Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1398

ABOVE: Indiana Pacers Basketball, 7 pm, Conseco Fieldhouse.

• Indiana Pacers Basketball at Conseco Fieldhouse
• Men’s Basketball: Bethel at Marian University
• Art from the Heartland at the Indianapolis Art Center
• Gene Deer Live at the Slippery Noodle Inn
• Barbie(TM) The Fashion Experience at the Children’s Museum
• Pistols: Dazzling Firearms at the Eiteljorg Museum
• Strumpets and Squares at AV Framing Gallery
• Black Pearls at Garfield Park Arts Center
• Larry McWilliams Live at the Jazz Kitchen
• Gospel Music Artist June Rochelle at the Artsgarden

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Monday, February 8, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1397

ABOVE: Indiana Ice USHL Ice Hockey, 12:05 pm, Pepsi Coliseum.

• Indiana Ice USHL Ice Hockey at the Pepsi Coliseum
• Men’s Basketball: Loyola v. Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse
• The Art of Chocolate at the IU Art Museum in Bloomington
• Frank Smith Quartet Live at the Jazz Kitchen
• Dick Hay Sculpture Exhibit at the Christel DeHaan Gallery
• Art from the Heartland at the Indianapolis Art Center
• Zach Deputy Live at Birdy’s Bar and Grill
• The Art of D. DelReverda-Jennings at Clowes Hall
• Soul Bus Live at Kona Jack’s
• Benito DiBartoli and Friends Live at the Slippery Noodle Inn

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Sunday, February 7, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1396

ABOVE: Winter Warmup Weekend Mardi Gras, 12-6 pm, Mallow Run Winery, Bargersville.

• Downtown Events Related to the Colts Game in Miami
• Curious George Live! at the Murat Theatre
• Black Pearls at Garfield Park Arts Center
• New Jack Sundays at Walker Theatre
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Gregg Bacon Live at the Indianapolis Artsgarden
• Hearthside Supper at Conner Prairie
• Pistols: Dazzling Firearms at the Eiteljorg Museum
• Winter Warmup Weekend Mardi Gras at Mallow Run Winery
• Tropical Adventure at White River Gardens

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Saturday, February 6, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1395

ABOVE: Naptown Roller Girls, 7:30 pm, Pepsi Coliseum.

• Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy
• Curious George Live! at the Murat Theatre
• 22nd Annual Butler University GospelFest at Clowes Hall
• Brahms’ Violin Concerto at Hilbert Circle Theatre
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Winter Farmers’ Market at the Chatham Center
• Hearthside Supper at Conner Prairie
• Pistols: Dazzling Firearms at the Eiteljorg Museum
• Purdue University Fish Fry at the State Fairgrounds
• Naptown Roller Girls at the Pepsi Coliseum

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Friday, February 5, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1394

ABOVE: Curious George Live!, 10:30 am and 7:30 pm, Murat Theatre.

• Indiana Pacers NBA Basketball at Conseco Fieldhouse
• Curious George Live! at the Murat Theatre
• Ice Miller Indy Wine Fest at the Indiana Roof Ballroom
• Brahms’ Violin Concerto at Hilbert Circle Theatre
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• IDADA First Friday Art Tour of 25 Area Galleries
• Hearthside Supper at Conner Prairie
• Boy Scouts Memorabilia Auction at the State Fairgrounds
• Butler Symphony Orchestra at Clowes Memorial Hall
• Devour Downtown Winterfest in Downtown Indianapolis

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Thursday, February 4, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1393

ABOVE: Brahms' Violin Concerto, 11 am, Hilbert Circle Theatre.

• Men’s Basketball: Purdue at IU Bloomington
• Rascal Flatts at Roberts Stadium in Evansville
• Chocolate Celebration at Kokomo Mall in Howard County
• Brahms’ Violin Concerto at Hilbert Circle Theatre
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Black Pearls Exhibit at Garfield Park Arts Center
• Kronos Quartet at Loeb Playhouse, Purdue University
• The Housewives of Mannheim at the Phoenix Theatre
• Men’s Basketball: Detroit at Butler
• Bus Stop at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre

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Reggie Miller movie at Conseco Fieldhouse, Feb. 26.

Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 3, 2010. OK. I have a confession to make. I’m an old man—and I know it. Gonna hit the Big Six Oh later this year. SIXTY. Strikes fear into my heart just to say it out loud. But one of the benefits of growing up as a member of the Baby Boomer generation was the opportunity to witness some of the greatest sports moments in history.

As a 10-year-old boy, I watched Roger Maris break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record on October 1, 1961—just one week to the day before my 11th birthday (in my mind he still holds the record, given the recent issues involving Bonds, McGwire and Sosa).

On December 23, 1972, I witnessed “The Immaculate Reception” when Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Oakland Raiders with his miraculous catch in the AFC playoffs. Sidebar: He’s my age—he, too, is going to hit the Big Six Oh in 2010!

On April 8, 1974, I was watching when Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hit home run number 715 in Atlanta to break Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record.

On January 10, 1982, I was watching when Dwight Clark from the San Francisco 49′ers made “The Catch” in the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC playoffs at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, considered one of the most famous in NFL history.

On September 11, 1985, I was watching when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit. If McGwire, Bonds, or Sosa ultimately makes it into the Hall of Fame, how can they deny the greatest hitter in the history of the game? But I digress.

And yes, like much of the nation, I got caught up in that wonderfully exciting (albeit “juiced”) home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season.

So I’ve witnessed some of the greatest moments in sports history. Best of all, these occasions are not history lessons for me. They live on, burned in the memory of this aging sports fan.

Today I relived a little bit of sports history at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, when I was invited to attend the media preview of a forthcoming special premiere movie event: “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks.”

The 75-minute documentary was produced for ESPN’s 30-for-30 series (see http://30for30.espn.com/), which debuts on ESPN on Sunday, March 14, 2010, at 9 pm.

The rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks was one of the greatest sports rivalries in history, in my humble opinion. Those years in the mid 1990’s were an emotionally charged, electric time for these two foes. Reggie Miller was one of the greatest clutch performers of his generation; Patrick “Three Steps” Ewing led the evil Knicks for the East Coast contingent (probably played Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man” in the locker room before every game). “Evil” is my word; like every other self-respecting Hoosier, I loved to hate the Knicks in the 1990’s. [grin]

I remember vividly, as do most Hoosier basketball fans, Reggie’s incredible eight points in under nine seconds in Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs against the Knicks on May 7, 1995, when he canned two back-to-back jump shots from behind the arc to tie the game at 105-105 with just seconds remaining–when Knicks fans thought their team had safely put the Pacers away. If you’ve never seen this incredible sports moment, check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtPaMgyz4ec.

To me this is arguably one of the greatest and most memorable moments in sports history. It’s not just that he hit the pair of three’s, but it’s that after Greg Anthony fell to the hardwood, that Miller caught the inbounds pass, had the presence of mind to turn around, dribble behind the arc, execute another 180, and drill the second shot. What are the odds of THAT? Sidebar: I always thought it was Jon Starks who fell down. Just shows what can happen to your recollections with the passing of time.

Well. All this and much more has been captured by Director Dan Klores in the forthcoming Reggie vs. the Knicks movie, which premieres on Feb. 26, 2010, at 8 pm, at Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 South Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis. Tickets are $10 each, available from the Conseco Box Office, Pacers.com, or Ticketmaster. The evening will feature a Red Carpet arrival from 7-8 pm, with the film beginning at 8 pm.

Today’s premiere was amusingly funny–if you are a Pacers fan (Knicks fans will probably be annoyed anew). It drew hearty laughter from the crowd of 50 or so media members in attendance. Klores strikes just the right chord in his presentation of this epic battle between the two Eastern Conference adversaries.

• I love how he has woven actual game footage into a compelling presentation that uses interviews with players, coaches, and others (like Reggie’s sister Cheryl), to put the events into proper historical context.
• I love how you can hear the trash talking going on between Reggie and Jon Starks, then hear Reggie’s and Jon’s commentary on the play-by-play.
• I love it that you can actually hear what Spike Lee and Reggie were shouting at each other.
• I love the closeup footage underneath the baskets. Viewed on the big screen at today’s media preview, it was simply like rewinding the clock to 1995.

But there’s a difference in my mind between all those great events I cited above, and Reggie Miller’s accomplishments on that historic day in May 1995: (1) the other occasions were national events, whereas to every Hoosier, Miller’s assassination of the Knicks was a LOCAL event; and (2) whereas most of the events I cited were expected and drew large audiences in anticipation of what was about to happen, Miller’s stunning eight points was unexpected, unlike anything anyone has ever seen in the NBA, before or since, at least to the best of my knowledge and recollection.

I’m glad I was able to witness all these memorable sports events during my lifetime, and I’m truly delighted to have been able to relive these memories today of the Pacers and Reggie Miller at the height of their success in the mid 1990’s.

If you want to laugh, maybe shed a tear, dredge up some old emotions and memories, and just have a good time, I hope you’ll make the trip down to Conseco Fieldhouse on Feb. 26 to see history come alive. The program benefits three worthwhile charities: the Pacers Foundation, Peoples Burn Foundation/Brave Hearts Camp, and Riley Hospital for Children Pediatric Burn Unit.

If you’re old enough to remember these events first-hand, it might just move you to tears. And if you aren’t old enough to remember, it will give you a glimpse of what the NBA used to be like just a few short years ago. I’ve not seen any NBA play at this level of intensity recently.

Parental warning: The Motion Picture Association of America would give this movie an R rating because of one occurrence of the F-bomb in the movie during one of the interviews. Otherwise I think it would probably qualify at about the PG level.

DISCLOSURE: The Indiana Pacers invited me to attend and gave me a pass to the media preview. But they did not dictate the content of this blog entry, nor did they tell me what I should or shouldn’t, or could or couldn’t, say. My heartfelt thanks to the Pacers for allowing me to be a part of this excellent preview event.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1392

ABOVE: Menopause, the Musical, 8 pm, Clowes Memorial Hall.

• The Opera Show at Emens Auditorium in Muncie
• Devour Downtown Winterfest in Downtown Indianapolis
• Menopause, The Musical at Clowes Memorial Hall
• Winter Market at the Indianapolis City Market
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Black Pearls at Garfield Park Arts Center
• IU Kelley School of Business MBA Open House at IUPUI
• Men’s Basketball: Bluffton at Anderson University
• Tropical Adventure at White River Gardens
• The Foreigner at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1391

ABOVE: Indiana Pacers Basketball, 7 pm, Conseco Fieldhouse.

• Indiana Pacers Basketball at Conseco Fieldhouse
• Devour Downtown Winterfest in Downtown Indianapolis
• Menopause, The Musical at Clowes Memorial Hall
• Taylor Martin’s Indy Magic Monthly at Theatre on the Square
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Black Pearls at Garfield Park Arts Center
• Community Tuesday at White River State Park
• Men’s Basketball: Taylor at Marian
• Art from the Heartland at the Indianapolis Art Center
• The Foreigner at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre

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Monday, February 1, 2010 | Daily Podcast Episode 1390

ABOVE: Devour Downtown Winterfest, Jan. 25 to Feb. 6.

• Indianapolis Colts Super Blue Monday at the Artsgarden
• Devour Downtown Winterfest in Downtown Indianapolis
• Women’s Basketball: Oakland at IUPUI in The Jungle
• Week of Chocolate Celebration in Bloomington
• 88th Annual Indianapolis Home Show at the State Fairgrounds
• Dick Hay Sculpture Exhibit at the Christel DeHaan Gallery
• UIndy Faculty Artist Series at the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall
• Frank Glover Live at the Jazz Kitchen
• Soul Bus Live at Kona Jack’s
• WT Feaster and Larry Baker Live at the Slippery Noodle Inn

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