Brady Hoke Was The Right Choice

So yesterday I’m out at local bar with my buddy Brandon, watching the colts game, since since those greedy little fucks at WISH-TV decided to pull their signal from all Bright House Cable providers. As we are watching the game we see the new top 25 poll going across the bottom line and sure enough, at number 25, there was Ball State University. What an accomplishment for this team. This is the first time that BSU has ever been ranked…EVER. Hell, it was the first time I think we truly got some airtime on SportsCenter. They mentioned BSU being in the top 25 before they mentioned Oklahoma and Alabama being 1-2 this week. Which got me thinking, should Ball State have been ranked in the top 25 long before this and it appears that our usually dumb athletic department finally got something right, in signing Brady Hoke as coach of Ball State in 2003.

My freshman year at Ball State was the second year that BSU played under Brady Hoke, he replaced former coach, Bill Lynch, who did a far less than stellar job. Some would say he ruined the program, and left Brady Hoke with nothing. I had no idea who Brady Hoke was when I came to Muncie in 2004, all I knew is that the football program wasn’t very strong and they were trying to rebuild from, basically, the ground up. Lets first mention that Brady Hoke knew what he was getting himself into, and god love him, he’s alumni and I’m sure bleeds cardinal and white and was the first man to put his name into the hat to coach this team. Lets see the rise of Ball State football.

We all know Bill Lynch left in 2003 after a record of 37-53 after 6 years of coaching in Muncie. He lead them to the Las Vegas Bowl in 1997, which he lost. He then coached them to a 1-21 record in from 1998-1999. ONE AND 21!! Then stayed steadily at around 5-7, 6-6 until he took a job with Indiana as an offensive coordinator. Being the great professional that he is, the little fuckhead left the program in shambles, for someone else to clean up his mess. And now after the sudden, and horribly tragic death of Terry Hoepenner in 2007, Lynch was named head coach of the IU football program, and we all see how that’s going now.

So now, Brady Hoke is left with bottom of the mill MAC team at a university more known for being a volleyball mecca, then anything remotely to do with football. When I arrived at in Muncie, the state of the football program was on life support. We hadn’t had a winning season since 1997 and were in danger of losing our D-1 status because we were unable to have an average attendence of 10,000 each home game. Not only did he to endure that kind of pressure, but the program was stuck playing “Pay Games.” Pay games are when a big team like USC or LSU pays the smaller school to play them as tune-up game for their conference schedule. Don’t quote me on this, but if I remember correctly Ball State made about 4-5 million dollars playing those big teams from 2004-2007. They suffered beat downs from Boston College (L 19-11 and 38-0, 2004-2005), Purdue (59-7, 2006), Iowa ( 56-0, 2005) and to top it off we were absolutely embarrassed at Auburn, 63-3 in 2005. If there is one thing Brady Hoke has showed is improvement. In 2006, BSU’s non-conference was Indiana, Purdue, and Michigan. They lost to Indiana 24-23, Purdue 38-28, and Michigan 34-26. They had the lead most of the game with Indiana and Michigan. And in 2007, we lost to Nebraska by only one point and we lost to Illinois, Indiana and of course Rutgers in the bowl game. We did get a win over Navy, which was big, but even in the losses they stayed close.

I think the real turning point for Brady Hoke and the program was the game against Michigan, and ill tell you why. Its not because I was sitting in the seventh row for the first half and the student section for the second half. It was incredible to watch the team lead most of the game against a Michigan team, that was at the time ranked #2 in the nation.

When I first came to Muncie, I became a huge critic of Brady Hoke and his weak record. Brady Hoke has now shown not only me but the entire campus and alumni that he cannot only recruit great players (Nate Davis, Darius Hill, Dan Gerberry, Dante Love) but he can coach them as well. He has put together a fantastic season and here’s to hoping you can continue your success and getting the respect that you have worked so damn hard for.

I almost forgot...Great job Dante Love!! Hope nothing but the best for you and GET WELL SOON!! *86*

Thanks For Stopping By,

Jackson

Here We Go Again...

You would think by the year 2008, we would have figured out the problems of college football and the BCS catastrophe that we are going to see and have seen the past few years. So as Ball State just gets the (so far) biggest win in school history over a top 30 team in Central Michigan at Central, we actually lost ground on the AP Poll and will probably lose more ground in the BCS poll. I cannot not tell you how frustrating this is to not only me, but I think I can speak for the the entire campus of Ball State, the football team, and the alumni. It now appears that with Ball States remaining schedule of Western Michigan (a top 30 team) and if they win that game will play against Buffalo (a rising team) in the MAC Championship game in December. This as we all know, will place their record at 13-0. Does Ball State have as tough a schedule as Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, or even Alabama. Of course not, but if we run the table, we will still have beaten every team we played. We cant help who we play in the conference, and let me just say the MAC has put up great performances this year against BCS conference schools. Ball State defeated Indiana, Toledo defeated Michigan, Ohio gave Ohio State a good game, Akron beat Syracuse, Bowling Green defeated Pittsburgh, and I could go on and on. Could it be time to put the MAC Conference in the BCS....maybe. Is it a coincidence that ESPN and ESPN2 allow there Tuesday and Wednesday night games be showcases for MAC schools? If you look at the ratings they have achieved as well. (There better than you would think) And, god bless them, the MAC is trying to get better competition to play them, but like Hawaii in the past years, many large schools don't want to play them for fear of losing to them. Ball State has booked Auburn for next year, and South Florida in 2010 and 2011, both in there respective BCS conferences. Western Michigan will play Michigan, Indiana, and Michigan State in non-conference play as well.  

With all those facts, lets get to my real argument, and that argument is that it appears that Ball State will be a team "on the outside looking in" as they say it. With Utah winning against BYU and Boise State only needing to defeat Fresno State next weekend, they look primed to take the two non-conference at large bids. It appears the only hope that Ball State has now is to make the top 12 in the BCS and hope for the best that we picked over teams like Georgia, Ohio State, and Miami (FL). All teams we could beat this year, I think. I still think the chance is their because a BCS rep from the Orange Bowl was in Muncie to watch a game. My personal opinion, he wouldn't show up at the game if BSU had no chance at all. I dont agree that some conferences get automatic bids, such as Miami (FL) primed to make a bowl game if it wins the very weak ACC, and Cincinnati gets a bid because they won the Big East. How about the Oregon State Beavers who are currently 8-3 will most likely play Penn State in the Rose Bowl because they won the Pac-10. Or how about what sickens me the most is the fact that Notre Dame could get a better bowl bid than Ball State. I could write a 10 page paper on why thats wrong, but thats for another time. Where do we draw the line in selecting teams for bowl bids. Ball State works their asses off, could go 13-0, and they get a spot in the Motor City Bowl for there accomplishments?! Sounds like a slap in the face to me. I dont know about you, but I would love to see BSU against a team like Utah or Texas Tech in a major game. No, we dont have quite the fan base of major conferences, but I GUARANTEE you that we can match the passion those teams have. Fans and players alike. We lost arguably our best player on the team against Indiana in Dante Love, and BSU has been playing just as well (if not better) since the injury to Love. 

I know I am just one former student writing this, but to all you BCS reps....Please give Ball State a chance, instead of giving Ohio State another BCS berth where, like the last 3 years, they have been embarrassed. We are not like Hawaii who lost to Georgia 42-10 in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. We may be a small school, but we can play with the best of them...if you would just give us a chance. GO CARDINALS!!

So Good To Be Back

Been awhile since my last blog...Went on a MUCH NEEDED mini-vacation and have been extremely busy at the restaurant, with the holiday season right around the corner.  Haven't had the opportunity to really out much at good restaurants but I have had some time to hit some small places.  Plus, I've got some food and other miscellaneous things on my mind that I wanna share if you care to listen :)

~Has anyone had the Ooey Gooey Sandwich at Creation Cafe??  This might be my new favorite sandwich.  Goat Cheese, Melted Gouda, Spinach and Bacon on Marble Rye, with those tasty garlic chips!!  If you havent tried it yet, try it next your out looking for a good lunch.

~Went to Yats with the lady, shes never tried so I had to get her to try the Creole dish they have.  I must say, the owner of Yats runs a great business and there is ALWAYS a line out the door after 11am.  So cheers to him, always glad to see a small place do great business!!

~I am a HUGE Qdoba fan, but I went out of my realm and tried a nice little place in Carmel called Moes Southwestern Grill.  What a great choice!!  I dont remember the name of what i got but it had some wonderfully seasoned steak with there in-house made guacamole, pico de gallo, and the fresh chips.  It was basically a platter of tasty taco salad, it was wonderful.  If you go, try there many hot sauces they offer, there were six different kinds!!  All of them were very tasty!!

~Glad to see Barack Obama won the election.  Im a republican, but I was very happy for him and wish him and his family all the best and hope that he does a wonderful job as president of our great nation!!

~Cheers to Ball State University on a 10-0 start to the season.  Again, great to see a small school playing with the big boys of the NCAA.  Lets just hope they dont get stiffed at a BCS Bowl Game, which it seems like it happens to one team every year.  

Thats all I got, hope to post again sometime this week!!

Thanks For Stopping By,

Jackson

The Lobby Lounge

Last friday night, my girlfriend and I went out to Zionsville for the annual SullivanMunce Ghostwalk.  This town puts this on every October, as a fundraiser for the SullivanMunce Art Museum.  It was a good time, and we enjoyed it, but now on to the reason I wrote this blog/review.  

After the ghostwalk, my girlfriend and I went to The Lobby Lounge on Main Street in downtown Zionsville.  This cozy spot is a fabulous place to enjoy drinks, tapas (finger food), and desserts.  As you will find out about me, I love to frequent the Zionsville area.  I like the small town atmosphere, and they have great places to shop and eat.  Anyways, back to the review.  Lets talk about the history of The Brick Street Inn/The Lobby Lounge and how it came to be what it is now.  The building was built in 1865, and housed the town physician.  It has also served as bed and breakfast, a boarding house, and a private home.  The building was bought by a local family and they in turn, renovated it and made the downstairs into a tapas/wine bar.  I have to say, it definetly exceeded my expectations.  When I walked in, you could hear the wonderful and soft jazz music coming from inside.  I didn't like that it was so dark inside but it was to set the mood.  We sat at one of the tables near the door, allowed us to feel the nice breeze that night.  The server took awhile to get to our table, but when she arrived we just ordered a glass wine, although some of the tapas did sound fantastic, especially the seafood and mexican plate!! After glancing at the very extensive wine/beer/scotch list (over 100 items),  we ordered the 14 Hands Riesling from Wasington, USA.  I prefer a good Shiraz or Merlot, but hey, sometimes you just go with what the girlfriend wants!!  The wine was surprisingly very refreshing, since I find most Washington wines to be hit-or-miss.  As I continued to glance at the food menu/alcohol menu, I came across a cheese selection.  It appears that restaurants are finally relizing that customers really want the choice of cheese, especially with wine.  Plus, cheese is cheap to customers, which also makes us feel great as well!!  I will definetly try The Lobby Lounge again when I am in the Zionsville area, and Ill take my lady with me again, of course!!

Thanks For Stopping By,

Jackson

Euphoria

Braingirl wrote about Euphoria (formerly Buggs Temple) re-opening on Tuesday the 21st, I'm so glad that she mentioned that in a recent blog.  If any of you have ever eaten at, now, Euphoria, you know how terrific the food is.  Incredibly seasonal and very french style cooking.  But you will also remember how AWFUL, the service was.  This was the downfall of Buggs Temple, without question.  It started at the top, as we all know, with Chuck and Vicki Mack.  They still currently own Moe & Johnnys in Broad Ripple, which surprisingly does great business.  The Director of Operations, Amanda Cravens, was an absolute joke of a "manager."  There other manager, Adam Cornelius, was the lone good member of management.  He just passed the wine somleier test, and has great vision for the restaurant.  Ive known Adam for a few years now, and he wants to make this the best restaurant in the city.  Rumor has it, he has hired servers and bartenders from big name restaurants like Elements, Oceanaire, and St. Elmos.  He's off to a great start for the restaurant.  Lets hope that he can keep up all the hard work!!

As for the food, there was a reason they were named a top restaurant in the city for 2008.  The menu constantly changes (bout every 2 weeks), and its very seasonal and fresh.  I eat very frequently at the building of Buggs Temple.  This holds Creation Cafe (great lunch spot) and now Euphoria (Fine Dining) and its all owned by the ladies who owned Creation.  The chef of the building is Brad Gates, who is a FANTASTIC and very knowledgeable chef.  He used to run Union Square Cafe in New York City, which is considered to be the best restaurant in NYC in recent years.  He also ran Pucks downtown at IMA for a period of time.  I think with the new and much improved management, and great kitchen staff that has been put together, look for Euphoria to be one of the top restaurants in the city yet again.  I am very excited to head back to Buggs Temple building next week for there Halloween party, where I can taste that wonderful food, yet again!!

Thanks For Stopping By, 

Jackson

First Chili Cook-Off

Last weekend in Zionsville, I attended, for the first time, the annual Brick Street Chili Cookoff put on by the the local Zionsville pub, The Friendly Tavern.  This is put on annually as a fundraiser for the Zionsville Community Food Bank.  This is the first chili cook-off I have ever attended, and I have to say, what a wonderful time.  You had sweet chili, spicy chili, vegetarian chili, bean-filled chili, and sadly, tasteless chili.  I think I tasted more bad chili, then I did good chili.  So bad that I was forced to head into the pub and buy some beer to rid myself of the taste.  One chili that did catch my palate was called "Three Generation Chili."  It had was spicy, clean, and was the only chili that I really wanted to have more of right away.  It was the only chili I went back for thirds on.  The main reason I gave my first place vote to TGC was the passion of young cook making the chili.  He noticed that I had come back for seconds and thirds and as I walked away to meet up with a friend who had just arrived to enjoy the chili, he wanted to make sure that I had his vote and how important it was for him to finally breakthrough and win this competition.  I was very touched by his passion because he showed the same love for food that I share.  TGC ended up taking first place from the judges and also won the Peoples Choice Award for Best Chili.  The big prize though, is The Friendly Tavern will put the winning chili on its menu till the cook-off again next year. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever chili cook-off and will try to frequent more around the state.  So if your ever in the Zionsville area, on the second weekend of October, come stop by and enjoy the chili and the festive fall atmosphere in this wonderful small town.

Thanks For Stopping By

Jackson

First Post

So this is my first post on my very own blog.  My real name is not Jackson but I am using that alias because I am not ready to give my real identity away just yet.  I work at a local Indianapolis restaurant and have a degree in culinary arts.  I will be writing about food (mostly local), sports, and anything else on my mind at the moment.  I chose to start a blog because I always loved to write, and I find writing and blogging very theraputic.  I hope you enjoy reading my praise and criticism of local food and current events.

Thanks For Stopping By,

Jackson