America Doing What America Does

I lived in NJ for a summer during college...and when my brother and friends came into town, my Uncle and I took them into tourist sights; Central Park, Empire State Building and the World Trade Center.  I had friends who came through World Trade Station for work, others who had meetings in the building...so 9/11/01 was personal for me. It made me sad...it still pisses me off.

Yesterday afternoon a terrorist struck Boston, MA...and in spite of three people being killed, it was a glancing blow, of sorts.  It could have been much worse.

The crowds around the marathon are large and tight. If you're like me, it's tough to see anyone pass on the route unless you're in the front row.  Short guys and women need to move around to see the street as rows of people are shoulder to shoulder, especially near the start/finish line.

Like the NY area, I also lived near Boston for a few years, after I graduated from Purdue. At the time, I worked at Puma...and we had athletes who ran in the marathon professionally...as well as co-workers who ran in it.  Patriots Day is a big deal in Boston (if you aren't from around there, you might not know) and the Boston Marathon is the center of many of the activities celebrating our country and the Patriots that helped make it great.

Much like the attacks on 9/11, this one felt personal because it was directed at so many of the people I know.  Thank God- as of right now, I have not heard from any friends that someone I know is among the injured or deceased...that in itself is a massive blessing, or tremendous luck, depending on your perspective and faith.

Back in '98 or '99 (can't remember the year), I met some co-workers in Boston to try to get a glimpse of a few of our co-workers as they ran by on the marathon route.  Unlike yesterday, it was a cold, rainy day...but that didn't stop people from coming out for the event. I can imagine the crowds were even larger yesterday afternoon as the weather was nicer.

The scope of this attack was obviously significantly smaller and less-organized than 9/11 or many of the attacks internationally in the decade that followed...none the less, it was a monstrous, yet cowardly act that showed the evil underbelly of mankind.  But when evil attacks America, goodness, resolve and courage always show up in its chaotic wake.

You've all seen the videos- the smoke hadn't come close to clearing...and people were rushing into the center of the blast and fire...not just brave police men and women...but normal people.

As I watched the news this morning, a doctor named Allan Panter from Georgia recalled the story of how he attempted to help people who were cut down by the bomb.  The first explosion detonated about 20 feet from him.  He was awaiting his wife's completion of the race...he was uninjured...but a woman close by him, feet away was killed.

Once again, my belief is God placed Dr. Panter exactly in the spot he was...because he wasn't one foot to the left or right, he was able to save lives by coordinating a civilian effort to get people to the medical tent while applying tourniquets to multiple legs that had been blown off in the explosion.  The shots from above tell the story of how gruesome of a scene Dr. Panter was in the midst of.  Blood is still all over the pavement this morning and many more might have died had this doctor and a bunch of other people not acted quickly.

The best part of the doctor's interview, in my opinion, was the humble nature in which he handled himself and the story. He kept placing the credit in the laps of the police and emergency teams...Yet, when you see the raw footage, civilians were pulling twisted metal off of victims and coming to their aid first. Just as New Yorkers responded nearly 12 years ago, Bostonians...and Georgians, for that matter, countered the attack by stopping the loss of life in any way possible.

Thank God, once again, that the man or people, that attacked Boston yesterday didn't know what they were doing...early police reports say that the bombs didn't fully detonate and didn't detonate in the direction that could have dealt the most-lethal blow. There's no doubt that a single life (let alone three or more) lost is something that we as a nation will mourn, but the stories that are coming out of yesterday's response to the attack are to be celebrated and commended.

On one hand, I read about a woman who could see the finish line, yet stopped to help the recovery effort...and never finished the race that she had trained for during the previous months/years. On the other hand, there is the story of the 78 year old runner who was knocked down just feet from the finish line by the explosion who was tended to immediately by Police.  Bill Iffrig, from Lake Stevens, Washington  not only got up, he finished the race.

Today, my pal J has a work meeting at 7 World Trade...and he expressed a bit of nervousness about the timing/location.  But, as I type, I believe he is at his morning meeting...doing what he does; just like the rest of the country.

God Bless America and the freedom-loving, right-minded, and big-hearted people within it who show time and again, what this country is made. These people are the reason why we should celebrate all that we're blessed to be a part of.  Like you I'm sure, I'm praying today for the victims and families of the victims of yesterday's attack...And I'm reminded why I'm proud to be an American.

Tuesday Gumbo

Nord Nonsense

Gary Nord continued to defend his indefensible play-calling today in GBI's coordinator's corner. Here's what he had to say about his pass plays:

"I'm not sure what anybody wants to see, but we called 60 passes and about half of them were five-step down passes, so I'm not sure what anybody is seeing on that. Probably ought to go back and watch the film again. We threw outs, we threw posts, we threw take-offs, we threw square-ins. We threw every combination route that I know to throw, in the middle of the field, we dropped some, but I'm not sure what they're looking at on that."

I guess me, the 60+ people who came through my brother's house who were watching the game on Sunday all are just seeing things incorrectly.  A few of us played football, another currently coaches high school football...and almost all watch a ton of football...but we're all wrong.  By the way, so was EsPNU's producer who made a fancy graphic that talked about the fact that almost all of Purdue's passes were short and to the outside (late in the second quarter).

I love that Nord keeps digging his heels in deeper and deeper as his offense gets worse and worse.  It makes no sense, but is more entertaining than his play calling.  The offensive line is leaking like a sieve as their spacing, footwork and pick-up are awful.  Marve got hit hard time and again...and the designed rollouts, especially in the end zone to the short side of the field seemed were as nonsensical as Nord's coachspeak the last few weeks.  I do agree with one thing that Nord said one thing that was correct- the receivers have lost a ton of their confidence.  Edison, who has been sure-handed for the last three and one-half seasons dropped two catchable balls...and at least one of the receivers (Bush) looks gunshy as he's getting hit time and again while standing with his back to the defense after yet another one-yard out. (Sorry coach, I'm just telling it as I see it.)

The bright spots for me continue to be the Shavers runs and finishes runs when he gets the chance to get to the second level...and seeing Bolden and Marve playing at all is pretty great.

I have a few early-Christmas wishes for the Purdue offense for next season:
-That Henry is granted a sixth year by the inconsistent NCAA.  I believe we won't know that until after next season though.
-That Henry will be used as a slot, RB, WR, kick returner, wildcat QB and where ever he can make a difference...but I'd rather him not be anything other than an emergency QB.  It's time for the next coach to let Appleby, Etling and Marshall battle for the future as Cottom, Hunt and incoming Frosh Kenyante Green pound the ground game.
-And speaking of ground game, let's not forget that Purdue has a bunch of very good, big Freshman OLmen waiting in the wings.  Hopefully they are coached in a way that they can develop a bit more efficiently than what we've seen the last few seasons.  They'll be bolstered by a few returning starters who are upperclassmen that need to be a part of a better scheme.

Basketball

Losing the top-two leading scorers, top-2 leading rebounders, the top 3-point shooter, top shot blocker and a legend of the program who had become a reliable crutch whenever anything was needed is really tough to replace...so Matty isn't trying to.

Instead, he's decided to build toward a new style of play that relies less on the three pointer and more on points in the paint...and why wouldn't he? Purdue is bigger and stronger than they've been since the mid-90s...but Forces of Good are young.  So, we'll see a lot of what we saw versus Montevallo this season: inconsistency.

Let's remember back to the Baby Boilers Freshman year...Sure, they were extremely impactful, BUT, they lost games to teams they shouldn't have lost to, made horrible mistakes and looked like Freshman, especially JJ, very early in the season.  Simpson might be playing JJ's role this season...because he's not the player he'll be by the time he's a Senior.  I think he'll be similar to MSU's Draymond Green when he graduates...but right now, he looks tired, he's hampered by not being in the best shape.  But, he might also be a microcosm for this team...because he'll improve and do so quickly, I believe.

The three-headed Johnson rotating point guard system run by RonJohn, TJohn and AJ looks pretty solid in its early trials...but Raphael (pronounced Ray-fell...not Raf-ee-ell) Davis' ability to aggressively attack the basket is already proving to be effective...which is a carry-over from Italy.  Sure, that might change a bit this Friday when Purdue plays its first D-1 opponent, but the fact that he relies on driving first and the jumper second will put pressure on defenses to get back and get into position. TJohn and Davis might help create opportunities from the outside for AJ and Byrd (who hasn't gotten into a rhythm just yet).  I'm pretty sure though, that Byrd's hard work in the off-season will pay dividends when the games start to get important.

VOTE!!

Tomorrow is election day...and I think this is the most-important presidential election I've seen in my lifetime.  And while I won't tell you how you should vote, I will suggest you vote on the issues that mean the most to you and your family...and if you don't know the issues or the differences between these two candidates, it shouldn't take too much research for you to figure it out.  Get educated and exercise your freedom to make a difference.

Also, try not to rely too heavily on "fact-checking" sites...most have a bias one way or the other.  Not all sites can be as fair as this, the greatest site in all of the land.

We're blessed to live in a country in which peaceful, fair elections and subsequent smooth transitions of power are the norm.  It's a tremendous waste of freedom and disrespectful to those who continue to fight for our nation, not to care enough to vote.

Enjoy Your Fourth

Whether you're off from work, working today, unemployed or deployed.... enjoy the fourth in whatever way you are able to. This is perhaps our favorite holiday here at Boiled Sports and we genuinely wish you all the very best.

We're coming around on five years since we kicked things off here at BS and while we always go through those lulls (this time of year is often one of them), we also always find ourselves reinvigorated shortly thereafter. And, honestly, one of the biggest reasons is you.

Reading your responses and opinions is great and we're truly honored that you'd spend any of your time with us. We will continue to strive to make it worth your time.

And finally -- and especially -- thanks to those of you out there who are serving or have served this great country. We are extraordinarily proud of you and you are never far from our thoughts.

Across This Clear July Sky

Wherever you are today, we hope you're taking a moment (or a six-pack of moments) to celebrate how great this country is and how lucky we all are to be a part of it. It's not perfect, but that's part of what makes it incredible. The fact that we get to put so much time and energy into studying Purdue athletics and making fun of funny names is something that is not lost on us. As we've said before, we appreciate the opportunity and we appreciate you all reading.

We here at BS are spread around this great country. And, as we've come to learn, so are our terrific readers. And some, even, are in other parts of the world, but still tune in. A special shout-out to the expatriates, as I'm sure you wish you were on your native soil on July 4. We're thinking about you and we wish you were here, too.

Between callers to the Handsome Hour podcast and commenters here, we've seen/heard people from Indiana (of course!), both coasts, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Alaska.... and many others -- too many to list. And the fact that we can all come together like we do -- despite our differences in geography, opinions and viewpoints -- is very awesome.

Enjoy the day. And if you're working, I'll drink an extra for you.

That's The Way Most Of Us Put It

I used to think "I Am An American" was kind of hokey at the start of every Purdue football game. I don't anymore. A lot has happened in this world since the first time I heard it, in late August 1994.

I don't care who you are or what you believe -- if you're reading this and you're an American, you basically get to think what you think, believe what you believe and say what you say... because you are such a person. You live under the freedom of that glorious flag. Your rights are protected. Our system is flawed, as are our leaders. But the flaws are what make it perfect.

As you celebrate our independence by drinking, eating, sunbathing and blowing stuff up, take at least a minute to think about how many men and women have died -- and continue to die -- so that we have the right to do all that we do. And remember all those who have died, willingly, simply to keep that flag flying high and proud.

And, of course, remember those who died non-willingly, but also because they were Americans.

Never forget these basics. And the rest will work itself out.

God bless the U.S.

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.

Gooooal!

Boilerdowd can mock soccer and other sports his ADD doesn't allow him to focus on (and yet he watches auto racing and golf, two short-duration sports to be sure), but the fact is yesterday's victory by Team USA over Spain was huge. Or yoooge, if you're Donald Trump.

I'm not going to pretend I'm a "true" soccer fan, but I played the game from childhood through high school and I loved it. It was my primary sport. Watching it, I admit, is not the same. But none of you watch swimming regularly and yet when Team USA is going for a medley relay gold medal at the Olympics, foot traffic in Times Square would stop to watch it as though we all are the biggest swimming aficionados ever.

Basically, minimizing Team USA's win yesterday makes Boilerdowd less of an American. Or basically a communist. A dirty, dirty communist.

Okay, but seriously, the win was gigantic, as it gives the U.S. a few ounces of much-needed respect. We have more kids playing the game than any country in the world -- and yet our national teams can never seem to get anywhere. We invented baseball, basketball and American football... we hold our own in golf at events like the Ryder Cup, and our national hockey team has taken down the Russians and Canadians at times. So what's the deal with soccer?

It remains a mystery, but the fact is the U.S. men's team should be taken seriously now. Sure, they're not going to win the World Cup next year. But at least now there will be talk about how this was the squad that took down the mighty Spaniards, a national team that had not lost since the fall of 2006. That's almost three years, friends. And with one more win, they are actually the champions of something.

That's significant, whether you like soccer or not.