Paradigm Shift: Back to Conseco

Let me begin the first ever blog for our site by saying this in the nicest way I possibly can without alienating any new readers: Indiana, you are TERRIBLE sports fans. You are the most fair-weathered sports town in the Midwest. If you were to look up the word “bandwagon” in the dictionary, it would be a picture of Conseco Fieldhouse filled with Bulls fans right next to a picture of people in the Luke rocking Peyton Manning, Dallas Clark, and Austin Collie jerseys. You all act as if it is illegal to root for more than one team at a time in this town.
I might as well go ahead and say it; Indianapolis, get ready to become a Pacers town again. It is not a matter of if, but when. It IS going to happen.

“How the fuck do you know,” you might ask? Well, it’s quite simple, really. The writing is on the wall. Since the 90’s, Pro Sports in Indiana has generally gone on synchronized ebbs and flows.

In the early 90’s it was the Pacers doing good while the Colts stunk. The mid 90’s were a rare time in which both teams were good. The Pacers mostly dominated the late 90’s, although it is also where the first paradigm shift took place.

The Colts going 13-3 in 1999 was the first time in which Indianapolis began to take a serious look at football. And with the Pacers having gotten old in age and having to rebuild in the early 2000’s, the Colts were able to take Center Stage. 2003-2004 also saw another season of over-lapping, as the Colts finally took the step up in becoming one of the NFL’s best teams, while the Pacers young roster had began to hit their prime.

That temporary synergy of the two teams came to a grinding halt in 2004 when Peyton Manning started throwing a record number of touchdown passes, and some guy named “World Peace” ironically jumped into the stands and started punching a fan because the guy threw a drink on him at the end of a game. Couple that with the retirement of Reggie Miller, and it was a crushing blow to the franchise.

It has not been the same since. The 2000’s Colts are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NFL, while the Pacers have mostly been stuck with poor front office decisions resulting in ho-hum talent with terrible contracts. It’s been a dark, dark time as a Pacer fan, no doubt.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The tide is beginning to turn. The Paradigm Shift is finally going back into the Pacers’ favor.

When Larry Bird took over the team a few years ago, he let everyone know that he was basically going to wait out the storm and rebuild. That's exactly what he's young. Larry Legend has built a young team that has potential to do something special. And not only that, but he's done so without hardly spending ANY money. We can still add to the already solid foundation Bird has constructed.

Unlike the Rebuild of 2000-2001, the talent Bird has brought in not only are good ball players, but they are by and large even better people. It might be just me, but I sleep well at night knowing I don’t have to worry about waking up to read Paul George and Roy Hibbert were in the middle of a Gun Fight at some local club at 4 o’clock in the morning. I don’t have to worry about Tyler Hansbrough asking for time off during the season so he can work on his Rap album. I don’t have to worry about George Hill throwing haymakers at some idiot fan from Chicago (and they pretty much are ALL idiots). These guys want nothing but W’s. And when they don’t get W’s, they’re in the gym improving on things they struggled with or working on new things they weren’t able to do before. And on their days off, these guys are hanging out with each other and going bowling or paintballing. They genuinely get along with each other. That in itself is huge.

Another good thing Bird has done was to hire a young, excitable coach that has been able to relate to and inspire the players in Frank Vogel, and finally let go of Jim O’Brien, or “that other guy” as an anonymous source within team so refers to him. Coach Vogel is an extremely positive individual with a very excitable and motivating personality that also knows his basketball. Vogel came in Day 1 and immediately made wholesale changes in benching Solomon Jones and James Posey, while also taking Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough off the Inactive List and putting them into the Starting Lineup. He took over a team that was below .500 and whose previous coach said would not make the playoffs, and finished with an above .500 record during his tenure while also making the playoffs.

He is also very personable. As a member of Area 55, I along with many of my other buddies were able to hang out with Coach Vogel in Legends during a recent Fever game this summer. Normally, you would think something like this would have Coach Vogel surrounded by PR staff or Security Guards. This was not the case, however. Coach Vogel came up to us, shook each and every one of our hands, asked our names, and told each of us how it good was to meet us. He talked with us like a normal guy, like a guy who was as big of a Pacers fanatic as us 55 idiots.

If and when this NBA Lockout ends, the Pacers are going to be one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the Eastern Conference. Coach Vogel is going to have this team playing an exciting brand of basketball that is going to bring thousands of depressed Colts fans back to the Fieldhouse.

The Colts, on the other hand, have definitely seen better days. Obviously, the popular story right now is the loss of Franchise Player and resident bad-ass Peyton Manning for likely the season with his neck injury. But the problems for the Colts have been there even before Peyton’s injury woes.

For one thing, the Front Office has been even more of a pain the ass than usual recently. Not only are they blowing 1^st round picks, the refusal to spend money in Free Agency to address issues on the Offensive Line and Defense has also been a major thorn in the side of most Colts fans. The worst thing has to be Polian and Company forcing the team to outright quit on a perfect season in front of 63,000 paying customers, and then making those customers out to be the bad guy on their numerous radio and television shows. How dare those people call in to local sports talk radio and voice their displeasure of the fact that they spent hundreds of their hard-earned dollars to take their family to a game, only to see the first string guys on the sidelines as the team purposely flushed away the chance of a perfect season. That loss in the Super Bowl was one of the biggest displays of Karma I have ever seen.

Another chink in the armor for the Colts is the personnel in general. Not only is there widespread concern and criticism of the coach, but the players are getting older, too. Core guys like Manning, Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, and Jeff Saturday are all in their 30's and more than likely will not all be here in 4 years. What’s going to happen once they're gone? The defense in particular is already starting to show its flaws even with Freeney and Mathis. They just cannot compete at a high level. They can't even compete at an adequate level. That ineptitude is going to seriously harm them, even when Manning returns.

And in regards to the Coach, Caldwell is pretty much Bizarro Frank Vogel. While listening to Frank Vogel read the Lunch Menu could make you want to run through a wall, that wall would have more personality than Jim Caldwell. But I digress.

The Colts as they currently stand have peaked. The loss of Manning for the Colts this season is the next paradigm shift. You know that recent story that came out on Yahoo saying how the Pacers are one of the teams losing the most fans in Professional Sports? In 3 years, that story is going to be about the Colts, not the Pacers. The paradigm is shifting. The question is, when and where do you want to purchase your Pacers Season Tickets?

A Much-Needed Update

So yeah, I haven't been on here in a while, but lots of stuff has been going on! Strap in, we're going on a ride........or not. It would be preeeeetty much impossible to do that through the interwebz.

But yeah, in the past, oh, month and a half or so, I've been sitting here enjoying the rest of my summer, getting pumped for Colts, and getting bummed about school starting. Although, you know what? School's not TOO bad. This is now my 2nd week in class, and it's been pretty cool so far! Mondays and Wednesdays I only have ONE class! How awesome is that!

I've been keeping up with my workouts lately. My Gizelle machine has been acting Jewish lately so I've ditched that and instead have switched over to lifting weights. That's been going pretty good. I also bought some new shoes the other day. They're Nikes........that sync up to your iPod. How FUCKING awesome is that?! So everyday I take my iPod, my new shoes, and go walking for miles and miles throughout the neighborhood. It's pretty friggin cool. :)

My Vegas trip is coming up next wednesday! I'm PUMPED! We're staying at the Monte Carlo, and I got my money saved up and I'm ready to go. I talked to my grandparents who are going, and they're stoked, too! This is going to be a great weekend. I'm going to Edinburgh with my sister and her boyfriend to buy some stuff for the trip, and then I only have to go to school on that Tuesday thanks to Labor Day!

I'm tired of being single. It sucks. But, it's like my friend Amanda told me, love will come around when you least expect it. And you know what? She's right. And because of which I've been pretty content with myself. It's actually kind of freeing. I am able to talk to girls and not have to worry about "whether or not they're interested in me". I can just chill and have cool conversations with these people, and whatever happens, happens. I'll tell you one thing, being single has done work on my bank account; in a good way. I've saved now almost over $4,000 for my Vegas trip and a new car. I'll probably be able to get myself a new car by Christmas time. I've been looking into certified used cars. I'm REALLY loving the Toyota Celica. They look great, they're moderately cheap, and it gets an average of 30 mpg. Check it out!














Colts Fever is really starting to pick up for me. Went to B-Dubs with the folks and some friends on Saturday to watch a friggin pre-season game and still had a blast! The Colts' first game is the day after I get back from Vegas, so I'm not going to be TOO disappointed being back home. Although I'm sure I'll have lots of jet-lag and sunburns, lol.


I'm really loving my job and I think it's going to work out great with that and school. The money has been fantastic and with my schedule change i'm actually able to get some sleep at night before school. I'm very thankful that I was able to get my schedule changed, or else this semester would've been hell.





Keeping it a little short today, but check back for updates sometime next week for updates from me in Sin City! I'll have pictures, stories, and maybe some video!

When Love is the Bottom Line

I'd like to thank Krystal for this, as she unintentionally inspired me to write this. Within the course of our conversation, I experienced one of those moments. Moments where you sometime get an answer to a question you weren't asking. But even thought you didn't necessarily ask the question, the power of that answer, while simple, is powerful enough to steer you into a long, happy life.

Basically, without getting into too much detail, my pal Krystal and her boyfriend are working on their relationship, as most any couple does, am I right? But, despite some trials and tribulations they have been having, Krystal still remains confident and relatively upbeat about the relationship because, as she said, "because i know he loves me and that's just the bottom line." Boom. There it is. The moment. A phrase, so simple in it's meaning. So obvious in context. While one can say "Well, DUH!" to it, it can be a phrase so powerful that it causes one's brain to click and that person to discover EXACTLY what they want. However, it could also be a phrase that SOME PEOPLE will sadly never grasp the concept of. But, I like to think I have.

My "epiphany" I guess, is simply this: Love IS what it's all about. And not just fiery, passionate, physical love, but the lasting love that one has for a spouse of many years and their kids. The love that comes from knowing that to some people, you are their world and they can't live without you, with the beauty of it all being that they are your world, aswell and you just as much cannot live without them. I think I'm seeing that in small doses. I see my 9- and 4-year old cousins. They're growing up right in front of my eyes. Hanging out with them and seeing them get excited over the simplest things helps to put my life in perspective. It has further cemented the fact that I do want children of my own that I can help raise and watch grow and help them to not make the mistakes I've made and to hope they can have a great life like I've had with the parents who have loved me for over 20 years now.

And, with that epiphany comes some "advice", I guess? I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's no greater feeling than being in love and there's no worse feeling than losing a loved one. If there IS a God, I believe that our reason for being put on this Earth is prove that we as humans can genuinely care about others and make sacrifices for those we love. With that said, my advice to those in love is to do everything you can to keep that love going strong. Yeah, there are going to be rough patches along the way, but that love will never die if you don't let it. Love is a fragile thing to waste. You should not be ending a relationship if you still love someone and they still love you. If the love is still there, then that's all that should matter.

It's no secret that my ex-girlfriend Nicole broke up with me about a month ago. And I have tried to play it off and act like I'm fine, to be honest I'm not. It sucks. It hurts like crazy. I mean, I loved her very much. I still do! When you are with someone for 2 years and have make them your world for 2 years, that love just doesn't go away. But, I screwed up. I think we both did, really. We would have arguments over the silliest of things. And eventually it got to a point where I said I just wanted to get away and have some time to myself to regroup and do things for me. I shouldn't have done that. At that point in the relationship, I should've been trying to get even closer to her, not get away. And sure enough, while I was doing my selfish "Me-Time", she broke up with me. For the 3rd time. And it sucked. The love of my life was gone, just like that. And what sucks is that I didn't want it to be over. I loved her very much. I had had many fantasies of moving into an apartment with her, marrying her, and having children with her. But, that more than likely is not going to happen. She's more than likely already found someone else, while I'm stuck back at Square 1, with nothing to offer any girl.

So guys, heed my advice. Wise up. Put all egos to the side, cause ego doesn't mean shit when you're broke, alone, and have nothing to live for. That girl in your life. You love her? Thinking about keeping her around? Then make sure you don't make the same selfish mistakes I did. Cherish each day you have with them as if it's your last. And, if you DON'T love the girl your with, take a step back and seriously think hard about what you want out of life and if you think the girl could be the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. If she is, keep her. If not, do you and her both a favor and end it so you can both find someone who will love you just as much as you love them.

And gals, cut the guys some slack. We really are the dumber species, and even when some of us try, we're more than likely doomed to fail at some point. Please understand that our shortcomings are something we try hard not to do but they occur anyway and please don't base your love of us on our shortcomings. Please take a bigger look at the fact that we do love you and that we will do anything for you. Remember that no matter what the problem is, love IS still the bottom line in all this. Love. Don't ruin it. Please.

What Really Grinds My Gears

You know what really grinds MY gears?! This new saying I've been hearing lately about how some expert so-and-so "has forgotten more about *insert topic here* than you'll ever learn" What's up with that? I've been hearing about it on ESPN a lot lately. So-and-so "has forgotten more about baseball than most will ever know." Wait. Hold up. What the fuck? You are just contradicting your company and credibility with that statement. You're bringing on a so-called "expert" in whatever field you're talking about. Experts are supposed to know EVERYTHING. But, they've somehow forgotten a bunch of shit? What the fuck? Experts don't forget anything, plain and simple.

You know what else grinds my gears, the fact that we drive on parkways but park our cars in driveways. I mean, that's about as retarded as Iceland and Greenland. Iceland is very beautiful, and Greenland is covered in ice (Thank you Iceland chick from D2: The Mighty Ducks) I mean, what genious decided to name those 2 countries that?

Guy 1: "Hey, I have an idea. Lets call the land with a whole bunch of ice 'Greenland' and the land with a bunch of trees 'Iceland'. That'll REALLY fuck their shit up."

Guy 2: "HAHA. Do it, dude. You won't you totally won't................OH DUDE YOU JUST DID IT! YOU NAMED THE TWO COUNTRIES THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD REPRESENT! YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING BAD ASS!"

You know what ELSE grinds my gears? FOX News. I mean, I really don't even have to explain it, really. Just watch it. These prejudice, ultra-religious, right-wing nutjobs practically WANT Obama to fail. It's crazy that this is still considered a legitimate news source.

You know what else grinds my gears? When people leave their number on my voice mail and say it so fast you can't get it written down. So there I am, listening to my voicemail, and the messenger will go from speaking in his normal voice to Speedy Gonzalez in nothing flat.

Messenger: "Give me a call, my number is sixonetwoeightfiveninefiveonenineseven."

Me: "What the hell, I've got 12 numbers here. How the hell did I get 12 numbers? And for some reason I have a 'G' in here. Yep, a fricken 'G'."

Whenever I leave a message for someone that doesn't have my number, I always make sure to use the same rhythm and pauses that are socially adequate. "Five-Five-Fiiiiiiiiiiive.............Four-Two..............Three-Six." If you can't get that, then you're just not paying attention.

I absolutely CANNOT wait for Colts season to start. I'm pucken fumped. Who wants to go to a game or 2 with me?!

Running on Fumes

I'm sitting here this morning and ready to type a 2nd blog entry. Let me just say, not only have I not had any sleep, but I worked all night, and also managed to get a workout in. I'm doing anything I can to keep my brain focused on anything other than the fact that I probably need sleep. I know that as soon as I lay my head down on a pillow or couch that I will be out like like a light (And, I actually just yawned while typing that sentence)

So, with that in mind, hi. I bought a Nintendo Wii (again) this weekend. I love the Wii, and wish I never sold my old one in the first place. I really want the new Tiger Woods game, and maybe Mario, lol.

I also that same little cousin, Jewels, to see the new Transformers movie. She was just excited as I was to see it! We went on opening day and saw it on IMAX. And boy, was it awesome. Probably more action-packed than the first one. The only thing I didn't like were those idiot twins, but they were only there in small doses, so it didn't bother me too much. All in all, I would DEFINITELY go see it again.

I've started working out again, lately. I'm already starting to feel better. The 2nd workout this morning seemed to be much easier than the first one. I plan on working out every other night after work, and then swimming on a fairly regular basis this summer. I want to get healthier and want to get fit for the amount of walking I'll be doing in the dry Vegas heat in September. I also need to buy a good new pair of walking shoes; if anyone has any suggestions please let me know what to buy.

Not going to lie, I've been pretty down lately. Obviously you know the big part of it from the previous post. But, there are other things, as well. I guess the fact that I'm single again is finally hitting me? I mean, I don't really miss Nicole, I just kinda miss the idea of her? If that makes any sense? I guess after being able to hug and kiss the one you love for a good long time, only to have that ripped out right from under you without warning, you kinda still feel that urge to want to be able to hold SOMEONE and kiss SOMEONE. But, at the sametime, it can't be ANYONE. It has to be someone you love, you know? Idk, maybe I'm just rambling. Hopefully, this exercising will pick me back up. I haven't really had much self-confidence lately. Heck, and why should I? I am the definition of average. I don't really have any special traits or features that stand out compared to most other people. Hopefully losing weight, becoming more active physically, will give me a little bit more gusto to be more positive about myself.

I'm thinking about getting my hair cut. Because it definitely needs at least a trim. The thing is, I never know if I should get the shorter hair cut or grow it out. I always ask people's opinions because I have no idea what looks best, but noone ever gives me an answer. People are frustrating :-P

Well, I'm dosing off. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about once I wake up.

The First Entry

So, I'm trying out this blogging thing. I honestly don't see the point. My life isn't really that interesting and noone is really going to read this anyway. Not to mention, it'll probably be mostly me complaining about things and acting like a big baby..........but isn't that what the internet's all about? So, here we go.


I recently got a new job. It's my first real full-time job. And, I must say, I really couldn't have hit the jackpot more than what I did with this job. With this economy, and the fact that I'm a broke college kid with not much work experience compared to those older than me, it's truly a miracle that I got it. My cousin actually works there; he's the one that offered me a job. The pay is great. In 3 weeks, I've been able to pay off my debts from last semester, while at the same time spend a little money on myself and go have fun without worrying too much about my bank account. It kinda sucks having to work nights. The hours are M-F 8PM-4AM, but you know, I can't really complain. I stay up that late anyway during the summer, might as well get paid for working. Oh, and that's the best part........I work from home. I never have to leave the house. I could work butt-ass naked if I wanted to, and yes, please, enjoy that visual.

Really the only thing not going well in my life is the fact that Nicole shit-canned me.....again. Some girlfriend she is, right? We had been fighting for the past month, but it was over silly stuff. All couples fight over silly stuff, don't they? Basically what happened is that we spent pretty much all of May together. Which is great, I loved spending time with her. It's just that there were times that I would want some me-time to play videogames or watch a ballgame, and she would get all pissy and make me feel like crap because I was choosing my "juvenile" videogames and TV over her. So, after her graduation party, I told her that I just needed to get away, but only for like a couple of days. She gets all uppedy and calls me "immature" and all that, and then proceeds to not talk to me in texts or over the phone for about the next 3 weeks. Then, last thursday, we were supposed to go eat lunch, but she cancelled on me and broke up with me. What's weird is that it didn't effect me as much as it had the other 2 times she's done that. I guess after a while you just get immune to it, eh? The only thing that really pissed me off is that she didn't have the guts to tell me to my face; she did it through a text. Tell me that's not disrespectful.

I don't know. It was getting to the point that she was always right and I was always wrong, no matter the circumstance. She was always so defensive, but always quick to shoot me down for mistakes I made. Plus, she would always make me feel like I was a bad boyfriend, when I did everything for her. I went to her choir concerts, I went to her musicals, I drove her around everywhere she needed to go when she didn't have a car, I took her out many times, I bought her pretty much anything she wanted, I helped her with homework, I bought her dinners, and more. And I don't mind that at all! That's what boyfriends are supposed to do, right? But she would hardly ever say thank you, and would never acknowledge those things much at all. I wish she wouldn't have acted like that. I loved that girl.

Switching gears, I have a trip coming up! 75 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes, and 30 seconds as of right now! I'm heading out to Vegas with my grandparents in Cincinnati for my 21st birthday in September. We're flying out the night before and then at midnight I'm playing. It'll be my 4th time out in Vegas, and yet I'm still pumped. We bought our tickets this past weekend, and will be getting our room situated as the day draws closer. I can't wait. I LOVE Las Vegas, and I'm sure I've been bugging people about it on Facebook and in person with all my ridiculous excitement and whatnot, but I don't care. Things like this never happen for me. So I think I have a right to be excited.

Wow, that was actually a pretty long blog! I might have to just keep doing this (8 months later and watch this be my only entry, haha)