Comments by ProudAirForceDad

Written on Knight remains as entertaining, as opinionated as ever | STEVE FORD COLUMN:

in response to davebo42#144474:

qwerty: i understand were you are coming from. but , when indiana won the ncaa championship in 1980-81 . with thomas , wittman , turner.. etc.. they had a really bad regular season. Not sure if its true , but i read a story were knight and thomas was going at it most of the year. thomas wanting to change the pace of how they played and knight finally said ok , try it your way. i have no idea if that is true. but a team that was playing very badly in the big ten . suddenly , was playing very lose and slamming the ball and high fiving each other and beating teams by 12-20 points in the ncaa and beat north carolina in the championship. could of this of been bobby knights way of holding the reins tight during the regular season only to let them go at the right time in the tourny ? i watched that entire season and let me tell you! when the tourney started i thought , dam! who are these guys ? they were having fun and playing lights out!

Indiana struggled all the way to the Big Ten championship in 1981. They were 14-4, and I believe all 4 losses were pretty close, at least until very late. They did struggle in non conference play, going just 7-5. But even that was against a pretty tough schedule. They played Kentucky and Cal at home, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Kansas State on the road, and Clemson and Rutgers in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii.
After losing at Iowa late in the regular season, they were 1 game behind the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten with 5 games left. They won the last 5 Big Ten games, while Iowa lost the last 2 games, and IU won 5 more in the NCAA to close the season with a 10 game winning streak.

Written on Hoosiers' home schedule includes Kentucky, Butler :

in response to Hoosiers4life:

Im glad to see Indiana playing Indiana schools again. It use to be they played Notre Dame and Butler every year, until Butler started beating them in their Hoosier Classic. Hope that it is giong to be an exciting year for the Hoosiers. If Creek can stay healthy and Watford learns that he isn't a three point shooter they might be able to suprise a couple teams. I still don't think they will be above .500 but I think they will have a more competetive year.

Indiana didn't used to play Butler every year, and Butler only beat IU one time in a Hoosier Classic. They were on the schedule again just 2 years later, so IU didn't stop playing them because they lost.
In the last 40 years, the two schools have played 10 times, and one of those was in the NIT in '85. They have actually scheduled one another 9 times. In most of those years, IU would have been criticized had they scheduled Butler.
As for Tom Crean saying this is as tough a schedule as he has had since arriving at IU- overall, this really isn't that tough of a non conference schedule. But with the exception of Tom Izzo at Michigan State, it doesn't seem as if too many power conference schools do play a tough schedule any more.

Written on If you could take anything from a hotel room without getting caught, what would it be?:

in response to Groundbreaking:

Why would you have a poll on "What would you steal"?

Exactly my sentiments.
Why would there even be a poll on what a person could steal "if they could get away with it?"
And who in their right mind would want to go home with towels, pillows, etc., that hundreds, if not thousands of others have already used. I know of a family that packs their own sheets and pillow cases when they travel, and they Lysol down the mattress, the TV remote, the door knob, and the tub, and while not going so far as to do that myself when we travel, I also can't blame them for doing that.

Written on 'Throwback' game returns football to Bosse Field for first time in 40 years:

The date mentioned in the story must be the last time that Memorial played a game at Bosse Field. I know that there were several games played there after that. Reitz completed a 10-0 season, which won a mythical state title, with a win there over North in late November of 1971. As another poster pointed out, the Aces were still playing there the next year, and since Central Stadium wasn't ready until the 1972 season was almost over, North and Central were still playing there in '72. Also as someone pointed out, the field ran from around where first base is, or maybe a little further down the right field line, to the left field corner. So the best seats, if there were any, were behind the end zones, where you could see the action when they were on the end of the field right in front of you. For most of the fans, the field was off in the distance. If you were seated anywhere near where home plate is, the field was way out in the outfield, with players and coaches rightfully standing on the sidelines, further obstructing the view. I personally never thought Bosse Field was a good place to watch football, and that that is why nobody has played there in 39 years. But that's just my opinion. Others may have thought otherwise. I'm sure the players will enjoy the experience, probably because of the history and mystique of the place, and hopefully the fans will like it too. With this different layout, maybe the fans will be able to see the action better than how it used to be.

Written on This family united, happy to be in jail:

in response to EarnestTBass:

Jeff's a good dude from a great family! Nice column Julie! Go Funk's!

As someone who knows Jeff well, I agree with you. Thanks for the kind words about his family too.

Written on LETTER: New arena's name should represent community:

It has already been announced that the basketball court in the new arena will be named after Arad McCutchan. As for the building itself, it will be like pretty much every other stadium or arena these days- named for a corporation willing to put up some money to have its name on it. I personally like it when arenas are named after a person, but putting a corporate name on it brings in revenue.

Written on Aces get commitment from sharp-shooting guard:

Why don't you give the guy a chance first before criticizing? Besides, there is nothing wrong with being a point guard, who can shoot it or drive it yourself.

Written on Aces get commitment from sharp-shooting guard:

Welcome to Evansville and Aces basketball Jordan. There aren't usually too many talented but non committed players left at this stage, but looks like Coach Simmons and the staff landed a good one. I'm looking forward to seeing these new guys play, as well as the current players coming back. As noted above, with more good shooters, defenses can't concentrate on one guy, which should open things up more.

Written on Bosse graduate Jerry Southwood selected to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame:

in response to Iwantyrbestshot:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

That can't possibly be true. In 2 of the 3 seasons- 1964 and 1965- played at Vandy, (freshmen didn't play varsity in those days)the Aces won NCAA College Division titles. So there could possibly have been 1 more title, but not 2 or 3 more.

Written on Final 4 floor is going from the UP to Houston :

The NCAA is raking in millions to pay for all these new floors at every tournament venue. Why? I can understand for the Final 4, but a generic look at all the sites? Through the first 3 rounds, they all look the same. This has been the case for a few years now. No matter the venue, you switch from one station to another, one game to the next, every place looks the same.

Written on Aces rally to beat Hofstra 77-70:

Congrats to the Aces on a well deserved win. No matter the name of the tournament, it was UE's first post season tournament win since beating Oregon State in the NCAA in 1989. Not too many would have imagined that at the end of last season. Thanks to USI for allowing the use of their home court. Without their support, this game most likely would have been played on Long Island, and may well have had a different outcome. I have to say I enjoyed the game at the PAC. It seemed funny going to an Aces "home" game there, but was a fun game to watch, and the fans that were there seemed to enjoy it as well. It was good practice for going downtown for games starting next season.

Written on Bosse strikes last, beats Princeton Tigers in 3A sectional finals:

This link lists seating capacity of all Indiana high school gyms.

Written on Castle clamps down on Reitz | PHOTO GALLERY:

baseball1- Everything you said about Damon Bailey is true, except one minor detail. He did go to 3 Final 4's, but the one year he didn't, his team lost in the Seymour Regional to a Pat Graham led Floyd Central team. Floyd Central went on to the Final 4 that year.

Written on Princeton Tigers trio gets one last chance to please home crowd :

in response to Iwantyrbestshot:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

I know their uncle, have known him since the late 80's. Von actually starred for Princeton 35 years ago. He played for Arad McCutchan's last UE team, then transferred in 1977, which was fortunate for him or else he would have been in the plane crash later that year. His nephews have the same last name, but he knew how to behave himself.


This Sectional should not even be played in Princeton. When Evansville schools were split into two Sectionals in the single class tournament in 1992, Princeton lost its Sectional and was reassigned to Boonville because their gym wasn't big enough.
Boonville has a gym that seats over 5,600. Princeton's gym seats more than a thousand less. To allow Princeton to play at home when another school in the same Sectional has a bigger and much better gym is an insult. What a joke the IHSAA is.
And they, just as much as their fans, bragged two years ago that they were going to win three straight state titles undefeated. There was even talk last season that they needed to travel out of state to face tough competition because no one around here could compete with them. They need to thank their lucky stars for class basketball because they wouldn't go far in a single class tourney. They are ranked #3 in 3A, but not even mentioned in the overall poll.


in response to Iwantyrbestshot:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

First of all, what does making all-City have to do with anything? It's a nice honor, but doesn't guarantee success at the next level. Second, Seitz was from Pike Central in Petersburg. Hedde was from Vincennes. How were they going to be all-City in Evansville? They were good enough to help the Aces win an MVC title. I know Marcus Wilson was the best player on that team, but he didn't do it alone. I believe Seitz and Hedde were both fine players for the Aces. And more important, both were disciplined enough to handle the academics at UE, play Div. I basketball, stay out of trouble and handle themselves with class.


in response to Iwantyrbestshot:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

No way the Chavis twins play for UE. NO WAY!
At the last Aces game in Roberts Stadium, the great Larry Humes said that he is proud of the current coach and team, because they represent the University of Evansville the way he likes to see it represented. That means passing on "me first" players like the Princeton twins.

Written on University of Evansville, Roberts Stadium go out in style | VIDEO | PHOTO GALLERY:

If I could change anything about the post game festivities, it would have been to introduce the former players who made the effort to attend. They were called to stand in the tunnel with 6 minutes left in the game, then walked on court after the game and stood through all the Senior Day speeches, and all the other speakers. That's a long time to stand. I think they should have have been introduced one more time in the Stadium for all their efforts to return here for the last game. Yes, it would have made the festivities a bit longer, but would have been worth it. Would have been nice to hear the names of those who came back.

Written on Let's pay tribute to a 55-year-old friend | WAYNE BOULTINGHOUSE LETTER:

"Bray's market on the corner of Dexter and Sycamore"

Stopped in that place many times on a hot summer day (back in the day) riding bikes to and from the East Little League field on Vann Ave. Spent some dimes and quarters in there myself.
I agree, the high school tournaments in the Stadium were awesome too.

Written on In battle of wrestling unbeatens, Mater Dei to take on Crown Point at state:

Congratulations Mater Dei in knocking off the No. 1 ranked team. Awesome match that came down to the last seconds of the last weight class. Mater Dei wins 30 -25, getting a takedown with 3 seconds left in a tie match to pull off the win. MD led 27-25 going into that last match and it nearly came down to overtime. Greg Schaefer certainly outcoached his Crown Point counterpart. The CP coach tried to move a state champion 145 wrestler who was undefeated up 2 weight classes, to wrestle Mater Dei's John Sims, who was state runnerup at 160. During the season wrestlers can move up 2 classes.In the team tournament series however, you can only move up 1 weight class over your listed Sectional weight. So Crown Point held back a state champion and Mater Dei made them pay and pulled out a deserving win. Sims pinned the kid he wrestled and then Dalton Brandenstein had to feel a great measure of pride after being upset 3 weeks ago in the first round of Regional, to win the decisive match. I hope this isn't the final year of Team State, but even if it is, I hope Mater Dei finishes the job with two more wins.


I remember well my first Aces game. I had been to to the Stadium before for Shrine Circuses, but as a young boy I went with my parents and an aunt and uncle in January, 1965, and saw Jerry Sloan, Larry Humes and the undefeated Aces blow out DePauw. I had never seen so many people before, and was awed by all the red. They were the PURPLE ACES, but it seemed everybody wore red. I have seen literally hundreds of games there since. And I will be there one last time today, wouldn't think of missing it. I would give anything if I could again go to the game with my parents and aunt and uncle, but just like that first game, maybe I'll see Jerry Sloan and Larry Humes again.
And this year's team deserves to have a big crowd cheering FOR them in the Stadium instead of only a few thousand.

Written on University of Evansville falls to Wichita State at Roberts Stadium | PHOTOS:

I want to congratulate the young man who sang the national anthem before the start of the game. He is blind and was led to the court by Chris Hollender, former Aces player and now on the coaching staff. I regret that I don't remember this young man's name, but he sits on the end of the Aces' bench. There were a few times during the anthem when he paused, then regained his composure. It took a lot of courage for him to put himself out there in front of all the players and the fans, but he did it, and to know he is part of the program and wanted to do that tells me that more than just basketball is being taught by the UE coaches and players. Thanks to them as well for allowing him to be a part of what they do.

Written on Jerry Sloan resigns as coach of Jazz:

Benthere-"With Sloan manning the defenses and Humes taking care of the scoring, no college opponent had much of a chance of winning. If fact, none did in the year 1965* [or 1966]"

The Aces won them all in 1964-65. They were undefeated against College Division teams for 2 straight seasons, as the '63-64 team in Sloan's junior year lost 3 games- to Iowa, Notre Dame and Arizona and won the NCAA title that year too. Over two seasons, they were a combined 55-3 with 35 consecutive wins.

Written on Jerry Sloan resigns as coach of Jazz:

Jerry Sloan is a great man, and has always poured his heart and soul into anything he did. He wasn't blessed with the greatest ability, but he combined the talent that he did have, with determination and a will to win, to become a great player for the Evansville Aces, and then was one of the best, if not THE best defensive players in the NBA for years. And he never forgot where he came from. My first year of going to Aces games as a little 4th grader (I got spoiled with that team) was Jerry's senior season, in the undefeated season of '64-65. In his final game, against Southern Illinois for the College Division National Championship, the Aces won 85-82 in overtime. They had beaten SIU 81-80 and 68-67 during the season. Those scores are forever etched in my mind. Great games, great teams.Larry Humes scored 35 points and Jerry scored 25 and pulled down 25 rebounds in his last game. He then came back to Evansville each summer after the NBA season for several years and worked at Arad McCutchan's basketball camp at Carson center. I had the privilege of going there two years and getting to know Mr. Sloan. When he played for the Chicago Bulls, their first couple seasons they actually played 4 or 5 "home" games here because the Evansville fans would come out to see Sloan play. My dad ran a portable concession stand(crowds were so big back then that their were little concessions in each corner of the Stadium at most events), and it was near where the players walked in. Mr. Sloan made it a point to ask my Dad where I was sitting, and he would come talk to me for a few minutes. He made a grade school boy feel special. I have never forgotten that, and will always hold him in the highest regard. Like most people here, I was thrilled when he was named McCutchan's successor in 1977, and disappointed when he changed his mind a few weeks later. But as it turns out, that was a blessing and he still would have a great coaching career ahead of him. There has never been a better representative of Evansville basketball than Jerry Sloan, and he has earned everything he has gotten. If this is indeed the end of his career, I wish him the best in retirement, as he deserves that too.
Thank you Jerry for making those of us who grew up watching you feel pride in doing so.

Written on Aces hit their stride, stun Missouri State 77-65:

As far as the Missouri Valley Conference's history in the NCAA tourney, they have won 2 National Championships. I know that no PRESENT member has done so, but the University of Cincinnati was in the MVC when they played in the Final 4 each year from 1959-63, and won back to back NCAA titles in '61 and'62, and was runnerup in '63. Memphis State, now the University of Memphis, was NCAA runnerup (legally too LOL) under Gene Bartow in 1973. Louisville was a member of the Missouri Valley when it reached the Final 4 in 1972 (Denny Crum's first year as UofL coach)and lost by only 6 I think to unbeaten, Bill Walton led UCLA- in LA. I know those teams have been gone a while, but when bringing up a league's history, mention all of it. For a mid major, it has a lot of history.


in response to dakotasmom:

Way to go Aces! I love how this team doesn't give up, fights fights fights, and overcomes challenges (like Harris being out). The crowd tonight might have been small, but we were loud and excited! So great to hear the Aces Aces chant as it should be, not the way the cheer team does it now! Keep it up this weekend at Creighton and see you Tues vs UNI!!!!

Great point about the crowd- small but really into the game, more so than usual. I think the crowd (I thought it was a little more than announced) helped pick the team up in the second half when they needed it most, right after Missouri State came back to take the lead.
Marty Simmons and his staff have done a great job with this team. The Aces keep getting better as the season progresses, and that is the trademark of a well coached team. PVT was on the bench most of the second half last night, Ryan went out with foul trouble, and Harris was out with the concussion, and the team didn't flinch without 3 of their key players. Best part- most will be back for at lest two more seasons.

Written on IU's Watford out indefinitely:

in response to whymakeithard:

No more so than you "true" Aces fans. Been screaming that for years. Stay on the Aces pal .... who by the way couldn't handle the Hoosiers. I find it laughable that you come to this article and spew the same trash you stand up against in the Aces articles.

Hey now. There are a lot of us who follow both teams. Most years that is not a problem. I've been waiting for years it seems for both teams to have winning teams again. Don't tear down one team to make the other look good. Besides, UE is not who IU should be measured against. When IU is "back", they will be competing with the nation's best teams.
As far as Watford, I'm sorry he is injured. I enjoy watching him play. The Hoosiers have some winnable games coming up, but they could sure use Watford. I wish they would have pulled off the win at Michigan State. MSU has been the premiere program in the Big Ten, and one of the elite teams nationally for over a decade. While this isn't a vintage Spartans team, a win over their program would signal things turning around at IU.

Written on Concussion knocks Harris from Aces lineup:

in response to acescott:

Seems like just about everybody got hit in the face by SIU in some fashion. A few were even called fouls. That's why it was so fun to beat then handily.

I agree 100 % with that statement. It was frustrating at times with all the whistles stopping the action, but when a team plays like SIU, that's how it goes. There were a lot more "aggressive" fouls too. Once, with just over a minute to play, after an SIU miss, Fay shoved Ryan rather blatantly- pushed him out of bounds with both hands. No call. I've never been a fan of Lowery's playing style as a coach. They seem like they always want to "ugly" things up, play an overly aggressive style and keep the game in the 50's or low 60's. I pulled for SIU when they reached the Sweet 16 4 years ago and gave top seed Kansas all they wanted. After reading the attitudes of SIU fans on their website towards Evansville, I'm wondering why I ever did so. I wish UE would sweep them every year.

Written on For Simmons and Aces, history repeats itself | RANDY BEARD:

in response to LawEnforcementAndBasketballGuy:

Ugly Dawg fans nervous about Saturday's game.

Thanks for the link. I checked it out, and some of the Salukis fans aren't too happy with Chris Lowery.
I hope tomorrow's game is called the way it should be, and if it is, I hope the Aces are hitting their free throws, because they will be there a lot.

Written on Evansville Aces rank No.6 in MVC as the second half of the season kicks off:

in response to mkjbwool:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

You were right on it. The Aces won by 3. They are getting better as the season goes on. I'm looking forward to seeing them battle the Salukis Saturday night.

Written on University of Evansville Aces hold on to beat Bradley:

Bradley is down this year, but they are usually one of the better teams in the MVC. So any win over them is a win over a good program. The Aces haven't had a great deal of success aginst them, so don't knock the win. As far as Quincy beating them, exhibitions don't count. Last season, Syracuse lost to Le Moyne. Does anybody really believe Le Moyne was better? Does anyone really think DePauw is better than Evansville? I wish the NCAA would either drop exhibitions, or allow Div. I teams to go back to playing foreign traveling teams, and Athletes in Action type teams. Playing a Div. II team, which will no doubt always be more motivated, is a nothing to win, everything to lose situation for the Div. I team. With the expanded schedules, teams play enough games without exhibitions.

Written on University of Evansville Aces hold on to beat Bradley:

Wi_hoosier-I would bet that the # of students at tan IU game per students at the school is not out of the ballpark for % of student fans at UE games. 40,000+ kids go to IU... what is UE's size? 2,500???

The difference is any UE student who wants to attend an Aces game may do so,(class schedule permitting- and on a weekend, that wouldn't be a problem) whereas at IU, the students are given a certain number of tickets and they are used up. More IU students would go if they could. So their percentage would be higher but it is a set percentage by the university. The UE students used to fill their section, but that's not the case any more at Aces games.

Written on For 1970-71 Aces, going small paid off big:

Nice comments Earnest. I was lucky enough as a kid to also grow up within walking distance of Roberst Stadium and got to see a lot more games than I otherwise would have. I too was at that exhibition against the Poland team in Nov., 1978, and your father was right about it being the first game since the tragedy. Were you also at the first regular season game played after the plane crash? It was against DePaul, with Mark Aguirre and company, a team that made it to the Final Four that season, and of course they had their way with the Aces. But what I remember is that when the Aces came running out of the tunnel, the crowd stood and just cheered for what seemed a very long time. It was probably 4 or 5 minutes in length; people just stood clapping, many with tears in their eyes. CBS News showed a clip of it the next evening on their network news. They evened mentioned the bond between the team and the city, and how much it meant to the people.


in response to Will_Paca:

Nice addition to a good story.

Was that the game George Gervin punched somebody?

No, Gervin punched a player from Roanoke in the semi finals, or the Final Four of the NCAA Finals (Div. II now calls it the Elite Eight.) Obviously, he was ejected from the tourney. I wish he had been ejected from the UE game :), as the Aces lost by 5 to them. Twice at least, maybe 3 times, the Aces had the ball in the last 2 minutes with a chance to tie or lead, and couldn't score. I remember in the Courier the next day, reading that Eastern Michigan's coach said if they had ever lost the lead, with that crowd going crazy, he doesn't think they would have regained it. Roanoke probably wouldn't have beaten the Aces in Roberts Stadium, but they won the title that year.
Speaking of crowds going crazy, the back to back wins over Southwestern Louisiana and Old Dominion in 1971 had some of the loudest, most enthusiastic crowds ever. Roberts was definitely rocking on those two nights. Kentucky Wesleyan got beat by ODU in the first game, before the Aces knocked off SW Louisiana, which got the place jumping, and then the Aces and Cajuns really had the place loud. I think the fire marshall may have looked the other way when the Aces played ODU for the title.


That was a good basketball team, fundamentally sound, hard nosed, and fun to watch, especially as the season went on and you could see how how good they were getting. They didn't beat themselves, and Don Buse was a coach on the floor. He always guared the other team's best player, and then took charge when the Aces were on offense. He is still one of the best to ever wear the Aces uniform.
I was in high school then and saw every home game that team played. The 4-5 record to start the season was a bit misleading, as they lost to Div. I opponents UNLV, Weber State and Minnesota, plus lost on the road at Assumption, which had outstanding teams all through that era, and which came here later that season for the NCAA Finals. Indiana State had a pretty good team that season, thumped the Aces in Terre Haute in January, and it was a fun night when the Aces beat them here in front of big crowd in the final home game of the regular season. The team the following year, in 1971-72, was actually better than the "71 team, IMO anyway,and to this day, is one of my favorite and one of the best teams in Aces history. Buse, Steve Welmer, and Rick Coffey were seniors that year. A great Eastern Michigan team, led by the "Iceman" George Gervin, kept the Aces from a repeat. Fun times, lots of great games.
Thanks for the memories.

Written on Indiana bill would ban texting while driving:

It's too bad it has come to this. People should have the good sense already to know not to text and drive at he same time. It won't matter. People who want to text will pay about as much attention to this law as they do red lights.

Written on LETTER: There are enough smoke-free businesses:

Not all businesses are smoke free. So there are not enough smoke free businesses already. It is not Marxism or taking away rights when businesses go smoke free. Nobody says a person can't smoke. But that smoker has no right to infict their smoke on others. The only ones doing the whining and the name calling are the ones who accuse the majority of whining. Let's apply the logic that smoking propnents always use, and if you want to smoke, stay outside or stay home.
I'll be glad when Indiana legislators get the backbone to stand up to the smokers and end this foolishness once and for all.

Written on Bench sparks Harrison win:

in response to googleman:

Ok i will now, but how bout when he is 20 and he is playing kids 2 years younger. hmmmmmmm then what.

In your first post, you said the young man was "almost 16," which if true, would mean he is 15. Then you think he will be still be playing when he is 20? Five years from now? You really think he is going to be in high school for 6 years? Wow. What if he were playing for Central?
Would that make it better? It's not the public's business why parents hold a child back.

Written on Kansas church to picket Tell City soldier's funeral | POLL:

There is a special place in Hell reserved for people who "celebrate" the deaths of our fallen heroes. This young man was doing his job protecting all of us, including the haters of their so called church, and his family should be able to honor him in peace. They shouldn't have to put up with trash at their loved one's services.

Written on Mystery donor 'Pete' gives to brighten Easter Seals Christmas:

Reading about Pete every year puts so much into perspective. Thanks Pete- you're an angel on earth.

Written on Late 3-pointer in OT gives Aces big win over Butler:

in response to LawEnforcementAndBasketballGuy:

AirForceDad, as an Army guy, I have a different take:

Butler did not have their PG. UE is dealing with Hopf's injury.

Basketball is a team game and the back-up and bench count, too.

Please do not negate this win. It counts!

I was not in any way trying to negate this win. Sorry that it came across that way. On the contrary, as I watched the game, I felt the Aces were determined to win no matter what. Before the critics could say that was why they won, I just tried to say they showed a lot of heart and poise and were determined to do what it took to pull out the win. I've followed the Aces for way too many years to downplay any win. And even with a son serving in the Air Force, I hope the Aces beat the Air Force Academy in their next game.


Great win for the Aces. They showed some poise in those wild final seconds to pull out a big road win. I know Butler was without their point guard, but it seemed to me that UE was determined to do what it took to pull it out. they did not want to be denied. This is a huge win for the Aces program. The best part is that it was on the road, which should give them confidence that they can compete and win on the road in conference play.

Written on LETTER: Liberals out to destroy all smokers:

Evidently the Courier moderators are not paying attention, or they are allowing their own rules to be broken. To allow defamatory attacks shows a lack of character.

Written on LETTER: Liberals out to destroy all smokers:

in response to Will_Paca:

"Looking after the health and well being of the people is hardly socialism or fascism"

who gave you this job? who are you? a king? a noble? divinely righted? that's the trouble with you liberals. Let me give a little news. You are EQUAL to me. No more. No less rights. At least that's what this country used to be about.

And sorry like it not, what you are doing to force private businesses to do YOUR will by government fiat is by definition fascist. And therefore wear the badge proudly Adolf.

Who do you think you are calling me Adolf? Hitler was responsible for killing millions. I'm not advocating for people who disagree with me to be killed. I stated my belief that any business that is open to the public should be smoke free. If a business wants to allow smoking, make it a private club. Guess you would also allow restaurants to serve only people of a certain race, since you believe the government shouldn't be able to regulate somebody's business. Glad you at least admit that I'm equal to you. Most people like you believe you're above everybody else.

Written on LETTER: Liberals out to destroy all smokers:

in response to Will_Paca:

"Every place throughout the country that has banned smoking from all public places has seen business increase"

So you are telling us, that you could actually INCREASE your business if you banned smoking....

sorry but that is stupid, business owners would not have to have a law forced on them if that were the case.

Here's the real reason: cause all these businesses don't want to lose out on THEIR business because of their own stupid decision to ban smoking - they lobby to make ALL businesses conform.

Socialism/fascism is all it is.

Looking after the health and well being of the people is hardly socialism or fascism. I know, anything you conservatives disagree with you label as "liberal" or "socialism." And yes, it is a proven fact, that in every state where smoking was banned from public places, those businesses did even better. There is nothing stupid about that. The only thing stupid is that this is still being debated in late 2010.

Written on LETTER: Liberals out to destroy all smokers:

When the Republicans take over a majority of the County Commisioners Jan. 1, that is when bars may lose their exemption. The "liberal" City Council deadlocked at 4-4 when voting on a city ordiance that would have removed the exemption from bars, and had Curt John, a Democrat, been at the meeting, it would have been defeated 5-4. So tell me again how liberals are destroying smokers? Smokers are destroying themselves. Total economic collapse? That is hilarious. Every place throughout the country that has banned smoking from all public places has seen business increase. Massive bar closures? We could only hope, as there are too many drunks on the roads as it is. But never fear, bars aren't going away, they would just be smoke free. As others have stated before, Indiana, and Evansville in particular should have banned smoking in public years ago. We went inside a Florida restaurant more than a decade ago and asked to be seated in a non smoking section. We were told that the entire restaurant was non smoking. In the late '90's, Florida (hardly a liberal state) had already taken a proactive stance toward smoking. Most of the rest of the country has to. It's about time Indiana entered the 21st century. We're only a decade behind nearly every other state.

Written on Game loses lovable legend:

Sparky's greatest strength was his ability to place his players in positions to succeed. That was never more apparent than the move he made in May, 1975, to have Pete Rose, his All Star outfielder, not known for having a great arm, to play third base. Sparky was looking for a way to get George Foster into the lineup. Foster was a talented slugger who was wasting away on the bench, while the Reds were getting nothing from the third base position. With Rose, Cesar Geronimo, a Gold Glove center fielder, and Ken Griffey in the outfield, there was no room for Foster. Sparky gave his reasons for the move to Rose and ASKED him if he would try playing third. Rose later said that Sparky asking him instead of making him made the difference. With third base no longer an easy out and Foster turning into one of the best sluggers in the game, a Reds team at 21-21 went 87-33 the rest of the season to finish 108-54, won the division by 20 games, and won back to back World Series titles in '75 and '76. They won 102 more games in 1976. That move alone wasn't the only reason they won those 2 titles, but without that stroke of genius, that intuition, it's doubtful they would have. When the Reds acquired Joe Morgan from Houston, the first move Sparky did was place his locker next to Rose, wanting some of Pete to rub off. The two became best friends, were always getting on each other, competing and pushing, and it rubbed off on the younger players. Sparky wouldn't put up with pitchers who walk 3 or 4 batters in a row. He would get them out of there before they could do that. But if he thought knew you could get the job done, he gave you the chance. Sparky entrusted a one run lead in the ninth inning of World Series Game 7 in 1975 at Fenway Park to a rookie left hander, Will McEnaney. He got the side out in order, Carl Yastrzemski being the last out, to nail down the Series. He called on him again the next year at Yankee Stadium to complete a sweep. Sparky was an honest man who expected no less than a player's best effort- no more, no less. As a high school kid and then young adult in that era, I thought Sparky was an excellent role model in how to treat others. He and his Big Red Machine were the team that drew the biggest crowds and TV audiences, and it was no surprise later that he rebuilt the Tigers into a World Series Champion. Thanks for the great memories Sparky.

Written on Reitz rolls at the Bowl | PHOTOS | VIDEO:

"If that was your one bullet, Barney, you just shot yourself in the foot again."

That's one of the best lines I have ever read on here. Well done.

Written on Poll: Americans split on repealing health care law:

Thanks Monkey60 for taking up for me.
You are right; all I did was give my opinion, which I stand by. Health care will not be repealed. Not next year, not in 2013. Like abortion, Social Security, etc., it may be debated for years to come, but it isn't going away. I wouldn't mind knowing the winning lottery numbers though. Since I don't know, I don't play.

Written on Poll: Americans split on repealing health care law:

Health care is not going to be repealed. Tweeked some, most likely. But it is not going to be repealed. It is not going to happen.Critics of Social Security have wanted it repealed ever since it was instituted. Medicare and Medicaid were going to be repealed. Unemployment insurance was going to be repealed. The Civil Rights Act was going to be repealed. Etc. Every landmark piece of legislation had plenty of critics ready to repeal it at the first opportunity.
Health care reform is just the latest. No matter who gets elected to office, it isn't going to be repealed.