On a recent episode of the Come And Talk 2 Me podcast, former Indiana Pacers guards Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson discussed some of their experiences together with the Pacers franchise.

Jackson and Miller shared a backcourt in Indianapolis from 1995-2000. They teamed up on some of the best Pacers teams ever — they were one game from the NBA Finals in 1998 and made it in 2000.

Their coach in the 1998-2000 seasons was Larry Bird, the legendary player who turned into a coach, then an executive. Bird won coach of the year in 1998 and was largely successful guiding the Pacers with his unique style.

Miller and Jackson recalled a game in which the two had a memorable interaction with Bird. “We were in the layup line, and Reg and I, as captains of the team, we had to go back and talk to Larry Bird before the game,” Jackson began. He couldn’t remember what they needed to bother the coach about, but the two jogged off the court and into the back of the arena.

From there, Miller took over the story. “Jack and I, we go back to the locker room and we’re like, ‘where’s coach Bird?’. The pair was told that their coach was in his office, so they went to check and he wasn’t there. Slick Leonard, a former coach for the Pacers who was a broadcaster at the time, suggested to the players that Bird might be in the area where the showers are.

“We head back to the shower because we had to ask him this question,” Miller continued. “Before we got out there, go around the corner. Larry Legend is sitting in a chair, he’s got a pack of Newports. He’s just smoking away.”

“What do you guys need?” Bird said, per Miller’s recollection.

The two former players never explained where the story went from there, only saying that the sight affected their play that night in the game. Neither Jackson or Miller ever brought it up to Bird. The entire podcast episode can be found here, with this story coming late in the episode.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – During his radio show Wednesday, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti once again broached the topic of Indiana fan habits at games.

He was diplomatic, but he made his point. His standard is a sellout crowd that sticks around for the whole game. He acknowledged that it will take time, but he did not waver in setting the highest bar for the fanbase to reach.

“I did notice how empty the stadium was in the second half. And I know our players did too, and that does have an effect. And that’s why, you know, the crowd is a 12th man. We need you there. We need you cheering –  create momentum, energy in the stadium,” Cignetti said on Wednesday.

Indiana fans seemed to take Cignetti’s postgame words to heart after he mentioned the issue in the wake of the Hoosiers’ 31-7 victory over Florida International Saturday. Anecdotal, but I heard fans in the grocery store talking about it the day after the game. Football talk is not something I’ve heard since I relocated to Bloomington.

I think some people agreed with Cignetti. Others said it was too soon to hear it, and still others want the Hoosiers to do more on the field before they generate the level of devotion Cignetti seeks. I think those are all fair opinions. After all, Cignetti isn’t the first coach to come to Indiana promising to change the culture and start winning.

The off-field culture shift will take time, and a 7 p.m. ET Friday game against Western Illinois won’t be any kind of acid test of where it’s going.

I hope expectations are calibrated appropriately for what kind of crowd does show up. It’s a Friday night game against an opponent that doesn’t sell tickets. I do think the students will show up, because they can create a Friday night party vibe, but the adult crowd? We’ll see.

It’s high school football night. All three Monroe County high schools play at home, and of course, there’s action all over the state. Friday Night Lights is part of the fabric of the schools, especially in smaller towns, and it’s a real shame that the Big Ten and its broadcast partners trod on the tradition of high school football that so many hold dear.

In other words? I don’t expect a sudden run on the ticket office Friday. So I hope Cignetti and the players are patient.

“Look, I want to be the best in everything we do. That should be the goal. And so, you know, baby steps,” Cignetti said Wednesday.

Good advice to live by. Here’s three keys that will be important to get a victory over Western Illinois. There is also a score prediction at the bottom of the story.

1. Let Kurtis Rourke show what he can do … but not for too long

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke had a perfectly acceptable first game. Rourke completed 15 of 24 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown. Rourke executed a conservative gameplan as the passing game went. It would be nice to open things up for him.

I’d like to see him take some shots downfield. I’d like to see how he dissects his downfield options with really good protection. I’d like to see if he can keep a drive alive with his legs if it calls for it.

And I’d like to see it all before The Marching Hundred takes to the field at halftime. It would be optimal for Rourke to get Indiana into the end zone on all of the Hoosiers’ first half series so he can take it easy and watch his fellow quarterbacks take care of the second half.

2. A lot of players need to play

Indiana used 55 players in its 31-7 win over Florida International last Saturday. That’s not bad against a lesser foe, but when games get to be blowouts against FCS competition. You want as many players to get a chance to play as possible.

It’s not just because of injury avoidance for the core players or for sportsmanship purposes, though those matter, too. With college football allowing players to play as many as four games before they burn a redshirt, a rout against a FCS team offers a real opportunity to look at the width and breadth of your roster in a real game atmosphere.

Last year, when Indiana defeated Indiana State 41-7, Tom Allen managed to get 73 Hoosiers into the game. I’d love to see a number near that Friday.

3. Score a special teams or defensive touchdown

When I used to write these kinds of stories from the FCS perspective, one of the things the underdog wanted to avoid was a special teams touchdown.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. There are areas of the field where a FCS team can more or less hang physically with a FBS team, but one place you see the major difference is in the athleticism and speed a FBS team has over a FCS team on special teams. FBS rosters are bigger, they recruit at a higher level, and that’s often born out in special teams mismatches.

Punt returner Myles Price and kick returners Solomon Vanhorse and Ke’Shawn Williams should be licking their chops. FCS teams just can’t put special teams gunners on the field to handle the speed and blocking difference.

The same rule applies to defensive touchdowns. They’re always demoralizing for an opponent when you can force one, but when the margin of being competitive for a FCS team is so slim? A defensive TD is a dagger that often can’t be overcome.

Score prediction

If this game took place in the 1990s or 2000s? Back when Western Illinois was one of the better programs in FCS? I’d predict a relatively close game. Good FCS teams are often better than mediocre-to-bad FBS teams like Florida International. It’s a division that deserves more respect than it gets at its top level.

However, bad FCS football teams are a standard well-below the worst of FBS. I know from experience, having covered Indiana State at its nadir in the 2000s. Struggling FCS programs are just trying to survive. Very often, they’re also trying to find their way out of being financially mismatched against their peers, much less playing against a team from a Power Four conference.

Sadly, that is the state the once-proud Western Illinois program finds itself in. The Leathernecks have moved down to the Ohio Valley Conference after struggling mightily in its final years in the elite Missouri Valley Football Conference. That should help WIU in the long run.

However, none of that has relevance to Friday. Indiana is also in the process of trying to build something under Cignetti. Indiana plays a Big Ten game the following weekend at UCLA and it doesn’t have the time or inclination to water things down for the Leathernecks. There’s a job to be done.

It will be done, too – and with little mercy. Indiana wins 55-0. It will be far more interesting to see how many fans ride it out to the finish than what we likely will see on the field.

Thursday marks National Cheese Pizza Day 2024.

Each September 5 is dedicated to cheese pizza. Though widely acknowledged, the origin of the day is unknown, according to National Day Calendar, the business that tracks celebratory days and works with companies, brands and organizations to get days recognized.

Pepperoni pizza gets love later this month, on Sept. 20; and sausage pizza is feted on Oct. 11. National Pizza Day is Feb 9, while National Pizza Month is October. Go figure.

Here are five primo spots to visit to hold the toppings on National Cheese Pizza Day.

Chicago-style at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

loumalnatis.com

Go solo with your one personal pizza or with a group for Chicago deep-dish or thin-crust pies to take advantage of deals at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.

Get meal deals on pizzas and salads, and options for Carol’s Cookies, for as little as $10 per person.

Its $9.95 lunch specials include a personal Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria locations in Indiana

• 11435 Spring Mill Rd., Suite 170, Carmel

• 10706 Broadway, Crown Point

• 791 S. State Rd. 135, Greenwood

• 6320 Ferguson St., Indianapolis

Free pizza for a year from Toppers Pizza

toppers.com

Toppers Pizza is giving free pizza for a year to three lucky newlywed couples who enter its social media contest through Sept. 22 by sharing photos or videos from their ceremonies or receptions that include Toppers Pizza. Details are at toppers.com/sweepstakes. 

Not getting hitched soon? There’s still the $7.99 large one-topping pie carryout-only special among the deals currently offered. 

Toppers Pizza locations in Indiana

• 910 W. 10th St.,  Indianapolis

• 212 S. Indiana Ave., Bloomington

Detroit-style pizza at Sam’s Square Pie

2829 E. 10th St., Indianapolis

order.toasttab.com

After years of operating as a pop-up, Jeffrey Miner opened his own brick-and-mortar in 2024, a year that also saw him scoring national honors for his Detroit-style pie. His High Plains Drifter pie, made with hot Italian sausage, a brick cheese blend, pesto, jalapeno garlic ricotta and smoked maple syrup, took fifth place in the Pan Division at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas this year.

But keeping things cheesy, there’s Sam’s Square’s Crush Pie, made with a brick cheese blend, red sauce, Mike’s Hot Honey, pecorino and parmesan. A large (feeds four to six people)is $32. A small (feeds two to three) is $18.

New thick crust at Donatos Pizza

donatos.com

This Ohio-based chain just debuted its Bakery Crust Pizza, featuring a square cut, thicker bakery-style crust with smoked provolone cheese and fresh toppings.

With its introductory offer, customers can get two one-topping Bakery Crust Pizzas for $19.99 (or one for $11.99).

Donatos Pizza locations in Indiana

• 813 E. Main St., Brownsburg

• 4100 W. 106th St., Carmel

• 1311 S. Rangeline Rd., Carmel

• 8235 E. 116th St., Suite 230, Fishers

•  11760 Olio Rd., Suite 600, Fishers

• 825 W. 10th St., Indianapolis

• 5620 Crawfordsville Rd., Suite AA, Indianapolis

• 5688 Georgetown Rd., Indianapolis

• 2357 E. 62nd St., Indianapolis

• 5835 Madison Ave., Indianapolis

• 1465 W. 86th St., Indianapolis

• 7460 N. Shadeland Ave., Suite 600, Indianapolis

• 5650 S. Franklin Rd., Suite 100A, Indianapolis

• 10919 E. Washington St., Indianapolis

• 125 Fields St., Mooresville

• 2205 Conner St., Noblesville 

• 1645 E. Main St., Plainfield

Free pizza challenge at Rockstar Pizzeria 

922 E. Main St., Brownsburg

rockstarpizza.net

Here’s another shot at free pizza, and prizes.

Grab a friend and take the 30” Pizza Challenge. If the two of you can finish off a massive one-topping pie within 45 minutes, the pizza’s on the house, and you get two $25 gift cards and T-shirts.

If you don’t finish, you pay $50; but you get to take the leftovers home.

Chicken crust at Azzip Pizza

azzippizza.com

This Subway-modeled pizza place lets customers build their own individual-size pies and see them baked in a conveyor belt oven in about 2.5 minutes.

The setup at the Evansville, Indiana-based Azzip (pronounced “Ay-Zip”) chain, founded in 2014 by a Purdue University student, allows for 16 million variations including gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Among crust selections is the ZeroCarb Chicken Pizza Crust made with 100% premium chicken breast and seasoned with salt, olive oil and spices.

Azzip Pizza locations in Indiana

• 2894 E. 3rd St., Bloomington

• 2121 N. Green River Rd., Evansville

• 5225 Pearl Dr., Evansville

• 4660 N. First Ave., Evansville

• 1120 E. Stop 11 Rd., Indianapolis

• 9321 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis

• 105 Farabee Dr. S., Lafayette

• 8850 High Pointe Dr., Newburgh

• 4432 S. US-41, Terre Haute

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:@cherylvjackson.