Why I Oughta...

Back in the fall, I posted a very similar photo of a Benet Academy ticket stub .  That one was for a fall football game that we went to as a family.  Both to watch the game, but also because one of the girls was dancing at halftime with the Avions (the dance group). The ticket you see above is from a recent basketball game that we attended to cheer on the Redwings .  And, once again, watch one of the girls dance at halftime with the Avions.  We had a lot of fun, despite it being a not-so-spectacular game.  First, Benet couldn't buy a bucket.  And neither could the other team.  I think the score at half was like 12 to 15 or something.  Also, it was a make-up game.  The game was originally scheduled to be in January, but because of a heavy snow storm on a Friday, they cancelled the game.  Because of that, the crowd turnout was pretty paltry.   I think there might have been something else going on at the school, so that mig...

Once you see this - and then try it yourself - your mind will explode. This is former Chicago Bull and NBA Journeyman Steve Colter pulling off his 'signature move' called the Crooked Leg on John Stockton three times in one game.  I was listening to Bernstein and Goff and Dan Bernstein brought up this move for some reason. I used 'signature move' in quotes above because that's what this NBA.com segment featuring Isaiah Thomas calls it.  The pre-roll video ad is brutal, so I grabbed the video file and put it up on my own YouTube Channel as an unlisted/non-monetized video.  Embedded below.  Not sure how long it will last and if the NBA will yank it down.  If the player below isn't working, click here to watch it elsewhere on YouTube .  But... it is worth it to see these guys all light up when they're talking about Steve Colter.  Then Zeke gets up and shows the move off himself.  LOL when he says "...and then he gone!"  Kinda sweet. ...

Opening up the paper this morning, we're greeted with this headline (at the top) about the University of Illinois mens coaching vacancy.  By all indications, it looks like we're going to hire Ohio University's John Groce (said "gross") to replace Bruce Weber.   While I'm going to be a Groce backer, I have to admit that I'm a bit let down.  After what seemed like shooting for the stars (Shaka Smart, Brad Stevens), if feels like our Athletic Director is taking a clone of his football pick Tim Beckman.  A smart, up-and-coming MAC coach.  Not sure that's quite desperation, but man-o-man does Groce have a hill to climb with fans.  The environment on the Illini message boards isn't all that positive.  (I have no historical recollection of what the reaction was to Bruce Weber?)  What can he do?  First things first:  win.  Then, after that?  Bring in some of that Ohio State magic in the form of assistant coaches and what not.  ...

As I've mentioned before , I've taken on the task of penning a series of "sports trends" blog posts at work as one piece of a effort for the company to create a "voice" around major sports events and in the sports-specific media.  Yesterday, on the Official Google Blog, we ran my latest piece on the 2011 Final Four and search trends entitled:  Searching for a Cinderella Story .  As I've done in the past, we looked at search trends around the hot topics of March Madness and the Final Four.  With two good Cinderella stories in VCU and Butler, the search story lines are strong.  One neat point I think we drew out was how hoops crazy the State of Indiana is right now over Butler.  While in every other state Katy Perry trumps just about anything else search-wise, the Bulldogs of Butler have overtaken her this week. The other fun part of this post was including a link to the Werner Ladder Company in the final paragraph about cutting down the nets.  They...

Equation Boy/Man surprised me one afternoon by inviting me to see the Bulls that night.  He said the tickets were "good".  I had no idea how "good" they were.  This photo shows where we were located:  on the floor.  Like...actually on the floor.  Baseline - right next to the Bulls bench. Those of you eagle-eyed Bulls fans can date these photos based on who is in a suit and who's dressed, right?  Pretty nice view of the game and a lot of inter-team discussions.  As the team left for half-time, they had to walk right by our seats.  Pretty rad.  Thanks again, Marc!