BTN.com's Copy Editors Hard at Work

BTN.com's copy editors are on spring break these days, too, as Luke Fickell has been rechristened as "Luck Fickell," which I guess is a lot better than a typo on his name could be.

I guess their spellcheck works, anyway.

BTN Icon: Gene Keady

Since I was at the game on Saturday, I didn't have the chance to watch the Gene Keady-focused "Icons" show following the debacle in Mackey...so I watched it last night, looking to be uplifted a bit.

For me, it didn't happen. While I loved watching Keady's teams tear through the Big Ten season, the most difficult, and memorable losses for me as a fan came in the month of March with Keady at the helm. This show, while great to watch really reminded me of some of those games.

I don't remember Gene Keady's hiring...I was five.  So for me, it was simple-Keady was just Purdue's coach.  Plus, I grew up the son of a big Purdue fan who graduated in 1970.  Like my son, I was taken to games and watched (and listened to) a lot of Purdue basketball while growing up.

My son's first game was when he was four...he's probably already forgotten it.  I believe my first Purdue game was in 1985- Reid, Hall, Gaddis, Rowinski and co. were on that squad. By '85, Keady had established his way- hard-nosed, never-back-down basketball utilizing some players that no one else in the Big Ten really wanted.  In fact, one of the first players that help Keady define who he was as a coach was Jim Rowinski.

He was a football player in shorts- He was between 6'7" and 6'8" matching up against 6'10" (and taller) guys...and he didn't have long arms.  But he was gritty...and strong as an ox.  His career started off slowly (or poorly) depending on your perspective.  But in his Senior year, he became more than just a guy who set crushing picks and started scoring buckets too.  He was an enforcer who used brute force to try to level the playing field against IU, Michigan, MSU and the elite of the conference...and it worked.

If you're too young to remember Rowinski, think of Wisconsin's goons...but without the burr haircuts and height, but with more braun.

Keady's point guards were regularly not as quick as the rest of the league (especially early in his time at Purdue)...and his bigs were not quite as skilled as many they competed against. But they all understood that if they didn't play together and play hard, they simply couldn't compete.  So they did, each and every game.

That paradigm yielded dramatic victories versus the national power houses...and Purdue, like its former football player coach, began defying critics, winning conference championships and pissing off fans from opposing schools around the Midwest and beyond- all while defining what we know about Purdue basketball today.

Keady's teams got better and more skilled as they hovered near the top of the conference.  My favorite team, which was recently honored at Mackey by its best scorer, Troy Lewis, was defined by Lewis and his fellow Senior teammates from 1998.  In middle school, my life revolved around Purdue sports.  I went to Purdue basketball camp and got to meet Steve Scheffler, Troy Lewis, Everett Stevens and Todd Mitchell.  Pretty much every piece of clothing that I didn't wear to school had purdue printed on it.  I was thoroughly brainwashed; and loved it.  In spite of Purdue getting knocked out year after year in the first or second round of the tournament, I tended to focus on what happened during the regular season...it probably kept me sane.

The most memorable Purdue game I attended during this era, and probably in my life, for that matter, was when Purdue clinched the BT title with the 3 Amigos leading the way.  Days before the game, a crippling ice storm had gone through the Indianapolis area.  My family lived down near 38th street in Indianapolis.  Since all the power lines are above ground down there, we lost power for days. We were pretty much huddling around the fire place for light and heat for a few days...so when the Michigan game fell on the tail end of the power outage, my Dad, brothers and I were ready to get to Mackey and witness something special.  We did.

Troy Lewis, Gene Keady, Todd Mitchell and Everett Stephens, 1988

It was about 90 degrees in Mackey that afternoon as the original Big 3 raised the big ten trophy after beating the team that won the national title about a month later.  Mackey was fitted with new lights prior to the game that brightened up the once-dark arena...and it was well-past its capacity.  And get this, even the old fans stood regularly in this contest (something that we don't see too much anymore).  It was a special day.

Purdue got the number one seed in the NCAA tournament shortly after.  They beat Farleigh Dickinson, whipped Memphis...then ran into Mitch Richmond and Kansas State. Purdue was knocked out by the lower seeded Wildcats...and I was crushed.

The next year, Purdue went to the NIT after one of its best basketball classes ever left campus.  That year, I watched Purdue's season end in person at Market Square Arena versus Florida.  I think typically, an NIT loss has no where near the sting as an NCAA tourney loss, but this was different. There was more to the one since the same Florida team had knocked Purdue out of the dance just two years prior in the second round.

My Boilers got back to the tourney the following year...and as a gift, were put in the Hoosier Dome.  They squandered the opportunity, again in heart-breaking fashion, in front of the heavily-pro-Purdue crowd.  This time, the loss came at literally at the hands of Texas- as a last second lay-up was blocked to seal a one-point victory.

A few years later, after a couple more one-and-outs in the tourney, Glenn Robinson was dominating the college basketball world.  Keady's methodical rock 'em, sock 'em style of defense was replaced with Robinson pushing the pace, Cuonzo and Waddell raining threes and Jennings and Dove dunking whenever possible. Role players like Darner and McNary reminded us all of what Purdue had been...but this year felt different.

Grant Hill v. Glenn Robinson, 1994

Robinson was the pre-season player of the year...and he lived up to the hype and more. Martin went from a guy who could barely shoot to a legitimate bomber and squad around them was rock-solid. Purdue beat elite teams, even in the NCAA tournament...but it stopped in Knoxville.  As Grant Hill, and and a bum back kept Glenn Robinson from doing what he had done over and over again that season, Purdue was knocked out. Yet again, Keady would not get to the final four.  Two of my best friends from Purdue and I, along with a bunch of our other pals, made the roadie to see this game in person. It's still tough for me to watch the Boilers lose; but this one, since I had class with some of the players and had met most of them, was worse.

Keady defied the odds after losing the nation's best player and coached Purdue up to another BT title the following year...and after the Boilers nearly lost to Dick Bennet's #15 seed WGB squad (49-48 win), the Boilers reverted to their old form of ducking out of the tournament in the second round.

Purdue lost not one, but two of the best shooters in the BT with Martin and Waddell graduating in 1995, but Keady rose to the challenge again by leading his team to their third-straight BT title in 1996.  This team, like the '88 and '94 teams earned a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They promptly played an awful game versus Western Carolina, and earned the closest victory ever between a #1 and #16 seed team in the NCAA tournament.  The rocky start to the tournament was completed when Purdue lost the next game to Georgia.

Rodney Smith, Gene Keady and Brian Cardinall, 2000

After a few more rock-solid regular seasons and a couple more two-and-outs in the tourney, Keady put together a string of three tournaments in which his teams made serious noise in the post-season.  The most-unexpected was when the #10 seed Boilers made it to the Sweet 16 after going through Boston...I was lucky enough to be living in the Boston area in 1999, and got to see them beat Miami in the Fleet Center. The apex of this three-year run came in 2000 when the Brian Cardinal-led Boilers were knocked out of the tournament in the Elite 8 by Dick Bennett's Wisconsin team.  This was the fourth time Purdue played the Badgers that season...three of them ending in defeat.  And most of the games were rock fights played in the 60s as both teams simply ground out victories in unconventional fashion.

There is no doubt Gene Keady is a Purdue legend and is fitting of being the topic of the Icons show on BTN. He squeezed more out of under-talented teams than any coach in the modern era...Bo Ryan comes as close as anyone...and like Keady has had limited success in the NCAA tournament.

One of the things discussed in the Icons show is that Matt Painter's era is kind of a continuation of Keady's time at Purdue.  I disagree with this idea.  Keady, in all of his years at Purdue, never had a class as highly-touted as Painter's '07 class.  In fact, I'd argue the classes from '08 to '11 closely-resemble Keady's classes.

Knight and Keady

Painter's teams haven't been as successful during the conference schedule as Keady's...but he has been able to get a round or two further than the average Keady team.  They both believe that defense creates offense and the only way to play the game is hard. But Painter is not close to as fiery...and Painter has never had such an obvious and clear antithesis as Keady did...for his entire time at Purdue in Bob Knight.

Perhaps Crean will become that, but I seriously doubt it for a myriad of reasons.

A friend of mine and I discussed why Keady's teams always faded in March, and we think we understand why.  Keady was able to get his teams to give everything they had, every time they stepped on the court where as so many coaches simply aren't able to get their teams to play at that level night-in, night-out...but in the tournament, everyone is hungry and more motivated than they've been all year.  And Purdue, in spite of playing great team basketball, simply didn't have the individual talent that the teams they faced in the post-season.

Being the national COY six times says a lot about a coach; I don't think any BT coach has ever matched that number, nor ever will.  But, Gene Keady is iconic because he became Purdue basketball due to the amount of time he spent at our alma mater, the passion he had for the game and the high level of success he had during his 25 years in West Lafayette.



*It was also Matt Painter's Freshman year at Purdue

The BTN Apology

As pointed out by a number of our readers, the BTN has an apology on their site, though you have to search for it. 

If you go to About Us and then Contact Us, one of the drop-down choices is about the Purdue/Western Michigan game. When you select that, you get the following mea culpa:

"We sincerely apologize for our technical difficulties during tonight's Purdue-Western Carolina game. We experienced a transmission failure that prevented us from being able to carry the Purdue game. We recognize that it is completely unacceptable and we will do everything necessary to prevent this from happening again."

I attempted to send a note regarding Hall's attitude through this, including the BS address, etc., but as another reader pointed out, it won't let you complete it. Nicely done, BTN. 

Boilers Overtake Western Carolina In Second Half As BTN Embarrasses Selves

Not a good night for the BTN. Almost as bad a night for Purdue, as the Boilers struggled through an atrocious first half, shooting only 23%, to trail by eight at the break, 29-21. I had faith the Boilers could overcome this Western Carolina team with even a moderate improvement in the second half, and I turned out to be right, as Purdue rallied to win 65-60. Not that any of us got to see it, as the BTN lost their feed midway through the first half and never got it back. This was after those first ten minutes were intermittently littered with interruptions....

...and then returns to the action. But we'll get to all that.

So glad he's back

Rob Hummel led the Boilers with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and two blocks. I don't know about you, but I think Rob is more than comfortable in his role as the number 1 option, something that more than a few people raised as a concern before the season started. He looks comfortable out there, hustling as much as he always did, being a leader by example, and always seeming to be calm and in position.

Lewis Jackson had 15 big points, including 9 of 12 from the FT line. Lew also left the game with a limp (according to reports -- I didn't see it, remember) and officially logged 24 minutes.

Kelsey Barlow had a crazy stat line (I would have loved to see this game!), with 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block, 2 turnovers....and FIVE fouls. All in 27 minutes. Weird.

DJ Byrd again played single digit minutes. Hope he's back to strength soon.

Ryne Smith had a steady 9 points, all from beyond the arc, and also added 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Jacob Lawson continues to be a guy I like, as he turned in a six point performance, along with 3 blocks in 21 minutes. Yes, he fouls a lot. Yes, he's got to work on his free throws. But the raw talent and good composure for a freshman is very fun to watch.

Purdue continues to struggle in the post, however, and this is indeed becoming a major concern. If the Boilers shoot poorly, as they did in the first half tonight and in the second half against Xavier, they are going to lose more games than any of us are comfortable with. And this nonsense at the free throw line -- Purdue missed seventeen free throws tonight -- only makes things more irritating. They have some time to work these kinks out before conference play begins, but the issues are becoming epidemic and regular. Not a good sign.

Now, since I wasn't able to see much of the action, let's get back to talking about that abomination.

What made it even more keystone cops-ish was the fact that the BTN decided that while Purdue was (kinda) worthy to put on the network, they were only really sort of worthy. So the network that generated more than $220 million in ad revenue in 2010 elected to half-ass the broadcast tonight and have Eric Collins do the play-by-play with an analyst whom I cannot remember from the studio in Chicago while watching....

...the same troublesome feed we all were being subjected to. This led to me being somewhat amused when the feed was first lost (approximately 5 seconds into the game -- no, I am not kidding), because Collins sounded a bit distressed. And why not? When you're actually at the game you're calling, you simply continue calling the action and apologize for the technical issues and do your best to describe the action.

But Collins was not there. He was, presumably, in Chicago. Which also means that we'll never see this game replayed because, well, there is no commentary. Unless the BTN elects to have the commentary track recorded and added to the footage of the game (if it exists) and then air it as a replay. But think of the level of effort involved there. They can't even bother to send their broadcast team to West Lafayette -- why would anyone expect them to do something to remedy their problems?

Isn't this one of the reasons the BTN is headquartered in Chicago? To be right in the heart of Big Ten country?

And then, Mike Hall -- after being rather cheeky and goofy during the halftime report -- takes to Twitter and derides Purdue fans as "rude" because of the notes he's seeing on there:

Hey, sorry everyone! But back off! We're working on it! You serfs should be happy with the Bo Schembechler soul-crushingly boring Icons documentary we tossed on the screen!

I gently pointed out to Michael that ripping frustrated Purdue fans is probably not the best approach right now and that being the face of the BTN has its downs to go along with its many, I am sure, perks. Oh, and also? Welcome to Twitter, Mike. Sometimes people are mean. Time to grow up and put on your big boy pants.

Let's be clear here. Purdue fans had every right to be pissed off tonight and to take out their frustrations on the multimillion dollar network that is supposed to be a professional broadcasting entity. The BTN's primary focus -- far above all else -- should be broadcasting games. Not the Icons series, not what failed coaches like Gerry DiNardo or Glen Mason think, not clever Journey commercials...but games. And they failed miserably this evening. 

The Big Ten Network should be ashamed of themselves and should make it clear that they will never let this sort of joke happen on their airwaves again. But they won't, because they really don't care. You're not going anywhere. 

(Incidentally, if you do wish to contact the nice people at the BTN, their address is 600 W. Chicago Ave, Suite 875, Chicago, IL 60610. Their phone number is 312 665 0700 and their fax number is 312 665 0740. I encourage you to express your displeasure.)

Friday Gumbo

Everybody knows by now that Calvin Smith has transferred from New Mexico to Purdue. Smith's road to UNM is actually more circuitous than just Florida to Purdue via Albuquerque.

Smith verballed to Lane Kiffin and Tennessee during his Senior year in high school, decommitted when Kiffin decided to go to USC, then went to UNM. Before deciding on the Vols, he had offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Mississippi, Purdue, Notre Dame, Arkansas and others.

Out of high school, we wanted to go some place where he'd get playing time and would make an impact right away. Before committing to UT, he talked about how he liked UND, Florida and FSU quite a bit. But, Florida got two DT commits and I don't know what happened to FSU, UND and others, but the offers were probably filled by other recruits. UNM's Mike Locksly was able to sell the idea of instant playing time to Smith, and UNM's coach lived up to his promise.

As a 6'4" 270 lb. true Freshman, Smith played in all 12 games and had 13 tackles, one a sack. Being a part of UNM's rotation right away surprised no one...signing at UNM surprised everyone...and he shocked a lot of people again by transferring to Purdue.

There's a lot of ways to look at this- You could be cautiously optimistic just because you don't really understand why he's at Purdue. A good answer might be that he'll have two fellow Hialeah teammates in God's country next season...more than anyone else. Or maybe, he's just a guy that likes to do things differently.

Twitter and the message boards has some dancing in the street just because this plays like bolstering next year's recruiting class...and he'll have a year to be around the team, practice and learn.

I lean toward being a bit more cynical just because this one doesn't make a ton of sense to me. He was never really high on Purdue coming out of high school...but unlike Marve, who went through visits again prior to his transfer, the Smith thing just kind of happened.

My opinion matters little at this point, because he's a Boiler now. So obviously, I hope he thrives at Purdue and am glad he's on campus. In high school, he was a prolific pass-rushing tackle- Think Mike Neal more than KK Short.

Boilers on BTN

Joe Tiller will be working for the BTN this fall and I'm looking forward to it. If you ever had the chance to hear the Ol' Purdue Coach talk outside of a press conference, you know how entertaining he could be. I'm pretty sure that his combo of knowledge of the game and storytelling ability will make him an enjoyable person to listen to on the network...Plus, it's never bad to have another Boiler there.

I had the chance to talk to Rosevelt Colvin last week and he told me that he will be on the BTN more than last fall as well...if you got a chance to see him in studio in 2010, you could see he was already better than some of the guys on the panels as he was comfortable in front of the camera and came off as smart without being smug. His increased role should be good for everybody involved.

Matty's Magic

Painter is in China coaching the US team in the World University Games. His squad won in an exhibition v. a professional Chinese team and begins official play tomorrow. His assistant coaches are two of the best in the college game; Cuonzo Martin and Brad Stevens.

Matty's coaching a few players he coached against in the last few years- MSU's Draymond Green, Bama's JaMychal Green and Mbakwe from Minny.

Wilson Goes Off

IU's Coach Wilson, who was one of the stars of the B1G media day a few weeks ago saw a different side of the media yesterday on Fox Sports Radio's Zakk & Jack Show.

I've heard Wilson has a pretty bad temper from IU students who have gotten the business end of the guy...but I really liked his appearance on this crappy show.

I don't listen to the show regularly...because it stinks. But I've listened enough to know that Trudeau comes off as a complete bag and Zakk seems to be a blowhard whose voice is pretty tough to stomach. Prior to putting Wilson on the air, they both were making fun of IU...which might be OK on a different day, but isn't very smart business right before you welcome their coach onto the show. You can hear it here.

Wilson probably could have showed a bit more discipline in the way he handled it, but he wasn't that out of line...the clowns who get paid to talk on the radio for a living were though.

A lot of Purdue fans were saying Wilson was out of line via Twitter and on the message boards, but let's be honest for a moment- if this happened to Hope, wouldn't you want him to defend himself and his program and be at least a little pissed? I would.

Handsome Hour Rescheduled to Thursday

A couple of Purdue students prepare to listen to the Handsome Hour...

We know, we know, this will throw your entire week off. Normally it's sleep Monday, study Tuesday, listen to the HH Wednesday, booze Thursday and then date night Friday. Well, you'll need to juggle things, as we have a scheduling conflict (B-Dowd is taking the BS corporate jet to NYC and back today).

Tune in tomorrow evening, Thursday night, same time as usual (9:30 PM, Eastern) for this week's Handsome Hour. We'll have the man, the myth, the legend, Brent Yarina from BigTenNetwork.com.

BTN's Brent Yarina To Join Handsome Hour This Wednesday

Brent Yarina of the Big Ten Network (pictured here in a recent file photo) will join the Boiled Sports Handsome Hour on Wednesday night to discuss the birth of a new college basketball season, his favorite color and why he hates Purdue so much.

No, we kid, of course, as Brent's almost always fair to our Boilers.

Tune in Wednesday night at the normal time to hear our talk with Brent. And check out his work at BTN.com and on Twitter.

A Behind The Scenes Look at the BTN

No, we don't mean insight into how their game coverage can lack at times.

Turns out, Tim Cary -- and if you're not following Tim on Twitter, you're missing out on a lot of Purdue content -- spent the day behind the scenes at the BTN two weeks ago.

Check out the link for never-before-seen footage of Gerry DiNardo eating and Dave Revsine reminiscing about the viewership numbers when he was doing Sportscenter.

No, just kidding, I made those up. But check out the link for Tim's story. It's a good read.

MLB Network Continues to Be Awesome for Baseball Junkies

MLB Network has it right. If you're into baseball, as I am, then you likely already love this channel. And compared to the other dedicated channels, I'd say it's at or near the best of the lot. And often, to me, it's the little things that they do in the course of their long evening shows.

This is just one recent example. With a lot of arguing and ejections seemingly happening lately, Joe Magrane and Harold Reynolds give a little demo on how best to approach an umpire when you disagree with their strike zone while also not getting yourself thrown out of the game.

Like I said, for baseball junkies like me, this is just cool stuff.

MLB, NFL and the Big Ten Network, in my opinion, do very good jobs covering things as they do, though I'd probably put BTN third in that list, for now. Further down the list, in pathetic territory are NBA TV and the NHL Network. Those who know me know I love hockey, too, so that's not BS. They do a horrendous job.

A more thorough breakdown of the best and worst sports networks will be forthcoming from your favorite Website -- once our July 4th hangovers die down.

Big Ten Network Awards Like Purdue-OSU Tilts

Yeah, we didn't notice this because we tend to nod off a bit this time of year as you know, but the Big Ten Network aired their third-annual awards show the other night. Tip o' the cap to 11W for noticing it and mentioning it... otherwise, we never would have.

Interestingly, Matt Painter was not nominated for men's Coach of the Year (which covers all sports, not just hoops or football). Take that as you will. However, Purdue-OSU basketball was nominated as the Game of the Year and "Ryan Kerrigan versus OSU" was nominated for Most Dominating Performance...as was "Robbie Hummel's First Half vs OSU."

Yes, let's indeed celebrate that one.

Screw you, Dennis.

Today on CBSSports.com, a writer named Dennis Dodd decided to throw another sizable log on the fire of my burning disdain for the national sports media.

He made some good points...some that I agree with-

The Big Ten and Jim Delany should be pleased that Nebraska is joining the conference.
True, Dennis.

Much of Nebraska's football success is due to creative and prevalent use of walk-ons.
Neato...that's noteworthy and very good.

Nebraska has had a ton of success...from its coaches to its players, to the greater teams they played on. Lots of Cornhuskers are in the Hall of Fame.
Indeed! They'll fit in with the most-storied, longest-running conference in all of the land.
The Cornhuser mascot is goofy.
No argument here.
Nebraska has loyal fans.
I'm glad- loyalty breeds passion, passion breeds rivalry, rivalry makes a conference better.

Delany has the ability to stop some of the shaking ground under the feet of the college football world.
True, he does, to a point...but I'd argue that a seismic shake-up is exactly what college football needs. From conferences with unhappy members to a crappy post-season system, one of my favorite sports needs an overhaul. But, I'd also argue that key parts like Texas, the Pac10 and others are also very happy about moving change along...it's not solely ole Jim at the controls of this XL ship.

But, Mr. Dodd also decided to call out Purdue specifically, not once, but twice in his nearly-good article. He begs and pleads Jim Delany not to make Nebraska into a middle-of-the pack team and pretty much kiss the Cornhusker's overall-clad ass as they enter the oldest, and wealthiest conference in the college sports.

Make no mistake, Dennis, Nebraska needs the Big Ten and wants to be part of the conference. This conference isn't a damsel in distress in need of a big, strong gorilla to pick it up. The Big Ten is the gorilla. The Big Ten has a ton of great teams...and the BT has always been an innovator in college sports world...right now is no different.

When Penn State entered the conference, they brought a large satchel of trophies, a rabid fanbase and throngs of members of the college football hall of fame...and they needed to join the Big Ten. Sound familiar? Delany and co. didn't kiss the wrinkly hind quarters of JoePa, and they shouldn't do it for Pelini and Osborne.

They can and should welcome Nebraska as a member of a family that has been successful, has produced a ton of great players and better games and is comprised of good schools. The Cornhuskers should be good for the conference for a number of reasons.

But CBS' Dodd needs to understand something. Purdue isn't the only team in the conference who is in the middle. And, I'd argue that Nebraska's last two coaches did more to make Nebraska a middling team than Jim Delany ever could.
Remember, this isn't the first time Nebraska tried to join the Big Ten. But, this time, their bid to enter the conference will be successful BECAUSE of members like Purdue. So instead of the BT rolling out a red carpet for Osborne, perhaps he should bring gifts of gratitude for Delany and the charter members of the ole conference. The Big Ten has saved them from the inequitable treatment that the "Big Texas" Conference dumped upon them the last decade and one-half. The conference's newest member should be and is pleased about getting out of the sinking ship called the Big 12, which I'm sure most are, within the Nebraska family.

But Dodd and others in the media should recognize that middle of the pack football teams, like Purdue generate revenue in places that Nebraska doesn't even have places...like the hardwood. In fact, Nebraska should get to know Northwestern as they enter the BT...because both share the notable distinction of being two of only three teams in the entire NCAA to have never won an NCAA tournament game. While no one will argue football's importance to the conference, everyone knows the Big Ten is more than just a football conference.

Welcome to the Big Ten, Nebraska.


Thanks Georgia Boiler, for the heads up.

BTN Still Not Hiring Proofreaders

You know, old-timer, I'm not sure where "Minnisota" is, either.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Runnin' Boilers
The LJC had a great story this weekend about some of Matty's boys and what they've been up to.

First, they all run like a team of deer, it seems.

The entire team runs a sub-6:00 mile, even Marcius and JJ. That's nifty. But, Robbie Hummel runs a fast 4:49 mile. I'm pretty sure I can't drive one that fast. Hummel humbly denies this as noteworthy saying that he ran the mile in middle school. Okie dokie, Ostrich.

The article also talks about Chris Kramer entertaining the idea of Chris donning shoulder pads for our Boilers in the fall of '10. This actually makes a ton of sense to me- Purdue graduates a lot of defensive backfield talent...perhaps Kramer can help out back there.

For those of you who have been Purdue fans for a while, this might remind you of Kip Jones who played football for Purdue after his basketball eligibility was up...Jones actually blocked a field goal while playing for Fred Akers...I'm pretty sure Kramer will look more the part than did Jones.

I'm a fan of blondes, I guess
I haven't done this in a while, so I thought I'd do it- here are some ladies on the TV that have caught my eye recently. First off, probably the best-looking woman on TV right now is a bit commercial actress on Budweiser commercials- Christina Scott Bennett.
The next two are a sign that the BTN is run by smart people. One, a favorite of J and I who my wife doesn't think is anything special (let the record show, Mrs. Boilerdowd thinks Erin Andrews is A-OK). Charissa Thompson isn't new to the network, but is noteworthy.
Second is the new co-host of a tailgating show in BTN on Saturday mornings...and while Melanie Collins is no where near as good at being a studio personality as Thompson, she is awfully nice to look at.

Around Indiana
Not all of you who regularly visit the site are in Central Indiana...so you don't get to hear/see a lot of the fan reaction from Purdue, IU and UND fans after game weekends like this...As a service, I'll share what I heard out and about today.

Purdue fans are generally excited...I'm one of those. My adjusted prediction for the season is now 6 or 7 wins, up from 4 or 5...no surprise there.

IU fans are funny...some are smart, they seem to think this season's going to be long and painful and the squeaking out the first two games versus bad opponents is an awful omen. Others are the typical IU fans- they see 2-0, and nothing else...and are talking about a bowl game already. They think that a win is a win. I'm actually impressed at their level of energy...but think their talent level is still low (with the exception of a few receivers who are very good).

My favorite fans are the Domers. Most are still convinced that a BCS bowl is all but a sure thing...but UM is just back and that good. Heck, how else could they beat the might Irish? This is classic, old-school UND BS...and I love hearing it. A pal of mine who went to UND once told me that Notre Dame students would spend evenings after losses (back in the early 90s) trying to figure out what had to happen for Notre Dame to win the national title. If the question was asked today by the same people, perhaps they'd say, "get rid of the Manatee"? Nope...he's on solid ground. Sure, the outsider can see that he lost Saturday's game with plain-dumb play calling down the stretch. No matter. Ignorance is b...eing a Domer.

Did anyone else see King Charlie demanding satisfaction from the refs as if his opinion mattered to those guys after the clock hit 0:00 in AA? I loved it...hope to see more of it very soon.

Here's to an angry Spartan team circling the wagons this week.

Wednesday Gumbo

If you're like my brothers and I, you're chomping at the bit for football season. We all watched the Purdue practice tonight together as if it was a big game...and on Friday night, we're going to watch a high school football game...just because the jones is getting stronger- the end of the tunnel is nigh!

Watching the Boilers' practice on BTN, I took away a few noteworthy things-

-The offensive line and specifically, Ken Plue looks impressive and crisp.

-The interior defensive lineman seem to be the largest group of tackles that I can remember at Purdue

-Many of Purdue's receivers were struggling to cleanly-catch the ball. Even the guys that caught it bobbled an awful lot and used their bodies to gather the rock. Plus, so many of these young guys are just rail-thin. The lack of strength might be tough when Purdue plays bump coverage...Oregon's corners usually do; we'll know a lot early.

All that said, Keith Smith looked precise, strong and sure-handed and Valentin should be good as well. This coupled with the tight ends should help Purdue move the ball through the air, at least underneath.

-A lot of people in the program are excited about Elliott's leadership ability. In your opinion, when was the last time Purdue had a real field general leading the offense? That attitude alone might help the offense's level of success.

-I have a stronger and stronger feeling that ATM is not grasping the offense, and in spite of his talent, might not be too effective until mid-season, or after. The very good thing is that the other four backs should give him plenty of time to understand his role.

-While I really like the potential of Rob Henry, I'm worried about his throwing motion...it's reminiscent of Billy Dicken's. That worked out fine for both Purdue...and Dicken who made money playing in the AFL. But, for those of us who were hoping he was the next Drew Brees, think again...but Brees could never, and still can't run as fast or jump as high as Henry.

-Mike Neal benches 510. From the perspective of a guy that squats about 150-less pounds...that's perplexing. I didn't even know they made bench racks that could hold that much weight.


Jerks
If you believe Brett Favre came back to football to make his daughter happy or because the Vike's owner pleaded with him 48 hours ago to come...then, aw schucks! You're as simple as those who believe Usain Bolt is just a naturally-freakish athlete.

SEC Domination
I hear the SEC has banned students posting to Twitter and Facebook while at SEC games. AWESOME!!

There are so many stupid aspects to this policy...but I guess this idea is supposed to keep people focused on TV instead of the interwebnet during the games...or something. Regardless of the redonkilous reasoning, doesn't this seem nearly-unenforceable? I'm pretty sure every SEC student should send a Tweet to the SEC letting them know how little they appreciate this jack-arsed policy...during their first game.

The really good news is that Jim Delaney and Co. aren't following suit just because the SEC is so awesome and fast.

State of Emergency
I was watching UM on BTN's practice tour and noted that they have more indoor practice area than any other entity, professional or amateur, in America.

So, how do you think Aggie fans take to that kind of news as their AD panhandles the boosters for snack money for roadies later in the season? Alright guys, let's just shut this down- if you can't pay for a banana and bottle of water for each player, you should probably shut it down.

Other Junk
EsPN's new show "Sportsnation" fits perfectly on that network. It's awful. While the show has been on for a while (I guess) I always turned it because it looked like a commercial or a joke, to me. Turns out, it is...but the joke is on me I guess- I'll never get that hour back.

BTN: Friday Night Tailgate

I became addicted to FNT last year...Mike Hall, Steve, Charissa...that other guy...what's not to like?

Found this photo on Twitter...thought I'd share with the class. We're getting ever-closer to college football season, yo!

Our Overexposure Inexplicably Continues

We continue to be both flattered and astounded that anyone cares what we have to say. This site is a terrific outlet (and, frankly, a lot cheaper than a therapist) and we continue doing it because we enjoy it so much.

Last night, I had a long, deep discussion with handsome devil Brent Yarina of the BigTenNetwork.com about life, liberty and the pursuit of Oaken Buckets, and tried to represent Boiled Sports well.

I also peppered Brent with some questions, too, finding out that he grew up an IU fan (boooo!) but that he is psyched to have a job working in Chicago and writing about Big Ten athletics. Oh, and that he has a secret (but growing) affinity for the Boilermakers basketball team. Good for you, Brent, it's never too late to come over to the good fight.

What's More American Than Watching Purdue?

For those of you who couldn't get enough of the all-Purdue day on the Big Ten Network last week, they're dedicating another day to the best school in the land.

This Friday, July 3, as you're likely off from work and polishing up your..... barbecue (what did you think I was gonna say?), you can have nonstop Purdue action in the background. This will do wonders for your marriage, trust me.

Early 90s basketball and mid-90s football games will be the primary attractions. If nothing else, we should feel good that our school's had enough awesome moments to fill two entire days of programming.

'09-'10 Final Year as Boilers for JJ and Hummel?

A week ago, we asked you what scenario would make it worth losing the Ostrich? There were mixed results, but by and large it seemed like we all appreciated Robbie a great deal and, barring a letdown season on all accounts, we'd wish him well if he chose to make that leap.

Offline, Boilerdowd and I were commenting -- happily -- that so-called experts like Andy Katz didn't appear to even have Purdue players on their radar. We felt like it was a good thing for Purdue to be the overlooked team and, selfishly, we hoped that without overexposure, there might be a better chance of our guys sticking around.

Well, Brent Yarina of the Big Ten Network feels differently. He's got JJ listed as the #1 most likely Big Ten prospect to enter the 2010 NBA draft. Here's his take on JaJuan:

Johnson considered making the leap this past year, so much so that he released a statement saying he was coming back for his junior season. Barring a major injury, there's no doubt this upcoming season will be Johnson's last. His stock skyrocketed this past year, and if he continues his rate of improvement, not to mention adds more mass to his rail-thin body, he's a sure-fire first-rounder.

No doubt this upcoming season will be his last. "Sure-fire first-rounder." High praise, to be sure. And we, too, hope he develops into a certain first-round pick.

Also, and not unexpectedly, we suppose, is Robbie Hummel at #5 on Yarina's list.

Hummel could have a tough decision regarding his future next year if his back cooperates. If the back isn't healthy, you'd have to assume he'll return for his final season, in which case you can throw William Buford's name in here. Hummel won't thrill anyone with his game, but there are few things he can't do on a basketball court, and he's willing to do everything and anything to win.

I don't know about you, but Robbie has thrilled us with his game on multiple occasions.

Point is, it's only June and it already looks like we're going to have to ready ourselves for an Indianapolis or bust kind of season starting in November.

I'm looking forward to the ride.

Big Boilermaker Network

For those interested (and starving for a Boilermaker fix in these quiet months), tomorrow the Big Ten Network will air 24 hours of Boilermaker goodness.

"Five episodes of the Big Ten’s Greatest Games, featuring the Purdue football and men’s basketball teams, also are part of the day’s programming, including the 1991 double-overtime basketball victory over Michigan at 1 p.m. ET, the 1998 Alamo Bowl vs. No. 4 Kansas State at 4 p.m. ET and the 1999 football win vs. Notre Dame at 10 p.m. ET."

No word yet on which of Rick Trefzger's classic performances will be highlighted.

Up Yours, Comcast

Boilerdowd, Tim & J Money Protest Comcast's fraudulent advertising practices

Alright, I've been brewing for a week, no more Mr. Nice Guy. Comcast, I'm sick and tired of the BS. I keep hearing this damned radio spot from Comcast bragging about how I'll see all of the major Big Ten games on TV if I'm a Comcast subscriber. Well, they're wrong.

I think about anybody in the Big Ten would consider a contest between 4-2 Michigan and 5-1 Purdue a pretty important (or major, depending on an individual's definition) game. Obviously, we're all wrong...TV Sports God, AKA Comcast tells me that I will see everything that matters sans BTN.

I, by the way, find both Comcast and the BTN at fault for the hardlines they're both towing. But, Comcast runs fraudulent, aggressive advertisements on the radio that have made my choice easy on whom I view as more wrong. Comcast is an arrogant monster conglomerate that doesn't care about its customers and instead of trying to provide the best-possible service, they merely run their company with the largest-possible margins. I understand this is a public relations battle between two media giants...it seems to me, that if perception is reality, Comcast has lost the battle.

If this rant does nothing more than make me feel better, it's accomplished something. While Comcast has millions of subscribers, they will have one less in Fishers, Indiana in the near future.

Please note, IU fan that you will also be getting screwed by Comcast this weekend.