The Victory Bell/Arch Madness coverage

by **TheVictoryBell** » February 19th, 2023, 12:50 am

Paul Oren from The Victory Bell checking in here. For those that don't know me/TVB, I cover Valparaiso athletics. I'm the guy who is occasionally snarky on Twitter, but also the guy that truly loves covering the Valley.

Should you be so inclined, I'd love if you subscribed to TheVictoryBell.com. The cost is $5/month or $49.99 for the entire year. I won't lie, you'll mostly get Valparaiso content, but I'll be filing reports from Arch Madness each day that cover the entire tourney.

I had some fun earlier this week with the NFL Fan's Guide to the Valley. The story is behind the paywall, but I promise you'll enjoy it. The story is clearly tongue-in-cheek...again, snark.

To those of you that I've met in the past, I've enjoyed every encounter. If we haven't met in the past, come find me in St. Louis.

https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/nfl-fa ... uri-valley

**Sponsor**

by **MVCfans** » February 23rd, 2023, 7:28 am

Thanks, Paul. Welcome aboard.

by **MissouriValleyUnite** » March 9th, 2025, 9:09 pm

I thought the podcast you did this weekend while you were driving back home up I-55 was raw and super compelling. There’s quite a bit I agree with. There’s quite a bit I don’t agree with. But I was certainly on the edge of my seat listening to it.

Lots of topics covered: Bradley/Valpo game, officiating, shots at Bradley fans, shots at Valpo fans, fan turnout at Arch Madness, comments on MVC office, how Valpo gets treated at Arch Madness (concourse banners/highlight packages), whether the MVC is the right place for Valpo, etc.

For those who don’t have Apple Podcasts, this is the link:
https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/ride-h ... ss-edition

by **TylerDurden** » March 10th, 2025, 6:47 am

Paul does a fantastic job covering Valpo. In an era where local coverage has been diminished, it's a luxury to have a guy who covers the team the way he does.

As with any podcast, there are opinions I agree with and those I disagree with. I think that we often times overblow results from teams who are playing with house money at the end of the season for a variety of reasons, but Valpo played hard and, in some stretches, very well at Arch Madness. They should feel good about that.

I do think he should connect with the league office to discuss what he perceives as slights to Valpo. I'm guessing he'll find that the reality isn't someone trying to screw Valpo.

by **tribecalledquest** » March 10th, 2025, 7:46 am

TylerDurden wrote:Paul does a fantastic job covering Valpo. In an era where local coverage has been diminished, it's a luxury to have a guy who covers the team the way he does.

As with any podcast, there are opinions I agree with and those I disagree with. I think that we often times overblow results from teams who are playing with house money at the end of the season for a variety of reasons, but Valpo played hard and, in some stretches, very well at Arch Madness. They should feel good about that.

I do think he should connect with the league office to discuss what he perceives as slights to Valpo. I'm guessing he'll find that the reality isn't someone trying to screw Valpo.

Agreed. It was a good little weekend for Valpo. Good for them. Let’s not over do it.

And if his story is Valpo gets screwed by the league because of their perceived standing would he then admit Valpo got the benefit of those things when they were winning whatever shitty league they were in when the Drew’s were there?

I’m glad Paul does the work he does and I know he comes from a Valpo side of things - but get some perspective on the history of the league. The league didn’t start when Valpo joined.

by **MissouriValleyUnite** » March 10th, 2025, 7:55 am

I do think Paul made good points on Belmont (Ian Clark) and UIC (Kenny Williams) having Legend banners on the Arch Madness concourse but not Valpo. (Note: Paul didn’t mention it, but Murray State’s Popeye Jones has a banner too.)

If Ian Clark has a banner, Homer Drew obviously should have one.

It’s a little detail I think most people would just let roll off their backs, but Paul’s emotionally invested in and bleeds Valpo Gold, so that hits home to him when he sees Valpo not represented.

by **tribecalledquest** » March 10th, 2025, 8:04 am

MissouriValleyUnite wrote:I do think Paul made good points on Belmont (Ian Clark) and UIC (Kenny Williams) having Legend banners on the Arch Madness concourse but not Valpo. (Note: Paul didn’t mention it, but Murray State’s Popeye Jones has a banner too.)

If Ian Clark has a banner, Homer Drew obviously should have one.

It’s a little detail I think most people would just let roll off their backs, but Paul’s emotionally invested in and bleeds Valpo Gold, so that hits home to him when he sees Valpo not represented.

I agree with that point 100%. That’s an oversight mistake that needs to be fixed. No doubt.

by **Drakey** » March 10th, 2025, 9:32 am

MissouriValleyUnite wrote:I do think Paul made good points on Belmont (Ian Clark) and UIC (Kenny Williams) having Legend banners on the Arch Madness concourse but not Valpo. (Note: Paul didn’t mention it, but Murray State’s Popeye Jones has a banner too.)

If Ian Clark has a banner, Homer Drew obviously should have one.

It’s a little detail I think most people would just let roll off their backs, but Paul’s emotionally invested in and bleeds Valpo Gold, so that hits home to him when he sees Valpo not represented.

How do miss one team entirely? This had to be done on purpose.

by **tribecalledquest** » March 10th, 2025, 9:47 am

Drakey wrote:
MissouriValleyUnite wrote:I do think Paul made good points on Belmont (Ian Clark) and UIC (Kenny Williams) having Legend banners on the Arch Madness concourse but not Valpo. (Note: Paul didn’t mention it, but Murray State’s Popeye Jones has a banner too.)

If Ian Clark has a banner, Homer Drew obviously should have one.

It’s a little detail I think most people would just let roll off their backs, but Paul’s emotionally invested in and bleeds Valpo Gold, so that hits home to him when he sees Valpo not represented.

How do miss one team entirely? This had to be done on purpose.

I’m curious if this has been confirmed to be true.

by **just ducky** » March 10th, 2025, 10:14 am

Paul did a good job of allowing that some of his observations might have rational explanations if further researched.
Other than that he did a great job of insulting nearly everybody including Valpo fans like myself who have gone soft on buying in that Valpo might be back. I think he even hinted criticism that Roger Powell was a bit slow in adjusting to the players he has instead of the players he wants and needs for his style of play.

No matter but the Valpo haters and critics on this board (which is many of you) may need to adjust to a new and perhaps painful reality if Roger can hold on to talent he has assembled and add a big. Valpo is oh so close to springing towards the top.