Danny turns the ripe old age of 23 today. To celebrate, we have this shot of him from his senior day celebration at Purdue’s final football game of last year.
Tag / Boiler Up!
College Basketball Tipoff
Fresh off of an appearance in the championship game of last year’s NCAA tournament, the Purdue men’s basketball team kicks off the 2024-2025 regular season tomorrow night. With Danny out of school and an expanded Big Ten limiting how often each team visits the other schools in the conference, it may be a while before I attend another regular season game. So, with the 128th season in school history about to get underway, let’s take a look at the results of the now 24 men’s college basketball games I have attended in my lifetime. You’d think it would be more, since I was a big fan and we had a great team while I was in school, but for some reason I only made it to two games while enrolled in college. The other 22 have been post-graduation, having added four games last year, two at Mackey and two in Detroit for the NCAA tournament. Anyway, without further ado, here are the standings for those 24 games.
All-Time Team Records – Men
| Team | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Texas Mean Green | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Indiana Hoosiers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Virginia Commonwealth Rams | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Butler Bulldogs | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | 16 | 7 | 0.696 |
| Northwestern Wildcats | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Houston Cougars | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Iowa State Cyclones | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Jacksonville Dolphins | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Vermont Catamounts | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Long Beach State 49ers | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
A Time To Be Thankful
We are entering the home stretch of 2024, and, to celebrate Danny’s upcoming birthday, we have various shots of him from the 2023 Purdue football season. Clockwise from the top left, we have his final drum major breakdown following the IU game, after hitting the drum during halftime of the same game, and, finally, him marching on the field at Ross-Ade.
Quarter Century/Half Century
25 years ago, Angelina was born on my 25th birthday. Now, she turns the same age I was at her birth and, starting tomorrow, she will have been alive more than half of my life. We celebrate with a photo from last year’s Purdue/IU football game.
2024 College Football Kickoff
The Purdue Boilermakers, kick off their 2024 gridiron campaign today, starting a new era of Big Ten football with new member Oregon coming to town in October, for just their third visit to Ross-Ade Stadium. Now that Danny has graduated, my game attendance is likely to trickle back down to the once every couple of years pace I was on before he matriculated after attending an all-time high five games last fall. That said, it’s time to take a look at the results of the now 32 college football games I have attended since the 1993 season, covering six different stadiums in a whopping three states, including one bowl game.
All-Time Team Records
| University | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Orange | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Wisconsin Badgers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Louisiana State Tigers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | 19 | 11 | 0.633 |
| Northern Illinois Huskies | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini Continue reading → |
Refreshing The Wardrobe
The Purdue football team unveiled new uniforms this morning for the first time since 2016. The initial release showed just two each of helmets, jerseys, and pants. The helmets, one gold and one black, each featuring the motion P logo on the sides and a triple stripe down the middle, with the gold helmet featuring a black/white/black stripe pattern and the black helmet going gold/white/gold.
The jerseys come in black and white, and feature block numbers outlined in gold, with the Purdue wordmark across the chest. Sleeve stripes will be gold/white/gold on the black jerseys and black/gold/black on the white. The pants, which come in gold and white, have a strip down the outside of each leg, matching the pattern from the same-colored helmets.
The currently released setup gives the team seven different combinations to choose from. I would expect there will eventually be a gold jersey and black pant option. Maybe even a white helmet, though I would personally hope not.
The new look will make its on-field debut on August 31st against Indiana State.
Walking In Memphis
With the ninth pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Zach Edey, the two-time National Player of the Year from Purdue. While this may have been a stretch according to many so-called draft experts, the Grizzlies were determined to get a center and they saw Edey as the best option on the board. We will have to wait and see how Edey’s game translates to today’s NBA.
Fifty Years Of Music – 1995
Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1995, the year I finished my third year of college, started working at the bank during the summer, returned to West Lafayette for my fourth year of college, and celebrated my 21st birthday. This is also the year that my CD player boombox, that I got for Christmas back in 1991, started to die. Despite numerous attempts to repair the cassette heads, nothing seemed to work. With 44 songs that remain familiar to me today, we have fallen below 50% for the first time since 1987. 29 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#100: Van Halen – Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
iTunes stats: 0 plays
The final Van Halen track to crack the Top 40, it peaked at #30.
#99: Soul Asylum – Misery
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Reaching #20 on the Hot 100, it sat atop the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
#95: The Pretenders – I’ll Stand By You
iTunes stats: 14 plays
The second single from the group’s sixth studio album, it went to #16 on the Hot 100.
#93: Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
iTunes stats: N/A
Based on a traditional country song, it topped out at #25.
#90: Melissa Etheridge – If I Wanted To
iTunes stats: N/A
Peaking at #16 in March, the song was the final single from Etheridge’s breakthrough fourth studio album.
#85: Better Than Ezra – Good
iTunes stats: 17 plays
Written in late 1990/early 1991, this lead single from the group’s major label debut reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
#82: Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love
iTunes stats: N/A
Appearing on the year end chart for the second straight year, it was one of the longest charting singles in history at the time of its release.
#81: U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
iTunes stats: 22 plays
Featured on the Batman Forever soundtrack, it went to #16 and received two Grammy nominations.
#78: Annie Lennox – No More I Love You’s
iTunes stats: N/A
The lead single from her sophomore solo effort, it topped out at #23 and was used in the first episode of The Sopranos.
#70: Bon Jovi – This Ain’t a Love Song
iTunes stats: N/A
Peaking at #14, the ballad was the lead single from the group’s sixth studio album.
#67: Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do
iTunes stats: 24 plays
Ranked by Billboard as the 405th best pop song of all time, it charts for the second straight year.
#63: 69 Boyz – Tootsee Roll
iTunes stats: 15 plays
Topping out at #8 in January of 1995, it makes the year-end list for the second straight year.
#61: Tom Petty – You Don’t Know How It Feels
iTunes stats: N/A
The final Top 40 hit of Petty’s career, it reached #1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and #13 on the Hot 100.
#60: Natalie Merchant – Carnival
iTunes stats: 30 plays
The lead single from Merchant’s solo debut, it topped out at #10 and remains her highest charting solo single.
#58: Skee-Lo – I Wish
iTunes stats: 14 plays
The first and last charting single from the rapper, his debut track went to #13 and earned a Grammy nomination.
#56: Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson – Scream
iTunes stats: N/A
The first single in the history of the Hot 100 to debut at #5, which ended up as the highpoint for the duet between the Jackson siblings.
#55: Del Amitri – Roll to Me
iTunes stats: 18 plays
The highest charting single from the Scottish band in the US, it peaked at #10.
#54: Corona – The Rhythm of the Night
iTunes stats: N/A
Released in 1993 as the group’s debut single in their home country of Italy, it eventually reached #11 in the US.
#53: Dr. Dre – Keep Their Heads Ringin’
iTunes stats: 39 plays
The lone single released from the Friday soundtrack, the song topped the Hot Rap Tracks chart and cracked the top ten at #10 on the Hot 100.
#52: Jamie Walters – Hold On
iTunes stats: 15 plays
His solo debut following the cancellation of The Heights, it topped out at #16 and was his one and only charting single.
#50: Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love to You
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Having spent fourteen weeks at #1 in the fall of 1994, it spends its second year on the year-end chart.
Fifty Years Of Music – 1993
Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1993, the year I completed my first year of college, started my second year of college, moved out of my childhood home, and turned 19, in that order. My musical landscape was continuing to change, as I navigated the different music I was exposed to between the middle of Indiana and the Chicagoland area. A whopping 86 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 51 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#100: Def Leppard – Two Steps Behind
iTunes stats: 24 plays
Featured on the soundtrack to Last Action Hero, the acoustic ballad peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.
#97: Tony! Toni! Toné! – Anniversary
iTunes stats: N/A
Reaching #10, it was the second single from the group’s third studio album.
#96: Sting – If I Ever Lost My Faith in You
iTunes stats: N/A
Topping out at #17, the track earned Sting a Grammy in 1994.
#95: Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy
iTunes stats: 28 plays
Written by the band’s former guitarist, who was fired before their breakthrough album was released, it went to #25 on the Hot 100.
#94: Aerosmith – Livin’ on the Edge
iTunes stats: 21 plays
The lead single from the group’s eleventh album, which I bought in a midnight release at the Musicland that would eventually become a bar off of Purdue’s campus, it peaked at #18
#93: Green Jelly – Three Little Pigs
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Spending 20 weeks on the chart, the sole hit from the band, originally called Green Jellö before a lawsuit forced them to change their name, reached #17 in June.
#92: Joey Lawrence – Nothing My Love Can’t Fix
iTunes stats: N/A
The first, and most successful, single from the Blossom star, it topped out at #19.
#91: Tears for Fears – Break It Down Again
iTunes stats: 23 plays
The group’s first hit since 1989, it peaked at #25 and became their final track to enter the Top 40.
#90: Rod Stewart – Reason to Believe
iTunes stats: N/A
Originally released by Stewart in 1971, this live version, from his Unplugged appearance, reached #18.
#87: Sting – Fields of Gold
iTunes stats: N/A
Released in June, it hit #23 on the Hot 100.
#83: Michael Bolton – To Love Somebody
iTunes stats: N/A
Originally released by the Bee Gees in 1967, Michael Bolton took his version to #11.
#82: Haddaway – What is Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The sole hit from the Trinidadian-German singer, it topped out at #11.
#81: Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
iTunes stats: 25 plays
Peaking at #15 in March, it remains the group’s lone Top 40 single.
#80: The Heights – How Do You Talk to an Angel
iTunes stats: 22 plays
Spending the two weeks at the top of the charts between the record-breaking runs of Boyz II Men and Whitney Houston, it also finished at #59 in 1992’s year-end chart.
#78: Ice Cube – It Was a Good Day
iTunes stats: 43 plays
Ice Cube’s highest charting single, it peaked at #15 on the Hot 100.
#77: Inner Circle – Sweat (A La La La La Long)
iTunes stats: 15 plays
Released in July of 1992, it eventually worked its way up to #16.
#76: Restless Heart – When She Cries
iTunes stats: N/A
A crossover hit for the country band, it reached #9 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and #11 on the Hot 100.
#75: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Boom! Shake the Room
iTunes stats: 24 plays
The final Top 40 hit before the duo split, it peaked at #13.
#74: Janet Jackson – Again
iTunes stats: N/A
Included in her film Poetic Justice, this third single from Jackson’s fifth studio album topped the charts for two weeks in December of 1993.
#69: Inner Circle – Bad Boys
iTunes stats: 20 plays
The theme song to the television show Cops, it was first recorded in 1987 and finally released as a single in 1993, reaching #8 and giving the group their only top ten hit.
#68: Jeremy Jordan – The Right Kind of Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The lead single from the Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack, it topped out at #14.
#67: Madonna – Rain
iTunes stats: 18 plays
Released in July, it hit #14 on the Hot 100.
#65: Cypress Hill – Insane in the Brain
iTunes stats: 15 plays
The lead single from the group’s sophomore album, it topped the Rap charts while peaking at #19 on the Hot 100.
#64: Zhané – Hey Mr. D.J.
iTunes stats: N/A
The debut single from the group became their first top ten hit, reaching #6.
#63: Positive K – I Got a Man
iTunes stats: 22 plays
The lone Top 40 hit of the rapper’s career, it hit #14 in March.
#62: TLC – What About Your Friends
iTunes stats: 27 plays
The third straight top ten single from their debut album, it topped out at #7.
#61: Ugly Kid Joe – Cats in the Cradle
iTunes stats: 16 plays
The highest charting single of the band’s career, this cover of the Harry Chapin classic peaked at #6.
#60: Aerosmith – Cryin’
iTunes stats: 22 plays
Released in June, the first single of their Alicia Silverstone trilogy reached #12.
#58: Mary J. Blige – Real Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The first top ten hit for the singer, it topped out at #7 on the Hot 100.
#57: Bon Jovi – Bed of Roses
iTunes stats: 20 plays
Hitting #10 on the Hot 100, the single was released in January.
#53: Dr. Dre – Dre Day
iTunes stats: 31 plays
The second single from Dr. Dre’s debut solo album, this Eazy-E diss track peaked at #8 in June.
#52: Prince and the New Power Generation – 7
iTunes stats: 16 plays
Released in late 1992, the song reached, of course, #7.
#51: Ace of Base – All That She Wants
iTunes stats: 20 plays
The first single released from their North American debut; it went all the way to #2.
#50: 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
iTunes stats: 28 plays
The band’s lone single to crack the Hot 100, it hit #14.
Ever Grateful Ever True
On May 18, 1997, I graduated from Purdue University. Today, nearly 27 years later, Danny will do the same. It has been a quick four years, with a freshman year impacted by COVID, three years of football games, a trip to Florida for a bowl game, two trips to watch men’s NCAA tournament games, women’s basketball games in Mackey, and the ever-present band concerts both on and off campus. I could not be prouder of him and look forward to seeing what comes next.