AS A VISUAL person with a sight impairment, my eye health has been a lifelong priority. When I was around 5 years old and learned how to read, it became apparent that my vision tests were not in the range of normal. My left eye could distinguish letters and numbers clearly, but its counterpart did not match up. The sight in my right eye has always been blurry and obscured by a blind spot in my upper field of view. It took some trial and error with eye doctors in my hometown before I was referred to pediatric ophthalmologists at the IU School of Medicine. Throughout elementary school, I got to play hooky one day a year to come to Indy and have my pupils dilated for an annual round of intensive examination. The (almost) fun part usually came later in the day with trips to the Children’s Museum, the zoo, or downtown department stores following my appointments. I say “almost” because I spent most of those jaunts wearing ill-fitting sunglasses and trying to avoid bright lights.

Testing revealed the source of my vision problems but offered no solutions or cures. In short, I had a structural anomaly in the back of my eye that could not be repaired. And now, after decades of my brain adjusting to and rebalancing my lopsided sight, trying to fix it would likely do more harm than good.

Over the years, I’ve visited a long roster of eye specialists to assess and maintain my quality of vision. One of my favorites, Dr. Robert Yee of IU, regularly took honors in our Top Doctors list before he retired 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve continued to consult our listings to find care not only for my eyes, but also for knee injuries, dermatology screenings, and food allergies, among other health concerns. I hope you, the reader, find this issue equally useful as a year-round resource to help you locate providers to treat whatever ails you.

The post Vision Statement appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

WAY BACK when I could still count my age in single digits, the best place to dance and listen to music was in the newly paneled, remodeled basement at my parents’ house. As my sister and I spun records on the turntable (or sometimes inserted tapes into an 8-track player), the Bee Gees suggested we should be dancing, and KISS commanded us to rock ’n’ roll all night and party every day. Despite our best attempts, school night bedtimes prevented us from fully living out the rock star lifestyle.

As I grew into my teen years, it became totally uncool (mortifying, really) to continue the basement dance parties at home. And so began my journey into following live music. While I was in high school, I thought it was a big deal to travel from Kokomo to Indy to catch bands at venues like the Arlington and Murat theaters. After I graduated from IU and settled into my first apartment in Broad Ripple, I reveled in the convenience of walking to shows at The Vogue and The Patio. In the years since, my list of favorite local music venues expanded to include the Melody Inn, Hi-Fi, Radio Radio, and White Rabbit Cabaret—all of which made it into this month’s cover feature.

These days, I don’t make it out to concerts nearly as often as I used to, but I’m tempted to buy tickets when I see the following event details: doors at 6, show at 7. (Turns out, those school night bedtimes apply in middle age, too.) Last summer, I hosted a house concert, which meant I didn’t even have to leave the comfort of my living room to enjoy a live set by my favorite performer with an intimate crew of 25 other people. Although I now play music via streaming services on a Bluetooth device, I find myself reliving those childhood dance parties of old in my new-to-me wood-paneled family room. It all comes back around eventually.

The post Editor’s Note: Full Circle appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

I took knowing how to swim for granted.

I was “taught” how to swim by my grandfather, who chucked me into Grand Lake St. Marys off the bow of his pontoon boat The Groucher when I was just a wee lad. He did throw me in the general direction of my mother, but I still had to paddle to get to her and thus learned to keep my head above water.

Following that introduction, the formal lessons I received at the town’s municipal pool came around age 5, and all I can really remember about them is my mom dropping me off at 8:30 a.m. and then being forced to jump into a freezing swimming pool. The water was so cold. So cold.

But to my family, knowing how to swim was a necessity. We lived on a lake and owned a sailboat—a 21-foot Lightning. My father, a radioman second class who served on the USS Benner in the South Pacific during World War II, liked to sail. A lot. He loved to be on the water. He said it relaxed him, even if there was no wind. So nearly every summer evening after he returned home from work, we went sailing.

And every weekend, we went out on a pontoon boat my grandfathers crafted together using eight old, 55-gallon oil drums. One grandfather was a woodworker and the other a welder by profession, so one welded the drums and supporting metal frame together while the other designed and crafted the deck, roof, and storage cabinet in the middle. Then they put a fence up around the edge to keep us kids from falling into the lake. So my cousins and I had to learn at a very early age how to keep ourselves afloat and how to swim to safety.

Swimming continued to play a big part in my life. I completed the mile swim to earn my merit badge in swimming at Camp Lakota Boy Scout Summer Camp in my early teens, participating every year thereafter just to see if I could still do it. It was at Camp Lakota that I learned how to float in a pool with ease. Later in life, I lived along the Gulf of Mexico, going out past the breakers where I could enjoy the freedom of open water swimming.

Covering the events leading up to the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis made me think about my younger days in the water. I’ve always known the “how to’s” of swimming, so I never realized there are so many people of all ages who do not know how to swim at all.

I never even thought about it until I heard that swimming is often touted as the only sport that saves lives. Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 1–4 years, and children under 1 year old are more likely to drown at home. Of children younger than 5, 87 percent of drowning fatalities occur in home pools or hot tubs. Bathtubs are the second leading location.

That is why Eli Lilly and Company introduced the Swim in Safety program alongside the 2024 swimming trials. The legacy program is teaching water safety to as many Hoosiers 5 and older as possible over 2023 and 2024, with a goal to train at least 25,000 individuals in 2023 and 2024 each.

What does water safe mean? It means learning and practicing progressive self-rescue and swimming skills that help reduce the risk of drowning, helping individuals to become more confident in and around water.

“The Swim Safety Legacy program presented by Eli Lilly is a statewide initiative that has already reached over 30,000 Hoosiers in 2023 and ’24 so far. Our goal is 50,000 by the end of 2024. This will be a lasting legacy,” Indiana Sports Corp chief of staff and strategy Sarah Myer states.

Shana Ferguson, chief commercial officer of USA Swimming, adds, “Part of this legacy leave-behind is legislation to mandate every second grader in Indianapolis has access to swim lessons.”

Over 54 percent of Americans either can’t swim or don’t have all the basic swimming skills, according to a recent Red Cross survey. Only 28 percent of Hispanic people and 37 percent of Black people have taken swimming lessons, according to the CDC.

“This event is going to save lives,” says Scott Davison, president and CEO of OneAmerica Financial. “Swim Safety will reach 50,000 under served citizens. This will put a dent in the history of exclusion in this country.”

We all have read the stories of people, young and old, who fall into a river, get knocked off a boat into turbulent waters, or who look away from their little ones for just a split second and are heartbroken. According to the WHO, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide, accounting for 7 percent of all injury-related deaths. There are an estimated 236,000 drowning deaths every year globally, so this is not just a problem in this country or state. This initiative will help address drowning deaths and build on a skill that families can continue passing on to their little ones, like mine did for me.

These trials are already a historic event. The meet, the venue, and every step Indy has taken to deliver a first-class experience for the 1,000 swimmers and approximately 250,000 attending fans are epic. But the Swim in Safety program is the real gold medal winner of this week’s competition.

The post Naysayer: The Real Gold Medal Winner Of The Olympic Trials Isn’t Even Competing appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

“EVERYONE CARES ABOUT WOMEN’S SPORTS” is imprinted across the shirt worn by an Indiana Fever fan displayed on the big screen. I can’t help but smile, not just at the slogan, but at the fact that an elementary-aged boy is proudly wearing the mantra, surrounded by thousands of enthusiastic fans in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The game I attended May 28, when the Fever took on the Los Angeles Sparks, was my first Fever game of the season. But it was not my first time seeing the Fever or the phenom Caitlin Clark play in person.

I was at Tamika Catchings’ final regular season game on September 18, 2016, when I was 11. The Fever legend, who led the team to its lone WNBA championship in 2012 and broke countless team and league records, capped off her 16 seasons in Indiana in front of a sold-out crowd.

Fast-forward seven years to the sold-out game this past January 30 at Assembly Hall, when Indiana University hosted the University of Iowa. I waited outside for the closest seats possible and watched the Hoosiers defeat the Hawkeyes, led by Clark, in one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced.

I’ve grown up witnessing sellouts for women’s basketball.

When I learned the Fever had snagged the first pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, and Caitlin Clark was more than likely soon to join my home team’s roster, I envisioned not only my state coming together to celebrate her and the other rising stars of collegiate basketball transitioning to the WNBA, but also the rest of the country.

After all, all the sellouts I’ve experienced means there’s a fanbase, and that fanbase is only growing—so this year was bound to be the year it truly exploded, right?

Yes and no. It exploded, but not always for the right reasons.

It seems like for every instance a great shot or funny player moment gains traction, there’s also a remark that goes viral from people who, up until now, have been outsiders to the sport commenting on a player or an aspect of the game unrelated to skill or gameplay.

The ensuing commotion surrounding the comments made by these figures, especially the most prevalent ones, is deafening at times. Whether it’s using a player’s race as ammunition to tear them or fans down or creating sexist narratives about their gameplay, the WNBA continues to attract onlookers, in particular men, who pick apart the league while sidelining the hard work and the athletic ability.

Whether these words are said with ill intent or because the people saying them don’t realize their knowledge of the issues they’re discussing is lacking, the constant commentary pulls the attention away from the effort the athletes are putting in to grow their sport.

While these statements make headlines—and some believe there’s no such thing as bad press—in a league that is still establishing itself, the barrage of thoughtless quips is harmful.

I was naive to think it would take one rookie class, even if it’s led by Clark, to fully open viewers’ eyes to all there is to value about a sport I have such an appreciation for. To make a difference and refocus commenters’ attention on the game instead of on manufacturing drama, it will take more than just the players continuing to play at their best and the fans to continue supporting them, but it will also take the individuals who are drawing attention away from the talent on the court to educate themselves and treat the athletes and the game with respect.

I am fortunate to have grown up watching women’s basketball sellout when sellouts were considered a privilege, even a feat.

But the boy I saw on the big screen has the opportunity to grow up with sellouts as the norm—and the increased footprint that comes with that. And that should be motivation enough for change.

The post WNBA Faces An Uphill Climb For Appropriate Attention appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE SUMMER? It’s the golden time of year when the days are long, temps are warm, and the air is fragrant with the heady scent of blooming perennials. This issue’s cover story counts a multitude of ways to while away summer evenings in the city. From taking in a movie at a nostalgic drive-in theater, to riding roller coasters and watching figure eight car races, to building campfires and simply enjoying the natural beauty of ombre sunsets, we suggest activities to fit a wide variety of moods and interests. With shooting star Caitlin Clark playing her inaugural season in the WNBA, the hottest ticket in town for basketball fans could very well be Indiana Fever games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Bob Kravitz writes about the excitement surrounding Clark’s entry into Hoosier hoops country, as well as her influence on the larger sports world.

Personally, I equate summer with all the outdoor projects I dreamed up over the winter, like landscaping, gardening, and painting. I am probably my own worst enemy in thinking I should be capable of single-handedly executing all the ideas I envision. So my summer nights usually end with me slouched in a chair on my patio, exhausted and filthy from a long day toiling over soil, mulch, edging … and weeds. Having sworn off lawn chemicals, I’ve learned to either make peace with particularly tenacious plant varieties or repeatedly yank them out of the ground. Sam Stall’s primer on invasive species identifies offenders like Asian bush honeysuckle, which smells divine but often threatens to topple fences, as well as nuisance animals (mute swans, feral hogs, and bull sharks will now haunt my dreams, thank you). This season, I plan to incorporate more native plants into my landscape to help offset the effects of the more pernicious varieties we mention. Maybe I’ll wind down after my yard work sessions with a sunset yoga class or a little stargazing.

Andrea Ratcliff
Editor-in-Chief

The post Editor’s Note: Over the Moon appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

It’s not like we all expected the Pacers to beat the Celtics. We were hopeful. But the way the Pacers lost three of the four games makes one wonder about the ability of this team to get back to the conference finals next year in its current form.

Three games—all within grasp—slipped away in literally the final seconds. Convert on just one late shot, get the ball inbounded, and this could have been a series that separated this team from all others. But here we are, and the season is over.

Don’t get me wrong, I was so pleased by the win over the Knicks. I had high hopes coming into the Celtics series. After all, the Celtics were without star center Kristaps Porziņģis, and Indiana was at full strength. But time after time, the Celtics performed in crunch time, and the Pacers got crunched by crunch time.

This is not to say that fans and the city of Indianapolis shouldn’t be excited about the this team’s possibilities. They accomplished more than what even experienced pundits had predicted. The Knicks series brought back the “Boom Baby” mentality and swagger the city felt the last time we got this far. There was a “Why not us?” attitude going around, especially during the first Celtics game when the fans thought we had it clinched. Even with the Game 2 blowout, the thought still prevailed. But the collapse in Game 3 sealed the Pacers’ fate.

Still, there was hope.

Experience was the one element the Pacers couldn’t manufacture. In nearly every game, they rushed through the final moments, creating bad shots and turnovers when they needed them the least. It was not just one player who gave up the ball; it was a combined team effort. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had two deadly, unforced turnovers in the first game that turned the tide. Guard Andrew Nembhard’s outstanding play even came with a couple costly turnovers in Games 3 and 4, when he fell down driving the ball into traffic. T.J. McConnell wasted a great feed and missed an open layup that turned into a 5-point swing, which contributed to turning the fourth game into a loss. So there is enough culpability to go around, but that really isn’t the reason they were swept in such a fashion.

But this is exactly what needed to happen for the players and coaches to move forward. This slew of poor late-game plays shows where the biggest challenges lie and what the Pacers need to do to get to the finals again and be an elite team. The talent is there. The leadership is in place.

This offseason should be interesting. Even though the loss just happened, rumors are filling up the airwaves. To remain at this level and move forward, the team needs to re-sign Pascal Siakam, who is in the last year of his four-year $136.9 million contract. He will be a highly sought-after free agent this summer. This must be priority one for the team.

Jalen Smith is another player the Pacers need to re-sign. Even though he didn’t play much in the playoffs, only getting six minutes per game off the bench, he was a solid contributor all season, averaging just under 10 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Already, there are rumors floating around that the Pacers could be involved in a blockbuster trade to bring Paul George back into the fold. The Clippers would receive Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, and McConnell, plus a second-round pick in 2025 and ’28. This would be a great trade for the Pacers but one that I would personally hate. I love McConnell’s game. He’s one of those players you want on your team because of his tenacity and super quickness. He sticks his face in every play, though in Game 4, he got it smacked pretty hard. But the beautiful thing about him is that he bounces right back. He’s tough.

The Pacers might also need to look at free agent acquisitions. Three names that pop up are Mikal Bridges of the New Jersey Nets, Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls, and Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors. These players would bring some experience level to help with the late-game collapse. Whatever happens, it’s exciting because the needle is pointing up no matter what happens.

Indiana has been treated to some great basketball this past season, with two teams making the final four in their respective leagues. Looking into the crystal ball, next year will not disappoint either, because Indiana University has had a great recruiting and portal year that should put them back in the national spotlight, alongside Purdue and the Pacers. Another team going through a rough patch that they’ll hopefully overcome is the Fever. Caitlin Clark and team will be a year in—a year that may make all the difference in the world.

So buckle up, Indiana. Some serious hoops are coming this way!

The post Naysayer: Solving The Pacers’ Late-Game Collapse Problem appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

I love to play golf. I love to talk about golf—just ask my sons. Basically, I love everything about golf except my scores recently. I’ve loved the game since I was 12 years old. My mother used the golf course as a day care for me, dropping me off in the morning and letting me play as many holes as I could before she picked me up in the afternoon. I’d carry my clubs (a steel shaft Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear starter set—which I still have) no less than 36 holes a day.

Recently, I was waiting for my tee time at Eagle Creek’s Sycamore course and chatting with the starter behind the first tee. He noticed my partner’s Purdue hat and started talking about the courses in West Lafayette, and of course, the Purdue course came up. When I attended the university, Pete Dye’s masterpiece, the Kampen-Cosler Course, was simply named the North Course and looked quite different. It was long and lacked character but was a great place to practice long woods and irons. But in 1996, Dye took the property and turned its flat, boring landscape into a completely new ecosphere and a nearly impossible course for amateurs like me. But it’s a great track for the college game. In fact, this week, the Boilers host the NCAA Regional tournament there. This is not the first time they have hosted the NCAA in West Lafayette.

The starter and I chatted about how unlikely it had been for Northwestern to win the Big Ten Golf Championship at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio back in April. “They played out of their ass,” he said. Purdue finished in a tie for third, with Indiana placing sixth. Purdue’s All-America golfer Herman Sekne entered the conversation. A native of Oslo, Norway, Sekne was awarded Big Ten Golfer of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten for the third straight year. He ranks 18th in the PGA Tour University and 21st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

He’s even on pace to break his own school record for stroke average with 70.27 strokes per round so far this year and has 18 top 10 finishes in his 36 career events. Unbelievably, Sekne has just four double bogeys (or worse) in 468 holes this year. That is an amazing stat. I have at least that many per round so far this season.

We then talked about the Trophy Club, located in Lebanon off State Road 52. The course was in excellent shape when I played there last fall. The undulation and sheer perfection of the landscaping made it seem like I was playing on a PGA-worthy course. I have not played there yet in 2024, but it is on my list.

By this time the first tee was calling, and we parted ways. But not before the starter and I discovered that he was a student at North Montgomery High School in Crawfordsville while I was a sports editor at the town’s Journal Review. He mused that he probably had clippings of some of my writings in his scrapbook. It made for a true “you know you are old” moment!

Eagle Creek is my favorite course in the city. The original Pete Dye–designed 18 holes opened in 1975 and were wooded, undulating, had elevation, and were nearly impossible—which I loved. When another nine holes designed by Tim Liddy were added in 2001 to eliminate overuse by overplay, the course lost some of its personality, in my opinion. The new holes integrated into the layout were not in the stoic Dye tradition. They have a more modern, cleaner layout with traditional flat bottomed traps guarding greens instead of pot bunkers, and they don’t have the same feel as the original layout. Quite honestly, they provide a break from the intense Dye layout.

The Legends Golf Club in Franklin is another course I’ve been playing since it opened in 1991. Depending upon the tees you use, it is a very comfortable course lengthwise for any golfer. When I played a couple Saturdays ago, the fairways were beautiful, and the greens putted true even after a drenching rain a couple days prior, though the play was slow. But in the course’s defense, it was the first round of golf I’ve played on the weekend for probably decades. But my foursome had a great day, the conversation was great, and my golf game was really super average.

The post Naysayer: Conversation With A Starter appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

THE SMELL of fresh-cut grass in springtime. That sweet smell of the grass hearkens me back to my childhood playing Little League baseball. Arriving at the field smelling the recently cropped outfield, seeing the freshly dragged infield, the new bases, the new pitching rubber, and the feel and smell of a brand-new baseball right out of the box.

It also reminds me of the excitement I felt for the Big Red Machine decades ago when I was a fan of Major League Baseball. I now must admit the excitement for Reds baseball is back with me all because of one player and his unlimited potential: Elly De La Cruz. 

He is described as electrifying, a phenom, a player with an astronomical ceiling, and all this has led me to join in on Elly-mania!

Growing up in Ohio during the 1970s and ’80s in the time of the Big Red Machine was exciting. Almost every position on those teams was manned by an All Star. In my mind, that period remains truly magical. The Machine was led by coach George “Sparky” Anderson, a Hall of Famer himself. Crosley Field was replaced by Riverfront Stadium. Every home run hit, for a time, rewarded that player with a 55-gallon drum of Marathon gasoline, and as a kid, that was almost an unfathomable amount of gas.

Not since then have I been so enamored with a player as I am with De La Cruz. The last player I had this much affinity for was Venezuelan-born David (Davey) Concepcion. My Little League number was 13, his number. He played shortstop for the Reds; I played shortstop for the Home Bank White Sox. He was an all-star like me. That is where the similarities end.

Due to some MLB rule changes (pitch clock) last year, I decided to give baseball and the Reds another try and was amazed at the unbridled talent and athleticism displayed by the 22-year-old Dominican Republic native De La Cruz.

He burst onto the MLB scene during the second half of last season after being called up from AAA Louisville on June 6. As I watched each game in amazement, this player accomplished feats not seen in a Reds uniform in decades. In 1989, Reds star Eric Davis hit for the cycle—which means a player hits a single, double, triple, and a home run in one game—the last Reds player to do so. De La Cruz did this just two weeks after coming to the majors. De La Cruz wears Davis’ number 44. Coincidence?

His speed on the basepaths is already legendary, and pundits compare him to the very best Reds player that ever stole a base—Joe Morgan. Already this past month, De La Cruz has entered the record book as one of an impressive handful of players to hit seven home runs and steal 15 bases in one calendar month. In a recent loss to the Texas Rangers, he singled and stole second base, making him the first player since Rickey Henderson (May of 1986) to steal 17 bases in one month. (He has a total of 18 now since the season began in March.) Henderson and Morgan are in the Hall of Fame.

De La Cruz has been clocked at less than 15 seconds (14.94) running the basepaths. Last season after hitting a triple to complete a cycle, he went from home to third in 10.44 seconds. What? In 2024 after 25 games he is hitting .281 with seven homers and 18 stolen bases. If he continues at this pace, he could reach 45 home runs and nearly 100 steals. That would make him the first player in baseball history to hit such a mark.

In a recent win over the Phillies, he traveled over 112 feet and made a sliding catch of a pop-up midway down the left field line from shortstop. He routinely steals second and third and scores on sacrifice flies. Last year he stole second, third, and home in the same inning—something I had not ever seen in the majors but plenty of times in youth baseball.

It’s not just his batting and speed that make De La Cruz a very special player. His fielding at shortstop is great. He has a cannon for an arm. His throws to first base have been clocked at 99.8 miles per hour, which is a league record. He set the record last year at 98 mph, then broke it. That’s either faster or nearly as fast as the fastest pitchers in the league. In comparison, the fastest pitch ever recorded was also by a Reds player when Aroldis Chapman threw a 105.8 mph fastball against the San Diego Padres in August of 2010. That still stands as a Guinness World Record.

There are plenty of reasons to fall in love with these Reds. So far, the Reds are a couple of games over .500, but this team has plenty of young players perched to become stars. It took nearly the entire season for the Reds to assemble this team. The club took its time calling players up from the minors as evidenced with De La Cruz. Once assembled, this group provided plenty of excitement in the last weeks of the season and gave fans a peek at the potential these teammates hold.

First baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, another late call, has a great glove and power galore. Jake Farley in right field leads off and is currently batting .315. Another budding star is Jonathan India, who gives the Reds a solid second baseman with power and speed. Will Benson is a young player with untapped talent. He and De La Cruz became the third pair of teammates in MLB history to hit their first and second home runs in the same game.

Spencer Steer is as versatile a player as you’ll ever find. In his rookie season last year, he led the team by a bunch in games played (156). He was used to play four positions (third; first and second bases plus left field, a position he’d never played before) while waiting for players to heal (Joey Votto) or be called up to fill spots. Already this season he has been tabbed as Player of the Week for the National League once.

The biggest fear of the Reds Nation is the club management will not pony up the cash for a long-term contract when De La Cruz’s current deal is up after this season. He is playing for a mere $742,500 this year. He received a signing bonus in 2018 of $65,000. Next year I predict he will make a lot more. Let’s just hope it’s in a Reds uniform.

The post Naysayer: Elly-Mania Is Here appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

THE INDIANAPOLIS professional sports scene just became one of the best in America. The Pacers, the Colts, and the Fever rosters are now packed with potential all-stars. The outlook for all three teams includes playoffs and potential championships when just a short time ago, those weren’t in the cards.

The Pacers are in the NBA Playoffs without having to prove themselves with a play-in game. Rick Carlisle has a solid starting five and probably the best bench players in the league. In fact, the bench, led by Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Jalen Smith, is averaging a league-leading 46.8 points per game.

I was a big fan at the beginning of the season, but with the addition of Pascal Siakam in January, the potential of this team went through the roof. Myles Turner—thank God the Pacers didn’t trade him to LA—is the heart and soul of the Blue and Gold. He has been the leader on and off the court all year. 

The transformation of point guard Tyrese Haliburton into a superstar, then into an All-Star, and now into an Olympian has been amazing to witness. Not since Reggie Miller have the Pacers had a rock-solid, go-to player who can and will make a shot in the clutch. He has a Steph Curry shot, LeBron James guts and talent, and Kyrie Irving ability to drive the orange to the hoop any time on anyone.

The Pacers finished the season at 47-35 and sixth in the Central Division. Not too shabby for a team that finished 11th, 13th, and ninth the last three years, keeping them out of the playoffs. When they did make the playoffs from 2015 to 2019, they lost in the first round with a 6-20 record.

But this year, they don’t have to look over their shoulders or be content with simply making the playoffs. This year, they can make a run at the title. Playing Milwaukee in the first round is great. I’m much happier with that lineup than with the prospect of having to beat the New York Knicks in the first round.

I’m with Stephen A. Smith, who says the Pacers have had the third-seeded Bucks’ number this season. The Bucks will be without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the first game or two of the upcoming playoff series because of injury, but the Pacers will win whether the Bucks have Antetokounmpo or not. Indiana beat Milwaukee four out of five matches this season, with the only loss coming when Antetokounmpo dropped 64 points on the Pacers in December.

After the first round, the Pacers will play either the Knicks or Cleveland and then eventually the Celtics to get into the finals. Do I think they are capable of going all the way? Yes. Am I convinced they will? That remains to be seen. But even so, the Pacers stock is on the rise and should be solid for the next several years.

The Colts, following up on their surprise playoff year with now-gone backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, look to be even better. Anthony Richardson is back at QB. Let’s hope his injury has healed and he becomes a drop-back passer or will start handing off to Jonathan Taylor, who had spurts last year but was also hampered by injury for the better part of the season. 

As for receivers, Michael Pittman Jr. separated himself from the pack as a true star in the league last year, and all can assume (yes, I know what happens when you assume) he will be even better this year with the accuracy of Richardson’s rifle arm.

On defense, the Colts spent megabucks and resigned DeForest Buckner at tackle, which makes the fan base very happy. Defensive end Kwity Paye will continue to pressure the opposing quarterbacks like last season, and, along with JuJu Brents, Nick Cross, Jaylon Jones, and Kenny Moore II cruising the secondary, Big Blue will have plenty of great hip-thrusting plays all season long. I’m looking for a deep playoff run by the Colts, barring any season-ending injuries like they had last season. 

Then we have the Indiana Fever. Has anyone tried to buy a ticket or a jersey lately? We all watched as the excitement around and the stock of this once-fledgling team has risen each year, especially since superstar Caitlin Clark announced earlier this year she was entering the draft and her coming to Indiana became a foregone conclusion.

The yet-unproven Iowa star will join two of the best young talents in the league. Aliyah Boston, last season’s Rookie of the Year and No. 1 draft pick, stands to perform even better than her initial year, and 6-foot, 4-inch NaLyssa Smith, the 2022 No. 2 pick who averaged over 15 points and nine rebounds a game last season, will continue to stand out. 

But what has head coach Christie Sides most excited is pairing Smith and Kelsey Mitchell with each other in the back court. With two prominent 3-point shooters on the outside, the middle should open wide for Boston and Smith, so the Fever will have a balanced inside-out attack. Mitchell made 497 3’s at Ohio State and was a WNBA All-Star last season, and we all know what Clark did this year with Iowa.

The Fever have not made the playoffs since 2016 and finished last season with a 13-27 record. Some would say that is a poor record, but the team had more wins last year than in the previous two seasons combined.

With every game sold out, 90 percent of Fever games being broadcast on national television, and opposing teams starting to book Fever games in larger arenas, this is rare air for this team, for sure. And I, for one, am looking forward to all of it. 

The post Naysayer: Look Out Indy, Sports Teams Will Be Relevant appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.

IN THE SUMMER of 2007, an enterprising publicist at HarperCollins persuaded this magazine to write an article about my books. Former executive editor Amy Wimmer Schwarb drove out to Danville to interview me, and we hit it off so well she offered me a job writing a monthly column. Seventeen years is forever in the magazine world, so I’m not surprised this gig is coming to an end. This will be my last column for Indianapolis Monthly, unless sufficient numbers of you storm the headquarters bearing torches and pitchforks demanding my reinstatement. Just to be clear, I don’t want you to do that. This magazine has been wonderfully kind to me, so I’m hoping if I saunter off graciously into the sunset, they’ll hang my picture in the home office. An old picture, from when I had lots of hair.

I have written a dab more than 200 columns, most of them fun, depending on your political point of view—or vocation. In 2014, I wrote an essay about what appeared to me to be the tendency of some realtors to exaggerate, which I thought was hysterical. But it turns out my opinion was a minority one, and for the next several months I had to wear a Groucho disguise in public. One realtor wrote to tell me I was worse than Hitler, only proving my point that sometimes, a few realtors may be prone to hyperbole. I’ve made the same observation about pastors, politicians, car sales- people, and lawyers without a word of complaint. Make of that what you will. Of course, this observation doesn’t include any of the realtors I know, including my neighbor, Tammy Carroll. (Hi, Tammy!)

I tried to repay the kindness of the editors by not making their lives difficult but wasn’t always successful. Every now and then, my longtime editor, Daniel Comiskey (You’re the best, Dan!), would phone to tell me the folks in charge worried I might offend some readers if I didn’t soften my language about Donald Trump. I would then tweak what I’d written, which always felt like something of a mistake. Now seems as good a time as any to say I’m worried, along with lots of other people, about the future of journalism. It seems that more and more, the goal is to entertain rather than to inform. The fact that over the years, I too often chose to amuse instead of inform weighs on me, even though it was my job to be light and frothy. There are still bright spots in the old-school journalistic landscape, though, in folks reporting the “real news.” That is why I listen to WFYI and read Sheila Suess Kennedy’s daily blog on all things Indiana, good and bad. I enthusiastically recommend both.

There were a few things I didn’t write about as much as I wanted to—namely, my sons, who asked that I respect their privacy, so I kept quiet. Had they permitted, I would have written how deeply proud I am of them. My older son farms and fights fires, and my younger son serves in the Army and is studying to become a physician’s assistant. That my sons have chosen to feed, rescue, and heal people thrills me. After all, if they had opted to become Republican legislators in the Indiana Statehouse, I would again have had to wear my Groucho disguise in public.

I’ve been told three times in my life that my services were no longer needed: once by a church, once by a book publisher, and now by a magazine. There was never any rancor involved, and I left each time deeply appreciative of the opportunities I had and the friendships I made. This time is no different. I wish nothing but the best for this fine magazine. For 17 years, it paid me to share my opinion with people who didn’t ask to hear it. Few people get that opportunity, so I consider myself fortunate indeed. If you find you’re unable to live without hearing my opinions, you can find me on the media platform Substack and on my personal website. Now that I’ll be my own editor, there’s no telling what I’ll let me say.

The post Thanks for the Memories appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.