Since the NCAA is highly protective of its trademark on the term “March Madness,” I like to refer to what’s coming up in Indianapolis as “March Muchness” or “Much Madness.”

By any term, downtown Indianapolis will be the epicenter of the basketball universe, offering up a variety pack of hoops I believe cannot be matched anywhere.

From March 1 through 31, our city will host a minimum of 38 high school, college and pro games in those 31 days.

The NBA Indiana Pacers will play seven home games that month in Conseco Fieldhouse.

From March 5-8 and March 12-15, the Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse. That’s another 20 games.

On March 7, the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s Girls State Finals will be in Lucas Oil Stadium. That’s four games.

On March 28, the IHSAA Boys State Finals will take place in the fieldhouse. That’s four games.

And on March 27 and 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA Tournament’s Men’s Midwest Regional will play through the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight to send a team on to the Final Four.

It’s also possible that Butler University could be hosting the Horizon League Tournament semifinals and final. The nationally ranked Bulldogs will earn that right if they win the regular season title and they’re currently in the lead.

Not to be overlooked will be the attention focused on Indianapolis on March 15, when the NCAA’s Men’s and Women’s Division I basketball committees will announce the fields and pairings for the tournaments. “Selection Sunday” has become an American staple.

We’ll follow up soon with some of the events that will take place around the games, especially the Big Ten tournaments.

 

Every major city has major venues.

It’s another thing entirely to have distinctive, unique venues.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s sheer size inspires a sense of awe.

Victory Field draws rave reviews and has been called “the best minor league ballpark in America” by baseball publications.

Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the 2012 Super Bowl, wonderfully blends old-style stadium architecture on the outside and all the modern amenities on the inside – and then there’s that retractable roof and window. Like Victory Field, it is getting high marks.

So, as a state where basketball is part of the bloodlines, it is only fitting that we have the coolest basketball venue in the known universe. And we do, Conseco Fieldhouse.

But it’s not just me saying it, even if it’s true.

The Sports Business Journal has proclaimed Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, home to the Pacers and Fever as well as the state high school championships, the best there is when it comes to hoops.

Earlier this week, the Orange County Register ranked NBA arenas from first to worst.

Atop the list: Conseco Fieldhouse. No. 1.

Wrote the OCR’s Kevin Ding: “With an old-school, brick-heavy design yet a clean modern feel, Conseco is the perfect place for basketball in a state rich in hoops tradition.” Ding goes on to say CFH “feels more like a gym than an arena.”

Just as it was intended.

Years ago, when our daughters were little, part of our holiday ritual was to bundle them up, put them in the car and do a driving tour of downtown and neighborhood light displays.

It was great for the girls and my wife. They could “ooh” and “ah” and take in the twinkling in all its glory.

It was lousy for me. I had to – mostly, anyway – keep my eyes on the road. In other words, on the traffic lights and headlights, and not the holiday lights.

Perhaps responding to fathers and others in the same situation, the limousine service, Carey Indiana, is providing chauffeured two-hour "Tour the Lights" tours. In addition to viewing the city’s “best light displays,” Carey will add holiday music and holiday treats during the tours.

Costs range from $131.40 to $153.40 (not including gratuity) depending on the size of the limo.

Call (317) 241-6700 for information. The tours run through December 30.

As I am writing this, workers are installing the stage for Friday night’s Circle of Lights celebration on Monument Circle in the heart of downtown Indianapolis.

As a community, this is unquestionably one of our favorite times of the year. Like the 500 Festival Parade of the Indy 500 itself, the 4th of July Freedom Fest or the Labor Day weekend fireworks spectacular, the Circle of Lights reminds us that as diverse as we are, there are things we can commonly enjoy while at the same time setting aside our differences and problems.

Coming the day after Thanksgiving, it is also a reflective time, and I believe that, as a city, a community and a region, there are multiple blessings for which we can give thanks.

Think about our attractions for a moment. White River State Park is an urban gem. Our once decrepit Central Canal has been wonderfully restored. We have a spectacular Children’s Museum and Indianapolis Museum of Art. The new Central Library is a site to behold. Everywhere we turn, we see monuments that remind us to be thankful for the sacrifices of our armed services veterans.

These amenities aren’t fluff, but give a city its personality and feel. They provide a world of opportunities to explore, to imagine, to be inspired.

As I’ve said many times, Indianapolis is not immune to the problems facing urban – and even rural – communities across America.

But, in balance, I sincerely believe we have it better than most.

For that, let's celebrate and be thankful.

 

Wednesday, the NCAA announced the city will host the Division I Men’s Final Four in 2015.
 
Just last Friday, Indy was awarded the Women’s Final Four in 2016.
Both events will take place in Lucas Oil Stadium, which already has the 2010 Men’s Final Four and the 2011 Women’s Final Four on the docket.

I blogged last week and reiterate now that this is the continuing harvest from a field sewn long ago. The decision to invest in sports as a means to redefine and reshape our city qualifies as nothing short of genius. The visionaries from more than 30 years ago should be doing cartwheels over these kinds of announcements, except now, they’re all too old.

Part of that sports strategy was to invest $50 million in privately raised funds to convince the NCAA to relocate its national headquarters to Indianapolis in 1999. Not long thereafter, the NCAA entered into an agreement with the Indiana Sports Corporation and the City of Indianapolis in which it agreed to bring future Final Fours to Indy as long as Indy meant certain conditions as well as the minimum bid requirements.

In the meantime, Indianapolis has made the kind of effort to show that it doesn’t want or expect a hand-out, but would aggressively compete to maintain its Final Four status. The construction and design of Lucas Oil Stadium, the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, the opening of the new Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport and the new JW Marriott hotel complex all demonstrate a commitment to not just give the NCAA what it desires, but to exceed it.

And at the core of it all is the demonstrated volunteer base – people power at its best.

As Division I men’s basketball committee chairman Mike Slive said, “Indianapolis will be a fixture for hosting future Final Fours and those behind the bid took nothing for granted.”

The amateur sports strategy in Indianapolis conceived 30 years ago produced another winner Friday when the NCAA announced the city will host the Division I Women's Final Four in 2016.

This will be Indy's third Women's Final Four. The event first came to downtown Indianapolis in 2005 and returns in 2011.

The 2011 and 2016 Women's Final Fours will be staged in Lucas Oil Stadium. While known primarily as the home of the NFL Indianapolis Colts, the multi-functional building also was designed as a basketball venue, albeit a very large basketball venue. Above is a rendering of a possible floor setup for the Women's Final Four. Several configurations could be used with capacity between 20,000 and 30,000,

Indianapolis has long embraced women's sports in general and women's basketball in particular. With the exception of one year, Indianapolis has hosted the Big Ten women's basketball tournament continuously since 1994.

Indianapolis will learn next week if it will host the NCAA's Men's Final Four sometime between 2012-2015. Indy previously has hosted the Men's Final Four in 1980, 1991, 1997, 2000 and 2006 and will have the Men's Final Four in 2010.

 

So now I’ve seen the virtually finished product.

The new Weir Cook Terminal at our new Indianapolis International Airport is within hours of receiving its first passengers.

And tomorrow morning, it will be full-go for both arrivals and departures.

During ribbon-cutting ceremonies this afternoon, I had several goose-bump moments (including the one in the photo above, where I got my own snip of the ribbon).

One came as I recalled how my mother – many, many years ago – would take us children to the old Weir Cook Airport (long before it became Indianapolis International). We could go up on the roof to an observation deck and watch takeoffs and departures of DC-9s and DC-10s. It was an amazing sight.

So this afternoon, I thought of parents taking their children to our new airport, where they can gaze out the gigantic window of Civic Plaza and watch planes come and go in climate-controlled comfort.  Another amazing sight.

I also remember when TWA (Trans World Airlines for you youngsters) inaugurated the first jet service between Indianapolis and New York. We lived on the south side and it seemed that the TWA jet (I think it was a 707) would often fly above our farmhouse on its way to NYC.

Again, I would watch with awe and wonder and dream about being on that plane some day.

As a grown up, air travel became part of my almost weekly routine as I chased teams and sports events around the country and the world. A trip to the airport and air travel itself lost its awe, and became a necessity of life.

Don’t you just hate how growing up spoils you.

But this afternoon, in our magnificent new airport, I rediscovered my sense of amazement and wonderment.

In short, I felt like a little kid again.
 

Now that we have that little election thing over with, we can focus on the next big happening in Indianapolis.

And I mean REALLY big.

Next Tuesday, Nov. 11, the new Weir Cook Terminal opens at Indianapolis International Airport. There will be a ceremony in the afternoon and then, that evening, the first passengers will arrive.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, will be the terminal’s first full day with arriving and departing flights.

It is merely the largest capital project – $1.1 billion worth – in the city’s history.
I almost feel like scheduling a trip somewhere so I can fly in and out of the new digs – you know, kind of give it a test drive.

As it is right now, I have no air travel scheduled until January, and I feel like I’m going to miss out on the fun and buzz that comes with opening anything new.

I will be picking up the daughter and son-in-law on the night before Thanksgiving. They’re coming in on a flight that doesn’t arrive until almost midnight. Normally, I get the late pickup duty while my wife heads to bed. Not this time. “I think I’m going to have to go with you just so I can see the new terminal,” she told me the other day.

I may take her early, and we can enjoy a nice dinner at one of the fine restaurants located in the majestic Civic Plaza, and check out the amazing array of public art.

Date night at an airport? Who'd a thunk it?

As I’ve blogged before, it is a spectacular facility that will redefine the way Indianapolis welcomes the world.

I have had the opportunity to fly into virtually every airport in the America, and more than a few around the world and I will say, with what little objectivity I can muster, the new Indianapolis airport terminal is a jaw-dropper.

Oh, and it’s still just a 15-minute drive from downtown Indianapolis.

See that picture of the RCA Dome?

See that roof?

Gone. But you already knew that. It was deflated in September.

But see those steps below the neon “RCA Dome” sign?

During the life of the Dome, that was the grand staircase to the events that took place there. I’d venture to say that fewer steps have encountered more foot traffic over the years in downtown Indianapolis than those, save for the steps on Monument Circle.

Anyway, I drove past the Dome earlier today. And those steps – our grand staircase – were gone. Demolished.

A sign of progress, yes, as the Indiana Convention Center will expand into that space.

But I still had a twinge of sadness. That grand, grand staircase, marked by anticipation and excitement going up, and the ecstasy of victory or the agony of defeat going down.

Packed with people and emotion, in any case.

Officials from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and city leaders gathered Wednesday in Lucas Oil Stadium to unveil the 2010 Men’s Final Four logo.

It will be the sixth Men’s Final Four to take place in Indy, 30 years after the first was staged at Market Square Arena. Ironically, both Market Square Arena and the venue for subsequent Final Fours, the Hoosier/RCA Dome, are both gone … or, at least, almost gone. Demolition has begun on the Dome, making way for the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center.

As prelude to the Men’s Final Four, Lucas Oil Stadium will host the NCAA’s Men’s Midwest Regional next March.

And after 2010, the NCAA’s Women’s Final Four returns to downtown Indianapolis in 2011. It was last here in 2005.

Indianapolis also should learn soon if it will host future Men’s and Women’s Final Fours in the NCAA’s next “bid cycle.” While the city and the Indiana Sports Corporation have a memorandum of understanding with the NCAA that somewhat assures that Indianapolis will be a regular host of Final Fours, the city still must meet the bid requirements. And there are 10 cities competing to host the five Final Fours between 2013-2017.

But it was encouraging to hear what NCAA leaders had to say about Indianapolis at the logo unveiling.

“I give a lot of credit to Indianapolis,” said NCAA senior vice president Tom Jernstedt. “They set the pace many, many years ago to make the Final Four what it is today. And just when other cities think they’re catching up to Indianapolis, Indianapolis moves forward.”

Jernstedt then referenced the new Lucas Oil Stadium, the new Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport and the JW Marriott hotel complex that will make Indy even better as a sports/convention/event destination.

Added Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and chairman of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee:

“This magnificent structure (Lucas Oil Stadium) will no doubt be the home of many, many more Final Fours. Few, if any, embrace sporting events like Indianapolis. When you speak to fans, the one place they tell you they want to come back and back and back to is Indianapolis.”

And we'll happily welcome them ... back and back and back.

 

Good news arrived in the inbox Monday. Construction begins next month on the second phase of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.

This phase, called the Northeast Corridor, will connect the already completed East Corridor with the Monon Trail.

And since the Monon Trail leads to Broad Ripple, Carmel and (soon) Westfield, this will be a hugely significant link for downtowners, mid-towners and suburbanites alike.

The one-mile Northeast Corridor will travel mostly along Massachusetts Avenue, therefore also linking two of our trendiest Cultural Districts, Mass Ave and Broad Ripple.

The new corridor will feature both combined and separated bike and pedestrian trail paths with the same trail design, benches, bike racks, lighting and signage.
Most of the construction will be finished by late 2009 with the landscaping touches completed in spring of 2010.

The above rendering shows Mass Ave. You can go here to download a map.

The Blue Jackets have arrived.

The National FFA Convention officially begins tomorrow, but many of the attendees are already here.

I encountered several of them this morning and, like always, I have to ask the question:

Can you buy that happy pill over the counter?

This will be the third year to have the convention here and since I went to the previous one that took place in Louisville, I believe I can draw some accurate overall conclusions.

Foremost among them is that this may be the most upbeat collection of folks -- young or old -- in America.

To them, it's like every day's a holiday, and every meal's a banquet.

Anyway, we're glad they're here. Sure, they fill our hotel rooms and restaurants, but it goes beyond that. What they really seem to fill -- and uplift -- is our spirit.

So smile, everybody, because that's what the Blue Jackets will be doing.
 

As you can see from the photo above, your faithful Indy Insights blogger received a visit from Boomer and one of his Pacemate friends on behalf of the Indiana Pacers.

And before I go any further, an editorial statement: Boomer is hands-down the best mascot in the NBA.

Now then.

They were visiting various downtown businesses and organizations, “painting the town” – hence, the paint bucket – with news releases in advance of the Pacers’ home season-opener Nov. 1 against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The evening’s theme: “Let’s Paint The Town Blue and Gold Opening Night.”

As part of the build-up, downtown sidewalks are also getting some blue-and-gold treatment (not to worry about permanency … it’s actually adhesive stickers).

Before the game on Nov. 1, there will a free-to-the-public, 75-minute performance by Grammy-award winning rock band Blues Traveler. The concert will go rain or shine and will take place near the fieldhouse’s Penn Street Plaza.

After the concert, the Pacers Gold Band will lead Pacers fans into the arena amidst a shower of blue and gold balloons. The first 15,000 fans will receive a complimentary lighted rally towel.

Playing the Celtics has historical significance.

On Nov. 6, 1999, the Pacers defeated Boston (115-108) in their first game ever played at Conseco Fieldhouse.

And the first NBA game ever played by Indiana was in the 1976-77 home opener against the defending champion Celtics. Boston won the ’75-76 title before beating the Pacers in overtime (129-122) on Oct. 21, 1976.

In my sportswriting days, I covered both games. Geez, I'm old.

But I plan to be there on Nov. 1. A new day is dawning for the Pacers. I want to be there for the sunrise.

Tickets are available by visiting www.pacers.com, the Conseco Fieldhouse Box Office, and all Ticketmaster outlets.

With only a non-points race next weekend at Surfers Paradise, Australia, the IndyCar Series for 2008 has officially ended.

But the Series is still waving the checkered flag for a number of successes it scored on and off the track, much of it due to the unification of the two open-wheel series last winter.

In a release, it cited a 40 percent jump in the number of cars on track, a record-tying nine drivers visiting Victory Lane and 13 drivers recording podium finishes, and a record Indianapolis 500 purse in excess of $15 million.

Off the track, there were increases in attendance, television ratings, merchandise sales and new corporate partnerships.

In television, the 17-race IndyCar Series schedule had an average viewership of 1.55 million viewers, an 11 percent increase over the 1.4 million average last season.

Attendance, based on media estimates, was up at 12 of the 16 races on the 2008 schedule where the IndyCar Series raced in 2007.

Merchandise sales were up 25 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, according to Main Gate, the league’s merchandising agent. Of the 15 events where merchandise was sold, 14 events experienced gains over their 2007 merchandise sales, with 11 events witnessing double-digit percentage increases.

Online, Indycar.com has had more than nine million visits to date, marking a 33 percent increase over the same time last year according to Google Analytics. The league’s website has shown a 19 percent increase in the number of Unique Visitors this year, and usage of video on indycar.com has experienced 51% growth over 2007.

Let's hope they keep the ball rolling (and the motors running) in 2009.

  

Note to the Indianapolis Colts' game operations crew ... next time you have a day like Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, crank out the Fifth Dimension's classic hit, Let The Sun Shine In.

(Note to you youngsters: the Fifth Dimension was a great group from the '60s, best known for recording the Age of Aquarius. Now then ...). 

Perhaps someone in the local media made this observation. If so, I missed it.

But Sunday was the first time we ever had seen the Colts play a home game in sunshine.

The Colts' fifth home game (which includes two preseason contests) was the first to be played during the day and with the retractable roof on LOS open to the sky.

Of course, their previous 24 seasons in Indy were spent performing beneath the teflon roof of the Hoosier/RCA Dome.

Watching the Horseshoes play through the sun and shadows reminded me of what we've been missing all those years in the Dome, and that's no knock on the Dome.
 
But at its best, football is an outdoors game. And when the sun is out on a perfect, crystal-clear October day, well, it doesn't get much better than that.

Matt Kryger, The Indianapolis Star's outstanding photographer, captured the essence of the scene in the photo above.

Certainly, it didn't hurt the occasion that the Colts won in a romp over Baltimore, 31-3.



 

Indianapolis is the No. 1 sports city in America, according to my rankings released today.

OK, I just made that up. I haven't compiled any rankings.

But I just wrote that as a cautionary note to anyone who gets too high or too low with regard to Indianapolis being ranked No. 23 by the Sporting News in its annual ranking of America's best sports cities.

Like, you can actually measure that?

Like, Lawrence, Kan., home of the University of Kansas and nothing else, could somehow occupy a ranking above Indianapolis, or at least a couple dozen more cities that offer a far broader range of sports than that college town?

Like Indianapolis, home to the two largest single-day sporting events in the world, two major pro sports franchises, one of the best minor league baseball franchises in America, a plethora of collegiate and amateur sports and a dozen or so sports organizations has to somehow explain its status as a sports capital?

So, I repeat: Indy is No. 1.

Why? Because I said so.

One of my favorite local blogs, The Urbanophile, has a thoughtful and comprehensive look at a featured story in last Sunday's Indianapolis Star by Brendan O'Shaughnessy comparing the municipal spending priorities of Indianapolis with that of Seattle, Portland, Charlotte and Denver.

If you care about the future of our region, both the story and Urbanophile's take on it are worthwhile reading.

I do a number of presentations (contact me if you're interested) each month to service clubs and community organizations. Basically, what I try to do is provide an overall picture of where Indianapolis was in the late 1960s-early 1970s, talk about the strategies (especially the sports initiative) that led us out of the wilderness, what we currently have in place and what the future portends.

In my view, Indy has a great story to tell. We have accomplished much. And with Lucas Oil Stadium, the expanded Indiana Convention Center, the new Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport, the new expansion to the Central Library, the JW Marriott Hotel complex and the Cultural Trail, we are putting into place the infrastructure and investments that will carry our city forward for the next 20 to 30 years at least.

Yet, when I conclude my presentation, I am almost guranteed to be asked this question: What about mass transit?

And my reply is always, if Indianapolis is to take the next leap forward beyond that which has opened or is currently being constructed, mass transit is absolutely essential.

But by mass transit, I mean both the kind (light rail!) that can move people from the suburbs downtown and vice versa, but also the kind that can serve our neighborhoods closer to downtown. Critics argue that our bus system,IndyGo, is a drain on precious city resources. I see it as an essential part of city services.

Yet at the end of the day, the money has to come from somewhere. And it's big money.

As was pointed out in O'Shaughnessy's story, Central Indiana took a huge step forward in coming up with regional funding for Lucas Oil Stadium and the Convention Center expansion. In my view, the success of the region with Indianapolis as its core will depend on future regional strategies.

After all, as former Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut put it, "you can't be a suburb of nothing."

Your thoughts?

It's Circle City Classic weekend in Indy.

It's also anniversary time. This is No. 25.

How good has the game been? Well, let's start at the start.
 
The lengendary Eddie Robinson coached in the first one. The legendary Jerry Rice played in the first one.



Talk about establishing a legacy.

Robinson, the Grambling State coach, is merely regarded as one of the greatest leaders of men in his generation. Noticed I said leader of men, not of football players.

He changed lives.

And Rice, then a little known wide receiver from Mississippi Valley State, only went onto to become the greatest ever to play his position in the National Football League. Bringing it full circle, Rice is the grand marshall for Saturday's parade and recipient of the Major Taylor Award at Friday's coaches luncheon.

The Classic has been a classic since that 1984 premier, and Saturday's game between Alabama A&M and Tuskegee in Lucas Oil Stadium promises to live up to the tradition.

Classic Executive Director Tony Mason has assembled his usual wide array of events leading up to and following the game itself. We're talking galas, workshops, seminars, music, the parade and, of course, the Battle of the Bands.
 
Best of all is the leave behind, not only for the Indianapolis economy, but for young people trying to live the dream of a college education.

The Classic has paid out more than $1 million in scholarships since its inception.

The game also is a great collaboration betweenIndiana Black Expo and Indiana Sports Corporation.

Best thing about this game? No matter who wins, everyone wins.

Linda Heiden (pictured), our very capable administration manager here at the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, is a member of one our ICVA Toastmasters Clubs. Earlier this year, she gave a speech in which she pretended to be the voice of the soon-to-be-demolished RCA Dome.

Wednesday morning, the Dome was deflated. During a ceremony marking the occasion, Linda’s speech was read. It was a moving moment.

Thus, I thought I’d share her speech with the world, or at least those who pass by this blog. It really captures the essence of the building that did so much to redefine Indianapolis.

Here it is …

Time to Say Goodbye

I am the RCA Dome.  Many people still remember my original name   the "Hoosier Dome". 

A shiny shovel broke my ground on May 27, 1982.  In August 1983, my Teflon-coated roof was inflated when huge fans were turned on.  I opened my doors for the first event   the 500 Festival Mayor's Breakfast on May 3, 1984, with over 5,000 people in attendance, including the newly arrived Indianapolis Colts.

My building area covers eight acres, and my roof height is as tall as a 19 story building.  My roof may look as light as a feather, but it weighs 257 tons. 

A kind staff served countless cups of coffee at my first event   the 1984 Mayor's Breakfast.  Countless gallons of water were part of my final event, the Fire Department Instructors' Conference last April.

In between, millions have come through my windy entrances.  Together, we have welcomed U.S. Presidents, professional and amateur sports heroes, performing arts participants and university presidents.  We have honored our military men and women, greeted spiritual leaders, business leaders and police officers and firefighters from around the world.  And, yes, I even remember that day your six year old son stood on my turf, looked up at the stands, heard the imaginary roar of the crowd and dreamed of one day becoming an NFL quarterback.

I have shown on my floor acres of automobiles, both contemporary and classic, hardware supplies and even computers and other high tech devices.  I have hosted concerts, combines and clinics, ballgames, bands and boat shows.  Trucks have even dumped dirt on my floor so the famous monster truck, Grave Digger, could roar.

Thousands have prayed here, promised here and made plans to leave here and lead more spiritual lives.

I have rocked with Bruce Springsteen, Genesis, Pink Floyd, the Stones and with, yes, U2.  And who could forget Gloria Estefan performing during pyrotechnics at the closing of the Pan Am Games?

The Flag of our Fathers has been unfurled countless times before events commenced here as extraordinary athletes endured the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."  I have hosted track and field events, world gymnastics contests, volleyball and baseball...and then, there is basketball.

Who can forget the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team and the NBA All Star game or the IHSAA Boys' Basketball Championship when Damon Bailey led his team to a comeback victory and was named "Mr. Basketball" in front of the largest crowd ever to stand and cheer a high school basketball game?

Many times, I hosted the cream of the crop in college hoops and even five phenomenal NCAA Women's and Men's Final Fours.

I have had a ball with football ...  remember the '84 Bears/Bills NFL exhibition match (scheduled before the Colts came to town); the Dome dedication game when Purdue defeated Notre Dame; the first regular season Indianapolis Colts game…and the first ever Monday Night Football Game in Indianapolis on Halloween in 1988?

I can still hear the echoes from that January '07 game when the Colts gave football fans the greatest comeback ever in a conference championship game crushing of those New England Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Title Game to advance to Super Bowl XLI and become World Champions.

The day after that Super Bowl, people stood on our downtown streets in single digit temperatures waiting for our team.  Inside, 60,000 fans celebrated in deafening fashion ... the end of a sweet, sweet season.  As Colts owner, Jim Irsay said, "It was our time and our year."

It is now September 2008.  I have sent my beloved Colts across the street to Lucas Oil Stadium and now need to make way for an expanded Indiana Convention Center.  I do so with the satisfaction of knowing the enormous impact I have had on our community.

My boxes are now packed, my memories are intact, the moving vans have pulled away and the crews have begun the demolition.

Now, as my roof slowly comes down, I will gradually vanish from my beloved city's landscape.

Dear friends, after 24 years, it is time to say goodbye.  Thank you for the memories, the moments, the victories, the friendships, the experiences and the opportunity to be part of our great city.

I probably should be careful in making this statement but, what the heck, you can challenge me on it if you’re so moved.

On Wednesday, the RCA Dome will be deflated. My statement as it goes down is this: I doubt if few buildings ever did more to change a city’s perception and image.

It was the big domino (er, Dome-ino) to fall as Indianapolis re-vitalized its downtown core and changed the way this city thought about itself, and the possibilities of all it could be.

In my column in the currentIndianapolis Business Journal, I take a look back at the Dome’s influence and reflect on its significance in an interview with Dave Frick, who was instrumental in getting the then Hoosier Dome approved and constructed.
 
Frick now serves as the chairman of the authority that has overseen the construction of the Dome’s successor, Lucas Oil Stadium, and will have oversight on the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center in the space now occupied by the Dome.