Defend The Rock - The Superbowl Edition

Kickoff for Superbowl XLI is in under two hours - and you may be wondering "Why does Defend The Rock care? It's not like either team is called the Hoosiers."

Well let me tell you something I went to college in Bloomington, Indiana (where Rex Grossman is from), then moved to Chicago (where Rex Grossman plays QB for the Bears). But wait, Indiana is Colts country! Am I not torn, is my heart not split in two?

Worry not dear readers, because you know what? I'm a St. Louis Rams fan, so the only way this game will have any meaning is if Kurt Warner, wearing an old Rams jersey he stole after being given the boot from St. Louis, lands a hijacked helicopter in the middle of the field and starts yelling "THANK YOU JESUS!"

But in all honesty, it'll be fun to watch an IU alum (Adewale Ogunleye) play in the Superbowl, and I'll be cheering him on. If anything I'd like to see the Colts win just so all the talking heads won't have anything to say about Peyton and his "legacy." Just let him win a Superbowl so there can no longer be any debate regarding how he will be viewed by future generations. Really though, this city is going to explode regardless of the outcome, either with raucous joy (Bears win) or drunken rage (Bears lose), so at least the post-game will be fun to watch outside my window.

Iowa Topples Indiana

Well, so much for beating Iowa. Sure it's tough to win on the road in the Big Ten, but that was a BIG game. Securing a solid road win right on the heels of toppling the #2 team in the country would've looked real good (not to mention bringing us even with the big two at the top of the conference in terms of wins).

Wilmont was huge again with 24 points. A.J. continues to show off the player is can be, giving the Hoosiers 15 points, 5 rebounds and a couple steals. Throw in Earl and his 16 points and IU had a pretty good triumvirate of scorers at Iowa, so why the loss?

D.J. White. Whether it was just an off game for him or stifling Iowa defense, D.J. just didn't the job done, and as D.J. goes so does this Hoosier team. 2 FGs, 2 FTs, 3 Rebounds, and 4 Turnovers is not a line anyone expects from D.J., no matter the opponent.

In the end it would've been a real good win, but at the same time it was not a tragic loss at all. IU is still sitting pretty in the Big 10 and Tournament Contention.

Winning Is The Best Medicine (hopefully)

Tonight I sat down in front of my TV and watched the Indiana-Wisconsin game on Lakeshore Public Television. Prior to the game I thought to myself how ridiculous it was that the game would not be televised nationally as more thank likely it would be a great game (not to mention that it featured the #2 and #25 teams in the country).

So, sitting there I had my Thai food (Bangkok Inn), my Emergen-C, and my "micro plush" blanket, and the beginnings of a cold, I watched Indiana knock off the #2 team in the country and the #1 team in the Big Ten.

Hopefully winning is the best medicine as I don't plan on being sick for long.

Full write up on the game tomorrow when I'm (hopefully) feeling better.

Another Nationally Recognized Hoosier - Megan Martz

Move over D.J., there is a new Hoosier getting lots of attention from the national media and it's none other than IU's Megan Martz.

"Megan Martz?" you may ask. "Is she on the volleyball team?" No. "Softball?" No. "Swim team?" No. "Ok, I give up, just tell me already!!!" Ok, Megan Martz is an IU Cheerleader, and she just so happens to be SI's Cheerleader of the Week!

First off, what the hell!?! How did those of us at Defend The Rock not know about this award earlier. With choice interview questions and answers like:

Perfect Date: Dinner and a fun activity like bowling or a ball game to get to know the person better.

at our disposal Defend The Rock could've long ago become the prime blog for tips on how to date cheerleaders. Personally I find that date suggestion of hers fairly weak and I feel she may be throwing us a curveball as earlier in the interview we get this:

I like to spend my weekends: Back home in Fishers spending time with my boyfriend and family and attending the Colt's games.

I don't want to ruin the whole interview for you, so you should follow the link earlier in the post and read it for yourself. But for our first installment of "How To Date A Cheerleader" here are some general tips I learned from the interview.

1. Like sports
2. Buy her a (little) dog
3. Don't generalize/buy into stereotypes about her (and others in her line of work)

So congratulations Megan on being selected as SI's Cheerleader of the Week, we here at Defend The Rock are very proud of you! And guys, go get 'em (but not Megan, she's taken!)

David Jack = Class Act

In an earlier post Defend The Rock introduced you to David Jack, one of IU Volleyball's new assistant coaches. Well, now we have learned that David Jack is a real class act. Aside from being a very successful coach in the past, in a recent interview (with iuhoosiers.com) we heard some things we really liked.

1. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
If I could visit anywhere in the world, it would be Africa. Why? I heard it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. My main reason for going would be to help decrease the plight of AIDS that is devastating a continent.

Ok - we here at Defend The Rock are big fans of Africa. Well, maybe "fans" isn't the right word, but in our time at a certain Big 10 school in Bloomington, Indiana we focused our studies on Africa to a fairly high degree. Also, it's always great to see from anyone, especially those in the sports community have the recognition of, and the desire to help eliminate/alleviate the AIDS crisis.

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?
The food ... for breakfast, fried dumpling, callaloo, friend plantain, for dinner, rice and peas, chicken or beef, boiled bananas. The food is delicious. I dream of having dinner at home every once and a while.

My god, that sounds scrumptious. I haven't eaten yet today and now David Jack has gone and made me even more hungry. I'll be making a trip down to Bloomington at some point and hopefully I can be a guest at the Jack residence for dinner, damn that sounds good.

3. What can the fans expect from the Hoosiers next season?
Playing hard, competing and challenging the best teams in the Big Ten. That type of intensity every time you step on the court can only lead to success.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's what I love to here from IU athletes and coaches. IU Sports always has been, and will be continue to be about intensity. The fans like to see their teams playing with intensity and passion, and I can guarantee you that if IU Volleyball displays it, fans will flock to the games.

On this day 20 years ago...

Today Defend The Rock and all of Hoosier Nation celebrate the birth - 20 years ago- of our star Quarterback Kellen Lewis.

Defend The Rock and friends were among the first to sing the praises of #15 and urge Coach Hep to start him (even before he was technically eligible, redshirt and all).

Happy Birthday Kellen!

<----Birthday Boy

What team was that playing in IU road jerseys tonight?

Seriously, what team was that playing against Illinois? Anyone who can tell me gets an official Defend The Rock T-Shirt*

43 Points? 43 Points? 43 Points?

Watching that game it was clear from the get-go, even with the strong start, that the team wearing the Indiana road jerseys just wasn't into the game. I didn't see the emotion, the drive, the passion, or the hustle that I've come to associate with the Kelvin Sampson coached IU team that I've watched all year.

From the looks of it, the IU team playing tonight just didn't care....and I'm sure they're gonna get a good yelling at from Coach Sampson.