Let the Madness Begin!

The NCAA tourney begins today. Too bad that my beloved Hoosiers have decided to tank the season in an apparent protest over the university’s treatment of their former coach Kelvin “program killer” Sampson. The players should be thrilled that an anonymous alum shelled at $500,000; which, added to the $200,000 the school chipped in, provided a tidy going-away sum for the coach who initially showed great promise but in actuality may have set the program back three or four years.

Talk about madness. The last fourteen years have almost been exclusively maddening for Hoosiers fans.

Pat Forde of ESPN.com has written a funny article on the best case/worst case scenarios for each of the 64 teams in the tournament. You may read the full article by clicking here. I’ve pasted the IU snippet, which is painfully funny (and true).

Best Case: Dan Dakich has a group hug with sulking Kelvin Sampson recruits, D.J. White brings it for a full 40, Eric Gordon is on fire and the Hoosiers flash back to midseason form for a run to the Final Four. Suitably exuberant, Indiana offers Dakich the full-time coaching job, but he chooses to share the role with Bob Knight. Old-school Hoosiers weep uncontrollably. NCAA decides not to assess additional penalties for Sampson mess.

Worst Case: The team that is coming off losses to Penn State and Minnesota brings the same weak stuff into Denver and is routed in Round 1 by Arkansas. Three players quit at halftime. Two more write, “Kelvin, call me!” on their shoes. Fans grumble that this never would have happened under Knight, forgetting that his final Indiana game was a 20-point, first-round loss to Pepperdine.

Madness indeed!

I have never been a good bracketologist. I am prescient with my IU picks, but I don’t do well across the board. It takes me all of five minutes to fill out my bracket, and this year half of that time was spent bemoaning what could have been a stellar year for my beloved Hoosiers. Instead they have an 8 seed and a date with UNC in the second round if they are able to advance past “woo pig suey”.

In this year’s bracket I have all four number one seeds advancing to the Final Four. I am sure, although not positive, that has never before happened, but it is what I have selected. My upsets are:

• West Virginia beating Duke in the 2nd round and setting up a Bob Huggins vs. Xavier rematch in the Sweet 16
• Xavier wins and advances to the Elite 8
• St. Mary’s defeats Texas to go to the Sweet 16
• Butler advances to the Elite 8

Let the madness begin.

Are Divorce Celebrations a Good Thing?

Should divorce be celebrated? Some people think that it should. Los Angeles entrepreneur Christine Gallagher has established a business, “The Divorce Party Planner”, and written a book of the same name, to meet the growing demand for post-divorce celebrations.

This cannot be a good thing.

Yesterday, CNN.com ran a story by Elizabeth Bougerol which covered this growing trend. In my opinion, the trend is also troubling; not because of the celebrations per se, but because of what is being celebrated.

Gallagher is quoted in the article as saying:

[Divorce is] part of life, and yet it’s the only major event for which we have no ritual. A celebration communicates that divorce is OK — life affirming, even.

Divorce should not be a part of life. It should be avoided at all cost. That begins with the beginning. Saying “I do” should be a life-time commitment, which means that one should not stand “before God and these witnesses” with just anyone. The reason this “major event” has no celebration ritual is because it has never before been viewed as a celebratory occasion. The dissolution of what was supposed to be a life-long relationship should be mourned, not exalted like the wedding itself. The above quote reveals this age’s mood regarding divorce: “it is OK — life affirming, even.”

Actually it is neither.

What does a divorce celebration look like. According to the CNN.com article, one size doesn’t fit all. Bougerol writes the following:

“Burning is big,” says Gallagher, who’s seen everything from wedding dresses to a husband’s trophy deer head go up in flames at divorce celebrations organized by her event-planning outfit. The parties — two or three per month –serve up signature cocktails with names like the So Long and the Sucker, split themed soundtracks (“Hit the Road, Jack” and “I Will Survive” are popular) and dartboards adorned with the ex’s face.

Sounds very cathartic, but not very helpful.

Not all the celebrations are “bash the ex” carnivals, and the article refers to a “wellness counselor” who stresses the need for “emotional recovery after divorce: forgiveness, of oneself and one’s ex.”

Forgiveness is good, but why wait until after the divorce? Can there not be forgiveness and reconciliation during the marriage? There should be.

This is not a post against people who are divorced. It is a post against the cultural mindset that views divorce as just another bump along the road of life; as just another event that should be celebrated. “Hey, thanks for coming to our wedding. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be sure to invite you to the divorce soiree.”

Hillaryous

Political cartoonist Gary Varvel is no stranger to this blog; at least his cartoons are no stranger here. Not long ago Varvel started to run a series in the Indianapolis Star called “Caption This.” He draws a cartoon with an empty text bubble. Readers submit suitable options, and Varvel selects the winner, along with the runners up. This past week’ cartoon and winner, as well as the other finalists, were absolutely hilarious.

On March 8 this cartoon was published and in need of a caption:
I thought this was a nice take on the “3am” commercial that the Clinton campaign employed in the battle for Texas (which didn’t help her win that state after all).

Here is the winning caption.
The winner was Dave Zimmer from Ft. Wayne, IN. Here are the just as good runners-up:

• Jacquie Meisenhelder, Indianapolis – “It’s 3am. Do you know where your husband is?”
• Anna Rohrer, Fishers, IN – “Sorry. Wrong number. I meant to call President Obama.”
• Jay Lynn, Indianapolis – “Hillary? Silda Spitzer here. May I borrow your copy of “Stand By Your Man?”

I Spell Disgusting… I – U

In the first round of the Big 10 Tournament the Gophers of Minnesota upset the Hoosiers of Indiana 59-58 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. IU played, with DJ the sole exception, with an indifference that is inexcusable for a team which should have competed for the Big 10 title. The team is not limping into the NCAA tournament, they are being carted in on a gurney, attached to life support. The way this team is playing it is hard to cheer for them.

That is right. I, Travis Grant Gilbert, originally of Aurora, IN and lately of Greencastle, IN, am finding it difficult to root for this edition of my beloved Hoosiers.

Am I a bad-wagon fan? No! I am a fan who wants players to play for the name on the players’ jersey; not the name, in this team’s case, penciled on to the players’ sneakers. Once in every ten columns I will agree with Indianapolis Star sports write Bob Kravitz. His column in today’s Star – “Time for Hoosiers to Start Playing for IU” – is case in point.

I sympathize with the team to a certain extent. They liked Sampson, and do not want to appear disloyal. I appreciate and approve of loyalty, but the object of that loyalty should be deserving of it. Kelvin Sampson lied and cheated, He deserved his punishment, and did not deserve his fat severance. He disciplined students for breaking his rules, but did not feel the need to follow IU’s or the NCAA’s rules. For whatever reason, AD Greenspan chose Dakich over McCallum to be the interim coach, even though the players wanted McCallum. I understand that they are upset with the current circumstances. Still, as a whole, this team is acting like cry-babies.

They need to learn that life does not always play along with our script. They have not risen above their circumstances. They have been swallowed by them instead. DJ White continues to play the man and demonstrate that he is an amateur who handles himself like a professional. He had 23 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes on Friday. He was atrocious from the charity stripe (11-17 or 65%), and that cost the team. He was still the best player on the floor, and one of the few Hoosiers who played with integrity.

JaMarcus Ellis has left the building. As a JUCO I am sure that he came to IU strictly to play for Sampson, but Sampson isn’t paying for his education. Ellis has quit on his teammates and his school. He was suspended for the regular season finale at Penn State for undisclosed reasons. He played in the Minnesota game, but he was still nonexistent. Here is his stat line: 16 minutes played, 0 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls. Thanks for your contributions, JaMarcus!

The phenom who created an “intense” Illinois v. Indiana rivalry (I am a life long Indiana native and Hoosiers fan and I don’t consider the Illini as anything but another conference opponent. I circle two teams on my IU schedule – Purdue and UK.) was also present in body but otherwise absent. Gordon scored 16 points, well below his average, and it took him 13 shots from the field and 12 attempts from the foul line to amass 16 points. He did lead the team in turnovers with five, and he was 0-6 from behind the arc. If NBA teams are still salivating over Gordon, it’s only because they think his value has fallen off the table and they may be able to pick him up late in the first round or early in the second.

My worst fears about this season are coming true (click here or here). No, the NCAA hasn’t banned the team from post-season play. That wasn’t necessary. The team has just decided not to play.

Cartoons for Your Weekend

The Crusader and the Courtesan

According to this report from the Associated Press and this report from the Times, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (D) has been busted by federal officials for his involvement in a prostitution ring. The prostitution ring was known as the Emperors Club VIP. Prosecutors described it as a high-end prostitution service offering sex with women for up to $5,500 an hour.

Gov. Spitzer is in his first time as the Empire State’s chief executive. Before winning the gubernatorial election he was the state’s attorney general. According to the above Time’s report Gov. Spitzer garnered national acclaim for his “relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing.” And don’t you just love this “he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.”

I’m positive that his insider knowledge of prostitution rings was invaluable in trying that case.

Gov. Spitzer was once dubbed the “Sheriff of Wall Street” and he was named as Time magazine’s 2002 “Crusader of the Year”. Upon assuming office he pledged to “bring ethics reform” to the state. I wonder how his wife of 21 years are their three daughters feel about his ethics?

The really interesting aspect of this whole scenario is Spitzer’s status as a superdelegate who has pledged his support for Hillary Clinton.

I’m curious to hear how Clinton’s camp will comment on this situation, and what stance Clinton will take.

Oh, Danny Boy!

This is not the way to pad your resume. I never thought that Dan Dakich had a shot at having the interim label removed. Now I don’t think he even has a prayer; not after being humiliated by Michigan State in East Lansing (103-74) and embarrassed by Penn State in Happy Valley (68-64 OT). IU has now lost six games; a third of them under Dakich’s brief tenure. Until yesterday, all of their losses had been to ranked teams.

Not any more.

Heading into yesterday’s contest Penn State was 14-15 and 6-11 in a very weak conference. Not only that, PSU was without Jamelle Cornley, their best player, and they started four freshmen; none of whom are anywhere near as heralded as Eric Gordon (or Jordan Crawford for that matter). Here is one comment that Dan Dakich made after the game:

Cornley or no Cornley, a Big Ten road game is a Big Ten road game. They got themselves a great win.

Are you kidding me?! Currently, Big 10 road games are only tough in Madison, East Lansing (but not so tough that you should be beaten by 29 points), Bloomington, and West Lafayette. Every other road game in the Big 10 should be a win for the ranked team. IU barely escaped with victories in Champaign and Chicago. I’ll chalk those nail-biters up to the emotion of Gordon’s change of mind and Kelvin Sampson’s stupidity. (Although, how many men can earn a $700,000 severance package for breaking the rules and damaging your former employer?)

I think I’m being generous. This team should never lose to Penn State. At home, on the road, at a neutral site, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, anywhere and anytime IU should beat PSU.

I’m not going to recap the game. Why bother? Here are a few links to men who are paid to so such things:

• Hoosier Insider Terry Hutchens who writes for the Indianapolis Star.
• AP sports writer Genaro Armas

Here is my sole observation about the game. Eric Gordon was 8 for 24 from the field and 4 for 16 from behind the arc. He turned the ball over 5 times and missed a runner in the lane at the end of regulation; a shot which could have won the game. If IU is going to make any kind of post-season run, both in the Big 10 tourney and the NCAA, then Eric Gordon must get his 26 points in fewer than 24 shots, and he absolutely must take better care of the ball.

IU is in serious jeopardy of being seeded 5th in the NCAA Tournament. I say jeopardy because the 5th seed is a prime candidate for a first round upset. Almost every year a 12 knocks off a 5 in the NCAA.

The way things are going right now, IU will be the fifth seed that goes home early.

My Reasons for Not Supporting Obama

Have nothing to do with these “facts”:

• That he is a closet Muslim
• That he refuses to Pledge Allegiance to the flag
• That he was educated at a radical Wahabbist madrassa
• That he took the oath of office on a Koran instead of a Bible

None of the above are “facts”. Obama is not a Muslim. He claims to be a Christian, and he attends a United Church of Christ congregation. UCC churches are normally liberal in their theology. Both his father – a Kenyan – and his step-father – an Indonesian – were raised as Muslims, but there has ever been any evidence that either of them were committed Muslims, much less radical adherents to Islam. While living in Indonesia, from ages 6 -11, Obama did attend a Muslim school. He also attended a Catholic school. I am sure that at his Muslim school that Obama studied the Koran and said Muslim prayers during school hours. I’m also certain that at his Catholic school he studied the catechism and prayed the rosary. Obama does recite the Pledge of Allegiance and he indeed took his oath of office on a Bible; his own personal Bible in fact.

If you are still unconvinced and believe that Obama is just a bald face liar, then you may want to check out the following links:

• Snopes.com checks the veracity of the Obama chain emails
• Obama Used a Koran? No He Didn’t – by PolitiFact.com

I don’t support Obama because he is a liberal politician. In 2007 the National Journal ranked Senator Obama as the year’s most liberal senator. I do not support Obama because he supports abortion rights, and would not support the “Born-Alive Infants Protection Act”; a bill to protect the lives of babies who, having survived an attempted abortion, are born alive. I cannot support Obama because the next President may nominate as many as three Supreme Court Justices. During his brief tenure as Senator Obama voted against John Roberts and Samuel Alito; both men are conservative judges. I cannot support Obama because he has made statements like this:

We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old–and that’s the criterion by which I’ll be selecting my judges.

That is according to this Weekly Standard article by Edward Whelan. Any person who would select federal judges based on Obama’s stated criteria is foolish. Judges need to understand the law and rule accordingly, anything else is a recipe for judicial activism.

These are the reasons I cannot and will not support Barack Hussein Obama. It grieves me when people, especially Christians, fall for the baseless and moronic “facts” that I listed at the beginning of this post. If you want to provide people with reasons for not supporting Obama (or any candidate for that matter) present substantive, verifiable, well-reasoned objections.

That means delete the chain emails and do some real digging on your own. This is the information age, which means you have to cull through a lot of junk, but it also means that there is zero excuse for not being properly informed.

Cartoons for Your Weekend

This installment will be a bit longer due to my recent, albeit brief, hiatus from blogging. That is why some of the cartoons are dated; particularly Gary Varvel’s cartoon of Kelvin Sampson’s final day at IU.

Enjoy!

Senior Night in Bloomington

DJ White played his final game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington last night in IU’s convincing 69-55 victory over Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers. The 6′ 9″ senior from Tuscaloosa, AL has had an up and down IU career. Injuries have hindered his play, but his finest season has been this his senior year. There should be no doubt that he is the premier player in the Big Ten, and I believe, a first team All-American.

His stats are impressive: 17 ppg; 10.4 rpg; 60.7% from the field; and 18 double-doubles. He is also the emotional engine and leader of his team. By far, DJ White was the finest recruit of Mike Davis’ IU career (AJ Moye is a close second). It is disappointing that his stay in IU coincided with the resignation of Davis and the foolishness of Kelvin Sampson. In spite of the inconsistency at the head coaching position DJ has handled himself with poise and maturity.

I am hopeful that White has many more games ahead of him in the crimson and cream uniform. Even though IU was embarrassed in East Lansing last Sunday, the team still has the horses to make an NCAA tournament run. DJ deserves to end his IU career with a bang!

Of course, DJ White was not the only senior celebrated yesterday. Lance Stemler, Mike White (no relation to DJ), and Adam Ahfeld played their final game before the home crowd. Ahfeld has been a bench-warmer his entire career. He provided the crowd with the best remarks of the four seniors. Two examples:

• “I’m thinking about petitioning the NCAA for some new statistics. I think they should keep track of high fives, butt slaps, and hard cuts to center court.”
• “I just want to thank all of you for playing well enough to get me in the game tonight.”