Posted by: ledman24
May 16 2012
It’s been awhile since we touched base last and a lot has happened in the Purdue world. Let’s take of look at some of the highlights (The term highlights is being used loosely here.).
Lambert Field Goes out with a Bang (and a B1G Title)
Purdue baseball played the final ever game at Lambert Field and celebrated in walk off fashion in extra innings. This came after a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the ninth. The old ballpark just wouldn’t accept going out with anything less I guess. I don’t follow Purdue baseball too closely but I know they are doing quite well and are in line to host a round of the NCAA Tournament. Where is the question. Lambert field doesn’t have the capability to host a regional so Purdue is currently looking for a suitable “home” location. As always even though I don’t follow it closely Purdue is Purdue so I’ll be rooting for them. This comes on the heels of Purdue Baseball winning their first B1G title in 103 years. We are talking a Cubs like struggle with this one. It’s nice to see them finally break through. The team has been improving through the last five years and even have former player Josh Lindblom making a name for himself in relief for the Dodgers.
Antavian Edison in legal hot water
Purdue’s leading returning wide receiver (584 yards on 44 receptions) is in legal trouble as he was arrested in Florida after a weapon was found in his car. Antavian took to twitter to to proclaim his innocence saying:
Antavian Edison @EliteBreeze13
I don’t understand how the media and the FMPD can enjoy slandering an innocents man’s name… I wonder do these people have kids?
8 May 12
Posted by: ledman24
May 03 2012
Tip of the Hat for Fighting for home games
First off I want to start with something positive about IU basketball. It’s like ripping off a band-aid or eating the vegetables at the start of the meal. No one wants to do it but sometimes it just has to be done. It was announced today that IU and Kentucky would not be playing next season because the two teams couldn’t decide on continuing the series as either a home and home or a neutral site series. IU wanted home and home (because it’s college basketball) while Kentucky wanted neutral sites (because Cal is a giant douche and wants everything his way). Let’s face facts I hate IU but the fact is that IU was doing the right thing by fighting for home games. The fans of each school deserve to see a good home schedule and Cal was fighting to take away a home game from his own fans. I’ve seen people say there are recruiting implications for Cal because playing in Indy would be a huge showcase for him and his team. My counterpoint to that would be that he clearly doesn’t need the help. Kentucky recruiting is going just fine in case you can’t tell. I don’t think playing in Indianapolis versus Bloomington will truly make that big of a difference. I’ve also seen IU people say Cal was afraid of coming back to Assembly Hall. That’s ridiculous. Cal’s results speak for themselves. The guy just wins games. He’s in no way scared of any game. IU has done the right thing here fighting for their fans. Tip of the hat.
Wag of the Finger for their Sweet 16 Display
How hideous
BANNERS!!! BANNERS!!! FIVE BANNERS!!!! That’s a refrain every Purdue fan is familiar with when debating an IU fan. All they care about are national championships. Nothing else comes close. Oh and Purdue’s doesn’t count. Well that stance seems to have not just softened but gone all defrosted freezer on us. First there was this joker who said IU should hang a banner for this team and now there is a display for the Sweet 16 team that IU just had. Included in this display are newspapers from the IU defeat of Kentucky…in December…as well as Watford’s jersey from what is apparently the most important shot in IU basketball history. Look, I get that they had a great year and they came back from the depths of the conference for a 5th place conference finish and Sweet 16 appearance but Purdue did that in the past and you know actually won a Conference Title and a B1G Tournament title. For all of the high and mighty talk that IU throws out about being a premier team in the nation and not lowering themselves to such pathetic standards they sure didn’t hesitate to put up that display case.
It’s not a banner and perhaps it’s a good compromise but it smacks of MAC level achievement and mediocrity. Can you imagine the outcry if Purdue had done this after the two Sweet Sixteens Purdue went to in the last four years? Imagine the hatred, vitriol, and anger coming from the IU camp. I won’t say they’ve lowered themselves (even though they have) and I won’t say they are ridiculous (even though they are) but I will say that I’m not angry I’m just disappointed.
Posted by: ledman24
Apr 24 2012
The B1G today announced the “prime time” games for the 2012 football season. As I perused the list I couldn’t help but notice that Purdue isn’t mentioned. Not once. Not even as an opponent at an away game. By comparison IU has three night games (granted two are Ball State and Indiana State). I’m not going to sit here and tell you that lights are the end all and be all for Purdue football. They don’t NEED lights per say. Lights don’t make the team better and lights won’t necessarily bring in more fans or bring later start times, but varying the time every now and then couldn’t hurt. I know these days times are dictated by TV coverage which is vastly important for recruiting and national exposure. Purdue has been stuck in the doldrums of the 12:00 game for years now. For me personally it’s not that big of a deal. I live in the same time zone and live just about an hour away from the stadium. For me it means I simply get to sleep in less during home game Saturdays and I’m okay with that. I love Purdue football and will gladly sacrifice a few hours of sleep in order to watch my favorite team in person each and every Saturday. That being said not all fans are like me.
Most high school have lights
For instance, my fiancee’s family lives in the central time zone which is great when we go visit them because I magically gain an hour of time. The road home though is killer because it turns a two hour drive into a three hour drive. The same thing is true for Purdue fans from “the region” or Chicago hoping to come to a game some Saturday. The drive from Chicago to Ross-Ade is around 2.5 hours if everything goes right. Then add in an extra hour for the time change and you’re sitting at a 3.5 hour trip if things go great. Add in a half hour of traffic/bathroom breaks/detours and your looking at a 4 hour trip to get to the game. Now most fans want to get to the game a little early, find a place to park, and probably grab a bite to eat. Let’s assume they want to arrive an hour before kickoff. That means the 4 hour trip has become a 5 hour trip at the very least. In order to get to a 12:00 kickoff someone living in the Chicago area has to leave at 7:00 AM if they want to make it right at kickoff but at 6:00 AM if they’d like a little time to spare. I don’t know about you but that would suck. It’s not forcing these customers away but it does make it difficult for them to take in the game day experience. People like myself have no room to complain but those who face travel challenges like those above have a legitimate gripe.
The question is though how many of those fans would come to games if they were later in the day. What if they kicked off at 3:30? How about 4:00 like the Purdue vs. Michigan game will? I understand that on the opposite side of the equation for the early games are late night kickoffs that cause people to drive home incredibly late and even not get home till the next day. You can’t please everyone but that’s basically my point. The effect of lights on attendance would be negligible at best. It would be much more convenient for a lot of people but would it suddenly fill the stadium? I think not. Another thing to think about is if having lights would even get Purdue the later kickoffs. It certainly seems to be a factor in deciding game times regardless of what you read. How else do you explain IU football having three night games? I’m not sugar coating it when I say they are terrible. Every now and then they grab a win but they are just consistently and historically a bad program. Then they redid their stadium and suddenly they get a few night games a year. It appears that the administration has made it a point of emphasis to press for night games hoping the novelty will attract more fans. I know I watched more IU football in these last couple years simply because they were the only B1G game on at the time some nights.
So where exactly did we get to here? Probably nowhere. There is no right answer to the question of does Purdue need lights. It would certainly seem to help them get the more desirable (to me anyway) afternoon or evening the occasional evening kickoffs. Night games against good opponents of course generate buzz and more ticket sales and that is something Purdue desperately needs. I don’t think Purdue would benefit by having say the Eastern Kentucky game kickoff at 8:00. It’s just a gimmick at that point and I think people understand that. As long as Purdue doesn’t have lights though there will be people complaining about it. I’m not sure of the cost for lights at Ross-Ade but I remember reading it’s somewhere around $1.5-$2.0. Someone can correct me in the comments if I’m wrong. That seems like a small investment if you can prove that over time the late night starts and late afternoon starts bring in bigger crowds. Until you can prove that point though you’ll have a hard time getting that money away from the justifiably tight fisted Morgan Burke.
Posted by: ledman24
Apr 16 2012
Post John Hart Purdue now has two open scholarships for next year. It’s possible that Painter could give those schollies to Anthrop and Beshears but I have to assume he’s going to go after a 5th year transfer ala Brandon Wood from Valpo/M$U. It will be interesting to see what Painter does now that next year’s team is down to just 11 scholarship players with five of those players having never played a college game before.
Posted by: ledman24
January 19th, 2010 was the ultimate highlight of John Hart’s career. He came into a game with Purdue needing a win on the road and delivered 14 points in 18 minutes. The kicker being that he wasn’t in the scorer’s book meaning that Purdue was assessed a technical foul. That’s one of the weirdest technical fouls I’ve seen in my life. Purdue came away with a 6 point victory and without that win Purdue wouldn’t have won the conference that season.
John Hart at his best in a Purdue uniform at Illinois in 2010
For those of you that haven’t heard John Hart is transferring from Purdue at the end of the school year. He will have spent his four years at Purdue and will be graduating in May with an OLS degree. John Hart appears to be an excellent student who is simply looking to take advantage of the 5th year senior rule and head out to a smaller school where he can get a bit more playing time. It’s not completely unexpected. Hart has long been buried on the bench thanks to his defense that left something to be desired and his numerous foot injuries that slowed his development. It’s a shame to because the guy can shoot the ball.
He was a surprise addition to Painter’s 2008 class and was the Marion County Player of the Year but was lightly recruited. Painter swooped him up at the end of the recruiting season after things fell through with other players. He looked to be a solid addition because you can never have too many shooters. He was redshirted his first season but never truly found his place on the team. From all accounts he’s a great guy in the locker room and a great guy in the classroom. You have to respect and admire those things about him. He was put into a tough situation by redshirting and then having numerous foot injuries but he soldiered on and supported his team day after day.
We here at Jumbo Heroes wish John nothing but the best. He’s always done things the right way here at Purdue and he will now get an opportunity to further his education and get some more playing time at a smaller school. I wish him all the luck in the world. He’ll forever be a Boilermaker (and apparently the Lone Ranger as well. Google John Hart and the actor who played the Lone Ranger will be your first results).
Antavian Edison @EliteBreeze13
