Big Win Baby Boilers! (& other notes)

I'm not quite ready to drop the "Baby Boilers" nickname just yet, but this game gets me closer to just calling this group the Boilers...In typical Big Ten fashion, the Purdue v. tOSU game was a back and fourth contest and Purdue kept fighting and earned a very big win. I was a bit upset with the poor free throw shooting down the stretch, but in the last :25, enough was done to clinch the victory.

I've been requesting, no begging, someone on this team to step up offensively...I honestly wouldn't have guessed, if you gave me three guesses, that Marcus Green would be that guy. Granted, it was just one game, but 22 points is pretty solid, especially against a team with as much athletic ability as Ohio State. I'm fine with a revolving game-high scorer...but I'm pretty sure that if Purdue doesn't have a player who scores 20 points, it's going to be awfully difficult to win.

I'm really impressed with this victory and predicted this one to be a loss a few weeks ago. I love being wrong, especially if it means my Boilers are winning. I think I read that this is Purdue's first win versus tOSU in seven years, and of course is Painter's first win against the Bucks...Congrats Coach Painter.

If Purdue can win three in a row during the remaining season or beat a ranked team on the road, I'll drop the "baby" from Baby Boilers.

Get 'em Hawkeyes!
Iowa did IU a huge favor tonight as they somehow beat Michigan State in Iowa City. That to me isn't the biggest story of this game...In a St. Louis-esque performance the mighty no. 6 Spartans scored 36 stinking points. Huh? That's embarrassing. I didn't see the game, but have heard that Iowa had only 10 fouls...that seems pretty ridiculous, but you're going to lose if you score less than 50 points, let alone 40.

Keady always said it, it's not who you play, but when you play them. Is this a good thing that Purdue plays the Hawkeyes after such a win? I think so. Hopefully, Purdue plays a complacent Hawk squad next week in Iowa.

Nearly Perfect
The Patriots played like a team that is pretty good v. the Jags...In fact, they played so well that the game seemed boring to me. I usually don't find playoff football boring, but the Patriots simply controlled the Jags. And Brady looked amazing...26 of 28; he might have a future in this game. Still hate 'em, but that was impressive.

Hopefully the Colts can take care of business tomorrow and set up the inevitable in Foxboro next week.

It's almost 2008...Boilers Still Babies...Other notes

Our alma mater's basketball team looked flat-out lousy versus the always-gritty Florida International cagers on Saturday. I don't know if I can remember a Purdue team starting out as poorly as the Boilers did in this contest...but two games come to mind. Purdue v. IU about 4 years ago, I believe, and Purdue v. Ball State back when Majerus was coaching the Cardinals. The point is, it was an extremely sluggish start. Purdue was down 16-0 before Johnson attempted and made the easiest shot on the court. Purdue simply looked like a team that had been on break. Problem is, so had Fla. Int.

No matter, they fought back and led by as many as 19 in the second half and won...now onto the conference schedule. I don't know who it's going to be, but someone on this team needs to take charge of this team offensively. If not, the NIT might be a long shot.

Everbody Sucking the Patriots Nuggets

I thought it was ridiculous on Sports Center last week when the Patriots were compared to the best teams in the NFL's history...before the '07 season was even over. Now that the Patriots are 16-0, ESPN has taken it to another level and given the Patriots their own category in the ticker that scrolls across the screen. It read something like this: NCAAM...NFL...Patriots...

I recognize that the Patriots are darned good, great even...but they're not bigger than the NFL. This isn't the Patriots fault, it's crappy ESPN's.

Congrats Pats fans on a tremendous season. I'm looking forward to watching the Jags punch Moss, Brady & co. in the mouth a few times. The only bad thing about a potential Colts v. Jags match-up is that it would force the Colts to beat a team for a third time in one season. I'm also stoked for Wildcard weekend, should be fun.

They weren't good then...they're still bad
The Lakers went truly retro for their contest v. the Celtics this evening and wore short shorts circa 1986...And while I don't think anybody needs to wear shorts past his knees, no man ever needs to wear shorts like those ever again! The Lakers could only bear to wear their hot pants for a half and changed back into the normal-length shorts for the third quarter. Long shorts, short shorts, same result, the Celtics made Lakers look silly...much like they've done to the rest of the league this season.

So Long, you ugly, not-so-old girl

The city of Indianapolis said goodbye to the RCA Dome as the Colts home stadium this evening. While I don't agree with the trend of knocking down stadiums that are just over 20 years old, I will say that the Lucas Oil Stadium is already impressive and might be the best venue in the league once it's completed.

I attended the first game in the Hoosier Dame as my Boilers defeated Notre Dame there in 1984...and I got to see a bunch of Colts and high school games there, but I've never had warm fuzzy feelings about that stadium. It is and was a utilitarian building that was built toward the end of an era of homely athletic venues. One big benefit of the RCA dome is the way it keeps noise contained...The Oil Can (I think I should trademark that) will probably not be as loud despite the fact that it will be able to hold about 5,000 more fans. Hopefully, the city will be awarded a Super Bowl in the next few years.

Oh by the way, did you get to see Darrell Reid's hit on the Titans' Travis Henry during a kickoff return in the second half of the Colts v. Titans game? I think it might be the most violent football collision I have ever seen. I literally blew a snot bubble in reaction to the play. I don't know why I had such a reaction...but I did.

Announcement Forthcoming?
Purdue's next Leon Burtnett?

The rumor that Purdue's athletic department will name a successor to Joe Tiller in the next two-three weeks is getting louder. Burke told the press that he thought the Keady-Painter transition was nearly ideal...Seems like things are lining up for a similar Tiler-Spack transition, sadly. I just don't know how he can be rewarded with a head coaching position as badly as his defense has played the last few seasons. Let's hope I'm wrong and that when it's official that Joe's moving on, the Purdue athletic department performs and expansive search for a replacement...but I doubt I'm wrong.

The last time Purdue's football program promoted an assistant to head coach, Leon Burtnett took Jim Young's very good Boiler program and ran it aground.

Happy 2008 to you and your family!

Best Game Ever (Since Dallas v. NE)

In case you haven't guessed it, I thought the hype leading up to the Colts v. Pats game was ridiculous. While it is good to see two undefeated teams playing mid-way through the season, it is still mid-way through the season. Both teams really wanted to win and the game had some playoff-like intensity to it...but the playoffs it was not. One thing I really like and have liked about this series of games is how this is a true rivalry, and both sides seem to not like the other too much. There's note enough of that in sports, in my opinion.

Before I knew of the four starters that would be out for the Colts, I predicted a Colts loss...but losing four important parts of both the offense and defense did hurt the Colts, specifically their offense. To add insult to injury, Harrison's backup, Gonzalez was out for big chunks of the game (I'm not sure why). That left Aaron Moorehead taking the place of the future HOFer...quite a drop-off. All that said, the Colts can only blame themselves for losing. The defense that had been stout all day collapsed a bit in the end when given a chance to close it out and the usually clutch Manning coughed up the ball for his first fumble in Indianapolis since 2005.

I really do wish the Colts would have won because I hate the Patriots...but the cheating genius had clearly circled this game as he reacted as if he had earned his fifth Super Bowl ring as the clock hit 0:00. Harrison, Colvin & Brady all reacted similarly. I honestly didn't expect a team of former champions to react in such a way.

Congrats Patriots and her fans on this mid-season victory.

Here are the reasons I hate the Patriots:
-I lived in the Boston area for 2.5 years. That soured me greatly on the Pats. Ironically, that period of time really made me a Red Sox fan...probably because the Sox were pretty bad and their fans weren't horrible to deal with. Plus, as I've alluded to before, I've been a Colts fan since they moved to Indy...I didn't really have a baseball team to follow in Indy.

-Bad Winner, Worse Loser
Belichick is not only a proven cheater, he's also a complete ass. When he wins, he's smug, when he loses, he bristles and scowls. Plus, like most teams, the Patriots reflect their coach's attitude and outlook...much like the Manatee still exhibits Belichick-esque traits, his system roots itself in the team. All that said, I do think he might be one of the true geniuses of his sport...and you can't really argue with his teams' results (unless you're a Browns fan). [addendum: Belichick showed his class and furthered my argument by accusing Indianapolis and the Colts organization of cheating...following their victory at the RCA dome.]



















-El Debarge
The Drama Queen (I'm retiring a Charger...Look at me...oh wait, I just wanted the party, I'm a Patriot), Junior Seau, his circa 1984 jerry curl do along with his talk-well, play-OK antics seem to be a perfect fit for the Pats.

-Super-Fertile QB
Tom Brady, in my opinion, is the best quarterback in the league. I usually don't have any problem with him off of the field. I do though, have a problem with the fact that he's one of the faces of the league, seems to be ambiguously gay and at the same time impregnated two women last summer. ESPN keeps telling me he's a classy guy, I see it completely different.

-Second or Third-Chance Hoodlum
Randy Moss is a freakishly-good athlete and an amazingly talented receiver. But, he's a degenerate whose calling cards are running into meter maids and bitching on the sideline. I know, I know, he's been a great team mate and all-around great guy since coming to NE. Pats fan, keep believing that he's never going to go back to what he really is. All the Patriots have to do to avoid a tirade or meltdown is never lose again...seems easy enough.

I could go on, but I'm tired and a bubble bath, frosty Zima and Danielle Steele novel are calling my name. I'll close by saying, my hope is that the Pats win out and become the second NFL team to go undefeated...Then, I'd like to see the Colts come into Foxborough and silence the Chowds when the game is very important. One can dream. Until then, congrats Belichick, Brady et al on your Super Bowl 41.5 victory...Hope to see you in January!