The best day of the year has finally arrived. We all know what I am talking about, it is opening day of baseball! I have loved baseball my entire life and was blessed enough to have played all through high school and four years of college. Growing up I always watched the Atlanta Braves play because they were, and still are, my dads’ and my grandfathers’ favorite team. I remember growing up watching John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux play. These guys were all idols to me and instilled the love of baseball in me. The Braves should have a pretty successful year this year after finally making it back into the playoffs last year. They were not even supposed to win the division or even have a good year last year so this year’s team has a few expectations to live up to and I am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out at the end of the season.

            The season opener was a little bit disappointing this year, the Braves lost the game 10-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies. It definitely is not how the Braves or the fans wanted the season to start, but it is a long season and it is pretty hard to be upset when it is opening day of baseball. The Braves did not look bad in the game offensively, they seemed to swing the bats well putting up seven hits and four runs. Pitching was not fantastic, but that is to be expected in the first few games of the season while guys are trying to get a feel for things and understand how to pitch to certain opponents. Defensively the braves did have a couple errors which contributed to the ten runs that Philly put up, but once again this is to be expected in the first game or so.

            I do not think there is any reason to panic the baseball season just began and there is lot to look forward to if you are a Braves fan. This is a very young team that could make some noise in the near future. I look forward to following the Braves this year.

March Madness has begun and it has surely been one thing, and that is absolute madness. My bracket, just like almost everyone else who created a bracket, is in complete shambles. Every year there are numerous upsets and of course it seems like they are always the ones that you did not pick. The games though did not disappoint and I have truly enjoyed watching each and every one of them.           

This first round was a typical first round, every single number one seed won its first game and there weren’t very many upsets at all. One of the biggest upsets was Murray State beating a five seed. I looked for them to go to the sweet sixteen.  Ja Morant was unbelievable for the racers all year, and will for sure be a top five draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round. The best game, to me of the second round was the Duke vs. UCF game. Tacko Fall of UCF was extremely fun to watch as well as the head coaches son, Aubrey Dawkins. UCF played one of the best games of their season so far, but fell just short to the number one overall seed Duke and Zion Williams. The game came down to literally the last second with UCF having the ball and getting a good shot that rolled around the rim and just fell out. Aubrey Dawkins then tipped the ball back off the back board and somehow, not too sure how, the ball did not fall and Duke went on to win.            

Overall the first two rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament did not disappoint. The competition level was at an all- time high, and teams gave everything that they could to make sure that they would live to compete another day. I’m excited to see what the rest of the tournament holds!

It’s that magical month of March when college basketball is in full swing.  Big 10 Championships are a prequel to the NCAA tournament and a good way to get keyed up and ready for March Madness.  It’s a tournament where even the worse team in the Big 10 can get into the big dance if they win their conference tournament championship.  While I was a little disappointed that both Indiana teams lost early in the tournament, the championship game was a great one between two rival teams.

The Big 10 Championships were held March 13 – 17 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.  After both Indiana teams lost early, I didn’t watch many of the other games until the championship game between two big rivals Michigan and Michigan State.  This was the third time that these teams have met this year and this one was for all the glory.  Things were looking good for Michigan as they led by 13 early in the second half, but Michigan State went on a 13-4 run tying the game at 48 with seven minutes left.  The Wolverines came back to take the lead 60-55 with 2:29 left in the game. Michigan proceeded to miss a 3 point shot and Cassius Winston, who was named the Big 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, hit a layup to put the Spartans in the lead 62-60 with 28 seconds left.  The last seconds of the game were exciting with some going back and forth and what I’m sure Michigan fans feel was a blown call when Winston appeared to hit their player.  The Michigan State Spartans came out with the win at 65-60, clenching their sixth Big 10 Tournament title, claiming the most wins of any program, and earning them the 2 seed in the East Region for the NCAA tournament.

This tournament was a great warm-up for March Madness and I’m ready to enjoy some more great basketball!

The other night while I was sitting at home, I decided to watch the Duke vs. U.N.C basketball game. Conference tournaments are in full swing by now, but if you did not get to watch this game, I feel bad for you. It was an absolute battle between two teams who did not want to lose. Both teams are going to be in the NCAA national tournament as very high seeds, but this game was almost as good as a national championship.

Everyone knows that these two teams have one of the biggest rivalries in all of college basketball. The rivalry between the two was shown in every way possible during this game. The two teams were doing everything in their power to make sure that they came out on top.   While watching on T.V., I still got the sense of how much the game meant to each of the players. Watching Zion Williams is always incredibly fun. He is one of the most athletic players that have ever played the game of basketball. I could not get enough of it, watching him absolutely take control of the game and compete made watching the game completely worth it.

I really do not care for either Duke or U.N.C, but I am glad that I decided to watch, because this was one of the best games that I have ever watched in my life. There were 4 lead changes in the final four minutes, and it was a game where Williams really shined, scoring 31 points, 11 of  Duke’s final 13 points in the last 10 minutes. He also managed to score the final bucket in a nail biting finish, where down by 1 he missed a layup, but came back to get his own rebound and hit the winning shot sealing the win for Duke 74-73. It was a thriller all the way until the finish.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens if these two power house teams come head to head again in the NCAA tournament. It will surely not disappoint and could possibly be the best game of the year.

As a former student athlete, I know all too well that senior day is a day of celebration that you look forward to, but also dread a little.  For most student athletes it signals the end of an era for them.  While you may still have some games left in the season, you know in the back of your mind that playing the sport you’ve loved and invested so much time into is coming to an end soon.  It is a bittersweet time that is filled with a lot of emotions and uncertainties, but also a time of pride and thankfulness for all that the sport has taught you.

The USI men’s basketball team celebrated senior day on Saturday, February 23^rd, playing the University of Indianapolis. Prior to the game, USI honored their final senior team to play in the PAC, guard Alex Stein, guard/forward Nate Hansen and forward Jacob Norman.  USI started off the game strong building a 13 point lead, however UIndy rebounded and closed the gap by half time 41-36 advantage for USI.  The second half of the game had several lead changes. USI had a 6 point lead with 2:39 left in the game when UIndy came back to tie it 65-65 with 9.5 seconds left on the clock. Senior Alex Stein took the inbounds shot and drove the ball to hit a 15 footer to win the game 67-65.  A true storybook ending to this senior’s career as he finished the night with a game high 26 points.  The other seniors also had great days with Norman finishing with 6 points and 9 rebounds and Hansen with 3 points and 2 assists. With the win on senior day the Eagles move to 19-7 and 11-5 in the GLVC.

Congratulations Alex, Nate and Jacob on a great career at USI and best of luck in whatever is next for you!

The NBA All-Star game took place this past weekend on February 15-17 in Charlotte, North Carolina.   I haven’t really paid much attention to the NBA over the past few years because it just seems kind of boring to me. The game is so much different than what it used to be and it seems like defense is no longer a part of the game.  The best part of the weekend to me were the competitions that were held on Saturday night which included the skills competition, the three-point shot contest, and my favorite the dunk contest.  In the skills competition Jason Tatum upset Trae Young’s big lead by hitting a last second shot. Joe Harris stole Steph Curry’s thunder in the three-point shot contest by coming up with the win, but perhaps the most fan favorite moment of the night that had social media buzzing, was Hamidou Diallo’s honey dip dunk over the top of Shaq!

The All-Star game had Team Giannis starting off with an early lead, but in the end Team Lebron came up with the victory 178-164. Kevin Durant was the MVP with 31 points and the highlight of the game came on a pass from Steph Curry to Antetokounmpo for a high-flying alley oop which made all the highlight reels. The game itself was pretty boring which is why I cannot stand to watch the NBA All-Star game because what is the point? There is no competitiveness, no one really cares who wins and it is only offensive basketball. Back 10 years ago, and even before that, it was a big deal to win the All-Star game. The best of the best played in it, and they gave one hundred percent effort the entire time. Now it is just all about show, to me it is not really even a game but just more of a who’s who event. I understand why players don’t go all out for this game, but it is a little ridiculous how much they seem to not care. I know that they do not want to get hurt in this game, so they don’t play as hard as possible, but now they barely even play at all.  This whole mindset of the league and the whole ego fest of the players is one of the main reasons why I don’t enjoy professional basketball – give me a good college game any day.

This past Christmas as I was opening my stocking from my girlfriend’s family, I noticed that there was a ticket inside. At first I thought that it was just a normal ticket for the Evansville Thunderbolts game, but once we looked at the date we found out that it was “bring your dog to the Thunderbolts game.” My girlfriend has a golden retriever named Maisie and I was obviously very excited, and couldn’t wait to take her.  I had not been to a hockey game at the Ford Center since the Icemen were here a few years ago, and I was looking forward to seeing them play again.

The game was on January 12^th against the Peoria Rivermen.  We made sure that Maisie was showing her support for the Thunderbolts by wearing a jersey.  Trying to wrangle a dog in the car made for an eventful ride, and also made us a little late for the game.  Once we finally got in the center and got to our seats, we had missed some of the first period, and unfortunately the Thunderbolts were down 3-0 already. I know that the Thunderbolts have struggled this season, as a lot of guys have gotten called up or either sent down, so their roster is relatively young new guys. This has seemed to be a problem for the Thunderbolts as it has been tough for the team to gel and establish a good team chemistry since many of them are new, and no one seems to know who is going to be with them and for how long. As we got settled in, I looked around and the Ford Center was surprisingly empty. I fully expected it to be a lot more crowded considering the “bring your dog to the game” promotion, but barely anyone was there. The game was still fun to watch, but the Thunderbolts were never really in it. Like I said earlier, they were down 3-0 before the first period had even ended. They ended up scoring their only goal in the second period and the Rivermen went on to score 3 more making the final score 6-1 in favor of the Rivermen.

While it was a fun evening because of the special promotion, I don’t think I will be going to another Thunderbolts game just for the simple fact that the atmosphere was not what I expected it to be.  I know it’s hard for a team who is struggling to keep community support and draw big crowds, especially with a sport like hockey which isn’t as popular as football, basketball and baseball. Hopefully they can figure it out in the near future so that they can get more people to come to their games. In the meantime I enjoyed cheering for them along with my four legged friends!

Super Bowl – the most highly anticipated and anxiously awaited football game of the year.  A day that is just as much about football as it is about great snacks, commercials, and half time shows.  This year however, the game was what many considered a Super Bore. 

Super Bowl Llll was a match-up between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.  It was a game showcasing rookies between seasoned veterans in both coaches and quarterbacks.  This was the ninth Super Bowl appearance for the veteran Patriots team of Belichick and Brady who many love to hate.  On the other hand this was only the second Super Bowl appearance for the Los Angeles Rams and the first appearance for both coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff who fun fact, was only 7 years old when Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl. While many were disappointed that the New England Patriots were playing once again, everyone I believe was looking forward to at least a competitive game. What the game lacked was scoring which made for a boring game. At half-time the Patriots led 3-0, the second lowest first half scoring in Super Bowl history. Nearly halfway through the third quarter, the Rams had only three first downs and had gained just 82 yards. The Patriots had gained 236 yards but still only held a 3-0 advantage. Goff finally came to life completing 3 of 4 passes which allowed kicker Greg Zuerlein to nail a 53-yard field goal to tie the game. With seven minutes left in the game, Goff threw a pass under pressure which was intercepted by the Patriots and allowed them to score and eventually secure their sixth Super Bowl win with a final score of 13-3.

With such a boring game, everything else kind of followed suit.  The commercials weren’t that funny or great with the exception of the 100 year game, which was a who’s who of football legends.  Also, as someone who probably spends too much time playing video games, the Microsoft “We all Win” commercial had an awesome message and proved they are making great strides in including everyone. The Maroon Five half time show featuring Big Boi and Travis Scott was filled with a lot of bad singing and dancing with probably the only thing that many people remembered were Adam Levine’s tattoos and nipples.

Overall, this was a disappointing Super Bowl and I can only hope next year is better – at least my super bowl party had good snacks!

             I have never really been a major hockey fan, but over the past few months I have begun to watch more and more. My girlfriend is a huge hockey fan and both her brothers have and still do play hockey. I also remember my dad telling me about when he was little watching the Chicago Blackhawks in black and white on WGN, cheering on such greats as Phil Esposito, Bobby Hall, Stan Makita and of course one of the greatest enforcers of all, Keith Magnason. I’ve gone from not really understanding what was going on and just wanting to see someone get checked hard into the wall, to now starting to understand formations and tactics that have helped me to really start to enjoy the game a whole lot more.

The NHL All-Star weekend was held January 25-27.  I had never watched an All-Star game when it came to the NHL, but this one had something for everyone.  There was an entire weekend of festivities including a fan fair, skills competition in six events- fastest Skater, Premier Passer, Puck Control, Accuracy Shooting, Save Streak, and Hardest Shot, and of course the All-Star game. I was blown away with the talent and the number of fans who were attending the game. It was better than most of the other All-Star games because at least it was competitive. The Metropolitan All Stars won the game 10-4, Sidney Crosby was named MVP of the game. He scored 4 goals, and also had 4 assists to go along with his goals. The Metropolitan All Stars won the four team tournament, which has been going on now for four years. Also, while watching I was able to witness something truly historical. A woman, Kendall Coyne Shofield, competed in the speed contest as the first female competitor in a skills contest ever. This was pretty awesome, and it shows how far sports have come since the beginning of title 9 being created. All of the men who were watching were blown away and were happy for Coyne. It just went to show that no matter who you are what race or sex someone is, if you can compete you will get respect.

Overall, I truly think that I will continue to watch the NHL All-Star game because it was a blast. I am glad that I have started to become a hockey fan and that I can go to some of my girlfriend’s little brothers’ games. It is exciting to watch and has truly made me a fan of a game that I never thought in a million years I would truly understand.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton