Lately it's becoming more and more exciting to be a sports fan from Indiana. The last two weeks have been especially fascinating for those of us who follow the Pacers and Colts.
Let's start with the bad news. If you care about sports at all and haven't recently been in solitary confinement -- I guess that may leave out some Pistons fans -- you probably know about the stunningly dumb fight between Detroit Pistons fans and some of the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 19.
If not, to sum it up, Pacer forward Ron Artest proved once and for all that there is such a thing as bad publicity after charging into the stands to retaliate against a fan who'd thrown a cup of beer on him. Artest's disgraceful rampage was all the more embarrassing because he misjudged who had thrown the beer and walloped the wrong fan.
Pacers Steven Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal (the team's most valuable player) showed misguided loyalty by following Artest into the stands and ultimately punching fans themselves. In the end, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season (reportedly costing him over $5 million in salary), Jackson for 30 games, O'Neal for 25 and a handful of other Pacers and Pistons for periods ranging from one to six games.
The only silver lining for the humiliated club is their respectable 3-2 record since the brawl. If the team can manage a decent record until O'Neal's return, they may be able to salvage a quality season.
As for good news, on the other side of town the Colts are beaming. Quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 41 touchdown passes this season and is en route to eradicate the season record of 48 set by Dan Marino in 1984. The Colts eight and three record puts them firmly in first place in the AFC South and with the team's awesome offense and increasingly respectable defense, they may be in position for a deep playoff run.
For now, the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers (both 10-1) have to be considered the two favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but the Colts have fans afraid to turn away when the offense is on the field and are capable of beating anyone when Manning is on his game.
Indiana colleges are also making waves. Here at Ball State a $12 million renovation for the football stadium was announced earlier this month, while the men's basketball team is hoping to rebound off last year's disappointing 14 and 15 record.
Purdue and Indiana basketball should also be interesting to watch this year. In Bloomington, the Hoosiers are hoping to rebound from the program's first losing season since 1969. Without swift and dramatic improvement, the chorus calling for head coach Mike Davis's job will continue to grow.
Meanwhile in West Lafayette, the trigger's already been pulled on Gene Keady. Amazingly, so far the press is going along with the Boilermakers' attempt to paint his departure as some sort of consensual farewell tour. In truth, last year Purdue decided to allow Keady to coach this season but made clear he was not welcome to return. It'll be interesting to see if Keady can keep up the pretense all season.
All in all, this is shaping up as the state's most interesting winter season in the post Bob Knight era.
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