Vine App Icon

In 2012, just when people thought the world of social media couldn’t come out with anything else, they were thrown a curve ball with the Vine app for smart phones. Vine is one of the only social media apps that has no website and (probably) won’t get a website anytime in the near future. After being bought by Twitter just a few short months ago, Vine is now the new video craze of the world of social media that became the most downloaded app of the year on April 9. In order to understand where Vine is now, it is important to understand where and how it started. The description of Vine on the iTunes store says “Vine is the best way to see and share life in motion. Create short, beautiful, looping videos in fun ways for all your friends and family to see.”

Vine was started in June, 2012 by Dom Hoffman and Rus Yusupov and is a simple video sharing app that lets users record up to 6 seconds of video before being uploaded to Facebook and Twitter. The kicker with Vine is that videos can start and stop at any moment as the user simply holds a button on the screen until they are ready to stop and once they hold it again, it picks up right where the video left off. Users love the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) style of video they can produce. In an app store review of vine, one user said “if a picture is worth 1000 words, Vine gives users 6000 words.

After developing in June of 2012, the rights to Vine were sold to Twitter in October of the same year and the app wasn’t “officially” released until January 24, 2013. In four short months, Vine is the number three downloaded free app on the iTunes marketplace and has a four star* review out of almost 5,000 voters.

After opening the app, this is the first screen you see

Part of why Vine has been able to be so successful is because of its simplicity. Upon opening the app, viewers are shown the “editor’s pick” videos that have received the most attention on the app – these are the videos that make other users want to get the app in the first place. On the home page, users are faced with only five options; they can watch videos as well as rate and comment on them, too.

After clicking the explore button on the top left corner, users can see more “editor’s picks” videos as well as videos that are “popular now.” They also have the option to choose videos with certain keywords – all keywords are hashtagged (# symbol) as they can then be monitored on Twitter trends. The next page to check out from the explore page is the activity page.

The “Explore” page on Vine app allows you to see what some of different types of videos can be found

The activity page is the page to see what your followers are up to. When downloading the app, users are asked if they want Vine to sync with Twitter and Facebook friends to make it easier to follow. Under the activity page is the profile page that is similar to the home page on Twitter. After going through all this, there is only one thing left to do – make a video!

In the top right corner is video shooting part of the app – the part of the app that provides the most entertainment. After shooting a video, it is published on Vine for all your Vine followers to see. Before publishing a video, users are asked if they would like to Tweet and or Facebook the video.

After two short months of using the app, I have already moved it to the Top-4 position on the bottom of my iPhone and it is one of the first things I check when I wake up each morning. Part of what I love about it is the simplicity of it. I have gotten away from Facebook (especially Facebook mobile) because of the complexity of it. I am constantly bombarded with advertisements or even worse than that – photos of babies from high school friends. Vine is so simple that I know what I get each time I log in and it has never crashed on me so it is something I have gained trust in. My favorite part of the app is that it’s starting to be used in other realms too. Just a few weeks ago, one of the top videos on the web was a six-second video of a suicide bombing next to a United States Embassy in Turkey.

Like we discussed in COM 435, Vine has taken a while to reach its target population but with its daily growth, here shortly it will hit the first breaking point and from there, the app will be here to stay.

Catcher-Buster Posey (24) Posey, the fifth overall pick of the 2008 MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants, originally played first base but quickly moved to catcher. In his major league debut, Posey went 3-4 with 3 RBI’s and hasn’t slowed since. As a rookie at age 23, Posey helped lead his Giants to a World Series championship and later became only the sixth catcher in National League history to become rookie of the year. Posey finished his rookie season batting .305 with 18 home-run’s and 67 RBI’s in 406 at-bat’s. His 2011 season was cut short when Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins collided with Posey in a controversial play at the plate. Posey broke his left fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle and will likely miss the remainder of the 2011 season.

First Base- Freddie Freeman (22)In baseball today, some of the highest name players are first basemen. Guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Howard and Joey Votto are some of baseballs best stars but are signed to lucrative contracts while All-Stars Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols hope to cash in this off-season.

Freddie Freeman (22)

A name that not many outside of Atlanta (or the NL East) know about is Freddie Freeman. Freeman, who turns 23 on September 12, was drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. Freeman made his major league debut in September, 2010 and in his first full season in 2011, has managed to etch his name with that of Hammerin’ Hank Aaron as the only Brave to tally 50 RBI’s by July 18th of a season. Freeman is currently batting just below .300 with 15 home-run’s but is slugging an outrageous .474. Right now, he is at the head of Rookie of the Year talk. Freeman along with Jason Heyward(below) will have Braves fans buzzing for years to come.

Second Base- Neil Walker (25) Neil Walker is one of the older players in the group (who turns 26 on September 10) and probably the least recognized,  but is a huge contributor to a Pittsburgh Pirates team who is still in playoff contention this late in the season for the first time in a few decades. Walker spend 2009 and 2010 bouncing back and fourth between the Pirates and their AAA affiliate the Indianapolis Indians. With the teams, he played almost every position except pitcher. It wasn’t until 2011 that Walker found his spot at second base. His numbers aren’t the flashiest, only batting .279 with 9 home-run’s; he’s not the fastest; Walker has only swiped seven bases this year and 10 for his career, but his on-base percentage is right around .340 for his career.

Starlin Castro in May Sports Illustrated

Shortstop- Starlin Castro (21)In two seasons that most Cubs fans want to forget, one thing that keeps them hopeful is Starlin Castro. At 16, Castro signed a contract worth $45,000. In his first Major League game, Castro made a name for himself. In his first major league at-bat he hit a 3-run home-run off of Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds. Later, with bases loaded, Castro hit a base clearing triple and finished the game 2-5 and set a major league record 6 RBI’s in his debut. Sports Illustrated recently featured a story on Castro and quoted, “ in the history of the game have hit .300 in their age 20 and 21 seasons while playing shortstop: Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan, who was 20 when he made his Pirates debut in 1932, and Alex Rodriguez, with the Mariners in the mid-1990s. Castro has a chance to be the third.” At age 20, he batted .300 on the dot. At 21 he currently bats .315 and leads the national league in hits and singles and is top five in the national league in batting average, triples, and runs scored. He went almost 70 at-bats to start the season without wiffing at a pitch and another 30 without striking out. Castro claims not to believe in curses, and even though he wears unlucky number 13 in the unluckiest of all sports franchises, Starlin Castro has brought a weary optimism to a franchise whose past has been very dark.

Third Base- Evan Longoria (25)

Evan Longoria has been a star with the Tampa Bay Rays since the “Devil” was taken off their jerseys. In 2008, Longoria made his Major League debut and quickly became one of the biggest names in baseball. In 2008, the Longoria led Rays made it to their first ever World Series. He was later named AL Rookie of the Year with his .277 batting average and 27 home runs. In 2009, Longoria knocked in his 100th RBI in 135 games. The only two other active players to do so were Ryan Braun and Albert Pujols. After his successful 2009 campaign, he won the gold glove at 3rd base and the silver slugger award. His numbers have dipped this season and he is currently only batting around .230 but he is still one of the most feared batters in the Majors.

Outfielders (The list includes 2 right fielders, but thats just the way it goes)

Jason Heyward RF(22)

Jason Heyward was taken 14th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2007 MLB Draft. His first career hit in the majors was an opening day home-run against the Chicago Cubs on opening day in 2010. As a rookie he made the National League All-Star team but couldn’t play due to a thumb injury. He finished his rookie year with a .277 with 18 home runs and 77 RBI’s. He was voted to the Baseball America All-Rookie team and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Buster Posey(Above). His second season started in similar fashion as his rookie season. In his first at-bat, Heyward hit a home run off of Livan Hernandez of the Washington Nationals. Heyward has been cursed with the “Sophomore Slump” that some players get plagued by after a stellar rookie campaign. He is currently only batting .213 and his .313 slugging percentage is down almost 100 points from last season.

Andrew McCutchen CF (24)

Andrew McCutchen may be one of the most dangerous players on this list, and already is one of the most feared and respected players in baseball. McCutchen was taken 11th overall in the 2005 amateur draft. In his major league debut, McCutchen went 2-4 against the New York Mets.

Andrew McCutchen

McCutchen became nationally known after an early August game against the Washington Nationals. He went 4-5 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI’s; only a grand slam short of the home-run cycle. Days later, he swiped 3 bases against the Rockies showing off his blazing speed. McCutchen finished his rookie season 4th for National League Rookie of the Year. He finished his second season with 16 home-run’s and 33 stolen bases. It is only the beginning of August and McCutchen already has 16 home run’s and 19 stolen bases. Atlanta Braves coach said that McCutchen reminds him of a 19 year-old Andruw Jones because “You can’t hit a ball past him if it stays in the yard.” McCutchen has a rare combination of power and speed that most young players have in todays game. His talents take old-timers back to the early years of Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds. McCutchen has also been the catalyst in the Pirates fierce NL Central run this season. Although the Pirates have tanked like the Dow Jones the last few, this season has still been more successful than any Pirates fan could think of. With a young McCutchen and Neil Walker(above), Pittsburgh, if healthy, will have many good days to come.

Jay Bruce RF (24)

Jay Bruce got the generous nod for the pick as the final outfielder over Justin Upton(2x All-Star; Age 24; 23 HR, 17 SB with a .302 Avg.) but since most of my readers are Reds fans, I figured I would give them something to be happy about falling back 10 games in less than a month. Bruce was selected 12th overall in the 2005 MLB Draft and in his major league debut went 3-3 with a double. In his first month, Bruce carried a 12 game hit streak and his average hovered around .450. He was the first of many youngsters that took the reds from last place in the NL Central to a contender. The Buzz around Great American Ball Park was quite amusing. Bruce quickly became the Reds poster boy next to first baseman Joey Votto and quickly adopted the name “Bruce Almighty.” Bruce cooled off after his early season heroics but still finished with 21 home-run’s in 108 games. He is not overly fast but his arm is second to none. Opponents quickly learned not to try to get an extra base on balls hit to right field. Bruce made his first All-Star appearance in 2011 and is one of those “hot/cold” type of guys. When he is on, you can’t get him out; when he is off, well…His average only hovers around .277 but he has his 23 home-runs already and is very feared and respected across the NL Central.

Pitchers

Felix Hernandez SP (25)

“King Felix” as most Mariner fans know him as, didn’t really break onto the scene until his 2009 season. Through his first 4 seasons(2005-2008) he only went 39 and 36. In ’09 Hernandez started out 5-0 but quickly lost his next 4. His breakout game came on national TV on Sunday Night Baseball against the San Diego Padres. He threw a complete game 2 hit shut-out in a 5-0 win. in ’09 he made his first career All-Star appearance and finished the season 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA.  In 2010 he only finished 13 and 12 but became the 3rd youngest pitcher to register 1000 strikeouts. He Won the AL Cy Young award because he finished first in the majors in with strikeout’s with 232 and ERA (2.27). This season, King Felix is 10-10 with a 3.31 ERA. He has a very intimidating fastball that he can run up into the triple digits. He also features a cut fastball, curve, and slider. His record could be a lot better if he played for a better team, but he is still one of the most dominate pitchers in the game today.

Stephen Strasburg SP (23)

Until the arrival of Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg was the most hyped name in the history of baseball. He was taken as the number one pick overall in the 2009 draft by the Washington Nationals. Strasburg is an overpowering pitcher who was phenomenal  at San Diego State. To say he was dominate in an understatement.  His senior season he finished 13-1 with a 1.5 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 105 innings.

Strasburg signed a 4 year 15.4 million dollar deal

Every minor league stop he made, there was a full house. The Nationals first sell out was the first game Strasburg pitched in, what ESPN called, the most hyped pitching debut of all time. It is safe to say, Strasburg lived up to ALL the hype! Strasburg had 14 strikeouts while giving up 2 runs and no walks in the win. He broke a Nationals single game record for strikeouts and also became the first MLB player to throw more than 11 strikeouts with no walks in his pitching debut. His fastball runs around 100 mph and is a strong strikeout pitcher. Through 68 innings in 12 games during the 2010 season, Strasburg recorded 92 strikeouts with a 2.91 ERA and finished with a 5-4 record. Strasburg tore a tendon in his throwing elbow in a game late in the 2010 season and had to get Tommy John surgery and is scheduled to return sometime later this year.

Aorldis Chapman RP (23)

The Aroldis Chapman free agency spree ended differently than imagined. The Cuban flamethrower became nationally known during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Most thought he would end up with the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, or another big market team.

He ended up signing with the Reds  for a monster 5 year 25.25 million dollar deal. His fastball is harder than anybody in the Majors; he has the record for fastest thrown pitch in major league baseball history at 105.1 mph.

Aroldis Chapman

He even was even clocked at 106 mph on one radar gun against the Pitsburgh Pirates. Chapman, like any flamethrower, sometimes doesn’t know where the ball is going. Normally, for a guy who throws as hard as him, that normally works out in his favor because he already has guys beat before they get in the batters box. This season he has only given up 12 hits in 35 innings while recording 54 strikeouts. His Achilles heal is his 28 walks in those 35 innings, good enough for almost a walk per inning pitched. Chapman is very basic. He really only has a fastball. His slider is around the low 90s but doesn’t move much. If he can keep his arm healthy, Chapman could end up being one of the nastiest relief/ closing pitchers of all time.

Hearing about Willis leaves Purdue fans salivating over what could be a big-time player in a big-time class. The ESPN four-star recruit(48 nationally) is 15 years-old, 6’9 and weighs 185 lbs. He currently wears a size 18 shoe and has a 7’1 wingspan. Jeff Washburn‘s recent blog on Willis quoted Willis’ head coach Troy Barr saying “The amazing thing is that he hasn’t had one growth spurt yet.” As a sophomore at Bullitt East High School in Kentucky, Willis averaged 13.5 points-per-game, 8.5 rebounds-per-game, and 4.4 blocks-per-game.

Derek Willis, 2013 Purdue Recruit

Willis should blossom into a great Purdue player because of his ability to create a mismatch. At 6’9 he will likely play the 4(power forward) but could play a 3(small forward) assuming he doesn’t grow any more. ESPN says, “ He is a good athlete that has an advanced offensive skill level for a player his size in his age group. He is an outstanding shooter with a quick release that has range out behind the 3-point arc.” He was entertaining offers from Purdue and Indiana, and other schools (Kentucky, Louisville, Xavier, Oklahoma St.) showed interest.

As of this point, all 13 scholarships are filled through the 2013 season, but Painter is still heavily recruiting for the class of 2011 and 2012 which leads Boilermaker nation to think that someone will be transferring after the spring semester.

The book is closed on a magnificent 2013 class that will feature a new player at four different positions. Coupled alongside the 2012 class, Purdue is building a program that will be here to stay. Currently six of the seven recruits of the two classes are four star ranked and each member in the class of 2013 is ranked in the top 50 in the nation.

Matt Painter, Head Coach, Purdue University

In the class of 2012, Indiana may very well have the number one recruiting class in the nation that is getting tons of attention because four of the five players are all from the Indianapolis area. Most people in Indianapolis are overlooking what the Boilers have coming in in 2012 alone. With potential room for one more, the Boilers currently have commitments from  guys in Ft. Wayne, Illinois, and Ohio. Being from Ft. Wayne, not many people realize Rapheal Davis may be the best player in the state of Indiana. In the last six months, the 6-5 shooting guard has scored 50 points twice  and 67 once.  6’9, 235 lb. power forward Jay Simpson has made a name for himself in Illinois and is currently the states number one recruit in the 2012 class. Simpson shined in Merriville last weekend and is quickly climbing the top 150 charts. The last player(currently) in the 2012 class is Kyle Molock from Dublin, Ohio. Molock is recovering from an ACL injury but before the injury, he was considered the top point guard in Ohio.

In 2013, the Boilers are bringing in what should be a top 5 recruiting class that is being compared to the baby Boilers class of 2007. By rankings alone, the 2013 class tops the 2007 class. In 2007, Rob Hummel was ranked 76th overall, Scott Martin 75th, JaJuan Johnson 42nd, and Etwaun Moore 35th. In 2013, the Boilers have commitments from Kendall Stephens who is 49th overall, Derek Willis is 48th, Bryson Scott is 41st, and Basil Smotherman is 26th. Stephens, 6’5, is a silky smooth shooting guard who has a 6’9 wingspan. He hasn’t really burst onto the scene until recently and started getting some interest from Duke before he committed to Purdue. Scott, the first 2013 commit, is a pure point guard who loves contact and can get to the rim. Smotherman may be the top recruit of the class and at 6’4 has the ability to play shooting guard or small forward.

There is no doubt that coach Matt Painter is expanding his recruiting empire. Pulling a kid out of Kentucky with a high level of talent is a very tough thing to do. Although 2012 and 2013 are very far away, Purdue fans can rest assured that the Boilermakers are here and they aren’t going anywhere for a long time.

Last season the Boilermakers finished a disappointing 4-8, 2-6 in the Big Ten. The worst loss came against Indiana on senior day at Ross Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers lost the game 34-31 on a field goal in overtime. It was a suck on a sour lemon that ended an overall disappointing year.Luckily, athletic director Morgan Burke gave head coach Danny Hope a mulligan. With injuries that ate up most of the first and second stringers, Hope was forced to take the field with inexperienced freshmen at positions like quarterback, running back, and virtually the entire secondary. This year, those inexperienced freshmen become experienced sophomores.

Coaching changes
Danny Hope is in the fourth year of his contract that goes through the 2014 season. In his past three seasons, hope has struggled, especially in conference play, posting a 13-23(8-16) record.

The big story of this off-season was the hire and sudden departure of linebacker coach DeMontie Cross. Cross spent five seasons with the Buffalo Bills and left Purdue for Wisconsin days after being hired.

Other notable changes

Brian Rock: Wide Receivers Coach
Rock left Purdue this off-season to become Kent State’s Offensive Coordinator.

Mark Hagen: Linebackers Coach
Hagan left Purdue to become Indiana’s Special Teams Coordinator.

Phil Elmassian: Linebackers Coach
Elmassian re-joins Hope’s staff after spending the last few seasons at Illinois St. Elmassian was on Purdue’s staff during the 2003 season when the team went to the Capital One Bowl

Patrick Higgins: Wide receivers Coach
Higgins joins the Boilermakers after spending 6 years at BYU.

Key Player Losses

Ryan Kerrigan

Ryan Kerrigan
Ryan Kerrigan graduated Purdue second in school history with 33.5 career sacks, and 5th in Purdue history with 57 tackles for loss. Kerrigan is thought by some to be chosen as a top 10 pick in the 2011 draft. Purdue football experts believe that out of all the great Purdue defensive ends in recent memory(Cliff Avril, Rosevelt Colvin, Ray Edwards, Anthony Spencer), Kerrigan is the most polished. Kerrigan cannot be replaced by one man, but as a unit, the Boilers should do just fine on the defensive line.

Keith Smith
Smith sat out most of his senior season with ACL and MCL tears. In three seasons, Smith became one of the most dominate receivers in Purdue history. Some think if he stayed healthy, he would have broken Purdue records. Smith is 14th on the Purdue receptions list with 140, and 19th in receiving yards with 1,586. In his junior season, Smith led the big ten in yard-per-catch average(7.6), and receiving yards-per game(91.7)

Cortez Smith
In his senior season, Smith was looked at as the go-to guy with injuries to Keith Smith and Justin Siller. Smith finished the 2010 season with 33 receptions for 434 yards and four touchdowns.

Dan Dierking
With injuries to Purdue’s top running-backs, Dierking became the workhorse. Although he was undersized, he had the hart of a lion. In his senior season, he had 117 carries (in his freshman-junior season’s he only had 54 carries combined) for 529 yards. Dierking’s effort will be truly missed.

Keith Carlos
Carlos, just like Dierking, was not thought of to be the starting running back, but with injuries, Carlos split time with Dierking.

Jason Werner
Although Werner was often criticized for taking bad angles, misreading zone’s, and not finishing tackles, he was a 6th year senior who knew the defense inside out. Werner was the defensive co-captain.

Al-Terek McBurse
McBurse, a sophomore was forced into a lead back role at the beginning of the season and underachieved for most of his two year stint with the Boilers. It has been unsaid why he has chosen to transfer.

Key Returner’s
Although the Boilermakers signed a baker’s dozen recruits for 2011, fans seem optimistic that 2011 can be successful. The Boilers have some key returnee’s from injury that they hope will spice up the offense a little bit.

Ralph Bolden
The biggest return is running back Ralph Bolden. Bolden was forced to miss the entire 2010 campaign with a torn ACL. In 2009 before his injury, Bolden was second team all Big Ten, had 11 total touchdowns, and was 75 yards short of a thousand yard season. Bolden in the backfield will mean the Boilers will not have to rely as much on the running game of the quarterback.

Justin Siller
Siller will try to replace the Smith clan this next season at wide receiver. He brings size and an unusual athletic ability. He can line up at quarterback, running back, or receiver. Purdue fans are eager to see the 6’4 wide out blossom this season.

Rob Henry
Spring practice brought, and answered, a lot of questions about  who would be under center for the old gold and black in 2011. Robert Marve started the 2010 season as the starter but freshman Rob Henry was forced into the role after Marve tore his ACL against Toledo. Henry was a pleasant surprise and was named a team captain at the end of spring practice which leads some to believe he will get the starting nod to commence the 2011 season.

Ricardo Allen
Head coach Danny hope says Ricardo Allen is his best overall athlete. Allen has already been looked at by some NFL scouts as a member of the 2013 or ’14 draft class. As a freshman in 2010, Allen had three interceptions, two for touchdowns in back to back weeks. He quickly adopted a nickname thanks to NFL star Darrelle Revis. This season, opposing wide receivers will venture to “Allen Island” when they take on the Boilermakers

Ricardo Allen.

Gerald Gooden
 Gerald Gooden may be the most important piece to the puzzle that is Purdue’s defensive success next season. Gooden started opposite Ryan Kerrigan and achieved vast amounts of success last season. In 2010, Gooden was third on the team with 4.5 sacks throughout the season and had 8 tackles for loss. It will be interesting to see how much of that success was thanks to offenses focusing on Ryan Kerrigan.

Replacing Kerrigan will be a three man job held by junior Robert Maci and redshirt freshmen Rashad Frazier and Ryan Russell. On a recent talk show, Danny Hope praised his two redshirt freshmen and knows they will end up as successful as past Purdue defensive end greats.

“They (Frazier and Russell) are very talented,” Hope said. “They have excellent size potential and that’s not always the case at our defensive end spot. These two can be big ends and (big ends) are hard to come by. There is a great upside in talent for Frazier and Russell.”

Allen will help senior safety Albert Evans and senior linebacker Joe Holland lead the defense. The Boilermakers secondary is still young, but returns every starter. The defense is fast but needs to improve on flying to the ball and finishing tackles in order to be successful.

Spring Game Recap
In the annual black and gold game last Saturday, the fans were treated to a mediocre performance as the gold team(first team offense) won 14-3. Some questioned why both teams combined for 17 points and there was virtually no defensive pressure all game(no blitzes were allowed because of fear of injury and the game being televised on Big Ten Network).

2011 Breakdown
Even with all the question marks at different positions, Purdue has a pretty generous and favorable schedule in a very important year for head coach Danny Hope.

2011 SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result
09/03/11	vs. Middle Tennessee State	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
09/10/11	at Rice	Houston, Texas	TBA
09/17/11	vs. Southeast Missouri State	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
10/01/11	vs. Notre Dame	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
10/08/11	vs. Minnesota	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
10/15/11	at Penn State	University Park, Pa.	TBA
10/22/11	vs. Illinois	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
10/29/11	at Michigan	Ann Arbor, Mich.	TBA
11/05/11	at Wisconsin	Madison, Wis.	TBA
11/12/11	vs. Ohio State	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
11/19/11	vs. Iowa	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
11/26/11	at Indiana	Bloomington, Ind.	TBA

Middle Tennessee State
The Blue Raiders went 6-7 in 2010, but with an easier opener in 2011, The Boilermakers will start the season 1-0.

Rice
The Owls finished the Conference USA season 3-5 and again don’t present a huge problem for the Boilers. The Boilers often struggle on the road, but if Hope wants to be the coach at Purdue in the future, he will not lose to mid-majors. (2-0)

Southeast Missouri State
The Redhawks finished a surprising 9-3 and made a post-season appearance. This will be the Boilermakers second home game and if they are still healthy at this point in the season, they will come out with a win. (3-0)

Notre Dame
The Irish finished the first season in the Brian Kelly era 8-5 with a win over Miami in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. Last season, they had a weak schedule, their best win came against an overrated Utah team. The Irish still had embarrassing losses to Navy and Tulsa. Notre Dame will come into the contest probably ranked and a heavy favorite. They will be ripe for the picking as Danny Hope knows how to get his team up for the ranked opponents(Ohio State in 2009 and Northwestern in 2010). (4-0)

Minnesota
Purdue opens the 2011 Big Ten season at home against the Golden Gophers who finished tied for Purdue at 2-6 in 2010 conference play. Purdue beat the Gophers at home in 2010 28-17 even after fans found out in the third quarter that basketball star Robbie Hummel would miss his entire senior season with another torn ACL. The Boilers will have no problem taking care of business in the Big Ten opener. (5-0, 1-0)

Penn State
The Nittany Lions finished 7-6 last season, but Happy Valley is one of the toughest places to play in all of sports. (5-1,1-1)

Illinois
Illinois is a game that could go either way. In 2010, the Illini destroyed Baylor in the Texas Bowl. They beat the Boilers 44-10 in Champaign last season in what was a fluke of a game. Sean Robinson, who’s redshirt was pulled 2 games before due to injuries, received the start because Rob Henry’s injured finger. The Boilers looked out of sync all day. Coach Hope will make sure the Boilers remember that score, and will protect the home field. (6-1,2-1)

Michigan
Purdue will travel to the Big House where they won the last time for the first time since 1966. The Wolverines have a new coach in Brady Hoke, but still have the most dangerous athlete in the Big Ten in Denard Robinson. He will expose Purdue’s defense like he did much of the 2010 game. (6-2, 2-2)

Wisconsin
Wisconsin won the Big Ten last year and lost a heart breaker to TCU in the Rose Bowl. Visiting team wins in Madison are as rare as a total lunar eclipse. (6-3, 2-3)

Ohio State
The five seniors and the lying head coach will be back when Ohio State comes to Purdue. The Buckeyes are a perennial powerhouse of the Big Ten and Coach Tressel won’t let them slip in Lafaette like they did two years ago. (6-4,2-4)

Iowa
The Hawkeyes are known for their nasty defense. They went 8-5 last season with a three point victory in the Insight Bowl against Missouri. Last season, the Hawkeyes didn’t play Purdue, but it will be hard to come into Lafayette on a cold mid-November senior day and get a win. If Coach Hope wants to remain the play caller for the Boilers, he has to protect his home field. (7-4,3-4)

Indiana
The players don’t forget. The coaches don’t forget. The students don’t forget. After IU won the 2010 Oaken Bucket, one would think they had just won the national championship. They raced over to the Purdue student section taunting the fans waiving the bucket, laden with “P’s” around, chewing on the few “I’s” there were to find. IU has a new offensive coordinator and loses Ben Chappell who threw for three touchdowns in the 2010 game, and Tandon Doss, who caught three touchdowns. The Boilers will be hungry to hang their 58th “P” on the bucket(IU has 27 “I’s”) and get revenge for what happened in 2010. (8-4, 4-4)

Postseason Expectations
The Boilers should finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten at 4-4, but with home wins over ranked Iowa and Notre Dame, a win over Illinois, and road wins over IU and Rice, the Boilers should be in their first bowl game in the Hope era. Athletic Director has hinted that it is bowl game or bust this season for Danny Hope.

Earlier today it was unclear as to what Painter’s decision was going to be, but twitter and other social networking sites took the Boilermaker faithful for a stomach turning roller-coaster ride that was vastly unnecessary. Everything started Monday night when Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News tweeted, “Matt Painter to Missouri 7 yrs, 14 mill’ Tigers got a great coach will Purdue make a pitch for Brad Stevens?” News spread like wildfire and within minutes, the entire nation was tricked into thinking Painter was heading to Missouri. After a very long Tuesday, it was said by the University of Missouri Athletic Department that they wanted a decision by Painter on noon, Wednesday. Early Wednesday morning, the roller coaster ride started up again and made for one very long day; a day that will make some wonder if social networking like twitter and Facebook are good for the media.

At 12:01 p.m., one minute after Missouri wanted Painter’s decision, Bernie Miklasz reported that Coach Painter had been in contact with Missouri’s Athletic Director and would fill the vacancy for Missouri basketball. Throughout the day, Indianapolis Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns kept the people of West Lafayette grounded. Rabjohns was one of the first to report that both schools had been contacted and neither had heard from Matt Painter on his decision. Hours later, more rumors were sent out via twitter that a Purdue player had said there was a players only meeting at 8 p.m. Wednesday night and that Painter was going to inform the team he was leaving before he informed the media. Minutes later, that rumor was buried. Finally, around 3:30 p.m. ESPN’s 1070 the fan tweeted, “Despite reports to the contrary, Matt Painter will remain at Purdue as head coach. Rumor quickly spread and minutes later, first reports from Fox 59 in Indianapolis and ESPN about the decision. Miklasz quickly fired tweets apologizing to fans and media about biting the bullet. Shortly after, confirmation came from Purdue that Coach Painter would continue his quest for a national championship with the old gold and black. As it turns out, Painter doesn’t have tiger blood after all.

On a day that most of Indiana was blanketed with snow, sun shined valiantly from the West Lafayette sky. The school that can never catch a break (John Hart’s lingering foot problems, Robert Marve, KK Hauser, Keith Smith, and Rob Hummel’s torn ACL’s) finally caught one on Wednesday.

Matt Painter

What is a good day for Purdue basketball is also a good day for the school of Purdue and basketball in Indiana. Earlier this week, Athletic Director Morgan Burke and Purdue President France Cordova were catching flack from all directions because it was thought that they weren’t trying hard enough to keep Painter around. The Big 10 Coach of the Year three of the last four years was being paid a measly $1.3 million a year, good enough for eighth best in the Big 10. Tuesday, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Nancy Cross, made a bold move in lashing out at John Purdue Club members informing them that it was their own fault for Painter only being paid $1.3 mil. a year. While some thought it was wrong for her to bite the hand that feeds her,  it needed to be said. Numerous students and John Purdue Club members voiced their opinions about what would happen if Painter did leave to Missouri. Most said they would pull their memberships and VIP cards, both huge sources of revenue to the school and the athletic department. While some Indiana University fans are mad about staying, most are happy. It is true that in 49 states, it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana. With IU in resurgence and Purdue already close to the top, the rivalry may be heading back to the glory days of the Knight vs. Keady battles.

What excites Purdue fans the most is the reason Matt Painter said he wanted to stay with the Boilermakers. Some questioned how Painter could even think about leaving Purdue. Purdue is his alma mater, Robbie Hummel will return for a, what hopes to be, magical year. Mackey Arena is undergoing a makeover that will make it one of the top athletic facilities in the Big 10. People could not question coach Painter for exploring his options. He only wanted to put himself in the best position for a championship. To him, it has never  been about the money. He wanted what was best for his assistants, and he wanted a place that would give him the most tools to win a championship. His tool bag is full now, so is his wallet. He has everything he needs to win a championship, the current team, the recruits, the facilities, the assistants, but most importantly, he has the student support. Now that Painter is being paid with the likes of the top coach in the nation he needs to perform like one the top coaches in the nation.

Before Ohio State’s appearance in the All-State Sugar Bowl it was reported that five players were involved in “deals” with a local tattoo parlor.  Players were giving away and selling game worn uniforms, school issued equipment, and championship rings in exchange for money and free tattoos. Instead of suspending the 5 players for their Sugar Bowl game(Players included starting Quarterback Terrell Prior and starting running back Dan “Boone” Herron) Ohio State/The NCAA decided to wait to suspend the players for the first five games of the 2011 season and let them play in the Sugar Bowl. The five players will miss games against Akron, Toledo, Miami (Fl), Colorado, and Michigan State. This made people outside of Columbus very mad because of the fact that the players should have been suspended for the Sugar Bowl, but they got to play in it and now may feel they are “better than the system.” This is all old news, but the recent NCAA findings could be a very fun process to watch unfold..if it does.

After the NCAA found out that Jim Tressel had received emails from a colleague that his team was involved in these benefits, he was ordered to stop them but chose not to say anything. Whether it was for the protection of his players or himself, it was wrong. The whole Tressel ordeal was cracked open(ironic right) when Edward Rife, the man the team was said to be selling their equipment to, went under federal investigation for drug trafficking. The NCAA found emails that led to an investigation into Ohio State football where it was found that Tressel had known all along about his player’s doings.

Tuesday, Tressel was suspended the first two games of the 2011 season against hardly formidable Ohio foes Akron and Toledo. He was also fined 250,000, a petty slap on the wrist of the man who makes 3.5 million dollars a year. (Side note, Ohio State’s President Gordon Gee only brings in 1.6 million a year) It is now being known that Tressel had known about what his guys were doing since April, 2010 and chose to say nothing.

In the Collegiate code of conduct players are not allowed to sell anything given to them from the NCAA or their school. In Tressels contract, it blatantly states that if he knows ANYTHING about his team that he is unsure about, he is to report it to the NCAA. He failed to do that. Also, when asked if he had prior knowledge of the incident, Tressel said no. He publicly lied in a news conference and broke an oath that he locked with his own John Hancock. In most other incidents, when people break the code of their contract they are released from the duty of their job; not the case for Tressel and Ohio State. All of this leads me to believe the NCAA is showing that Ohio State is above them.

Recently in college basketball, BYU, who is having a season of the ages and was ranked highest in school history at #3 in the nation, kicked their second best player Brandon Davies off the team for breaking the school code of engaging in pre-marital sex while attending BYU. The clock may have struck midnight for the Cinderella story that BYU was writing after the decision was made, by the school, to have Davies kicked off the team immediately. This received public scrutiny and respect because the school was sending a message to its players and the NCAA that no one player was bigger than the institute. Although we are not to judge what is right and wrong in this case, we have to tip our cap to a school that stands by its guns.

Ohio State is one of the most successful football schools in the midwest and the largest public institute in the nation. The fans of the Buckeyes travel like no other fans in the nation. The money poured into the school and the NCAA from Ohio State football is second to none. Normally what happen with the NCAA sends chills down dirty coaches backs. Give them(The NCAA) an inch and they will take a mile. It takes one little lose strand and the NCAA will pull the sweater till it is just a piece of yarn. For some reason, I don’t believe the NCAA will do that thorough of an investigation into the subject because Ohio State is a sacred cow. The image of one of the most well known institutes in the nation can’t possibly be tarnished, can it? If it is cheating then yes.

I think what scares the NCAA is that they know they will find illegal things under Tressel’s fingernails, and they don’t want to. What makes people mad is how the NCAA protects those like Cam Newton, Jim Tressel, and the Ohio State 5, but would go as far as burying other schools with 2-3 years of sanctions that destroy any possibility of landing big name recruits. What should be done is what is done when other NCAA violations occur, the school should face penalties like a reduced amount of scholarships or a ban on post-season play.

Most would think a man who makes millions of dollars a year and commands one of the most successful teams in sports would have to be pretty smart, but when asked why he didn’t report his findings to the NCAA, Tressel said he didn’t know that was what he was supposed to do. This man seems like a tough nut to crack. I believe he is hiding something, but what do I know. I hope the NCAA would be unbiased about the entire situation and handle it how they would handle it with any other school, even if that means bringing down the giant that is Ohio State Football.

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JaJuan Johnson(25) & Etwaun Moore(33)

Before the Baby Boilers of ’07 came to Purdue, Matt Painter was left to sweep up the mess left from Coach Keady. No disrespect to Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer, but Johnson, Hummel, and Moore have been the cornerstone of the success Purdue has put together over the last four years.

After Rob Hummel went down with his second ACL tear in the first day of practice, the Big-Three was shaved down to the Dynamic-Duo. The individual accolades say enough to describe each player but the things they have done together mirror the success of the greatest ever.

Etwaun “Smooge” Moore is the only Boilermaker in the last decade to start every single game of his career. The silent assassin is his nickname. Moore led the team in scoring his Freshman-Junior seasons and had a chance at being the only Boilermaker in history to be leading scorer his entire tenure at Purdue.

E'Twaun "Smooge" Moore

Smooge was also voted ESPN, AP, and Yahoo Sports All-American his Junior and Senior seasons. He also excelled in the classroom as a three time Academic All-Big-Ten and Academic-All-American. The most memorable game of his career came against #2 Ohio State in 2011 when he scored 38 pts and had the top play of the week with his acrobatic lay up in transition.

Moore also became only the 5th player in Purdue history to register 2,000 points. He joined the likes of Rick Mount(2,323), Joe Barry Carroll(2,175), Dave Schellhase(2,074), and Troy Lewis(2,038), a pretty prestigious list to be a part of. By the end of the season Moore should sit third all time in Purdue Career points scored. He also joined Taylor Battle, Steve Smith, and Michael Finley as only the fourth player in conference history to score 2,000 points, have 500 rebounds and 350 assists.

JaJuan Johnson came to Purdue as raw talent to say the least. The 6 foot 10 Indianapolis native was tall and lanky and didn’t really grow into his body until his sophomore year at Purdue. Unlike Moore, Johnson wasn’t as sought after. He didn’t even play varsity basketball until his junior and senior seasons. One of the biggest testaments to JJ’s work ethic is the transformation he had between his freshman and sophomore years.

JJ Posterizes a Baylor Forward in the 2009 NCAA Tournament

As a freshman, JJ averaged 5.4 points per game and saw limited minutes. When he was in he looked like a pinball in the lane. As a sophomore JJ averaged 13.4 ppg. and was named first team All-Big-Ten. As a junior he raised his average to 15.5 ppg and after a stellar senior season, JJ was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scoring Champion, averaging 20.5 ppg. JJ is the typical blue-collar Boilermaker that the program has made a name around. Through hard work, being the first to practice and the last to leave, JJ is going to leave Purdue as the first player since Glenn “Big-Dog” Robinson to be a first round NBA Draft pick.

Together the duo of JJ and Smooge will go down as the best high-low combo Purdue has ever bred. The two should have their own book of the records they have shattered. (All stats are from the end of the regular season in 2011) They will go down with the most wins in Purdue history with 106 in 136 games. They rank 3rd in the nation behind Duke’s Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, and Butler’s Matt Howard in winning percentage over four years. Their .779% will go down as the best in Purdue history. They are one of only five teams in the Nation to surpass 25 wins four years in a row. Before their two Big 10 championships(Big 10 Tourney in ’08, ’09 regular season), Purdue hadn’t hung a conference championship banner in 14 years. After going an undefeated 16-0 in Mackey Arena for the first time since 1969, JJ and E’Twaun finished their Purdue careers 61-6 at home. No one player in Purdue basketball history has won twice on each court. JJ and Etwaun came close, winning on each court except Ohio State. The ’07 class will also go down as one of the most dominant Purdue teams in history because of what they did to top 10 teams at Mackey Arena. JJ and E’twaun never lost to a top 10 team at home. They registered seven wins against top-ten teams, 6 of which came at home. They defeated #2 Ohio State in their senior season, the highest seeded team Purdue has beat at home since 1991. The most important stat these guys hold is their record against IU. JJ and E’Twaun went 5-1 against the Indiana Hoosiers, winning five straight (only loss came in 2007 against Eric Gordon and DJ White).

Behind all the broken records and tournament trips, the Baby Boilers of 2007-2011 have done as much for Purdue University as those like Sully Sullenberger, John Wooden, and Drew Brees. They have put Purdue on the map as a national powerhouse. College Game Day made a stop in West Lafayette for the first time in history on January 22, 2011. Words cannot express how grateful Purdue fans are for having the privilege of watching these two compete over the last four years. These two are the reason the Paint Crew is being recognized among the likes of The Blue Phog and Cameron Crazies as the best student section on the nation. JJ and E’Twaun are to thank for the “Hail Fire and IU sucks” chant being voted the #2 chant in the nation next to Rock Chalk Jayhawk of Kansas.

The class of ’07 has propelled the Purdue basketball team into a national powerhouse for years to come with nationally ranked recruits coming in who hope to accomplish what JJ and E’Twaun did. The Duo has helped Boilermaker students and alums stand a little bit taller when saying what school they go, or went, to.

One can only wonder what could have been if Hummel never….

To those in the Northern Indiana city of West Lafayette, we may have to wait a few more years to get that first championship but JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore have epitomized the blue-collar success Purdue looks for. It has been an honor to watch the two of them put on an old gold and black uniform. Only time will tell what the end of this season brings, but Boilermaker nation knows JJ and E’Twaun’s success is second to none.

Thank you for making me proud to be a Boilermaker. Thank you for staying four years. Thank you for doing it the old way. Thank you for doing it the right way. Thank you for doing it the Boilermaker way.

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When he retires, Albert Pujols could go down as the best player to ever play the game. The 3 time MVP simply wants to be paid for his performance on the field. He is currently making less than Cardinal Left Fielder Matt Holliday.

Through 10 seasons with the Cardinals Pujols has 408 home runs. If he stays on this pace he will be the youngest player to ever reach 500 home runs. He is also top 5 in the history of the game in his first 10 years in RBI’s, Run’s, and slugging pct. So why wouldn’t the Cardinals want to keep him and have him retire a Cardinal?…They do, but may not be able to afford him.

(As I am writing this I can only apologize to one of my only subscribers, please don’t stop reading my stories!!)

Pujols wants to sign a 10 year deal worth upwards of 250-300 million. The problem that teams run in to is that they are scared to fork over 30 million to a 38-41 year old man who is not putting up near the numbers he did when he received the contract. The Cardinals have made it pretty clear, either they don’t want to sign a 10 year deal or they simply can’t afford to pay what Pujols wants to be paid. Now the fun starts…

There are a bevy of teams who would be stupidly brilliant enough to cough up 300 million over 10 years. Lower market teams like the Nationals and Angels could have some money stashed away to pay him. The Mets are talking about bringing up a AAA 1st baseman to play this season so NY could be a possible destination. The good thing for the Cardinals is the teams who could afford him don’t need him. The Reds have MVP Joey Votto. The Red Sox just signed Adrian Gonzalez. The Yankees, who seem to have every all-star on the American League ballot, have Mark Teixeira. The Phillies could afford Pujols but they just signed their 1st baseman Ryan Howard to a 5 year 125 Mill deal. Howard is half the hitter and fielder Pujols is and Pujols is being paid a fraction of the price. It is teams like the Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees who are running Albert out of StL.

Although I wanted to point out those little details, there is only really one team that is “stupidly-brilliant” enough to cough up the money Pujols wants.

Catchy right?? I think so.

First off, Albert Pujols going to the Cubs would be like Reggie Miller going to the Knicks; Coach K taking the head coaching job at UNC; Favre to Minnesota…oh wait.

Here are a few reasons why this won’t happen.

1. The Cubs are the Cardinals biggest rival, they would never let the best player in the history of the game slip through their fingertips. Besides the Yankees/Red Sox, the Cubs Cardinals is the nastiest rivalry in baseball. Remember when Jim Edmonds came back to StL in blue pinstripes? And Edmonds has done half of what Pujols has/will do in his career.

2. Albert is rejoiced in StL. He is the prototypical guy a city wants for the face of their franchise. He is what Cleveland thought LeBron was. Albert has already said he wants to retire a Cardinal. If you don’t know how much this city loves The Machine, take a look at a video of the 5 minute ovation he got in his first at bat of the 2009 all-star game in StL.

3. Last but not least, you would think that if Albert is any sort of competitor at all he would hate the Cubs so much that he would never want to put on a jersey right?

4. He will be 42 when the contract would expire, are the Cubs that stupid?

Of the small number of reasons why he would never become a Cub, here are many reasons why he would.

1.  The Cubs are not a new comer to gigantic deals. They locked Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Carlos Zambrano into multi-million dollar deals and would be ready to cough up the 300 million that Albert wants.

2. The 1 goal for the Ricketts family when they bought the Cubs was to bring a championship to Chicago. This would be the first step in showing Chicago how bad they want to win.

3. Although the Cardinals are not a “small-market” team, they are not up there with the Cubs. Pujols would  be good for the city of Chicago and baseball as a whole. The face of one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, he is also very marketable…

4. Maybe the most important of all, Imagine Pujols power numbers hitting in the windy city. The Machine is in his prime for the next few years and will probably be producing some of his best numbers ever. Busch Stadium in StL is only 330 to the Left line, but 372 in the gap and 402 in center. Busch Stadium is also a pretty close aired stadium. Whereas Wrigley Field is only 368 in the gaps and 400 to center. It isn’t a big difference but couple that with the gusting wind think of how that could bolster Puljols’ numbers.

I know right now this is a far fetched idea but as the season progresses St. Louians will grow more wary and Cubs fans will grow giddy with excitement. Pujols could be the spark the Cubs need to get that first World Series in over a century. Only time will tell.

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But I’m writing this post to respectfully disagree with my father, my past coaches, Tom Hanks, and anybody else who thinks that there is no place for crying in the game of baseball.

Last night during the atrocity Fox called a Super bowl halftime show, I was skimming the channels looking for something to forgive my eyes and ears for what they had just seen. I came across ESPN’s renowned series of documentaries 30 for 30. If you have never seen one of these sports documentaries I suggest you watch one, or all of them. I have seen 12 of the 16 that were made and have not been disappointed once.

For those who don’t know, back in 2004 the Boston Red Sox broke an 86 year world series drought and the curse of the Bambino. It was not that the Red Sox won the World Series, it was the fashion in which they chose to get there. In game 4 of the ALCS the Red Sox were on their death bed clinging to life support when 86 years of bad breaks and bad luck was finally washed away. The Sox were down 3-0 in a best of 7 series against their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. Nobody in the history of baseball had ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win.The Sox were down 1 run in the bottom of the 9th inning and Mariano Rivera had come into the game. The second Rivera left the bullpen the people of Boston had a shiver run up their spine as they knew that the end was near. Rivera will go down as the best closer in the history of the game because he never lost, ESPECIALLY to the Boston Red Sox. Here is a little 4 minute segment of the 30 for 30 documentary titled 4 Days in October. The walk to Kevin Millar kept the series alive.

The Sox ended up scoring the game tying run in the bottom of the 9th and won by a walk off hits from David Ortiz in games 4 and 5. The Red Sox then beat the Yankees in the Cathedral of Yankee Stadium in games 6 and 7 to close the book on the best sports comeback of all time, the biggest choke job of all time, and the best sports story since Hoosiers.

Throughout this movie there was multiple times I got choked up with how the story played out. Hearing all these people had been through, 86 years of failure, for this one great moment. Pastors and priests who never asked God for anything that dealt with sports begged him for this one moment. Grown men on their knees outside Fenway Park as the Sox beat the Yankees in game 7. The movie also showed multiple elderly people, who had been with the Sox for all 86 years of failure, rejoicing saying, “Now I can finally rest in peace.”As a true baseball fan I couldn’t help but let that get to me. The only other time baseball has gotten to me like that was in the 1999 film, For The Love of The Game as Vin Scully called Billy Chappel’s 9th inning.

I saw an entire city rally around a team who never gave the city anything but broken hearts and the city forgave that team for the 86 years of agony. The Red Sox were like a cheating boyfriend and the city of Boston was the stupid girlfriend who always took them back.

I wrote this story not because I am a Red Sox fan, nor did I write this story to show that I am a wimp and should be chastised for crying over a sport. I wrote this story because I am one of the biggest Cubs fans that I know and unfortunately being a Cubs fan has made me age a little faster. laying in bed last night I was giddy with excitement at the thought that one day that movie would be the city of Chicago and the fans of the Cubs. When the Cubs win the World Series I will forgive them for the times they have wronged me in 1998, 2003, and ’08. I will forgive them for all the miserable rides home after a loss. I will even forgive them for putting my grandpa through the ’69 and ’84 seasons. If the Cubs could win a  World Series, just one, I would be content for the rest of my life. Seeing a city embrace a team who has wronged them for over a century would be enough for me to be a happy man for the rest of my days. Throughout the movie 4 Nights in October a common question was asked by Red Sox nation. “Why not us?” I seem to wonder the same with the Cubs, Why not us? What have we done to deserve this pain? Gary Smith said it best in his 2008 Sports Illustrated. “If the Cubs win it all I will cry like a baby and laugh like a hyena for a week.”

One of the best stories SI has ever written

Sometimes I wonder why I chose to love teams like the Cubs and Purdue who never seem to win. I think about it though and I like being the eternal underdog. I love never having any expectations. With no expectations there is no disappointment. Call me crazy but I would trade 1 Purdue National Title for the 5 that IU has any day of the week. As would I trade 27 World Series titles for that 1 opportunity to see something done that hasn’t happened in over 100 years.

Like all Cubs fans will say, next year is here and who knows what we are going to get. Pitchers and catchers report to training camp in less than a month and it is almost time to dig out old hats and jerseys. The ivy will turn green and the W flag will fly. The organ will shower Wrigleyville with elegant tunes and the Cubs will once again try to close this chapter in the history books and start a new one. Please hurry though, my Grandpa doesn’t have many “next year’s” left.

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The Rivalry started back in 1901 and Purdue holds a commanding series lead at 110-84. Both schools have dominated the Big 10. Purdue has a Big 10 most 22 conference championships while IU is in second place with 20. IU has brought home 5 National Championships while Purdue has only had one in 1932. Any IU fan will be quick to note that in 1932 there was no NCAA Champion and the national champion was voted on.

IU comes into this game hot, winning two of their last three, two in a row against ranked opponents. Purdue, on the other hand, skids into the match up losing 4 of their last 7 games.

The last two years, the games have not been as meaningful for the teams as in the past but that is soon to change. The Hoosiers are playing better basketball right now than any team Tom Crean has courted in his time at IU and any smart fan should know that records can be thrown out the window when these two teams battle. Until Crean came to IU, Coach Matt Painter virtually had the state of Indiana, a recruit hotbed, to himself. From 2007-2009, Painter has only recruited two kids not from the state of Indiana. Some think the only way to win championships is to recruit nationally but(before the injury to Rob Hummel) Purdue showed that they could be a top 5 team with almost all in-state talent. The 2009 Indiana All-Star game featured 3 Boilermakers and no Hoosiers and Coach Tom Crean began to catch some flak for not recruiting the state hard enough. He quickly silenced those who doubted him. In 2011 IU has 2 Indiana All-Stars and, the probable, Mr. Basketball in Cody Zeller. In 2012 Matt Painter has a top 15 recruiting class nationally but is getting no recognition because of the job that Tom Crean has done for that class. Crean boasts the #1 recruiting class nationally for 2012 with four players committed,(three from Indiana) one more soon coming. Most thought that with Crean bringing in the 2012 recruits, Painter would get the upper hand in the class of 2013, but that isn’t the case right now. Crean has landed two players from Indianapolis that are top 50 recruits in the nation. Painter is close behind with one commit who is also a top 50 national recruit. Coach Crean has also landed verbal commits from the class of 2014 from Indiana kids who are the #1 and #7 ranked players in the nation in their age division.

It will be interesting to see where this rivalry goes when IU gets back on their feet. With two young, fiery coaches, this rivalry could go down in history with the likes of those like, dare I say, Bob Knight and Gene Keady.

Although some may say it is just another hard nosed Big 10 game, both Purdue and Indiana know it’s more than that. The game will mean bragging rights for a few weeks(until PU visits IU on Feb. 23) for the fans. It will be for Indiana to show that they are on the road back to greatness. It will be for Purdue to show that they still own the state. It will be for those in attendance to show why Mackey Arena is one of the hardest places to play in the Big 10. It could also be the drop of water that could tip the cup toward one school over another for a recruit.

As much as Purdue fans love to kick Indiana while they are down, both schools need this rivalry to mean something again. The state of Indiana needs this rivalry mean something again. The Big 10 needs this rivalry to be good again. In a few years, this game could determine the outcome of the Big 10.

Regardless of the outcome, Tuesday will be a night for the state of Indiana to enjoy. Both teams will show grit and toughness that is bred from playing basketball in the state of Indiana. If somebody from another state questions why we care so much about nights like this, there is nothing else to say to them but…

It’s an Indiana thing

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