In 49 other states, it's just sports.
At times, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been treated like a drive-in (you can still park in the infield) and a dive (see: Snake Pit), so perhaps it is appropriate that the host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Guy Fieri, will drive the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 pace car for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 27.
From Greg Gabriel at National Football Post:
There has been much written about Andrew Luck. I feel he is the best quarterback prospect I have seen since Peyton Manning. He has many of the same intangibles that Manning possesses such as work ethic and passion for the game. It won’t be long before the league sees how good this player can be. Second pick Coby Fleener is another in the line of "new breed" tight ends. They are not really tight ends because they seldom line up as inline blockers. They are usually flexed out or in motion. Fleener is perfect for this role with his speed and athleticism and of course he has already played with Luck. Dwayne Allen is different than Fleener in that he is a more traditional tight end. He got a bum rap from some draftniks who said he wasn’t a strong blocker. Wrong! All they had to do was go back and look at 2010 tape when Clemson ran a different offense and they could see what kind of blocker Allen really is. T.Y. Hilton is a very fast slot receiver who doubles as a more than adequate return specialist. Going to a 3-4 defense, the Colts had to find a traditional nose tackle. They found their guy in Josh Chapman from Alabama. He should do a good job anchoring the middle. Vick Ballard doesn’t have any special trait but he is a tough and consistent inside runner. He won’t be the bell cow type but should be excellent in a rotation.
In case you don't know Gabriel's background, he's a former scout for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, and was (at one time) Director of College Scouting for the Chicago Bears.
The Colts drafted eight players on offense with ten picks in 2012, including two quarterbacks, two wide receivers, and the two tight ends mentioned above. That's a not-so-subtle hint that they plan to build their "new era" around Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, and the passing game.
As the engine competition in the IZOD IndyCar Series escalates, Honda picked up a key ruling in its quest to improve engine performance, as Chevrolet's appeal of INDYCAR's decision to allow a revamped turbocharger for Honda.
The Big Ten is known for its rabid fans, especially since the once mocked Big ten network is now the gold standard for how to market collegiate athletic programs. It is no surprise then that the conference once again led the nation in attendance for men's basketball. According to an official release earlier today, the Big Ten has led the nation for 36 years running:
The Big Ten led the nation in men's basketball attendance for the 36th consecutive season according to figures recently released by the NCAA. The Big Ten led all conferences with an average attendance of 12,868, which is more than 1,300 higher than the next-closest conference.
During the 2011-12 regular season, the Big Ten welcomed 2,856,785 fans over 222 games, which marks the conference's all-time total attendance record and is the 20th straight year the conference eclipsed the two-million mark.
Six conference schools ranked in the top 25 in average attendance, while no other conference had more than four top-25 programs. Wisconsin led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally with an average of 17,181 fans per game. Ohio State (16,511) and Indiana (16,462) ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, followed by No. 14 Illinois (14,986), No. 15 Michigan State (14,797) and No. 21 Purdue (13,324). The Buckeyes and Hoosiers also posted two of the largest increases from the previous season.
Indiana has offered Malik Smith, a defensive end/linebacker recruit out of Orlando, Fla. per the Orlando Sentinel. According to the report, Smith has been in contact with Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, Northern Illinois and Central Florida. Indiana is Smith's first scholarship offer. The Hoosiers have yet to gain a commitment from the Class of 2013.
The 6'1" defensive prospect has the tools of a D1 football player, but his high school team's lack of success might have hindered his recruitment. Smith is ranked No. 54 in the Sentinel's class of 2013 Central Florida Super60. other players ranked in the Super60 that Indiana has offers out to include RB Jojo Kemp at No. 16 and Mikey Dorcely at No. 39.
Rivals.com has Smith labeled as three-star recruit. The Hoosiers are looking to improve upon its second-to-last ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten this past year.
See a highlight video of Indiana's recruit after the jump.
This past college basketball season the Indiana Hoosiers won the December battle at Assembly Hall with Christian Watford's game-winning three-pointer, but the Kentucky Wildcats won the war in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers now have a tasteful display of last season's return to national relevance at Assembly Hall, but Kentucky fans have already gotten a hold of it:
Some of the comments should make for interesting fodder for the next meeting between the two teams, especially since Kentucky is the defending national champion, but Indiana could enter the 2012-13 season ranked No. 1 in the country.
Die hard fans of the Indiana Pacers had to hate the 2010 NBA Finals, where Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) hit a huge three-pointer to win an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Artest, of course, cost Reggie Miller one last shot at a championship with his melee in Detroit during the 2004-05 season, resulting in a season-long suspension. He later said all the right things in trying to return the next year, only to essentially hold the team hostage before finally being traded.
He was up to his old tricks on Sunday with a vicious and unprovoked elbow on James Harden, which prompted an ejection and likely further disciplinary action.
Wade Cunningham has captured the Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway three times, but has never run in the Indianapolis 500.
That will change this may, when Cunningham will pilot the No. 41 entry for A.J. Foyt Racing in the Indianapolis 500.
Cunningham drove three races in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2011, finishing seventh at Kentucky and helping to open Foyt’s eyes to the driver.
Cunningham will participate in the Rookie Orientation Program on May 10 ahead of the opening of IMS for practice at noon on May 12.
Pole Day Qualifying is May 19. The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast live on ABC May 27 starting at 11 a.m. (ET).
While Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal verbally sparred after a Lap 22 wreck during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it was INDYCAR who had the last word. The series announced on Tuesday that it was Rahal who would be placed on probation through the next six races following his block of Andretti.
INDYCAR president of competition Beaux Barfield said:
Due to the inability of the No. 38 car to continue the race, a review of the on-track actions of Graham Rahal became a post-race issue. All stewards have reviewed the incident and have decided that the on-track actions of Graham warranted probation because of driving that endangers on-track safety and adversely affects competition.
Video of the incident after the jump.
Louisville's impressive run to the Final Four is still paying dividends for those close to the program, and CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein confirmed on Sunday that Cardinals associate coach Richard Pitino will succeed the recently fired Isiah Thomas at Florida International next season.
Sources confirm that Louisville Associate Head Coach Richard Pitino will be the next head coach at Florida International.......
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 15, 2012
The son of well-traveled veteran coach Rick Pitino, the 29-year-old Richard spent two years with Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators before joining up with his father last April. The younger Pitino will take over an FIU program that won 26 out of 91 games and consistently underachieved over the last three seasons under Thomas. A handful of current and future Florida International players were stunned by the decision to cut ties with Thomas, an NBA Hall-of-Famer and automatic draw on his name alone.
Pitino's time with the Gators should make the transition a bit easier from the recruiting side of things, but we are talking about a 29-year-old who has never held a head coaching gig before. Nonetheless, it's clear that Florida International will have plenty of patience with its new leader after a big name like Thomas ended up being a disaster.
For more Louisville coverage, head over to Card Chronicle.
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