First Annual Fletch Fest in Indy Will Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

In line with our continued online fascination with the 80s, today we are proud to interview our very own KVB about Fletch Fest, and upcoming event in the Broad Ripple area that he is helping to organize and put on. Fletch (1985), of course, for those of you who have been deprived and do not know, starred Chevy Chase and was adapted from a series of books by Gregory McDonald.

Factoid: Did you know that the first Fletch book came out in 1974 and was trying to be adapted to screen for Burt Reynolds or Mick Jagger? Gregory McDonald rejected both studio attempts and agreed to Chevy Chase years later. Good move.

Fletch has had a long history of rumors that more movies would be produced than just Fletch and Fletch Lives (1989). Since then, more Fletch movies have been whispered about with Kevin Smith or Bill Lawrence directing. Funny men Ryan Reynolds, Jason Lee, John Kaslinski, or Zach Braff have been thrown out as suggestions for reprising the title role of Fletch. Not-so-funny men Ben Affleck and Joshua Jackson were also rumored. But movie Studios and potential talent have ultimately always backed away.

Fletch may simply go down among other iconic, classic movies that never get rehashed or remade (hopefully) without the original star(s), like The Blues Brothers or The Naked Gun.

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Below KVB tells us about Fletch Fest, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that the event will support, and his love for Harold Faltermeyer.

Q: What is Fletch Fest?

KVB: Fletch Fest is a movie and music benefit rolled into one night, and we are in our first year of what should be a yearly festival. Thursday, September 3rd, we have an 8pm outdoor screening of the movie Fletch and the 5$ door price goes directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They are a great national organization that wanted to kick off their Poker for Research event (October 8th) with another fun event before the end of summer. Fletch Fest is in the back of a great venue, Rock Lobster, in the heart of Broad Ripple in Indianapolis.

Q: Whose idea was it?

KVB: Sarah Jones (founder) and I talked about Lebowski Fest and what other great movie tribute festivals we would love to go to. Our common “Fletch fetish” made Fletch Fest the top idea on our list. After forty-five beers and three boxes of wine (we weren’t that drunk), we had to tell our friends of the ridiculous idea. Their positive reactions and the ensuing hours of everyone quoting the movie made our decision for us. We should throw Fletch Fest at least for a good time with our friends, we all decided.

Fortunately it turned into the opportunity to organize it with Matt and Nikki Javit for the local JDRF. And fortunately one of the best bands in Indianapolis is headlining the night, The Franchize. Lead singer Nate Davis (not the QB) happens to be a huge Fletch fan and loved the idea from the minute he heard it. In fact, his band has done a remix of the Fletch theme live and will perform it that night. The cult love for Fletch is legit, along with JDRF’s organization and all of our sponsors who are supporting Fletch Fest.

JRod: What are your donation goals?

KVB: Anything! JDRF has many yearly events and now Fletch Fest is icing on the cake. We just want the awareness and for people to have a good time before Labor Day weekend starts. Note: Ballers, bring your check book if you feel you want to donate more then the $5 ticket to a good cause. And yes, all in the name of Fletch.

JRod: What’s the schedule of events for the evening?

KVB: Before the Fletch screening we will have some independent short films (Really Really Big Show) and a Fletch trivia contest with the winner receiving a prize. There is a raffle throughout the night for more prizes and drink specials from one of our sponsors, Ketel One. All of our great sponsors will have areas set up and steak sandwiches will be catered.

To wrap the evening up, you can hear great live music from Drew Mowell (acoustic from the band Records) and the headliner The Franchize (hip-hop, rock, funk, soul) until the venue kicks us out. It should be a fun, eclectic crowd of JDRF supporters, filmmakers, 80s movie fans, musicians, and just party people who want a unique experience in the Indianapolis night scene. I even have one friend traveling from New York City for Fletch Fest.

JRod: What makes Fletch such a great movie?

KVB: It’s re-watchable, quotable, and hilarious. It has Chevy Chase in his prime, he improvs every scene, and kills it. From a filmmaking standpoint it is a classic 80s movie and has the unique synthesized theme music by Harold Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills Cop I and II, Top Gun). I can’t wait to watch it projected onto a big screen and big sound system. It was directed by Michael Ritchie, who also directed sports classics The Scout and The Bad News Bears. He also wrote the story for Cool Runnings.

JRod: What is your favorite alias that the character uses and why?

KVB: Impossible to pick one. But out of the ones where he doesn’t use a real person’s name as an alias (like Harry S. Truman, Billy Jean King, or Peter Lemonjello) I would have to go with Mr. Poon. “What is Poon anyway? It’s Comanche Indian.” He looks ridiculous and talks with a bloody band aid over his nostrils because the vice president of the United States closed a door on his face. “Whack!” Good scene and funny one liners.

JRod: If you could play miniature golf with Chevy Chase and two other people, who would they be?

KVB: Him and his alter-egos Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher and Clark W. Griswold.

JRod: Is it true that you believe the term “catches” in football should be replaced by the term “fletches?”

KVB: It is true. If I can’t get that passed through Congress I want everyone to replace their curse words with “fletch.” Fletch it! What the Fletch? Fletch You Mother Fletcher!

JRod: How many fletches do you believe OSU alum Brian Robiskie will get this year for the Browns?

KVB: 25 to 30 fletches.

JRod: The 2009 White Sox…WTFletch?

KVB: I’d rather focus on the positives in my life right now. Like Fletch Fest, a bloody mary, a steak sandwich, and a steak sandwich.

JRod: Anything else you’d like to say?

KVB: Thank you for the exposure. Say “Fletch Midwestsportsfans.com” to get into Fletch Fest for FREE (not true, pay the $5 for JDRF!). Fletch Fest Thursday, September 3rd. Rock Lobster 814 Broad Ripple Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46220 – 8PM – www.fletchfest.com

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* – Chevy Chase as Fletch photo credit: Film Babble

2009 Indy 500: The Final Starting Field, Weather Forecast, and the Roots of an Indy 500 Obsession

Dateline : Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The weekend has finally arrived and we want to present one last post on the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, giving you some insight into the actual details of this year’s event as well as the story behind this blogger’s obsession with the Indianapolis 500.

My first memory of IndyCar racing is the thrilling end to the 1982 race where Gordon Johncock and Rick Mears battled the last few laps and ended with Johncock winning his 2nd Indianapolis 500. As a 9 year old boy, I could hear the drama…and the engines and excitement on the TV, but I didn’t get the bug in 1982.

In 1989, my father told me we were going to go the Indianapolis 500. Living in Cincinnati, that meant a 2 hour drive to something I wasn’t really sure I would enjoy. I thought about getting up early, leaving at 6am and heading off to this big old loud place where I would sit for 500 miles and hope my dad was enjoying himself.

I was certain he would be the only one.

Our tickets that year were in the Backstretch Bleachers, and our ticket price was $18.00. Our seats were on the top row, and we had an amazing view of of the infield and the madness that happened back then. It’s certainly a lot more tame these days. In fact, in 1989, I saw a woman on top of an RV that was parked in the infield, surrounded by drunk men on the ground, undress completely. This was still 2 hours before the race, and was about the time I started to feel at home.

As a 15 year old boy, I was in my happy place. But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to keep me coming back…and it’s a good thing, because that was the last time I would witness such an exhibition.

My real love for the speedway came as the cars went by for the first time. They took their warm up laps and I will never forget hearing the engines roar as the cars crept by. Seeing them weave back and forth, bringing warmth into the tires and hearing them hammer the throttle just a touch was incredible.

After a few warm up laps, the field of 33 cars got into formation and heading out of turn 2 and down the backstretch I saw 11 rows form up into the most beautiful pack of machines I had ever seen. They passed by me around 90 miles per hour and it seemed like slow motion to me. I remember smiling and feeling the hair on my arms standing straight up. The flag went green and the race was on. In many ways, my life would never be the same again.

My father and I will celebrate our 21st consecutive Indianapolis 500 this Sunday. This will be the third year in a row where we sit apart at the speedway. Once I moved to Indianapolis in 2006, logistically and socially it became more difficult to retain the tradition of sitting together. But on this Sunday, as in the 21 previous race days, I will think of all the great memories we have shared there.

I will remember why I am there, and who took me back in 1989 and gave me a passion that can carry me through life’s difficult moments. No matter how bad it gets, there’s a hell of a man behind me…and there’s always the Month of May.

Dad, this post is dedicated to you for being a tremendous father, a legendary man, and a great race day partner for all these years. Thanks.

Here is all you need to know for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, the 93rd Running.

When: Sunday May 24th 1pm Eastern

TV: ABC pre-race starts at noon. Versus will cover Post Race duties immediately following.

Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Weather: As of 10:30am on 5/22: 30% Chance of Isolated Showers with more rain later in the day. Rain looks to arrive, if it will around the 2pm hour. I am relatively confident we will get the race fully completed. If the race gets to 100 laps, and rain hits the speedway it could be called as an official race. IF rain comes less than half way, and it gets called, it would go on the next possible day. I am hoping that’s just trivial information, more than something we will need to understand.

Starting Field:

Here is the official starting field for the Indianapolis 500.

Thanks for reading our 2009 Indianapolis 500 posts this week. To see the entire list of posts we’ve published, look up near the top of the sidebar. I hope they help you enjoy this weekend’s race just a bit more. I am looking forward to my 21st 500, and hope there are at least 21 more in my future. God Speed to all race fans making the journey…and to the 33 drivers in the race.

And God Bless the troops who protect this Nation with their lives.

For pictures and more on Race Day: set your twitter radars here and follow me all day long.

Check Back Tuesday for our 2009 Indy 500 recap.

Indianapolis 500: Schedule for Week 1

DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS

The 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 is less than three weeks away and the excitement is building. Midwest Sports Fans will have at least a weekly update leading up to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. In this first edition we will discuss the week aheads events.

Tuesday May 5th:

The Rookie Orientation Program begins tomorrow. Their are 5 rookies entered into the 500, and they will gain some valuable track time tomorrow and Wednesday in preparation for the rest of the week. On Wednesday afternoon, the track will switch from the ROP, to the full field’s opening day of practice.

The Rookie Orientation Program is a training ground for first time drivers at the speedway. If a driver has not been in an IndyCar this season until the month of May they may also participate but their completion of the program isn’t a requirement. It can be merely a refresher. The ROP is split into different phases at increasing speeds to insure the drivers can get comfortable as the speeds increase from the mid-100’s to the 200 mph phases. All of this hopefully, prepares them for their qualification runs.

Wednesday May 6th:

Wednesday will be the conclusion of the ROP and will be the first time all entrants are able to stretch their legs around the 2.5 mile oval. As of this posting, there are 31 drivers entered. A total of 40 cars have been entered and we will see the TBD’s turn into drivers as we get closer to the event. It is not uncommon for drivers and teams with a limited budget come in during the second weekend of qualifications to get in the show.

Thursday May 7th:

Full Field Practice

Friday May 8th: (FAST FRIDAY)

Full Field Practice

Saturday May 9th: POLE DAY!

Qualifying starts, spots 1-11 are filled this day. They allow qualifying beyond the first 11 and some drivers will be bumped into the 2nd day of qualifications. Only the fastest 11 will have secured spots come Sunday, the 10th.

Sunday May 10th: 2nd day of qualifications

Qualifying leaves off where it ended on Saturday. The main difference is that the best driver on Sunday can only start at the 12th position. Spots 12-22 will be filled on Sunday and bumping will begin when the 22nd qualifier is in the field. By the end of the weekend 22 spots will be full, and the rest will wait until the next weekend.

Weather:

The weather is always an issue during the month of May in Indianapolis. This first week of track activity is proving to be no exception. As of 4pm on Monday, the forecast is calling for a beautiful day tomorrow, but strong chances of rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Pole Day forecast is currently mid 70’s and only a 10% chance of rain. It’s early still, but the weekend looks like it could be very dramatic with such limited track time.

I will be at the speedway a few days this week, and also for Pole Day. Set your twitters radars here for updates and pictures from the track.

Check back next week for a recap of the weekend, a look ahead to the next set of activities on the schedule.

March Madness 2009 Regional Breakdowns: Midwest Region (Indianapolis)

(Note 3/16, 1:12 pm: March Madness is here! Each of of these regional primers will be constantly updated with the official brackets and TV schedules, my predictions, ticket resources, game point spreads and odds, plus the results as they pour in over the next two weeks. Just as we did with out conference tournament posts, this series of posts is designed for you to bookmark and come back to anytime you need information on one of the regions in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.)

2009 NCAA Tournament: Midwest Region

Here is the pertinent meta information for the Midwest Region of the 2009 NCAA Tournament:

• Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Location: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
• Top 4 Seeds: #1 Louisville, #2 Michigan State, #3 Kansas, #4 Wake Forest

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• Ticket Information for First and Second Round Sites: first round locations are based on pod system. Find the location for each game below, and then follow the links to get ticket information for all first and second round sites in the 2009 NCAA Tournament:
  StubHub: 2009 NCAA Tournament First and Second Tickets
  RazorGator: 2009 NCAA Tournament First and Second Round Tickets

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• Ticket Information for Regional Semifinal and Regional Final Rounds in Indianapolis:
  StubHub: 2009 Midwest Regional Final and Semifinal Tickets – Indianapolis
  RazorGator: 2009 Midwest Regional Final and Semifinal Tickets – Indianapolis

Now, let’s break down the bracket for the Midwest Region of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. First, a few quick notes:

1. This should go without saying, but for any March Madness first-timers: all games are on CBS. You’ll have to check your local listings to find out which games are on in your area. But all games can be viewed live online for free at the following link:
   Watch NCAA Tournament Games Online at March Madness On Demand
2. If you want to view the schedule in actual bracket form, there is a link underneath the table.
3. The table below provides the following details on a game-by-game basis: date, time, location, announcers, and the point spread.
4. I will add/update the information as it becomes available. If any piece of information is missing and you know it, or know where it is, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’ll appreciate it. I promise.
5. #1 seed Louisville will play the winner of the opening round play-in game between Alabama State and Morehead State. That game will take place Tuesday night, 3/17, at 7:30 ET. Morehead State is favored by 2.5 points.
6. All spreads are as of 3/16 and provided by Sportsbook.com via DocSports. Follow the links for the most current spread info. Announcer schedules courtesy of Awful Announcing.

And now, here is the schedule breakdown for the 2009 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region (all times ET):

Midwest Regional Bracket, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers

Follow the link for a PDF of a printable 2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket, delivered by CollegeHoopsNet.com.

FYI, the in-studio hosts for CBS’ coverage of the 2009 NCAA Tournament this year will be Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, and Seth Davis. Here are the 8 announcer pairings for the first and second round games:

• Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg (will handle Final Four)
• Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
• GUS JOHNSON!!! and Len Elmore
• Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
• Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
• Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
• Tim Brando and Mike Gminski

If there is anything specific you’d like to know but don’t feel like looking up for yourself, just ask in the comments. We’re all about on-demand information here at MSF.

UPDATE 3/17: It’s time for some predictions.

Earlier today, I posted my official one-and-only NCAA Tournament bracket predictions. I actually devised what I call a subjective-objective metric-based approach to my predictions this year. For a complete explanation of the metrics I used and how the system worked, read the complete Mens Tournament Bracket Prediction post. (FYI: Some of the analysis-based verbiage below may not make complete sense without reading the explanation in the bracket prediction post.)

Here is the section specific to the Midwest region:

Midwest Region Predictions

First Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville
• #9 Siena over #8 Ohio State
• #5 Utah over #12 Arizona
• #4 Wake Forest over #13 Cleveland State
• #6 West Virginia over #11 Dayton
• #14 North Dakota St over #3 Kansas
• #7 Boston College over #10 USC
• #2 Michigan State over #15 Robert Morris

Siena and Ohio State were actually pretty evenly matched up, with Siena having a slight 3-2-1 advantage. Siena has a much better record on the road and more experienced guards, so I feel comfortable about that one. But it’s an 8/9 game so who the hell knows.

The one that will jump off the page is #14 North Dakota State over #3 Kansas. NDSU went 10-4 on the road this year, makes just under 74% of their free throws, has all senior guards, and only turns the ball over 11.3 times. Their Strength of Schedule is obviously not very good, but they played outstanding against their level of competition. Considering Kansas’ poor play very late in the season, and their relative youth, I am not afraid of this upset pick. If I had to bet money, I’d obviously put it on the Jayhawks, but now I won’t be at all shocked if they go down, much to the dismay of Bill Self.

Second Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #9 Siena
• #5 Utah over #4 Wake Forest
• #14 North Dakota State over #6 West Virginia
• #2 Michigan State over #7 Boston College

I like Utah over Wake Forest because of the experience factor, the fact that Utah turns the ball over more than two times per game less, and Utah’s ability to hit free throws at a 78.2% clip. Wake Forest clearly has the more talented team though; so again, this is a game where me being wrong would not be surprising at all.

And once again, you see my tourney darkhorse North Dakota State winning again. Considering the numbers I stated above, does this surprise you? West Virginia shoots less than 70% from the line, has relative inexperience at the guard position (a 2.5 score to NDSU’s 4) and turns the ball over slightly more.

Sweet 16 Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #5 Utah
• #2 Michigan State over #14 North Dakota State

Louisville beats Utah across the board, except for free throw shooting. The Michigan State-North Dakota State game was actually a tie by the categories. Michigan State wins in road record, seed, and strength of schedule, but falls short in FT shooting, guard experience, and TO/game. Non-adjacent favored seeds win out though, so NDSU’s Cinderalla story comes to an end.

Elite 8 Pick – Midwest Region

• #2 Michigan State over #1 Louisville

Honestly, this surprised me a little bit. When I first sat down to look at the brackets, the Spartans were a team I looked at as potentially being ripe for an early upset. But looking deeper, many of their metrics, at least with respect to my personal basketball biases, make them a tournament-ready team. Add in the extra motivation of the Final Four being in Detroit, and I can see this happening.

The Spartans win 3-2-1, with the teams tying in guard experience and Louisville besting Michigan State in seeding and TO/game. Michigan State’s other advantages were by slim margins, which is to be expected. I think this would be a great regional final that could go either way (a refrain you will probably hear repeated as we move forward), but as a Big Ten fan I would love to see Tom Izzo and the boys make it to Detroit.

Browns Banter: Did Browns Fans Cheer Injury to Derek Anderson in Loss to Colts?

If misery likes company, 72,000 Browns fans Sunday watched in disbelief as quarterback Derek Anderson was sacked by the Colts’ Robert Mathis late in the fourth quarter, and hobbled off the field in what could be a season-ending injury.

Oh, and by the way, the Browns wasted one of its finest defensive displays all season, losing to Indianapolis, 10-6, falling to 4-8, and thus, shattering all hopes for any chance of contending for a playoff spot.

Anderson’s injury to his left knee comes days after starting quarterback Brady Quinn was lost for the season due a fractured right index finger. Both can now share the bench and watch as third-string quarterback Ken Dorsey runs the offense for the Browns final four games.

(John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer) Derek Anderson writhes in pain after being sacked in the final minutes of Sunday’s game by the Colts’ Robert Mathis. Anderson suffered an injury to his left knee that will be determined on Monday and could end his season.

Actually Dorsey nearly won the game with a Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but Edwards was triple-covered and never had control of the ball.

After Peyton Manning took a knee, Shaun Rogers flung his helmet down in disgust and walked off the field. If you were to tell me the Browns defense would allow only one field goal, hold Manning to just 215 yards and intercept him twice, I would have been thrilled and anticipated a win.

Unlike last week’s ugly, lackluster 16-6 loss against the Houston Texans, the Browns came out with fire and focus on Sunday, forcing Manning to make very uncharacteristic errors such as fumbling on the one-yard line in the last play of a great Browns goal line stand.

The defense held Manning without an offensive touchdown for the first time in 91 regular season games. With its fifth consecutive victory at the expense of the Browns, the 8-4 Colts are deep in the hunt for an AFC wild-card berth.

Had the Browns gotten into the end zone just once and won, cornerback Brandon McDonald should have been awarded a game ball. He intercepted a pass to Reggie Wayne (that unfortunately, the offense could not convert into a score).

Then and in a perfectly timed play in the end zone, Brandon McDonald hung onto the right arm of Reggie Wayne after what would have been touchdown pass, stripping the ball free and forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal.

Once again the Browns play calling left much to be desired. The wind off of Lake Erie made it difficult for quarterbacks, but placing the ball into the arms of running back Jamal Lewis 24 times was predictable.

With the exception of the Monday night win against the visiting New York Giants and Eli Manning, offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s play calling has been uninspired.

(Why do these grown-up NFL quarterbacks need every single play whispered into their ears? Major league baseball pitchers, after all, decide each pitch they throw.).

When the Browns headed into the fourth quarter with a slim 6-3 lead, fans began to believe the impossible would happen and the Browns would own both Manning brothers this year.

But once again Browns fans hopes were dashed on its first possession in the fourth quarter when Dwight Freeney hit Anderson’s arm, the ball came out and Mathis recovered in and ran 37 yards for the only touchdown in the game.

Six minutes later, with 1:16 minutes left, it was first down at the Browns 45 yard line. But Browns nemesis, Mathis, plowed through tackle Kevin Shaffer from the right side, pushing Shaffer’s helmet into Anderson’s knee, first, then Mathis wrapped up the leg on Anderson’s way down.

The Plain Dealer and WKNR AM 850 reported that some fans actually cheered when Anderson got hurt and chanted for Dorsey. Others said the cheers were for Anderson after he got up and was helped off the field.
But I believe the Browns fans’ jeers and cheers stemmed from the frustration of a football season gone sour and of knowing that on Monday, they’d go to jobs they did not like, face their bosses and find a way to make the December mortgage payment and have a little left over for Christmas.