Early 2008 Sports Musings

It's Divisional Playoff Eve.....and the Colts get ready to make it back to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. San Diego's Chargers come to town and will meet up in what could be the final game in the Hoosier/RCA Dome - unless both Indy and Jacksonville win - which would give the Colts one more chance to play in that venue. Either way is fine, so long as the get back to the Super Bowl and win their second in a row.

Imagining the Indianapolis skyline (what little of one there is !) will be hard to do without seeing the Dome as part of it. When I left for Basic Training in the summer of 1983 (August) it was just being completed and the roof had just been inflated, so it was interesting to see what it did to the downtown area. I never had he chance to go to a Colts game until December 2004 - over 20 years later - because I was overseas 95% of the time and just never had the opportunity.

But I picked a great one for the first visit. Peyton Manning setting the TD passing record, breaking Dan Marino's old mark, as the Colts came from behind to knock off the Drew Brees and Ladanian Tomlinson-led Chargers. The crowd was as wild and loud as any I have ever been a part of (and I've been to many) in different venues I have visited around the world.

The Dome is just plain LOUD.

So at any rate, the Colts are poised to make another championship run, and the Pacers continue to disgrace the city with horrible play, horrible players and horrible decision making by both players and management. I never thought the Pacer franchise would sink this low....but I haven't a desire to go see a Pacer's game since Reggie left, and every couple of weeks they give me additional reasons not to bother.

The Purdue men's basketball team is doing well with a solid group of young players that will give opponents fits with pressure defense and a never-say-die attitude. They should be a top three B10 team (minimum) the next four years, and a player in the NCAA tournament as well.

For the Boiler football team, what a disaster. I just can't bear to talk about it. Underachieving players with underachieving coaching and an AD that has no clue to bringing in a coach that could take it to the next level. Instead, he brings in a Purdue assistant retread, from world reknowned Eastern Kentucky ??? Yep. That Eastern Kentucky. A true powerhouse !

So on the 11th of January at around 6:30 p.m., as I get ready to relax, watch 3:10 to Yuma following ABC Propaganda,er, News and get set for playoff football weekend. Should be a fun weekend - so long as my Colts win !!!