Leave the ball, will you George?

Basketball and indie rock. They're not commonly associated with one another, and yet, I always enjoy the few occasions when the worlds intersect. For example, when Elliott Smith died, there was no shortage of heartfelt tributes (occasionally sprinkled with hypocritical "cautionary tale-type" posturing from former junkies in The Flaming Lips.) But among the outpouring of sympathy, my favorite tribute came in the form of Ben Folds relating a tale about Ben, Elliott, and Beck playing basketball. It's a bizarre, but sweetly endearing and personable image to think of Beck posting up for a turnaround j while Elliott throws elbows left and right to box out.

Alas, sometimes the mix of critical acclaim and roundball can lead to theft and/or slander, as the following blog showcases:

http://arcadefirestolemybasketball.blogspot.com/

The author of the blog alleges that lead singer Win Butler stole his basketball from the Cal Berkley gym. Interestingly enough, Win's brother (and bandmate) Will weighs in on the blog comments and makes a compelling case that Win in fact did NOT commit the alleged theft. Will even created his own blog which not only maintains the band's innocence, but also drops a brilliant Chris Gaines reference.

In reality, it doesn't really matter if the ball was stolen or not. The allegation was made, and that creates buzz whether it's true or not. Based on this, I would like to weigh in with some of my own accusations. Are my allegations true or false? Again, it doesn't matter. I have written it down, therefore transferring the burden of proof onto anyone who would like to prove me wrong.

• Jeff Tweedy stole my kicking tee.
• Ben Gibbard stole my shin guards.
  
• Lily Allen stole my shuttlecock.
• Isaac Brock stole my hacky sack.
  
• The Hold Steady stole my Kent Hrbek jersey.
  

If you see any of the following items, please inform your local authorities. I demand satisfaction!

NOTE: A major tip of the hat to Gorilla vs Bear for the fine artwork shown above.

Where's the Crybabies?

Indiana high school athletics are a sight to behold, more often for the spectacle than the sports.

There’s a clear line of demarcation drawn through 1979 separating those who graduated with single-class basketball and those forced to endure the dehumanizing dilution of four state champion teams. Radio and print hacks still trot out that nugget when the phone lines go limp, but largely most folks have agreed to either keep watching or ignore it altogether.

That basketball debate has fizzled in recent years and been supplanted by an argument over the perceived inequities between public and non-public (read Catholic) high schools, especially concerning football championships. Certain public schools favor segregating all non-public/Catholic/undefined boundaries schools into a separate division that would not vie with public schools for championships. In short, some public school are tired of losing and feel their only avenue to the podium is a rule change.

Chief among the flippant arguments fans and administrations of these public schools toss out is the assertion that non-public/Catholic/undefined boundaries schools recruit their players. This claim holds no water, except for speculation surrounding a certain unnamed Indianapolis school. In earnest debates, I’ve asked many detractors to point beyond that one unnamed school only to hear concessions and backtracking.

Recruiting between schools is largely a non-issue, but I’ll in no way say it’s non-existent. However, the venom of the debate is solely focused on non-public/Catholic/undefined boundries schools.

Riddle me this then…where’s the damn outcry over comments in today’s Indianapolis Star from a player at Thomas Carr Howe Academy, a public high school? Terry Hill, a senior at Howe had this to say about teammates Keyon Milliner and Greg Foster who were integral in Howe’s upset over Roncalli, a Catholic high school, in the sectional final.

"I'm glad we got my two friends, Keyon and Greg, to come play with us. Now we're just a great complete team, and I don't think nobody can stop us."

Milliner and Foster sat out the requisite 365 days of competition after transferring from Arsenal Tech. This means Milliner and Foster left Tech in March of 2006, not at semester end but in the middle of the year…to play basketball for Howe...with guys from their traveling team.

There's nothing wrong with it, and there's precedent. But, where’s the outcry? Howe won that game thanks to contributions from two players talked into switching schools. It’s right there. Milliner and Foster followed the rules and good for them. They’re on a championship team. But, the Sunday call in shows aren't overwhelmed with vitriol. Had the situation been flipped and Roncalli won with two formerly non-eligible players, most of Indianapolis would be in flames.

I guess it’s not so bad when it’s the public schools doing nothing wrong.