struggling program.

We had a women's game last night. "Dismal" doesn't even begin to describe it. Coaching changes always shake up a team, and mounting losses are to be expected for a program in transition. But this season is just getting tougher and tougher to watch. Last night we played Western Illinois University, the first place team in the conference. Within mere moments of tip-off, it was already 10-0 in favor of WIU. And it never got better.

The team seemed almost lifeless on the court. There didn't seem to be much energy at all. Granted, it doesn't help when you're playing in front of a sparse crowd.

It makes it tougher for anybody to get into the game when there's nobody there. No people, no energy, no synergy.

The outcome of this game was decided so early that the game ended quickly; less than 1:45 from beginning to end (a game w/ media timeouts -- as was this game -- usually takes a full two hours or more to play).

I love the kids on the team and want them to win, but it's getting harder and harder to watch. It's never easy to watch a struggling program trying to find its footing.

whiskey voice.

Our first doubleheader of the season went off fairly well yesterday. The women's game was a non-media game, so it was over fairly quickly. Non-media games, though, provide some nuances in terms of game management. In a game with media timeouts, we can count on a time out at least every four minutes, and we can keep a pretty tight schedule with promotions, dancers, etc. Non-media games? All bets are off. We had to "wing it" on a couple promotions as well as when the dancers hit the floor and when the band would play. I guess it wasn't too difficult from my standpoint because I pretty much told everybody to watch me when a timeout is called and I'll let them know who's up. Yeah, I was quite the field marshal.

The women's team played a spirited game for about 35 minutes. Unfortunately, games are 40 minutes long. They ended up losing as they ran out of gas.

The men's game had me nervous, actually. They played so poorly against UMKC that I was afraid Oakland was going to blow our doors off. And then there was George Hill. He finished the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Did I mention George is a freshman guard? He played like a man on this night and made a crucial difference in the second half. IUPUI won going away in the second half.

Up to this point in the season, Coach Hunter was forcing himself into developing a post-up game with a big man. It was like hammering a square peg into a round hold for Hunter. He prefers a team of quick, slashing guards creating shots. And that's exactly what they did against Oakland. It was good to see them come back so strongly after such a dismal performance.

From our side of the table, things went pretty well. We added a new promotion that seemed to really go off pretty well in the men's game. "Express Man" gives away a hot, free pizza to the loudest fan. It's a pretty fun promotion, actually. Over the last week or so I've felt the most comfortable I've been all season. It only takes a few games to work out the kinks, but I also was adjusting to the new set-up at the scorers table. I'm finally at home with the timing, the equipment and familiar with all the players and such. So now I can focus on giving it my best voice.

Last night was great because I had the perfect "whiskey voice" for the game. This might either make you laugh or shake your head, but I like to go out the night before a Saturday doubleheader. A few cocktails (not so many where I get drunk) in a smoke-filled bar and some loud conversation until 2 a.m. puts me in the best game-day voice. I just have that "thump" in my voice after a night out.

At halftime of the men's game a fellow from the Oakland crowd walked over to me and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you sound great. You do a great job." I was honestly stunned and flattered. I thanked him and shook his hand.

I don't know what it is, but I've been getting a lot more compliments this season than last. If I were to guess, i'd say it's our new P.A. system. The sound is considerably better.

Either way, I'll take the compliment with a smile.

frustration.

Our women's team lost in double OT last night to Oral Roberts. It was frustrating on so many levels that I can't even begin to explain it. Somwhere around halftime, it seemed like the wheels fell off. I completely bit it during a promotion at halftime. It was pretty bad. And then I cued up the wrong music for the dance team in the second half. Yeah, that went over well. As in radio, dead air during a promotion and such is deadly.

The funniest part was the look Ed, the assistant SID, gave me after the halftime debacle. I don't know how to explain it. His face was a combination of disgust, laughter, disbelief and wonderment. It was like he was saying, "what the HELL happened to you?!?!?!"

I still have no answer to that. I think I've been mailing it in the past couple games. I got away with it once, but not last night.

The game itself . . . I can't even begin to talk about it. I really can't.

sucking the air out of the room.

Tonight's men's game was nearly as forgettable as you can get. In the three-plus seasons I've watched this team play, this was easily the worst performance I've ever seen them give. The halftime score was 30-31 (we were down). By the first media time out of the second half, the score was 33-44 UMKC. Yeah, it just ran away from them in a big, damn hurry.

UMKC has a way of sucking the air out of that gymnasium. It was a 'blah' vibe at the start and became a 'blah-ER' vibe in the second half. It was like everybody just gave up.

It sucks losing a conference game. These are the ones you need. UMKC showed what happenes when a team that relies on outside shooting can't hit a jumper.

Hopefully we rally for our first double-dip of the season this weekend. We also have a women's game on Thursday night. Big week for IUPUI b-ball.