Saint Xavier...Number 1 at last

Saint Xavier University, my alma mater, is at the top of the NAIA Football rankings, the first time SXU has reached the number one ranking in any sport.

I would have liked for that to have come while I was a student, and seeing Sioux Falls move to NCAA Division II sure aided in the Cougars' eventual rise to the top, but this is still a monumental distinction for a school that has been steadily good, just unable to "get over the hump."

In Women's Basketball, its either a team from Tennessee of California that dashes national championship dreams every year.

In football, it's either Carroll or Sioux Falls putting an end to a dominant Saint Xavier season.

But maybe not this year.

Sioux Falls is gone from the NAIA and Carroll has begun the season 1-1. If SXU can put together an undefeated regular season run like they usually do, the NAIA playoffs may go through Mount Greenwood in 2011.

Post Manning era may begin early

Over the last few years, Colts fans have begun realizing that the Peyton Manning era will come to a close at some point, but nobody had imagined it coming as early as 2011.

But that may be the case, as Manning has already missed his first game to injury last week at Houston and may be out for quite a while.

This is the time for the other Colts to step up. They need to be motivated and give even more of an effort to show that this 10-year run of greatness was not just because of one player.

I think they will be fine. They probably will not make the playoffs, which would be the first time since 2001. But they will not be 2-14 like everyone else seems to assume.

Let Manning take the year off, completely heal, and then come back in 2012 with comeback player of the year on his mind. If that happens, Indianapolis is a force once again.

Movie tour in Chicago

CHICAGO - My friend Ramon comes up with a lot of the ideas for my travels and experiences, and he hit another good one this weekend with a Sunday movie tour. We would spend the day traveling through Chicago and the norh suburbs in search of famous scenes from some of the most popular films with ties to the Windy City.

The first stop was Winnetka, where we would see the famous house from "Home Alone." It looked similar to how it did in 1991 when the movie was released. An article in the Chicago Tribune the very day we went to see the place had it listed as for sale. A woman from across the street was not too pleased with the mass amount of people coming on her block that day.

From there it was to Highland Park, which served as the home of famous scenes of two 1980s classics, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Risky Business."

We actually had to go on private propery to see the place where Ferris Bueller allowed his friend's father's car to reverse through glass windows and into a ditch. May be the most memorable site from this movie tour.

Risky Business was right around the corner from Ferris, and the famouns "Old Time Rock n Roll" scene took place inside those very walls.

We also drove through Lincoln Park to see the site of Child's Play, one of the movies affiliated in the Chucky series. And then, of course, it was Pilgrim Baptist Church, where Jake and Elwood finally saw the light and decided they were "On a Mission From God" to get the band back together.

Of course it wasn't just a movie day - we checked out some of the neighborhoods on one of the busiest days of the year with the Air and Water Show taking place on the lakefront.

The traffic was bad everywhere, especially on I-94 eastbound, but we still saw the Belmont Corridor, Roscoe Village, Lakeview, South Chicago, Pilsen and Bridgeport.

I was also really impressed with McKinley Park, which seems to be a testament in to how the Chicago Park District has improved over the last few years.

Photo: The house from the early 90s hit, Home Alone.

An eventful summer in Michigan City

MICHIGAN CITY - It is my first summer as a resident of Michigan City and I cannot remember any time in my life where there was so much going on.

Michigan City is a town on the rise. With at least one really fun event every weekend, the city is a destination spot for any summer traveler.

We had the Supr Boat Grand Prix events and race day last Sunday. The Taste of Michigan City was a successful event with local eateries displaying what they have to offer without the crime of the similar Chicago event.

And Franklin Square is the place to be the first Friday of every month, with art, shopping and dining opportunities for anyone who strolls by.

We still have the Lakefront Art Festival this weekend and a few more weekends of Washington Park beach being packed with swimmers from around the Midwest.

Next week, the In-Water Boat show should serve as the anchor event for the end of summer, when more than 2,400 students head back to school in the city.

Joe Doyle and the Summer Fest committee have done an excellent job making this a cool place to go in the summer.

Impressed with drum show at Lucas Oil

INDIANAPOLIS - It was well worth the long day for 10 Michigan City residents that attended the Drum Corps International finals Saturday in Indiana's capital city.As a reward for the Michigan City Summer Festival committee's role in the 2011 DCI season, five members of the committee rode a Blue Chip Casino bus to the event in Indianapolis with family and friends."It was well worth it," said Mayor Chuck Oberlie, who joined committee chairman Joe Doyle, members Bill Greene, Ron Hamilton and Mike Hale and family/friends Cathy Hale, Mike Greenlaw, Becky Greenlaw, Charmian Kalk and bus driver Kim on the ride. And thanks to Doyle, the News Dispatch was invited to come along. The day began early and ended late. Doyle and Bill Greene began packing the coolers with refreshments well before the bus left the Blue Chip Casino at 10 a.m Saturday morning.At 2 a.m. the next day, they unpacked. Everything in between provided a fun-filled atmosphere, from the morning stop at Jimmy John's in Michigan City to massive rain storm that grazed across Indiana on the way home. Doyle was excited on the way to Indianapolis to see the "best drum corps in the world," but the would-be-perfect ride down highlighted by comfortable seats, Bloody Mary drinks using some of the best tomato juice in the Midwest and delicious Jimmy Johns sandwiches was a bit tampered by an air conditioning malfunction after a pit stop in Lafayette. The well air conditioned Lucas Oil Stadium was on everyone's minds as the bus rolled down Capitol Street in Indianapolis, but even after Oberlie went to will-call to retrieve the tickets, the crew had to wait in the sun until 3:30 p.m. for gates to open.

The waiting would not be over even as the doors opened, as seating was off-limits until 4:30 p.m.That angered some Drum Corps fans, one who visited all the way from texas and said he paid more than $400 for his seat. But not Doyle, who knew that the show would be worth it once they did get seated. He said the hour time-frame after the doors opened and before seating was available was the cover costs. "It gives people an extra hour to spend money at the concessions and the Drum Corps souvenir shops," he said. When the stadium was open, the Michigan City crew was treated to access the Lucas Oil Stadium press boxes, where Mike Hale seemed to be excited about seeing "where ESPN goes," and "where the (NFL) calls get overturned."And nearly anyone outside the crew that heard 'Michigan City,' had a positive reaction.

"I love Michigan City," said Christina Mavroudis, DCI Individual Ensemble event coordinator and writer for DCI.com. "The Dairy Queen across from the stadium (Ames Field) rocks!"But even better than the journey was the destination. The Michigan CIty visitors were treated to seats at the 50-yard line, which would seem to be the perfect spot for a DCI fan, since many of the shows involve the entire field. The shows itself were thrilling displays of entertainment. Oberlie pointed out the difference in the top five and latter seven corps. "They are on a whole other level," he said, referring to the Cadets, Blue Devils, Cavaliers, Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment. It was not until the bus ride home when anyone on the trip began to get tired.

"We had a good day," Doyle said as the bus entered the casino just before 2 a.m. Good show, good stadium, good ride and good company. It was a day well worth the months of hard work the committee members put in not only for the two Michigan City drum corps events, but all the summer activities planned and organized by the group.

Photo: Michigan City Summer Festival committee chairman Joe Doyle (right) looks over the program before the Michigan City crew enters Lucas Oil Stadium. Summer Fest committee and school board member Bill Greene (left) looks on.

Two for two in Toronto

A mid-July game between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays doesn't seem like the ultimate baseball experience.

In addition to not even taking place in this country, the Mariners were losers of eight straight and the Blue Jays haven't been relevant since winning back to back titles in the early 1990s.

It wasn't a game I had particularly looked forward to either, just another stadium to see on my goal to see a game at all 30 major league parks.

But Tuesday night's 14-inning affair by two clubs long out of the playoff race was the best experience I've had at a ballpark in a while.

When I arrived at the Rogers Centre in Toronto Tuesday night with my father, I noticed a small crowd, with some sections on the upper level being closed off for the night.

My dad and I probably could have found a seat on the first level, but we went up to the 500 section and were in for quite an experience.

A few members of the church group that sang the American and Canadian National Anthems that day were treating the game like they were the Cameron Crazies and Duke was playing North Carolina.

Every pitch, they had a reaction. Standing, many shirtless, and all yelling at the umpire crew after every call that went the Mariners way, the group was clearly the loudest in the park that day. And two rows behind us.

That was great.

A group like that would not have surprised me much at a Cardinals or Red Sox game, but the Blue Jays? Go figure.

The game itself was may have been the most exciting I've ever seen. After falling behind early, the Blue Jays tie it with three runs in the seventh. Nobody crosses home plate for the next six innings, until Rajai Davis steals a pair of bases in the bottom of the 14th and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly.

I was able to watch it, even though I officially left the park after the 11th. We decided to check out the hotel attached to the stadium, and they have a clear glass sheet connected to the restaurant so people could have a perfect outfield view of the game.

We were only in the hotel restaurant at that time because it was the very site of my first baseball experience outside the city of Chicago.

It was 1996. I was an 11-year-old die hard White Sox fan that fell in love with the 1993 'Good Guys Wear Black' team that won the division and lost to the, oddly enough Blue Jays, in the American League Championship Series.

This time, on a family vacation on the way home from Niagara Falls, we decided to stay at the SkyDome (former name of Rogers Centre) hotel for a night.

Once we checked in and hit the button for the elevator, out walked Frank Thomas. The Big Hurt.

Also one of my favorite players. That night, the White Sox just happened to be in town the very day we were. And we met pretty much all of them, including broadcaster Hawk Harrelson, who dove in front of an elevator while it was closing when he saw me (an 11-year-old kid in Toronto wearing a White Sox hat) yell out, 'HAWK!'

I don't think anything could top that experience. As an 11-year-old baseball fan, what could be better than meeting all the players on your favorite team, and having a conversation with your favorite broadcaster?

Nothing yet, but that experience has led me on a goal to see a game in every ballpark. I have 21 of the 30 covered so far, with many of the nine to go on the west coast.

Toronto is not a baseball hotbed. It's an afterthought in between the 'hockey and no hockey' seasons. But as far as my experience as a baseball fan at the SkyDome, or Rogers Centre, it sure has been a charm.

A fabulous Fourth weekend

Fourth of July 2011 will go down as one of my favorites, and most of what I had planned was done while working.

While there are many inconveniences working as a news reporter in Michigan City, weekends like this make it all worthwhile.

On Friday night, I participated in the city's monthly downtown "Art Walk," featuring all the galleries and stores in between 4th and 11th Street on Franklin. It was an experience of a lifetime and you can bet that I'll be back next "First Friday" of the month in August.

A day filled with rain came to a conclusion by enjoying some nice art while snacking on pretzels and such and tasting some fine wines. I ran in to a good number of people that I know, showing me that it is truly the place to be on a Friday night.

Saturday was fun too, taking in every moment of the Michigan City parade down Franklin Street, viewing the various entries. It was a little hot that day, but I'm glad the rain did not interfere.

Sunday I had a chance to relax back home in Oak Lawn after attending St. Cajetan Church in West Beverly, the 10th on my Chicago church tour.

But the best day of the weekend was the Fourth itself. With the demise of the South Side Irish Parade, I think I have a new favorite. It's the Long Beach Fourth of July march down Oriole Trail and Foxdale Trail.

The weather was nothing short of perfect. 72 degrees, blue skies, and shady with all the trees that grow in the vacation community just south of Michiana Shores.

I also had a chance to go to the Washington Park Beach Monday afternoon with my girlfriend.

A great weekend.

Photo: The crew at Walnut Ink Gallery on First Friday in Michigan City.