I am assuming that most of you saw the IU vs. Temple game. As you probably know, the Hoosiers scared the poo-die out of their fans before pulling the game out in the last few minutes. Victor Oladipo sealed the deal with a 3 pointer with 13 seconds to go. Temple’s senior guard, Khalif Wyatt was having his way with the Big Red defense for most of the game but they finally put a clamp on him with a few minutes left. IU played no harder than it had to to get the win, but the issue was in doubt for much of the contest. The Hoosiers tangle with the 4th seeded Syracuse Orangemen tonight (3-28) at the Verizon Center in Dayton, Ohio 9:45 EDT. This is the first time since November of 1998 that these two teams have played each other. Syracuse won that game 72-68.
Butler lost a close one to Marquette in the second round 74-72.The Golden Eagles avenged a 72-71 loss to the Dawgs in the third game of the regular season. Congratulations to Head coach Brad Stevens and his Butler Bulldogs for another outstanding season.
Indy Car Opening Race
The opening race of the 2013 Indy Car season was run Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Dan Wheldon Memorial Honda Grand Prix Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe took the checked flag for his first Indy Car win. Driving the Number #25 GoDaddy Chevrolet powered Dallara DW12 car for the Andretti Autosports Team, he passed last year’s winner Helio Castroneves on the final restart of the race and held on for the victory. Castroneves took second place. Will Power, driving a Team Penske Dallara Chevy, started from the pole but was eliminated in a mid-race tangle with J. R. Hildebrand. Hildebrand ran into and over Power’s back end during a caution period. The Chevrolet engine is once again the engine to beat as only three Honda powered cars finished in the top ten. Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2010 Simona De Silvestro finished in sixth place. The Swiss driver, who is nicknamed “the Iron Maiden,” was driving her first race for her new team K V Racing Technologies and started fourth. The 24 year old Ms. Silvestro is delighted to be competing with a Chevy engine after a disastrous 2012 season in which she was contractually obligated to race with a noncompetitive and poorly powered Lotus engine while driving for HVM Racing. Lotus didn’t attempt to supply engines for the series this season.
Indianapolis Colts
Free Agency
The Indianapolis Colts have been busy during the Free Agency signing period that began earlier in the month. We lost backup quarterback Drew Stanton and cornerback Jerraud Powers to the Arizona Cardinals and replaced them with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck from the Tennessee Titans and cornerman Greg Toler from the Cardinals. Toler is considered an upgrade over the injury prone Powers. Wide receiver Donny Avery signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Avery was second to Reggie Wayne in both catches (60) and yardage. The Colts seem to be looking at former Oakland Raider wideout Darius Heyward-Bey as a possible replacement for Avery. Heyward- Bey was the Raiders’ 2009 number one draft pick. His career has had its ups and downs but he was a salary cap casualty this year. If the Colts sign him, he would bring great speed to the Colt receiving corp.
The Colts added former Detroit right offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus and Patriot offensive guard Donald Thomas to the roster to help shore up the offensive line. San Francisco reserve defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois will add depth to the defensive line and strong safety LaRon Landry made the Pro Bowl for the Jets last season. He will team with free safety Antoine Bethea to give the Horseshoe one of the best safety tandems in the AFC.
The Colts have just four picks in the upcoming NFL College Draft. The 24th pick of the first round, the 24th pick of the third round, the 24th pick of the fourth round, and the 24th pick of the sixth round. This is why they have been so active in the free agent market.
snicewanger@yahoo.com