Big happenings in Indiana

The state of Indiana is buzzing right now.  If you're a sports fan, it's the place to be.  This weekend in particular.  The obivous attraction right now is Super Bowl XLVI.  Downtown Indianapolis has been a buzz with the Super Bowl Village, and NFL Experience leading up to Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.  We went to dowtown Indianapolis Tuesday to check it out.  It was definately the experience of a lifetime.  I got within 5 feet of several ESPN personalities.  Indianapolis went all out for this.  They closed of several streets downtown for the Super Bowl Village.  They put down artificial turf over one street.  They have a zip line set up next to the convention center that goes over the street of turf.  The convention center is the host to the NFL Experience, and the NFL shop.  ESPN took over the Pan Am plaza, and the Lids Locker Room inside the Pan Am building.  I have heard nothing but good things about how great the city of Indianapolis has done.  I talked to someone today who has been to 3 super bowls, and never had near as much fun as he had the last two nights in downtown Indy, and was headed down there again tonight.  Nothing is guarranteed, but if all the reviews are a sign, it's very possible the big game could be back.  But, local people are not surprised at all by this.  They have hosted multiple Final Fours, the Big 10 tournament, as well as the Big 10 championship game in football.  Indy knows how to put on a party.  Then you have the Indiana Pacers, who are playing much better basketball this season, riding a 4 game win streak into tonight, hosting the Orlando Magic.  But for most of the population of Indiana, there was something much bigger going on today.  The in-state rivalry between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana Hoosiers tipped off at 7 pm tonight.  The Super Bowl may be tomorrow, but tonight belonged to college basketball.  I have been a Purdue fan since I was a little kid.  Their coach, Gene Keady was from Larned Kansas, a few towns over from where I grew up.  I always thought it was pretty awesome that someone from a small town in western Kansas could be a successful head coach like that.  I also had a tremendous amount of respect for Bob Knight and the success that he had.  I always liked Purdue more, but didn't really dislike IU.  I moved to Indiana a little over a year ago.  I have been able to follow Purdue a lot more since moving here.  This year I have been able to go to Mackey Arena and watch a few games.  Needless to say, I'm hooked.  I will always be a KSU Wildcat fan, but Purdue is a close second.  But my attitude towards the Indiana Hoosiers has changed drastically.  The main reason for this is their fans and the IU bias.  Tonights game illustrates why I dislike IU as much, if not more than I do the Kansas Jayhawks.  Those of you who know me, know how much I dislike the Jayhawks.  Their fans are very arrogant and self absorbed.  They had two big wins, at home, and all the IU fans winning it all.  They have only won 2 games on the road in the Big 10.  Assembly Hall is one of the most "home town biased" arenas in the country.  Even on the road, they get more calls than most of the home teams.  The officials did not determine the outcome of the game tonight, but they certainly gave the edge to the Hoosiers.  When comments are made about the officiating IU fans are quick to criticize the comments, yet when they loose, they are just as quick to criticize the officials.  I guess when you get all the calls, you expect nothing less.  I was unable to get tickets to attend the game, so I had to watch it on Big Ten Network.  TV analysts are supposed to be unbiased.  Yet, watching this game was just like watching Dick Vitale call a Kansas Jayhawk game.  They were slobbering all over the Hoosiers all night.  Then there is the media bias.  Purdue is not a spectacular team.  They are an average team.  They are in the middle of the Big 1o, where they belong.  They are inconsistant.  I have no issue with admitting that.  But, Purdue and Indiana have similar records and Purdue is actually ahead of Indiana in the Big 10 standings.  Yet, Indiana is ranked #22 in the country.  I don't believe Purdue should be ranked, but Indiana does not deserve to be either.  IU fans insist that they are the best team in the Big 10.  They WAY over-hype the Hoosiers.  As I said earlier, after one win over Kentucky, there automatically put them in the NCAA tournament and talked like they were the best team in the country.  Indiana is way over rated, yet according to their fans, they are under rated.  They are no worse, or no better than Purdue.  Indiana may have won tonight, but that does not mean they are the better team.  There is no doubt they have more talent.  They have more talent and more potential, yet they are still behind Purdue in the standings.  They can not win outside the home town bias of Assembly Hall.  I would say that they are under achieving this year.  With the weapons they have, they SHOULD be one of the top teams in the Big 10, yet they are 6th in the standings, tied with Purdue.  So, IU fans will continue to run their mouths, and my dislike for them will continue to grow.  Every team has good years and bad years.  Every team has ups and downs.  You can't win them all.  IU may have won tonight, and may win when they meet again in March, but the future is very bright for Purdue.  Next years recruiting class is supposed to be better then the class that included Moore, Johnson, and Hummell.  So, enjoy it while it last IU fans, because it won't last long.  Boiler Up!!