Indiana Blog Review

Expensive Circuses

A few choice posts on Indianapolis' financial mismanagement.

Leo Morris:

I may not know the intricacies of high finance or the subtleties of government economic models or the ins and outs of bonds and taxation, but I surely know when I'm getting screwed.

Abdul:

Do a little bit of checking and what you'll find is when you shell a few extra pennies for luxury seats you can also commandeer some primo parking. In addition, the players get some parking spaces as well. These were all promised to Mr. Irsay. So if you put it all together, the city and state, otherwise known as the taxpayers, are being asked to shell out millions for parking spaces, that they can't afford so some really rich folks can park close to the Stadium to make a rich guy even richer at your wallet's expense.

The Colts are already making out like bandits ($48 million contract buyout payback, $121 million in naming rights from Lucas Oil, $7 million annually in lease revenue, all game day revenue, up to $3.5 million in non-game revenue and the city has to maintain the stadium). This doesn't even count the millions in operating cost overruns. And the Colts were also opposed to keeping some ticket prices under $25 for regular folks. And they balked at a ticket fee to help pay for pubic safety in Marion County.

Fred McCarthy:

Instead of those activities providing ever increasing funds for the operation of local government, you are pleading poverty which would force you to close swimming pools, reduce trash removal services and endanger citizens by reducing law enforcement and fire protection personnel.  You are increasing city indebtedness for reasons which have nothing to do with your appropriate functions.  The servicing of that debt will continue to curtail funds needed for those functions . . .

Has it not become apparent after 20 to 30 years of these tax and spend policies that they are not successful, at least as far as municipal government is concerned?  Should not "investments" by the city at some time begin to produce a return favorable to the investor?  Is an increase of tax revenues which can be used only to retire increased debt really of value to the city?

As far as debt and revenues are concern, we have now had revealed just what kind of deal you most recently negotiated for the city.  You will raze a completely functioning, 22 year old building and replace it with one costing approximately ten times as much. 

Threatdown: Grizzlies!

Advance Indiana does some unusual sports reporting on the Rose-Hulman vs. Franklin College football game this past Saturday.

Being a Bad Sport

Fred McCarthy, on the economics of Indy's sports teams:

Professional sports franchises are competing for local dollars available for voluntary spending options of the consumer, including other sports operations.  They are shifting economic activity.  They are not making a huge addition to that activity.

The Power of Sampson

Terry Hutchins:

Kelvin Sampson has been saying for months how impressed he is with Indiana University. The IU basketball coach likes the campus, he likes the people, and he honestly believes Indiana is one of those places where you can win a national championship. His No. 1 gripe, however, both publicly and privately, has been IU's antiquated facilities . . .

Sampson was then asked if he was embarrassed by IU's basketball facilities. He took a long pause and then said, "Next question.''

There's no doubt that a practice facility like the one being discussed could do wonders for IU's chances to recruit . . .

v. and vs.

The Sports Law Blog: "Indiana’s Courts of Appeals have offered some of the most analytical 'sports tort' cases in recent years . . . "  (via ILB)

Are you kidding him?

Terry Hutchins, "I've received several emails in the last 24 hours from people suggesting that Kelvin Sampson committed a recruiting violation when he had dinner with Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose at Yogi's (10th and Indiana) on Friday night of last week."

A Good Investment

TDW reports:

Remember back when Lucas Oil got the naming rights to the new Indy stadium, and everyone was talking about whether the company would get more state business in exchange for the deal? The answer to that question is "yes."

According to the Indiana Department of Administration's online contracts database, the company received a $5,000 contract on May 26 "to determine if Lucas Oil products provide an enhanced economic benefit." The contract ends in December.

Nothing quite like being paid to study yourself to figure out whether yourself needs to receive more money from the entity that's paying you to study for yourself.

Colts Muppet

Jason Borneman has an excellent suggestion for naming the new Colts mascot.

A Slow Pace

Jason Borneman predicts that "The Pacers are going to be a disaster this season."

Relatedly, he's starting a contest, wherein he's, "come up with some HIGH-LARIOUS stats you can bet over or under."

Formula One

Advance Indiana:

Keeping up his tradition of providing welfare for the rich while ignorning the needs of every day Indy residents, Mayor Bart Peterson (D) thinks the taxpayers should subsidize Formula One racing in order to retain the Grand Prix race in Indianapolis. Never mind that Formula One is the world's most financially successful racing series and that its principal owner, billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, is one of the U.K.'s richest men. And never mind the fact that the Hulman-George family has never received any public subsidies in the past--because they've never asked for anything. But with Mayor Peterson, there's no mega-rich person he won't open up the taxpayers' wallet to support.

Radley Balko sounds the same note.

A Problem with the Big 11 and Numbers

Advance Indiana comments on Indianapolis' successful bid to host the Big 10 tournament:

Mayor Peterson told the Tribune that the city tries to use incentives judiciously, but that was hardly the case here . . .

. . . even with the smaller capacity, Indianapolis was drawing more fans than the event drew in Chicago's United Center.

An important economic point in the Tribune article deals with the financial gain from the event. The men's tournament has triggered about $15 million in spending over a long week-end in Chicago, which is nothing to sneeze at. However, that is about one-fifth the amount that is generated by a large trade show. While Indianapolis gains from hosting the Big Ten tourneys, it potentially will be giving up much larger trade show revenues. With all the hotel space occupied for the tournament, a tradeshow at the convention center that weekend is out of the question. Instead, Indianapolis will offer up free convention space for a job fair for Big Ten students.

I suppose we could possibly still come out ahead in the long term if visiting students found jobs in Indianapolis at the job fair.

Heating Up

Advance Indiana on IU's Men's Basketball Coach, "Sampson's contract with IU supposedly allows the university to penalize him in pay for any sanctions handed down by the NCAA. Let's hope they exercise this contractual term to the fullest extent permitted."

Meanwhile, Terry Hutchins is publishing "Kelvin Sampson's diary from Kuwait where he is coaching U.S. troops at Operation Hardwood II."

A Faster Pace

Jason at X-Tra Rant says the Pacers need some significant changes.

Duggout

Terry Hutchens asks, "Can someone explain to me the interest in Vaughn Duggins?"

Beaned

Mike Kole has some refreshing contrarianism on the NK Hurst heist:

The thing that most struck me most is the thing that will not be reported, in all likelihood. It was fascinating listening to Mr. Mutz and Mr. Frick and their choice of words. They spoke as though the Hurst land was already theirs, and that the Stadium Authority was making a concession to the Hursts!

This is exactly backwards. The Hursts made all of the concessions, giving up their land. The spin was so thick I was getting dizzy.

The Stadium Authority made no concession whatsoever. What are they giving up? If the project costs more due to needing to build a parking garage, it won't cost the members of the Authority a penny. It will cost the taxpayers. Of course, it this were a private project as it should have been from the get-go, the taxpayers wouldn't be paying a penny, either.

Hoosier Hospitality

Jason at Four Square No. 266 volunteered as a hotel greeter for the Final Four weekend and had an interesting time.

(via Doug Masson)

(And yes, Bill Walton is horrible.)

The Games The Play Up North

Fort Wayne Observed directs our attention northward:

Indianapolis wasn't the only Indiana city hosting a national championship this past week. Fort Wayne did, too. It wasn't basketball, but hockey - PeeWee Hockey at the McMillen Ice Arena.

Kelvin Sampson

My co-blogger Josh Claybourn reacts  favourably to IU's new basketball coach.

Meanwhile Terry Hutchins says the selection came out of left field and has some very interesting thought the morning after.  Be sure and also check out some light-hearted objections to the selection.

A Few Details Wrong

Over In The Agora, my fellow blogger Josh Claybourn recounts the incompetent reporting of ESPN's Andy Katz on IU's overtures to Gonzaga's Mark Few.

Awesome

The Indiana Education Review notes that,  "Indiana is home to nine of the ten largest high school gymnasiums in the nation. This is very disturbing, and probably explains why Indiana has one of the worst school systems in the nation as well."

(via Jeff Fraser)

Go Hoosiers

Terry Hutchens asks two good questions:

• Should IU be a top 25 team again?
• Did Northwestern State just cost Alford the IU job?

My answer to both: I hope so.

IPFW Men's BB

Fort Wayne Observed covered the Mastadons' 55-54 victory over the Texas-Pan American Broncs for their season finale, including audio posts.

The road to the 'Big Game'

Indiana Parley writes about a Hoosier who might be going to the Super Bowl.

Paul Siegfried, writing in the Huntington (IN) Herald-Press has a story about the Huntington roots of Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Grossman will be leading the Bears tomorrow in its play-off game against the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. ...

If the Bears win it will be their first post-season victory since 1995, reports the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.

From In the Agora:

I must say I appreciate all the quiet confidence from ITA's native Hoosiers this week regarding tomorrow's big game, as opposed to last time, when Colts fans were talking as if an 11-0 start made them the greatest team of all time.  The fact that no one is going Cincinnati Bengal-like giddy is a big improvement.

Seriously though, 99.44 percent of the experts are predicting the Colts to win this one, and even as a Steelers fan I see no reason to disagree with them. Even the big guy to the left said this week that the Steelers would have to play their A-plus game while the Colts play their B-minus game for it to happen.

South Bend potential Olympic venue

If Chicago is selected for the Olympics summer games in 2016, South Bend would potentially be one of the venues for events.

Reports Masson's Blog:

An AP story in the South Bend Tribune suggests that South Bend would be a potential site of some Olympic events if Chicago was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Games. South Bend, along with Champaign and Milwaukee were suggested as possible venues in addition to Chicago.

Hoeppner has brain surgery

Indiana University Football coach Terry Hoeppner underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor at Bloomington Hospital, reports Nathan Gotsch at Fort Wayne Observed.

Good news for Indiana's Bears fans

The Bears have relented and are going to allow Indiana residents to purchase tickets.  Deliberate Chaos has the story:

The original ban was designed to stop people from buying tickets from ticket brokers. However, not selling tickets to Indiana's Bears fans would have created a brisk business with ticket brokers as Northwest Indiana residents desiring tickets sought out sources other than the Bears.

Bad news for Indiana's Bears fans

Northwest Indiana Bears fans won't be able to purchase single game playoff tickets, unless they are season ticket holders, reports Deliberate Chaos.

The team says that the move is to limit purchases by ticket brokers.

Many observers predict that ticket brokers will end up with many single game tickets and will sell them to Northwest Indiana fans. It will create a seller's market for ticket scalpers because Indiana fans will have no recourse but to turn to the brokers who use Illinois residents to obtain tickets. ...

It's not a popular move with people in Northwest Indiana, most of which is less than 30 minutes from Soldier Field. It sometimes takes longer to commute from the Northwestern suburbs to the Loop than it takes to travel from Gary, Highland, or Hammond to downtown Chicago.

"Obviously, being from Northwest Indiana, we feel like we're right outside of Chicago," said Jessica Rios of Highland, Indiana.

"We're big supporters of Chicago athletics. To be shunned that way is completely unfortunate. We're right around the corner. It seems unfair," said Rios, in the Sun-Times report.

Son of Colts coach found dead

Taking Down Words reports that James Dungy, son of Indianapolis Colt's coach Tony Dungy, was found dead in his apartment in Tampa, Florida.

This is terribly sad news. No parent should have ever have to live through the death of a child. Our prayers are with the Dungy family.

Also commenting is Masson's Blog:

This is terrible.

Douglas Davidoff at Straight Talk PR adds:

Sympathy to Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, who today faces a parent's worst fear: news of the death of a child. The loss to Coach and his family is incalcuable, but whatever that infinite level might be, it is doubled by Coach Dungy's well-known devotion to family. True Blue tears are flowing...

Not So Fast

Steve Straiger says that Mike Davis is not the second-fastest coach to 100 wins in Indiana University history, even if their sports information office has been proclaiming him to be.

TRACKBACK: Leo Morris

Monday Night Football

Wait, is there a football game in Indiana tonight?

Stewart Gets Sagamore

Taking Down Words on NASCAR champion Tony Stewart getting a Sagamore of the Wabash:

Nothing against NASCAR, but aren't Sagamores, under the watchful eye of Gov. Mitch Daniels, supposed to be handed out judiciously?

Flash back to May 22: "'The governor is trying to restore the luster of the Sagamore,' said Jane Jankowski, Daniels' press secretary."

It's great that Stewart has brought honor and glory to Indiana with his recent victory, but what about, say, Peyton Manning or Reggie Miller or the winner of the Indianapolis 500 each year?

RELATED: Tony Stewart needs an anger management refresher

The Baby's Mama

Kemplog reports that the woman who filed the paternity suit against former Indiana Pacer Dale Davis has also been a thorn in Michael Jordan's side for some time.

Blogging Gets Results?

Taking Down Words reports that IU football coach Terry Hoeppner will no longer speak at a Senate Republican fundraiser: "[Y]ou can sleep easy at night knowing that a taxpayer-funded university isn't letting its coach headline a political event using the school's logos and reputation. Go Hoosiers!"

MORE: A follow-up post from TDW, including a link to an AP story on the incident

PREVIOUSLY: Taking Down Words reports on Hoeppner fundraiser.

Also from Taking Down Words:

The latest twist in the wake of yesterday's resignation announcement from state Sen. Murray Clark?  Indianapolis City-County Council member Isaac Randolph is gunning for the seat.

Okay, that's not so strange, and it's likely good for Democrats, who came close to beating Randolph in the 2003 Council race.

What is strange is that Randolph made his announcement at Traders Point Creamery, an organic dairy in Zionsville. Is that even in Clark's district? And does it strike anyone as amusing that Randolph would choose to put himself out to pasture before he gets to the Indiana Senate?

Coach Hep Wants You?

Taking Down Words:

Does anyone else out there think it's a little odd that a Big Ten football coach [IU's Terry Hoeppner] would be the featured speaker at a $300 per head fundraiser for the Senate Republican caucus?

TDW includes a copy of the flyer advertsising the event.