BottomLine

This has been interesting so far. I feel like I'm learning on the job, just like the IU football team. At least we now have a QB. Now, he has to produce and avoid getting hurt, the curse of most recent IU QBs. Think of the recruiting. Kid I"ve got good news for you. You are going to get a degree from Indiana. The bad news? You are going to have a limp for the rest of your life. On to the game prediction. The good news is this is not OSU. The bad news is this isn't ISU either. I think we start to find our place in the pecking order this week. First a nod of thanks to Class of '66 Old Fart for giving me a clue on how to make these predictions. Think of scores instead of points. Thanks! IU 2 TDs and a FG = 17 Louisville 4 TDs and a FG = 31

What did we learn in our first game? Not much. Our defence has improved a bit and our offense sucks. Last week we played a pro team and this week we play a high school team. How does one translate to the other? Hope the problem with the offense was OSU and not that it is non existant. IU. 38 ISU. 10

I said the best possible. 3 tds and a missed 2 pt conversion would get the same result. My worry is that osu might score 70.

2 tds and a couple of fgs is probably the most we can hope for. As usual osu is looking for a national title. IU 20 OSU 48 20230729_114559.heic

Cute picture. That you?

BTW When in September is the first game?

Fair warning. I'll be joining this year.

$22 mill from NBC vs $80 mill from B10. Plus ND was granted AAU membership this year, usually a filter for B10 membership. ND won't get a better offer anywhere else. Can they work well with others?

Cherish the good memories always and keep love in your heart, So sorry for your loss.

Notre Dame is getting 22 million a year for football from NBC. Deal runs out in a couple of years. The ACC is the next conference that is set to implode and probably isn't the most stable place for ND to hang out. They don't bring a new market for B10 tv but they are a national brand. Would you take a deal with a shaky ACC or a 80-90 mil deal with the B10. It is all about money sometimes. ND would then also get a chance to reconnect with old rivals MIchigan, MSU, Purdue, USC, UCLA and Stanford. Stanford would come in to B10 after a couple of years as an independent. Stanford and ND are both AAU schools and the culture would fit the B10. Also, B10 would also wrap up all the major markets on the west coast with Stanford a member, not to mention Silicone Valley. If the ACC implodes sooner rather than later because of Florida ST, Clemson and Ga Tech, it could all come about quickly.

I have no idea what we are disagreeing over. We both think X will start. I have some doubt about his full recover until proven otherwise. You seem to think the injury has healed fine. Neither of us are in a position to know for sure since we don't have access to all information. It all seems like such a trivial thing. Peace, Let's move on to other more interesting subjects.

Agree completely on Johnson, except I'm never completely confident on a player coming beck from an injury that required surgery, especially a joint injury. Perhaps the fact that we aren't pushing hard for another guard for the last scholarship is an indication of what the coaching staff thinks. Galloway starts alongside Johnson is what is probably going to happen, unless coach decides to go with three guards and in that case Galloway swings over to the three spot. Who knows what is going to happen. On paper we look like we are going to be deeper than last year. But then we were supposed to be really deep last year and it didn't turn out that way. Thing aren't going to sort themselves out until we actually start playing real games.

Johnson probably starts but I'll wait to see if he is fully recovered. I see the point you are making but I don't count him as a starter at the end of the last year, and therefore not a returning starter. I know. Splitting hairs.

The only guaranteed starter on this team is Galloway. The only starter returning from last year's team. Galloway and X will be the team captains and will take on the responsibility for teaching the others the Woodson way and holding them accountable. How many minutes he plays may be up in the air and whether he will finish the games is also open to speculation. But, he will start. Call it team politics if you like.

Portal recruiting is almost over. Let's get this show on the road. Can't wait for some Hoosier basketball. Why must we wait another six months?

Anybody have any idea what the IU v. Kansas tickets are going for?

Can't come out of athletic money. Schools are not allowed to give money directly to players. NIL operates outside of the school.

I look at Chris Ledlum and thoughts come to mind. Here is a kid, well perhaps no longer a kid since he has a degree from Harvard. He has been playing without an athletic scholarship and against Ivy League competition. He has to wonder how good am I? This could be the end of the line for me. Is he thinking if it is time to walk away from basketball and start using that fancy degree, or should I challenge myself and see if I can make a living at playing this sport. Aren't that many pro basketball players that come out of the Ivy League so I need to go somewhere where I will play and somewhere where I have a chance to excel. Could be IU but if I were him I'd hold off a bit to make sure the Hoosiers are not going to be a dud. IU still has a lot of questions to answer about next year. Maybe he is taking a look at his options to decide what is the best fit for him. Wouldn't blame him at all. We obviously want him and think he could be an important part for next year. Now we just need to convince him that this is the best place for him. Obviously Tennessee and St Johns are doing the same. He has some important thinking to do and as much as we want a decision now we just need to be patience. Do I have any special inside information? No. Just trying to put myself in his shoes for a minute and trying to possibly see things from his view point. It is a big decision.

Just pulled a ham out of the freezer a couple of days ago and put it in the frig to thaw. Easy peasy. To old for all that hard stuff.

I don't think it was the number of calls. Samson came in from Oklahoma, where he was caught cheating. As a result he was on probation with restrictions, that included restrictions on using he phone for recruiting. He tried to get around the ncaa restrictions by having assistant coaches make the calls for him and then turning the class into conference calls. The guy can coach but he was crooked coming in and even more crooked on the way out the door. Some didn't care and still don't care.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. I want to win, but if we have to cheat to win, I'd rather not win.

That's what everyone said when Samson started making phone calls that were not permitted. They were only phone calls, right? Everyone else does it. The NCAA will never catch us. Level the playing field, right. What is a little cheating when it comes to winning championships. No I do not jest. IU has always tried to run a clean program and do things the right way. The NIL and transfer portal are new and there are always cheaters out there. Some won't be caught. Some will. Want to take the chance and run a dirty program? Not me. I have some pride in my school.

No it is not. The school has nothing to do with NIL and can not offer that as an incentive in recruiting. What it means is that the athlete can profit from going out on their own and sell their name (autographs, endorsements, etc), image, and likeness for money without losing eligibility. Schools offering NIL money as an incentive is a MAJOR no no and can result in NCAA sanctions. On the other hand an athlete that attends a larger school with a large and active alumni base and a well supported program is more likely to make considerable side money. In other words, a basketball player at Kentucky,, where fans are rabid, is in a better position than a player from Eastern Kentucky. Indiana is a school that should be in a good position for players to maximize NIL money.

The rich get richer and the poorer get poorer. Such is life.