Are we just rooting for laundry?

Hoosier icon and the greatest Pacer of all time, Reggie Miller, is subject of a rumor today. Apparently the league's hottest team, the Dallas Mavericks, have interest in inducing the Pacer great out of retirement for an open roster spot. Reggie retired after the 2004-2005 season as the league's thirteenth leading scorer of all time and as the league's leading scorer of three point baskets made. He is currently a commentator for the TNT network.

Initially I met this rumor with ambivalence. Reggie spent his whole career with the Pacers. I have always thought that was very special considering in today's professional sporting world most players spend time with multiple teams. His playoff exploits are stuff of local legend, a legend that wholly belongs to Indianapolis sports fans.

But Reggie, like most the great players of his era, didn't win it all. Playing during the time of Michael Jordan excluded many of the NBA greats of that time from ever experiencing the ultimate in victory-- an NBA championship. With a cushy commentator job and a career filled with great moments a chance to win the ultimate prize would be the only reason Reggie would consider a return to the NBA.

All this would be contingent on a couple of factors. One Reggie would have to get out of his contract at TNT. With Mark Cuban as the owner of the Mavericks you have to assume that he could pull the strings necessary to get any of the legal issues out of the way. And two, would Reggie even want to play again? The article notes that he has remained in excellent shape. Personally I don't think Reggie retired because of his physical condition. I think he might have seen the writing on the wall with the Pacer's troubles and thought it best to hang it up rather than deal with the headaches.

The first thing I thought of when I heard this was how weird Reggie would look in another uniform. I thought of how Chicagoans must of felt during the two years Michael Jordan played for the Wizards. Did people there meet him with hatred because he no longer played for the Bulls? Was Jerry Seinfeld right: are we really just rooting for laundry?

The answer in most cases is yes. Just look at how fans have treated Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson upon their return to Conseco Fieldhouse. But in Miller's case it certainly would be different. Just like most Chicagoans didn't let a different uniform take away from Jordan's six championships for the city, if Reggie returns for another team a simple uniform change won't take away all that he accomplished for the Pacers. It certainly won't take away from all his great charitable work and what he meant to fans of all ages in this city during his career.

My gut is telling me that it is just a rumor and there is no truth to it. But if Reggie returns and wears a different uniform to once again chase that ring, I don't care. Assuming the Pacers don't pull it together and come out of the Eastern Conference, I think you would be hard pressed to find a fan in this town who wouldn't be cheering like mad for him if he did un-retire and made it back to the NBA finals. But more importantly, Reggie Miller is and always will be a Pacer no matter if he wears a different uniform for a few months or not.

Public Dollars, Private Profits

The city announced this past week that it is again opening up bidding on the old Market Square Arena site. The bidding is for right to redevelop the site where a gravel parking lot now sits. The old site of MSA has sat vacant since the demolition of the Pacers old home in 2001.

I walk by the now parking lot everyday as I go to work. It is hard not to wonder that with all the talk about how great our downtown is how many other cities would have had such a large parcel of land sit vacant for this long. I can't imagine such a large amount of land sitting un-developed in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, or a litany of other cities for five years.

The first proposed idea, One Market Square, had a wonderful design and would have added greatly to our skyline. However its financing structure did not mesh well with the market here. Buyers here (or the story goes) aren't used to paying for a structure not yet built. After several attempts to get the project off the ground, the city pulled the plug on its relationship with the proposed builder.

One Market Square was to be 31 stories tall. Now the city proposes a mixed use for the property combining residential, commercial, and retail. The city has said that the centerpiece of the property will be a tower of at least 14 stories. Fourteen stories? That doesn't really inspire the masses, at least not me.

A building of that size is more akin to suburban development. But if anything that the latest development downtown has shown--the Anthem building, Simon's corporate headquarters, and the new flagship convention hotel-- is that Indy doesn't have a problem blessing the bland and the generic. And worse yet, all have been built with a large subsidy from the city. Simon's new building also took away a downtown city park for its completion.

I really shook my head after hearing about the large subsidy Simon received for building its new building. We are not talking about a tax abatement but an actual cash payment to facilitate its construction. Does the largest mall owner in America really need a public handout?

You better believe that whatever does get built at the old MSA will be publicly subsidized as well. If that is the case why doesn't the city build something on the site that the general public would get to enjoy? I am not going to buy a 200 or 300 thousand dollar condo at the site, but I would enjoy a park partially built on the land. I would definitely enjoy a museum built on the site. I always thought the best use of the land would be to build a building for the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art as the centerpiece with residential and retail on either side. This would definitely give the City Market a need boost in foot traffic. Plus all the folks whose tax dollars helped develop the site could at least get some enjoyment from their investment. And it would give our visitors to the city a reason to venture to the East side of downtown--even if they are not in the market for a bail bond.

But hey why do that when they can see the 14 story masterpiece as they pass by on I-70?

Welcome Blue Indiana

Torporindy welcomes Blue Indiana to the Blogroll. The site describes itself as:

Blue Indiana is the headquarters of Indiana's left-leaning blogosphere. We are dedicated to highlighting the amazing work being done by Indiana's bloggers, and fighting to give the people of Indiana true, sane representation by electing progressive, responsible candidates.

Dan Burton--Birdie Golfer and Bogey Congressman

Nisha, from sunlight network has a post about my Congressman, Dan Burton, who as we all know by now missed 19 votes while he played in the Bob Hope Pro-Am golf tournament. The post mentions a new allegedly non-partisan site administered by the American Conservative Student Union which will track the voting attendance records of American Congressman. Let's hope this does shed more light on our absentee Congressman who sadly will only be defeated in a GOP primary as this heavily gerrymandered district is one of most heavily concentrated Republican districts in the nation. I suppose I shouldn't be so upset that Burton isn't voting because I rarely agree with his voting history, but perhaps this next election will be finally be the time we finally part ways with this Congressman who has failed to distinguish himself in his 24 years of elected office.

Here are some of Burton's career highlights:

In 2006, he fought against extending the Voting Rights Act for minorities.

"On the start of the 2007 legislative session of Congress, a measure banning lawmakers from accepting gifts and free trips from lobbyists and discounted trips on private planes was put before Congress. The measure passed 430-1, with Rep. Burton as the sole vote against the measure."

He vigorously attacked President Clinton on his infidelities and even called him a "scumbag", yet he admitted he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

"In 1997, Burton was accused of demanding a $5,000 contribution from a Pakistani lobbyist. When the lobbyist was unable to raise the funds, Burton complained to the ambassador for the Bhutto government and later threatened to make sure "none of his friends or colleagues" would meet with the lobbyist or his associates."

John McGoff, the former Marion County Coroner, will run against him in the GOP primary in 2008. This could be the best chance to end his career.

Oops!

This is completely random but I love this story.

A man says he broke into an apartment with a cavalry sword because he thought he heard a woman being raped, but the sound actually was from a pornographic movie his upstairs neighbor was watching.

"Now I feel stupid," said James Van Iveren, who has been charged in the case.




James Van Iveren, 39, who lives with his mother, says he took matters into his own hands because he didn't have a phone to call police.

Does any one really want to be the GOP Mayoral candidate?

The struggle for a GOP mayoral candidate has been well-documented. Tomorrow is the deadline to file for candidacy and the likely candidate has already opened his mouth to offend the Jewish community.

He stated: "I'm sure you realize -- well, most people don't -- millionaire Democrats outnumber millionaire Republicans four to one," Parker said. "It's mainly because of the Jewish faction inside the Democratic Party.

"Most Jewish people are Democrats and they bring that wealth. My opinion is, if Israel would go into Iran, Democrats will follow that cause."

My guess is that the GOP party leaders are going to be up all night trying to find a warm body to run against Peterson.

Happy President's Day

Sometimes we Americans don't make a lot of sense. We still use the English system of measurement when the majority of the world does not. We supported Pauly Shore movies enough that not only were they profitable but several were made. And we still use the dollar bill while many countries use a dollar coin.

However if the US Mint has their way perhaps that will change. The Mint announced that it will produce a series of new dollar coins. Beginning this year and every year there after five coins will be issued. Each coin will feature a former President and will be issued in their elected order (assuming they have been dead for at least two years). For all you presidential junkies out there, just wait for the trifecta of Martin Van Buren (2008), William Henry Harrison (2009), and Millard Fillmore (2010) in consecutive years. That should hold you over until the motherload drops: Warren Harding in 2014.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is cool that other US Presidents besides those you would expect to be honored on our coinage will finally get their due. But ultimately it is going to be another waste of time. The Mint is going to continue to make the dollar bill and so folks will never be forced to use the dollar coin, which the Mint explains is much cheaper to make and stays in circulation longer as it is more resistant to wear and tear.

Part of me thinks that the dollar coin has failed because the Mint won't pull the band-aid off and force us to use the darn thing. Because people aren't accustomed to using the dollar coin they tend to put them back and save them, thinking they are valuable. I remember when I was a child my mother showed me a Susan B Anthony dollar coin that she had saved for several years because she believed this same thing. My mom was right. It was valuable. It was and still is worth a dollar.

The other part of me realizes that maybe the Mint is on to something. They ultimately know that pulling the dollar bill will be disastrous for our economy. Think about some of the more scandalous parts of our economy. How the hell is somebody going to tip a stripper with a dollar coin? So then if the SOB doesn't have a two dollar bill lying around it is going to cost him five bucks to tip--that's a five thousand percent mark up for no good reason. But even if you have more Puritan sensibilities, how about tipping a valet? He doesn't want to run around with a bunch of coins in his pants and you don't want to look like a jerk handing him some laundry money.

This dollar coin is going to cause some real problems. Before the dollar coin if you wanted to look like a big shot you simply wrapped a twenty on the outside of a bunch of ones. If there is no dollar bill then there is no more fake wad. And no longer could you hand out dollar bills to your nieces or nephews like a fun uncle. A dollar bill to a child is awesome. A dollar coin to a child is a choking hazard.

So on today this President's Day, let's salute the dollar bill. The old tried and true dollar bill with the Father of Our Country on the front and some crazy pyramid with a human eye on the back. It is easily worn out and disease laden but for this proud American there is no other way for me to complete a dollar transaction.

Although my attitude might change after I see the two distinct Grover Cleveland dollar coins.

Exposé of Brandt Hershman -- The author of SJR-7

Bil Browning at bilerico.com has a good piece on Senator Hershman, the crusader behind SJR-7, the bill which proposed a constitutional amendment legally define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Browning points out that Hershman may be pursuing this amendment under the guise of protecting families, but the good Senator divorced his wife after forcing her to have an abortion.

Here is an excerpt of Browning's post and a link to the rest of his entry.

"Good old Brandt has realized that he's no longer able to whip folks into a fury with the gay boogieman. Hoosiers point out that a constitutional amendment (for something that's already against the law) ranks pretty low on the totem pole compared to the war in Iraq, taxes, employment, immigration, and, hell, even Daylights Savings Time. His support is fleeing the ship. Hoosiers tend to be a rather tolerant bunch for the most part. They might be slow to change, but they are a live-and-let-live group in a conservative sort of way. If there is one thing they won't tolerate, it's a snake-oil salesman who says one thing and intends something else entirely. You know, someone like Brandt Hershman."

Continue reading at Bilerico.

Also, please read Advance Indiana's: Why Brandt Hershman Can't Be Trusted On SJR-7

This just in: Anna Nicole Smith is still dead

Yeah, I know. I am sure someone beat me to that reference to the old SNL Franco line, but I couldn't resist.

First of all, it's a terrible thing when anyone dies at such a young age, but I think I heard less about President Ford's death than this ex-stripper, model and alleged actress. Yesterday, the Indianapolis Star had no less than four stories devoted to her on its web page nearly a week after her death.

Who cares who she was sleeping with or what she did with the Bahamian minister? There are wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, a near civil war in Lebanon, disarmement talks with North Korea, a crisis in Darfur, in Chad, and if you want to know anything about these real stories seek out the BBC or any foreign media.

I know I am.

Update: It's rare that I agree with a WSJ editorial, but this is worth noting:

"Breathless commentators these last few days have likened Anna Nicole Smith--whose untimely death, like her much-observed physique, was not the result of entirely natural causes--to Marilyn Monroe. This comparison is preposterous: Arthur Miller, who married Monroe, would have had little time for Ms. Smith beyond the obvious dictates of chivalry. It would be hard to imagine Ms. Smith courted by contemporary playwrights either, and not just because so many of them do not, as it were, handle women well."

Empty Seats for the Indiana Pacers

I attended the Indiana Pacers game on Sunday. The weather was fine and the game was not televised. My buddy and I grabbed a couple of ten dollar seats and watched the Pacers to victory. The place was empty with only about 12, 000 attendees in the Fieldhouse that holds 18, 500.

This hasn't been an aberration. This year each time I have gone to a game I find myself embarrassed about the lack of fan support. It reminded me of the Pacers in the early nineties. In the early nineties if the Celtics or Lakers weren't coming to town putting covers over the vast sea of empty seats at MSA was standard operating procedure for the team.

Bob Kravitz threw his hat in the ring on the subject. A viewing of the comments on the article one sees a variety of opinions on this.

This much is for certain, the Pacers have a real lack of fan support right now. We rank at the bottom of attendance in the league. Take note that Boston is in the midst of one of the longest losing streaks in NBA history and yet the rank almost ten spots higher than us. Now Boston has a much larger metro area than Indy but they don't have an announcer say before every game that Indiana is "hardwood heaven". They don't claim that in 49 States its just basketball but this is Indiana--trying to make the city seem fanatical about their team.

There are probably several reasons why the Pacers are failing at the gate. Here are a few that come to mind.

1.) The off court troubles of the team. This is the probably the easiest and every one's first answer to why attendance is down. It is hard to argue against this especially when their rivals for the professional entertainment buck, the Colts, have an image of law abiding and good citizens.
2.) The style of play. The NBA's style of play reflects more style than substance. This is evidenced by our best players getting their butts handed to them in international play. People here like a more fundamental approach to the game and you simply won't find that in today's NBA.
3.) Lack of a superstar. Jermaine O'Neal is a hell of a player but he isn't as beloved as Reggie Miller was by the fans. I think he had some pretty big shoes for him to fill once Reggie retired.
4.) Economic considerations. Going to a game isn't cheap and our State has had its share of economic troubles. I don't think anyone could argue that the Pacers are a necessary part of a family's budget if money gets tight.
5.) Lack of winning. I think this attitude stems from the fact our city got spoiled by the previous success of the Pacers. The team is over .500 and in the Eastern Conference are right in the thick of things right now. This is probably the weakest reason for the Pacer's attendance troubles.
6.) Fair weather fans. The city's fans simply won't bother to show up unless the team is winning and dominant.

I really think the Pacer's attendance problems stem from a combination of all those listed above. However, I can't help but to focus on the last one--that our city simply won't support its teams unless they are one of the top teams in the league. I can't help but to think about the Pacer teams in the early nineties and their attendance problems when they struggled on the court. We are also not that far from when the Colts blew chunks on the field and only brought in 47,000 to watch them at the Dome. Now that the Colts are winning, you can't get a ticket.

Are the Pacers' troubles of now reflective of the Colts' future troubles? What will happen when Dungy and Peyton retire? What happens when the Colts' fortunes turn and they have to rebuild? Will the city abandon them like they have the Pacers? Right now based on the city's recent track record I can't see why they wouldn't.

I have always seen being a fan like being in a marriage--you don't jump ship just because things get a little bumpy. There are always going to peaks and valleys and rest assured (and I base this on really nothing more than blind faith) the Pacers' fortunes will turn and they will be as beloved as they once were.

But in the meantime, if the Pacers could stop making the city out like it is the "hardwood heaven" at least I could make it through a game without chuckling.

Nazis, The Deerhunter, and Blind Patriotism

I teach a class on the weekend. I've taught this class for years. I won't go into too many details for privacy reasons, but one assignment is to make a selection from a pre-approved list of films and write a paper on it as it relates to the subject matter of the class.

One of my students picked the The Deerhunter, which chronicles the effects of the Vietnam War on the lives of working class Pennsylvanians who fought there.

The student approached me at a break and he said, "I liked the movie, but I didn't really agree with the message."

Me: "Why?"

Student: "Well, if a lot of people saw this movie then they wouldn't want to fight in a war."

Me: "Well, that's sort of the point."

Student: "But how would we ever protect our country?"

I am never prepared to answer in situations like these. I sometimes freeze up when I have the opportunity. Class was due to start again and I am not sure that I made him think at all.

Anyway, Hermann Goehring may have been a Nazi, but he was absolutely right when he said the following:

"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

<...>

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

Regularly scheduled programming.

We will return to our regularly scheduled posting soon, but one final roundup on the Colts.

From CNNSI: How the Indianapolis Colts changed my life.

Bears fan to change his name to Peyton Manning.

The Colts will have salary cap problems in 2007. Don Banks thinks that no other team is worse off under the cap.

Over 93 million people watched the Super Bowl, which made it the second most watched game and third overall program (behind the final episode of M*A*S*H) in US television history.

They're still bitching in Baltimore. By the way, the Colts have to travel to Baltimore on the road again in the next regular season. We get to host the Patriots.

Finally, there are some Pacers in trouble again. Jamal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels really need to stay away from the Westside of town. Both played last night and Tinsley played fairly well (until he blew the chance to win it) in spite of the boos. He denies striking the manager of the club, but a security guard who worked that night called into a local radio station today and said that he saw Tinsley being the aggressor in the confrontation and punching him.

Hey, we're new to this.

I attended the parade honoring the World Champion Indianapolis Colts yesterday. You got the feeling that the city was ill prepared for the celebration that would follow a Colts Super Bowl win. After several years of seeing our teams fall, you could understand why.

The city had announced a parade at downtown Indy at 4PM on the following Monday. I personally thought that was odd considering that other cities that throw a party after its teams' big victory wait a few days. That being said, with the weather hovering about a five degrees I layered up for the cold. With three layers, a vest, and a heavy coat on I ventured downtown to meet my buddies.

The 4 PM parade, with the Colts in buses due to the weather, was to culminate at the RCA dome with a rally. I met my buddies at four and after debating whether to brave the cold (and man it was cold) or go directly to the Dome, we decided to avoid the elements and go inside.

The Dome has never seemed to me that well constructed for pedestrian flow. It appeared even less so yesterday. With no security everyone made a mad rush for the lower levels. Someone thought it would be a great idea to hand out posters right where everyone had tried to enter. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiment but it really made getting inside the Dome an adventure. Once we made it through the entry way, we quickly discovered the lower levels had all essentially been taken up. We made our way to the upper level and made it there about a quarter after four.

While inside the Dome began filling up with Colts fans. On the field sat the stage and the team had roped off about three quarters of the Dome for fans. On each big screen the team replayed the Super Bowl. The crowd, having already seen the game and having dissected the plays over and over in their minds, still cheered at every big play. There was such a thunderous applause when Kelvin Hayden made his interception and took it to the end zone that you would have thought that no one in the Dome had ever seen that play before.

But then we waited. And we waited. I got a text message from another buddy that the Colts had just landed at the airport about the time we got there. I got a text message from another buddy that they went to the Colts complex before coming downtown. Then there was an announcement at 5:40PM that the Colts would begin the parade in ten minutes and the ceremony at the Dome at 6:20PM, about two and a half hours after the scheduled time. My brother, a family man, was with me and said he couldn't stay that long. We left to try to catch some of the parade.

We headed right for the Circle, assuming that would be where the action was. Then we waited. And waited. Finally someone said that Channel Six had announced the parade was cancelled. Cold and dejected we decided to go home.

I was walking back when I ran into some Colts fans. Figuring I would save them some time I told them the parade had been cancelled. They firmly told me no (let this be a lesson not to try to upset a guy in a chicken suit with a Colts jersey on) and told me it had started with the Colts on floats and not buses as previously reported. I called my brother and we ran back to the Dome.

At about twenty till seven, the parade finally made its way downtown. I couldn't believe how close the players were to the fans. The city didn't even rope off the streets. Each of us gave high fives to the Colts players who were sitting that close to the fans (except for Peyton, Reggie, and Marvin--most of the offense were on a very high float out of reach of the fans). To get a sense of how close everyone was to the players, click here. All the Colts wore their jerseys for easy identification.

The floats left a little to be desired. You got the sense that the Colts team was going to use buses but the players wouldn't hear of it. With that in mind they slapped together some floats real quick. Not withstanding that, it was amazing for the fans to be that close to the enthusiastic team.

We ran back down to the Circle and saw Bill Polian, Jim Irsay, and Coach Tony Dungy on a cherry picker. When Irsay held up the trophy the crowd went wild. From there we ran back down Meridian. The fans there were a little more subdued. No one was right up on the floats and shaking the Colts' hands. My brother looked over at me and said that he didn't think the crowd knew you can congratulate them personally. He then ran up and gave high fives to all of the defense players and that started the mad rush to the floats.

Notwithstanding the long delay it was amazing to see how excited and proud everyone was for the Colts and the city. I personally think a few more days of planning would have helped but in hindsight with the weather and five of the Colts going to Hawaii for the pro bowl, I guess it made sense. I also think that the city shouldn't have opened up the Dome. I know it was cold but think how amazing it would have been to see the fifty thousand folks in the Dome (published reports of 40,000 were off) on the street. ESPN reported today that there were "hundreds" of fans on the street. It would would have been much more impressive of an overhead view of all the fans along Meridian Street with the ceremony that took place on the Dome right in front of the monument. I am certainly not complaining because even with these few minor gripes I have been waiting for this for a long time and was just thrilled that it finally happened.

Plus the city now knows what to do for the celebration when we win Super Bowl XLII next year.

THE SUPER COLTS

A few days after the Colts finally defeated their arch rivals, the Patriots, to win the AFC Championship it finally hit me that the Colts were going to the Super Bowl. I was walking around the mall and after looking at all the blue T-shits for sale it finally soaked in. I even went so far as to whisper it to myself. Now I am not a casual fan by any stretch of the imagination as I have supported the Colts since my teen years. But I have grown accustomed to the disappointment of always falling short (as evidenced by my post noted below by Torpor). The idea of a team that I had supported so passionately having a chance to win it all just seemed too far fetched to believe.

Yesterday after kick off I felt the same way. But quickly with a few plays in the beginning of the game the reality sat in that not only were the Colts in the biggest game on the planet but we were in for a dog fight. After kickoff my stomach turned after Devin Hester took it to the house on the first play of the game. I grew more sick after Peyton threw an interception in the first quarter. But if anything these Colts have shown during the playoffs is they won't get rattled and they won't lose sight of their game plan.

Instead they got tough on defense and made Bad Rex look bad even for him.

Instead they got their running game going and torched Chicago's run defense for 191 yards.

Instead Peyton stood up and made plays that only a veteran who has been tested and who has learned from his past failures can make.

The game was far from pretty. You don't get the sense that this is one of those games that will be played on NFL films for years to come. But for the faithful we could care less. The Indianapolis Colts have won and have brought the city its first major professional championship since the great ABA Pacer teams of the 70's.

Some other amazing things came from this game. One you saw a very good man, Tony Dungy, have redemption both professionally and personally. Coach Dungy as you may recall was fired by Tampa Bay because of his inability to get to the big game. And you might also recall that personal tragedy befell him last year. Seeing him hosted by his players with his hands in the air gave a nice moment to a nice man whose respectful style of coaching is often over looked by the media who focus on his counterparts and their over the top personalities.

Two, you saw two great football players finally get their ring. Would Peyton never be considered a great quarterback if he failed to win the big one? Sadly in some people's eyes failure to bring home a championship would exclude him from conversations about the greatest at his position. Make no mistake, when Peyton is done he will own every record the NFL has for quarterbacks. With this monkey finally off his back and his realization that he doesn't have to do it all himself Peyton may put him in position to earn another ring as well.

You also can't overlook Marvin Harrison winning a ring. He has done so much as a player and like his coach, his understated personality is lacking in today's NFL.

It amazes me the way the city has embraced this team. For the past month the city residents have shown their pride as evidenced by the all the Colts gear you see people wearing and the thousands of people who braved near zero temperatures for the Colts pep rally on the Circle this past week. I went last night to get my Super Bowl champions T-Shirt and the store was almost a near riot. Fans in this city have been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Before I wrote this, I read an article about how the crowd at the Super Bowl was much more pro Bears. The writer also noted that the crowd wearing Bears jerseys had many of the players from the Bears past and mentioned that the Colts fans did not. This team with Manning, Harrison, Wayne, Clark, Freeney will be our players and will be the ones that we will remember as the beginning of our great football history. The Colts victory last night solidified the Colts fan base in this city for generations to come.

Enjoy the moment. If you will excuse me, I have a parade to attend.

Congratulations Colts!

Super Bowl Champs!!

I guess we're no longer the most cursed sports city as The Kid once claimed.

Here is an impromptu post-game celebration at the circle.