Hello my friends, it's been a while!

What better time to rekindle this thing than the beginning of spring (pitchers and catchers are in camp. I don't care what the calendar says because I'm ignoring it anyway)? Playoff basketball for local high schools is on the doorstep, the aforementioned baseball players are active again, and the 6 feet of solid ice in my yard is beginning to melt! And there's much to talk and write about, so here I am. Lots on my mind recently :

First of all, I'm officially back on the Indiana Pacers' bandwagon. I'm sure I'll be welcomed aboard, but I really need to know what the heck took them so long to dump Jim O'Brien? What did he provide that they needed, even when it was obvious he'd lost the team. Frank Vogel has done nothing but make a few subtle changes, open the rotation a little, and all of a sudden the Pacers are fun to watch, look like they care, and are obviously enjoying themselves and each other. Did I mention Vogel has started 7-1? I don't care who they've played....7-1 is 7-1 and I guarantee O'Brien's Pacers wouldn't have touched that. Dare I say Indianapolis might well be a Pacers town again soon?

While I'm on the subject, count me as the guy who thinks the Pacers are a superstar away from being a very good team for a long time. They have money in the off-season, but this year's free-agent class is relatively soft. Apart from New Orleans' David West, I can't find a guy the Pacers could really use, so why not shoot for the moon while we have the ammunition? TJ Ford, Brandon Rush, and Jeff Foster to the LA Clippers for Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman. Kaman's contract is awful; but Gordon's not staying with the Clippers when he's up for free agency in 2 years. No one does, and he won't be the first. He wants to be here and openly said so when the Pacers hosted the Clips in December. That trade gives the Clips 2 expiring contracts and a very capable shooting guard. There are other ways to do it, but that's the easiest. LA is going to lose Gordon anyway; they might as well grab some free money and drop an awful contract in the process. Kaman can back up Roy Hibbert if healthy and the trade works money-wise. It hurts the Clippers who swear they're building a team around Gordon and Blake Griffin, but they've promised to build teams before and I don't buy that ANY good player wants to play 2nd fiddle in his own city. Gordon's not staying....might as well see what you can get back for him, and the Pacers have more than anyone. Would anyone else be excited with a core group of Darren Collison, Eric Gordon, Paul George, Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough, David West, and Roy Hibbert!?! I sure would and the Pacers can absolutely make that happen! For giggles, play around with this http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine It's awesome.

Pitchers and catchers are in camp, and I still hate Paul Janish as the Reds' full-time shortstop. First of all, he can't hit. He had a decent first half last year, but his lifetime average is still .226 and in GABP? The Reds can't afford another automatic out. "But he has such a great glove he makes up for his poor hitting with incredible defense!" you say? Really? His lifetime fielding % in 3 seasons is .972. The guy he replaced, Orlando Cabrera? .970 in 14 seasons. Not buying, Janish fans. Not buying.

I DO love the Reds' pitching problem. It's not your father's Reds' pitching problem, boys and girls! This one's a good one. The Reds have too MANY pitchers. Bronson Arroyo was re-signed, so he's all but guaranteed a spot in the rotation. Same with Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez. Homer Bailey's out of options, so that's 4; and if you believe as I do that you need a lefty in the rotation, Travis Wood makes 5. Done. But Mike Leake had an incredible rookie season. Matt Maloney was solid. Sam LeCure made some quality starts. Aroldis Chapman's still there, even he's a bullpen guy for a while! See....good problem to have. But about that bullpen...Chapman's got a spot. As much as I hate it, so does Francisco Cordero. Nick Masset's probably set and I'd be surprised if Logan Ondrusek isn't kept around. The wild cards are Jose Arrodondo and Dontrelle Willis. Both are wildly exciting prospects and both, if their "old selves" make this pitching staff an incredible asset. Add Bill Bray and Jared Burton, and that's an impressive group. And there's a kid named Jordan Smith who opened lots of eyes last year. Odd man out? The only guy who's smaller than his own cap. Daniel Ray Herrera. The league's figured him out, anyway. I smell a trade and God, I hope it's for an every day shortstop!

What to do about my Indiana Basketball Hoosiers? One day they have me believing they're back and ready for the NIT bid I predicted in the fall. The next day, they don't bring any effort and look terrible. I guess I'll simply say that Tom Crean will be a much better coach when he has better players. Until that time, I think he's under-performed and I hate his offense. He's everything Indiana University needs in every aspect except on the floor. Indiana fans by and large are used to winning and anyone older than 35 knows what it's like to expect to win every night. Now? Standards have been lowered so much that I've heard some say that our losses this season have been by fewer points than last and that equals progress!! But IU still doesn't have a win away from Assembly Hall where they had 2 last season. Their conference record will be just about the same and they're likely to finish last when they finished 10th last season. And no statistical category is up significantly. I just don't see the improvement I thought I would, and Tom Crean still has much to prove, I think. IU fans are not a patient lot, and a decade's enough. The Hoosiers have enough talent to be far better than their record shows; and I think they've under-achieved this season, despite the myriad excuses I've seen. Tom Crean's seat isn't hot yet, but his team needs to show significant improvement next season or it will be.

Finally, I can't watch ESPN broadcast games anymore. When will these bozos figure out I don't care what bands they like and I don't tune in to hear stupid catch phrases. And I sure as hell don't care which American Idol contestant they liked. Can you imagine Howard Cosell saying "I thought Crystal Bowersox was dazzling"?

Nice to be back, fair readers. Fire me a comment or vote in this month's poll so I know you're out there. It's baseball season!