Not Good

So, I left work today in the snow and thought I saw the lights in the parking lots flicker on, but it was not the parking lights. Seconds later I heard the sound of thunder and realized that is was thunderstorming and snowing at the same time. I don't know what this means, but it can't be good.

I've been pretty bad lately, but between not feeling good, trying to get my post-employment life under control, and all the other messes I've been dealing with, the blog has suffered. Not that Pikus or Reynolds care, but that's another story.

The Boilers lost a heartbreaker to Xavier. Ho hum. Another year, another crushing defeat. But the future looks bright in West Lafayette. Painter really has the program heading in the right direction. They're a young team with quite a bit of talent. Next year should be a good one. Just like everything else, right?

Baseball starts this weekend, the 2nd of my fantasy drafts is this weekend and I can't wait! Nothing like a weekend in Indianapolis in March!!! This is a keeper league and lots of questions await the first couple of rounds, should be exciting!

The Sweet Sixteen starts tonight.

The first game is Xavier vs. W. Virginia. WVa is coming off a huge win over Duke. But I, along with a considerable number of others, thought that Duke was very overrated. But there is still something about beating Coach K in the postseason. And I didn't see much of the Purdue-Xavier game, sadly because I was at work, but from what I heard, Xavier really won that game. The line is even, I got Xavier.

Next is UNC vs. Washington St. I think the best question to ask is whether WSU can keep UNC under 100. UNC is playing some great basketball right now. I don't care who you are playing, putting up 100+ points in 2 straight games is impressive. They will continue the winning, but they won't put up 100. UNC is giving up 8.5, I got UNC

The first late game is Western Ky vs. UCLA. Hopefully UCLA doesn't keep getting the ridiculous calls they've been getting. But they win, they just have too much ability to lose this one. UCLA is giving 12, I think WKy keeps it close but UCLA pulls away in the last 10 minutes. I'm taking UCLA

And the nightcap, probably the best game of the night, Tennessee vs Louisville. This is going to be a great game. Great coaches, great players, high tempo, fun game to watch. Tennessee is getting 3 points, I'm taking the Vols and the points.

Happy Sweet Sixteen!

It looks like a blizzard outside right now. Why do I live in Chicago?

PTI just ended and Dick Vitale is talking about the NCAA tourney on SportsCenter, the DirecTV just went out, I've never been so thankful.

Two out of Three Isn't Too Bad....

I suppose picking those games yesterday was not the toughest thing I have done, but 2 out of 3 isn't too bad. I should probably start picking games against the spread, that would probably make things more interesting...

Anyhow, huge day in the Big Ten Tourney. I think the biggest story is how IU is going to come out? Are their players over the fact that their scumbag coach is gone and play some decent basketball? Or are they going to keep crying about the sad outcome of a cheater and liar? They are playing a Minnesota that had to come back from down 16 to beat Northwestern, who again pissed down their leg in the face of a close game in the final seconds. They're terrible. And the fact that Spencer Tollackson didn't play in the 2nd half all the worse for the Wildcats.

The day starts out with Michigan and Wisconsin. Wisconsin shouldn't have much trouble with the Wolverines. Although they have been playing better, Wisconsin is just too good. They are the #1 seed for a reason.

Next is the Buckeyes and the Spartans. I still think OSU needs a good showing in the tourney to get into the NCAAs. They were playing much better at the end of the season, but their record in the weak Big 10 can't help their cause. They have to win against the Spartans, if they look good, I think they have a chance.

And at 5:30 CST it's the Boilers and Fighting Illini. Illinois won a close one yesterday, can they come back today and play another solid game. The only chance Illinois has to make the NCAAs is by winning the Big 10. Teams fighting for their life become scary in situations like this. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But I dont' think they have enough to beat the Boilers this afternoon and their miserable season will come to an end.

So sit back and strap in for an exciting day of Big 10 basketball! Should be a good one!!!

Next week before the NCAAs start I plan on doing some spring training Indians coverage, it's finally starting to thaw out up here and I'm starting to be able to smell golf and baseball season right around the corner!! Giggidy!!!!

And for my predictions...

Wisconsin is just good, they're giving 13, they'll win by 20.

Michigan State is always good in tournaments. Tom Izzo is a fantastic coach in situations like this, I just don't see them losing. The Bucks are getting 4 points, I predict a close game, lots of fouls at the end, MSU makes their free throws. MSU.

Purdue is goign to be too much for Illinois, I'm surprised to see the Boilers only giving up 4.5. Illinois is coming off an emotional, close game last night. I dont' think they're going to have enough left in the tank to deal with the suffocating Purdue D. I'm taking Purdue giving 4.5.

And last but not least IU is giving 5.5. They're favored by more than Purdue? Interesting. Anyhow, I wouldn't be the least surprised to see Minnesota win this game. IU is really playing poorly right now. Even if they do win, I don't see them covering. I've got Minnesota.

We'll see how I do tomorrow! Happy Big 10 Tournament Friday!!!

Big Ten Tourney, Honors, and the Future

The Big 10 honors came out this week and the Boilers were very well represented. Hummel was a first teamer, E'Twaun a second, Kramer a 3rd, and Keaton Honorable Mention. This is good stuff for the future of the Boilermaker program, not one of those guys is older than a sophomore! And unless they're smoking something, they will all be back for at least one more season, probably 2.

Matt Painter was voted Coach of the Year in the Big Ten and Kramer was also Defensive POY. How the defensive POY is a 3rd teamer is beyond me, but what do I know? Apparently not much.

So, Purdue's future is looking very bright. I wish I could say as much for the Big 10. If you take the Purdue guys out of the Big 10 teams you are left with 3 Freshmen, 2 sophs, and 2 juniors. One of the freshman is Eric Gordon, who is most definitely gone after his 1 season in Bloomington. There's another Hoosier who got honors, Armon Bassett, who would be crazy to go into the draft, but he's feelings on sticking it out at IU I would have to imagine are in doubt. So, that leaves you with 5 guys that aren't graduating/entering the draft/potentially transferring. In a year when the Big 10 is down, this really does not look good for the future of the conference.

Not to mention all of the IU recruits that are backing out of their letters of intent because of Scumbag Sampson. I hate IU, but what he did is just reprehensible. Makes me sick to think of what went on down there. What a jackass.

On a good note, Big 10 tourney starts on Thursday in Indy!! This is looking really great for the Boilers. They will start things off playing the UofI-Penn State game Friday night. Penn State is coming off a big win against IU, but I just dont' think the Claxton-less Lions will have the firepower to beat Illinois. Illinois really sucks this year, but I think they're going to have enough to win on Thursday. This tourney is going to be alot of fun for Boiermaker fans all around. With the solid D that they play, and the depth they have, it's going to be very tough for a team to beat them when playing 2 or 3 days in a row. Let's just hope the freshman can keep the pace up.

And the potential of a Purdue-IU rematch looms in the distance also. If IU can get it together for the Northwestern-Minnesota winner, the two teams will face each other on Saturday. Playing in Indy, I'm sure the Fieldhouse will be rocking for that one!!

College Basketball Saturday Roundup

Another fantastic Duke-UNC game last night. The only thing that could have made it better was for Dick Vitale and his sweat glands not announcing it. Did anybody see this guy?? You would think that he would know better than to wear a blue shirt when announcing a game like this. Isn't there somebody at ESPN that could have told him this?

Anyhow, great game. Back and forth. Duke came back in the 2nd half to make a game of it. The Cameron Crazies were crazy. And Carolina pulled it out in the end. Fun to watch. Very intense. #1 vs. #5. Lived up to all of the billing! There's nothing like a great college basketball game between 2 teams like Duke-UNC. Tyler Hansborough had 16-15, and earned every one of those buckets and rebounds, and Danny Green had 18-8 for Carolina.

Is it me or does Hansborough flop a little like Brian Cardinal once did for the Boilers?

ESPN showed speedo guy. Just a dude in a speedo dancing around like only somebody in a speedo could. Then they went to commercial. Dan Shulman had to issue an apology about the way he was dancing and the video that ESPN had just shown the country. It's sad that we, as a nation, has come to this. I dont' even know where to start on this so I'm not going to try. That's just sad. If there was anybody out there that was watching the game and was subsequently offended by a dude in a speedo, they need to have their head checked. Unreal

Memphis won again last night. The victory puts John Calipari right next to Adolph Rupp by being the only two coaches to win 30 games in 3 consecutive seasons. On the surface this makes Calipari look like one of the great coaches in history. But look a little deeper and see that he did it against the worst competition in D-1 and the picture isn't so rosy. When the next best competition in the league is the UAB Blazers, coached by none other than the worst coach in NCAA basketball, Mike Davis, not such a great feat. Although I'm not certain about it, I'm pretty sure that one of the requirements for Memphis basketball players is that that they're not allowed to go to class. I think I heard that somewhere?

No, I didn't actually hear that, I just made that up. But would anybody be surprised?

The Boilers wrap up their regular season this afternoon at Michigan. They need to take care of business and end the regular season on a high note. After the way they played at Ohio State earlier this week. They need some solid momentum going into the Big 10 Tourney.

Everybody keeps talking about how Kentucky is a shoe-in for the NCAA tourney. Am I the only one out here that remembers that they lost to Vandy by about 50 a couple of weeks ago? Sure, they're playing some better basketball right now, but just because they're Kentucky, doesn't give them a free pass to the tourney. I'd much rather see a George Mason type team make the tourney than a Kentucky. The Wildcats scored 11 in the first half of that game. I'm sorry, but no team that scores 11 in any half of any game does not deserve to make the tourney!!

Another example of this is Ohio State. They in no way deserve to make the tourney. I think they've beat 2 teams in the RPI top 100. They have a .500 record in the very weak Big 10, and they have 1 signature win, against my Boilers, and not much else. Just becaue they made the Championship game last year doens't mean they get a free pass.

Go Boilers!!

Oh Man!!

The Boilers blew a golden opportunity last night losing to the Buckeyes last night. Of all the people to really pee down their leg in the face of adversity, I didn't think it would be Chris Kramer. I still can't believe he made such a horrible pass. But anyhow...

Purdue played a pretty solid game last night. After a slow start, being down 0-7, they came storming, actually there really wasn't a "they" it was more "E'Tuan", back. They played pretty well until the last couple of minutes of regulation, when the spirited Buckeyes stepped it up a notch and took a win from the face of defeat.

The Buckeyes were looking right into not making the tourney with a loss. And considering they made it to the Championship game last season, that would be quite a turnaround. Sure, they don't have Oden and Conley, but they still have Butler, who caught fire last night, and the rest of the team still in tact. So getting to the Championship is probably a stretch, but at least they should have enough left in the tank to make the NCAAs.

E'Tuan had another solid game. He's really turning into a special player. Scott Martin finally showed some of his potential by having a great game shooting from the field. He was 5-10 from the field including a 4 point play at the end of the first half. If the Boilers could have pulled it out, that shot would probably be talked about as the straw that broke the Bucks season, but it wasn't to be. He also added 6 rebounds. Just wish he could get a little more consistent from the line. He almost threw up an airball and then canned the 2nd on one trip to the stripe.

Marcus Green played horribly. He hit a 3 in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, and then decided he didn't have to play anymore. Offense, defense, apparently he thought his 3 was enough. Mercifully he fouled out before the end of the game, but he was just painful to watch try and move around the court.

Speaking of painful. The 2nd half of that game was just painful. If I was not a Purdue fan, there is no way that I could have watched it. I think from about the 17 minute mark to about the 4 minute mark there was a foul called on every trip down the court. There was no flow, no pace, no nothing. And this is what really did the Boilers in. The trademark of this season is being able to put up 10-14 point runs in about a 3 minute stretch, while forcing about 4 turnovers, no offensive rebounds, and hitting a couple of clutch 3s. Well, they could never get into rhythm in the 2nd half, and this really hurt them. Yes, some of them were fouls, but they really were calling it tight. And after a 20 minute delay starting the 2nd half, it was just horrible...

So, looks like the Boilers are headed for a 3 seed in the Big 10 tourney. They win in Columbus, they win in Ann Arbor this weekend, they have a 1 seed, but they didn't come to play last night. Although, now that I think about it, IU is in shambles right now, not playing good basketball. IU loses one of the next 2, and Purdue takes care of business at Michigan, they get a 2 seed. Sort of disappointing considering they controlled their own destiny going into last night's game.

If you would told me 3 months ago that the Boilers would be a 3 seed in the Big 10 tourney I would have been thrilled! Funny how things change! Not to mention this is a team of Freshman and Sophs. The future is looking really bright in West Lafayette!!

On another note, the Browns signed Shaun Rogers to a 6-year $42 mil deal!! This will be the first Browns season I'm really excited for since about '86. Things are looking bright in Cleveland too!! Except for the housing market, that still sucks. But the Browns, Cavs, and Indians!! Nice!

Boilers Looking Good!

The Boilers took care of business again this weekend with a big win over suddenly confident Northwestern. Purdue looked a little shaky in the first half and then came out of the locker room shooting the lights out to win by 25. Hummel led Boilermaker scorers with 15 including 6-6 from the free throw line. The Boilers kept the hot shooting going by shooting 45% from the field including 11-22 from behind the arc.

The Boilers looked solid again. They did what they were supposed to do to the worst of the Big 10. They've got 2 games left, Ohio State and Michigan, both on the road, to sure up another Big 10 title, and the first for Matt Painter.

Again, I sound like a broken record, but this team plays great together. They're fun to watch. They win games they're supposed to and they're even winning games that they're not supposed to. Something that Joe Tiller and the football program needs to learn. But that's another post for another day.

IU looked horrible in their loss yesterday to Michigan State. Sure it was senior day, but to put up 59 points in the first half??? Unreal!! Michigan State was unconscious! I don't' think IU had much chance to win that game they was MSU was shooting, but they didn't even put up a fight. I guess all of the "KS" signs on the IU players shoes was weighing them down.

Yeah, it's got to be a tough situation for the IU guys. But Sampson didn't die in a single car crash when he was on a recruiting trip, working his best to do the best for the program. He got caught lying, then cheating, then lying again about the cheating. Not once, but TWICE, at 2 different schools. He's a cheater, he doesn't belong in college sports.

But on the other hand, he's adding to the horrible play of the Hoosiers, so I really shouldn't be too upset about it.

I just came across this picture on the web. Hummel only scored 12.5 his senior season??? And now he's playing this well in the Big 10? So, has he elevated his game that much in the last year or is the Big 10 just that horrible?? Ummm, don't answer that question...

Weekend Recap

Quite a weekend it was. And Purdue didn't even play.

IU did though. And they barely pulled one out against a Northwestern team that has not won a Big 10 game this season. I didn't watch a whole lot of the game, but I did catch about the last 5 minutes. Northwestern is atrocious. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. First, I couldn't believe that the game was that close. And second, I couldn't believe that the Wildcats didn't win. IU tried to hand them the game, and Northwestern wouldn't' take it. Not to mention Kevin Coble was unconscious with 35 points, so why get him the ball with the game on the line, give it to some freshman that sucks. That's a great idea. IU sure didn't look like the #12 team in the country.

And it was reported today that Sampson was text messaging some of the IU players after the game. Hey Kelvin, lay off the cell phone!!! Go away!!! You had your chance, twice, and you fucked it up!! Now please disappear, like Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, and the rest of the guilty roid users that "...aren't guilty..."

Speaking of lying scumbags, some kid that was 11 at the time of the now infamous "Canseco Party" claims to have a picture of Clemens at the party. Clemens is so screwed. If he would have just gone up there, in front of congress, and said that he did it, this whole thing would be over now. But, the egotistical jackass that he is, now faces prison time. All because he was worried about his rep. I wonder if he's going to "mis-remember" all of his drug use still?

Barry Bonds is still not signed. He can still hit. The HGH and roids have assured us of that. But nobody wants his ego in the clubhouse. Omar Vizquel, who is one of the top 5 greatest Indians by the way, as on TV saying that everybody is loose and enjoying spring training this year. I wonder if Bonds is going to get the MLB Extra Innings on cable this summer?

The NFL combine thing is going on this week. Apparently there have been all sorts of questions about Darren McFadden's character. And as a result he's dropped in many people's drafts out of the top 5. But, 2 days ago he ran a 4.3 or something ridiculous in the 40 and suddenly, nobody remembers that he's got character problems. Got to love the NFL. Not to mention, this whole combine thing really kills me. The top guys decide they don't want to work out. Ummm, how does this happen. I can't walk up to my boss and say, "... you know, I don't want to do that today, I think I'll do it tomorrow. I understand the customers are in from London and only here for a couple of hours, but why don't you tell them, I'M NOT READY." After all, it is my world and you all are privileged to be living in it. Brady Quinn didn't work out at the combine last year. I'm still convinced that he didn't work out because he sucks. But that's just my opinion.

Enough complaining. I'm sick of hearing myself too. Tennessee-Memphis was Saturday night. What a game. Everything a 1-2 game needed. Except free throw shooting. I don't know how Memphis hasn't lost shooting as horribly from the line as they do. Oh wait, I do, they're in Conference USA, which is worse than their free throw percentage. Anyhow, great athletes, and Bruce Pearl is a fantastic coach. I really like his intensity. He really cares about the guys he has playing for him, and it shows. Great game though, came down to the end. Great crowd. Very fun game to watch.

And lastly, Purdue is ranked #19 in today's poll. It's just great to see Purdue in the top 25 again!

I'll leave you with this thought...

Getting Ready For Tuesday!

Well, it's Sunday morning and I'm having my morning coffee, and I can't wait for Tuesday night! Purdue and IU are going to battle for the top spot in the Big 10 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. This is going to be a great game.

There are about 8 different storylines going on.

First, the whole Kelvin Sampson saga is unfolding. This has the possibility of being his last game at IU. After watching IU and MSU battle it out last night, and hearing Moron Vitale tell me about 5 times that Kelvin is a really good guy and he really likes him. But on the flip side, Dickie claims that not only should Sampson be fired, but the AD, who hired Samson, should also be fired. I just don't understand this. I don't think hiring a known cheat was the best idea for IU, but Sampson apparently, "...gave his word..." when he was hired to coach the Hoosiers that none of the problems from OU would ever happen again at IU. Sampson had some success at OU, took the Sooners to a final four, and made a few mistakes. Call me crazy, but I think people do learn from their mistakes and generally, become a better person from the lesson learned. If I was the AD, giving Sampson another chance, to coach at a place like IU, I think you have to believe him. But, obviously Sampson didn't learn from anything in his past and pretty much just gave the NCAA a big, fat, middle finger. Sampson should be let go, immediately if not sooner. He obviously didn't learn from anything he did at OU, and he deserves to be punished. And I can't think of any other way than to take his livelyhood, college basketball, away from him. Maybe now he'll learn something???

Next, IU played their hearts out for that scumbag last night. I was surprised, DJ White gets hurt and they really responded. MSU may not be as good as we thought at the beginning of the week, but IU really played well after the slow start.

DJ White got hurt Saturday night. Tweaked his knee. He's second in the league in scoring and leading in rebounds. If he doesn't play, or isn't 100%, this is a huge break for the Boilers. Purdue really doesn't have anybody skilled or stong enough to guard the 6'11" center. JuJuan is going to need to play a solid game.

This is the only meeting between the 2 rivals this year. I really don't understand this?? Why, why, why do they only play once, and why do they play at IU?? This is like Michigan and OSU taking a couple of years off so they can get Iowa and Minnesota on their schedules.

The rise of Purdue's freshman. Never in my wildest dreams did I think these guys could be this successful this soon. They've got a team of guys that doesn't care who the high scorer is. One night it's Moore, the next it's Hummel, the next it's Keaton.... This is also the first team that's been able to consistently hit a 3 since Jaraan Cornell.

Matt Painter. 3 years ago, the Boilers won 9 games. I sent an email out to some guys wondering if we could get Painter removed. Don't think I could have been more wrong. What a job he's doing getting these guys to play like a team. There's excitement again in Mackey Arena. Students are camping out before the games to get their spot in the Paint Crew. It was painful the last couple of years to see as many open seats as there were in Mackey. The 5 years I spent at Purdue, I don't think I saw 1 open seat. Good to see things are back to the way they should be.

The last time that E'Tuan and Eric Gordon met? Last years' Indiana State Championship game. E'Tuan got the best of Gordon to take East Chicago Central to the title over Gordon's Lawrence North team. Revenge for Gordon?? Confidence for E'Tuan??? E'Tuan is playing some great basketball right now if you haven't noticed.

And the biggest of them all. The Purdue-IU rivalry is a big game again. This is the first time when IU and Purdue have been 1 and 2 in the league going into battle since I can remember. I could probalby look it up on the internet, but I'm lazy, and it's just not going to happen this morning. So let's just assume it's been a long time. Exciting!! Promises to be a great game.

And by the way, the Boilers smoked Northwestern. Another theme of this season has been the runs this team goes on. Purdue was down 48-50 and decided to go on a 27-5 run to close out the game. It was good to see Scott Martin back out on the floor also. He did look a little rusty, but I'm sure he'll be fine by Tuesday. E'Tuan put up a career high 28. Shot the lights out!



One last thing, remember when Chad Austin hit that jumper from the corner in Assembly Hall for the win?? That was cool!

Holy Last 24 Hours of Sports, Batman!!

Where do you start today??? Oh man! The Boilers win a great game against Michigan State. Clemens and McNamee in front of congress. Kelvin Sampson and IU caught with 5 major rules violations. Wisconsin beating IU. Purdue owning a 1 game lead in the Big 10. And another amazing episode of The Gauntlet III was on last night. Where to start???

I guess I'll start out with the MTV hit The Gauntlet III. I can't get enough of the people on this show. Last night was no exception. After getting smacked in the head with a wooden board Melinda was taken off on a stretcher to the hospital where she found out that she had a consussion and was dehydrated. Alright, that's tolerable. But when they came up to the next mission and she had to drop 20 or so feet off of a beam into the water, she came up with this little nugget, "...I have a concussion, if I hit the water the wrong way, I'm going to die..." That would have been something. And from Kenny, "...it was just mind over matter. I don't mind, and you don't matter..." I can't get enough of these people!

Next let's go to the IU mess. That scumbag coach IU hired just doesn't learn from his mistakes, and then lies about it to the important people he shouldn't be lying to. I don't even know what all he did, all I know is that he did much of the same things at Oklahoma and lost his job there. What a jackass. Here's a good article from ESPN.com about their options. IU being banned from the postseason would just be icing on the cake for us Boilermaker fans!

Last night's IU-Wisconsin game ended with a banked 3-pointer by Brian Butch at the buzzer. Great ending to a horrible day for the IU basketball program.

Next is the huge Purdue victory over MSU. What a game. Robbie Hummel played one of the greatest games for Purdue in recent history. He did it all, rebounds, points, hustle... Just a great performance. I know I've said it before, and I'm probalby going to say it again, but this is a real fun team to watch! 10-1 in the Big 10. Nobody could have predicted this!

Which brings us to the 1 game lead Purdue now has in the Big 10. They have a couple of big games left, at IU and at home against Ohio State, but they're clearly in the driver's seat of the Big 10 race.

And lastly, I saw things yesterday that I am sure I will never, ever, see again in my lifetime. Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee sitting at a table, Clemens saying:

"...I never took steriods or HGH or any other performance enhancing
drugs..."

And sitting 2 people down from Clemens you have Brian McNamee saying:

"...I injected Roger Clemens, his wife, his dog, and 2 of his kids, with HGH
and steroids..."

Then you have Clemens saying:

"...McNamee injected me with B12 on 2 occasions..."

Followed by McNamee saying:

"...I've never injected anybody with B12. I really don't even know what it is..."

Then Clemens retorts with:

"...I never went to Jose Canseco's house party..."

Followed by Clemens not-so-good-speaking-the-English nanny saying:

"...Oh yes, we were at Canseco's house, we spent the night, the whole family was there, even the dog..."

And all of this in front of congress. Now, I think McNamee is a complete scumbag, he's lied, made some horrible decisions, done some horrible things in the past, don't get me wrong. But I believe just about every word that came out of his mouth yesterday. I believe very little of what Clemens says. Not to mention he threw his wife under the bus the day before Valentine's Day and used the word "misremembered" far too many times. I can honestly say I have never in my life heard that word used in a sentence before yesterday, I'm not even sure that it is a word.

Anyhow, Clemens looked horrible. He lied, and he lied, and he lied, and then he lied some more. He deserves to be out of baseball and should not be voted into the Hall. I have to think, if he had come out after the Mitchell Report and said that he did those things, he made a mistake, he won't do it again, I love the game and I wanted to continue playing which is why I made the decisions I made... All would be forgotten, not a big deal, lots of guys were doing it, let's move on. But with all of what he has gone through, he just looks more like a dirtbag. He was one of the greatest pitchers of our generation, and he will now be remembered as a liar. Such a shame.

I still can't believe this Boilermaker team!!!

Boilers and Spartans Tonight!!!

Purdue and Michigan State face off tonight at Mackey Arena. The Boilers finally got some national attention by getting ranked on both polls this week, 19 on the AP and 23 on the Coaches Poll. They've been playing some fantastic basketball. Great defense. Great shooting. Great team play. They've been coming up big at the end of games. Huge win AT Wisconsin to give Bo Ryan his 3rd home loss in his tenure.

The Boilers have a tough schedule down the stretch with MSU tonight, IU next week, and OSU to finish up the regular season. I could have never guessed that this group of basically freshmand and sophomores could be in this position this late in the season.

Let's see what they do tonight? Let's see who's going to step up? Let's see if they can keep this thing going!!

There's alot of excitement surrounding this program in the present and the future. And much of the reason is Matt Painter. He's done an amazing job getting these guys to play as a team, he's learned how to win the close games, and he's done a great job getting prepared for each contest.

7 tonight on ESPN, which is probably a good thing, for once the whole country will be able to see how good of a team the Boilers are this season. Mackey will be rocking!! Wish I could be there!

Boilers Win Another

The Boilermakers won their 8th in a row last night by beating up on Penn State. Although it was close at the half, Purdue took off in the 2nd on the shoulders of Marcus Green to win 67-53.

Robbie Hummel had another fantastic game with 17 points and 6 rebounds while E'Tuan scored 16 points on 4-6 shooting including 2 3-pointers. Chris Kramer again played some stellar D and Marcus Green played great off of the bench.

Keaton Grant had a tough night, but Hummel, Green, Moore, and the rest of the Boilers were there to pick him up.

These guys are really getting hot, but they have some big tests coming up. They've still got Wisconsin, Michigan State, IU, and Ohio State remaining. This is really going to be a good test for this young team. If they can stay hot, keep playing good D, and keep shooting the ball well, They're going to be in real good shape going into the Big 10 Tournament.

What a Wonderful Sports Weekend It Was!!

I don't even know where to start??? The Boilers win another one against Illinois, IU loses it's 2nd straight, Michigan State loses, the Patriots lose the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion.... Oh man! What a weekend!

I guess the IU loss was on Thursday, so we'll start there. It may just be me, but there is just something just really satisfying about watching IU lose basketball games. Although they tried to make a run midway through the 2nd, it was to no avail as they lost their 2nd straight 62-49. After White and Gordon, their next highest scorer had 4. You have to see that as a problem IU fans.

Next on the list was the Purdue victory. Can you say E'Tuan Moore??? You should probably learn how to say it, because the last couple of weeks he has been playing some fantastic basketball. 10-12 from the floor, 24 points. After Moore it was Crump and Green adding to the scoring. It's always somebody different with this team! They're really exciting to watch!!

MSU loss. That puts Purdue up top of the Big 10 standings with Wisconsin. Yes, The Purdue Boilermakers are in a first place tie in the Big 10 race. This is the sort of thing you predicted in November only after about 14 Millers. Nobody predicted this. Nobody!

And finally, The Greatest Team In The History Of the Entire World Ever, lost! It doesn't get much more satisfying than seeing that f'n dirtbag Bill Belichick running off the field before it's even over. Remember when Randy Mosss did that?? He was crucified for leaving early. Why has this not happened to Belichick???? This is the head coach we are talking about leaving before the game is finished. Lose with dignity, dirtbag.

Eli Manning played an amazing game. He didn't make horible mistakes he did so often in the regular season. Receivers made plays. And the defense did an amazing job. I kept waiting for the Pats to just take over the game, but it never happened. I kept waiting for Brady to make a great pass and find an open Randy Moss for at big TD, but it happened too late. I kept waiting for Eli Manning to throw an interception in their final series, but it never happened. Simply an amazing Superbowl performance by the biggest of underdogs.

Hopefully Boston fans will keep their mouths closed for a while.

But now the bad news. Football is over until August.

And now the good news. Pitchers and Catchers report in 10 days!

Way To Make Your Free Throws Keaton!

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Boilers and Hawkeyes Tonight

So the Boilers have Iowa coming to Mackey Arena tonight. Purdue has won 5 straight including Saturday's huge win over #11 Wisconsin. This team is really playing some outstanding basketball right now. They are shooting the lights out, playing great D, the young guys are growing up fast, and everybody is doing their part to contribute. They are really fun to watch!

15-5 is their record. If there is anybody out there that thought Purdue was going to have this record this season is a liar. Painter really has these guys playing like a team and everybody knows their role. I was pretty skeptical of Painter early in the season because of all the close losses. Many times a young team needs a very strong coach to make the right decisions at the end of a game to get out with a win. I didn't feel Painter was doing a good job of this. But, as usual, I'm wrong. Painter has got these guys running on all cylinders. I don't think there's been this much excitement in Mackey since the late 90s.

Hopefully they can keep the good play going against Iowa tonight. Sorry to those of you without a dish, it's on the Big Ten Network, you are just going to have to come back tomorrow to get my expert analysis of the game.

On another note I was watching SportsCenter last night. Media Day for the Super Bowl was yesterday or Monday or whatever. Plaxico Burress said that he predicted a 23-17 victory for the Giants on Sunday. ESPN was trying to make a controversy of this like it was Bush giving out Presidential Secrets to the Iranians or something. What's he supposed to say, "...No, I really don't think we have a chance on Sunday. I really don't know why we're even going to play the game...." Just stupid. I should hope he thinks the Giants are going to win! SportsCenter went on about this for about 20 minutes. Very annoying.

Go Boilers!

Surprise, Surprise!!

As I was scrolling through ESPN.com today, I found a new column written by Bill Simmons. And guess what???? It's another Boston column! What a surprise.

Now, there was a time, probably 2-3 years ago when I would get very excited when his columns came out, word would get around the office that it was posted and trading would pretty much stop for the next 10 minutes to read it and 20 more after that to talk about it. It was good stuff, every time. There was a great mix of sports, pop culture, current events, The Real World, Boston, mailbags, TV, and draft/game/award show journals. Very, very good stuff. But over the last year or so these once great columns have become very bland and very Boston.

But alright, I get it, he's from Boston, they've been on the most improbable stretches of sports greatness in recent memory. And if the Cleveland ever went on a stretch like this, I may be the same way. But the big difference is that I write a blog that probably nobody reads and he writes for ESPN. I'm actually surprised his editors let him get away with as many Boston articles as he pumps out. Whatever.

Enough about that, the Great Mike Alstott has retired from football and there are a couple of great runs against IU posted here. I have some great memories of those horrible teams he played on at Purdue. He retires as the Bucs all time leader in TDs. Not to mention he was like Kevin Mack from the original Tecmo Bowl when would-be tacklers would bounce off him.

And the Boilers have a huge test tomorrow when the no. 11 ranked Badgers come to town. Tip off is at 3 Central and it's on ESPN, so if you don't have the Big Ten Network you are in luck, but I have a feeling it's not going to be in HD, so that blows, I guess I will deal. The Badgers only have 2 losses, Duke and Marquette, so if Purdue can pull this one out, the tourney voters may forget about the horrible loss to Wofford earlier this season. And by the way, Wisconsin beat Wofford by 27 in December. Let's hope the hot shooting continues, this would be a huge victory for the Boilers.

Boilers Win Big in Happy Valley

First of all, while I was lying in bed trying to get motivated to get up and get in the shower, they were talking on the radio about -32 with the wind chill today. Why I live in Chicago I have no idea.

Anyhow, the Boilers had a huge win last night against the Geary Claxton-less Nittnay Lions. Purdue has been a team of runs so far this season, whether it's the good side of a 15-0 run or the bad side. At one point, 5 minutes into the 1st half, the score was tied at 9. At the half, it was 42-18! Nothing like a 32-9 run to get things going.

Robbie Hummel played another excellent game with 15 points and 11 boards, including 3 from 3-point land. E'Tuan and Calasan both added 11 and the Boilers shot 11-25 from behind the arc. It's fun to see a Purdue team shoot this well for a change.

On another note, IU played real well again beating Iowa by 22. Eric Gordon is real good. It will be nice to not have to deal with him next season.

Boilers and Lions Tonight

The Boilers are playing the Nittnay Lions tonight and hopefully they can keep this good play going and get out of Happy Valley with another win. After watching Wisconsin struggle with a pathetic Michigan team, nothing can be taken for granted.

It's about time that we've got somebody that can consistently hit a jump shot, in fact, we have a couple of guys that have the ability to hit an outside jumper. Sure, David Teague figured out how to shoot last year going into the Big 10 and NCAA tourney, but it took him 4 and a half years to figure it out. I remember the days of his chest thumping after hitting his first 3 of the game with 2 minutes left and the Boilers down 17. But that's for another day.

Keaton Grant has been playing some good ball along with Hummel and Martin. Chalasan stepped up his game this past weekend, E'Tuan is starting to play well and I really think this team is starting to gel together. And if they can consistently win the close games, they have an opportunity to be real good this year, and the next couple of years.

They're a pretty entertaining bunch to watch. Some pretty solid play, good D, good shooting.... Much better than the days of Brent Buscher and John Allison.

My prediction is for Robbie Hummel to have a huge game.

Only 2 Boilers are averaging double digit scoring... Interesting.

A lot of Heartache..but a bright future

To be a Purdue and Cleveland fan, is like some sort of sick joke if you are a sports fan. So many memories of hope for a championship, and then just dashed away in the blink of an eye. Don't believe me, take a look:

-Willie Mays over the shoulder catch in '54. Granted, my mom wasn't even born yet, but I still see replays once a year. But, my grandma was 36, and she remembered it vividly.

- Right Red 88. Oakland, we lost to Oakland?? At home, to a warm weather team in the ice and snow off Lake Erie? I was 5 at this time, and I remember clearly being in a restaurant with my parents when this happened, only to have my dad yell at me to "quit acting up." My emotions were getting the best of me, at age 5.

- Put in Mike Jackson! That's what I remember screaming to Hargrove 800 miles away from Indiana, while he was sitting in South Florida. But sure enough, "Joe Table," a.k.a Jose Mesa comes trotting out of the bullpen. Then he somehow survives a terrible 9th, and Craig Counsell's missle is caught in right field by David Justice. Granted, that was just delaying the inevitable, when a Edgar Renteria single up the middle sealed the fate of the Fighting Wahoo's in '97.

- The Drive, The Fumble-- I don't even want to get into this. We all knows how this turns out. Elway in '86, and Byner in '87. Byner's huge game was overshadowed by one fumble that Dennis Smith didn't even know he caused at the goal line.

- The C.C/Fausto Meltdown in the '07 ALCS. Two potential Cy Young award winners, failing to show up for the ALCS. If they pitch just one game like they can in game 5 or 6, the Tribe goes to the World Series, and probably beat the Rockies who woke up from a coma after winning 50 straight games.

That's enough negativity, let me look toward the future now:

-The Browns, 10-6, but missed the playoffs. Yes, the Colts probably should have played their starters, look at their past performances on rest. But, the Browns should have beat the Bengals too. With a little help at D line next year, and one more receiver to compliment Braylon along with JJ, the Browns should contend for the division in '08. DA with another year under his belt, and an O Line that dominates, could make for a fun '08.

-The Tribe in '08: Same team, same good starting staff, another year of experience for young players. Look for guys like Asdrubal Cabrera, Garko, Gutierrez, Carmona, and an improving Jhonny Peralta to have strong years in '08. I know the Tigers beefed up their lineup, but I'll still take the Tribe's pitching over the Tigers pitching all day. Yes they got Dontrelle, but he's a very average pitcher, who had an ERA over 5.00 last year...in the NL. Welcome to the AL Dontrelle.

- Cavs: Get LeBron help, before he leaves. Last year was a fluke, get the man some help, before he leaves. I can't state that enough.

-Purdue- BBall looking strong for a young team. I love Matt Painter and what he's done, and also because he bought me a pitcher of Killians's at Hooters, simply because I had a Purdue hoody on. I fully expect a Big Ten title or two, over the next four years with this team. As far as football goes, we should be fine with Danny Hope. He had a high powered offense at E Kentucky, and apparantly he can recruit his butt off. Recruiting is something that has hampered the program, with the likes of Michigan, OSU, and Wisconsin in the Big Ten. I have a good feeling about Hope.

Now call me the eternal optimist, because I am. I don't forget the past and all the heartache, but I certainly look toward the future, when one of my teams is hoisted up that championship trophy.