cthomas

32 minutes ago, Proud2BAHoosier said:

Getting the suspended players did absolutely no good...

I really don't know where CMW goes from here.

He goes on the recruiting trail and to the portal. He's been in the game too long to not see what is needed. Meanwhile, salvage what he can from the rest of the season.

I've always wondered if maybe the initial people at the crime scene did something that contaminated the evidence making it more difficult to process. I hope not, but I think it was just people searching that found the bodies.

Culture is a tough thing to build in today's environment. In fact, I'm not sure it can be done. Given the past few years, it's hard for me to understand how kids can put their own interests above the goals of the team.  And how could they not know what CMW would do in response? I'm disappointed in these young men. Privilege comes with responsibility. That at this point in the season we have young men who don't understand that, is beyond disappointing.

22 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

In my 51 years IU football probably had 12-13 good seasons

I'm right there with you. I hope the AD is keeping a close eye on the direction of the program. I like Coach Allen, but last season was a horrible disaster. If this doesn't get back on track, a change at the top might be in order. 

Winning never gets old.

19 minutes ago, DC2345 said:

He wasn’t in the portal. The only decision he was making was whether or not to come back for his extra year of eligibility or not.

Thanks, I'm sorry that I made that mistake. I've always liked him, especially since he is from my neck of the woods.

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

Wait.. Fitz was in the portal? That's news to me. 

I thought he was but at my age I can always be wrong and blame it on a senior moment. We are talking about Bryant Fitzgerald, right? 

3 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Fitz is coming back!

 

This is all so confusing. I loved that he stuck IU through the eligibility snafu and thought he would be a star. And then, he's in the portal which is fine if he's not happy. But to come back after all of that? If I'm a teammate I'm think I'm asking, "are you in or are you out?" I know it's a new world and my attitudes are probably way out of date.

On 1/21/2022 at 10:56 AM, Euroclydon said:

If IU can maintain the defensive intensity and cut down on the fouls, especially some of the silly ones we see from X and Parker, it will be hard to beat them at home. You anticipate some fouls because they are challenging everything but it really shows up when X, Parker, or as we saw last night with TJD, get into foul trouble and spend significant amounts of time on the bench. 

I remember an article about the '76 team where another team's scout said that Buckner and Wilkerson were fouling constantly but the officials couldn't call everything so they got away with it. While Rob and X aren't at that level, I like that they are getting that kind of reputation.

For all of us senior citizens, think of all the things we can tell our grandchildren about. My 25 year old granddaughter was amazed when I showed her a manual typewriter. Couldn't figure out how it worked.

This is playing out exactly like CMW said it would. He recognized before ever stepping on the court with this team that it would be offensively challenged. He went to the portal and found some help but knew that defense was the only way to success. I really don't understand people giving CMW grief.

1 hour ago, Stlboiler23 said:

Sophomore Eric Hunter was very solid. Idk if I’ve ever seen a player with as steep a drop-off as I’ve seen with him. 

As much as I hate to admit it, and I really hate to admit it, Purdue still looks like the class of the conference from a talent standpoint. Painter is too good of a coach to not figure it out.

3 hours ago, Billingsley99 said:

GG was silky smooth, made it look so easy. Those teams were so much fun to watch. 

My wife and I were in Denny's one Sunday when GG and his female friend were there. There was also a girl's softball team in there, probably 13 or 14 year olds. They saw him and converged on his table for autographs. He was very nice to them but you could tell his lady friend was not pleased. Great player.

33 minutes ago, Lostin76 said:

We are vegetarian, not vegan. I love cheese too much! Yeah, the thing about this place is the super authentic tortillas. Makes a big difference. 

And yep, stick with Italian on Long Island and you are okay. 

Vegetarian since 1971. Way more dining options now than back then. I can't remember getting this far into the winter without any significant cold or snow.

I have truly enjoyed the discussions, the back and forth, and even the unresolvable disagreements. We are all human beings regardless of what we look like or believe and we are better together than apart. I wish everyone a great holiday and a prosperous new year.

40 minutes ago, Hoosier987 said:

I mentioned in the game thread that Durr and Geronimo cannot be playing together. Our 2nd unit was awful tonight. I hope someone on the first unit speaks to them about their careless play this evening. I think we need to shorten our bench to 8-9 players. 

In his post game interview, Coach Woodson mentioned that very thing. Getting Durr and Geronimo to play better together is definitely on his mind.

27 minutes ago, Coach Robby said:

True...I just think there's going to be so many teams on 2 week breaks for quarantine. Believe me, I do NOT want any type of shutdown. But the number of cases is rising quickly. 

Unless the current guidelines change, I can see a lot of games being cancelled in January and February. Just seems unavoidable given the current trends. This could definitely produce a really messed up tournament, if one is even played.

2 hours ago, IUFLA said:

At what age do you (or anyone else that feels like answering) think it should turn into real competition?

I ask because I'm truly torn on this...I was 7 when I started Little League and we started "keeping score" right away. Enjoyed it immensely, and learned not only how to handle the disappointment of losing, but also how to handle winning and sportsmanship...

Our youngest daughter started playing t-ball at 5...She was fortunate in that her first coach was the head baseball coach for Hinsdale Central High School (Chicagoland) and he made sure everyone on the team knew the rules...force play vs tag play...what to do on defense or running the bases on a fly ball or ground ball...how to run through first base...excellent teaching of the basics...

It was shocking to me the number of opposing coaches that year, and to be honest all the way until she was 8, that didn't do that...

My view is that around 8 or 9 the lessons should be more about competition and how to deal with winning and losing along with building on already learned skills. 

I know at that age around here, they start separating "travel teams" (where you have to try out and it's competitive) from basic recreational play (no score keeping)...I think that's a good way to handle it...

BTW, if I had been the opposing coach in @BGleas's game, I woulda made it 4 on 4  
 

I don't have a problem with the competitive aspect in youth sports. Life is a competitive endeavor and sports can teach a lot of positive things in that regard. I mostly have a problem with coaches and parents who act badly and set bad examples for the kids. You can teach competitiveness and sportsmanship at the same time. Too many adults have their ego tied to winning and losing instead of teaching and helping the kids grow as human beings. I have never embraced the 'everyone gets a trophy' mentality because I don't think that teaches the right things either. But when you have a clearly superior team, attempting to run up the score and humiliate your opponent serves no useful purpose. I believe it's largely an adult problem that can become a kid when that behavior is what the kids learn.

8 minutes ago, BGleas said:

My pet peeve is youth sports coaches that care more about being able to post about their wins on Facebook then actually teaching kids the game and doing what is right. 

Sorry, I'm a little bitter right now 🤣. Was coaching my 6th grade travel team today and we only had 6 guys. Then we had two of our best players foul out with 11 minutes left. 

Once it was down to 5 v 4, the opposing coach started pressing. Needless to say, I laid into that coach pretty good, and basically embarrassed her out of their press. 

Never understood youth league coaches who wanted to embarrass kids on the opposing team. When working with kids, there should be a concern for ALL of the kids and not just the ones on your team. There is such a potential to teach all of the right things about sports other than winning, especially at the younger ages. So sad when that opportunity is missed.

11 minutes ago, Drroogh said:

Just received an email, Disney is back on YouTube TV

Same here. What a surprise. The back and forth chess game that these ultra wealthy companies play is very annoying. It seems as if I am seeing warnings about content being dropped from some platform on a regular basis. I wish they all would just grow up!

14 minutes ago, BGleas said:

This is kind of a pretty big game though. Lose this and we're 0-3 away from Assembly Hall and just 2-3 against Power 5's heading into the remainder of conference play. 

Agreed. This is another winnable game. We lost the previous two. If growth is taking place and this team is learning what CMW is trying to teach them, we will find a way to win this game. Losing here would be the kind of thing that could snowball.

2 hours ago, Stlboiler23 said:

My guess is he has been talking to Purdue players that he’s close with and has found out the roster situation. Tough to enforce tampering when he could easily say he talked to a guy like Broc Thompson who helped him realize he should transfer there. 

It's a little slimy no matter how you slice it. The portal has opened a whole new disgusting can of worms.

If a kid is OK with not playing, then I'm not sure I want him here. If he is unhappy and not doing everything he can to get on the court, then that's a different matter. I'm not connected in any way to the program so I don't know what practice is like. I believe that with CMW those who earn playing time will get playing time. Sometimes it just doesn't work out and a fresh start is better for everyone. I really hope Lander continues to work and grows into the guy who can run our ream.

5 hours ago, Lostin76 said:

Man, the news just gets worse with that tornado. What a monster storm.

It’s 68 degrees here in Brooklyn and our terrace Christmas tree just blew over in the wind. 

Not really related to this thread but when I see your posts, knowing you are in New York City, I always think of Simon and Garfunkel's, "Only Living Boy in New York".  I guess that reveals how old I am.

31 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

I know we like to give Kentucky alot of shit, deservedly.  But saw somewhere where the Eville, Henderson Ohio River Bridge had alot of Hoosiers, linemen, first responders crossing the river to help. I'd volunteer if I had any PTO days left. 

America first. We take care of our neighbors, even if we don't like them sometimes.  

I joke that people coming from Kentucky to Indiana should be required to have a passport to enter. But in times like these, I consider them family and hope the best for them.