2022 Crimson Kiss  https://mgoblog.com/diaries/mgococktail-indiana-2022

2021 Smoke and Milk https://www.mgoblog.com/diaries/mgococktail-indiana-2021

2020; Hoosier Heritage  https://www.mgoblog.com/diaries/mgococktail-indiana

It is still part of lizard brain thinking.  We have a night game on the road against a Big 10 opponent.  It is time to get worried.  Then 15 seconds in, Michigan ends the suspense.

                     The coat twirl...

If you are unfamiliar with this WWE arrogant heel, Gunther is the longest running intercontinental title champion.  He is the odd villain that rarely wins by foreign interference or cheating.  Instead, he dominates by being bigger, smarter, stronger, and more precise than his opponent. Thus ends my comments on this game. 

Indiana used to have a license plate that touted them as the “Crossroads of America.”  It is the biggest self-own, far away from ‘Spectacular Peninsula”, ‘Land of Enchantment,” or even Land of Lincoln.  Nothing like saying the best thing about your state is: ‘Well we’re in the way of where you want to go.’  Or “Please god, you don’t want to stay here for any reason.’

Except if you are the Big Ten. The Big Ten and the NCAA loves Indianapolis.  When the conference went to 12 teams and the game was announced, Indianapolis was the only choice for the first game.  Delaney then announced they would consider other venues, such as Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Green Bay, and Cleveland.  It is going to be there next year and after 12 years I don’t see it changing.

I am sure their approved reasons are sound.  The game should be centrally located, giving both teams a chance to drive.  It is in a dome eliminating weather for some teams that think a little snow and cold is too tough to play in . It is good for attendance numbers when it is a quick turnaround for fans trying to go to the game.  

However, I just think the Big Ten hates Michigan and the whole state.  They completely ignore there’s a city with great facilities that have hosted a Super Bowl, Final Four, baseball All Star game and the most important Taylor Swift.  Maybe its a veto power of OSU who worship the Hayes story of pushing his car into Ohio, because he didn't want one dollar spent in Michigan

Need more proof.  Here’s the list of cities that have hosted the Big Ten basketball tournament since 1998. Two teams have hosted that joined n the last 10 years!

Men’s
Indianapolis -12 times
Chicago 11 times
Washington DC – 1
New York City  --1
Minneapolis -1

Woman’s
Indianapolis-23 times
Minneapolis -2 times
Chicago  -2 times
Grand Rapids -1

Not only does Indiana and Purdue, two schools with great basketball programs enjoy home court advantage, there are major economic advantages for the city and state to host these games. 

Dollars to donuts when UCLA, USC, Oregon and join next year, The Staples Center  the Clippers new Arena in LA gets its turn before LCA does in Detroit.  Heck, Phil Knight and Nike might get the Noda center in Portland before Detroit.

I am sure it is nothing to do with Michigan.  Just that the Indianapolis chamber of commerce has some persuasive arguments.  But wait until the Big Ten offices figure out they can have all expenses paid weeks in LA. 

The Water Long

Kiloy’s seems to be Indiana’s version of the undergraduate party club bar that sometimes masquerades as a sports bar.   With $2 Long Islands, it seems to be their version of Scorekeepers or Ricks.

These bars seem awesome when you are in school.   Think of waiting in line for Scorekeepers or Rick’s.  But as soon as you graduate and even if you stick around Ann Arbor, when someone suggests one of these monstrosities.  That’s a hard No.

 “Kilroy’s on Kirkwood” is Indiana’s version.  And if you think you can’t get a shirt with those initials very large on their website on a t shirt, you won’t be disappointed. 

The Water Long is a somehow cheaper take on a Long Island iced tea.  It seems to have been created at Kilroy’s. It’s a relatively famous variation to be created at a college bar.  I’d like to think whomever created it had a better idea to make a Long Island cheaper without the sweet and sour.  Possibly the idea was to eliminate the stomach killing sugar content of the sweet and sour, or maybe possibly to give the drunkards more hydration.

Ingredients

1 oz Vodka
1 oz gin
1 oz rum
1 oz Triple sec
½ oz  lime juice
Water fill

Pour all the ingredients in a glass filled with ice, the bigger and more plastic the better.  There’s no way this was ever served in something breakable.  Give it a quick stir.  Take the first sip to remind you of your undergrad glory days, pour the rest out.  Make a Hoosier Heritage instead.

Really, this isn’t good.  As always with these drinks, they claim the secret is to use cheap alcohols.  Ill never believe it.  To rescue this gross thing, add a shot of Chambord or stir in a teaspoon of jelly. 

If you think this is a horrendous drink well so is the Indiana Football team.