TERRE HAUTE —
More National Foootball League playoff games are slated this weekend, with the number of postseason teams down to eight following an interesting weekend of wild-card action.
Denver’s overtime victory over Pittsburgh was the biggie, of course, with Tim Tebow continuing his magic. He just wins.
Drew Brees does the same with New Orleans and he has more help than Tebow. The Saints are looking good as are the New York Giants, with Eli Manning keying the offense and the defense holding Atlanta to two points.
Houston won its first playoff game ever and looked good doing it. Here’s how we see the games this week:
New Orleans at San Francisco — The 49ers play good defense and Jim Harbaugh has done a great job in his first season but we think the Saints will get the job done.
New York Giants at Green Bay — The Giants had the Packers beat during the season only to lose in the final seconds. Look for the Pack to begin postseason play on a winning note.
Denver at New England — Tom Brady and the Patriots will be too tough for Tebow and the Broncos, duplicating last month’s victory.
Houston at Baltimore — The Ravens have had a chance to rest and should win this one.
We’ll see as the road to Indy continues.
• Good men — Two coaches well known to old-timers in the area died last week.
Tom Mont was the football coach at DePauw from 1959 to 1976 and served as athletic director from 1972 to 1987. He was a top quarterback at Maryland and coached there and also coached in the pros for a time.
He not only was a good coach but a great speaker.
Gene Bartow had a career mark of 647-353 in college men’s basketball. He was the coach at Valparaiso when the Crusaders competed in the old Indiana Collegiate Conference.
He also coached at Illinois and Alabama-Birmingham and took Memphis State to the NCAA Final Four, losing in the championship game to UCLA. He also was the coach who succeeded John Wooden at UCLA — an impossible task most will admit, but he had a 52-9 mark with the Bruins.
Final respects were paid two men in the area last week.
Dan Shields was a fellow empoyee at the Tribune-Star, working in the mail room for a long time and tending bar at Archie’s on Friday nights.
He loved his Green Bay Packers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and he was a big fan of IndyCar Series racing, often leaving work on a Friday or Saturday night to drive to Chicago or some track in the Midwest to watch races.
He was a member of the “Yellow Shirt” safety patrol at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 30 years and was a member of the The Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club.
Tim “Ooch” Waldrop and his brother “Cheeker” were two of the men who helped run the Spaghetti Open at Clinton’s Matthews Park each year. They made sure we got information for the newspaper and saved a spot for us at the banquet if we wanted to attend.
Tim was the first wrestler from South Vermillion High School to qualify for the state finals in the sport. Son Tanner now wrestles for the Wildcats and earned individual honors in a big match last week.
Condolences go to the families of Dan and Tim.
• Tom-Cattin’ It — Carroll “Nellie” Bennett, former boys basketball coach at Marshall, Ill., returned home last week after spending some time at Union Hospital, undergoing heart surgery with the rehab that folllowed.
• Ellis Park opened for simulcast action last week and Instant Racing machines should be installed in the spring at the track located between Evansville and Henderson, Ky.
• Warren Central football coach John Hart was on the staff for the All-American Bowl for prep football players last week.
• Ratings for the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game were out of sight for Sunday Night Football on Jan. 1.
• NFL Awards will be presented the night before the Super Bowl at the Murat Theater in Indy. NBC will air the show and Alec Baldwin will be the host.
• Attendance was down at many of the college bowl games. There may be too much of a good thing.
• Former Indiana Hoosier Keith Smart was let go after one season as the coach at Golden State in the NBA but has signed a new contract to coach Sacramento after Paul Westphal was let go as coach after the first week.
And Ken McDonald was fired as men’s basketball coach at Western Kentucky after a 5-11 start.
• Doug McDermott scored 44 points for Creighton at Bradley last week. It was the most points scored by a Missouri Valley Conference player since Nate Green had 45 for Indiana State against Eastern Illinois in 1999.
Tom Reck may be contacted by telephone at (812) 232-3231, by email at tm_reck@yahoo.com or by mail at 4284 South 5th Street, Apt. 3, Terre Haute, IN 47802.
Ramblin' Reck
RAMBLIN' RECK: A fresh round of predictions as the NFL dwindles to 8
- Ramblin' Reck
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Castroneves a safe bet at Indy 500
The field is full for the Indianapolis 500 and the race should be another good one.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: A good week to be a Sycamore
This week is a big one for sports fans and is off to a good start, particularly for Indiana State fans.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Clauson, 22, to make rare jump from USAC to Indy 500
Bryan Clauson will be a busy young man this month.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: May means it’s time for some thoroughbred horse racing
It’s May, it’s May, the wonderful month of May as the words sort of go in a famous musical.
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Following the changing Illinois coaching scene
Catching up on some coaching changes and some other business:
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Golf battle at Rea Park
The high school sports schedules are busy again this week, with local boys golf teams playing two matches at Rea Park.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Here’s to hoping for more Hoosier magic
Another NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is history and fans already are talking about next season.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Retiring Casey football coaches Sinclair, Vidoni will be missed
An era ended in Casey last week when Keith Sinclair and Gene Vidoni announced they are retiring as football coaches at Casey-Westfield High School.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: NCAA Final Four down to UK & everyone else
The Kentucky Invitational, officially known as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, is down to The Final Four.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: One man’s vote for public schools in the IHSAA tournament
The basketball season has ended for most high school and college teams, but fans in the Wabash Valley still have teams to root for this weekend.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Terre Haute great to be inducted into college Hall of Fame
One of Terre Haute’s all-time greats will be honored again later in the year when Clyde Lovellette will be inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Big Ten tourney wide open
Selection Sunday is coming and action in some of the conference basketball tournaments could play big roles in determining the field for the NCAA’s Big Dance.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Big week for preps, ISU, Rose-Hulman
Monday began one of the biggest weeks ever in basketball in the Wabash Valley or at least one of the biggest.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: No guaranteed wins in difficult Class 2A Casey regional
Let’s talk high school basketball.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Assessing the NCAA tournament jumble
The college men’s basketball schedule is in its final month with Selection Sunday less than four weeks away.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: And now, on to the next beloved winter sport
The final football game finally has been played, meaning folks in the Valley can concentrate on basketball this week.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Indianapolis is looking mighty good this week
It’s Super Bowl XLVI week … in Indiana for the first time.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Fox gives TH punter kudos
The stage is set. It’ll be the New York Giants against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl that will be played for the first time in Indianapolis.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Big Ten shaken up last week
It was a very interesting week in men’s college basketball, especially in the Big Ten.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: A fresh round of predictions as the NFL dwindles to 8
More National Foootball League playoff games are slated this weekend, with the number of postseason teams down to eight following an interesting weekend of wild-card action.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Hile inducted into Hall
Indiana State grad Amy Lynn Hile will take her place in another Hall of Fame this year.
Inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, the former Sycamore standout has been named as one of the 2011 inductees into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: It’s time now for some intraleague hoops rivalries
It’s the final week of 2011 but it is the first week of conference basketball games for most colleges, particularly those in Indiana and Illinois.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: A long distance relationship
Indiana State’s trip out West to play basketball at Boise State brought back memories of one of the trips I made to that city.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Indiana Mr. Football still has big decision to make
Some awards in high school and college football were announced last week.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: No dearth of good basketball
Based on early games, the college basketball season is going to be very interesting for coaches, players and fans, particularly in the Big Ten and Missouri Valley.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Big Ten-ACC challenge gets under way tonight
Conference championship football games and challenge action in basketball will make for a busy week for college teams.
Wisconsin and Michigan State will meet in the very first Big Ten football championship Saturday at Indianapolis. Kickoff is 8 p.m. and the action will be carried by Fox.
Michigan State nipped the Badgers in the regular-season contest at East Lansing. We like Wisconsin to win and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Other games and picks:
SEC — LSU over Georgia on Saturday
Mid-American — Northern Illinois over Ohio U. on Friday
Pac-12 — Oregon over UCLA on Friday
ACC — Virginia Tech over Clemson on Saturday
Conference USA — Houston over Southern Mississippi on Saturday
Western Kentucky will not play for a championship but the Hilltoppers won seven of their last eight games to finish with a winning mark. That’s the same team that lost to Indiana State, you will recall.
Meanwhile, the hiring and firing already has begun with Urban Meyer coming out of retirement to accept the job at Ohio State. That was a no-brainer.
Illinois is bowl-eligible but Ron Zook is out. Ditto for Turner Gill at Kansas and apparently Dennis Erickson at Arizona State.
In basketball, the first games in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge will be played tonight. The biggie tonight is Duke at Ohio State. Miami of Florida is at Purdue and Illinois plays at Maryland.
On Wednesday, Indiana is at North Carolina State, Wisconsin is at North Carolina and Michigan State goes to Florida State.
Indiana State is at Boise State on Saturday for a Missouri Valley-Mountain West Challenge game,
It was fun and gratifying to be able to watch the Sycamores on national television as they took third in the Old Spice Classic. The team got tons of favorable publicity and comments from the three games.
And what a game for Jake Odum and his triple-double. Wow.
I I I
n White honored — Taylor White of Casey has earned academic all-state honors in Illlinois football.
White was one of the top players at linebacker and fullback and was one of the captains on the team but did not play as the Warriors lost to Morrison in the Class 2A title tilt.
He was sidelined by injury in the game against Marshall and underwent surgery.
The Warriors gave Morrison all it wanted in the final game, concluding another banner season for coach Keith Sinclair and the team.
Nice work, Warriors.
I I I
n Tom-Cattin’ It — Carmel was the only public school to win a prep football championship in Indiana and was impressive in its 54-0 victory over Penn in the 5A finale.
Other winners — all private schools — were Lafayette Central Catholic in A, Fort Wayne Luers in 2A, Indianapolis Chatard in 3A, and Indianapolis Cathedral in 4A.
n Sullivan puts its undefeated girls basketball record on the line tonight at West Vigo. Its victory over Terre Haute South last week was its first over the Braves since 1992.
n Terre Haute North grad Steve Weatherford, now punting for the New York Giants, was featured in a nice story in The New York Times on Monday.
He was singled out for his conditioning program and called the strongest player pound for pound — at 210 pounds — on the team that met the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
n Jim Rathman died last week at 83.
He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960, edging Rodger Ward in a race in which there were a record 29 lead changes.
Rathman also was runner-up in the race in 1952, 1957 and 1959.
n Flora has been tabbed by one newspaper as the preseason pick to win the Little Illini Conference boys basketball championship and to make it to the Final Four.
The Wolves play Marshall, off to a 3-1 start, next week.
Tom Reck may be contacted by telephone at (812) 232-3231, by email at tm_reck@yahoo.com or by mail at 4284 South 5th Street, Apt. 3, Terre Haute, IN 47802. -
RAMBLIN' RECK: Sinclair: ‘Never underestimate the heart of a Warrior’
Casey’s high school football team will have one more week of practice, including a workout early Thanksgiving Day, but the players don’t mind it.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: MVC’s quick start brings hope
Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball teams and others are off to a good start.
Valley teams were 9-2 in games played through Sunday. Two teams picked up some very nice victories.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: ISU’s ranking solid heading into basketball season
The college football season still has a few weeks to run for most teams, but the basketball season starts for real for a lot of teams this week; a few still have some exhibition contests left on the schedule.
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RAMBLIN' RECK: Terre Haute native had memorable career at Red Hill
When Red Hill played its final football game of the season last month in Illinois, it marked the end of an era for a friend of mine and for the high school.
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