Last Saturday night was a basketball fan's picnic. Three great games, six great teams and, mostly, the people I cheered for won.
The first game was a real barn burner. (Can I still say that in Indiana? Most of the outbuildings being built these days are not made of combustible material.) It was in Wichita, Kansas at the building they call the "Round House," and the Shockers had put their home grey uniforms in a box and they were dressed all in black. The sold-out arena was mostly in black as well as they were urging a "black-out." And the team from Wichita State started out to do damage against the No. 1 team in the conference, the Creighton Blue Jays. Just to make the contrast even more of a visual treat, Creighton was wearing their home whites. The Wheat Shockers came out and shot a blazing 70 percent at the beginning of this contest. Wichita was the best team and Creighton had the best player in Doug McDermott. By half-time, Creighton has pretty much caught up to Wichita State. It was a real tussle but, in the final seconds, Wichita State would win the game. I'm sure the crowd (the sixth man) had a lot to do with it. It was a great ball game.
Our second basketball treat was Indiana State entertaining Evansville. The Aces started out ahead. They blazed the nets early in this ball game, but the tenacious defense of Indiana State would catch up with them by half-time. Just when I thought the Sycamores were doomed to failure, they got tough, made some critical shots, and as time was running out they were running away with the ball game. They were so sluggish at the beginning of the game I said they were playing like a bunch of old women. That did not endear me to my wife. As the game was winding down and the Sycamores were comfortably ahead, she looked across the way at me and said, "Ronn, the old women are winning the game!" I must learn to keep some thoughts to myself. The Sycamores now stand tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference race which, if they hold this spot, will certainly help them in the MVC Arch Madness Tournament.
The third and final game was the pitting of two bulldog nicknames against each other. In the last few years, you would have to say Gonzaga and Butler are two mid-majors that have been really good in the national basketball arena. Butler's top shooter was unable to play because of a sprained neck. It is an injury that could have been much, much worse when it happened a week or so ago. So, their artillery diminished, Butler and Gonzaga fought it out tooth and toenail on the floor of Hinkle Fieldhouse ... probably the most exciting finish I have seen or heard about this year. Young Mr. Stockton from Gonzaga had only three seconds or so on the clock. He had a one-point lead, and all he had to do was pass the ball in successfully. He tried to throw the ball over a defender's head, got it too high, and Roosevelt Jones of Butler intercepted the ball, drove towards the basket, hoisted a floater, and the ball had just left his hand when the red light on the backboard came on, the horn blared, and the shot went in the basket. Before the game, the announcers spoke about the Hinkle Fieldhouse "magic" and all of us were witness to the fact.
Congrats to the Sycamores for showing the grit they are becoming famous for. I'm sure somebody must have taped the Wichita State-Creighton game because both these titans of the league will be coming here. Man, what a night of basketball!
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
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RONN MOTT: ‘Hoosier Saturday Night’
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RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
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The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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I just wanted to express my disappointment at the lack of response shown by President Obama after the Boston Marathon bombings.
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Readers' Forum: May 10, 2013
CANDLES event plants new seed: On April 26, CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center hosted an event called “Sowing Seeds of Peace: A Celebration of Spring” at the Apple House. Our purpose was to introduce people to our concept of forgiveness as a seed for peace.
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RONN MOTT: ‘NRA Convention’
At the recent NRA Convention in Houston, Texas, where the right-wing political hot air almost lifted the convention's building off its foundation, the NRA trotted out the forever yours political dame of the right wing, Sarah Palin. Sarah did not disappoint.
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EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
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Some words in praise of boring government — Indiana’s
A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government leads to major changes in public policy. This did not happen in 2013 in Indiana.
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RONN MOTT: ‘Heritage gone’
The last high school I attended was being torn down just a few days ago. I didn't learn about it until I saw classmate Dick Mills on television and a display he had put together about State football championships in the middle 1930's. I began elementary school with Dick Mills. That was Matthew South Elementary School on South Sixth Street in Clinton, Indiana. After seeing Dick on TV, it dawned on me that all schools I had attended in Clinton have been torn down.
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LIZ CIANCONE: We always want more than we need
Washington seems more preoccupied with the unemployment rate than they are about the constant stalemate. Still with thousands out of work and the unemployment rate hovering somewhere between 7 percent and 9 percent, it does deserve more than a passing nod.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 6, 2013
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MARK BENNETT: Should I stay or should I go?
Some have their Bill Clinton-era Cavalier packed (with the trunk bungee-ed shut), apartment cleaned (except for the fridge), and iPhone GPS locked onto the fastest route out of Terre Haute. Others are staying — until they find a better job, or because they’re starting a career here, or because this town feels like home. In each case, a new stage of life begins today.
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EDITORIAL: Education remains worth the cost
Within the next few weeks, each of the local colleges will have conducted graduation ceremonies. A few days later, a different Class of 2013 will don caps and gowns for commencement — the seniors at five Vigo County high schools. It is still a smart, worthy aspiration for those high school grads to replicate the achievement of those college students by earning a higher-education degree.
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College Class of '13 gets a little extra advice
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