Tom Kaercher Jr.

Purdue Alum. Purdue fan(atic)

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

@BoilersBeyond Can the NCAA appeal the decision?

[Lila Rose @LilaGraceRose]

In a world that destroys children with Down syndrome, listen to this brave girl:

“You can try to kill off everyone with Down syndrome by using abortion, but you won’t be any closer to a perfect society. You will just be closer to a cruel, heartless one."  

Charlotte Helene Fien speaks before the United Nations

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

She ate lunch alone for 730 days straight. What this 16-year-old built from that pain now protects millions of kids worldwide.

Seventh grade. Natalie Hampton carried her tray through a packed cafeteria and felt it — that specific, suffocating dread of not knowing where to go.

She'd already learned what happened when you approached the wrong table. The silence. The turned backs. The whispered laughter that followed you all the way to the empty table by the wall.

The one everyone could see.

The one that said: nobody wants her.

For two full years — 730 consecutive lunches — that table was hers. Alone.

The bullying went further than whispers. She was shoved into lockers. Four physical attacks in two weeks. She came home with scratches and bruises. When she finally reported it, school administrators sent her to counseling — to find out what she was doing wrong.

The isolation grew so heavy she was hospitalized for anxiety.

Then ninth grade came. A new school. And almost overnight — everything changed. Students welcomed her. She made friends within weeks. She finally knew what safe felt like.

But she couldn't stop thinking about the kids still sitting at the wall table. Right now. Today.

She remembered what she'd needed most during all those lunches. Not a teacher. Not a pamphlet. Just one person saying: "You can sit with us."

So at 16 — with zero coding experience and "a lot of enthusiasm," as she put it — Natalie built exactly that.

She called it Sit With Us.

The idea was simple and genius: students sign up as "ambassadors," keeping their table open. Other kids privately browse available tables on their phones before ever walking into the cafeteria — and show up knowing they're already welcome.

No public rejection. No moment of judgment. Just a guaranteed seat.

Within 7 days of launching: 10,000 downloads.

Then the world found her. NPR. The Washington Post. CBS News. Messages from Morocco, Australia, the Philippines, France — kids who'd been eating alone for years, finally finding a place to belong.

Sit With Us now operates in 30 countries.

"Even if it helps one person," Natalie said quietly, "it was worth building."

She turned 730 lunches of loneliness into a lifeline for millions.

That's not just survival. That's transformation.

[Mitch Daniels @purduemitch]

We all are going to miss Mike Bobinski, but no one more than I.

Purdue made no wiser hire during my years there, and there was no one I enjoyed working with more. Mike insisted on a culture of winning and excellence, while maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and character. Every Boilermaker can be proud of the performance as well as the values of the program he has led.

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

@MattDFolk Cool. Where was it?

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

@NUCLRGOLF @joshwlees @bunkeredgolf Not in the least

[Boiled Sports @BoiledSports]

Sorry, broadcast team...sorry, Vols.

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

Let' go Boilers!

[Jeffery Mead @the_jefferymead]

Glad to see it.

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

@SchutteDustin Congratulations!

[Jacob Turner @TheJacobTurner]

A PARENT’S JOURNEY THROUGH YOUTH SPORTS:

Age 5: “He’s got a cannon.”
Age 6: “He’s the fastest kid out there. Coach said so.”
Age 7: “Rec ball isn’t challenging him anymore.”
Age 8: “We tried out for select. Obviously made it.”
Age 9: “$2,800 for the season. Plus uniforms. Plus tournaments. Plus hotels.”
Age 10: “Cooperstown is basically a family vacation, right?”
Age 11: “He needs a hitting guy. And a pitching guy. And probably a mental performance coach.”
Age 12: “I’m not a crazy sports parent. The OTHER parents are crazy.”
Age 13: “We changed schools. For academics. (And also baseball.)”
Age 14: “Showcases are a requirement at this age.”
Age 15: “Ya his ranking just ticked up. We’re cooking.”
Age 16: “He just needs to get seen by the right school.”
Age 17: “The D1 schools want him to walk on. He’ll earn a spot by sophomore year.”
Age 18: “Okay, D2 is actually really competitive.”
Age 19: “He’s redshirting. Strategic.”
Age 20: “He’s focusing on school now.”
Age 21: “You know what? He’s so much happier.”

Roughly 7% of high schoolers play in college.

About 1.5% of those get drafted.

Less than half of draftees ever play one day in the big leagues.

The odds of our kids going pro are somewhere between “struck by lightning” and “find a $100 in old shorts.”

I love youth sports (all my kids play a bunch of them) just keep a good perspective my friends. ✌️

[Dustin Schutte @SchutteDustin]

ESPN's new Top 100 is out for the 2027 recruiting class. Where does #Purdue commit Isaiah Hill rank? What about PG target Kevin Savage?

https://t.co/jtlHmH8Snz

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

@ErmanniMedia Couldn't watch the race but listened to the radio coverage as we were traveling from Philadelphia to Michigan. I thought their coverage of the rave e was the best calling of any sport.... ever.

[WBR @W_B_Rick]

This video contains the most merciless, efficient killing machine America’s ever produced.

Behind Curt Cignetti in the pace car there’s also a few Blackhawk helicopters.

[Tom Kaercher Jr. @KaercherJr]

Amazing finish at the Greatest Spectacle in Motor Sports!

[Fox News @FoxNews]

NEW: President Trump announcing that he linked an expansion of the Abraham Accords to his ongoing negotiations for an Iran peace deal:

“During my discussions on Saturday… I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!).”

“Most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be… If Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition.”

[Purdue University @LifeAtPurdue]

The Purdue BOT voted to approve Mitch Daniels as interim president, effective July 1. “If the board believes that recalling me to active duty temporarily can help in this respect, no one as devoted to this institution as I am could say anything but yes.” https://t.co/o5Tm3aOCd6