MIKE LOPRESTI: Presidents and their games
George Washington had wicket, Ford excelled on the gridiron and Reagan was a swimmer. White House occupants have a history of playing and watching—or trying to influence—the sports Americans love.
Mike Lopresti
Articles
MIKE LOPRESTI: As Big Ten finally kicks off season, get ready for more drama, surprises
The Big Ten plan will play eight games in eight weeks to determine its final standings. Good luck on that one.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Strange twists, turns in sports fit with the surreality of 2020
This could be the year of an all-Chicago World Series between the Cubs and White Sox. The only other time that happened was 1906.
MIKE LOPRESTI: These rival coaches have been a pain in our posterior
Krzyzewski and Belichick haven’t been the only thorns in our side.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Twenty quirks about Colts season before the first snap
Oddities abound, including the Colts playing a game on the first day of the Masters.
SPORTS: Describing the action from hundreds of miles away
Tipoff is nearing. The Indiana Pacers face the Miami Heat in a playoff game in an hour and all is ready for the TV broadcast team of Chris Denari and Quinn Buckner. There’s the huge screen before them, plus additional smaller monitors. There are the chairs each man will use—12 feet apart. The crew is […]
MIKE LOPRESTI: Like sports, the virus thrives on its unpredictability
By now, however, we’d all probably like to have something in the world of sports that we can count on.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Peering through the gate: This is opening day 2020
It’s July, and the diehards are camped outside ballparks listening to what’s going on inside.
MIKE LOPRESTI: What’s in a name? It’s not always what you think
The monikers we associate with our favorite teams have interesting origins, among them are children, fires and passing thunderstorms.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Back in Carmel, an Australian Open champ ponders the future
It took years for Rajeev Ram to win a major, but that victory makes an uncertain future for tennis easier to endure.
MIKE LOPRESTI: All-Star games have been full of winning moments
The struggling Indiana-Kentucky series is on pause because of the pandemic, but its new leader has pledged it will return.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Tamika, Harvey and other special dad/kid pairs
From the Mannings to the Unsers to the Griffeys, Hoosiers have been fortunate to witness some famous family acts.
MIKE LOPRESTI: In time of pandemic, Indy native happy to be taking the field in Korea
Mel Rojas Jr. was born here and played for the Indians at Victory Field. Now he’s thriving in the KBO League, the only one on the planet playing baseball.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Let’s revisit the last time IMS took a pause
The Speedway and other venues paused for more than one season as World War II monopolized priorities and resources.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Let’s watch these again—but with new endings
Our college and pro teams would like do-overs of some of their most heart-breaking defeats.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Indy works to change its sports-hosting playbook
Pandemic throws a new challenge at city’s time-tested ability to host giant sports events.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Get to know Philip Rivers, the Colts’ new QB
The son of a coach, Rivers and his wife have enough children to field their own flag football team.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Indiana’s ties to Hall of Fame run deeper than you think
You know the usual suspects—the Woodens, Knights and Birds—but what about Fred Zollner, Chuck Taylor and all the others?
MIKE LOPRESTI: Reaching into the vault for a reminder of what March can be
Key dates loom large in the March-madness history of six Indiana schools.
MIKE LOPRESTI: Forty years later, the heartbreak lingers from storied final four
The Andrean-New Albany and Marion-Broad Ripple matchups in 1980 provided unforgettable drama—and lasting scars.