Boilers Come Out Hot on Cold Night

On perhaps the coldest night of the year so far the Boilers came out of the gate hot last night. On a night that Robbie Hummel would be the talk of the arena, JuJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore lit it up. Both players ended the game with 19 points, but could have scored more in a close game. Moore had 17 of his points by the half, and really did not play much in the second half. He was 5-6 from beyond the arc including hitting his first five three’s. He really does deserve the nickname 3-Twaun. When he is on there are few that are better than him. JJ decided to start the game from outside as well. He scored the first four points of the game all from just inside the arc. Of the 47 points Purdue had scored at the half, Johnson and Moore had 30 of them. Hummel also had a great half, but was just overshadowed by his teammates. Once the second half began it was just a chance to see what some of the bench players could do. Valpo only really made a run to close the gap when we put a less than stellar group out on the floor. The Boilers had this game from the get go. The next game for these boys will be a tough road test in Alabama. They are 8-0, and poised to have a great season. Saturday’s game will be another indicator of how great it will be.

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This weekend while I was in town for the Grand Valley State game against Carson-Newman we decided to check out the Lakers men’s and women’s teams. We only paid $11 dollars a piece for the football tickets so we decided that the $7 to get into both basketball games was in the budget. I decided to pick up my football tickets at the will call window before going into the basketball game. At the window they told me that I could get into both games free with my football ticket. How great is that? Maybe I am spoiled because of the great atmosphere that I have seen in Mackey this season, but I really was not that impressed with the turnout. The student section had maybe fifty people in it. The women’s game was a blowout when I walked in, but it quickly became a close one. The Lakers pulled away in the end though to win 81-68. Five Lakers scored in double digits. The only reason that the game seemed to get close was the foul desparity. For a small school these girls can light it up. They shot 65% on the night. Not too shabby.

The men on the other hand had an easy time taking down Ashland. They shot 61% themselves in the route. They took an 18 point lead into the halftime break, and never really looked back. Toreau Brown scored a career high 22 points to lead his team, but this was another balanced attack. They won 72-48 to make the Lakers 2-0 on the day. Leaving the arena to go to the football stadium we learned that the girls soccer team had just won the National Championship. Of course we already know that the football team won to make it a perfect 4-0 on the day. It was a decent day to be on campus for sure. As you can see in this picture the men did not have much of a crowd either. Maybe they are just too used to winning to show up for a conference game. On the other hand there was a huge football game that day so you would have had to miss tailgaiting to come. I would rather have stayed warm and watched basketball for sure. Watching these two games does help me appreciate what I see at Purdue though. We do have some great fans.

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Yesterday I was in Allendale, Michigan to see the Grand Valley State Lakers advance once again to the Division II Championship game by beating Carson-Newman 41-27. There were many storylines yesterday. I will try and hit on a few of them here. The first storyline had to be the snow. As you can see above the stadium looked like a Christmas globe the entire game. They had a crew of workers using blowers to clean off the yard lines during every break in the action. This was my first game in the snow, and it was worth the cold to be part of this. As we were waiting for the game to start I wondered how the snow and cold would affect Grand Valley. They are more of a passing team, while Carson-Newman is a running team. You would think that the advantage would go to the Eagles of Carson-Newman with the weather. The fact that there were only 14 completions in the game might tell you how badly the weather affected the game. There were some ugly passes yesterday on both sides of the ball. The game started with a quick drive by Carson-Newman that saw a terrible pass about 15 yards out of bounds on third down. When the ball left his hands you knew that it was way out. Grand Valley got the ball on a punt and P.T. Gates took the first play from scrimmage 59 yards for the Lakers. The weather forced Grand Valley to kick a field goal to go up 3-0. The Lakers ran the same play to Ryan Bass in the corner of the end zone three times, and Bass was open all three times. The only problem though was the fact that the ball never was close to him. The weather really set the tone for this game.

The star of the game by far had to be P.T. Gates. He had 326 all purpose yards including 183 on the ground for Grand Valley. This performance was in place of the Lakers all time leading rusher Jimmy Berezik who was suspended for the rest of the season along with four other players prior to the game. Berezik was also suspended last season in the playoffs when Grand Valley lost to eventual champion Minnesota-Deluth. Gates made me wonder why he has not been playing all year though. He really took a potentially bad situation and made the most of it. As the picture shows he had some room to run as well. The lines on both sides of the ball really took control. Another hero of the game had to be Danny Richard. For some reason they don’t post defensive stats, but Danny seemed to be on the ball the entire game. The entire defense really helped slow the running attack for Carson-Newman, but he always seemed to be in on the play. Justin Victor and Jacob McGuckin also played key roles for the defense. As for the Eagles Buck Wakefield really kept his team in the game. After Grand Valley had taken a 10-0 lead he returned a kick 89 yards to bring his team to within three. He ended the game with 222 all purpose yards, and four touchdowns. He was explosive when he had his hands on the ball.

As the clock woud down we moved down to the track to storm the field with the rest of the fans. At Grand Valley most of the crowd takes the field, not just the students. This small college atmosphere is great. The players are thanking you for coming to the game as they are celebrating. We left the tearing down of the goalposts to the students, and went to celebrate with the team. Somehow we ended up in the middle of the team, and we really were involved in the postgame celebration. The snow just added to the celebration. It seemed as if confetti was falling from the sky. As they were given the banner for their win with ESPN watching we were front row center. This is something again that you do not get at a Division I school. We talked to a few players as things wound down, and then wisely decided to finally warm up. Later in the week I will post some more pics from the game and the post game celebration.

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This year has seemed a lot like 2006 all year long. Today I will take another step towards that when I head to Grand Valley to see them try and make it to the finals in Florence, Alabama again. If they can pull this off their likely opponent will be Northwest Missouri State. Could Braly Stadium take another rematch between these two teams. Well we will cross that bridge when we get there. It’s deja vu all over again. For now enjoy this video of the goalposts coming down after the win.

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Notre Dame will not accept a bowl bid this season. That was the announcement made yesterday in South Bend. With a few words the Notre Dame season officially ended. Notre Dame was once sitting at 6-2 with Charlie Weis talking about a potential BCS Bowl bid. Then they lost to Navy, Pitt, UConn, and Stanford to finish the season 6-6. This means that we have most likely seen the last of Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, and maybe even Michael Floyd. With the coaching change it is hard for me to see any of them coming back. Next season could be as bad or worse than the 2007 season for Notre Dame.

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This week I have picked the Valpo game at Mackey as my game of the week. It is big for a couple of reasons. The first is how close I live to Valpo. I could literally be at their arena in 25 minutes. I have seen a few games there, and who can forget Bryce Drew hitting that shot in the NCAA’s a few years back? This game is also big because it is the home team of Robbie Hummel. Next year we will travel to Valpo, and I will try hard to get a seat in that small arena. Last year Valpo came into Purdue and kept it close for the first half. The Boilers only led by two at that point. Purdue held them in the second half though and cruised to a 59-45 win. This year I don’t think that it will be that close. Purdue is just too powerful. Although they came into that contest last year ranked tenth, and really were not that dominant. Chris Kramer was out for that game though. Barring something tragic tomorrow we will be at full strength on Wednesday. With a little luck we will have a higher ranking than #4 by the time we play next week. It will be interesting to see if we finally get some respect.

Predictions: Should this segment even continue? Last week I had a bad week. I made my predictions last week with the women sporting a decent 5-3 record, and the men 9-1. I went 4-1 on my normal women’s predictions last week. Then I missed the Big Ten/ACC Challenge altogether going 5-6. That brings my season total to 14-10 on the women’s side. The men’s side was similar. I went 3-2 on my normal picks, and then tanked the Challenge. I went 4-7 with those picks. This week I will try and right some wrongs. With things getting back to normal it should be an easy week. The Big Ten teams should be playing easier opponents this week. I am also going to be at Grand Valley State this weekend to see the football game. We are leaving early to see both the men’s and women’s teams play. So naturally those games will be included on here. Here are my picks on the men’s side:

This week the Big Ten women start play early on Sunday. I will pick all of those Sunday games. Here are my women’s picks for the week:

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This week I am going to brave the frozen tundra of Lubbers Stadium to see the semi-final matchup between the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Carson – Newman Eagles. Carson Newman did a very good job of stopping the North Alabama offense last week to advance. This week they will have to face Grand Valley’s offense with a trip to Florence, Alabama on the line. I was in Lubber’s in 2006 when they beat Delta State to advance to the title game. I was also in Florence the following week when Grand Valley won the title. I hope that some of that magic rubs off again this weekend. That night in 2006 was great with the students taking down the goalposts. We were part of the mob out on the field. Their is nothing like winning the big game, and for this week this is the big game. It may not have the billing that the Florida – Alabama game does or for that matter the Texas – Nebraska game, but it is huge for many people. See you in Allendale on Saturday.

This will be my second trip to Lubber’s Stadium this season. The first did not go so well. I was stopped after I entered the stadium and told that I could not have my camera bag inside the stadium. I missed the first quarter going back to my car to put everything away. This week I hope that I find someone who will not try and be a badass because he can. I would very much like to see the opening portion of this game.

Predictions: Last week I went 5-1 on my predictions to bring my record to 46-21 on the season. The lone game that I lost was my upset pick of the week. Eastern Michigan came within a touchdown of finally getting a win. This week I will try my hand at a few of the Conference Championship games as well as the two Division II semis this week. Of course I will pick the two remaining Big Ten games as well. Here are my picks for this week:

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#4 Boilers win 69-58 over Wake Forest

Tonight was a great night to be a Boiler fan. Before the game the team unveiled the Big Ten Tournament Championship banner. The 1996 Conference Champion banner has been lonely way too long. They then honored the team for its Paradise Jam Title that they won last week. When the game started the crowd was rocking, and just like in the ACC game last year the Boilers came out cold. The good news is that they have a great defense. They forced Wake Forest into 25 turnovers on the night, and held them to 42% shooting on the night. The only blemish on the defenses resume is how easily Ishmael Smith could drive to the basket. We really had nobody that could match his quickness. This was the game where we saw how much Lewis Jackson meant to us. We did do alright against the size of Wake Forest. As they were being introduced I was amazed at how big they were. They really did keep us in check down low for the most part. The stat sheet says that they had ten blocks, but I would have thought that number would have been much higher. We struggled shooting early, but JuJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore really stepped it up for us to keep it a game going into the second half.

I normally award my MVP of the game to someone who does something outside of the box. I try and look at things other than the stat sheet. Today though E’Twaun Moore and JuJuan Johnson scored points when the Boilers needed them the most. They were the men the entire game today. An honorable mention though should go to Kelsey Barlow who really ignited the team in the second half. He was able to penetrate, and open things up for the Boilers in the second half. Robbie Hummel had his second straight game with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He was off badly with his shot, but contributed as usual in other ways. This was a great game to be at. The atmosphere was tremendous. I don’t think that we will see this type of crowd again for a while in Mackey. West Virginia may be the next big game in the stadium. For now though I will just be happy with this great game.

Next up for the Boilermakers is Buffalo on Saturday. Buffalo is taking the place of Ball State who we will play in the Wooden Tradition on December 19th.
When I left the arena tonight the Big Ten had an early 3-0 lead in the challenge. Since that time the conference has dropped three straight to head into tomorrow tied at three wins a piece. Will this be the year that the Big Ten finally gets one of these?

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Right in downtown Chicago is a great little restaurant that shows what is great about being in the big city. On my way to Wisconsin this past fall I spent the night in Chicago. Without even thinking I was walking around town wearing a Green Bay Packers hat. I never really took any heat except when I was eating dinner. That may be because I picked Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse to eat at. This great little restaurant/bar is located just off the Chicago River on Kinzie in downtown Chicago. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by the bust of Harry that is shown to the left. What makes this place so great is the atmosphere while you are eating. I was there the day that the Cubs sale was finalized so I missed seeing Frankie O the bartender doing his weekly bit for Comcast Sports Net. They filmed the show earlier that day so of course I just had the locals to talk sports with. Sitting in the bar you can talk sports until you are sick to your stomach. Beware though. These people are passionate sports fans.

Another great thing about Harry’s is all of the memorabilia that is on display. In addition to the bust as you walk in they have all kinds of artifacts from Harry’s career along with other Chicago sports celebrities. As you walk into the main dining area you see two Hall of Fame baseball jerseys on each side of the entrance. The jersey on the right is the famous #23 of Ryne Sandberg, and on the left is the black and white #72 of Carlton Fisk. Both jerseys are autographed, and have been in place for years. I probably spent 30-40 minutes just walking around looking at everything. One of the highlights of the tour is the famous Bartman ball. We all know the story about how Steve Bartman cost the Cubs the World Series. We all also know that Alex Gonzalez actually did that booting the ball later that inning. Nevertheless the ball has become famous. In 2003 Grant DePorter bought the ball in an auction for the Harry Caray Restaurant Chain. After much public debate the ball was blown up in 2004. The next year the ball was boiled in water, and the steam used in pasta sauce. So now you may have eaten pasta that had remnants of this ball in it. I am a ball collector so of course I wanted to see the ball. It is located just to the right of the Caray bust as you walk in. Budget some wandering time into your schedule if you decide to eat here.

As far as the restaurant goes it is very good food. I have eaten at Harry’s several times, and I have never been dissapointed. The prices are a little steep, but you get what you pay for. The last time I went I spent $25, and walked out very full. you may come in for the sports, but you will leave full. If you are in Chicago give this place a try. You will be glad that you did.

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This July I was in Minnesota as part of our yearly baseball trip. We wanted to see the Metrodome one last time before it was torn down. We also wanted to see the new Twins stadium Target Field. Through a friend we learned that you could go to the top of a parking garage to get a great view of the stadium. We picked the wrong garage, but we still got a great view. We would have had to break down some barriers to get to the top of the other garage. From what we could see around the stadium, and the little inside the stadium this place is going to be nice. From the conceptual drawings you can see that this 40,000 seat stadium is going to look very nice. It has really taken shape even more since I was there. Looking at some photos online I would say that the outside is nearly complete. Just seeing the outside of the stadium is not enough. I will have to see a game here when it opens. Maybe my White Sox will have better luck here than they did in the old Metrodome. The stadium will have an exhibition on April 2nd, 2010, and will officially open on April 12, 2010 against the Boston Red Sox. My only question will be how much snow will be on the field that day.

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Boiler win easily 64-38

Who decided to have a basketball game that early in the morning? I always complain about the early starts that the Purdue football team gets, but this was a half an hour earlier. Starting a game at 10:30 am my time really makes for an interesting morning. On the drive down to West Lafayette I kept wondering if that would affect the players. Playing a game before most college kids are even awake has to be hard. The other factor that had to be on most people’s minds was the fact that Purdue had just come off a great win against #9 Tennessee to win the Paradise Jam. Tuesday Wake Forest comes to town as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This game in between could have been trouble.

It was not though. Although the offense did not play as well as we would have liked, the defense came to play today. Central Michigan only scored fourteen points in the first half. Three of those points should never have been. Chris Kramer took the ball away from a Chippewa player in the corner, and was apparently fouled by at least two of the three players around him. Instead of calling the foul, the ref called Kramer’s pass out of bounds. The three pointer that followed was the last three points Central Michigan would score in the half. If the play had gone the other way it would have been a turnover for the Chippewa’s, and they would have had three less points on the board. That basket was at the six minute mark of the first half. It is amazing to me that any team can keep another team off the board for over six minutes. Purdue’s defense is great. They would have ended the half with more turnovers than points. As it was they ended the game with more turnovers then field goals. The final tally was sixteen turnovers and 13 field goals. My picture for this weeks preview of the ‘Defense Live Here’ sign must have been a premonition. At times this defense is more fun to watch than the offense. This team only allowed five baskets in the first half, and 38 points all game. That is the best effort since the Michigan State game in 2007.

One shining star in my book today was Mark Wohlford. He gets the player of the game in my opinion. E’Twaun scored 15 points, although 11 of those were in the first half. Robbie Hummel scored 11, and pulled down 11 rebounds. Both had good games. Wohlford though was all over the place. He played 20 solid minutes today when Chris Kramer got into foul trouble. He only scored five points with one board and one block, but he was tireless on defense. He lays it all out there, and the opponent cannot take him for granted. Maybe we just like to root for the underdogs. At some point though Mark will cease to be an underdog.

The next game for the Boilers is Tuesday against Wake Forest. The students will be back in the stands, and we could be looking at a top five team on the floor. With Michigan State losing yesterday we could potentially move up in the rankings. Speaking of the students I was pleasantly surprised today to see how full Mackey was. They claim 12,000+ for the official attendance today. They really have done a great job marketing the games that are not in the student package. The game is missing something without the kids though. They bring the energy to the stadium. I am sure that they will be fired up Tuesday though for the big matchup.

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Not a lot is know right now, but according to ESPN Tiger Woods was seriously hurt this morning when he hit a fire hydrant and a tree outside of his house this morning. Here is a link to the ESPN article.

Update: He has since been released from the hospital. We can now breath a collective sigh of relief.

Yet Another Update (12/8): Reports this morning claim that a blonde woman was rushed to the hospital on advanced life support at about 3 AM this morning. Things just keep getting worse.

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This week the game of the week is easily the Big Ten/ACC Challenge game between the #6 Purdue Boilermakers and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. I have been watching Wake Forest on television for years, and the chance to see them in person is exciting. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that Purdue has been playing well. The Big Ten has never won the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This year could be the year if we win a couple of close games. The way I see it though we will walk away second place yet again. There will be some buzz on campus come Tuesday. I really can’t wait. Before that game though Dan LeFevour leads the Central Michigan Chippewas into Mackey Arena. What?…he doesn’t play basketball? He seems to do everything else. In that case with no LeFevour on the court I think that Purdue should roll Central Michigan. This will be a good tuneup for this team heading into Tuesday’s showdown. I am sure that the crowd will let the team know how it appreciated the effort in the Virgin Islands when they come out onto the court tomorrow.

Last week we all know how well the Boiler men played in the Paradise Jam Tournament. That game against the Vols was one to remember. Chris Kramer sliding across the floor to knock the ball out of the Volunteers hands has to be the play of the year so far. Even if the media refuses to acknowledge it. The Purdue women did not do so well playing three games in three days. They played well Friday night in the second half, and even gave Dayton a game Saturday. Sunday though they were clearly tired and not in the game. They will have trouble with quick turnarounds.

Predictions: Last week I went 4-3 on the women’s side to bring this season’s tally to 5-3. I did not expect the Purdue collapse, and it showed in my record. I have decided that picking scores a week ahead of time is crazy. I will just pick the winners from here on out. I have picked a lot of games this week. This will be a make or break week for my record. Here are the women’s games that I am picking this week:

I had my picks for the week, but then I decided to try the women’s version of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. I really think that Purdue has a shot, and it kills me not to pick them. If they do win I will be upset with myself. I also had trouble picking the Illinois – Wake Forest game. I have the Big Ten winning the Challenge 8-3. I am just too biased towards the Big Ten I guess. Here is how I think that will end up:

On the men’s side I did a little better. I went 4-1 to bring me to 9-1 on the season. Here are most of the games that I am picking for the next week:

Here is how I see the Big Ten/ACC Challenge playing out:

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Last year I was up in Allendale, Michigan to watch the third round division two playoff game between the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. At first I just thought that this would be yet another win in Grand Valley’s storied history. What I saw though was a team that came into Lubber’s Stadium on a mission. The Bulldogs stopped the Grand Valley offense cold for much of the game. At the half the score was 7-6 in favor of the Bulldogs. Towards the end of the third quarter Minnesota Duluth scored a touchdown, but the extra point attempt was blocked. That ended up being huge for the Lakers. A late touchdown tied the game at 13 to set up overtime. With just over a minute left in the game the touchdown pass was huge. The crowd really got back into the game. The Lakers ended up losing the game 19-13 in double overtime in one of the best football games I have seen. What made the game great was the odd way that the overtime period went. Grand Valley had the ball first, and missed a field goal attempt. All the Bulldogs needed to win was a field goal. In trying to get better field position though they were picked off. This set up the second overtime. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown, but had yet another PAT blocked. I don’t know that I have ever seen two PAT’s blocked in one game. All GVSU needed to win was a touchdown and a converted PAT. The Laker quarterback Brad Iciek then through his third pick of the game to seal the win for Minnesota Duluth. During this game Grand Valley blocked a punt, two PAT’s, and blew up a fake punt. What ended up doing them in though was the fact that they missed three field goals during the contest. That is to be expected though as the field goal kicker usually does not get many reps in during games up there. This week the teams face each other again, but this time in Minnesota. Both teams have identical 11-1 records going into the game. The Lakers avenged their only loss of the season last week by beating Hillsdale 44-27 last week in the second round of the playoffs. I think that they will avenge last seasons playoff loss this week. It won’t be easy, but Grand Valley just has too much history behind them for me not to pick them.

Predictions: Last week I went 6-3 with my picks to jump to 41-20 on the season. 67% is not bad. My main downfall in picking games is my loyalty to Purdue. I really have trouble picking against them. This week I will be picking the Grand Valley game of course. Their former coach Brian Kelly takes his #5 Cincinnati Bearcats up against Illinois this week. I will also pick the Central Michigan/Northern Illinois game as well as the Kentucky/Tennessee games as there is a slight chance that I will be attending one of them. I also have had this feeling that Eastern Michigan will finally get a win this week. I have nothing to back this feeling up, but I am willing to pick them. Dan Lefevour will be setting NCAA records at home this weekend. That game could be fun to attend. Notre Dame will have to pull of the upset to avoid going 0-4 to end the season. At this point I don’t think that even a win will save Charlie Weis’ job. It will be interesting to see how the Irish respond this week. I think that they will fight early, but in the end Stanford will have their number. Here are my picks for week 13:

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This week Boilermaker coach Sharon Versyp announced that Alex Guyton will be back on the court by the Evansville game on December 19th. She may see a couple of minutes before then, but the date for full return in the Evansville game. Her presence down low will be welcome for sure. Another body on the court is also a great thing. She looked great at times last year, and it will be interesting to see how she has progressed.

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Tonight the Boilers won the Paradise Jam by a single point 73-72. It was a hard fought game that neither team deserved to lose. Thankfully though the Boilermakers won. As the game was winding down the highlight had to be Matt Painter and Bruce Pearl exchanging words. Pearl kept on ranting and raving at the officials and anyone else who would listen to him. Fox Sports Net must have put a mic closer to him because he was much more audible as the game was ending. E’Twaun Moore was as great in the second half as he was in the first. He won the tournament MVP, and his 22 points were huge tonight. JaJuan Johnson was in foul trouble all game long, and eventually fouled out. Wayne Chism was a beast for the Vols scoring 24 points. Kelsey Barlow had only two points, but he had five rebounds, four assists, and only two turnovers. His two missed free throws at the end could have spelled the end for Purdue. The Vols missed a wild three though, and Barlow picked up the rebound to seal the victory. He is growing as a player right in front of our eyes. Hummel had another solid night as usual for the Boilers. He missed a key free throw with 32 seconds left that would have given Purdue a four point lead. He quickly sank the second to give them a three point lead though. His 20 points and eight rebounds were key for Purdue tonight. This was a great game, and should give the team some momentum. This will help the team as much as the loss last year to Oklahoma may have hurt them. It gives them the confidence that they can play with anyone.

Next up for the Boilers are the Chippewas from Central Michigan early Saturday morning. Hopefully we can see the team that stepped it up tonight.

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The first half of tonights game was dominated by the referees. The start of the game was very frantic with both teams playing a little rough. Two minutes into the game Purdue was ahead 1-0. The Vols then went on a 7-0 run in the next minute to get an early lead. By the first TV timeout Purdue had tied the game at seven. The Boilers took the lead on a great ally oop pass from Barlow to Johnson. On the other end of the floor Johnson picked up his 2nd foul and had to sit down. Bade picked up three quick fouls to get Johnson back on the floor. At that point of the half it seemed as if Purdue was getting jobbed on the fouls. They were getting hammered on one end, and getting called for cheap fouls on the other. The refs started to even things up after this.

The cameras picked on interesting exchange during the half. Kelsey Barlow picked up his second foul on a reach in call and started arguing with the referee. Painter told the young kid something to the effect of ‘you have only four college games under your belt.’ At the next chance he was pulled from the game. Painter really lets these kids know that they are not bigger than the game. Hummel had five points in about ten seconds of game time. He hit two free throws to tie the game, and then hit a quick three after Keaton Grant stole the inbounds pass. He was cold in the first half, but played well all around. He finished the half with 11 points. With 3:30 left in the half Barlow then commits his third foul. He has played well when in the game, but has been very aggressive so far. Moore made a nice spinning layup at the end of the half to give Purdue the lead. With Johnson out and Hummel struggling a bit Moore picked up the slack for the Boilers in this first half. At the break the score is 42-41 Purdue. Moore has 15 points at the half. When he wants to he can take a game over. Wayne Chism has to be the player of the first half for the Vols. He scored 14 points, and drew a lot of fouls on Purdue’s big men. This game will be decided by the benches. With all of the fouls being called I think a lot of players will be sitting in the second half. This has been a great game so far. I hope that the second half will be as exciting.

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Tonight the Boilers showed how badly the lack of depth off the bench will hurt them in the final game of the BTI Classic. They never really looked like they were in the game, and lost to Georgetown 55-39. They only managed 14 points in the second half. That is the lowest amount of points scored in a half since the loss to UConn in 2008, and the lowest in the second half since the Minnesota game in 2005. The team only shot just over 31% for the game. Do I have to go further to show just how bad this loss was? Yesterday I felt horrible leaving the arena after a close loss. Today I at least had lots of time to get over it. Even when the lead was only ten for Georgetown with then minutes left most people knew that it was over since we had only scored 31 points to that point. This was a hard game to watch, but there were some positives. Heck all of us in attendance saw Purdue set a record today. Even if it was for the fewest points scored in a half. A record is a record. The next home game is December 19th against Evansville.

Of the 39 points that we did manage to score Samantha Woods scored 16 of those. She played really well today. She also grabbed seven rebounds to round out her game. Brittany Rayburn scored six quick points, then went the rest of the game only scoring two points. I think that most teams now see her as the main threat, and will double and sometimes triple team her. We need the other players to step up and score. If Jodie and FahKara can pick up the slack the defense will have to peel off of Brittany. If her team cannot help her it will be a long season. That being said this team has lots of potential. We will get Alex Guyton back before the Big Ten season starts. If we can find our way by then we can still make a dent in the conference. For now we have to play the available players and get them the time they need to grow. This is the core of a great team.

After the game was over Senior Associate Athletics Director Roger Blalock handed out the tournament awards. Brittany Rayburn claimed a spot on the all-tournament team. The other players on that list include: Sugar Rodgers, Jaleesa Butler from Georgetown and Dayton’s Justine Raterman and Brittany Wilson. Kriten Daughtery was named the MVP of the BTI Classic. It was a somber ceremony with most of the fans already gone from the arena. Here is how the teams placed in the tourney:

1. Dayton (3-0)

2. Georgetown (2-1)

3. Purdue (1-2)

4. Seattle (0-3)

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Continue reading about The Third Game Was Not a Charm »

Yesterday Charlie Weis lost to UConn on Senior day. He was very emotional before the game. Supposedly it was because he was losing seniors. I think that Charlie knew that it could be his last game in Notre Dame Stadium as well. He came to Notre Dame with all kinds of expectations behind him. I think that it would have been hard for him to live up to those expectations. He just had to show improvement. He had his 3-9 season, but he rebounded well last year. This year his team had high expectations after a great bowl game to end last season. Things have not gone his way, and he has now lost his last three games. He has also lost two of three from Navy after the team winning 43 in a row. I grew up watching Notre Dame Football. It is amazing how far this program has fallen. Charlie now has a worse winning percentage then the two coaches before him. With a game at Stanford next weekend Charlie could very well end the season 0-4 to end his fifth season 6-6. I don’t think that the people who wanted his head this off season will stop until he is gone. Here are the records of the last three coaches at Notre Dame:

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Continue reading about Sorry Charlie (The Obligitory Charlie Weis Must Be Fired Post) »

Tonight the Boilermakers lost a close game to the Dayton Flyers thanks to poor officiating. I normally don’t  blame the refs for a loss. Many other factors contribute to a loss. The officiating put Purdue in a ten point hole in the second half. FahKara Malone led a late charge by the Boilers by scoring 10 points during a 16 point run to give Purdue a six point lead. The Boilers could not hold that lead though and ultimately fell 56-53. They came back when many in the stands had given up on them. Malone ended the night scoring 17 points. That is a great number considering how cold she looked early on in the game. Brittany Rayburn had 12 points to stop her string of career bests. She got into foul trouble early on though. A couple of her fouls were very questionable. The officials spent most of the game getting booed. I am an equal opportunity basher though. They missed a lot of calls that went our way as well. They really seemed to be watching another game. Tonight also marked the return of Samantha Woods. She did pretty good against a big Dayton team. This team looks better and better each game. That is hard to say after a loss. Even harder after a tough loss. This team will be tough come the Big Ten Tourney. Write that down.

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Continue reading about A Rough Game All Around »

Tonight the Purdue women’s team rolled to an easy 69-38 victory over the Seattle Redhawks. Brittany Rayburn was terrific again scoring another career high 26 points. She has topped her career high in each of the first two games of the season. It kind of makes you wonder what she will do tomorrow. At one point Purdue only had a one point lead at 18-17. The Boilers took charge after a heated discussion in the huddle during a timeout to storm to an easy win. Chelsea Jones also notched a career high with 12 points. The freshman played well for the second straight game. Today’s picture goes to Laura Garriga though. She came off the bench and gave Purdue 13 solid minutes tonight. It was good to see the senior contribute.Once they got going the Boilers looked good tonight. They play Dayton tomorrow in the second round of the invatational. Dayton beat Georgetown in the second game tonight 62-51.

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This weekend the Boilers host the BTI Classic in Mackey Arena. This three day invatational allows teams to test themselves against a variety of opponents. The four teams will play each of the other squads before the weekend is over. The teams that have been invited are the Dayton Flyers, the Georgetown Hoyas, Seattle University, and of course the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue starts the weekend off against Seattle tomorrow night. I may have trouble making the start of this game since it is at 4:00 my time. That does not allow for much time to get down to West Lafayette. This will hopefully be the last game that the Boilers will have to play with only eight players on the roster. Samantha Harris will return Saturday for the game against Dayton after sitting out the first two games of the season. With three games in three days we will need all the fresh bodies that we can get. I do not know much about Seattle. From what I can gather they are the weakest team of the four. Dayton has already taken down Michigan State this season. We had better bring our A game on Saturday. Georgetown is another good team. The Purdue matchup with them on Sunday will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. I just hope that our ladies have enough left in the tank when Sunday comes around. This weekend will be very hard to predict since the teams play each other so quickly. Brittany Rayburn will once again be the key to this offense. She looked really good Sunday attacking the hoop. In the picture to the left she has all five of the Western Illinois defenders in the frame with her as she makes a shot. The continued growth of the freshmen will help determine this weekend for the Boilers. I will pick Purdue because I am a homer, but I am on the fence about Saturday and Sunday’s games.

Predictions: Last week I started the season 6-0. I would say how it is easy to be perfect this early in the year, but Gonzaga came very close to ruining that for me. This has been a turbulent start to the season so far. The #1 and #2 teams in the country survived very close upset bids already. Somehow I missed the big matchup between Notre Dame and Michigan State in last weeks picks. I have been trying to find interesting matchups to pick instead of sure winners. Here are my picks this week:

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Continue reading about BTI Classic Preview »

Last night I was in Scheumann Stadium to see Central Michigan once again. You would think that I would be sick of seeing this team, but I really wanted to watch Dan LeFevour once when he was not going against the Boilers. He really is not a quarterback that awes you on every play. His offense runs so smooth that you really don’t know what is going on until it is too late. It was too late when he was pulled early in the fourth quarter against Ball State. He already had amassed 403 total yards and five touchdowns at that point. Like I said he was not flashy, but very, very capable. He is now three touchdowns shy of breaking the NCAA record for touchdowns in a career. He should get that record before the season is out. The way his team is playing right now, he may even get the record next week when Northern Illinois heads into Mount Pleasant, Michigan. With the weapons that he has it is hard to think that he will not get the record. He has an offensive line that gives him plenty of time to throw. Has has a possession receiver and a burner that he can throw to. He also has enough running options so that teams cannot just key on him. Sometimes a player is just dominant in college, then in the pros he cannot make it. Eric Crouch is a great example of this. I think that LeFevour has enough tools to make it in the NFL. I look forward to seeing him play again at the next level. Antonio Brown is a great weapon for LeFevour. He is a threat to take it to the house whenever he has the ball in his hands. He had the ball on catches (11 for 170), on reverses, and on the option. His highlight of the night though was his 82 yard touchdown catch with less than a minute left in the first half. Ball State had just kicked a field goal to bring the score to 14-3. LeFevour found Brown with a perfect pass, and Brown just took off. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Ball State really did not have any fight left after that.

I have another point that I would like to address. Last night it was raining like crazy. At times it was coming down as if someone was dumping a bucket of water on the stands. The weather was horrible, I understand that. Ball State came into the game 1-9, the second worst team in the MAC. The fans were spoiled by the great season that they had last year. They were on national television last night with no other games to steal their thunder. What did they do to show their team some appreciation on senior night? Well all of the 5,736 that showed up sat on their hands. I saw 3,000 more fans in Mackey on Sunday for the women’s basketball game. I know that Ball State is not a huge football program, but that was ridiculous. I can’t complain too much though as parking was very easy, and I left without any traffic after the game. The stadium holds 22,500 so I would guess that the 5,700 number is high based on all the empty seats that I saw. One of the positives that I saw for the Cards was freshman Eric Williams. The fans made fun of what they called the ‘mildcat‘, but this kid looked as though he could run that offense. He is speedy, and he has a couple of moves to him. With time on his side he could be good before it is all said and done. This was a very nice stadium, and people should come to these games and fill it. This was my first trip to Muncie, but I will be back.

Some other thoughts on the game:

• Ball State has taken the 1,2,3,4…First Down chant and modified it for their own use. I enjoyed doing it the Purdue way for the four Indiana fans that were in front of me.
• The rain actually stopped most of the way to Muncie until I pulled in front of the stadium. It let up occasionally, but never really stopped. So much for weather forecasts.
• The 5,700+ that showed up for the game may have been the fewest I have ever seen for a Division 1 contest.
• Many of those 5,700 left at halftime.
• If the rain would have kept up Noah may have had to make an appearance.
• The few fans that I came into contact with get just as worked up over every play as the John Purdue Club fans do. Every play is over analyzed. I guess that is common among ‘super fans’.
• LeFevour moved into fourth all-time in career yardage last night. He passed Ty Detmer to do so.

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Reading an article in the IndyStar today it makes it appear that LewJack will be out most if not all of the season. According to the article it says that he would be back by February at the earliest. Coach Matt Painter will not be counting on a February return though. He is already talking about redshirting Jackson. The funny thing about the redshirt though is the fact that if Lewis had not been suspended for the preseason games he would not be eligible for the redshirt. His indiscretions may have saved him a college season. Lewis was fun to watch play, but it looks as if we will have to wait until next season for that to happen. For now we will really on Grant again as we did his freshman year to do the ball handling. Kelsey Barlow may also get a chance to step up. E’Twaun Moore is projected to become a point guard in the NBA so what better time for him to get some reps in? This will hurt our depth for sure, but this team can get through this. The season has barely started, and we already are fighting the injury bug. I hope that this is not a trend.

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This week we get the preview early because I will be at the Ball State game tonight. With a rain day combined with the matchup I see no reason not to make my first trip to Ball State. Last season this was a huge game that was played up in Mt. Pleasant, Mi. This year it appears to be just another game for Dan LeFevour to pad his stats. I first was able to see Dan LeFevour play in 2007 when his Chippewas came to Purdue. By the end of that day I was sick of hearing the phrase LeFevour on the keeper. Through the luck of the draw I was able to see him play three times in the span of that next calendar year. That year in the Motor City Bowl he led his team to a near upset of the Boilers. If not for a last second field goal by Chris Summers the game would have gone into overtime. Again in 2008 a late touchdown by the Boilers helped them escape from LeFevour. I was glad to see him off of Purdue’s schedule. This is his last year at Central Michigan, and he will have a future somewhere in the NFL I am sure. For now though he is content on leading his team to another MAC title. The Chips are 6-0 in conference play, and 8-2 overall. It will be great to see them in action tonight. They have a great offense. Here are the Central Michigan games that I have seen:

My history of seeing Ball State play is much more of a laugher. They have usually been a doormat for Purdue to roll early in the season. The best example of these games was in 2004 when Purdue crushed them 52-7. Thankfully they were off the schedule the last couple of years when they had a resurgence. Last season when the two teams met it was a huge game. Ball State was #14 in the country looking to become 10-0 on the season. Central Michigan was 8-2 and without a conference loss. This game was for positioning in the MAC. Ball State won a good game 31-24 to keep their dream season alive. Nate Davis and the core from that group is now gone. Ball State is 1-9 overall and 1-5 in the conference. Central Michigan comes into this game 14 point favorites, and I think that is kind. For now at least it looks like Ball State is back where they used to be. We will see if the great season paid dividends in recruiting. For now though they are the same old team that I am used to seeing. Here are the Ball State games that I have seen:

Predictions: This is the final week of the Big Ten season. It is a big rivalry week with games between Ohio State and Michigan along with the annual Bucket game between the Hoosiers and the Boilermakers. Outside of the Big Ten Charlie Weis faces a must win game if he wants any chance to salvage his coaching career at Notre Dame. A win at Stanford seems unlikely so he must beat UConn to avoid ending the season 0-4. Last week I went 7-1 to bring my overall record up to 35-17. The only game I missed of course was my homer pick of Purdue over Michigan State. If not for a late State TD though I could have had another perfect week, and the Boilers would have another shot at a bowl. With this being the Boilers last game of the season the picks may end here. Unless I start feeling bored during the bowl season. I may have a Big Ten version then. Here are this week’s picks:

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Continue reading about Football Game Preview: Central Michigan @ Ball State »

Yesterday I was at the Purdue women’s game to end the three day three game trip to West Lafayette. Going into the game I did not know too much about the Purdue Women’s team this season. I watched part of the gamecast the other night, but that really doesn’t let you get into the flow of the game. You just see raw data. I knew that we had eight players dressing, and it seemed like more in streetclothes. The play of this team would depend on how well the freshmen played. After seeing them in action I am excited about this season. Brittany Rayburn had her best game as a Boiler yet as far as points are concerned. She scored 23 to lead the Boilers to a 70-37 victory over Western Illinois. She will be fun to watch as the season progresses. She has great control over her body, and the smarts to back it up. Jodie Howell and FahKara Malone provide solid play along with Rayburn. Chelsea Jones looks a bit slow at the moment. She will be tested in Big Ten play. What I took from the game that makes me excited was the play of three freshmen. KK Houser who is pictured to the right scored 13 points, and looked good doing it. She started the game, ran the point, and did not look too phased by the college experience. She made a 360 basket in the first half that earned a collective gasp by the crowd. In the foreground of the picture is her fellow frosh Sam Ostarello. Sam grabbed 12 boards, and played the game very well. She has long arms and the speed to go along with it. She did not have any points at the half, but she changed the flow of the game coming off the bench. I don’t think that I will be able to use the words off the bench for her very long. Ashley Wilson also made her Boiler debut yesterday. She was a big body off the bench that scored four points in her first couple minutes of gametime. She is not afraid to take what is hers under the basket. The depth of this team may come into play this weekend. They host the BTI Classic in Mackey this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They will play Seattle, Dayton, and Georgetown in a three day span. While it is a great chance for the fans to get an early look at the team I wonder what the girls will look like come Sunday. If they play the way they did this weekend it will be a good three days for Boiler fans. I will have more on the games later in the week. With no Boiler home games for the men the women get the game preview this week.

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Continue reading about A Good Start For the Lady Boilers »

Today I have seen some rumors about a three way trade between the White Sox, Angels, and Padres. The two constants in those rumors have been the fact that Paul Konerko is leaving Chicago, and Adrian Gonzalez is coming to Chicago. While I am excited to see a power hitters name like Adrian’s linked to the Sox, I would be sorry to see Pauly go. He has been one of my favorite players for a long time now. I would like to see him end his career as a member of the Pale Hose. Every year though it seems as if we endure the talk of trades for the guy. Maybe this is the year they come true. We will see as the off season progresses.

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Continue reading about Is Pauly Leaving? »

Purdue comes into this season looking to keep the momentum going in their program. We lost Danielle Campbell, Natasha Bogdanova, Lyndsey Wisdom Hilton, and KiKi Freeman last year. They will be hard to replace. We do have three solid players coming back though. Jodi Howell is one of the most dangerous players from behind the arc in college basketball. She plays with a toughness much like Chris Kramer does for the Purdue men. Her body pays for it though over the course of a season. This is her senior campaign, and I hipe it is a good one. FahKara Malone is another exciting player. She enters her senior season needing 63 steals to set the Purdue mark. She is quick and smart, and barring injury should easily have the record. When she is healthy she is fun to watch. One player that broke out during her freshman season was Brittany Rayburn. She went from nervous frosh to a player with nerves of steel on the court. She has the Boilers pointed in the right direction for the future. She can do a little bit of everything, and before it is all said and done could be pretty special. One of the players that I was really looking forward to watching this season, Chantel Poston, is likely out for the season with a torn achilles. She was very athletic, and with time could be really good. Alex Guyton will also be out for the first part of the season. When injuries hit like this the bench needs to step up play. Once we get Guyton back we will have a little more depth on the bench. Freshmen Sam Ostarello and KK Hauser are both highly touted. They will be key components for this run. This season will come down to how well the bench responds to filling in for all the talent that we have lost. Usually the best seasons come when you least expect them. Is this going to be a special season? Only time will tell. We do however get to see the last hurrah of Jodie Howell and Fahkara Malone. That alone is special.

Here is the early projections of how the Big Ten will turn out. I will try this again before the Big Ten season opens up to see if I have changed my mind at all. As far as I can see right now it is a two team race between Ohio State and Michigan State with the Buckeyes holding the edge. It is too early to tell though. Here is how I see it shaping up:

1. Ohio State

2. Michigan State

3. Illinois

4. Purdue

5. Minnesota

6. Northwestern

7. Wisconsin

8. Penn State

9. Iowa

10. Indiana

11. Michigan

The Boilers tip off the season today at noon in Mackey. Come out and watch some exciting basketball.

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Continue reading about #23 Purdue Women’s Basketball Preview »

Today I left Ross Ade Stadium with a feeling that is all too familiar this season. Disbelief. At one point I thought that we had this thing in the bag. That is until everything fell apart. Once again it seemed as if everything was against us. Seven seconds into the game we had already fumbled. What made it even worse was that the fumble was returned for a touchdown. The picture to the left shows the end result of the play. Chris Rucker (no relation to Hootie) scored the touchdown. Purdue then seemed to control the rest of the first half, but really had no points to show for it. We would have a good drive, then it would stall. This was very similar to how Notre Dame lost last week to Navy. When you are rolling you have to get the ball in the end zone. The Boilers had the lead 34-23 early on in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State connected on their first play after we extended the lead. From there on out it just got worse. Michigan State blocked a field goal then scored to give them a three point lead. With 2:48 left in the game Carson Wiggs kicked a field goal to tie it up. All we needed was a stop to have the opportunity to win, or force overtime. Of course State returned the kick to the 11 to set up the winning field goal by Brett Swensen. Purdue had a chance to tie or win the game, but we turned the ball over on downs. Michigan State is now bowl eligible, and we have one game left. The game is big though. It is for the Old Oaken Bucket. Both teams were assured a losing season today so the game will be for pride only. So many close games this season that we should have won. Mistakes cost us all of them. Spotting the Spartans seven points right away was a typical play this season. Next year we will have a quarterback with a name that rhymes with Favre. We will see in April if he is all he is cracked up to be. The seniors could not get one last win at home. Here is hoping they get the bucket.

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Continue reading about A Familiar Feeling »

Tonight on Friday the 13th all was well for the #7 Boilermakers in the first game of the season. They beat Cal State Northridde 89-63. It was a very easy win, and a chance to feel out the matchups. As you can see to the left Kramer was doing a good job feeling out the defense. Robbie Hummel scored 17 points to lead the Boilers. JaJuan Johnson added 15. Freshman D.J. Byrd chipped in 13 for the Boilers in the win. The biggest highlight of the night though had to be freshman Kelsey Barlow laying down a huge dunk in the second half. Barlow was getting big minutes because of the injury to LewJack. Jackson is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. If he was questionable before the game he may have been ready by the end of it. With all the foul calls and other nonsense this game took forever to complete. Most of the time a close game takes forever while the blowout breezes by. This one though drug on. The fact that the Boilers had a 25-3 lead early on did not help matters. After that it was cruise control. So now the Boilers are 1-0, and you can’t ask for anything more than that. They play next in the Paradise Jam. The next home game will be against Central Michigan. I hope that Dan Lefevour does not play basketball.

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Once again this is posted for sidebar link purposes. Here is the 2010 Purdue Football Schedule. As the games are completed click on the highlighted score for a game wrapup and pictures.

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Continue reading about Purdue Football 2010 Schedule »

Really? I think that this guy has seen it all during his career. Now when he is retired, and for the most part out of the limelight this comes out. A recent picture from Las Vegas that has been circulating shows Sammy looking completely different. The first time I saw the picture was on Comcast Sport Net. I was just walking by the television wondering who was on it. I heard Sammy’s name and looked closer. He looks nothing like himself. He kind of looked like Carlton from the Fresh Prince. According to Sosa’s spokesman he has been undergoing skin rejuvenation treatments, and they lightened his skin. Maybe Sammy was told that his skin color would keep him out of the Hall. It won’t be the skin Sammy. It was the way you kept cheating. Now go away again until you have something positive to bring back to the table.

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Continue reading about Sammy Sosa Bleaches His Skin? »

We have finally come to the last home game of the season. It really does not seem like that long ago that I was getting pumped up for the Toledo game. Now we are getting ready to say goodbye to the seniors, and hopefully set up a huge game against the Hoosiers next week. For now though we have the pesky Spartans from Michigan State. This is a Michigan State team that has played every team close this season. They have a very good run defense. Unless we come up with something special for them this week I think that the game will rest on Joey Elliot’s shoulders. The same could be said for Michigan State. They looked good running the ball last week, but they are down to the bottom of the barrel as far as running backs are concerned. Both teams fates will be determined by how well the pass/stop the pass. If Purdue wants to get to a bowl game this year we must put the clamps on Michigan State’s passing game. With the guys up front that we have we must get to the quarterback. I am very pleased with the guys that we have going for us so I think that we will win this match up. Kirk Cousins needs to have a dirty jersey early in this game. Joey as I said before will have to step up his game as well. He could throw every pass right on the money though, and it could still be a bad day. We need guys like Valentin, Smith, and the rest of the receiving corps to step it up. Keith Smith is still near the top of most of the Big Ten receiving categories, and now is his time to shine. Michigan State has one of the nation’s best tacklers in Linebacker Greg Jones. Will Ralph be able to stay out of his sights? We will see on Saturday. Hopefully to a packed house. This is a huge game for both teams. Michigan State goes to Happy Valley to close out their season. This is the game that they need to go bowling. Purdue as we all know needs to win out to go bowling. I think that we have already had the ‘special’ season that Coach Hope talks about. We have taken down both Ohio State and Michigan, and made some history in the process. Winning out and going to a bowl would make it ‘extra special’ So let’s get out there and cheer for a Boilermaker ‘extra special’ season.

Two years ago the Boilers were already bowl eligible when the Spartans came to town. Michigan State on the other hand needed a win to become bowl eligible much like they will need Saturday. If we could have won that game, and the next at Indiana we would have been 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference. We had representatives from various bowls in attendance, and we could have had a good shot at going somewhere nice. What we got though was a 48-31 beatdown from the Spartans that carried over to the next week when we lost at Indiana. We were on the brink of not going to a bowl at all, but the Motor City Bowl in Detroit took us. Chris Summers had one of his Purdue highlights in that game to give Joe Tiller his last bowl win. It all started in West Lafayette against the Spartans. Curtis Painter threw for 344 yards and a touchdown. He even ran for one in the game. The one thing that he had trouble with though was throwing to SirDean Adams. He threw to picks to Adams that led to 10 Spartan points. When I walked out of the stadium I remember feeling crushed. The team was much worse than either side of the score seemed to dictate. Hopefully we can leave this weekend with a much better feeling than we did that day.

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Continue reading about Game Preview: Purdue Boilermakers v. Michigan State Spartans »

How many posts can you do on Mark Buehrle in one season? Well one more now that he has been named the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Mark is the second Sox pitcher to win the Award. Jim Kaat was the other. He is also the first Sox player in 11 years to win the award. Robin Ventura was the last Sox player to win a Gold Glove. Of course you would think that Aaron Rowand should have been the last Sox player to win it, but we all know how he was hosed year after year for the award. Joe Crede for all his work with the glove was also never quite good enough apparently to win the award. If either player was with the Yankees instead of the Sox they would be multiple winners of the award. That is the breaks though. It was a surprise to read Mark’s name last night on the bottom line. I knew that he is great at picking guys off, but I had no idea that other people outside of Chicago knew or cared about it. He is a great fielder that helps himself out after the pitch. My hat is off to Mark for another award for his trophy case. Here is the complete list of the American League Gold Glove winners:

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This blog will never be an in depth type of blog. For Purdue fans you have Gold and Black Illustrated, Hammer and Rails, and the newly formed Purdue Basketball Blog. This blog will always be my feeling an a particular topic. I may not even have the data to back up what I write, but that is what blogging is all about right. At the end of this post I will have what I think will be the Final Big Ten Standings. Have I analyzed data for hours on end to come with with the eleven team order? No. I will of course have my homer feelings towards Purdue. The rest of the list is how I think that the teams will improve. Without paying the Big Ten Network to watch all the teams it is impossible to come up with detailed analysis of every team. What I would like to focus on as the season is getting ready to start for real are the two seniors. Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant will be playing their last season for the Boilers this year. That is really hard to believe. These two came into the program when it was down, and have seen it rise to the point they start the season #7 in the rankings. Kramer quickly became the fan favorite because of his style of play. He lays it all on the line. Before he leaves Purdue he will have many accomplishments to hang his hat on. He will also leave us with many stories to tell. Whenever someone is showing toughness we will grade it on the Kramer scale. Who can forget Kramer getting creamed and laying on the floor in a bloody heap. As if inspired by the crowd as he was being taken to the locker room he starts to pump up the crowd with his free hand. His other hand of course is holding a bloody towel to his face. Seeing him come out with a mask on ready to play has to be one of my Purdue highlights. He always seems to take on the best perimeter player on the opposing team, and harass them the entire game. His presence will be missed badly next season. Keaton Grant has done a lot for the Boilers as well. Last season he was slowed due to knee trouble after sugery, but many think that after an injury free year he will be back to form. What form is that? The form that garnered him the Most Valuable Player award on the team as a sophomore. Grant and Kramer were a huge part of the team making the NCAA Tournament and winning a game during their freshman seasons. They even took eventual champ Florida to the wire. These guys are a force together. Last season he picked a great time to get his first double-double. He did it in front of a national audience during the second round of the NCAA tournament. I look forward to seeing a healthy Keaton make one last run.

This team is much more than just two players. We have three juniors that rival any group in the country. E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson all will be major players this season. All three make their contributions in different ways. Johnson gives us the inside presence. Hummel can score from anywhere on the floor, and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Moore is just flat out dangerous. These three along with Grant and Kramer make a scary combination for anyone coming into Mackey Arena. I am sure that you will read more about these three players as the season progresses. Another key player on the team will be Lewis Jackson. He is a quick player that can make others look great. I would hope that he will improve over his freshman season. We also have a great group of freshman and first year players coming in. The one that really stood out in the two exhibition games that I watched online was D.J. Byrd. He really seemed to not be fazed by the college experience, and mixed it up right away. I look forward to seeing all of these young players in person Friday night for the first time. Without seeing them play I really don’t know what to expect from them. Ryne Smith was tabbed as a player who improved greatly over the summer. Time will tell as the competition heats up. Although if Chris Kramer is guarding you in practice it already has.

The success of this team will hinge on the health of the starting five. That is a given for any team. Last year though we lost key games when Robbie Hummel was injured. The tilt against Michigan State in East Lansing could have turned out differently with a healthy Hummel. The depth chart really takes a hit right now after Johnson. He is the key. Until someone steps up and proves themselves we will suffer when Johnson is off the floor. We have a couple of young kids that will battle for the backup role. The young kids will have to give us minutes. They looked good during the exhibition games. In fact they could be a team of their own. As the season progresses I will post on here whenever I attend a game. Being a blog that always involves pictures I will try and get a couple each week. By the time the first of the year rolls around we should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this team.

Another intangible for the team this season is the Paint Crew. It amazes me how organized and smart this group of kids can be. They have a network set up to pass along critical information, and scouting reports for each game. They are very basketball savy because of it. They also seem to know when the school is playing them. Last season when we were playing an ESPN game they kept booing after a foul was called. It just would not stop. Someone cued the band to play ‘Living on a Prayer’ which they love to sing. As if with one brain they just kept booing through the song. They bring the pain from the stands when the rest of the crowd won’t. I look forward to seeing what the Paint Crew has in store for us this season.

1. Purdue
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Illinois
6. Minnesota
7. Northwestern
8. Indiana
9. Wisconsin
10. Penn State
11. Iowa

That’s right. In my opinion the Boilers will finally win the conference title after a drought. If I rooted for any team but Purdue I would probably pick Michigan State at #1. I am a homer though, and I think that we can win this thing. Michigan State will be tough though. The Buckeyes will provide a challenge as well. Any of the top three teams could walk away with this thing. I think that the top three above are clearly the class of the league. Positions 4-7 could all be swapped right now. They all qualify as the group that is close, but not quite near the top. Eight through eleven all are the bottom feeders. These are the teams that will be fighting for last. Although I think that Iowa has that locked up. There it is. Not too much information, just calling it as I see it right now. We will see if I change my mind before the Big Ten season opens up.

As I did with football I will try and pick a few games every week. Basketball has a much different schedule so I may miss a few games here and there. Right now I have a perfect record picking these basketball games (0-0). I am sure that we will see that change real quick. This time of year is not very fun to pick games. It seems as if the balance is all in the big school’s favor. I will get more in depth in my picks as the teams start to face better competition. Here is my shot at some games in week one:

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