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.

Can't You Hug A Mascot in America?

Danny Hope thought we were living in America, but apparently not. Because when Ralph Bolden hugged Purdue Pete, Purdue -- and America! -- got slapped in the face with a 15 yard penalty.

Hope's quote is great:

"They said it was excessive celebration,” coach Danny Hope said before practice Sunday. “I tried to keep my cool. I thought this was America. I don’t get it. There wasn’t anything too graphic or out of line. I’ll have to look it up in the rulebook because that caught me off guard. I said, ‘What did that do that for?’ and they told me he was hugging Purdue Pete. I thought, ‘You got to be kidding me. This is America.’ Who knows? Nothing surprises me anymore. It seems like a bit much. It’s not like there was groping or anything. It’s unbelievable."

Indeed, coach. What did that do that for? Wait, what?

Anyway, as mentioned, Purdue AND America have been penalized 15 yards and as a result, Canada will now begin 15 yards into Wisconsin Minnesota. Sorry, cheeseheads blonde fat people.

Veteran's Day Sideboobies

It's that time again. Time for leaves to fall, cold to set in... and obnoxious effing television and radio commericals about Christmas. I hate you, Madison Avenue, for ruining Christmas for me. I used to love that holiday but now I look forward to the end of the holiday season because it means I don't have to hear 24/7 Christmas jingles or see that, hey, Vince Vaughn mailed in a craptastic movie about being Santa's brother. I'm rambling now... where was I?

Oh, yes, that time of year.... and NO, I didn't mean THAT time of year. I meant it's Veteran's Day this weekend and if you have a chance to thank a veteran for their service to this country, please do so. Just walk up, shake their hand, and say, "Hey, sir, thanks for doing what you did." Because it doesn't matter if you agree with the war they were associated with or the President who made decisions during their time. All that matters is that these guys served their country in the most incredibly dedicated way possible and a handshake and pat on the back is the least we can do.

My father was among about a dozen guys honored at a cermony last week in New Jersey for veterans who were in the military during U.S. wartime (my father was in the Air Force during Vietnam) and to hear some of the things these guys did and were subjected to... well, it was overwhelming just to hear about it. So I wanted to take this time to mention that and to remember that we live in a country so awesome, I can spend twenty minutes every Friday splashing pictures of sexy women up on the Internet and we can all enjoy them without any repurcussions (well, unless our wives see what we're gaping at). Amen to that and god bless.

On to the goodness.

We got a request from reader and longtime friend Paul to share pictures of Vida Guerra. Well, all I can say is... good gracious! Best suggestion of the year, Paul. I mean, if I had a golden suggestion box to give as an award, you'd get it. Vida clearly knows the right pose for Sideboob Friday.

Continuing with our Veteran's Day theme, here's Vida decked out in her camoflauge bikini. It's a good thing she's on a white background, otherwise she woulda blended right in and I couldn't have seen her. At ease, Vida, at ease.

Here's Vida rocking what is probably a Lakers hat in some alternate color scheme with black in it. However, I'll choose to believe it's black and gold and she's actually a Boilermaker fan. I'll also pretend she went to the school and I knew her in college. And dated her.

To wrap things up this week, I present the doublemint.... triplets. Or sextuplets? There's definitely six of something here. This pic was found by eagle-eyed co-editor Tim and I must say... I...Am...An American!

Have a great weekend, all, and God Bless America.

Sideboob Friday is a production of Boiled Sports and runs every Friday in this space. J Money is not a veteran of foreign wars but he does have admiration for all veterans and he loves American flags. Especially those shown above. To contact us, fire one off at BoiledSports@gmail.com.