Gettin' Pumped: the Joe Hotek Story

Analyzing Lapchick

For my sports reporting and writing class I had to read Richard Lapchick's piece, 2006-07 Racial and Gender Report Card. Lapchick discusses how professional sports organizations, such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, MLS and WNBA, handle the employment of races and genders across the board -- meaning not just the athletes, but the coaches and the front office as well.

Lapchick opens the piece talking about Jackie Robinson and his historic beat down of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This part of the piece was the most interesting to me because I feel like baseball is second only to soccer on a global stage of popularity and thus, I figured it would have received the highest grade for racial equality. But then Lapchick gets into how the popularity of baseball continues to flounder in the African-American community. Baseball, as with all other sports, has its demographics. Fact of the matter is, inner-city kids can't play baseball because there is nowhere to play. It's not like they can just start a pick-up game in the middle of a busy Manhattan street like it was the 1920s.

As far as addressing gender equality in a league like the NFL, well, good luck. Dan Dierdorf said on NFL Network's countdown of the top 10 ex-NFL coaches who should have stayed in college, that the NFL, "is a league for men," which he said in reference to Southern California coach Pete Carroll. He went on to explain how Carroll wasn't a good NFL coach because NFL players don't like to get hugs coming off the field when they do something great, they don't like the rah-rah enthusiasm for which Carroll is known. They are brutes and respond only to brute-like behavior. Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, and Mike Ditka were great NFL coaches just in the sense of imagery. They looked like leaders of men. Their scowls will be forever remembered by the men who played for them.

Lapchick also makes reference to Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least one African-American for a vacant head coaching position. It is a bit pretentious that The League has to require teams to interview African-Americans for head coaching jobs. They should just do it because of the quality of the candidates, not because of skin color and meeting guidelines. I like the Rooney Rule and so do the Pittsburgh Steelers. Props to you, Mike Tomlin and the entire Steeler organization. If I could choose one coach to play for in the NFL right now, it'd be Tomlin for sure.

Having said all of this, here is where I stand on the subject of racial and gender equality. Lapchick uses the phrase "players of color," in his opening few paragraphs when referring to racial equality in Major League Baseball. This sickens me. The fact that Lapchick, or any other person for that matter, even used the word color in reference to another human being is ridiculous.

I'm not being racist here. Quite the contrary, in fact. I'm saying I don't see an African-American or Hispanic-American as "a person of color." I see them as another person. The color of a person's skin is of the most feeble significance to me. The whole notion of white people and minorities leaves the door open to racism, which is what I feel Lapchick fails to address. I realize Lapchick is shooting for equality here, but aren't we all people equal in the sense of livelihood?

Caucasians are not a majority and minorities are not a minority. When will our nation learn to discard these labels?

We are all in this together. End of story.

Fiesta Bowl chatter

It's been a hot topic in Big Ten country, particularly here in Iowa City: which Big Ten team will get the nod as an at-large bid into the BCS, Iowa or Penn State?

I know why Iowa deserves the bid. So I'm going to tell you why Penn State doesn't.

The Nittany Lions are a good football team, no question. It's hard for any team to win 10 games in a season.

But...

• Iowa is ranked higher (9th) in the latest BCS standings than Penn State (11th).
• Penn State lacks a signature win. Sure, the Nits crushed Michigan State, Minnesota and Michigan down the stretch. But the Gophers and Spartans are average teams and a win over Michigan doesn't mean as much as it used to considering the Wolverines get the Big Ten cellar all to themselves this season.
• Penn State's non-conference schedule is less than impressive: Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois of the FCS. Iowa has beaten two bowl-eligible teams from BCS conferences (Iowa State and Arizona).
  
• The Nits got smoked by Ohio State -- in Happy Valley, mind you. Iowa limped into The Shoe and took the Buckeyes to overtime without Ricky Stanzi, before falling 27-24 as a result of conservative decision making by the Iowa coaching staff.
• Finally, and most convincingly, the Hawkeyes not only won the head-to-head showdown but they did it AT Penn State. The Nits could have a beef if Iowa would've nipped them with a last second field goal like they did in 2008, but other than the first five minutes of the game the Hawks were in complete control. Penn State had minus-4 total yards in the second quarter and turned the ball over four times in the second half alone.

What more proof do you need, Fiesta Bowl reps? We're all waiting by the phone.

Tweeted Out

I don't really care to, but let's talk about Twitter for a few minutes.

Twitter is a social networking Internet sensation that relays information from one of its millions of users to everyone else that is a follower of that person -- as long as it is less than 140 characters.

Is twitter a good thing then?

I say no. Why?

Because any idiot who knows how to spell and type can put something online and claim it to be true.

Take me as a real life example.

I don't use twitter, but I do use facebook (which, as far as I'm concerned, is just twitter with pictures). A few weeks back I posted a status update from the opening of a Notorious B.I.G song entitled "Juicy," where Biggie dedicates the album (Ready to Die, 1997) to teachers "who told me I'd never amount to nothin'," and to the people who apparently "called the cops on me when I was just trying to make some money to feed my daughter."

Proof that social networking like facebook and twitter are useless.

I didn't drop out of high school and no teachers told me I wouldn't amount to anything. I don't know what it's like to have my neighbors call the cops on me because I'm "hustlin'." And I certainly don't have a daughter to feed. I know nothing of life in the projects.

So why take my word for it?

"But ... it's on facebook!"

And now you have the Tiger Woods ordeal.

Twitter reports have been coming out since Thanksgiving Day and everyone has a different story. Essentially, twitter is like an online hen house for millions of people to gab it up.

How much of the Tiger situation do we know to be actual truth?

Some feeds say his wife chased him with a golf club. Others that he was drunk or going to see his mistress.

So how can people tell the difference between actual reporting and gossip?

Start with the source.

If I wanted to real low-down on this whole Tiger Woods situation, I would probably trust espn.com golf columnist Jason Sobel before I trusted my cousin who lives in Florida. Sobel has credibility as a golf writer. Holland just lives in Florida and goes to high school.

However, if Holland could somehow tweet a direct quote he got from Tiger about the accident it could be played off as just a kid talking trash on his twitter account.

This media can reach readers who don't know the difference between gossip and reporting, but in the end it's really all up to the person.

If they choose to believe Rick Reilly's twitter page over Sobel's if they both report on Woods, then that is their choice.

The media can't tell a person what to believe just like they can't tell that person how to live their life. It is the media's job to relay information.

The interpretation of that information is all on the reader.

I'm not saying Twitter is all bad. It can be used for "good."

Take the elections in Iran last year. Twitter was a huge hit after the country banned facebook in order to silence the protests of the rigged election. Via twitter, the rest of the world got first-person accounts of what was happening in the hostile country.

Twitter made it impossible for the Iranian government to spin what was happening there.

So chalk one up for twitter.

Getting to know James Vandenberg

For the first nine games of the 2009 season, redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg was simply known as Ricky Stanzi's back-up.

Hawkeye fans were introduced to Vandenberg in Iowa's 17-10 loss to Northwestern on Nov. 7 after Stanzi suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half. Needless to say, Vandenberg was caught in no-man's land. An unprepared quarterback up against a hungry and improving defense is a recipe for disaster, especially under the pressure of defending an undefeated record.

Obviously Vandenberg's 9-for-27 performance hurt the Hawks that day. Not many fans had any faith in the young gun slinger heading into the Horseshoe to make his first career start.

Then Vandenberg proved why he holds 12 Iowa High School football passing records against Ohio State.

He started the game a perfect 6-for-6 passing. His first incompletion? A dropped pass in the endzone by Trey Stross.

The Keokuk native ended up throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes' defense, a unit Kirk Ferentz said might as well be in the NFL.

So he will he fare in his second start tomorrow against a Minnesota defense that ranks ninth in the Big Ten in interceptions (9) and last in sacks?

If he has time to throw, Vandenberg is going to torch the young Gopher secondary.

Reflecting on Ohio State

I've finally gotten past the Iowa-Ohio State game from Nov. 14. It hurt.

And if hurt me, I can only imagine how the players felt especially considering how far they had come. Erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit in just over 10 minutes against a team of Ohio State's caliber in Ohio State's house (the Houseshoe?) would be tough for most teams.

Lest we forget, Iowa wasn't supposed to be in this game. Remember?

The Hawks were a 17-point dog. Somebody in Vegas went to the bank.

Iowa plays to the level of its opponent. Indiana and Arkansas State. Ohio State and Penn State. Call them antonyms.

But forget about Vegas.

What killed Iowa on Saturday?

Turnovers -- Iowa three, Ohio State none.

Conservative coaching -- Iowa had scored 14 straight, held Ohio State's offense and got the ball back with a time out left. They ran the ball once, got nothing and ate the ball. Apparently Kirk Ferentz doesn't know who Herm Edwards is. And I quote, "You play. To Win. The Game."

But one thing killed them more.

Execution. It's fair to say the play calling was no good. Still, how many times did Adam Robinson get dropped for a six-yard loss in the game? Just once, in overtime. How many times did James Vandenberg -- who flippin' balled out, by the way -- get dropped for a 10-yard sack? Just once, in overtime.

Damn. That just makes it hurt worse!

Iowa vs. Ohio State Pre-Game

No. 10/13/15 Iowa (9-1, 5-1) vs. no. 11/8/10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1)
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: ABC (regionally), AM 800 KXIC
Line: Ohio State, +17 (espn.com)

What to watch for
James Vandenberg makes his first career start under center for the Hawkeyes. A lot of people in Iowa City seem to think Vandenberg will be the reason the Hawks lose this game, but I'm not buying it. All dude has to do is make a few plays and be consistent. He does NOT have to be a hero.

Key Stats
Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor turned the ball over four times (two fumbles, two interceptions) in the Buckeyes' loss against mighty (haha) Purdue earlier this season. Iowa leads the Big Ten in takeaways. This won't be a cake walk for the Bucks.

Prediction
Iowa's defense keeps them in the game, like always. Pryor and the Bucks get some things going offensively in the first quarter, but settle for a pair of field goals rather than punching in two touchdowns. Vandenberg struggles to find his rhythm in the first half, but shows signs of life close to half time. The Hawks cash in on an Ohio State turnover towards the end of the first half and make it close at half time.

In the second half, the third quarter moves by fast because both teams attempt to establish the running game. But in the fourth quarter, Adrian Clayborn drops Pryor, forcing a fumble which he gobbles up and rumbles with it into the endzone. The Bucks scrap for a late touchdown and force Iowa into a three-and-out on the next possession. But the Iowa D stands strong and holds off Ohio State to seal the deal.

Iowa 17, Ohio State 13

Two reasons Boise State doesn't belong in the BCS ... right now

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be talking Hawkeye football here. But hear me out.

What Boise State does this postseason is going to effect what the Hawkeyes do for New Years.

Sitting at no. 6 in the BCS standings, as well as the AP and coaches' polls, the Broncos are 9-0 and seem poised to finished the season undefeated. That's awesome for Boise State.

But how impressive is dominating the WAC? I, for the life of me, can't even name all the teams in the WAC without looking it up. I get Boise, Hawaii, and Fresno State off the top of my head. Is Nevada in the WAC? Whatever.

I know Boise State fans would argue they belong because of the Broncos' upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007. They probably would also include Utah's 2-0 record in BCS games.

But the fact of the matter is, that is just one game, which is the beauty and also the downfall of college football.

Ok, so Boise State has beaten Oregon each of the last two years. Props.

However, that is the only BCS-conference team that BSU has played the last two years.

I would love to hear a Boise State fan try to convince me that Boise State would go undefeated year-in and year-out against an entire conference of BCS-eligible teams. Boise State is allowed to go unbeaten in the WAC every year because the competition is a step down from the major conferences. They don't have to deal with injuries as much because their players can sit after halftime, or after the third quarter. How many fourth quarter comebacks has Iowa had to endure this season?

The point is, if the Broncos want to compete for BCS-caliber bowls they need to join a stronger conference. Say, for example, if they joined the Mountain West.

The Mountain West would then feature Boise State, Utah, BYU and TCU. They could then lobby for BCS eligibility, and maybe even, for every one's sake, take the Big East's spot.

The Broncos might beat Iowa head-to-head with four weeks to prepare. But they would not finish in the top three of the Big Ten, plain and simple. They don't have the physicality to endure an entire slate of Iowas, Ohio States and Penn States. It just wouldn't happen.

News and notes from week 10

What a sickening display it was Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Then when the locomotive burst into flames, the Iowa players crawled out with their skin melting off their bones. Their fault? Certainly not. Much like the four losses last year, the 17-10 setback to lowly Northwestern on Nov. 7 falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Forget the four turnovers, the injury to Ricky Stanzi and the holding penalty which negated a long touchdown run by Brandon Wegher. It was pretty obvious that redshirt freshman James Vandenberg was not prepared to take one snap, let alone over two quarters worth. Hey, Ken O'Keefe, Stanzi is resilient but he's not bulletproof. You'd better have a back-up quarterback who can step in and at least manage the game and it is your job to have him ready to do that. He was not ready and while some of that can be attributed to his experience, there is still a reason he is on the team: Because he can play the quarterback position pretty well. It didn't look like it on Saturday and I think it's because he lacked the guidance of the coach. There was even one instance in the second half, during a timeout, when the Iowa offense was on the sideline dialing up a play and not once did O'Keefe even acknowledge Vandenberg. That is poor coaching at its finest, folks.

Enough ranting.

And the game ball goes to...: Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn did everything he could do to help the Hawkeyes on Saturday, racking up 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. On top of that, it seemed like No. 94 was in the back field causing chaos even when he wasn't making tackles. Needless to say the defense's effort was not lacking in the slightest.

Tip of the cap: to quarterback James Vandenberg. The redshirt freshman from Keokuk didn't look like the Iowa high school all-time leader in passing yards, but who would've when thrown into the line of fire without a weapon to defend himself. Vandenberg has the tools around him to make plays and he doesn't have to be a hero. He just has to do his best Chicago Bears Kyle Orton impression and manage the game. He is the future of the program. After 2010, Vandenberg is in line to be Ricky Stanzi. What a great time for him to start learning, when the Hawks need him most.

Wag of the finger: to the Iowa offensive line. ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg agrees that this group has underachieved this season and it was pretty evident against the Wildcats. I'm not saying they're no good, I'm saying they have not been the dominant group like they were supposed to be. Point and case: the Hawks' 65 net rushing yards on Saturday. It didn't help young Vandenberg that he had to scramble just about every time he dropped back to pass. Kirk Ferentz is supposed to be an offensive line expert. I just don't get it.

Final thoughts: Disgust mostly. To make matters worse, the Hawkeyes virtually limp into their toughest test of the year with a redshirt freshman ready to make his first start ever. Here's where I'm at: Iowa is better than the Capital One Bowl. But if they don't win on Nov. 14, that's where they're going, unless somehow, some way they get an at-large bid into the BCS. Not liking their chances. Good thing Notre Dame lost to Navy? Yep.

Next week: the Hawks travel to Columbus to take on no. 10 Ohio State. Iowa has four wins in the last 60 years in Ohio Stadium: 1949, 1958, 1987 and 1991. The Buckeyes won the last meeting between the two teams in 2006, 38-17, in Kinnick Stadium. Let the nervous breakdowns begin.

Iowa vs. Northwestern Pre-Game

No. 4/6/8 Iowa (9-0, 5-0) vs. Northwestern (5-4, 2-3)
Kickoff: 11:00 a.m., Kinnick Stadium
TV/Radio: ESPN (regionally), ESPN360.com, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Iowa, +16 (espn.com)

What to watch for
Iowa has started slow in almost every game this season. The Hawks have been the comeback kids of the nation, coming from behind in eight of their nine wins. Can the Hawks jump on Northwestern early?

Northwestern also is a slow starting team. On Oct. 24 the Wildcats spotted Indiana a 28-3 lead in the first half, before storming back for a 29-28 win. NU quarterback Mike Kafka is one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten and led the 'Cats to a 22-17 win in Kinnick Stadium last year.

Key Stats
Kafka has been the catalyst for the NU offense throwing for 2195 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Kafka also leads the team in rushing with 248 yards. He injured his hamstring last week against Penn State, however, so it will be interesting to see how many times head coach Pat Fitzgerald lets Kafka run the ball against the bullies of the Big Ten.

Iowa sophomore safety Tyler Sash leads the Big Ten with six interceptions.

Prediction
Iowa's last win in Kinnick Stadium against the Wildcats was in 2002 when Brad Banks, Dallas Clark and company throttled NU, 62-10. What a coincidence. Iowa went 8-0 in the Big Ten that year on its way to the Orange Bowl. Iowa will come out strong and give it to the 'Cats to make up for last year.

Iowa 38, Northwestern 14

A few thoughts on Penn St.-Ohio St.

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to tangle this Saturday in Happy Valley and even though the Hawkeyes aren't playing, there is a lot at stake for them in this game.

So, if you're an Iowa player, coach, or fan where should your loyalties lie?

The obvious answer is Penn State. Iowa won at Penn State earlier this season and, other than the Hawks, the Nits are the hottest team in the conference. A win against Ohio State would not only eliminate the Bucks from the Big Ten title chase (barring a miracle or, in other words, an overwhelming collapse) but it would also boost Iowa's street cred with voters. How can all the haters out there knock the Hawks if they have a road win against a fellow top ten team on top of an (assumed) undefeated record?

A Penn State win gives Ohio State three losses on the season, two in the Big Ten, and essentially makes the pursuit of the Big Ten title a two-horse race between Iowa and Penn State. A race the Hawkeyes have already won, again assuming they stay unbeaten.

On the other hand, if the Suckeyes (yes, I went there) were to pull something out of their asses against a clearly superior Penn State team on the Nits' turf, then they are playing their best football of the season. A win would also nullify the Purdue loss and give the Bucks new life in the Big Ten title race.

That would drastically raise the stakes for the Iowa-Ohio State showdown in Columbus on Nov. 14. Ohio State would control its own destiny. A win against the Hawks would vault the Buckeyes to the top of the Big Ten and grant the Bucks the precious head-to-head victory which would get likely get OSU to its first Rose Bowl since the 1996-97 season.

At the same time, an Iowa win at Ohio State would crush any more criticisms the critics want to come up with. But wins at Ohio State are hard to come by for the Hawks.

The last time Iowa won at the dreaded Horseshoe? 1991.

The most damning stat of all, however, is Iowa's record at Ohio Stadium. Iowa is 8-27-1 all-time playing on the road against the Bucks. So how great of a chance does Iowa have of winning there this year, let alone any other year?

In my best JoePa voice, I say to you: COME ON PENN STATE!

News and notes from week nine

Another week, another crazy, discombobulated, unpredictable win for the Iowa Hawkeyes. For the eighth time in nine games this season the Hawkeyes fell behind, this time by a pair of scores to the lowly Indiana Hoosiers. But again the Hawks rallied behind Ricky Stanzi and one of the nation's stingiest defenses and pulled off a ridiculous 42-24 win.

And the game ball goes to...: Ricky Stanzi. So he threw a career-high five interceptions and was the brunt of a few unnecessary boos from Hawk fans. But in the fourth quarter Stanzi did what he does best, win the game for the Hawkeyes. Going into the final period Stanzi was 10-for-23 for 160 yards and those five picks. Yet Stanzi's 3-for-3 for 177 yards and two long touchdowns, the first a 92-yarder to Marvin McNutt and the second a 66-yarder to DJK, are what told the story for the Hawkeyes. When the pressure was on, Stanzi delivered. End of story.

Tip of the cap: to Mr. McNutt. Four receptions, 155 yards and the 92-yard touchdown which cut Iowa's defecit to 24-21 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It looked like McNutt took about 10 total steps on his way to the endzone. This kid needs to touch the ball more.

Also to freshman running back Brandon Wegher. In his first career start Wegher recroded his second career 100-yard game, ripping off 118 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. I was worried before the game about Wegher's durability against a Big Ten team, but he got better as the game went on icing the Hawkeyes' win with a pair of fourth quarter touchdown runs.

Wag of the finger: to Iowa's slow starts. Eventually the Hawkeyes are going to need to come out from the opening kick and take control of their opponent because it just might cost them one of these times (Ohio State, I'm lookin' at you).

Final thoughts: What is there to say about that crazy Halloween near disaster? The Hawkeyes keep finding ways to win, but how long they can afford to spot their opponents two scores and continue to win?

Next week: the Hawks host those pesky Northwestern Wildcats. Iowa has dropped three of its last four against Northwestern, including two in a row in Kinnick Stadium. Anybody else starting to feel that pixie-dust waring off? Well, not waring off, but maybe running out? How about Iowa hammers the Wildcats to save a little more magic for that trip to Columbus that's coming up. I like it.

Iowa vs. Indiana Pre-Game

Not much time to pick a winner, I'm already a few beers deep and getting ready to head west toward Melrose and Kinnick.

The Hawks' offense doesn't skip a beat without Adam Robinson or Dace Richardson and the defense holds the Hoosiers in check.

Iowa 31, Indiana 10

Iowa City West girls basketball preview

Just one game separated the Iowa City West girls basketball team from the Iowa High School state tournament a year ago.

And anytime a team gets close to reaching the pinnacle of a season’s worth of competition it becomes hard to forget how it felt to fall short.

Lady Trojans head coach B.J. Mayer would be the first to say the feeling was not a good one, but something the 2009-10 West High squad can build off of.

“In sports, it’s really difficult to get to the next level until you’ve been there,” Mayer said. “Nobody in the West High girls basketball program has ever been to the state basketball tournament. So to get to the [Sub-State Final] last year was a huge confidence builder.”

The biggest issue facing the Women of Troy, however, will be how they replace their two leading scorers – Emma Krieger-Kittle and Madison Sedecky – from a year ago.

Krieger-Kittle led the team with an average of 15.3 points-per-game last year and also led the way in rebounds with 152.

Sedecky was a close second with 150 boards and 10.4 points-per-game. She also led the team with 45 three-pointers and shot 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.

With that in mind, Mayer said his players are going to have to grow up quick, particularly with as many as three new faces in the starting line-up to start the season. However, the coach has confidence in his athletes’ ability to handle the pressure in stride.

“Just getting the kids to play together because we have such a new background of kids,” Mayer said. “Getting our sophomores and our seniors on the same page has been the thing we’ve been working on in open-gym right now.”

The team will rely on a trio of seniors to carry the load.

Mackenzie Reed, Kristin Fomon, and Courtney Fritz all made significant contributions for West in 2008-09 and will be looked upon by Mayer to get the Women of Troy rolling early.

“We’re really looking for them to be our leaders,” Mayer said.

As far as a game plan, Mayer said the Lady Trojans will be shorter than most teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference. Thus the Women of Troy will be relying on an aggressive press defense and their ability to shot the ball from three-point-land.

“I think we’re going to be a lot deeper. Our goal is to play 10 kids,” Mayer said. “We’re not very tall. Our tallest kid is probably 5-10 and that’s going to be one of our weaknesses – defending people inside. So that’s one of the things we’re going to have to do is to try to create that tempo to almost be a little chaotic and crazy.”

Analysis of Vincent's piece

In the piece, “Equitable Media Coverage of Female and Male Athletes: Is There a Solution?,” author John Vincent makes a lot of good points in regards to media coverage of athletics.

Vincent talks a lot about how portrayal of female athletes in the media strongly reinforces gender-role stereotypes. He claims that female athletes are allowed to be in the spotlight as long as they are appealing in the sense of the heterosexual relationships. In other words, sports sections would get more readers or hits if they do a story on (and have pictures of) someone like Anna Kournikova as compared to Diana Taurasi or Lisa Leslie.

He also raises the point of the sports journalism field being dominated by males. It would be much easier for a male sports writer to frame a female athlete into the stereotypical gender-role than it would be for a female reporter. A male writer would probably ask more questions about her private or social life rather than focusing on performance or skills.

Perhaps what I found most interesting, though, was peoples’ interest in female sports. According to Vincent females “competing in the traditionally ‘gender-appropriate’ individual sports such as swimming, diving, gymnastics, and tennis, which represent a narrow, culturally stereotyped view of female athleticism, receive more electronic and print media coverage than female athletes competing in the traditionally ‘gender-inappropriate’ team sports such as field hockey, softball, and rugby,” (Vincent 3).

When it’s all said and done, I don’t know how realistic his recommendations are. I think if more women were involved in sports journalism you could see the field start to change its ways over time. However, I think it is hard for sports fans to get overly excited about female athletics not because they are not of an equivalent skill level to male athletes, but because of the traditions of sport that are instilled in the sporting world and our society. If people don’t care enough to watch the game live, they sure as hell won’t be waking up the next morning to read about it in the paper. For example:

The World Series: Major League Baseball. Men

The Super Bowl: National Football League. Men

The Finals: National Basketball Association. Men

I think for some people it is hard to get past the traditional gender-role stereotypes that come with sports. Which begs the question, how far have we actually come with gender equality in sport? Title IX was a step in the right direction. However, I think a lot of people could look at Title IX and say it’s more a punishment of male athletics than advancement for female athletics.

Talkin' Hawks

A lot of things happened for the Iowa football program on Saturday night when the Hawkeyes stole a 15-13 win from Michigan State.

A lot of them happened for the first time in over 100 years of Hawkeye football.

Kirk Ferentz got his first win at Spartan Stadium when Ricky Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt for a seven-yard touchdown on the final play of the game. It was also Iowa’s first win against Sparty on Sparty’s turf since Sedrick Shaw, Matt Sherman, Tim Dwight and company did it in 1995.

The 2009 squad became the first team in school history to be 8-0, surpassing the legendary 1985 team of Chuck Long, Ronnie Harmon, and Larry Station who started 7-0 – a team that ended its season in Pasadena.

Iowa scored its first walk-off touchdown since Warren Holloway’s “The Catch” the 2005 Capital One Bowl against LSU.

The Hawkeyes also appeared in the BCS rankings at no. 4, jumping ahead of Boise State and Cincinnati from last week, marking the first time since the 2002 squad went into the Orange Bowl ranked fifth.

And while all of that is proof of the appeal of the Hawkeyes as a big-time BCS player, there are still reasons to believe that not everything is certain to up roses in Iowa City.

Iowa’s two head-scratchers against Northern Iowa and Arkansas State – which the Hawkeyes won by a combined four points – continue to hurt the Hawkeyes’ credibility on the national stage.

Eventually the Hawkeyes playing to the level of their opponents could hurt them, particularly with looming threats from Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota in three of the next four weeks.

Thankfully for Iowa, all three of those games are at home.

Well, kind of.

Kinnick Stadium is said to be a safe haven for Iowa, but the UNI and ASU games were both at home where Iowa’s average margin-of-victory is just four points in four games. Yet, on the road, Iowa has wins of 32 (Iowa State), 11 (Penn State) and 10 (Wisconsin). With just one road game left – at Ohio State, Nov. 14 – Iowa has to be confident in its ability to walk into a hostile environment and perform at a high level.

If the Hawks can drop the hammer on the Hoosiers, the Wildcats, and the Golden Gophers on their turf like they are capable of, then it wouldn’t be out of the question for Iowa to be one of three or four teams in the national title discussion.

Nor should it be.

The last time a Big Ten team won at Penn State, at Wisconsin, and at Michigan State in the same year was 1997, when Michigan beat Drew Bledsoe’s Washington State in the Rose Bowl and finished 12-0 to share the national title with Nebraska.

News and notes from week eight

Greetings from the hospital, Hawk Fans, as I recover from the stroke I had on Saturday night right before Ricky Stanzi's game-winning touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt as Iowa downed Michigan State, 15-13. If I can just convince the wonderful doctors here at the UIHC to shoot me up with some of the Hawkeyes' fourth quarter magic, I'd be up and kickin' in no time. But in the mean time, I've got some well deserved awards to hand out, and one big, angry finger to wag.

And the game ball goes to...: Marvin McNutt. McNutt didn't see the field much during the game and didn't accumulate the most flattering stats, but the sophomore ex-quarterback delivered when the Hawkeyes needed him most. McNutt made the first and last reception (his only two of the game) in Iowa's miraculous final drive, the first going for 16 yards moving Iowa to its own 45 and the other being the seven-yard touchdown catch that won the game.

Tip of the cap: to Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi struggled again to post Drew Brees-esque numbers, but he did his best Super Bowl XXLII Eli Manning impression, leading his team down the field in the final 97 seconds to preserve the Hawkeyes' perfect season. Stanzi was 11-27 for 136 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans.

Also to ex-Iowa running back Shonn Greene, who ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries for the New York Jets on Oct. 25.

Wag of the finger: to Michigan State defensive back Jeremy Ware. Ware dropped Iowa receiver Colin Sandeman mid-way through the fourth quarter with a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit. Then Ware proceeded to stand over the clearly injured junior wide out and taunt him as he lay motionless on the ground. Iowa was awarded a 15-yard personal foul penalty, not for the helmet-to-helmet shot but for the taunt after the play. If the Big Ten suspended Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman for his "hit on a defenseless player," they have to be consistent and show Ware to the door.

Final thoughts: Isn't it funny how the Hawkeyes are still ranked behind Boise State, TCU and(one-loss) USC in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today poll, yet in the unbiased, no emotional attachment BCS computer, the Hawks are ranked No. 4? Rankings don't mean anything until the end of the season, but isn't it ironic?

Next week: the Hawks host Indiana (4-4, 1-3) on Halloween in Kinnick Stadium at 11 a.m. The only thing that can help the Hoosiers would be a guest appearance by Michael Meyers.

Spartans big hurdle for Hawks

If you've followed Iowa football pretty closely the last week or so, you've probably heard the Hawkeyes are 7-0.

You may have also heard that Iowa has never been 8-0 in over 100 years of football.

Never, ever.

The Hawkeyes find themselves in unfamiliar territory as the Big Ten's top dog half way through the season.

They also take on a Michigan State team who has turned out to be more like them as far as resiliency. After a 1-3 start (including a loss to mighty Central Michigan), Sparty has rebounded with three straight Big Ten wins.

In fact, a win for Sparty this weekend would vault Michigan State into a tie for first-place in the conference with the Hawkeyes.

Want anymore pressure on you to win this weekend, Hawkeyes?

The Spartans are led offensively by sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide out Blair White.

Cousins sat out of Michigan State's 24-14 win over lowly Illinois on Oct. 10. The week before, he threw two picks and no touchdowns against a Michigan defense who Ricky Stanzi had his way with on Oct. 10.

The key for the Hawkeyes against MSU is to focus on going 1-0 this week, not being 8-0 on the season. The nation is foaming at the mouth for Iowa to stumble and this could be the week it happens, but no one handles doubters better than Adrian Clayborn, Tyler Sash and company on the Iowa defense.

Class Column

Brett Favre is a jerk.

Not because I cheer for the Packers on Sundays. Not because Favre flip-flops on his retirement decisions almost as much as Junior Seau. Not because he plays for the Minnesota (expletive) Vikings.

“This is the best team I have ever been on,” Favre said recently.


That’s why Brett Favre is a jerk.

Does being 6-0 for the first time in your career really merit the “best team ever” label, Brett?

If at the end of the season (God forbid) the Vikings stand on the podium at Landshark Stadium in Miami and the old man hoists the Lombardi trophy, then Favre may be right. This may be the best team he has ever played for. Jerrod Allen is probably the best pass rusher in the NFL. The Williams brothers in the middle of the defensive line are ferocious. Bernard Berrian was a good receiver on Bears teams that had a pretty bad quarterback (Rex Grossman).

But if the Vikings fail to win the Super Bowl, hell, if they fail to make the Super Bowl then Favre has affirmed to the public that he is the biggest jerk in professional football.

Instead, he will be the man hell bent on spitting in the face of Ted Thompson and the rest of the Green Bay Packers’ organization for something as simple as not overwhelmingly welcoming him back to the team with a month before the start of the regular season with a young quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, already in place.

While 6-0 may be an example of a team on its way to the postseason, it doesn’t guarantee a week seven (or eight, or nine, and so on) victory, regardless of the opponent.
The NFL, which means Not For Long.

Remember last year, when the New York Jets were 7-3 and Favre had thrown the team on his old, faithful back?

Then recall why the Jets finished 9-7 and didn’t make the playoffs in a Tom Brady-less AFC East. Because Favre faded down the stretch. It may have been poor play or an injury, but who’s to say he doesn’t get hurt again this year? He is 40.

But that isn’t the most peculiar thing with the Jets – now Vikings – situation.

How is it that Favre had such a hard time bonding with his teammates last season when he was with the Jets? Why did Thomas Jones come out at the end of last season and say to the public that Favre was just never around and that he, “didn’t really make an effort to get to know his teammates,”?

Yet, in Minnesota, everyone seems to be riding the Favre train, particularly head coach Brad Childress and rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Favre simply used the Jets as a way to cool the heat from Packer fans after asserting he wanted to play for the Vikings. Then after telling the Jets he was done, he took a two liter filled with gasoline and poured it on the still hot embers.

What is this charade you continue, Brett? Who is the real you?

After watching Favre for the first six weeks of the season, the guy looks like he’s still got it. The Vikings’ play and record reflects that. With a two-and-a-half game lead already in the NFC

But lest we forget this “best team” of who Favre speaks.

The Vikings.

The team with a Super Bowl track record about as good as the Buffalo Bills (0-4). At least the Vikings’ four Super Bowl losses weren’t consecutive.

Minnesota is a place where championship-level teams rise and fall about as fast as the New York Stock Exchange.

1998: the Vikings, behind another infamous fading quarterback, Randall Cunningham, went 15-1 before falling the NFC title game at home to the Atlanta Falcons.

2003: Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and company were rolling at 6-0. Four weeks later – after losses to the Giants, Green Bay, San Diego and Moss’ future team, the Raiders – the Vikings were reeling at 6-4.

Didn’t the die-hard Vikings come back and salvage their once-promising season?

Somebody cue Jim Mora on this one (Playoffs? Playoffs?! Don’t talk about... psh … playoffs).

Then there’s this year’s team. The so-called “best ever” by a Hall of Famer and former Super Bowl champion.

The 2009 Vikings are not that different. A streaky quarterback who most people are tired of hearing about (but apparently still’s got it), surrounded by a bunch of young studs.

The team has a 0-4 Super Bowl record. Like it or not, the goal of every team in the League at the beginning of the season is to win the Super Bowl. Only one team can do it, the other 31 are failures.

Sure Dorsey Levens, Ahman Green and Ryan Grant are not Adrian Peterson by any means.

Favre is just an unfair guy. He will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means marring his once golden name in the city that made him a legend.

Just so you can play inside in December and January, Brett?

But what does 6-0 really mean? Nothing – if you start losing. No team has ever won the Super Bowl after a week six win. And they never will.

News and notes from week seven

Another weekend, another win for the Hawkeyes who improved to 7-0 (3-0) with a 20-10 win over the Wisconsin Badgers yesterday. The Hawks continue to improve each week and continue to show their resiliency. For the second time in as many games, the Hawkeyes fell behind 10-0 to a Big Ten opponent on the road, this time against a rival, only to come back and dominate the second half of the game. Despite only rushing for 65 yards, Iowa's defense and execution in the second half pulled out another huge win.

People like ESPN.com's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg have said the Hawks will need to score some style points eventually. But Kirk Ferentz has never really been one for style points and I think he'd be the first to tell you that.

And the game ball goes to...: quarterback Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi was mistake-free (other than a fumble he lost at the Iowa 25, which resulted in no points for the Badgers) and it made a pretty significant impact on the game. The junior signal-caller from Mentor, Ohio, finished the game 17-23 for 218 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a thing of beauty. Facing a third-and-seven at the Wisconsin 24, Stanzi read blitz and narrowly escaped the pocket. Rolling to his right he found tight end Tony Moeaki with single coverage in the corner of the endzone for a stunning strike that blew the game open for the Hawkeyes. A receiver like Moeaki is open even when he is covered, and Stanzi threw an absolute gem for the touchdown. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when Stanzi plays well, the Hawks play well. This guy is a real game breaker.

Let's hand out another one to the Iowa defense. Amari Spievey's interception early in the third quarter put a crack in the dam so to speak. Nine plays later Stanzi hit Moeaki for the game-tying touchdown. Spievey (above) had another pick in the fourth quarter, as did linebacker A.J. Edds. Usually the difference in close games is who makes the fewest mistakes. For the seventh time this season, the Iowa defense forced its opponent to make too many mistakes. And thus, another win.

Tip of the cap: to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. DJK was the glue that held the Iowa passing game together, snagging eight passes for a season-high 113 yards. When Stanzi needed some one to go to, DJK was the guy. The more this guy touches the ball, the better for the Hawkeyes offense.

Wag of the finger: to Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema refuses to show the public his Iowa tattoo. Come on coach, tell us how you really feel.

Final thoughts: Iowa may be the most resilient team in the nation. The Hawks have been behind in six of their seven games, yet still stand 7-0. Young quarterbacks can learn from a guy like Stanzi. Few signal-callers are more cool when the heat is on.

The Hawks continue to make believers out of the rest of the nation as they made a significant leap in the polls this week (7th in the AP, 8th in the ESPN/USA Today). Iowa is ranked even higher in the season's first Bowl Championship Series rankings as well, climbing all the way to No. 6. Rankings don't mean anything until the end of the season but, needless to say, this is a good start for the Black-and-Gold.

Next week: the Hawks travel to East Lansing, Mich., for a date with a Michigan State team (4-3, 3-1) who seems to have found the stride most experts expected them to have at the beginning of the year. The Spartans have racked up three straight wins over Big Ten foes (Michigan, and Big Ten bottom-feeders Illinois and Northwestern) after a 1-3 start. The Hawkeyes haven't won in Spartan Stadium since a 21-7 triumph in 1995. And so the trap has been set.

Iowa vs. Wisconsin Pre-Game

No. 11/12 Iowa (6-0, 2-0) vs. Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1)
Kickoff: 11:00 a.m., Camp Randall Stadium
TV/Radio: ESPN, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Iowa, +3 (espn.com)

What to watch for
The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten with 19 takeaways. Iowa is yet to lose a turnover battle this season which has been a big part of the defense's success.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi has thrown an interception (or more) in every game so far this season, but still ranks second in the conference in touchdown passes (10) and fourth in yards (1359). Stanzi's quarterback rating is a solid 126.4.

Iowa's running backs (Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher) have yet to put the ball on the turf in 2009.

Key Stats
The Badgers are third overall in the Big Ten in total yardage, averaging 422.3 yards per contest. But the 'Sconis (pronounced scaaaa-knees) are a reflection of their head coach, ex-Hawkeye Bret Bielema. They favor their power running game, led by a dump truck of a running back John Clay and a massive offensive line. Through six games the Badgers lead the Big Ten with 200.7 rushing yards per game and Clay has done most of the damage rushing for 641 yards (106.8 ypg) and seven touchdowns on 132 carries (4.9 ypc). However, Clay was held in check most of last week against the Buckeyes, rushing for just 59 yards on 20 carries.

Iowa counters with a stout rushing defense. The Hawks have allowed 134.3 rushing yards per game, which is a bit misleading considering they gave up 190 to Iowa State on Sept. 12 and another 195 to Michigan last week. But against an Arizona team who came in as one of the top five rushing offense's in the nation, Iowa held the Wildcats and shifty running back Nic Grigsby to his lowest total of the season (75 yards) before sustaining an injury against Oregon State on Sept. 26. Iowa is also second in the conference in rushing touchdowns allowed (three) after ending a streak of 33 quarters without surrendering a touchdown on the ground against Michigan last week.

Prediction
Despite 'Sconi's physical style of play, their inexperience was exposed last week against Ohio State. Wisconsin junior quarterback Scott Tolzien threw two pick-sixes to the Buckeyes defense. And the Badgers also allowed a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. If the 'Sconis want to pull of this upset, they will have to play a flawless game because errors on special teams and on offense against Iowa will bury the Badgers.

It should be a close, hard-hitting contest, but I see this as the game where Stanzi is finally mistake-free and that is what makes the difference in this one.

Iowa 27, Wisconsin 21

Mid-Season Awards

We're half way through the schedule in the 2009 college football season. The Hawks are ranked 11th by the Associated Press and 12th by ESPN/USA Today and are off to the best start in Kirk Ferentz's tenure as head coach, sitting at 6-0. It's time to hand out the awards (and, in a few cases, demerits) for the first half of the season.


Team MVP -- Tyler Sash
The sophomore safety's five interceptions through six games is tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision lead with UCLA's Rahim Moore. Sash isn't only Mr. Interception, the "pride of Oskaloosa" also averages 7.8 tackles per game. His 47 tackles nearly equals his 2008 total of 53, showing his support in the running game. He picked off three passes and had a forced fumble in Iowa's 35-3 beat down of Iowa State on Sept. 12 in Ames.


Honorable mention -- Adrian Clayborn, Ryan Donahue, Adam Robinson.


Best Offensive Player -- Ricky Stanzi
Say what you want about Stanzi's inconsistency, his eight interceptions (three of which have been housed by the other team), or his slow starts. The fact of the matter is this: Whenever Iowa needs him, Stanzi is there. Take game one against Northern Iowa.



Iowa started the game with a 14 play drive that ended in a Daniel Murray field goal. For the rest of the half, the Hawks' offense would be on the field for no more than five consecutive plays and managed no points, trailing 10-3 at halftime. Stanzi came out firing in the second half, throwing his first touchdown of the season to Tony Moeaki to give Iowa the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Stanzi averages 225.6 passing yards per game and has thrown 10 touchdowns.


Best Defensive Player -- Adrian Clayborn
Clayborn would have been the team MVP if not for Sash. The St. Louis native has been everywhere for the Iowa defense this year and is a big part of the unit's success as a whole. He leads the team in sacks (3.0) and is second to Karl Klug with 4.5 tackles-for-loss. Clayborn's big hit on Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier in the fourth quarter of Iowa's 30-28 win on Oct. 10 sidelined the freshman for the rest of the game with a concussion. Is there a quarterback out there who doesn't fear Clayborn's very presence on the field? I don't know if there is.
Clayborn's blocked punt touchdown broke the game open against Penn State. No. 94 and fellow defensive end Broderick Binns harassed Nittany Lions quarterback Daryll Clark virtually the entire evening in Happy Valley. "If Daryll Clark never sees Iowa again, that would be just fine with him," Big Ten Network said after the game. Truer words have never been spoken.


Honorable Mention -- the other 10 starters.

Best Newcomer -- Adam Robinson
Robinson has made the most of his time in the spotlight. At the beginning of the season, Robinson was listed as the third-string running back. Six games later, Robinson leads the team with 429 yards on 88 carries (4.9 average) and four touchdowns. His 95 total touches are also tops on the team.

The most significant impact of Robinson's success isn't necessarily related to field, however. Robinson's impact on the game has led to Ferentz openly admitting his newly discovered willingness to throw young players into the line of fire. Robinson has responded superbly.


Honorable Mention -- Brandon Wegher, Keenan Davis.

Best Game -- @ Penn State
This game had it all: drama, big plays, nasty weather, ESPN's College GameDay. Iowa was an 11-point underdog to the then-No. 5 Nittany Lions. But with a wet, sloppy field, Penn State's high powered offense failed it's first major test of the season as the Iowa defense had it's way against the Nits' inexperienced offensive line.

Things looked bleak from the start as the Hawks went three-and-out on their first possession. Penn State then scored on it's first play from scrimmage on a 79-yard touchdown pass and Beaver Stadium was rockin'.

But Iowa did what it does best: Played damage control.

The Nits notched a field goal on their next drive, but would not scavenge another point for the rest of the game as the Iowa defense took control of the game. A Broderick Binns sack and forced fumble resulted in a safety near the end of the first half, drawing the Hawks into striking distance at 10-5. Nobody scored in the third quarter.


Then Adrian Clayborn made the breakthrough for the Hawks, blocking a PSU punt in the fourth quarter and rumbling 53 yards for a touchdown to give Iowa the lead for good, 11-10. Adam Robinson punched in a touchdown after a Pat Angerer interception and Iowa rolled to a 21-10 win, it's fifth win in six games in Happy Valley.

Honorable Mention -- Northern Iowa, Michigan.

Achilles Heel -- injuries
Iowa has been haunted by injuries during 2009. Running back Jewel Hampton was lost to a season-ending knee injury before the season even started. Tony Moeaki sat out three games with an ankle injury before returning against Michigan last week. Bryan Bulaga sat out three consecutive games with an undisclosed illness. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has been hampered by a hamstring injury all year, but has played through it admirably. Other than Hampton, the Hawks haven't been nipped by the injury bug too bad this season, however any team is just one significant injury away from a melt down. It can happen any week.

Honorable Mention -- dropped passes, Stanzi's INT's, offensive play calling, offensive personnel selection.

Moeaki named Big Ten POTW

Iowa senior tight end Tony Moeaki was named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the week after Iowa's 30-28 win over Michigan on Oct. 10. Moeaki had six receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns (34, 42 yards). It was the first time the 6-4, 250-pound tight end had earned the honor and also his first game for the Hawks since the Iowa State game on Sept. 12. The Wheaton, Ill., native has 17 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns in three games for the Hawkeyes.

News and notes from week six

Iowa is 6-0 and they have looked pretty solid through the first half of the season. But I think they could look better. Iowa should have beaten Michigan by more than two points (30-28) after forcing five turnovers and shutting down Michigan's Tate Forcier, yet once again, questionable playcalling on offense and another free touchdown handout by Ricky Stanzi kept the Maize and Blue in the game. Iowa is 6-0, though, regardless of style points and I'll take it.

And the game ball goes to...: TE Tony Moeaki. Moeaki went all Marvin McNutt on the young Michigan secondary, pulling in touchdown passes of 34 and 42 yards. All in all, the finally healthy senior from Wheaton, Ill., snagged six passes for 105 yards and that pair of touchdowns. The first touchdown could be credited mostly to Stanzi, who checked off at the line of scrimmage when he recognized an all out blitz from the Wolverines' D. But Moeaki did have to make it all the way to the endzone without getting hurt (knock on wood), which he did.

Tip of the cap: to Iowa's big hits. Jeff Tarpinian popped Michigan return man Junior Hemingway (awesome name!), and Adrian Clayborn dropped Forcier on a third down at the beginning of the fourth quarter. After the big hit, Forcier spent the rest of the game on the sideline.

Wag of the finger: at Iowa's cover two defense against Denard Robinson at the end of the game. I mean, come on guys. It's pretty obvious what the Wolverines use Robinson for. Next week though, a looooot of cover two.

Final thoughts: I usually spend a lot of time thinking about what could go wrong for Iowa in the next game, but this group really has made me a believer. How could anyone argue this is not the best team Kirk Ferentz has coached? Not once have the Hawks been 6-0 under Ferentz. Until now. The attitude in the locker room this week? I say bring on another road test.

Next week: the Hawks travel to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (5-1, 2-1) hoping to defend the Heartland Trophy. Wisconsin fell last week against Ohio State in the Horseshoe despite a respectable effort. The Badgers killed themselves with two pick-sixes and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ohio State's Ray Small. This game is always more like a bar fight than a football game, that's why the play for the bull.

The Rabbit Hunter...

Sorry Hawk fans, but duty calls (this post won't be about the squad). Stay tuned.

I thought Frank Deford's piece, "The Rabbit Hunter," was interesting. Frank Deford threw in some dialog from infamous college basketball coach Bob Knight that blew my mind. For example, when Knight throws a zinger at Indiana women's basketball coach Maryalyce Jeremiah:

Knight walks down to the other end of the scorer's table. "Hey, Maryalyce."
Brightly: "Yes, Bobby?"
"You know what a dab is?"
"A what?"
"A dab--D-A-B."
"No, what's that?"
"It's a dumb-assed broad," he says, smirking.
"I don't know any of those," she replies -- a pretty quick comeback.
But he won't leave it alone. The edge, again: "Yeah, you know one more than you think you do."

Are you kidding me? How golden of a quote is that?! Like it or not, that is a raw detail and it is one of the reasons I kept reading until the end.

This piece wasn't as great as it could have been based simply upon the structure of it.

Starting at the beginning, the quote from William Faulkner doesn't need to be there, in my opinion. In a way it contributes to this piece, particularly in the sense of physical abuse and Bob Knight. For me, though, it was a little distracting and unnecessary. Maybe something a little more sports related and less about spousal abuse?

Then there are four sections of the piece: Rabbits, Coaches, Older People, and Women.

I think the piece could have been broken up into three sections. I think it could have flowed nicely as one whole piece. If [Deford] had taken the Older People section and shrunk it down a bit, then made it part of the Rabbit section, it would have flowed nicely. The way those two sections kind of work together, to establish who Bobby is, where he comes from, and just why he acts like he does. The other sections kind of stand by themselves and don't really need much adjustment as far as placement.

News and notes from week five

Did Iowa really look better in the first half of Saturday's game against Arkansas State than it did in the second half? Yes, and that's a first for the season. But I'd rather see the Iowa team which played better in the second half of the first four games rather than the team who decided not to show up for the lowly Red Wolves on Oct. 3.

And the game ball goes to...: Marvin McNutt (right). The ex-quarterback turned wide receiver pulled in two long (41, 43) touchdown passes from Ricky Stanzi on Saturday. When all was said and done, McNutt finished with four catches for 121 yards and two TDs. McNutt's performance was the first 100-yard receiving game for an Iowa receiver this season and vaulted him to the top of Iowa's receiving yardage heap with 242 yards. His 12 receptions on the year are second on the team to Trey Stross' 15.

Tip of the cap: to Tyler Sash. Despite a lackluster defensive performance, Sash picked off his fifth interception of the year which equals his total from last year. The sophomore from Oskaloosa, Iowa, also tallied eight tackles (1.5 tackles-for-loss). At this rate, Sash is on pace to set an NCAA-record with 12 interceptions in a season.'

Also, kudos to Kirk Ferentz for reaching 5-0 for the first time in his career at Iowa. Ferentz was 0-2 in games where the Hawks entered 4-0. Consider those demons exorcised.

Wag of the finger: to offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe. This would have gone to Stanzi for throwing two picks (one was returned for a touchdown), but "Pretty Ricky" did manage to put up a season-high 296 passing yards and accounted for all three of Iowa's TDs. The real problem with Iowa's offense is not Stanzi's up-and-down play and that was evident on Oct. 3. O'Keefe was right in not abandoning the run in the second half, despite Iowa's lowest rushing output of the season (124 yards). But he continues to not make adjustments in the offense as the game goes on. Arkansas State made it a point defensively to stop the run and make Stanzi beat them with his arm (which he did). I'm not claiming to be an offensive mastermind, if that's what you want to call O'Keefe. I just have to believe somewhere in Iowa's two-page playbook there is a sweep, or a misdirection run play. Not every play can be a stretch play to the short side of the field, Mr. O'Keefe. If Iowa wants to continue on its roll, the offensive play calling has to improve. That's all there is to it.

Final thoughts: Iowa won and that's all that matters. Oct. 3 is over and now Iowa can focus on what it was probably focusing on last week: Michigan.

Next week: The Hawks host Michigan (4-1, 1-1). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be aired nationally by ABC. This will be the first meeting between the two Big Ten foes since 2006, when Mike Hart, Chad Henne and the Wolverines hammered Iowa, 20-6, at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Iowa vs. Arkansas State Pre-Game

No. 13/17 Iowa (4-0, 1-0) vs. Arkansas State (1-2, 0-1)
Kickoff: 11:00 a.m., Kinnick Stadium
TV/Radio: ESPN2, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Iowa, +22 (espn.com)


What to watch for
The Red Wolves rank ahead of Iowa in yards per game (358.3 for ASU, 347.8 for Iowa). They also average 32.3 points per game. That stat could be misleading, however, because of ASU's 61-0 over FCS opponent Mississippi Valley State in the season opener. In two losses against Nebraska and Troy, the Red Wolves have scored just 26 points.



Also, can Ricky Stanzi continue the form he showed at Penn State on Sept. 26? While Stanzi's touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio is even (5-5), he has thrown for 779 yards and his quarterback rating is 113.45.



Key Stat
Iowa has been 4-0 only two times under head coach Kirk Ferentz. And two times Iowa has come out of week five 4-1. In 2003, a 4-0 Iowa team fell 20-10 to Michigan State in East Lansing. In 2006, 4-0 Iowa got run out of Kinnick Stadium by No. 1 Ohio State to the tune of 38-17. In a match-up where they are the clear superior, can the Hawks stay focused with unbeaten, 20th-ranked Michigan looming for a homecoming date next weekend? Should Iowa win, it will be the first time since 1995 it has been 5-0.



Prediction
It might be a little messy and cold, but Iowa is going to impose its will on a feeble Arkansas State team. This one should be over by halftime.


Iowa 41, Arkansas State 3

Montgomery named Honorary Captain

Former Iowa fullback and Waterloo, Iowa native Lew Montgomery has been named the honorary captain for tomorrow's showdown with Arkansas State.

Montgomery, a Waterloo East alum, was a letter winner at Iowa from 1989-92. He rushed for 1,093 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career with the Hawkeyes.

One of my first memories of Iowa football was at games in the early 90s. Every time Montgomery touched the ball, all the fans would yell "LLLLLEEWWWWWWW!" But, being just a little guy, I thought everyone was yelling BOOOOOOO.

ESPN: Iowa is Big Ten team of the month

ESPN.com's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg dished out his September team and individual awards earlier this evening.

Rittenberg dubbed the Hawkeyes as the conference's team of the month. According to the blogger, Iowa's 21-10 win over then-No. 5 Penn State Sept. 26 threw the Hawks into the Big Ten title chase.

Unfortunately, Iowa was left out of the rest of the awards.

Was Michigan against Notre Dame really the best game of September in the Big Ten? I'm not saying Iowa-Penn State was better than Ohio State and USC, but I am saying it was a better game than Michigan-Notre Dame. I like defensive struggles, though. Maybe the only thing I disagreed with.

Ballard's big hit against Penn State

Watch Iowa DT Christian Ballard (46) nail Penn State's right tackle, Nerraw McCormack (72), on Pat Angerer's fourth quarter interception. It happens 2:00 into the highlights. It's in the top middle of the screen as Angerer streaks down the sideline at the bottom.

Injury updates for Arkansas State

Iowa star left tackle Bryan Bulaga has been medically cleared to play this weekend against Arkansas State, according to hawkeyesports.com.


The Hawks have been without the preseason All-American since their week one triumph over Northern Iowa due to a disclosed illness.


Redshirt freshman Riley Reiff has filled in admirably for Bulaga in his first three career starts. Reiff's experience could pay off down the road if Bulaga were to sit out again.

Senior tight end Tony Moeaki is still questionable.

News and notes from week four

What a great game it was last night. The Hawks simply own Penn State. I get the feeling that the media will talk about how Penn State just wasn't themselves and Iowa will get zero credit for its performance - and that's fine, because the Hawks play better when they're disrespected, anyway. But before long, people are going to have to take notice of the Black-and-Gold.

Without further adieu, here's the breakdown of the game.

And the game ball goes to...: Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn's blocked punt turned touchdown return broke the game open for the Hawks in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Trailing 10-5, Clayborn burst through the left side of Penn State's o-line and stuffed the kick then proceeded to pick it up and rumble 35 yards untouched into the endzone. Momentum had evaded the Hawkeyes for most of the game, but Clayborn's big play broke open the flood gates on the Nits.

On top of the huge blocked kick-touchdown, Clayborn also racked up a pair of tackles and seemed to be playing, "let's meet at the quarterback," on every play with Broderick Binns. Daryll Clark - the Big Ten's so-called best overall quarterback - spent most of the game on the run or on the ground. The Big Ten Network said it best after the game, "if Daryll Clark never sees Iowa again, that will be just fine with him."

Tip of the cap: to the Hawkeyes' defense. Pat Angerer: stud (14 tackles, a deflected pass, a forced fumble and an INT). A.J. Edds: stud (six tackles and the game-ending INT). Karl Klug: stud (six tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery). Binns: stud (eight tackles, 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble). Clayborn: player of the game. Did I miss anyone?

Also to Ricky Stanzi. I've been picking on "pretty Ricky" so far this season because of his slow starts. No complaints here this week, Rick. You played like a champ in a hostile environment and your receivers dropped six passes.

Wag of the finger: to the Iowa receivers. I'll keep it short: CATCH! THE! BALL!

Final thoughts: the win vaulted Iowa to No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the USA Today Poll. Ferentz is 7-2 against Penn State, 4-1 at Beaver Stadium. The Hawks' defense is about as good as it gets. The second quarter saw the Hawks out-gain the Nits 124 to minus-6.

Next week: The Hawks host Arkansas State (1-2). Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa will meet the Red Wolves for the first time in school history. It will also be Iowa's first game against a team from the Sun Belt conference.

Iowa vs. Penn State Pre-Game

Iowa (3-0) vs. No. 5 Penn State (3-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m., Beaver Stadium
TV/Radio: ABC, Big Ten Network, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Penn State, +10 (espn.com)

What to watch for
Penn State has a revenge factor on the unbeaten Hawkeyes after Iowa sniped the Nittany Lions last year in Kinnick Stadium, 24-23. The game has garnered national attention, attracting ESPN's College GameDay and a prime-time kick off on ABC. The Penn State students have declared the game a "white-out."

Key Stats
Kirk Ferentz is 6-2 against Penn State, 3-1 at Beaver Stadium. The only starting QB to lose a game in Happy Valley will likely forever remain nameless in and around Iowa City (Jake Christensen). In Iowa's three wins over the Nits, two have come in over time. The other came on a 6-4 defensive struggle in 2005.

The consensus in the college football community is that Penn State at home is a lock, particularly with revenge on their minds. The ESPN.com message boards have been calling for a blow out by the Nits, but Iowa rarely gets blown out because of their stifling defense. The Hawks lead the Big Ten with six interceptions, four by sophomore safety Tyler Sash.

The ground game is going to be the decider for both teams. There is, however, no distinct difference between Iowa's running game and Penn State's.

Iowa's leading rusher redshirt freshman Adam Robinson, has rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries in the Hawks' three wins.

Penn State's Evan Royster has 236 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries. 134 of those yards, however, came last week against lowly Temple.

If Iowa controls the line of scrimmage, they win.

Prediction
The weather is sure to play a part in the outcome of this game. With temperatures in the mid-50s and a 70 percent chance of rain, I'm thinking it's going to be a low scoring affair. In sloppy, nasty games, the defense wins every time and Iowa has the better defense. The Hawks overcome some early mental errors, the defense keeps it close and Daniel Murray smites the Nits again, this time in their house.

Iowa 17, Penn State 16

Injury updates

Kirk Ferentz announced this week on his radio show left tackle Bryan Bulaga will not play this weekend at Penn State.

Senior tight end Tony Moeaki and junior wide out Derrell Johnson-Koulianos are still questionable, according to Ferentz.

On the Nittany Lions' injury front, linebacker Sean Lee is not expected to play according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Adam Robinson is slated as the starting running back for the Hawkeyes. Robinson rushed for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns last week in Iowa's 27-17 win over Arizona.

Hawkeye students showing yellow streak

So far this week, just from walking around on campus, it appears the general consensus among Iowa students is that the Hawks are wandering blindly into a, “Lion’s den,” so to speak. And the likelihood of the football team coming out of Beaver Stadium on Saturday night victorious is non-existent.

"Oh man, Penn State is going to be so pissed from last year," and, "they're going to be out for blood after what happened last year."

A word to the wise:

Forget about what happened last year. Coach Ferentz and the football team have. Do you think they're sitting around watching last year's game film, patting each other on the back while sipping brandy and smoking cigars like a bunch of good ol' boys? I don't think so.

I would venture to guess that the Hawks are probably hitting it pretty hard this week on the practice field and in the weight room.

The will to seek revenge is stronger than the action of actually getting revenge. Vengeance is driven by anger and hostility. Anger makes it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. Penn State has this notion of revenge going for them, yes. But how far will it actually take them?

Captain Kirk is 6-2 as Iowa's head coach against the Nittany Lions. His only loss at Beaver Stadium came in 2007 when an unnamed quarterback (Jake Christensen) led an ineffective offense into a death trap. And as excited as the Nittany Lions are at a chance to prove last year's upset in Iowa City was a fluke, the Hawkeyes are probably equally, if not more excited to get on that field Saturday to prove just the opposite is true.

Why?

Because they know what's at stake. A 4-0 record, a win against a top-five team, a game in front of a national audience. But perhaps most importantly, Iowa will be playing to get respect. This is such a huge match-up that ESPN chose to send College GameDay to Happy Valley rather than to Blacksburg, Vir., for the annual Miami-Virginia Tech showdown, a match-up of two ranked teams.

Believe me, the Hawkeyes know what the magnitude of what they're up against. Have some confidence in your team, Hawk fans!

News and notes from week three

Iowa played like I thought they would this week - tough. Arizona wanted to have a track meet but the Hawkeyes wanted to have a street fight. How about that prediction score? Not too shabby. The Hawks remain unranked after the 27-17 win over the Wildcats. Hopefully they will continue to feel salty and disrespected.

And the game ball goes to...: Adam Robinson. The redshirt freshman from Des Moines turned in his first 100-yard performance of his collegiate career, racking up 101 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Robinson continues to lead the team in rushing, pushing his season totals to 233 yards on 45 carries with three touchdowns.

Tip of the cap: to defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn was a flat-out beast on Saturday. At one point in the game, I remember saying,"when you run down a running back as a D-End, you're doing something right." Clayborn had six tackles, a forced fumble and three QB hurries.

Wag of the finger: to Ricky Stanzi, again. Once again, I had to dig to find a scape goat and Stanzi seemed like the only weak point on Saturday. The junior signal caller looked good, hooking up on 20-of-32 passes for 205 yards despite the absence of his two favorite targets - DJK and Tony Moeaki. Stanzi, however, threw an interception toward the end of the first quarter which was returned by Arizona DB Trevin Wade 38 yards for a touchdown, tying the score at 7-7. The pass looked like a duck out of his hand and Wade was all over it. Stanzi has to be mistake-free next weekend if the Hawks want to win a tough road game.

Final thoughts: The defense looked awesome. Could it be possible this year's defense is as good, if not better than last year's - even without King and Kroul? Iowa looked every bit like the "bullies of the Big Ten," as the Hawks had their way against Arizona's run-happy offense. Nic Grigsby entered Kinnick Stadium as the second-leading rusher in the nation. But the Arizona junior was limited to his fewest touches of the season (14) as the Iowa defense seemed to be everywhere. Grigsby rushed for 75 yards on 11 carries - 58 of which came on one run in the second quarter; Arizona was held to a field goal from the Iowa one-yard line. Oh yeah, and Mr. Interception (Tyler Sash) struck again this week.

Also, congrats to punter Ryan Donahue on being named Big Ten special teams co-player of the week. Donahue averaged 51 yards on five punts against Arizona. He had four kicks of fifty yards or more with a long of 62 yards. He has had at least one punt over 50 yards in 13 of Iowa's last 15 games.

Next week: The Hawks travel to University Park, Penn., to tangle with No. 5 Penn State. The game will be nationally televised on ABC at 7 p.m.

Kirk Ferentz is 6-2 as the Iowa head coach against the Nittany Lions, including a 3-1 record at Beaver Stadium. Iowa took the previous meeting in last year's breath taking 24-23 win over the Nittany Lions. Penn State will be out for revenge as the 2008 game cost the Nittany Lions a shot at the national title.

Iowa vs. Arizona Pre-Game

Iowa (2-0) vs. Arizona (2-0)
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m., Kinnick Stadium
TV/Radio: ABC (regionally), ESPN2, AM 800 KXIC
Line: Iowa, +4 (espn.com)

What to watch for
Arizona brings the nation's second leading rusher (Nic Grigsby) into what is sure to be a rowdy, raucous Kinnick Stadium. Grigsby has 325 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries in two games. His 8.6 yards per carry is seventh in the nation and his 94-yard dash against Northern Arizona (of the FBS) is the second longest rush of the season.

The Wildcats' spread offense is a run-based offense as quarterback Matt Scott has added 131 yards on 16 carries. Scott, however, will be making his first start on the road of his career.

Offensively, Iowa has found its legs in the running game in a pair of freshman running backs. Adam Robinson is the leading rusher on the team with 132 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Robinson is listed as the starter.

His back-up is true freshman Brandon Wegher. Wegher rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries last week against Iowa State. The Sioux City Heelan-product is generating a lot of buzz around Iowa City.

Look for Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi to try to get on a roll early. In Iowa's games against Northern Iowa and Iowa State, Stanzi has twice had trouble with his command in the first half. Stanzi is 40-68 439 yards and five touchdowns so far this season.

Key Stats
It will be a match-up of strength against strength.

Arizona is fifth in the nation with 611 rushing yards in two games (305.5 per game).'

Iowa gives has given up 274 total rushing yards in the first two games (190 vs. Iowa State, 84 against UNI). Traditionally, Iowa's rush defense is as stingy as a Republican-controlled congress.

If Iowa can score 30 points, they will win. The Hawks are 41-1 since 2001 when they score 30+.

Prediction
I like Iowa at home, especially against a young quarterback.

Iowa 31, Arizona 17

Moeaki dealing with another injury?

There are rumors floating around that senior tight end Tony Moeaki may not play in tomorrow's game against the Arizona Wildcats.

Word on the street is the Wheaton, Ill.-native is nursing a high ankle sprain.

Arizona will also be without its star tight end, Rob Gronkowski, who is nursing a sore back.

The preseason All-American from Amherst, N.Y., was on the Mackey Award (best tight end) watch list to start the season. His 47 catches, 672 yards and 10 touchdowns earned him first-team All-Pac 10 honors in 2008.

Check back later this afternoon for my final thoughts and predictions for tomorrow's game.

Hawkeyes gear up for Arizona

Kirk Ferentz held his annual press conference yesterday.

Bryan Bulaga did not practice yesterday and it appears he will be a late week or even a game-time decision. The preseason All-American did not play last Saturday against Iowa State but is listed as a starter for the Arizona game.

"We'll know tomorrow and more on Thursday and right on through," Ferentz said. "He had an illness and they're doing checks right now. It's just a matter of meeting certain levels and getting OK's to move forward." (hawkeyesports.com)

Bulaga's absence went virtually unnoticed against the Cyclones as Iowa racked up 426 total yards - 191 of which came on the ground - in the 35-3 drubbing of ISU.

Cornerback Greg Castillo is also listed as day-to-day.

As for preparing for the Wildcats, Ferentz and defensive coordinator Norm Parker have probably lost sleep this week trying to prepare for Arizona running back Nic Grigsby.

Grigsby, the nation's second-leading rusher, has racked up 325 yards on just 38 carries (an average of 8.6 yards per carry) in the Wildcats' first two games.

Arizona quarterback Matt Scott has been solid this year, as well. The sophomore signal caller from Corona, Calif., has connected on 33-of-50 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown. Scott is also second on the team in rushing, tallying 131 yards on 16 carries. He has, however, thrown two interceptions and Saturday will be his first career start on the road.

News and notes from week two

It was a lot easier to sleep on Saturday after Iowa put the Cyclones in their place, in their house.

And the game ball goes to...: sophomore safety Tyler Sash who had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and picked off Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud on three separate occasions.

Honestly, the entire defense could have gotten the game ball, but Sash had the best individual performance. Despite allowing ISU running back Alexander Robinson to rush for 100 yards, Iowa forced six turnovers and limited the Cyclones to 303 total yards.

Iowa's pass defense was stellar. Arnaud - when he wasn't running for his life - connected on just 10-of-22 passes for 79 yards and four interceptions. He was benched in the third quarter for back-up Jerome Tiller. Tiller struggled as well, going 3-9 for 34 yards and an interception.

Tip of the cap: to freshman running back Brandon Wegher. Wegher, who didn't get to see the field in week one, blew up for the Hawkeyes in the second half rushing for 101 yards on 15 carries. Wegher scored his first collegiate touchdown to cap a four play, 58 yard drive which started after Arnaud threw his fourth and final interception of the day with six minutes to go in the third quarter.

Wegher didn't have much trouble finding room to run as the offensive line looked in top-form, despite the absence of Brian Bulaga. The true freshman also displayed some of the elusiveness which earned him player of the game honors in last year's Iowa 3A state championship game as he dodged ISU defenders left and right.

Wag of the finger: to QB Ricky Stanzi. It was hard to find someone to pick on after such a display of domination, but Stanzi had to have had the weakest performance on Saturday. Either the junior was really, really excited to be playing the Cyclones or he was just off the mark as several passes sailed over the heads of open receivers and, on two occasions, into the arms of ISU safety David Sims.

One play that stands out came mid-way through the second quarter when Stanzi completely missed a wide open Derrell Johnson-Koulianous. Had the two connected, DJK probably would've housed it - he was that open.

Stanzi finished 18-34 for 197 yards, a career-high four touchdowns and two interceptions. The Hawkeye QB did manage to connect with 10 different targets on the day, including a pair of passes to freshman receiver Keenan Davis - who also scored his first collegiate touchdown Saturday in Ames.

Final thoughts: It was good to finally win Ames again, a place that has been nothing but headaches for the last decade. It was also good to see Iowa play with a little killer instinct. For example, Iowa didn't have to leave the first team offense in during the fourth quarter. Leading 28-3 with the Cyclones' starting quarterback on the bench, Iowa could've just sat on its lead and played scrub football. But they didn't. Very atypical for a Kirk Ferentz team.

Next week: The Hawks host Arizona (2-0). Kickoff at 2:30 on ABC. Arizona leads the all-time series, 6-5. The Wildcats also won the most recent match-up (1998), 35-11, in Tucson.