straight games to our in-state rival? The cold beer will help with any potential frustration, since this feels like an absolute must-win situation for either team to salvage any satisfaction out of an up-and-down season.
Another blue sky day, unusual for this time of year in Portland, should make for a pleasant walk to the theater. After this week, rain and the chance for more crud is once again in the forecast. Getting to the sunshine of Phoenix and Tucson cannot come too soon. I’m more than tired of the hacking, sneezing, and sniffling that has gone on in our house this past week or so. I need to dry out my lungs and feel like living again. The violent hack attacks must finally come to a peaceful end. Please pass the Kleenex.
There are 5 games left for Indiana in the BIG this year and a coaching jobs is on the line. It’s Crunch Time! My schizophrenic Hoosiers haven’t figured themselves out yet. Will they be the aggressive Dr. Jekyll that beat Minnesota on the road or the mild-mannered Mr. Hyde that stumbled at home against Michigan? It all comes down to the man–the-middle, the Freshman center with the hyphenated last name, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Oh, and making those free throws.
What has happened to the art of the free throw? In today’s game, the dunk gets all the attention and apparently most of the practice. Two free throws are worth the same as a dunk. Just ask former Hoosier Steve Alford who perfected the discipline and inspired a famous mantra from Indiana fans: “Socks, shorts, 1-2-3 swish”. Before releasing a free throw, Alford reportedly told himself, “Soft over the front edge of the rim,” and some people believed they could see his lips move. He was not as successful as a coach, although many would still like to see him replace Archie Miller, who has failed to get I.U. to the Big Dance in his first three years at the Hoosier helm.
It looks like formidable Dr. Jekyll has showed up to start the Penn State game, but there are two halves to play. All too often, Indiana has hit long scoreless stretches and squandered big leads in the Mr. Hyde mode. Although this game is important, it’s not quite as monumental as next week’s match-up at Purdue. Archie Miller has never beaten the Boilermakers and the loss in Bloomington a few weeks ago was crippling to his future. After yesterday’s Boiler loss to Michigan, Purdue has now lost two consecutive home games, and has failed to win at all since the Indiana game. They’ll be hungry for a Crunch bar when the Hoosiers come to town.
I.U. takes a 13-point lead into the locker room against the Nittany Lions, but have lost their inside game. Devonte Green caught on fire from 3-point range and they’ve forgotten about Trayce Jackson-Davis. He only has nine points to match Devonte’s triple-3. Fouls have been a troublesome issue on both sides and I.U. has only converted on five of eight attempts. Penn State is 8-14, otherwise it would be a much closer game. Please make sure that Mr. Hyde does not make a second half appearance. He allowed the lead to shrink to 8 late in the first half before Devonte countered. It’s still disturbing that a 19-point bulge with two minutes left has now shrunk to 13. Penn State has yet to hit a 3 in only 6 attempts, while other teams have thrived on I.U.’s soft perimeter defense. Adjustments will be made. Will Archie and team be able to counter? Crunch Time is here!
Once again, Archie did not have his team prepared for the second half. It started with a 12-0 Penn State run coupled with that 6-0 run to end the first, as Mr. Hyde unfortunately refused to “hide.” Sadly, it’s a whole new ball game, with only a first half victory! I.U. managed to rebound and win the next two five-minute segments, but stalled just before getting to the critical 60-mark. My theory has always been that in college basketball the first team to 60-points usually wins. The Hoosiers get there first in this one, but the concern is still free throw shooting. A friend of mine coined it “Hack-A-Hoosier,” where the opposing team intentionally fouls to take advantage of the disturbing percentages. Also, Penn State still hasn’t made a three! With a minute left, there are too many concerns, as Mr. Hide steps to the free throw line again. As it turns out, despite 17-27 from the charity stripe, they somehow win both halves and respond strongly to Crunch Time! Double-Double for Jackson-Davis. Go Hoosiers…now beat Purdue!
All was right (or at least Knight) in the world for about 20 minutes yesterday. I was sitting in the Las Vegas Westgate Sports Book sipping on a complimentary vodka and tonic because I was playing video poker and I.U. basketball was on one of the big screens. Even though the Hoosiers lost control of the game after a 12-0 Boilermaker run, I knew something special was about to happen. A friend and former I.U. basketball player, had just posted a picture of himself and Coach Bobby Knight in one of the hospitality rooms inside Cook Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The legendary General was about to step on the court for the first time in two decades, hopefully cementing a future relationship with the school after all those years of bad blood. It was a tearful moment for me even though Knight had become the public a-hole that we all knew he could be as a coach. He looks fragile after all those years with the mannerisms that my dad displayed in his eighties. He was shaky and unsteady but still had fire in his eyes. I was glad he was back, and I think so was he!
After the glow of halftime wore out, the team failed to respond despite the hype, a week-off to prepare, and a must-win situation. Even Knight’s presence couldn’t fix the Hoosiers. They are in a bad place, in the middle of a schedule drought that mimics the scoreless streaks they display on the floor. Just three weeks ago they were a “lock” for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, even after a home court collapse against Maryland. Today, it’s time to face the reality of another NIT. Archie can’t beat Purdue, so when they meet again in Lafayette, the outcome will probably be even more embarrassing in his fifth attempt to succeed. Even with a poor season, a single Purdue victory can at least save a job.
There are eight games left this season before the BIG tournament that I.U. has never won. The Hoosiers have dropped to the near the basement of the conference, tied with Michigan at 5-7. Michigan has at least won recently. Only Nebraska and Northwestern have no post-season chances, and I.U. doesn’t get to play either one. They do have one more shot at the Wolverines but that’s in Ann Arbor. Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Penn State come to town. I.U. will be lucky to win two of those games and could easily lose all four. In addition, they travel to Minnesota and Illinois. They’ve already lost four straight – how long will this losing streak persist? I’m worried! Penn State, Iowa, Purdue, and Michigan have all started timely winning streaks. Nebraska has lost 8 straight and Northwestern 6, but once again we don’t play either of them, and it took overtime to beat Nebraska at home.
Bob Knight led the Assembly Hall crowd with a chant of “Defense.” We gave up 74 points against Purdue, 68 versus Ohio State, 64 to Penn State, and 77 to Maryland in this four-game slump. That’s certainly not Bob Knight defense! I hope I’m wrong and that Archie gets the win in Lafayette and the NCAA seed to get two of the monkeys off his back. Otherwise, he’ll soon be packing, although I still believe that’s a unnecessary setback that the program simply can’t endure. Let’s start with Iowa and at least get to 20 victories this year. Indiana…I’m all for you – thanks for patching the wounds from 20 years ago, and welcoming Coach Knight back to Assembly Hall.
I’ve been in Vegas at the Westgate Resort and Casino for over 12 hours and haven’t lost a dime. In fact, I’m ahead, even though a bar fountain Diet Pepsi just cost me $8. My wife is still asleep, so I can continue these written ramblings about my retirement life. I’ve used the last two posts to expound on bladder problems and butt-crack to give you an idea of how educational and enlightening my thoughts can sometimes be. Currently, I’m sitting on my butt in a dark hotel room at the computer keyboard, trying not to disturb her. I did, however, get a three-mile run in already and checked-out the Sports Book. The Hoosiers play the Boilermakers in about two hours on the big screen, with the rumored possibility of Bobby Knight in attendance. It will be a good indication of how my luck stands.
It’s the 21st anniversary of my love relationship in the city where we got married nearly 19 years ago. We celebrate the 8th of every month – this being the 252nd. Even though 10 has always been my lucky number, dating back to the playing days of Sherm Lollar, 8 could be even luckier. Our room number ends in an 8, but the digits add up to 10, as I continue to look for signs of good fortune. Even that $8 Diet Pepsi might have meaning, despite my favoritism to Diet Coke that they apparently don’t serve in this hotel. They did, however, give us plenty of great chocolate chip cookies and a case of free water thanks to our personal concierge, Guy. I gave him a $10 tip, sticking to the numbers, and agreed to have lunch with him in a few days. We’ll meet again at the Elvis statue in the lobby where he will certainly try to sell us on something. We already are timeshare owners, so they apparently want our feedback and willing to pay $100 in addition to the free lunch. This is why I can momentarily say that I’m ahead at this point in our week-long stay.
We used Alaska miles for the flights, paid only $300 total for the room, $18 for an Uber, and put-down a $25 refundable deposit to make sure we show up for lunch with Guy. He sent me a friendly text this morning offering to go to Wal-Mart for us if we needed anything. What a Guy! I also just made arrangements and paid the $350 remaining balance for our Grand Canyon tour on Monday. Fortunately, Guy won’t go with us, but I’m sure he would if we asked. All in all, I guess I’m really not winning after all, am I? There’s the cost of tickets for our show reservations that we pre-paid as well as admission tickets for the Titanic, Neon Graveyard, and Tim Burton exhibits. It’s starting to add up, and I’ve barely left the room. So much for a winning moment in Vegas!
It’s seems like a long time has passed since we’ve traveled somewhere, when in reality it’s only been four weeks. On one hand, it feels like the days go by in the blink of an eye, but the pace has been slow. The rain has kept us indoors, while movies and television series have been the sole forms of entertainment. Other than my daily run and taking the dogs out, I rarely leave the cramped apartment. “Leadership Meetings” have been sporadic and my wife’s foot injury has limited her activity. We didn’t even have or go out for a Superbowl party. In fact, the only visitors we’ve entertained are my wife’s daughter and her dog. “We Gotta Get Out of this Place.”
I’m sure I’ll feel the same about Las Vegas after a full week there, although I can hardly wait to get on z’plane in a few days. It’s one of those cities where four days is typically more than enough, like unwanted overnight guests. I’ve never stayed this long in “Sin City,” but we have a good deal on a time share. As a result, we’ve tried to schedule numerous activities to keep us out of the casinos. A Grand Canyon day-trip, two shows, pool time, the monorail, dinners and the Neon Boneyard museums are the foundation of our non-gambling plan. There will undoubtedly be some gambling and probably many hours in the Westgate Sports Book watching basketball games. I.U. plays Purdue the morning after we arrive and Iowa the day before we leave. I just hope we, including I.U., can limit our losses, otherwise it will be a very long week.
I’ve had some winning moments in Vegas but honestly have never taken any of it home with me. I even hit a slot machine jackpot that nearly caused me to be late for our Bellagio wedding nearly nineteen years ago. My wife and I have many good memories of The Strip, but as is the custom, they will stay there. There’s always a great sense of anticipation when you arrive, but the crowds, noise, bright lights, heat, rich food, alcohol, tempting stores, and related expense quickly take their exhaustive toll. This is especially true for a couple of retired old farts in a city designed around youthful enthusiasm. Hopefully, we won’t be singing this song halfway through our trip:
“We gotta get out of this place
If it’s the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
’cause girl, there’s a better life for me and you.”
Source: LyricFind The Animals
Songwriters: Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil
We Gotta Get out of This Place lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
There are now nearly 800 Leggs on my Ancestry.com Jerry Ban(n)ister Family Tree, strongly outnumbering even the Ban(n)isters. Every day a few more names get added to the point where there are now over 20,000 connections that I have found. For months now I had been searching for a 3rd cousin named Larry Bogue, one of the close DNA matches that had yet to fit on any branch of this sprawling tree. I went to Facebook and found the name associated with Purdue University. Even though he now lived in Colorado Springs, I had the feeling that he was originally was Indiana and my hunch was right. His family grew up in Tipton County that is directly in the heart of the Central Indiana Ban(n)ister nest. After finding an obituary for his father on-line, I then discovered that his grandmother was a Legg and added him to my tree with a green “DNA MATCH” tag.
Although the name Legg is obviously a popular one in Ban(n)ister heritage, it was not common in my circle of friends. However, as an adoptee I grew up as a Johnston, not a Bannister as listed on my birth certificate. I did once work with a Bill Legg – the only time I’ve run across it outside of tree I’ve constructed. Personally, when I think of Leggs it’s the popular Z. Z. Top song “she’s got legs, she knows how to use them.” I have written about other Ban(n)ister connections to the Legg family in this blog. (See Post #635 and Post #1104). They also have a good sense of humor with nick-names like “Bird” and “Bent.”
In the process of all this, I may have uncovered a mismatch, where a 2nd cousin relationship identified with a green “DNA MATCH” tag for Charles Leonard “Mousie” Hines could be wrong. Mistakes often happen on tracing genetic roots since the same common birth names are used over and over. It now appears that there are other Hines named Charles in the mix, so additional research will be required to pin-down this association. Furthermore, when I get more time, I will continue to explore Legg lore, since Bill Legg was from the Richmond, Indiana area. There may very well be a relative connection I will find. I know he now lives in South Bend and we continue to be distant friends through Facebook. I’ll have to send him a message.
I spent yesterday in baseball mode, despite the big games in other sports on T.V. As I was traveling to my baseball card luncheon, for example, I.U. basketball somehow beat #11 Ohio State, despite 1-17 shooting in the last ten minutes of the first half. It was better that I was in the car and didn’t witness the pathetic 20-36 free throw shooting. Later in the day, I missed both NFL Playoff games because of a lengthy Old Timers Baseball Banquet. A few beers, four speakers and two unavoidable naps later, I was ready for bed. I did however enjoy a short conversation with 82-year old Pete Ward, a White Sox teammate of Sherm Lollar back in 1962. I think that he was disturbed that I was wearing a Cubs shirt while claiming to be a Sox fan. I also won a book by Jack Dunn, From The Third Base Coach’s Box.
Today it’s raining buckets so I will definitely watch the Packers vs. Seahawks game. With the 49ers already in the winner’s bracket, West Coast fans are anticipating a Seattle vs. San Francisco match-up with the winner going to the Super Bowl. I’m also watching Purdue’s dominant first half performance against conference leader Michigan State. I’m not always a Purdue fan, but hatred is a relative thing. One of last night’s speakers was Mark Wasikowski, the new head baseball coach of the Oregon Ducks who was previously at Purdue. He talked of the in-state rivalry with I.U. In 2018 the Boilers finished 2nd in the BIG with a 17-9 record but were eliminated by Houston in the NCAA Regional. I.U. went a step further but lost to Texas, after a 14-9 conference season and a split record against Purdue. Texas failed to get through the first round of the 2018 College World Series.
I last saw I.U. Baseball lose to defending National Champion Oregon State at T-Mobile Stadium in Seattle last year. Back in 2013 with Cubs’ star Kyle Schwarber in the line-up, Indiana made their first College World Series but also lost in double elimination to Oregon State. I followed University of Texas while we lived in Austin, and the success of I.U., U.T., and O.S.U. inspired me to attend the College World Series two years ago in Omaha. Texas was there, but I.U. failed to return. Oregon State emerged as the Champion in dramatic fashion. It was a sports bucket list accomplishment for me to attend the games. It was a lot more exciting than last night’s speakers that included another pep talk on luring Major League Baseball to Portland. I have a sinking feeling that I’ll really be an “Old Timer” when that finally happens!
You try to plan a nice family outing and what happens? The frickin’ flu bug strikes. My son and youngest daughter spent the day near the toilet ride at Universal Studios, while the rest of us worried about catching it. For three days, we had fought through peak crowds, rain storms, massive traffic jams, power outages, mechanical breakdowns, and temper tantrums, hoping to enjoy our final day of precious family time. We were even able to get to the park early before the first set-back of the day occurred. My oldest grand daughter was too short to get on the Hulk roller coaster. This must of been a huge relief to my son after his first trip to visit the porcelain god. He soon left the park to go back to our Marriott Vacation Club condo for the day. In the meantime, several rides were shut-down and the kids were getting frustrated. We also had a stroller that prevented access to many areas, and my wife’s purse added even more complications since it required storage on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter rides. Finally, we were able to have the privilege of waiting an hour-and-a-half for our first ride. Now, are you sure you don’t have to go to the bathroom?
According to Facebook, several other of our friends were in the park, but we were never able to hook-up. However, my wife started a conversation with a young man wearing a Purdue Boilermakers sweatshirt during our long wait at Forbidden Journey. As it turned out, he was the grandson of one of her hometown classmates, and they were able to contact him for a “Small World” reunion at the end of the ride. They talked while I rushed the “about to explode” kiddies to the Diagon Alley bathroom. We then took the busy Hogwarts Express to the next massive line at The Escape from Gringotts. Lunch was at Circus McGurkus in Islands of Adventure, with the loss of lunch shortly after by baby Nora. She and her mother then reluctantly left the park to join her sickly father back in the room.
The remaining four of our original seven stayed in the park for another three hours, while packing and puking took place at the condo. We did the Woody Roller Coaster, Cat in the Hat, E.T., Despicable Me, and bought some souvenirs. My “hangry” wife insisted on food but the lines were far too long to suit my limited patience, so she finally agreed to exit Universal in favor of her fast food favorite, Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Afterwards, my flu-stricken son, his wife, and my three sleepy grand kids made the two-hour drive home late at night so that they could meet work and school schedules. My wife and I have two more days at Disney World.
After 28,000 steps yesterday and an aching back, I once again cut-back to the minimum mile on this morning’s run. I was also feeling a little queasy and sure hope it doesn’t develop into dreaded influenza. We have two model homes to tour before we return our rental car and head for the park on a shuttle. At least the spending frenzy of our family Florida trip is now over, and we can eventually settle into a more frugal lifestyle. However, I certainly didn’t help yesterday by booking another March baseball trip, this time with the boys to Dallas. Now, flu – stay away, don’t even come another day!
