Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so first off, a big Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you out there who happen by to read my blog. I hope all of you have someone special to spend the holiday with. Truly an American original, Thanksgiving is one of those holiday's when families seem to get together.

 

Maybe we sometimes get caught up in the family and friends, the food and the football and forget about the true meaning of the day which is to give thanks for all we have. We should also pray for those less fortunate than us, be it financially or more importantly, those who have no friends or family to share not only the holiday with, but all aspects of our lives.

 

I always thought I had it made. I always had friends and family to spend the holidays with, but about a year and a half ago I got married and I was thinking this morning about how empty my life would be without my wife Linda. She means so very much to me and I can't imagine beign without her. (And no, this is not just a sucking up post). Unfortunately she does like the stuffing out of the bird at my mom's house so now I only get half of it, but it's great to have her to share it with.

 

So as you gather with whoever you gather with tonight, tomorrow and over the weekend remember to give thanks for being able to share with those around you and remember those who are less fortunate. And lastly, GO COLTS!!

Bullet Dodged

Face it, since the Patriot game the Colts have not looked sharp. Last week against the Chargers they came out flat, but rallied to make it a game at the end only to let it slip away. Yesterday in the dome it damn near happened again. The Colts beat the Cheifs 13-10 on the strength of a last second FG by Adam Vinatieri.

 

Sure I'm happy with the win, but the Colts barely beat a bad team and looked bad doing it. If you looked up winning ugly in the dictionary there would be a picture of the team yesterday.

 

I won't go over all of the game details, but there are some very bothersome things going on.

 

18. Peyton Manning had another bad day. Granted it wasn't all his fault. He had very little time and was sacked twice. He had  a couple of balls dropped , but be that as it may, 18 did not look sharp. It's hard to beleive how little respect Marvin Harrison gets when his absence is clearly missed. Without him Reggie and Dallas are doubled up on and Utecht and Moorehead have yet to earn 18's confidence. But in the end, Manning has to make more plays than he is now. He's the big boy, the high paid one, head cheese. He has to step up and make the remaining receivers step up their games. Instead we keep getting the Peyton Manning "I just stepped in doog poop" look. Come on Peyton, pick it the fuck up.

 

4. Adam Vinatieri is in a slump. Last week he missed a chip shot FG at the end of the first half. It was a rush job, but he still should have made it. He missed another easy on at the end of that game that he had a good look at and it seemed to go well. Fast forward to this week and we find him attempting a 49 yarder. He claims it was tipped, but either way it was no good and the boos were more than a little audible. A few minutes later he steppedup and missed a 29 yarder and he was booed loudly. Finally he shook it off and made a couple to seal the game. I didn't boo AV, but I admit I was holding my breath when he kicked the game winner. These kickers are a strange breed and even AV who seems as much as one of the guys as a kicker can be can be quirky. Clearly it was in his head when he missed his fourht in a row. It's too deep in the season to think about a change, but we best start scoring some TD's to keep him out of the equation for the time being.

 

Now we have a short week. We go to ATL to play on Thanksgiving night against a bad Falcon team. We're going to have to play better to keep winning these games. Pittsburgh lost yesterday which is a big help and gives us the inside track for the second seed in the AFC. Now it's time to suck it up and heve the December we all know this team is capable of having.

Bucket Game 2007

Here we are, the eve of the annual game to decide who get the Old Oaken Bucket. Tomorrow, in Bloomington, Indiana University's football team will host the Purdue University team in what is each team's big rivalry game of the season. Unfortunately, outside of the alumni of both schools living outside of Indiana, no one really gives a shit about the game or who wins it.

 

As has become the norm, the Bucket game will again be a battle to determine who sucks less between the two schools, in football at least. But this year does have a bit of a twist. Both programs have coaches whose livelihood could hang in the balance. Indiana, still reeling from the loss of coach Hoeppner, has to decide if they are going to stick with Bill Lynch while the Boiler fans seem to have become disenchanted with Joe Tiller up in West Lafayette. Both coaches have their supporters and both have their detractors.

 

Down in Bloomington it is the consensus that Lynch is a nice guy, but is not the guy to take the program to the “next” level. The problem in Bloomington is that if they cut Lynch loose and get that next level coach, how long will he stick around? The program has been such a piece of shit for so long that the next level ain’t much, but going to a bowl game every year would certainly be a step in the right direction. Face it, in Bloomington, basketball is king and football is a distant second, that’s the way it is, has been and unless the cosmos shift, will always be.

 

Lynch, the coach is a little different story. While compiling an overall winning record, many feel he inherited a pretty good program at Ball State and ran it in to the ground. He made one bowl appearance in 1996, but left the program with a losing record. He also seemed to have control problems with his team and a number of them found themselves afoul of the law. Perhaps he was just too nice to deal with rowdy, thuggish, MAC kids. An 8-2 record at division 2 DePauw buoyed his overall mark. Obviously Hep saw something and hired him to coach with him at IU. Just before Hep’s death last summer Lynch was named interim coach. I, like many cast a wary eye towards AD Greenspan for his decision and took a wait-and-see approach.

 

The Hoosiers got off to a great start, something unusual for them. They beat the patsies on their schedule unlike many years when they were lucky to split. There was talk that Lynch should have had the interim tag removed and hired permanently. A loss to Illinois dampened the spirits some, but in the upcoming weeks the Illini would prove to be a tough beat. Meanwhile the Hoosiers went to Iowa City and won and beat a bad Minnesota team at home. Then came the October from hell. Not unlike their upstate brethren the Hoosiers came up with squadouche against Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. They finally got off the mat to beat Ball U before dropping a nondescript piece of shit to Northwestern.

 

At 6-5 the Hoosiers are bowl eligible, but does anyone actually believe this team deserves a bowl bid if they end up 6-6. For craps sake they can’t even sell out their own stadium unless Ohio State, Michigan or Purdue are in town. Why would any bowl committee want a team who’s fans won’t show up to home games. They aren’t going to show up at a bowl either.

 

So that leaves us with Lynch’s situation. He beats Purdue and he goes to a bowl as well as gets the Purdue monkey off the teams back. Frankly I don’t think he’s done enough with a win to garner anything long term, but he will probably, and maybe should be, given a 2 or 3 year contract. A loss and he has to go. Nobody in Hoosierland that actually cares about football wants to start over AGAIN, but the bottom line is the program must improve or move on.

 

Of course, getting a good young coach will probably lead to starting over again in a couple of years anyway since they probably won’t pay when others come looking for talented young coaches. Not with the basketball program sucking all the resources.

 

On to the Boilers. The Boiler faithful may not be as dumb as the Hoosier fans think they are, but one thing they are is unrealistic. At some point the Boilermaker fans decided they were in the same class as Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The teams gaudy September and early October records always get the fans tweaked to a, well, boiling point, only to have their hopes dashed. This year it was Ohio State. With a 7-0 record and everything on the line the team came out flat as a pancake and got their asses handed to them. Tired of this seemingly unending pattern the fans have turned their ire towards the coach of late.

 

Joe Tiller has compiled a 61% winning percentage at Purdue and has taken the team to a bowl game 9 out of his 10 seasons, including an appearance in the 2001 Rose Bowl. A record the Indiana fans can only dream of these days. At 7-4 this season it appears as though the Boilers will again be bowling regardless of tomorrow’s outcome. But for the fans it simply isn’t enough.

 

Purdue has reached as far it is going I don’t care who the coach is. Beat Notre Dame, get one against the big 3 and for fuck’s sake, beat Penn State once in a while. You do that and Purdue fans should have nothing to gripe about, but they will. And God help him if they lose tomorrow, which, while I find doubtful; it’s not out of the question by any means.

 

So IU fans, are you going to embrace Bill Lynch if he wins? Will you run him out of town on a rail if he loses? Is he the answer? Probably not, but he may be about the best you can expect. It’s not a glamour detail and will always be in the shadow of the basketball team.

 

Purdue fans, will you ever be satisfied? Can Tiller stay if he wins tomorrow, because I know you will all call for his ass if he doesn’t. Hey IU, tell you what, if the Boilers don’t want Joe T and decide to cut him loose I’d be on his doorstep about 1 second later and sign him to a contract until he retires. Boilers, be careful what you wish for, losing Tiller could and probably will bit you all in the ass!

Hurt's (Not) So Good!

Dang, I mean just dang. I just heard that 93 is now out for the season for the Colts. Just when I thought the injury situation couldn't get any worse it did!

 

Dwight Freeney is lost for the season. The Pro-Bowl D-end has some foot injury that will require surgery and end his season. Losing 93 is awful. The team has brought in former Pro Bowler Simeon Rice who had been cut by the Bronco's last week. Face it, anybody who got cut during the season probably isn't going to be a big impacter. But something had to be done.

 

I've been know to be pessimistic, but I thought we had a good chacne this year to repeat. After playing the cheaters to a tough game the injury report ballooned up so fast it made my head spin. Dallas out with a concussion, Gonzo out with a dislocated thumb, Marvin out with a bruised knee, Ugoh out with a bad neck, Freddy K out with an ear problem and the list goes on.

 

I'm starting to get really concerned about the season. If it were just DF out I'd be okay, but it's not. Some people are looking at thei weeks game against Kansas City as a "week off", but this is the NFL and there are no bye weeks when you have a game. Couple that with the fact the Chefs are probably still smarting from the playoff loss last year AND the fact that we turn around and play 4 days later and this spells tough sledding for a beat up team.

 

There is no doubt we are better than the Chefs, but it won't be easy. Say a prayer for the boys this week and let's get through Sunday and Thirsday's game and get a little break!

Jury Duty

I see Marion County has begun a crackdown on people who skip out on jury duty. Apparently just over 40% of those called actually show up. A sad statement considering it is one of few requirements of our freedoms as well as something we should all be willing to take part in. Sure it's a pain the ass, doesn't pay shit and generally wrecks a day or more, but it is still a living breathing part of our freedom.

 

I admit, I have been guilty of not showing, but it was an honest mistake. I simply forgot to call until the Wednesday night of the week I was supposed to serve. I don't think my pool number was actually called, but I did feel bad about it. For those of you who don't know how it works in Marion County, and I don't know if it's not like this everywhere, you are mailed a summons to appear. Beginning on Sunday evening you have to call the provided number or check on line to see if your group is required to appear. If it is you show up the next morning at the City-County building. If not you call back each evening until Wednesday. If your group is never called you simply do nothing, if it is you report. They county doesn't pay you for parking or meals and if you don't make it on a jury you get a whopping $15 + mileage. If you do make it on a jury you get $40 + mileage per day and once you start the jury you get meals.

 

Well back in April I was called once again and I actually called and had to show up on a Thursday morning. I got an early start and got downtown about an hour before I needed to be. Fortunately for me it was 'Juror Appreciation Week' and we were treated to coffee, juice and snacks while filling out our paperwork and waiting to be called. I went through the process and spoke to a lady who was scared. She was over 65 so she had an out if she wanted. She was afraid to convict someone and have him or her come back and get her.

 

Eventually my number was called and we were led to a courtroom and the prosecutor and defending attorney asked us questions to determine our suitability for the jury. I was in the third group and answered honestly, which seemed to be rare with some of my co-would be jurors’. A little while later I was sent to the deliberation room and eventually was joined by 12 others who made up the jury and 1 alternate. We were then sent to lunch, which I felt should have been on them, but wasn't. I did get to go to the King David Hot Dog shop, which was cool, but it still should have been on the county since I was already part of the jury. Oh well!

 

When we returned from lunch we were given some instructions and then sent into the courtroom. The judge swore us in and gave us his instructions and an overview of the case. We were now ready to go.

 

Let me just say this, I had heard that turnout for jury duty was low and was shocked, and while I was treated with respect by the court the whole process was boring and irritating and I now know why people don't show.

 

Our case was the state versus this kid accused of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. What left the biggest impression on me was that this was some kid, 19 years old, facing 20 years in prison. It was all such a waste it seemed. The story goes as such: Four friends conspired to call the local Domino's Pizza, order a pizza to a bogus address and when the pizza came they would rob the pizza guy. What happened was that they damn near beat the delivery guy to death, stole the pizza, some wings and his cell phone. The morons even used the cell phone to make a few calls, which is what eventually got them caught. The scary thing is that they actually tried to call another pizza place and while the defendant’s attorney downplayed it, they were going to try it again!

 

The state's star witness was a completely unbelievable character that had plea-bargained his way down to a 8 year sentence from 115 years. With his track record he was not to be trusted even though the state said he could be. This punk basically got on the stand and acted polished, a little too much to me, and it turned out to be one's word against the other. In the meantime, emails and threats had been exchanged between the two boys. In true gangster wannabe fashion these morons forgot what "code of silence" meant. So here we were in court listening to these 2 boobs call each other liars and talk about how heinous the other was.

 

Even the pizza man got on the stand but he didn't provide much as he was japped and didn't see or remember much.

 

After a couple of breaks we finally got the case about 6:30. Me and another girl were adamant that the defendant was guilty but we were outvoted. The alternate who was not supposed to have a say wouldn’t shut up. She took over the jury and this white trash that was also in there was so anxious to let this thug back onto the streets. All the while I still thought it sad that these two punks were going to throw away their lives for some pizza and a cell phone. The thing is, these kids seemed to come from decent homes and from what I heard from them, knew better. In the deliberation room things turned worse and I just gave up. I thought guilty but it was clear that there was no way these idiots were going to change their mind. You get a real civics lessen in there as in my fellow citizens are stupid!

 

Ultimately we found the defendant guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery. The alternate kept telling us that he would still get 8 years, but I knew better. He'd be lucky if he saw one day behind bars. We pressed the buzzer to summon the bailiff who thought we were ready for dinner. We told her no, we were ready to deliver the verdict. I had lost all interest in the future of this punk by now and just wanted to get out of there.

 

At about 8:00 PM we delivered the verdict. The defendant seemed pleased, the state, who presented a weak case looked beaten down and we had more paperwork to fill out. Back in the deliberation room the bailiff told us we were entitled to dinner and that they had already ordered it. We could stay if we wanted, but I wanted nothing but to be away from these assholes. Oh and that dinner? Fucking pizza after hearing about it all afternoon.

 

I walked back to my car saddened by the case and disillusioned by the system.

As a final note to this, I checked the Indiana Department of Corrections Offender Locator for our defendant; On June 26 he was sentenced to 1 year in the Indiana Department of Corrections and is currently at the New Castle Correctional Facility. He is eligible for release on November 24, 2007. A far fucking cry from the 8 years that uber-dumbass alternate tried to spew.

The county may be cracking down on those who skip out on their jury duty, and I doubt I would ever try to get out of it or just skip it, (that's for the you-know-who’s) I can certainly see why people bemoan having to serve.

Colts (Cheater) Patriots Aftermath

As you might expect I'm not feeling real great about yesterday's game. Colts lose 24-20, but there is hope. I guess the biggest disappointment is that we really had a chance to put the thing away and unfortunately made mistakes that cost the game. The good news is that the Patriots are human and what looks clear is that they and the Colts are head and shoulders above the NFL crowd.

I won't rehash the whole game, but I have to vent about a couple of things. First and foremost. why in the hell did we take the ball out of Joe Addai's hands? He had a monster first half and nothing really in the second. I feel like the Colts overthought the situation and figured NE would focus on the Mayor so we went a different direction. It didn't really work. Stick with Joe, he'll work!

Overall it was a great game and I feel like it lived up to the hype. Two heavyweights going toe-to-toe for 60 minutes. If you like the NFL it doesn't get any better than that!

Things started off at Tom's. We went to the Monkey and then on to the game. The place was rocking. In fact, when Addai scored late in the second quarter the dome was rocking more than I had ever felt it rock. Loud, loud, loud was the order of the day. I think Pawly was yelling in tongue's. At the strat of the fourth quarter I, as usual, had thought ahead and had a beer in reserve. Some guy from the other side of the aisle offered me $20 for it. At first I balked, but thought it over for a minute and sold it. A nice 285% ROI!

Anyway, I firmly believe we will see the Pats in January and this time I think it is they who are the "finesse" team and us who are the hard hitting patient, grind it out offense. I'm already looking forward to it!