I’ve lived in Indy for almost two and a half years now, and am here to stay. Or at least for a long while. (I mean, who knows what the future and it’s Powerball drawings may hold?) When I moved out here, I was somewhat ambivalent about the sports teams here. I really had no reason NOT to like the Colts or the Pacers, but didn’t really know that I wanted to jump on that bandwagon out of the gate, either. Both rosters (two years ago) seemed to be full of decent guys that were just trying to win.

Of course, the Pacers were an easier sell, since I pay casual attention at best to the NBA, but also because the Browns have the rights over abusing my NFL heart. In all my years of following teams and trading teams in, they’ve been the constant (except, of course, when they moved to Baltimore, which is another story for another day…or another paragraph, at least.) The Colts as a team in general are likeable. Whether Peyton Manning’s “Aw, shucks!” demeanor is as genuine as it appears or not, he’s not one you can really cheer against (under normal circumstances). Watching the way Reggie Wayne and Cato June have handled the ups and downs of this season has been surprisingly pleasant, and they seemed to be out in the community every week. So, from a team standpoint, I can be happy if they win this weekend.

Their fans, however, are turning insufferable.

In the same vein as Red Sox and Cubs fans whine(d) about curses, and how the whole respect card and blah, blah, blah, and how all of Philly sports is becoming the new Boston, Colts fans are bordering on ridiculous. Not all of them, mind you, I know there are some that spill their cash and emotions on this team, and have done so since the moving vans rolled in twenty-some years ago. But just like “new money” folks are a bane on society, the “new fans” are bringing what could be a happy party time in Indy to a screeching halt.

Besides, if the Colts win Sunday, my job for the next two weeks becomes a nightmare. As much as my offer for Boston to rot into the Atlantic and take much of the eastern seaboard with it still stands, I hope beyond hope that Tom Brady pulls out his usual Colts bashing act this weekend.

Anyway, that’s just something I felt like getting out there. The real reason for this post is that cheering for the Pacers just got easier.

When I moved out here, as I said, it wasn’t too hard to root for them. Even Jermaine O’Neal, who I had perceived as an arrogant thug (okay, not as harsh as that, but the whole “high school to the NBA” thing doesn’t sit well with me) does a boatload of community work. Of course, about three months after I moved here, they go all Wrestlemania with the fans in Detroit, and while the thought of “wow, that’s my hometown team” crossed my mind, it was also a big divide. (Also, Pacers fans, when they’re winning, are about as bad as Colts fans…when they’re winning.) Toss in Stephen Jackson whooping up on the handicapped at a strip club, and I didn’t care if they won another game. Ever.

Yesterday, that changed.

In an eight-player trade with Golden State, not only did the Pacers rid themselves of Jackson’s issues, but they brought in Keith McLeod, the second leading scorer in Bowling Green history. Granted, McLeod isn’t likely to see all that much regular playing time, but as a fellow Falcon that’s trying to find his footing in the league, I think he’s in a good spot. He’ll be playing behind Darrell Armstrong, who turns 39 this year and has 12 years in the league, and Jamaal Tinsley, who not only has been around the block a little himself, but is also associated with the ills of the recent past. (He was at the strip club with Jackson, and cops found weed in his…errr… “his cousin’s” car.) Give Keith a chance to learn from Armstrong and improve his game, I think he could be an inexpensive alternative to Tinsley next season.

Either way it will be fun to watch him from up close here in Indiana.

Good luck, Keith!