Hey, Larry, friends say, didn't you say the Colts would be in the Super Bowl?

Hey, Larry, will Indiana win a Big 10 basketball game this season?

Hey, Larry, are the Pacers still at the bottom of their division, 18 games behind Cleveland?

Where I live and work, conversations often begin with: How about those Ohio State Buckeyes! Or, Wow! Did you see what LaBron James did last night? Or, How about those Steelers!

I'm at the point where I have to seize any opportunity, so I took the offensive during before-work coffee chatter.

"How about that Katie Stam?" I beamed.

"Who?" they asked in unison.

"Katie Stam, Miss Indiana. She won the Miss America Pageant Saturday night in Las Vegas."

Total silence. My friends seemed unmoved by the news.

"Hey," one co-worker said, turning to the others, "I see that (Pittsburgh receiver) Hines Ward says his knee injury won't keep him out of the Super Bowl Sunday. He says he'll play through the pain."

"Speaking of pain," I interrupted, "Katie Stam overcame laryngitis and a throat infection to sing 'Via Dolorosa' on her way to winning the title Saturday night."

It was so quiet I could hear a dog barking a quarter of a mile away.

Another co-worker resumed the conversation: "Those Cavs and LaBron just keep winning, don't they? I hear they're so confident of being in the NBA finals that management is designing flashy new uniforms."

"Katie Stam wore an off-the-shoulder, white lace evening gown Saturday night," I offered.

The others only nodded sympathetically as they left to go about their work.

I didn't let it get to me. Late that night I retreated to the one place where things will always turn out right until the day IU reclaims its basketball heritage and the Pacers make a run at the NBA title. With Sam the black Lab sitting next to me, I popped "Hoosiers" into the VCR for the 742nd time.

"Do you think Jimmy will hit that last shot again, Sam?"

Woof.

"So do I."