Men's Indiana Basketball 2027 may be a Year

    The transfer portal may deliver to the once heralded program in 2026-27, now mired in mediocrity and... frustrated hopes of yesteryear. The new incoming players may deliver some success. It looks good on paper. But then there are tried and true ballers like Purdue. Or Michigan State.

    The new coach, now in his second year, brought in some talent his first year, including his son, a prolific scorer, but they were not good enough to make it into the Big Dance. Michigan, hail the victors. At least the Big Ten finally won it all. Since I was a younger guy trying to advance in the world...

    The world.

    There is me, and there are the universities that I hold allegiance of. And there is me, which can be more disappointing than these teams of young men that are more separated from reality than I am.

    We are bombing Iran, gas and prices are abnormally high, Israel is hitting and killing folks in Lebanon, now after Gaza Strip. Ukrainians are killed in the big land grab there by Russia. Apparently Sudan is atrocious, but not enough people care.

    Life is okay locally, but some people have died. Life and death march on.

    There has been the amazing dream-like IU football team, there have been personal struggles, a few successes, our community, our nation. Things that matter more, more pertinent to me, my wife, my kids, my loved ones.

    Then there is the basketball team. The young men.

    We have a seven-two guy via SMU and Turkey, a guy from Duke, and other schools.

    One player, Lindsey (?), who comes via Texas A & M, then James Madison, then Villanova?

    Wow, and he is listed a sophomore? After three colleges? In three different regions and states?

    Huh. What a country traveler.

    IU has guards, forwards, a real seven foot center coming up. Welcome to the world of the cross-state rival, Purdue.

    Who knows? Things could happen by next March.

    We never stop dreaming of the hoop dreams.

    Can you remember? I can.

    Go IU.

    Fight, fight, fight.

 Where Baseballs Go to Die

    I have never been to Ward Field, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Where the Indiana State baseball team plays. But tonight, thanks to the wonders of Hulu TV and its panoply of sports programs, showing Division I and likely other baseball in all venues and climes, I can watch it from my family room. They make available teams and colleges that you have never heard, and likely never will, my gentle reader. I could look among them... Campbell, Mercer, Kennesaw State. Corpus Christ (Texas A & M), Lindenwood, Houston Christian. There are more... Hulu gets them all!

    I wanted to see the Hoosiers, who have been a bit underwhelming till now, against the Missouri Valley leading State Sycamores. ISU started up 5-0 but now trail in the 5th inning by seven, 5-12.

    Go Hoosiers. 

    But this is about the outfield, what lies in the fence beyond it, and what lies beneath.

    A cemetery. A grave yard. The many home runs hit so far tonight have been landing there in left field, and some other bombs have headed to the bullpen in right and the staff parking or something over that way.

    A field of graves and tombs in Terre Haute.

    I saw some people in the stands, mostly behind home plate, and I thought that I might know some of them or at least know their relatives or friends. I grew up an hour from Terre Haute, which means "high ground". Vigo County, I guess.

    I knew my church people there. Back in the 1980s as a youth, and bit more in the late 1990s. The Roses, the Drummonds, the Kirchners, and later Brother... Luis? Magallanes, yes. No, Geno. A sweet man. Very cool, who had made his to Indiana from Mexico via Saint Louis. The family that married into the Aguila clan, out in California, too.

    Who is buried there? Did I ever know any of them?

    Possibly. Or their relatives, maybe.

    It was light there, on the edges of the Eastern Time Zone, the sun still up, as it got dark hear closer to the Atlantic. Closer to the night, and perhaps the sliver of a crescent moon, and the death that those hues may symbolize.

    Light is alive, dark is the eternal rest. Dark, cool, deceased. Light, warm, and alive.

    Now IU is beating its state rival, not bad a program for being a smaller school, 13 to 5 now after  triple.

    Take me home, IU. Take me back to the banks of the Wabash, far away. Hogey.

    14-4 after a double.

    The bats are hopping. 

    The dead lay a few yards away. Withering and moldy, dust and barely any bones left.

    Maybe I knew them, as Hamlet had known Yoric.

    And, finally, where will I be buried?

    Should I be jettisoned to the moon.

    Too expensive.

    Make it tenable and nice.

    Death awaits, but there are innings left to be played in this sweet opera, the long drama of the vanities and the mercies.

    Good night, my Indiana. Schwarber plays on the other channel, in Philly, where a temple was seen from afar where the dead receive their ordinances of life and eternity.

    Amen.

    

    

 We Sent How Many U.S. Troops to Iran in 1942? There was Oil then...

    We sent either 20,000 or 40 some thousand in the first year of World War II.

    Not our first rodeo there.

 The Monster Spirit Comes - Who Can Subdue It?

        It can be a whiff or a small tug, or it can a larger whale or gale. That awful dread of sentiment or thought, perhaps a niggling feeling of something off, something a kilter, or even worse: it gets stuck in your head.

    The feelings, the ideations, of doubt, jealousy, anger, despair. 

    Who or how or what can conquer, or quell, or vanquish these monster spirits?

    Figure it out, for every monster spirit or demon there is a hero and champion.

    Find it, find them.

 The Straits of Hormuz 2026

    The overwhelming thoughts that I was having today is:

    Why does the United States not control the straits, channels, waterways of Hormuz right now, or for the last month and half?

    How can we (the United States) "end civilization" on one extreme, if we cannot control the few hundred miles of the Straits of Hormuz?

    How stupid are we supposed to be?

    Pretty stupid. Yes.

    Marines could secure it, with enough Air Force and Navy power.

    Why not?

    Are we afraid of the Irani forces? Or just plain dumb?

 Knowing Jesus and Doing His Will

    We celebrate the Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday. It is a time of remembering, celebrating, worshipping, and faith. Many celebrate and remember with sharing eggs or candy for the children. This is nice. Christians in all places have their ways of showing their respects, devotions, and traditions for Easter.

    In my family I recall going to the Tudor Room, a more posh restaurant on the IU campus at the Indiana University Memorial Union. Belgian waffles and things fancy. Or, maybe that was more Mother's Day in May. Although maybe both. This, after attending church, of course.

    We would have chocolate bunnies and the cotton-like colored bunnies, and fun eggs to find around the house. Sometimes we would paint the shells, and there would be the egg searches at the city ground so Bryan Park across the street.

    Easter: bigger than even Christmas in the Christian world. Or it should be.

    The world of Christianity is very large thus far in the 21st century, despite the growing numbers of atheists, secular "nones" (people with no religious affiliation), agnostics, decreasing birth rates in Western and traditional Christian nations, trends of some going back to pagan or nativist faiths or practice.

    Made up fictions have gathered their own belief-system momentums like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and dozens and dozens of other fictionalized universes. Some people mark Jedi as their religion on their dog tags for the military. It is as real as anything else that some people claim.

    In 2025 I learned quite a bit more about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, plus many of their friends and acquaintances. Both of these thinkers and writers created their own worlds, but it turns out Tolkien was very Catholic, while most of us knew that Lewis was a very popular Christian apologist. However, it is interesting to note that Tolkien was vehemently opposed to Lewis claiming erudite scholarship as a Christian apologist since he was not trained in the science nor authorized as such by any faith, not only the Romans of Italy but by no faith under Protestantism as well.

    They had their disagreements, but they also believed in creating their own myths. Which, going on a hundred years later is still going strong. Hugely successful, especially Lord of the Rings. They made the Silmarillion into a coherent story, and spent a lot of money on it. Rings of Power...

    Faiths and beliefs of power.

    Jesus Christ is the Answer, proclaims the living prophets of my Church of Jesus Christ on Easter weekend last Sunday, and His members and missionaries try to share and spread that message and witness. And 12 plus apostles, like we believe were established by the Lord Himself.

    I will send this. Written up the so many  days later, perhaps unfinished in scope or intent, but sent.

 What Christianity Brings

    It brings good and bad. When applied wrongly, it can get ugly.  Awful. Almost the worst. Millions have died for bad reasons in its name. Like hate and oppression and control, which is not what Christ intended, surely. Jesus did say and proclaim things that implied revolution and force, but not outright hostility and violence. Yet people over the centuries have used His name and His religions to justify hatred and violence. Like the Crusades. Were those correct? No, we can agree.

    Muslim and Jewish people have suffered unnecessarily from many Christian-based regimes, governments, and even Christian movements over the years because of unrighteous actions by so-called Christians.

    All this said, Christianity can be very good, too. Philanthropic, full of good will very often, charity and well-meaning charities, magnanimousness, organized systems that help others, even the poor. Jesus would approve. Education. Alms and health and anti-poverty drives and inititiatives.

    Metaphysically, or spiritually, Christianity works well for millions, if not billions. Jesus the Anointed One, the Promised Messiah, brought His Kingdom to earth, as planned, and conquered death and died for our sins, paying with His blood for our eternal redemption, defeating or washing away our sins.

    We as believers and practitioners of Christianity enjoy or take advantage of great interpersonal and collective benefits.

    However, there are those of us that misuse or abuse those gifts. We may be prideful or overconfident, bossy or self-righteous in our attempts to be a good Christian, a follower of the Master, Son of God, Jesus the Messiah.

    Belief and faith in Jesus is supposed to be about joy and renewal, not abuse or over lording.

    But we can make mistakes in trying to do His will, and we do all the time. Individually and collectively.

    So, I wish us all a Happy Easter, and I recommend temperance and patience, solid faith and love, and not extreme acts of hypocrisy or chicanery.

    Let us be our best selves, this Holy Week, Easter holiday, and always.

    Let us be brothers and sisters to our Muslim, Jewish, atheist, and agnostic, secular friends and cohorts.

    Being Christian is a privilege that we should never exploit.

    Be good, be loving. Be a good faithful, follower of Christ.