Let me start this out by just saying...Watch out Indy! The greatest doubles team in New Castle history hit the courts last night to polish up our games! I hadn't swung a racket in over a year, and Mike has just recently been hitting a little, so I'd say were a ways away from our top game. After about a half hour though, I felt it coming back. My footwork is probably what I need to work on most, but it'll get there. I'm confident in that.
I'm so pumped to be getting back to the game I love, that I had to go buy a fresh pair of shoes. Because I felt like I was coming out of retirement, I had to go flashy! Check these bad boys out. Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Rocky Balboa, and George Washington would all like to get their hands on these Adidas, I'm sure. Even if my tennis game wasn't up to par yet, I figured I could at least be patriotic out there.
Also, I've got an issue with my and Mike's photo being taken down from the wall of fame at the largest and finest fieldhouse in the world. What happened to that? Final 8 doubles team in the state, All-NCC, 37-11 in two years (21-2 as seniors) but no picture up? We were on there for years, but we just noticed that when they re-organized it, we were missing. If you're from NC and read this, we gotta get this fixed! If the photo is lost, I'm willing to shoot a new one after we win a couple of titles here in Indy. Help Mike and I out, get us back at the concourse of the Fieldhouse! Maybe we can get some emails to the athletic department going or something??? This could be like our own political campaign, haha I'm laughing thinking about it.
Back to reality, the Colorado Rockies have now realed off 11 straight victories and close the season against the Diamondbacks. This is set up to be the most exciting finish in possibly my lifetime. 14 straight wins would get them in the playoffs! Amazing!
Have great weekends everyone! No Big Ten Network, so it looks like it will be Chumley's again for the IU-Iowa game at noon! I spent more there ($30) last Saturday than I would spend if Comcast would just add it to their system. Oh well.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
I love the fall....
so can it drop about 20 degrees? Last weekend's teaser had me all amped up for fall (autumn to others) and now it's back up for the weekend. I've always been a fall guy, but just started admitting it about five or six years ago. For instance yesterday when I got my hair cut, I acted like I was really going to miss summer. The girl cutting it had mentioned it, so I just went along with it. Now that I'm out of school, summer is definitely overrated! In fact, in my top four seasons (are there more?), it comes in at #3. No new television shows, no basketball, no football..simply golf, tennis, and baseball. Shoot! Forgot about the WNBA! That could shoot summer to #1 on its own. I do still have a crush on Diana Taurasi, however.
Here's how they rank (#1 votes listed in parenthesis)
1. Fall - (6) I went ahead and voted for fall six times
2. Spring - right around the Masters, I start getting pumped up
3. Summer - No vacations anymore! Fun weekends but the weekdays are hot driving around!
4. Winter- Winter gets hated on a lot. Christmas season sneaks in for part of it. No love though
Fall officially starts tomorrow, as does IU's Big 10 schedule. They take on the Fighting Zooks tomorrow at noon. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend in person. I'm going to the Butler alumni basketball game tomorrow at 10:30 so I'm going to be stretching it to kickoff. Luckily Chumley's DOES have the Big 10 Network, so whoever wants to join myself and Tre Styles with around the world beers is more than welcome! I'm definitely expecting a win for the Hoosiers, but I think it will be a slugfest. Not sure the D-Line and linebackers will be able to get to Juice Williams as much, but I think we've got too much Kellen Lewis and too much offense. If I'm not mistaken, it would be the first 4-0 start since 1990.
I know it's football season, but if you attend the game, please give Tyler Zeller a shout out from me. Have a great weekend.
Here's how they rank (#1 votes listed in parenthesis)
1. Fall - (6) I went ahead and voted for fall six times
2. Spring - right around the Masters, I start getting pumped up
3. Summer - No vacations anymore! Fun weekends but the weekdays are hot driving around!
4. Winter- Winter gets hated on a lot. Christmas season sneaks in for part of it. No love though
Fall officially starts tomorrow, as does IU's Big 10 schedule. They take on the Fighting Zooks tomorrow at noon. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend in person. I'm going to the Butler alumni basketball game tomorrow at 10:30 so I'm going to be stretching it to kickoff. Luckily Chumley's DOES have the Big 10 Network, so whoever wants to join myself and Tre Styles with around the world beers is more than welcome! I'm definitely expecting a win for the Hoosiers, but I think it will be a slugfest. Not sure the D-Line and linebackers will be able to get to Juice Williams as much, but I think we've got too much Kellen Lewis and too much offense. If I'm not mistaken, it would be the first 4-0 start since 1990.
I know it's football season, but if you attend the game, please give Tyler Zeller a shout out from me. Have a great weekend.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Kid Nation, Nick's Chili, Yankees
Did anybody else watch Kid Nation last night? After a quick trip to Qdoba, I came back home and flipped on Kid Nation on CBS. I have to admit, it's kind of a cool concept. 40 kids coming together to run their own community (think early 1900's). I gotta say though, some of the kids were complete DORKS! This girl, Sophia is going to be the villian of the show. She's one of the oldest ones (14) and was bossing EVERYBODY around. It was so annoying. Then I felt bad that through television people in America are going to end up hating a 14 year old. Everyone is scared of her, so they gave her the gold star which is actually $20K for her future. She was also dancing for nickels so she could buy some old bike, in which she rode around like a complete tool. If I were on there, I know for sure I wouldn't be giving up my nickels and dimes. But like I said, they're all scared of her. She does sound like she's a 25 year old smoker, so I guess I don't blame them.
Ratings watch: Kid Nation did an 11.3 in Indianapolis last night ranking #1 in its time period. 120,000 households in the Indy DMA tuned in. I can't see what could happen to actually make the ratings get any higher, but I'll keep my eye on it.
Had lunch at Nick's Chili Parlor yesterday. Enjoyed a bowl of their 5-way and a fountain coke-classic. If you're around that area, I'd suggest checking it out. To me, it's no skyline, but it's good nontheless. I do need to watch these filthy meals though. I just realized I had Nick's Chili and Qdoba in one afternoon. I think my lower back and left arm instantly just started hurting and I'm also sweating profusely. Seriously, I gotta get it together on the meals.
In April, I moved into a new apartment on my own. No more roommates, no more people to talk to, no more life (only kidding), and not as many Thursday night filthfests. But really with summer months having awful television and the x-box not cutting it anymore, I decided to buy the MLB Extra Innings. About a month later, I told my buddies Tre Styles and Ansu Sesay that it could go down in history as one of my worst purchases in history. By the middle of June, I no longer was watching any games. Now that it's September 20th...LET ME TELL YOU. Great decision to get the extra innings. Last night I watched the last 3 innings of both the Red Sox and Yankees games. This race is really shaping up to be a classic. Yanks cut it to 1.5 last night. As a Reds fan, we've been out of the hunt since opening day, so I think i'm going to have to root for the Yankees this year. My buddy Tre and I had a talk about greatness in sports and the Yankees define that. They've got the best player in the game on their squad who deserves a title and shut the critics up. Seven years ago, you would have never read this, but in my wise old age I've learned to respect winners and sports sometimes have a different meaning. Also, I carried Derek Jeter's luggage out of the hotel four years ago and he tipped me $25, so you gotta respect that! I'm out for the day, too much Tip Top Tavern food for me.
Ratings watch: Kid Nation did an 11.3 in Indianapolis last night ranking #1 in its time period. 120,000 households in the Indy DMA tuned in. I can't see what could happen to actually make the ratings get any higher, but I'll keep my eye on it.
Had lunch at Nick's Chili Parlor yesterday. Enjoyed a bowl of their 5-way and a fountain coke-classic. If you're around that area, I'd suggest checking it out. To me, it's no skyline, but it's good nontheless. I do need to watch these filthy meals though. I just realized I had Nick's Chili and Qdoba in one afternoon. I think my lower back and left arm instantly just started hurting and I'm also sweating profusely. Seriously, I gotta get it together on the meals.
In April, I moved into a new apartment on my own. No more roommates, no more people to talk to, no more life (only kidding), and not as many Thursday night filthfests. But really with summer months having awful television and the x-box not cutting it anymore, I decided to buy the MLB Extra Innings. About a month later, I told my buddies Tre Styles and Ansu Sesay that it could go down in history as one of my worst purchases in history. By the middle of June, I no longer was watching any games. Now that it's September 20th...LET ME TELL YOU. Great decision to get the extra innings. Last night I watched the last 3 innings of both the Red Sox and Yankees games. This race is really shaping up to be a classic. Yanks cut it to 1.5 last night. As a Reds fan, we've been out of the hunt since opening day, so I think i'm going to have to root for the Yankees this year. My buddy Tre and I had a talk about greatness in sports and the Yankees define that. They've got the best player in the game on their squad who deserves a title and shut the critics up. Seven years ago, you would have never read this, but in my wise old age I've learned to respect winners and sports sometimes have a different meaning. Also, I carried Derek Jeter's luggage out of the hotel four years ago and he tipped me $25, so you gotta respect that! I'm out for the day, too much Tip Top Tavern food for me.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Jersey Etiquette Part 1
Because I am going to be purchasing a new Colts jersey, I thought I'd write about my thought process in buying a new one, as well as etiquette. When I see someone out in public rockin' a jersey of an athlete that you don't see too often, I make sure to give the guy props. It could even be one that you end up seeing often, but you see someone wearing it before it's bigtime. There are also guys in the NFL who are so bigtime that you should have no shame wearing their jersey. These are more of the jerseys that you would hang in your sports memorobilia basement. Peyton Manning (greatness), Marvin Harrison (local greatness), and Reggie Wayne (local greatness) are at that level. Chad Johnson (on coolness) is at that level. Tom Brady (greatness status) is at that level. Randy Moss is at that level (coolness and greatness) If there were a Patriots fan at the bar I was at, I would be jersey-impressed with a Donte Stallworth or even an Asante Samuel on D.
My buddy Freddy P. is an Eagles fan. He could have gone out an gotten a McNabb or a Kearse, but he stepped it up with a Lito Shephard. The Shephard sticks out, is a cool number, and a cool player.
Basically here are some things I think about when purchasing a football jersey:
1) Feedback when visiting another city. You're looking for this comment,
"Dude, your jersey is sick!" or "is that a (name here)jersey?"
2) You've got to find a jersey that fits you if you were an NFL player.
I went with Reggie Wayne because i'm 6'2" 180 lbs. I just don't think
that I would look right in a big #63 Jeff Saturday. That's just a
personal preference, but it's something I think about. I'm basically
limited to receivers and defensive backs. If I were bigger (or when
I eventually get bigger after all this fast food) I'd probably get a
Robert Mathis.
3) It's gotta be a "cool" player and "cool" number. Reggie Wayne went to
the U. and he's #87. Two great things going for him right off the bat.
If you had to name a "coolest" player on the Colts, it would be he and
Bob Sanders (also a good jersey selection). Offensive Linemen simply have
the worst numbers in football and I can't relate with them. A Maroney
Pats jersey would be cool if he weren't #39. HORRIBLE number!
4) I like to get jerseys that not that many people own. Obviously my
Reggie jersey got more popular over time. It was cool in a way
because when you saw another one, it was like you were long lost
strangers. Then again, it's always good to stand out a little bit.
If you can own a jersey before a guy blows up, then you're really
sitting on something. A lot of people got the Addai last year and
it's paying off for them.
I've gotta wrap up part 1 at this time. I'll leave it with saying I'm leaning towards a Kelvin Hayden, Marlin Jackson, Daymeon Hughes, Bob Sanders, or Antoine Bethea. There may be some others once I actually go to the pro shop.
My buddy Freddy P. is an Eagles fan. He could have gone out an gotten a McNabb or a Kearse, but he stepped it up with a Lito Shephard. The Shephard sticks out, is a cool number, and a cool player.
Basically here are some things I think about when purchasing a football jersey:
1) Feedback when visiting another city. You're looking for this comment,
"Dude, your jersey is sick!" or "is that a (name here)jersey?"
2) You've got to find a jersey that fits you if you were an NFL player.
I went with Reggie Wayne because i'm 6'2" 180 lbs. I just don't think
that I would look right in a big #63 Jeff Saturday. That's just a
personal preference, but it's something I think about. I'm basically
limited to receivers and defensive backs. If I were bigger (or when
I eventually get bigger after all this fast food) I'd probably get a
Robert Mathis.
3) It's gotta be a "cool" player and "cool" number. Reggie Wayne went to
the U. and he's #87. Two great things going for him right off the bat.
If you had to name a "coolest" player on the Colts, it would be he and
Bob Sanders (also a good jersey selection). Offensive Linemen simply have
the worst numbers in football and I can't relate with them. A Maroney
Pats jersey would be cool if he weren't #39. HORRIBLE number!
4) I like to get jerseys that not that many people own. Obviously my
Reggie jersey got more popular over time. It was cool in a way
because when you saw another one, it was like you were long lost
strangers. Then again, it's always good to stand out a little bit.
If you can own a jersey before a guy blows up, then you're really
sitting on something. A lot of people got the Addai last year and
it's paying off for them.
I've gotta wrap up part 1 at this time. I'll leave it with saying I'm leaning towards a Kelvin Hayden, Marlin Jackson, Daymeon Hughes, Bob Sanders, or Antoine Bethea. There may be some others once I actually go to the pro shop.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
NFC East Game or The Hills?
The schedule makers really need to chill out on scheduling the NFC East to play these primetime games. Over the last five years, I don't know how many terrible games I've had to witness on Monday nights. For some reason, most of them seem to involve the Redskins. I just can't wait for Philly to be bad again (which looks like this year) so we don't have to have 6 primetime Eagles games. Last night, I had to flip it to the Hills on MTV it was so boring. Jason made a re-appearance, and there was more awkward silence when he dropped LC off. It's the kind of silence that makes you uncomfortable just watching. When I'm talking to a girl on the phone, it's about the same time when I pull the, "welp, i think i'm gonna (fill in anything and probably not likely) and say have a good one. I've never actually seen the two of them have a conversation, so he must just dunk like Dominique Wilkins.
Back to the NFC East and Philly, they're terrible to watch and their fans complain non-stop. They're giving standing O's to Mahe for catching a punt. Every team fumbles a punt at one time or another (I believe Dante Hall had a costly one on Sunday) so get over it and move on. I almost feel like Philly fans don't deserve another championship because I'm not sure they'd truly appreciate it.
Here in Indy, we appreciate it. When you see guys robbing banks and gas stations on the news with Peyton Manning jersey's on, you KNOW we appreciate it. I think I've seen five of these over the last four or five months, where the description had a Colts jersey listed. They're everywhere! Pacers games last year were turned into Colts games. Church services were turned to Colts games. Blue Friday has turned into Blue Monday-Sunday. I love seeing all the different versions...you've got the official Reebok game jerseys and then countless others where they just have a number on them (I think they're the Wal-Mart version). My brother and wife had a baby shower/cookout on Sunday, and there were even people who missed it because the Colts and shower both started at 1. Brought the gift early on Saturday and everything! They were like, "Uhh, I don't know if you know this but the Colts start at 1 and so does the cookout." Of course we knew that, we jammed out to Bob Lamey and had it on in the house! Some super sick ones out there.
Gotta get back to the grind, but I'm going be purchasing a new Horse jersey at some point this week. Any suggestions would be great. Right now, I'm thinking Kelvin Hayden or Antoine Bethea. I'll explain my jersey etiquette later, but I don't want something too played out.
Quick recruiting update: IU landed their fourth verbal for 2008. Tom Pritchard (Lakewood, OH) gave his verbal yesterday. Played alongside Delvon Roe at St. Edward and is a 6'8" big man. Seems like a true post player (15 feet and in) and slid under the radar (not even a picture on Rivals) but Sampson and Co. must have liked what they saw. He's a big body and the Zeller wait is on!
Back to the NFC East and Philly, they're terrible to watch and their fans complain non-stop. They're giving standing O's to Mahe for catching a punt. Every team fumbles a punt at one time or another (I believe Dante Hall had a costly one on Sunday) so get over it and move on. I almost feel like Philly fans don't deserve another championship because I'm not sure they'd truly appreciate it.
Here in Indy, we appreciate it. When you see guys robbing banks and gas stations on the news with Peyton Manning jersey's on, you KNOW we appreciate it. I think I've seen five of these over the last four or five months, where the description had a Colts jersey listed. They're everywhere! Pacers games last year were turned into Colts games. Church services were turned to Colts games. Blue Friday has turned into Blue Monday-Sunday. I love seeing all the different versions...you've got the official Reebok game jerseys and then countless others where they just have a number on them (I think they're the Wal-Mart version). My brother and wife had a baby shower/cookout on Sunday, and there were even people who missed it because the Colts and shower both started at 1. Brought the gift early on Saturday and everything! They were like, "Uhh, I don't know if you know this but the Colts start at 1 and so does the cookout." Of course we knew that, we jammed out to Bob Lamey and had it on in the house! Some super sick ones out there.
Gotta get back to the grind, but I'm going be purchasing a new Horse jersey at some point this week. Any suggestions would be great. Right now, I'm thinking Kelvin Hayden or Antoine Bethea. I'll explain my jersey etiquette later, but I don't want something too played out.
Quick recruiting update: IU landed their fourth verbal for 2008. Tom Pritchard (Lakewood, OH) gave his verbal yesterday. Played alongside Delvon Roe at St. Edward and is a 6'8" big man. Seems like a true post player (15 feet and in) and slid under the radar (not even a picture on Rivals) but Sampson and Co. must have liked what they saw. He's a big body and the Zeller wait is on!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Notre Dame's NOffense, Colts escape, Hoosier roll...
Inagural post here and what a great weekend it was . Weather was perfect both Saturday and Sunday topping off at about 68 with blue skies. The Colts did what champions do and survived on the road against conference rival, Tennessee. How good is Bob Sanders? 2 1/2 sacks? This guy is ridiculous and he single handedly changes our defense from one of the worst to one of the best. I loved the confidence/cockiness that the offense showed late in the game. It almost backfired on them, but if Peyton doesn't underthrow Marvin twice, it's no big deal and the Colts win by 9. It's early in the year and they went for the juggular. Houston could provide the same type of challenge next week, but more on that later in the week.
How about Notre Dame? I was in a golf tournament Saturday, so i actually missed any game played before 7pm, but from the sounds of it, they looked awful. I wouldn't say I am a Notre Dame fan, but I can't lie when I say that it makes college football a lot better each fall when they're competing for national championships (not that it's happened in a while). I realize their O-Line is a notch below Warren Central's, but just air it out with Clausen. Just let him throw 45 times a game and go from there. I don't think you can be a high school all-american without confidence, so let him rip it. At least give him a shot to break all of Quinn's records. The Penn State, which i was able to watch, he seemed like he started the game about 10 for 12 for maybe 40 yards. Let him air it out! Michigan State this week (who is looking a little more disciplined) could be a tough one, but I'm going out on a limb to say Notre Dame gets a big W this weekend. I thought I could find an argument against the people that said Ty Willingham didn't recruit. Unfortunately, I couldn't. By looking at Rivals, the word on bad recruiting classes was true and I guess we really are seeing the dividends.
The Hoosiers beat another MAC team on Saturday and honestly I think they could compete for a MAC championship if they were in it. Unfortunately they're in the Big 10, but judging by the rest of games played, they could factor in the top 6. Again, had to miss it due to golf, but sounds like they kept the Zips hanging around again. How good was Kellen Lewis? He's going to smash every single one of Randle-El's records! This kid is for real! With James Hardy on the outside, that could be the best combo in the big 10. Illinois comes to town this week and IU could start 4-0 for the first time in ages (I believe 1990). Comcast has spots running now saying that all the big 10 games are covered by abc, espn, or espn2 so don't worry about the Big 10 Network. Well, when your team is the doormat of the Big 10, I'm going to worry about it! I'd at least like to see 1 IU game this year! I saw the Western Michigan game from Average Joe's, but come on, I want to watch it from the confines of my sage green couch! If IU wins 7-8 games this year, the Bilitnekoff trophy may find a home in Bloomington. James "Baby Boy" Hardy!
More NFL rumblings...how sick did New England look last night? As a Colts fan, I'm supposed to hate them, but what can you hate about Randy Moss? Straight cash, homie! I'll hate them on Nov. 4th, but for now I'll just sit back and watch great football. It's already shaping up for another Colts-Pats playoff classic. Norv Turner will be the downfall of the Chargers and you can go ahead and count them as fools gold. They're a sexy pick, but Norv Turner is a joke and when you get them under a microscope, they're not that pretty. Do you think AJ Smith ever wishes he kept Drew Brees? Let's face it..Phil Rivers will never be a P. Manning, Tom Brady, or even Carson Palmer. At best, he's a Jon Kitna/Brad Johnson.
That's all I can do for now...big sports weekend is again ahead of us. Tyler Zeller is visiting Bloomington this weekend! If you're down there for the game, give Zeller some props and help him feel at home. It doesn't sound like he'll leave there with a verbal, but hopefully he enjoys it enough to decide by the time he hits Denny's on 45/46 like Derek Elston.
How about Notre Dame? I was in a golf tournament Saturday, so i actually missed any game played before 7pm, but from the sounds of it, they looked awful. I wouldn't say I am a Notre Dame fan, but I can't lie when I say that it makes college football a lot better each fall when they're competing for national championships (not that it's happened in a while). I realize their O-Line is a notch below Warren Central's, but just air it out with Clausen. Just let him throw 45 times a game and go from there. I don't think you can be a high school all-american without confidence, so let him rip it. At least give him a shot to break all of Quinn's records. The Penn State, which i was able to watch, he seemed like he started the game about 10 for 12 for maybe 40 yards. Let him air it out! Michigan State this week (who is looking a little more disciplined) could be a tough one, but I'm going out on a limb to say Notre Dame gets a big W this weekend. I thought I could find an argument against the people that said Ty Willingham didn't recruit. Unfortunately, I couldn't. By looking at Rivals, the word on bad recruiting classes was true and I guess we really are seeing the dividends.
The Hoosiers beat another MAC team on Saturday and honestly I think they could compete for a MAC championship if they were in it. Unfortunately they're in the Big 10, but judging by the rest of games played, they could factor in the top 6. Again, had to miss it due to golf, but sounds like they kept the Zips hanging around again. How good was Kellen Lewis? He's going to smash every single one of Randle-El's records! This kid is for real! With James Hardy on the outside, that could be the best combo in the big 10. Illinois comes to town this week and IU could start 4-0 for the first time in ages (I believe 1990). Comcast has spots running now saying that all the big 10 games are covered by abc, espn, or espn2 so don't worry about the Big 10 Network. Well, when your team is the doormat of the Big 10, I'm going to worry about it! I'd at least like to see 1 IU game this year! I saw the Western Michigan game from Average Joe's, but come on, I want to watch it from the confines of my sage green couch! If IU wins 7-8 games this year, the Bilitnekoff trophy may find a home in Bloomington. James "Baby Boy" Hardy!
More NFL rumblings...how sick did New England look last night? As a Colts fan, I'm supposed to hate them, but what can you hate about Randy Moss? Straight cash, homie! I'll hate them on Nov. 4th, but for now I'll just sit back and watch great football. It's already shaping up for another Colts-Pats playoff classic. Norv Turner will be the downfall of the Chargers and you can go ahead and count them as fools gold. They're a sexy pick, but Norv Turner is a joke and when you get them under a microscope, they're not that pretty. Do you think AJ Smith ever wishes he kept Drew Brees? Let's face it..Phil Rivers will never be a P. Manning, Tom Brady, or even Carson Palmer. At best, he's a Jon Kitna/Brad Johnson.
That's all I can do for now...big sports weekend is again ahead of us. Tyler Zeller is visiting Bloomington this weekend! If you're down there for the game, give Zeller some props and help him feel at home. It doesn't sound like he'll leave there with a verbal, but hopefully he enjoys it enough to decide by the time he hits Denny's on 45/46 like Derek Elston.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)