RONALD WESLEY MALY

For more Ron Maly columns, click on www.wesleyvaclav.blogspot.com

2006-10-31T08:51:00.000-06:00

Editor, Writer Bill Maurer Has Vivid Memories Of Iowa's New Wall of Famers. Read How Ike Skelley Taught a Then-Young Bill a Valuable Reporting Lesson

2006-07-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure a number of years ago of being a colleague of a very talented newspaper editor and writer named Bill Maurer.

Bill worked at the Des Moines Register and Tribune when there was still an afternoon paper called the Tribune. To illustrate how long ago it was that he and I fought deadlines in the same newsroom, the Tribune ceased publication Sept. 25, 1982.

It's a shame Bill, an intelligent and witty guy, isn't still making his tremendous management decisions at 8th and Locust in downtown Des Moines.

The paper needs him more than he needed the paper.

He was a newspaperman deluxe.

Anyway, Maurer sent me a very nice e-mail after reading what I wrote the other day aobut the University of Iowa naming 20 of us as charter members of the Wall of Fame in the new press box at the spruced-up -- to the tune of about $90 million -- Kinnick Stadium.

Maurer knows and knew a number of the Wall of Famers, and I'd like to share his views of them with you.

Here's his e-mail:

"Dear Ron,

"Congratulations on being honored with your mug being among the first 20 to be hung on the Wall of Fame in the new Kinnick press box. It is most deserving and puts you in some great company.

"Reviewing that list also reminded me of how fortunate I have been over the years to work with some truly wonderful people, some of them journalists! During my five years (yeah, and a summer school, too!) at Iowa, I became pretty good friends —- or at least acquaintances -- with many of these people. Consider:

"Ike Skelley — When I went to Iowa for summer school in June, 1957, right out of Laurens High School, I had a job with the AP as a stringer. I covered everything from murders to track meets and learned a lot. One of the best lessons I ever learned was that one should never try to pull the wool over the eye of an experienced reporter. One of my AP jobs was to go to football practice every night, then call in a short story to the AP. One of my fraternity brothers was a manager on the team. Since the Hawks did the same old thing week after week, I figured I could just interview my fraternity brother, then call Ike with my story. After I did that a couple of times, he started asking questions I couldn’t answer. He knew I wasn’t at practice! From then on, I went.

"One big game, I don’t remember which, Jerry Liska came out from Chicago to cover the game. I was assigned one of the dressing rooms for postgame interviews. Then I was to come back to the press box and write up my quotes for Ike and Jerry. When I sat at the typewriter, I literally froze. I couldn’t type a word. Ike took pity on me —- I dictated to him. I shall never forgive how embarrassed I was and how kind he was to me.

"Al Grady —- What can you say! I worked Wednesday and Saturday mornings at the Press-Citizen, calling coaches for game results, then putting together little stories. Also covered University High for him. I liked Al. He was odd, but he was good to me. He helped me a lot.

"Bert McGrane —- Bert was the grand old man of the press box. When he came to Iowa City to look over the Hawks at practice, it was like having a legend in your presence.

"Gus Schrader —- I got to know him a bit as an AP stringer, really knew him best when I worked in the sports information office for the last year I was there.

"Eric Wilson —- I knew him from the first week I hit campus until I left. He called me and asked me to work in his office my last year in school. I could have graduated in January, but to get the job (it paid $2,000 for a so-called halftime position that ran a lot more hours than 20 a week) l I told him I would stay all year. No regrets. I really enjoyed it.

"Bud Suter —- Bud and Eric had side-by-side offices. Bud was a good guy with a great voice.

"Gene Claussen -- He was a faculty adviser at my fraternity, so I knew him on a personal as well as professional level.

"Bob Brown —- When I worked for Eric, it turns out the high school basketball tourney was transferred to Iowa City because Vets Auditorium was booked for a bowling tournament!! (God, can you believe that!!) Well, what a deal: My Laurens High School Elks made it to Iowa City. Laurens was in Bob’s trade territory, and he covered Laurens as well as any sports writer in the state. My folks had a hospitality room at the Jefferson Hotel. Bob would show up for drinks. When I went back to Laurens to work, I had lots of dealing with Bob at the Messenger. (Laurens was runner-up—edged by Cedar Rapids Regis!)

"Maury White —- My mom taught school in Manilla. The only place teachers could go to drink and smoke was at the White residence. I think Maury had graduated, but hadn’t yet gone to Drake. Did he work a year or so at the paper there before he went to Drake? At any rate, I met him when I was 16 when he was up at Spencer covering the Northwest Amateur. We were at Okoboji on vacation and he came to our place for drinks. A lot of them, as I recall.

"Buck Turnbull -— Bucky is a fraternity brother. I got to know him some when I was in Iowa City, much better when I was at the Register.

"Ron Maly —- Gee. How do I know this guy?!

"Of course, I had some contact with the radio guys, but didn’t ever consider them friends. But among those I remember working with were Bob Brooks, Tait Cummins, Frosty Mitchell and The Z. I always liked Johnny O’Donnell, but couldn’t call him a friend. Same with Jerry Jurgens. l didn’t know Gonder, Smith or Wine.

"That’s a lot of rambling, but you sure have stirred up some great memories. Once again, congratulations to you."

Bill Maurer

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Bill, thanks for the sensational stuff. You've brought some great memories back to life. You also mentioned plenty of things I wasn't aware of. I certainly didn't know Ike Skelley of the Associated Press as well as I knew Bert McGrane and Maury White of the Register and, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments about how Ike mentored you in your young writing life. Things like that are why Iowa and outgoing athletic director Bob Bowlsby are paying tribute to Skelley and others in a Wall of Fame project that I feel will be an outstanding feature in the new press box in historic Kinnick Stadium. Included among the Wall of Famers pictured above are Maury White, the late Des Moines Register sports columnist, at the lower left; Jim Zabel of WHO-radio, whom Maurer refers to as The Z, at the upper right and Bob Brooks, the longtime Cedar Rapids radio and TV announcer who still covers Iowa's football and basketball games home and away, at the upper left].

University Of Iowa Names 20 Of Us To Be First Wall Of Fame Members In New Kinnick Stadium Press Box. I Am Humbled. Thanks, Iowa. Thanks, Bob Bowlsby

2006-06-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

The following announcement came today from the University of Iowa:

IOWA CITY, IA. -- The new press box at Kinnick Stadium will feature a Wall of Fame to recognize members of the news media and the University of Iowa’s own public relations staff.

“We want to honor those individuals who have covered Hawkeye football with integrity, accuracy, and fairness over a long period of time,” said Iowa Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, in making the announcement. “We believe a Wall of Fame in the new press box at Kinnick Stadium is an appropriate way to do so.”

The Wall of Fame’s first class includes 20 men who will be recognized at Iowa’s football game Oct. 28 with Northern Illinois. Together, they have a total of 780 seasons covering Hawkeye football.

“This is an extraordinary group that has reported on the past 84 years of Iowa football,” said Bowlsby. “They knew all the great coaches and players during that time, and witnessed all the great games. We are fortunate to have had them chronicle the Hawkeyes.”

Listed alphabetically, they are:

Bob Brooks, WSUI Iowa City, 1943-48; KCRG Cedar Rapids, 1949-76; KHAK Cedar Rapids, 1977-2000; KMRY Cedar Rapids, 2000-present.

Bob Brown, Ft. Dodge Messenger, 1956-1993.

Gene Claussen, KXIC Iowa City, 1948-86. (Deceased)

Tait Cummins, Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1939-47; WMT Cedar Rapids, 1948-70. (Deceased)

Al Grady, Iowa City Press-Citizen, 1951-87; Voice of the Hawkeyes, 1988-2002. (Deceased)

Ron Gonder, KRNT Des Moines, 1965-68; WMT Cedar Rapids, 1969-99.

Jerry Jurgens, Quad City Times, 1945-77. (Deceased)

Ron Maly, Des Moines Register, 1959-99.

Bert McGrane, Des Moines Register, 1922-63. (Deceased)

Frosty Mitchell, KGRN Grinnell, 1960-85; WMT Cedar Rapids, 1986-96.

John O’Donnell, Quad City Times, 1925-67. (Deceased)

Gus Schrader, Iowa City Press Citizen, 1950; Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1951-78. (Deceased)

L.E. “Ike” Skelley, Associated Press, 1929-58. (Deceased)

Russ Smith, Waterloo Courier, 1955-90.

Bud Suter, UI Athletic Relations Director, 1955-74. (Deceased)

Buck Turnbull, Des Moines Register, 1952-93.

Maury White, Des Moines Register, 1946-88. (Deceased)

Eric Wilson, UI Sports Information Director, 1924-68. (Deceased)

George Wine, UI Sports Information Director, 1968-93.

Jim Zabel, WHO Des Moines, 1949-2000

Brooks, still active, will cover his 63rd Iowa football season this fall. Zabel, Grady and Schrader were on the scene for at least 50 years each.

McGrane and Wilson covered the Hawkeyes when they still played on the east side of the Iowa River and, along with Skelley, reported on the first game at Kinnick Stadium in 1929. Those three, plus Cummins and O’Donnell, chronicled the legendary 1939 Ironmen, starring Nile Kinnick.

Cummins, Grady, Maly, McGrane, Turnbull and Wine have all written books on Hawkeye football.

The Wall of Famers were selected by a committee appointed by Bowlsby. Additional individuals will be honored in future years.

* * *

Now for some personal comments from me.

Thank you, University of Iowa.

Thank you Bob Bowlsby.

Thank you, George Wine, and everyone else else who had something to do with establishing the Wall of Fame.

I am humbled.

On behalf of all of us in the charter group, I am grateful that Iowa and Bowlsby [pictured on the left] chose to honor those who were able to share the rich tradition of University of Iowa football by writing and talking about it over all these years.

"This was all Bob Bowlsby's idea," said George Wine. "He asked me one day if I'd like to get involved with the Wall of Fame in the new press box.

"It's a nice thing for him to do, and I think it's appropriate. He has an appreciation for people like you and the others who covered the Hawkeyes for all those years. Bob is an Iowa native who has followed the scene down here for a long time."

[Bowlsby is winding up 15 years as Iowa's athletic director and is taking a similar job at Stanford. He spearheaded the drive to make the $90 million improvements in Kinnick Stadium -- the new press box being a big part of it. Bowlsby's successor is Gary Barta of the University of Wyoming].

"Bowlsby explained to me earlier this year what he had in mind for the Wall of Fame, and said he needed someone to pull it all together," Wine said. "So I told him I'd think about it. I got hold of Phil Haddy and Tom Bauer. The three of us basically selected the 20 people for the Wall of Fame."

Haddy succeeded Wine as Iowa's sports information director in 1993 and has been in that department since 1971. Bauer has worked in various capacities at the university for many years.

"Once my committee got the 20 names together, we ran them by Bowlsby," Wine said. "He told me to start working on having plaques made of the 20 members. I have the plaques ordered, and I think they'll be very nice-looking.

"They will be gold, etched in black. I'm going over to the new press box Friday to determine which wall they'll be on."

Wine said the Wall of Fame will be in the press section on the fourth level at the north end of the new press box.

It's sad that all 20 members can't be present for the Oct. 27 dinner at the Iowa Athletic Club and the Oct. 28 game at Kinnick Stadium.

As I think of that, the years are on rewind in my mind as I write.

I think of those no longer with us.

I think of Gus Schrader, the longtime sports editor at the Cedar Rapids Gazette who gave me my first sportswriting job when I was 15 years of age. I once said I'd work at the Gazette for nothing. And that's about what I got. I was paid 75 cents an hour. But I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

I think of Bert McGrane, who came out of the Grantland Rice school of sportswriting and wrote such wonderful game stories for the Register. I had the pleasure of working in the same office with Bert late in his career. As a 24-year-old, first-year copy editor/one-night-a-week bowling-columnist, I'd use his typewriter to write stories -- hoping there'd still be some magic in the keys after he'd gone home for the day.

I think of Maury White, the sports columnist/reporter who was still showing up in the Register's offices in his 80s. He died the way he wanted to die. He collapsed on the newsroom floor -- probably after he'd written something clever --and went to the big press box in the sky a few days later. No one worked harder than Maury.

I think of Al Grady, the Iowa City writer and Hawkeye sports historian who defied death several times -- probably because he wanted to see one more Iowa victory over Michigan. If anyone bled black-and-gold, it was Al.

I think of Tait Cummins, the sportswriter-turned-broadcaster whom I listened to as a kid regularly on WMT-radio in Cedar Rapids.

I think of John O'Donnell, the man who knew everybody and called every one of them "Coach."

I think of Eric Wilson, the intense veteran of 44 years in the information business at Iowa.

I think of Bud Suter, who told me over lunch in 1965 that he thought Forest Evashevski would came back after his earlier success to coach Iowa again. Too bad it didn't happen.

I am honored to be included in the same list of Wall of Famers as my friend Buck Turnbull. Buck and I still exchange war stories. The best thing was that both of us were fortunate to cover sports during the golden age at the Register.

There are, of course, some talented broadcast heavyweights included in the List of 20.

One is Jim Zabel, who spent the last half of the 20th century living and dying with the Hawkeyes for WHO-radio in Des Moines. In his golden years, he still works at the station.

Another is Bob Brooks, the veteran Cedar Rapids announcer who still shows up for every Hawkeye game -- home and away. He watched Nile Kinnick and the Ironmen play in 1939, he'll be watching Drew Tate and the Hawkeyes in 2006.

Another is Ron Gonder, a man I got to know when he worked for KRNT in Des Moines in the 1960s, then went on to a standout career at WMT in Cedar Rapids. He's a master storyteller and an excellent person.

Frosty Mitchell covered the Hawkeyes for 25 years for KGRN in Grinnell, then bought WMT and did Iowa games for the Cedar Rapids station for another 10 years.

George Wine, who became Iowa's second sports information director in 1968 and later wrote a book about Hayden Fry and another about Hawkeye sports, was among those of us who suffered through 19 straight non-winning football seasons at Iowa. "As Jim Zabel says, 'There were one or two bad decades in there,'" Wine said with a laugh.

To all the others in the Wall of Fame -- Bob Brown of the Fort Dodge Messenger, Russ Smith of the Waterloo Courier, the late Jerry Jurgens of the Quad City Times, the late Gene Claussen of KXIC in Iowa City and the late Ike Skelley of the Associated Press -- I join Iowa in saying, "Thanks for a job well done."

Who's Demoted? Who's Quitting? Register's Dana Boone Gone After Demotion, Bill Reiter Quits After Editor Washburn Is Critical Of His Work

2006-06-28T12:37:00.000-05:00

Demotions? Resignations?

Well, you came to the right place to get the latest from the ever-changing newsroom at the Des Moines Register.

Here's today's report from an impeccable source:

"I heard that reporter Dana Boone abruptly quit this week after she was demoted to the zoned neighborhood sections.

"Also, reporter Bill Reiter has left to take a job in Kansas City after Carolyn Washburn [right] was apparently critical of his work.

"No word on what will happen to Reiter's wife, Laurie Mansfield [left], who is on the Juice staff.

"And, Randy Essex, the former assistant managing editor who left to join Paul Anger in Detroit as the news editor there, has been demoted to business editor. He left the Register when he did not get the managing editor's job after Rick Tapscott quit."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Reiter was a promising writer who will be missed by readers -- but evidently not by Washburn, the Register's editor. My guess is that it will be a less-juicy Juice once Mansfield leaves for Kansas City to join Reiter. I doubt many tears are being shed in Des Moines over what's happened to Essex in Detroit. He won no popularity contests here].

Going By the [Jersey] Numbers, Drake's Johnny Bright Receives National Honorable Mention for Wearing No. 43. Walker Death Shocks, Saddens Ferentz

2006-06-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

Johnny Bright, considered one of the greatest athletes ever to have played in Iowa, received honorable mention by ESPN.com senior writer Ivan Maisel is his listing of the best college football players ever to wear a jersey number.

Bright [right] wore No. 43 during his distinguished career in which he led the NCAA in total offense in 1949 and 1950, setting a then-NCAA record of 2,400 yards in 1950 for a per-game average of 266.7, which also was an NCAA record.

He also set an NCAA career total offense record of 5,983 yards. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native finished fifth in balloting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy. Hw played in the East-West Shrine All-Star game and the Hula Bowl.

Terry Kinard, a defensive back who played at Clemson from 1978-82, was named the best player to wear jersey 43. He led Clemson to the 1981 national championship. Terry Miller, who played tailback at Oklahoma State from 1974-77 ,and Troy Polamalu, who played safety at Southern California from 1999-2002, also received honorable mention.

Bright is the only Drake player inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame being recognized in 1984. He also is the only Drake football player to have his jersey number retired.

In celebration of the centennial of collegiate football in 1969, Bright was named as the top Drake football player of all time.Bright set 20 school records at Drake in football, basketball and track.

Drafted No. 1 by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1952, Bright elected to play in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders. He led Edmonton to the Grey Cup championship in 1954, 1955 and 1956 and retired in 1963 as the Eskimos leading rusher with 9,966 yards. He was inducted into the Canadian Foootball League Hall of Fame.

The new football field will be known as “Johnny Bright Field at Drake Stadium” with formal dedication ceremonies planned during a Sept. 30 homecoming game with Morehead State.

* * *

“I was shocked and saddened to learn of Randy Walker’s passing," Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said today following the death of the Northwestern coach.

"He was an outstanding, well-respected coach who did a tremendous job at Northwestern. He was a credit to his university and collegiate football. My condolences go to his wife and kids and the entire Northwestern football family.”

Walker [left] died of an apparent heart attack Thursday night. He was 52.

Walker died after feeling chest pains around 10 p.m. at his suburban Chicago home, said Mike Wolf, the school's assistant athletic director for media services.

"This is a devastating loss, not only for our athletic program, but for the entire Northwestern community," athletic director Mark Murphy said in a statement early Friday. "Randy truly embraced Northwestern and its mission, and cared deeply for his student-athletes, both on and off the field."

Walker was the first Northwestern coach to lead the school to three bowl games. The Wildcats lost to UCLA, 50-38, in the Sun Bowl last December.

In October, 2004, Walker checked himself into a hospital after experiencing chest pains. He was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle; the condition is not a common ailment, and is usually caused by a virus.

Walker was out of the hospital in two days, and said he was taking a new approach to his diet and work schedule.

"I've really taken my doctor's orders to heart, because frankly, I want to see my grandkids someday," he said at the time.

Two months ago, Northwestern gave Walker a four-year extension through the 2011 season. He joined the school in 1999 after nine years at Miami of Ohio.

Walker's Wildcats posted 37 wins, going 7-5 last season. He led the team to three bowl games since 2000.

Northwestern shared the Big Ten title in 2000 and went to the Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats also went to the 2003 Motor City Bowl.

Walker was the first Wildcats coach to guide the team to four seasons with at least six wins since C.M. Hollister in 1899-1902.

He is survived by his wife, Tamara, and two children, Abbey, 28, and Jamie, 25, who is the school's football recruiting assistant.

'Doug From Davenport' Writes About the 'One-Shit Shutout,' Some Goofy Register Cutlines And Adding Men's, Women's Hockey At Iowa State

2006-06-28T07:04:00.000-05:00

"Doug From Davenport," a man who knows a lot about the newspaper business, weighed in with another of his outstanding e-mails:

"I thought you might like this. In our version of the Register on Saturday morning, the cutline under the photo of Bob Bowlsby and Gary Barta shaking hands says this: 'This is the cutline. And it goes herey.' And then it repeats the same two phrases five more times. Probably was about as interesting as the real cutline about two guys in suits shaking hands.

"Now, if they could only do the same thing with Sean Keeler's columns once in a while.

"I understand mistakes though. I knew a reporter who once had a high school kid pitching 'a one-shit shutout' and it made the paper that way. The next week I think he hurled a two-shitter. Nah, just made the last part up.

"If Jamie Pollard wants to do something the University of Iowa will never do, he should add ice hockey as a varsity sport for men and women. It's a sport thousands of kids play all over the midwest and it's a sport that you can compete at at a national level pretty quickly. Students also love the games, with or without beer sales. It would take a dedicated arena of 4,000 or 5,000 seats, could probably be used for wrestling or gymnastics, too, but apparently Pollard plans to raise $135 million, so why not? It makes much more sense than trying to have a baseball team at Iowa State, or Iowa for that matter."

"Doug From Davenport"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for the funny, and sensible, stuff, Doug. It sounds like you're reading the earliest edition the Register puts out now. I can't imagine the paper letting stuff like those horrible cutlines make it through more than one edition, but you never know these days. Just when you think you've seen it all, you see something even worse. As for the "one-shit shutout" you wrote about, I was always told to be very careful with headlines. A smart editor told me never to write a headline that says something like "Brown's hit wins for Tigers, 5-3" His point was that it would be very easy for the space between the "s" after Brown's name to be very, very narrow. Then you'd have "Brown'shit wins for Tigers, 5-3" By the way, the photo that Harry Baumert took for the Register that "Doug From Davenport" referred to is at the top of this column. As for Sean Keeler's writing, that's something out of my control. I can't solve all of their problems at that place. And as for adding men's and women's hockey at Iowa State, it's no doubt something that college fans could get interested in. Iowa State has had men's hockey as a club sport for quite a while, and it's been both successful and popular. I haven't heard that hockey is something Pollard wants to add as an intercollegiate sport, even though he wants to spend a whopping $135 million [which he doesn't yet have] for renovations to Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium, plus other projects. The projected renovations are pictured, courtesy of Iowa State, under the photo of Bowlsby and Barta].

* * *

On the subject of the money Pollard wants to spend at Iowa State, I heard from "Willie in Waterloo," who has his doubts.

"Someone has to convince me that Iowa State will raise those huge dollars when Clemson and South Carolina are having trouble getting it done. Clemson draws over 80,000 fans for every home game; ditto for South Carolina. I didn't do very wellin 'Math for General Education' at UNI back in 1965, but don't the Cyclones still play in a stadium smaller than either Clemson's or SC's? At least they did last season. Oh, sooner than later on the dash to Madison."

"Willie in Waterloo">

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Willie's mention of "the dash to Madison" is in reference to the belief that Pollard will be heading back to the University of Wisconsin as Barry Alvarez's successor whenever Barry gets tired of being the athletic director].

* * *

Clark Mollenhoff, where are you when you're needed?

Bud Appleby of Des Moines sent this e-mail:

"Interesting Associated Press story about Charles Grassley and pimps on page 7 of Wednesday's paper.

"Makes a person wonder what the Register's crack Washington bureau was doing."

Bud Appleby
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: It was left to Mary Dalrymple of the AP to report the story with these opening two paragraphs: "Pimps and tax traffickers could soon find themselves being chased by tax collectors, not just the vice squad. [Iowa] Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, wants the Internal Revenue Service to chase after pimps and sex traffickers with the same fervor it stalked gangster Al Capone for tax evasion....." The Register's less-than-crack Washington Bureau evidently ignored the story or wasn't able to understand it. Can you imagine that happening when Mollenhoff was running that bureau? Grassley is pictured at the lower right.]

* * *

Travis Simpson of Des Moines writes about Derrek Lee, the Chicago Cubs, the Iowa Cubs and sports-talk radio in this e-mail:

"I was listening to the Marty and Miller show on KXNO and they were discussing Derrek Lee’s shortened rehab stint here in Iowa. After a week or so of listening to them now, I’m not so sure that they will ever be able to live up to the mediocre bar that Steve Deace set. They were commenting on how the I-Cubs were allowing ticket holders to exchange their tickets for another game if they were upset about Derrek Lee not being at the Sunday game. Lee was called up after Saturday’s game in Iowa after two non-factor Cub players -- Freddie Bynum and Tony Womack -- both were injured in Saturday’s game vs. the Twins. Obviously, the move didn’t matter as the Cubs lost, 8-1, to the Twins on Sunday and 6-0 Monday to a Brewers team that had lost two of three to the equally-pathetic Kansas City Royals.

"Anyway, back to the afternoon topic on M&M’s show.....They were suggesting that the I-Cubs should take the 'high road' and offer an additional free game to anyone that had tickets for Sunday’s game because of the inconvenience of not being able to see Derrek Lee. That idea not only sounds stupid, but knowing how the I-Cubs charge $5 to park now and an arm and a leg for beer and mediocre concessions I doubt that is going to happen. Why should they in the first place? It’s not their fault that the circus in Chicago called Lee back sooner than scheduled. What if I had bought a ticket to see the Chicago Cubs earlier this year and just days before the game I was to go to was when Derek Lee was injured? Do you think the Chicago Cubs would refund or exchange my ticket just because I was unable to see him play now? HECK NO! So why should the I-Cubs feel obligated to do anything? I’d rather go see the I-Cubs play right now than the Chicago team. At least the I-Cubs play with some effort and have a manager that at least has half a brain. I had tickets to the Sunday game hoping to see Lee and even without him I still enjoyed a nice day at the ballpark and watched a well-played 5-3 win."

Travis Simpson
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for the thoughtful e-mail, Travis. In my opinion, the Iowa Cubs should let fans in free to atleast half of the team's home games because of the horrendous costs involved with taking a family to No-Name Ballpark. However, I certainly agree that the I-Cubs are a more entertaining team to watch than the Chicago Cubs. Watching a piss-poor manager like Dusty Baker trying to get a piss-poor team that plays in Wrigley Field to win games is a very depressing experience. Derrek Lee is pictured at the lower left].

Don't Laugh If a Guy Ran Iowa's Athletic Department From California. Amos Dean, the University's First President, Didn't Move From Albany, N.Y.

2006-06-26T06:52:00.000-05:00

Bud Appleby of Des Moines took note of Al Schallau's application to become Iowa's athletic director

Schallau's qualifications seemed fine, but he said he would become Bob Bowlsby's successor only if he could continue living in California so he could enjoy his view of the ocean.

I guess Iowa didn't think much of that idea. The job went to Gary Barta, the athletic director at Wyoming:

Here's Appleby's e-mail:

"Al Schallau's offer to run the Iowa athletic department from California may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it is not without precedent.

"The first president of the University of Iowa, Amos Dean, only took the job on the condition that he did not have to live in Iowa. He ran the university for three years from his office in Albany, N.Y., and only visited the campus three times in that period."

Bud Appleby
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for the history lesson, Bud. Amos Dean [pictured on the right] was Iowa's president from 1855 to 1859, which means he didn't have any football coaches with $2.7 million contracts. Iowa didn't even field its first football team until 1889, when Charles Ashmead Schaeffer was the school president. Come to think of it, I guess I can't find too much wrong with Dean making only three trips to Iowa City. Who knows how long it would have taken him to walk from Albany in those days. I don't think the sidewalks were very good. Getting from Albany to Iowa City by covered wagon or horseback wouldn't have been much fun, either -- unless Hayden Fry was riding shotgun].

* * *

R. H. Slaughter of Des Moines had a different slant on the Iowa athletic director search. Here's his e-mail:

"Hi Ron,

"I didn't think it would this quick for Iowa to find a new A.D. Sadly, it will not be Al Schallau. Gary Barta will be Bob Bowlsby's successor.

"But I wanted to to veer off course to ask a question of our daily newspapers. I understand the premise of the Iowa Open Records law and the need to have information published out. Once I heard that Iowa had made their decision, I got on-line and went to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle website and read their side of the story.

"What was interesting was that they had a list of the possible candidates for the Iowa job. According to the Tribune-Eagle, the other candidates for the job, according to published reports, include:

• Toledo athletics director Mike O'Brien.
• Florida Atlantic athletics director Craig Angelos.
• Denver University associate athletics director Peg Bradley-Doppes.
• South Florida athletics director Doug Woolard.
• Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner Robert Vowles.

"Here's a question for the Des Moines Register. The University of Iowa was adamant in not disclosing the names of the candidates, for if their names were released, it could cause problems for them since they were interviewing for the job. If the Register can spend time demanding the names of the candidates for the Des Moines School superintendent job, then why didn't they press Iowa for the names of the new director of athletics? That list was never written up in the Register or it's little sister, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

"I'm a journalistic idiot savant, but I thought it was worth noticing and asking about!"

R.H. Slaughter
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for another great e-mail, R. H. You've developed some outstanding reporting skills. Also, you've obviously been spending more time reading the newspapers lately than I have. I've been traveling a lot and haven't seen much of what's been in the papers from around here. Besides, I'm like a lot of other people these days. I just don't read the paper as much as I used to -- one reason being I can read a dozen papers free on the Internet in a short amount of time].

* * *

It turns out that Al Schallau can be a good loser.

After learning that he didn't get the Iowa athletic director job, and Gary Barta did, he sent me this e-mail:

"Dear Ron,

"I am writing to express my complete approval, applause, and endorsement for [interim] president Gary Fethke's selection of Gary Barta as the new athletic director at Iowa. Mr. Barta certainly brings exceptional credentials and track record to a difficult job. I think he will be excellent.

"I sure admire his foresight and PR talent when he showed up at the press conference wearing a gold-and-black striped necktie.

"NOW IT CAN BE TOLD DEPARTMENT: I really didn't want the job anyway. I couldn't leave Palos Verdes, CA, where the daytime temperatures in the winter months rarely fall below 70 degrees.

"I am today sending Gary Barta an e-mail to congratulate him and particularly to let him know that I am not a sore loser.

"Best,"

Al Schallau
Palos Verdes, CA

* * *

Schallau wasn't finished on the computer. He sent me the following e-mail after giving more thought to what goes on these days in the search for athletic directors, coaches and university presidents:

"Ron,

"I want to be one of those 'consultants' or 'head-hunters' who extract fees of $65,000 to give advice and opinions that are no better than mine.

"The Schallau Doctrines for Hiring Basketball Coaches would work successfully at least 90 percent of the time. The silver-haired coach from Long Beach State whom I recommended to Iowa in 1974 became the catalyst for building the arena frequently called 'The House That Lute Built.'

"I didn't get paid a $65,000 consultant's fee for that recommendation. But Lute did give me free tickets anytime I wanted them [including to the Final Four games at Indianapolis in 1980].

"Some time this summer, I will get around to writing a little pamphlet that will articulate all of the 'Schallau Doctrines For Hiring Basketball Coaches.' I think I will send that to every Division I athletic director in the country. If I keep it real short, there might be a one percent chance that someone will read it.

"You are sure right that Gary Barta seems to be a perfect fit for the athletic director job at Iowa. I sent him an e-mail to congratulate him and welcome him to the Iowa Hawkeye family. He already e-mailed me back. That is awesome, because I am sure that he is extremely busy right now.

"Best,"

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Heck, Al, I've assumed all along that Bump Elliott -- who was Iowa's athletic director when Lute Olson [a.k.a "The World's Greatest Coach--Just Ask Him"] was hired in 1974 -- paid you at least $1 million to find the successor to Dick Schultz, who is in basketball's Hall of Shame. To show Iowa's appreciation for what you did, I think one of Gary Barta's first moves should be to name one of the restrooms at Carver-Hawkeye Arena "The Al Schallau Library." You deserve all the recognition you can get].

* * *

More history. Here's a list of all of the University of Iowa's presidents and athletic directors:

PRESIDENTS

Amos Dean, 1855-59
Silas Totten, 1859-62
Oliver M. Spencer, 1862-67
Acting President: Nathan Ransom Leonard, 1867-68
James Black, 1868-70
Acting President: Nathan Ransom Leonard, 1870-71
George Thacher, 1871-77
Acting President: Christian W. Slagle, 1877-78
Josiah Little Pickard, 1878-87
Charles Ashmead Schaeffer, 1887-98
Acting President: Amos Noyes Currier, 1898-99
George Edwin MacLean, 1899-1911
John Gabbert Bowman, 1911-14
Thomas Huston Macbride, 1914-16
Walter Albert Jessup, 1916-34
Eugene Allen Gilmore, 1934-40
Acting President: Chester Arthur Phillips, 1940
Virgil Melvin Hancher, 1940-64
Howard Rothmann Bowen, 1964-69
Willard L. Boyd., 1969-81
Acting President: Duane C. Spriestersbach, 1981-82
James 0. Freedman, 1982-1987
Acting President: Richard D. Remington, 1987-1988
Hunter R. Rawlings III, 1988-1995
Acting President: Peter E. Nathan, 1995
Mary Sue Coleman, 1995-2002
Interim President: Willard L. Boyd
David J. Skorton, 2003-2006

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS

Nelson Kellogg, 1910-1917
Howard Jones, 1918-1923
Paul Belting, 1824-1928
Edward Lauer, 1929-1934
Ossie Solem, 1934-1936
Ernest Schroeder, 1936-1947
Paul Brechler, 1947-1960
Forest Evashevski, 1960-1970
Bump Elliott, 1970-1991
Bob Bowlsby, 1991-2006
Gary Barta, 2006-

* * *

[Ron Maly is a four-time Iowa Sportswriter of the Year and also is the author of the best-selling book, "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," which is in its second printing as both a hardback and softback book. The book is about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa. Maly has a heck of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. Ron's columns about sports, newspapers, his family, medicine, travel, the people he knows, the people he doesn't know, a few people he'd like to know better, a few people he once knew and is trying to forget, a few people he has already forgotten, and anything else that trips his trigger appear regularly at www.rmaly.blogspot.com and www.whotv.com.].

New Athletic Director Gary Barta Is a Perfect Fit for Iowa -- But I Assume Kirk Ferentz Will Be Buying Lunch and Leaving the Tip. He's the Money Guy

2006-06-24T13:24:00.000-05:00

It's not every day I say something nice about a group of people that had enough good sense to hire the right guy for a job.

Especially the job as athletic director at a Big Ten university.

Specifically, the one at Iowa.

I don't think Gary Fethke, interim president at the University of Iowa, and his search committee could have done any better than bring in Wyoming's Gary Barta to be Iowa's 11th athletic director.

In fact, Fethke did so well that I think he should get the president's job at Iowa permanently if he wants it.

If he doesn't want that, he should be the president of something.

But back to Barta, 42. I can't think of a better fit for him than Iowa.

He has worked at the University of Northern Iowa; his wife, Connie, is a native of Waterloo, he knows outgoing Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby very well and he has an outstanding background as a fundraiser.

Assuming Barta doesn't screw things up -- and his track record at North Dakota State, UNI, the University of Washington and Wyoming tells us he won't -- Iowa's athletic department is again in strong hands.

With that in mind, here are a dozen other thoughts on my mind regarding this subject:

1. I still don't know why a large university needs to hire a "head-hunter" firm to get a list of candidates for an athletic director opening, but the search for Barta went surprisingly fast and efficient. But if you ask me, Iowa could have done without the head-hunters because Barta probably would have hitch-hiked to Iowa City to interview for the job.

2. When Barta and Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz go to lunch the first time, my guess is that Ferentz will pick up the check as well as the tip. At least he better. Ferentz is making $2.7 million a year, Barta's salary is $295,000.

3. When it comes to any decisions on Kinnick Stadium, Barta can have a hands-off policy. Bob Bowlsby, Iowa's outgoing athletic director, did a masterful job in quarterbacking the $90 million renovation of that classic stadium.

4. Barta won't need to put up any billboards in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids that say, "It's a Hawkeye State." That kind of stuff is always reserved for the second-place school.

5. It's an interesting group of major-college athletic directors in our state now. Barta is 42, Iowa State's Jamie Pollard is 40, Drake's Sandy Hatfield Clubb, 42, is the first woman hired to be a Division I-A athletic director in this state, and UNI's Rick Hartzell somehow manages to run a department when he's not officiating bigtime collegiate basketball games.

6. One of Barta's first orders of business should be to find out why Iowa can't sell out its men's basketball games on a consistent basis. Coach Steve Alford obviously doesn't have the answer.

7. Somebody needs to tell the people in this state that Iowa also has a women's basketball program. I think there are lots of folks who think the university cancelled the sport when Vivian Stringer left.

8. Barta can cancel Iowa's baseball program any day now. It's on life-support anyway.

9. I can see the possibility of an Iowa-Wyoming football game sometime in the future. After all, the policy has been for those two universities to play twice every century. Forest Evashevski's 1953 Iowa team beat Wyoming, 21-7, and Hayden Fry's 1987 Hawkeyes slipped past Wyoming, 20-19, in the Holiday Bowl at San Diego. The Hawkeyes had to score 13 fourth-quarter points to win the bowl game. Merton Hanks' two blocked kicks were instrumental for Iowa. So I think it would be a great matchup.

10. Now that we've got new thinking at the top, it's time to finally schedule that Big Four men's basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. Drake can play Iowa and Northern Iowa can play Iowa State in the first round of games. The only thing we have to make sure of is that Hartzell doesn't bring his zebra shirt with him from Cedar Falls so he's tempted to officiate one or both of the games.

11. I hope Barta likes Florida. Iowa's football team goes there every January. But, frankly, I kind of like California. Specifically, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena -- somewhere a Hawkeye team hasn't won since Jan. 1, 1959.

12. I'm sure Mike Gartner and the Board of Regents will make some stupid comment any day now regarding the hiring of Barta. My advice to Barta is to ignore anything they say to him or about him.

* * *

[Photos from bottom to top are Gary Barta of Iowa (right), Sandy Hatfield Clubb of Drake (left), Rick Hartzell of Northern Iowa in the zebra shirt, accompanied by an angry Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan, and Jamie Pollard of Iowa State].

Wyoming's Gary Barta, 42, Will Be Paid An Annual Base Salary Of $295,000 To Become the Successor To Bob Bowlsby As Iowa's Athletic Director

2006-06-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Gary A. Barta was named athletic director at the University of Iowa today by Interim President Gary Fethke.

Barta, 42, who is currently athletic director at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, will begin his new duties Aug. 1 at an annual base salary of $295,000.

Barta succeeds Bob Bowlsby, who is leaving Iowa after 15 years to take the athletic director position at Stanford.

“Gary Barta stood out as the best candidate in a very competitive pool of candidates following a national search,” Fethke said. “He has the qualities it takes to improve on an athletics program that is already considered one of the nation’s best.

"I am impressed that he has always put the welfare of his student-athletes first, and that he has also excelled in fielding competitive teams that excite fans. Gary has the business acumen to make budgets and to inspire the confidence that leads to significant private and corporate support.

“On behalf of the university community, I want to thank the entire search committee and especially co-chairs Dr. Charles Lynch and Joe Reddington, for conducting a thorough and expeditious search process."

Barta said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the University of Iowa athletics program,” Barta said. “I thank President Fethke and the search committee for their confidence.

"I look forward to working on a successful transition with Bob Bowlsby, for whom I have the utmost respect. I’m eager to get to know our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and the other members of the athletic department and the entire University of Iowa community. It’s great to be a Hawkeye!”

Barta has 19 years of university and athletic administration experience. He has been Wyoming athletic director since October of 2003. From November, 1996, to October, 2003, he was senior associate athletic director for external relations and sports programs at the University of Washington in Seattle.

From 1990 to 1996, he was associated with the University of Northern Iowa, where he was director of athletic development and external relations. He also served as associate director of development at North Dakota State University in Fargo, from 1988-90, where he was responsible for fundraising for athletics, the colleges of business and engineering, and the university’s annual fund.

Earlier this year, the University of Wyoming received the NCAA Division I-A Program of Excellence award, which honors athletics programs that are superior athletically, academically, and in student-athlete life skill preparation.

Barta has overseen a program with a number of significant accomplishments on the field of play at Wyoming, including a 2004 Las Vegas Bowl victory over UCLA; a 21-win season by the women’s basketball team in the 2005-06 season completed this spring; a Top 20 placing by the women’s track team in the NCAA championships in 2005; and a Top 25 finish in men’s NCAA swimming in 2004. During his three-year tenure, seven Wyoming coaches have won Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year awards.

Barta has been a successful fundraiser, having helped secure more than $150 million in private contributions and corporate sponsorships over the past 10 years. In less than two years, he helped the University of Wyoming raise more than $22 million, including $11 million in private contributions and $11 million in matching state funds.

He was directly involved in major fundraising programs at Washington, including a $100 million plan for facility renovations.

Barta earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and broadcast journalism from North Dakota State, where he was also a member of the football team that won three NCAA Division I-AA football championships.

Barta’s wife, Connie, is a native of Waterloo. She and Gary are pictured at the top of this column.

* * *

Here's a profile on Barta from the University of Wyoming that obviously was written before he agreed to come to Iowa:

It doesn't take long to get to know Gary Barta, and once you've met him, you'd swear you've known him for years. He makes you feel comfortable.

It doesn't take long to understand his passion for intercollegiate athletics, either. He'll get you fired up about the University of Wyoming.

There's his enthusiasm, friendly smile, and his ability to make you feel special. But more importantly, there's his commitment; his commitment to what is right with collegiate athletics; his commitment to the student-athlete; his commitment to the fan base that so loyally supports the program. He is as genuine as a Wyoming sunset.

On Sept. 15, 2003, former UW President Philip L. Dubois selected Barta as the school's seventh athletics director, to navigate Wyoming's intercollegiate athletics department through one of its most exciting and critical periods in history.

What has been accomplished since Barta's arrival is amazing. Wyoming's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is as healthy as it has been in decades.

Dubois' selection could not have been more right for Wyoming. "Gary is a leader," Dubois said. "He has the experience, the energy, and the personality to help move the University of Wyoming's Intercollegiate Athletics Program to the level of excellence we want for all of our university programs. He is not just the right guy, but he comes from the right kind of place. Coming from the PAC-10 (Washington), a BCS conference with a storied tradition of excellence, Gary knows what a first-class athletic program looks like, and he knows how to get us there."

Thanks to Barta, Wyoming is well on its way to getting there.

Wyoming's athletic programs are enjoying more success, across the board, than they have in years. Teams are winning, the budget is growing and facilities are being built. In Barta's first three years, seven Wyoming coaches have received Coach of the Year honors from the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming swimming produced an Olympian (Scott Usher), and Cowgirl track had a national champion (Shauna Smith). Eleven of Wyoming's programs earned grade-point averages of 3.0 or better following the spring semester. Cowboy offensive center Trenton Franz was selected as an Academic All-American, and earned an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. The Intercollegiate Athletics budget has grown from $16.5 million when he arrived to nearly $20 million in 2006-07.

Dubois felt strongly that Barta was the man to assist him in securing funding for the Strategic Plan for Intercollegiate Athletics . The plan was approved by the university trustees in September of 2003 to position UW for success as a member of the NCAA Division I-A Mountain West Conference. A key element of the plan was to address critical facility needs to strengthen the recruitment of student-athletes and coaches, and to enhance the fan experience at War Memorial Stadium.

In his first 15 months, Barta was instrumental in securing $20 million for facility renovations. In March of 2004, the Wyoming State Legislature approved a $10 million matching fund. By June of 2005, the $10 million was raised, and the matching fund exhausted. The campaign included a $5 million gift from Casper entrepreneurs John and Mari Ann Martin and Mick and Susie McMurry and their families, matched by the state for a total of $10 million. In March of 2006, the Legislature was convinced by Barta and other UW officials to provide an additional $6 million in matching funds. Within 30 days, the campaign had already raised $1.5 million toward that goal.

Facility needs addressed in the plan included: repairing the structure of War Memorial Stadium (upper West stands completed in summer of 2004); replacing the playing surface at the stadium, which has been named "Jonah Field" in recognition of the McMurry-Martin gift (completed in August of 2005); building of an indoor practice facility primarily for football and women's soccer, but ultimately benefitting all 17 sports at UW (design underway, construction to begin in August, 2006); enhancing the stadium with improved restroom and concession facilities, as well as donor suites (Upper East and West concourse renovation completed in summer of 2006); improving women's tennis facilities; and installing an all-weather track (construction underway, to be completed in August, 2004).

Barta is extremely committed to UW's Strategic Plan, and is impressed with the amount of progress made in such a short period of time.

"The plan does a great job of laying the ground work for Wyoming's future success," he says. "It is visionary, and yet practical. However, great vision without resources is irrelevant. I'm thrilled and grateful we've been able to accomplish both. It has taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people, and tremendous generosity by many wonderful supporters, but I'm happy to say the Athletic Plan is well on its way. The buy-in, and the commitment to Cowgirl and Cowboy athletics is amazing.

"There is a great history and tradition with this athletics program. There is a marvelous love affair between this wonderful state, and its athletic programs. The momentum of the Strategic Plan has UW athletics back on a successful track, the kind of success that has built the tremendous tradition that is Wyoming. Those, who call themselves Cowboy fans, have done their part to make it happen. We're not done by any means, raising funds necessary to be successful is a constant. But the progress made has been very impressive."

Barta is a native of Minneapolis, Minn. Prior to coming to Wyoming, he served as the University of Washington's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations and Sports Programs from 1996-2003. In that position, he was responsible for raising more than $100 million in private and corporate funds for capital improvements. He also was responsible for generating revenue to fund Washington's $40 million annual intercollegiate athletics budget. While at Washington, Barta was directly involved in a variety of duties including: hiring of coaches and administrative staff; coordinating the schedule for men's basketball; initiating and managing sponsorship relationships and negotiating radio network contracts.

Upon his arrival at Washington, he directed its "Campaign for the Student-Athlete" which included a $100 million upgrade of five athletics facilities. Barta was a central participant in the design and construction of those facilities, including the $44 million renovation of the Bank of America Arena and a $30 million renovation of the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility. During his tenure, annual private support increased from $6.9 million per year to $15.8 million.

In addition to management of all external relations including fund-raising, marketing and ticketing programs, Barta assisted coaches and student-athletes in Washington's 23 sports to achieve a high level of success on and off the field. In his final year in Seattle (2002-03), 21 of the 23 Husky sports programs participated in postseason play, and the average grade-point average for the 23 teams was 3.0.

Barta has been an active participant in the National Association for Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), and was recently named to the Executive Committee of that organization.

Barta earned his bachelor of science degree in mass communication and broadcast journalism from North Dakota State University in 1987. He was an option quarterback for the Bison football squad that won the Division II NCAA National Championships in 1983, 1985 and 1986. He returned to NDSU to begin his career in 1988 as an associate director of development and later director of development. While at his alma mater, Barta assisted in the completion of a $15 million capital campaign, and served on a task force that helped raise funds for the 20,000-seat Fargo Dome on campus. He remained there through 1990. During that same time, he also was a sportscaster for WDAY radio and television in Fargo, N.D.

From 1990 through 1996, Barta served as Director of Athletics Development and External Relations at the University of Northern Iowa. There he managed all fund-raising, marketing and promotions, and media relations activities for the school's 17-sport program.

Barta and his wife, Connie, have a son, Luke (8) and a daughter, Madison (6).

Attorney Al Schallau Applies To Be Iowa's Athletic Director, But the Offices Must Be Moved to California So He Can Still Have a View Of the Ocean

2006-06-23T06:55:00.000-05:00

To: Randy Duncan, Ray Jauch, Ron Maly and Barry Crist

Below is my application for the University of Iowa athletic director job. I am now expecting a huge groundswell of support for my candidacy.

Al Schallau

To: Interim President Gary Fethke, University of Iowa

Dear Gary,

My name is AL SCHALLAU. I am an attorney in Los Angeles. Back in 1962 and 1963, I used to sip some brews with you and Lee Boeke, Jim Worrell, and others at Ivan's apartments on Lucas Street in Iowa City. As I remember it, you were Ivan's favorite.

I am writing for two reasons:

1. I want to suggest to you and your 14-member search committee that you seek advice and recommendations from Bump Elliott, who still lives in Iowa City. Bump was not only the greatest athletic director that Iowa has ever had; he was the greatest athletic director that ANY Big Ten university has ever had. I do think you are missing the boat if you do not seek counsel from a man who was a legend as athletic director.

2. I want to offer the name of AL SCHALLAU, Attorney at Law, as a candidate for the Athletic Director job. My conditions for accepting the job are:

(a) SALARY -- take the last salary paid to Bob Bowlsby and multiply it by two, and that will be my starting salary.

(b) LOCATION OF OFFICE -- the Administrative Office of the University of Iowa athletic department will have to be moved to Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. For 24 years, I have lived in an ocean view house in Palos Verdes, and I am not willing to move. I will conduct business every day by e-mail, phone calls, faxes, by regular U. S. mail, and by video teleconferencing. I will operate with a Palos Verdes administrative staff of TWO persons working directly under me. I think a staff of two is plenty.

(c) ADMINISTRATIVE METHOD -- my method of doing business will be to fill all Iowa City positions with very capable, diligent, and trustworthy persons, and then STAY OUT OF THEIR WAY and let them do their jobs to the best of their ability. This is known as the "Bump Elliott Method," and history teaches that it works very well.

(d) SYSTEM OF MANAGEMENT -- the University of Iowa athletic department will be managed with the same system used in the management of the AL SCHALLAU LAW FIRM for the last 35 years. That system is "One Man, One Vote" ---- and I am the one man who has the one vote.

(e) SUBMISSION OF A JOB APPLICATION -- just push "Print" for this e-mail, and that constitutes my written job application.

(f) EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS -- B.A., University of Iowa College of Business Administration, 1964 J.D., University of Southern California School of Law, 1968

(g) WORK HISTORY -- 37 years experience as a trial lawyer handling civil litigation.

THE BIG IRONY: I am infinitely more qualified to be an athletic director at a major university than Mike Garrett was when he was named A.D. at USC. Garrett got a B.A. from USC and a law degree from an unaccredited law school. He never did pass the California Bar Exam. And Mike Garrett has become an EXCELLENT athletic director.

(h) INTERVIEW BEFORE THE 14-MEMBER COMMITTEE -- not a chance. I remember a doctrine preached by my marketing management professor at Iowa (the late Dr. James D. Benson). Dr. Benson said, "The only committee I would ever want to serve on would be the 'Committee to Abolish All Comittees'."

I am strong in my belief that the ultimate decision in hiring a new athletic director should properly be vested solely on the shoulders of Interim President Gary Fethke. As for the content of my interview with President Fethke, please push "print" one more time.

THE SUPREME IRONY is that I would make an excellent athletic director. But I don't expect to be offered the job. As an Iowa Hawkeye alum, I do hope that you and your 14-member committee hire an excellent athletic director -- albeit one less qualified than myself.

Best regards,

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Good luck, Al. Your qualifications certainly sound better than those of some of the other candidates for the job. NOTE: Schallau is pictured on the right, Bump Elliott and a friend on the left].

I'm Not Going To Let My Temperature Rise Over ISU's 'Cyclone State' Billboard. I've Already Been Through Earle Bruce, Butch Henry and Donnie Duncan

2006-06-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

A number of people are getting heated up, in one way or another, about what Jamie Pollard is doing in his first year as Iowa State's athletic director.

I'm not.

I like some of the things the guy is saying and doing, but how he's going about it doesn't bother me or surprise me.

Pollard is, after all, just another eager-beaver Cyclone sports boss who is anxious to have his teams do well -- especially when they compete against Iowa.

Pollard raised the body temperatures of some University of Iowa fans recently when he said Iowa State will put up a billboard in Cedar Rapids that says, "IT'S A CYCLONE STATE."

Along with the "Cyclone State" boast, the billboard will also show pictures of two Iowa State football players hoisting the Cy-Hawk Trophy following Iowa State's 23-3 victory last season over Iowa.

No big deal.

I've been through this before.

Several times.

More than a quarter-century ago.

I was in the stadiums -- Kinnick in Iowa City and Jack Trice in Ames -- when Donnie Duncan was carried around triumphantly after his Iowa State football teams beat Iowa three conseuctive times.

While on his players' shoulders, Duncan pointed in all directions -- letting everyone know how proud he was that his Cyclones had beaten Hayden Fry's Hawkeyes.

Four months after Duncan's final victory in the huge intrastate series, Duncan was gone.

After an 18-24-2 record in his four seasons, it was evident to him he couldn't keep up with Fry over the long haul.

He was criticized for putting too much emphasis on the Iowa game and not enough on Kansas and Missouuri.

It was fun to go to Ames in those days.

Lou McCullough, who had been an assistant football coach at Ohio State under Woody Hayes and at Iowa State before that, was the athletic director. He obviously knew the Big Ten Conference well and he knew the then-Big Eight Conference well.

Butch Henry [lower right] was the sports information director. Henry was from Arkansas, but got caught up in the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry quickly.

I mean, ol' Butch really got caught up in the football part of it.

The way I recall it, after each of Iowa State's victories over Iowa in 1980, 1981 and 1982, he put copies of the the front pages of Sunday newspapers, complete with the large headlines telling of the Cyclones' successes, in frames.

Those frames were hung on walls throughout the athletic offices for all to see.

In those days, I used to hear that Henry would also leave the press box while the teams were warming up preparatory to The Big Game and taunt Iowa's players.

I have no proof of that, but it's a good story anyway.

By the way, the frames containing the newspaper headlines were quietly taken off the walls after McCullough and Henry left Iowa State.

Also consumed by the Iowa State-Iowa rivalry was Earle Bruce [lower left], who coached the Cyclones from 1973-1978.

Indeed, Bruce was the guy who ordered that the words "BEAT IOWA" be placed on the front of Iowa State's jerseys for the 1977 game in Iowa City -- the first in the series in 43 years.

All that did was arouse Iowa's players, who won the game, 12-10.

There were no more "BEAT IOWA" jerseys worn by Cyclone players after that.

After being shocked by the Hawkeyes in the 1977 game, Bruce got his revenge in 1978. Walter Grant threw three touchdown passes in Iowa State's 31-0 victory at Iowa City.

Duncan's first Iowa State-Iowa game was in 1979, and he learned a tough lesson. Fry was in his first season at Iowa, and his Hawkeyes rode Dennis Mosley's 229 yards and three touchdowns to a 30-14 victory.

Duncan's teamss beat Iowa, 10-7, at Iowa City in 1980; 23-12 at Ames in 1981 and 19-7 at Iowa City in 1982.

After the 19-7 victory, he would coach only nine more games at Iowa State.

Then came Jim Criner, who was awful, and Jim Walden, who was almost awful.

Iowa State wound up losing 15 straight games to Fry's Hawkeyes before Dan McCarney got the ship straightened out at Ames.

Walden got so goofy about Fry that he placed a photograph of the Hawkeye coach on a wall in his office.

When I asked him why, he said, "If you want to be better, you'd better find ouot why your competition is good, and keep your eye on him. By having his photo on the wall, I can keep my eye on Fry every day. I can look up there and say, 'I wonder what that man is doing now.'"

So there.

You think I'm going to be surprised by anything Jamie Pollard does?

No way.

Derrek Lee, One of Baseball's Premier Players, Will Play for the Iowa Cubs At No-Name Ballpark This Weekend On a Rehab Assignment

2006-06-22T05:21:00.000-05:00

Derrek Lee, the best player the Chicago Cubs have and one of the premier performers in all of baseball, will be playing at No-Name Ballpark in Des Moines this weekend.

Reluctantly, by the way.

Lee [right] hasn't played since fracturing his right wrist April 19. Although he's been taking batting practice and has been pushing to get back into the Cubs' lineup, he has agreed to a rehabilitation assignment with the Iowa Cubs.

The I-Cubs play Omaha tonight, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at No-Name Ballpark, and Lee could be there for a couple of nights -- maybe Saturday and Sunday, maybe Friday and Saturday.

Lee could return to the Chicago Cubs, who have been terrible without him and have fallen out of the National League Central race, when they start a homestand Monday against Milwaukee.

"You can't duplicate check swings and swings and misses," Lee told Chicago reporters after it became known he had accepted playing at Iowa for a couple of games. "I don't want to come back, maybe do something unexpected and come out of the game. So just go test it out and go from there.

"It's probably the same thing to do. I've been out for two months. Batting practice is a great test, but there's still no test like the game."

Lee didn't have to accept a rehab assignment, but the Cubs talked him into it. Manager Dusty Baker, who usually doesn't have a clue about anything, said it's necessary for Lee tgo get some at-bats in a real game before returning.

How many at-bats is up to him, but it's likely the rehab assignment wouldn't be for more than two or three games.

Lee had had said he didn't want to rehab in the minor leagues because he felt Chicago needed him. But the parent team's sorry state of affairs -- Chicago is 14 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis -- changed his mind.

Under Baker's leadership, Chicago is one of the worst teams in the major leagues. So what else is new?

It's Not Exactly USC Or Ohio State, But the Cyclones Will Play South Dakota State At Jack Trice Stadium In Ames On Aug. 30, 2008

2006-06-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

Here's one that will really grab you by the jockstrap.

I mean, it's not like they'll be deciding the national championship or anything at Jack Trice Stadium.

A Titanic struggle it isn't.

South Dakota State will play a 2008 football game at Iowa State.

Careful now. Don't get short of breath over that one.

I'll call a doctor if you do.

The two universities have agreed to a contract for a season-opening game Aug. 30, 2008 in Ames.

“First, we’re excited to get another Iowa team on our schedule,” South Dakota State associate athletic director Rob Peterson said. “It’s an easy trip, so our fans should be able to follow us on the road.

"Plus, there are a large number of South Dakota State alumni in Iowa so we can expect to have strong support at the game.”

Earlier, South Dakota State announced a 2009 game with the University of Minnesota.

The game at Iowa State, which replaces one originally scheduled at Idaho State, gives South Dakota State nine dates filled in 2008. Current contracts have home dates with Western Illinois Sept. 13, Nicholls State Sept. 20, McNeese State Oct. 4 and UC-Davis Oct. 25.

“We still need at least one more home date,” Peterson said.

South Dakota State has open dates Sept. 6, Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Nov. 22.

It will be the third time South Dakota State and Iowa State have met in football. The Cyclones lead the series 2-0, winning, 57-19, in 1952 and 34-6 in 1954.

Big Ten Will Be All Over the Tube On ABC, ESPN and Fox; Drake's Women's Basketball Team Plays In Cancun Next November

2006-06-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

The Big Ten today outlined new agreements with ABC-TV, ESPN and Fox Cable Networks that will provide Iowa and the league’s other 10 institutions with national television exposure for more sports than ever before in conference history.

“The real winners of these new initiatives are our institutions, our intercollegiate athletics programs, and our many friends and fans,” said Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby [right].

“Our institutions gain hundreds of hours of programming time to highlight their research and educational programs to a national audience. Our athletic programs benefit from significant new opportunities for sports offered across the league. And, our fans benefit from greater access to more events and more programming than ever before in our league’s history.”

Bowlsby said the new agreements speak directly to the Big Ten’s ability to maximize opportunities for the benefit of its member institutions and to forge long-term partnerships with “Best in Class” business partners.

“The Big Ten and its television partners have once again set the standard by which everyone will be measured. These agreements are proactive, entrepreneurial undertakings that will have long-term benefits for the University of Iowa and the hundreds of talented student-athletes who will participate in our intercollegiate athletics program in the years to come,” Bowlsby said.

“I personally want to thank Commissioner (Jim) Delany for his leadership and vision. Jim and his staff have worked tirelessly on behalf of the University of Iowa and the league’s other 10 member institutions. He has proven again why he is the absolute best in the business of intercollegiate athletics and is held in such high esteem by his peers,” Bowlsby added.

BIG TEN, ABC/ESPN EXTEND PARTNERSHIP

The Big Ten and ABC/ESPN announced a 10-year agreement that will enhance the opportunities for Big Ten football and men’s basketball teams while delivering 100 women’s basketball and volleyball events over the term of the agreement. Included in that collection of events is the championship game of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament.

Beginning with the 2007-08 academic year, the Big Ten’s new agreement with ABC and ESPN will result in up to 41 football games involving Big Ten teams being televised by either ABC or ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN Classic. Afternoon football games aired regionally on ABC will also air on ESPN or ESPN2 in outer markets, making these games available to a national audience.

“The relationship with ABC has served as the cornerstone of the league’s efforts in support of its football programs. It is exciting for fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Big Ten and college football to not only see this relationship continue, but for it to reach new heights in both the number of events televised live and the number of fans and friends who will have access to every broadcast,” said Bowlsby.

“There is no question that the agreement with ABC/ESPN provides greater exposure to our sports on a national basis. This is very significant to a wide variety of constituencies including our many alumni, friends, former student-athletes and future student-athletes.”

Iowa appeared on ABC three times in 2005 and all three games were televised to a regional audience. The Hawkeyes played four games in 2005 that were televised to a national audience by either ESPN or ESPN2.

Iowa’s 2006 television schedule already includes one game on ABC that will be available on a regional basis (Sept. 9 at Syracuse), one game on ESPN (Sept. 16 vs. Iowa State), and one game on ESPNU (Sept 2 against Montana). Iowa’s Sept. 30 date with Ohio State will be televised live by either ABC or ESPN. Iowa expects all 12 of its 2006 regular season football games to be televised live, a mark that will extend the school's streak of consecutive games televised live to 64.

“From my perspective, the Big Ten has successfully taken a very proactive approach that offers significant opportunities to many of the sports programs that don’t enjoy the television exposure currently afforded our football and men’s basketball programs. I’m very excited for the student-athletes and coaches of those programs,” said Kirk Ferentz, head coach of the UI’s nationally ranked football program.

“With respect to football, it’s certainly beneficial to know that every game we play that is televised live by any of the Big Ten’s television partners will be available to fans of the Hawkeyes on a national basis,” Ferentz added.

“It’s also important for the parents and friends and family members of our current student-athletes and, of course, important for the talented high school student-athletes and parents involved in the recruiting process.”

ESPN and ESPN2 will televise approximately 60 Big Ten men’s basketball games – a total that is nearly double that which will be televised live this coming academic year by ESPN and ESPN2. The schedule will include Tuesday and Thursday night broadcasts during the nine-week Big Ten schedule and up to eight Saturday broadcasts.

Every game played by the Iowa men’s basketball team last season was televised live. That total included 10 games televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.

ESPN will continue its support of Big Ten volleyball and women’s basketball at levels that exceed the current agreement.

BIG TEN PARTNERS WITH FOX

The Big Ten also announced it had entered into a 20-year partnership with Fox Cable Networks to create the Big Ten Channel. The Big Ten will be the majority owner and Fox the minority owner of the Big Ten Channel, a new 365-days per year television network that promises to be the television destination for fans of the Hawkeyes and the league’s other 10 athletic programs.

The Big Ten Channel will broadcast live on a national basis. Programming will include, but is not limited to, 35-plus football games with each school having at least two games broadcast, at least 105 regular-season men’s basketball games, at least 55 regular-season women’s basketball games, a series of Olympic sporting events and a number of Big Ten championships.

“I see the Big Ten Channel advancing a long list of sports programs forward by providing opportunities that never before existed,” said Cindy Fredrick, head coach of Iowa's volleyball program.

“The impact of weekly television exposure during our competitive seasons for our volleyball, field hockey, wrestling, softball and baseball programs, to name a few, on a television channel that is available across the country is remarkable.”

The Big Ten Channel will also broadcast “Classic” events from its library of archived programming including memorable regular season events and post-season bowl games, basketball tournament games and championship events, weekly coaches’ shows and other programming produced by each institution, and 660 hours of non-athletic programming produced by the institutions.

The Big Ten Channel will be launched in August, 2007. It will be available on a non-exclusive basis to all cable television and satellite television distributors as part of their “basic” level of service. Fox has already entered into a charter affiliation agreement with DIRECTV, which will carry the Channel at launch nationwide on its “Total Choice” package, DIRECTV’s most broadly distributed tier, currently received by more than 15.4 million households.

“The Big Ten Channel provides an enormous opportunity to reach thousands of University of Iowa alumni and friends, millions of Big Ten alumni and friends, and fans of college athletics in general in Iowa, in the midwest and across the country,” said Bowlsby.

“It also raises the bar significantly for many of our sports programs by delivering live television coverage of a greater number events to a national audience more often than ever before in our league’s history.”

Bowlsby said the Big Ten Channel provides the Big Ten, the university and the other member institutions the very best opportunity to maximize the “brand” of the Big Ten.

“The Big Ten Channel moves everyone forward and, in many places, significantly forward. It is a very proactive, creative approach that offers the University of Iowa, its faculty and staff, its coaches, its student-athletes, its alumni, fans and friends remarkable opportunities,” he said.

MORE PROGRAMMING, MORE VIEWERS

The combination of a significant increase in programming that will be available to a larger number of potential viewers is the dynamic that excites Bowlsby.

“We move from 279 events broadcast on a national, regional or local basis this coming academic year to more than 500 events all available on a national basis in 2007-08. That is powerful and unprecedented,” he said.

The new agreements also have a positive impact on the university financially. The UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will receive approximately $7.5 million in additional revenue from the Big Ten in the first year of the new agreements.

“The additional revenue from these agreements should allow the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to support significant future commitments, including opportunities for student-athletes that were identified in the recent self-study for NCAA certification,” said Gary Fethke, Iowa's interim president.

“The new revenue will also help fund athletics facilities renewal and improvement and help cover inflationary increases in costs such as scholarships, energy, transportation and medical care.

Fethke said the annual budgeting process for fiscal year 2007-08 –- the first year of the new agreements – will take into consideration the revenues embodied in the agreements and that Iowa's new athletic director will work with university administration in developing the budget that will ultimately be reviewed and approved by the Board of Regents in the spring of 2007.

“We are delighted that the Big Ten has renewed its relationship with ABC and ESPN, and it is partnering with Fox to create the Big Ten Channel,” Fethke added.

"The Big Ten Channel promises to be a tremendous platform for presenting the breadth and quality of our academic and athletics programs to the entire nation. In addition to what it will offer our student-athletes and our many friends and fans, the Big Ten Channel will provide our faculty, staff and students new opportunities to make the nation aware of the best we have to offer in teaching, research and service.”

* * *

Bud Appleby of Des Moines writes:

"I don't think Drake has announced it yet, but the women's basketball team will play in a tournament at Cancun, Mexico, in November."

Appleby sent me a release from Monmouth Univresity of West Long Branch, N.J., that says the Bulldogs will be among the teams playing in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun.

Drake coach Amy Stephens was vacationing in Mexico when her new boss, athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb, was introduced a couple of weeks ago.

Here's the release from Monmouth:

Monmouth University women’s basketball coach Michele Baxter announced the program’s 2006-20007 schedule today, which includes visits from Rice University and American University as well as the Blue and White traveling to Cancun, Mexico to participate in the Caribbean Classic. The Hawks have 29 contests on the schedule with 16 of those games being played in Boylan Gym.

The Blue and White opens its 2006-2007 schedule with three consecutive home games as they play host to Rice on Friday, Nov. 10 in the opener, followed by Rider on Nov. 17 and St. Peter’s on Nov. 20.

The Hawks then travel to Cancun, Mexico, to participate in the Caribbean Classic. Monmouth joins Indiana State, Richmond, Drake, Bucknell and Marshall as the six teams in the annual classic.

Hawkeye Coaches Alford, Blevins, Bluder Awarded One-Year Contract Extensions, Pay Raises By Outgoing Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby

2006-06-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

University of Iowa coaches Gayle Blevins [left], Lisa Bluder [top] and Steve Alford [right] have been awarded one-year contract extensions by outgoing athletic director Bob Bowlsby, it was announced today.

“These contract extensions and adjustments in compensation reflect our appreciation and our confidence in each of these valued members of our staff,” Bowlsby said. “They also reflect our desire to provide the new director of athletics at the UI flexibility moving forward.”

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: The news is traveling slowly these days. I wrote in my May 20 column that an impeccable source had told me Alford signed a contract extension. So today's announcement about him was no big deal. However, with the announcements of the contract extensions and pay raises for Alford, Bluder and Blevins, it becomes even more evident what a pleasure it must have been for coaches to work under Bowlsby in Iowa City. With the exception, that is, of Jim Zalesky, who was fired as the Hawkeyes' wrestling coach].

Blevins, who recently completed her 19th season as coach of the softball program by guiding the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament for the 14th time in school history, is now under contract at Iowa until July 1, 2007. Blevins’ salary for the 2006-07 academic year will be $115,800, an increase of 14.43 percent.

Bluder, who recently completed her sixth season as coach of the women’s basketball program by guiding the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time, is now under contract until June 30, 2011. The contract includes a salary of $293,908 for 2006-07, an increase of 11.71 percent.

Alford, who recently completed his seventh season as head coach of the men’s basketball program by guiding the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament as the champion of the Big Ten Conference’s postseason tournament, is now under contract until June 30, 2010. The contract includes a salary of $500,000 for 2006-07, an increase of 16.78 percent.

Blevins guided Iowa to a 39-22 record in 2006, a season that included the UI being asked to be one of just 16 teams across the country to host an NCAA Regional event. Six Hawkeyes earned all-Big Ten honors and two –- Emily Nichols and Stacy May –- were named to the Midwest All-Region team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Blevins’ has won two Big Ten tournament titles and five regulars season titles during her Iowa career.

Bluder’s Hawkeyes overcame a series of season-ending injuries to starters and top reserves to record 10 wins in Big Ten play and the team’s fourth upper division finish under her leadership. The team was led by senior guard Crystal Smith, who was selected by Phoenix in this year’s WNBA Draft, and freshman center Megan Skouby, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Bluder 2001 Hawkeyes won the Big Ten tournament title.

Alford’s Hawkeyes won 25 games in 2005-06 –- the second-best single-season total in school history and a mark that included 17 victories inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The appearance in the NCAA tournament was the third for Iowa and the team’s sixth postseason appearance total under Alford. Iowa’s 2006 conference tournament title was Alford’s second. Iowa also had two players -- senior Greg Brunner and junior Adam Haluska –- named academic all-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America and ESPN. Both were third-team selections.

It is the intention of Iowa interim president Gary Fethke to meet with the new director of athletics shortly after he or she arrives to determine the most desirable length of contract for each head coach.

Take It From Charlie Of Chickasaw: 'ISU Has As Much Chance Of Overtaking Hawkeyes In the Hearts and Minds Of Iowa Fans As Does Ankeny Bible College'

2006-06-20T07:36:00.000-05:00

People are still buzzing about Jamie Pollard, the first-year Iowa State athletic director who has decided that this is now a Cyclone state.

What's more, at an recent Iowa State banquet in Cedar Rapids -- a Hawkeye hotbed -- Pollard said there will soon be a billboard there that proclaims this a Cyclone state.

Here's some of my mail on that subject:

"Ron,

"I'd bet money that you're right on target when you say Jamie Pollard will bolt for Wisconsin the nanosecond Alvarez retires. You can quote Charlie from Chickasaw: ISU has as much chance of overtaking Iowa in the hearts and minds of Iowa sports fans as does Ankeny Bible College. It wouldn't matter if Evy himself were the Cyclone AD. I agree with my friend Larry from Lawler: Pollard is just blowing smoke."

Charlie from Chickasaw

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Charlie, you bring up some bigtime heavy-hitters when you mention Forest Evashevski [upper left], the former Iowa football coach and athletic director, and Barry Alvarez, a former Iowa assistant football coach, retired head football coach at Wisconsin and present athletic director there. Pollard [lower right] is feeling pretty good about his school after the football and basketball success Iowa State had last season against Iowa, but it's going to take more than one year to turn this into a Cyclone state. Let's see what the 2006-2007 school year brings].

* * *

Iowa graduate Al Schallau, who now lives in California, writes:

"Ron,

"I would say this to Jamie Pollard and anyone else who says that Iowa is now a Cyclone state: How is the Cyclone baseball team doing?

"I think it is shameful that Iowa State does not have a baseball team. And since Jamie Pollard took over as athletic director, I have not read or heard of any vigorous efforts on his part to restore the Iowa State baseball program. What would it take to do that?"

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I agree with Schallau on most things, but not on having college baseball at Iowa State and Iowa. It's too cold in this state to play collegiate baseball in the spring, and if a player is any good he doesn't want to play in Iowa City or Ames in April. Iowa State was smart enough to dump baseball several years ago, and I think Iowa should do the same thing. Baseball is a money-loser and should be reserved for universities and colleges in the south and west].

* * *

Old friend Harold Yeglin writes:

"Ron:

"Talk about hypocrisy, what about this: The NCAA bans use of Indian nicknames, etc., and sends Illinois' Chief Illiniwek [left] back to the reservation. Meanwhile, all those suits at NCAA headquarters are no doubt driving around in the NCAA's 'official car,' the Pontiac.

"'Pontiac,'" Isn't that an Indian name?

"Just a crazy thought."

Harold Yeglin

P.S.: $2.7 million for a college football coach! The world has gone mad."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Great point about Chief Illiniwek, Harold. And, yes, the world has gone mad -- with or without Kirk Ferentz's $2.7 million salary at Iowa].

* * *

Sam from Shellsburg keeps track of the hirings and firings at the university level. He sent this e-mail after Sandy Hatfield Clubb was named the new athletic director at Drake:

"Ron,

"Would you ever hire anyone Gene Smith recommended? Wouldn't that be a red flag, warning buzzer, or whatever you want to call it? Especially for a D-I athletic program. I think I'd go with someone he wouldn't recommend."

Sam from Shellsburg

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Hatfield Clubb worked for Smith when he was the athletic director at Arizona State. Ol' Smitty went to Arizona State after screwing things up at Iowa State for several years. He never did background checks on coaches he hired, and he once brought in a volleyball coach who didn't have a college degree and lied about her playing career. Let's hope Hatfield Clubb is the real deal].

* * *

Former Iowan Gordy Scoles also wrote about Drake:

"Ron,

"Several months ago I wrote about Drake heading for Division III. I didn't get many takers on the idea. I'm sticking with D-III in Drake's future."

Gordy Scoles

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Drake already has a non-scholarship program in football. The men's and women's basketball programs have been stuck in a rut for quite some time now, so I'm starting to think Division III could be around the corner. It would be a shame for that to happen at a university that sent a team to the NCAA Final Four in 1969, but things are definitely getting stagnant athletically at Drake].

* * *

Paul Delger, a longtime friend, is going into the writing business.

Here's what he's saying about it at his paulswritingservice.com website:

The Power of Communication

"The written word is a powerful communication tool. Do you want that communication to make a lasting impression on the reader? Maybe you struggle putting words together or just want some polish on a completed piece. Paul's Writing Service will assist you with both goals and do it according to your specifications.

"Maybe you are a business that needs top-notch writing for a brochure, press release, newsletter or advertising copy. You may also need someone to edit that company report or memo.

"Maybe you are an individual who needs a cover letter, resume or complaint letter written. You may also require solid editing assistance.

"Paul's Writing Service is willing to tackle various types of written communication with professionalism and flair. You will appreciate the personal service and the attention to detail."

Contact Information

"Paul's Writing Service wants to serve your communications needs. I would be pleased to assist you with your writing and/or editing projects. Put my writing or editing experience and talents to work for you.

"Contact me one of three ways:

"E-mail: info@paulswritingservice.com

"paul@paulswritingservice.com

"Telephone: 641-762-3684

"Mail: Paul's Writing Service
"PO Box 175
"Kanawha, IA 50447

"I look forward to hearing from you."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Paul is a talented writer who will be able to fulfill anyone's writing needs. He has only one very, very minor flaw. He's a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Give him a holler anyway].

* * *

Bud Appleby of Des Moines writes:

"During coverage of the Drake Relays, one of the TV stations had some film of a really neat new statue of a bulldog. I thought at the time that it was just outside Drake Stadium, but I drive past there a couple of times a week and I have never seen it. Do you know where it is?"

Bud Appleby

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: That's the only question I don't have the answer to today, Bud. Maybe my readers will be able to help].

* * *

I was worried about Jerry Perkins. I was told he had a bulging disc.

But the story has a happy ending. Nobody should have a bulging disc or a bulging anything -- certainly not the farm editor.

Here's the memo that circulated throughout the Register's newsroom:

From: "Taylor, Warren" wtaylor@desmoine.gannett.com
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:33:44 -0500
To: DESMOINES-NEWSROOM DESMOINES-NEWSROOM@desmoine.gannett.com
Cc: fruhling@illowa.net
Conversation: Perk's up
Subject: Perk's up

Jerry Perkins' back surgery to fix a bulging disc went well, he says the doctor said, and "No more pain in my leg." Operation was yesterday afternoon at Methodist. He and Peggy got home at 10:30 p.m. This morning he took a stroll around his yard: "A little unsteady." This afternoon he's busy switching his TV between the U.S. Open and his beloved Cubs.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Nice going, Perk! Those doctors are doing a great job these days keeping your disc from bulging].

* * *

Memo to Ken Fuson [upper right]:

Congratulations on your upcoming 50th birthday. After all these years, it's good to see that you've still got a smile on your face in that photo.

And all the folks on pensions from the paper thank your family for buying that ad in "Milestones."

Anything helps these days.

Iowa State's Brent Curvey Among 54 Linemen Placed On Preseason Outland Trophy Watch List; Sale Of Iowa's Season Football Tickets Suspended

2006-06-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

The Football Writers Association of America has announced the 2006 Outland Trophy watch list.

Fifty-four standout linemen from around the country, including Iowa State senior defensive lineman Brent Curvey of Houston, TX, have been nominated for preseason consideration.

The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best offensive or defensive lineman in college football since 1946. The winner is selected by the FWAA's All-America Committee, which selects the association's 25-man team and picks three Outland Trophy finalists.

The 2005 Outland Trophy announcement will be on Dec. 7 in Orlando, Fla., on the ESPN College Football Awards Show. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee and First Data Corporation, is set for Jan. 11, 2007, in Omaha, Neb.

Minnesota center Greg Eslinger won the 2005 Outland Trophy. He was the third player from Minnesota to win the award after Tom Brown (1960) and Bobby Bell (1962). He is only the third center to claim major-college football's third-oldest award.

The Outland Trophy has been awarded annually by the FWAA since 1946. It is named after the late John Outland, a lineman at Pennsylvania at the turn of the century.

Nebraska has more Outland Trophy winners than another school. Seven Cornhuskers have claimed the trophy, with Nebraska center Dave Rimington being the only player to win it twice (in 1981 and '82).

Additional Outland Trophy candidates may be added during the course of the season. Tackles, guards and centers are eligible for consideration.

2006 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST

Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown

Will Arnold, LSU G Jr. Gloster, Miss.
Sam Baker, USC OT Jr. Tustin, Calif.
Kirk Barton, Ohio State OT Jr. Massillon, Ohio
George Batiste, Southern Miss OL Sr. Avondale, La.
Josh Beekman, Boston College G Sr. Amsterdam, N.Y.
Justin Blalock, Texas OT Sr. Plano, Texas
Conrad Bolston, Maryland DT Sr. Burtonsville, Md.
Levi Brown, Penn State OT Sr. Granby, Pa.
Andrew Browning, Boise State DT Sr. Lake Oswego, Ore.
Ryan Clady, Boise State OT So. Rialto, Calif.
Brent Curvey, Iowa State DL Sr. Houston, Texas
Brian Daniels, Colorado OL Sr. Evergreen, Colo.
Tim Duckworth, Auburn G Sr. Taylorsville, Miss.
Mark Fenton, Colorado C Sr. Inglewood, Calif.
Doug Free, Northern Illinois OT Sr. Manitowoc, Wis.
Roman Fry, Clemson OL Sr. Ironton, Ohio
Howie Fuimaono, UNLV DL Sr. Chula Vista, Calif.
Rhema Fuller, Connecticut DT Sr. Cocoa, Fla.
Jared Gaither, Maryland OT So. White Plains, Md.
Ryan Harris, Notre Dame OL Sr. St. Paul, Minn.
Daniel Inman, Georgia OT Sr. Hope Mills, N.C.
Tanner Jenkins, Arkansas State C Sr. Baton Rouge, La.
Chase Johnson, Wyoming OT Sr. Loveland, Colo.
Ryan Kalil, USC C Sr. Corona, Calif.
Jake Kuresa, BYU OL Sr. Millville, Utah
Jake Long, Michigan OL Sr. Lapeer, Mich.
Enoka Lucas, Oregon C Sr. Honolulu, Hawaii
Kurt Mann, Nebraska OL Sr. Grand Island, Neb.
Brandon Mebane, California DT Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Remel Meekins, Rutgers DL Sr. Westwood, N.J.
Dan Mozes, West Virginia OL Sr. Washington, Pa.
David Ochoa, Kansas OL Sr. Houston, Texas
Jeff Perrett, Tulsa OT Sr. Taber, Alberta
Jeremy Perry, Oregon State OL So. Laie, Hawaii
Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State DT Sr. Piqua, Ohio
Kurt Quarterman, Louisville OL Sr. Albany, Ga.
Manuel Ramirez, Texas Tech OL Sr. Sugarland, Texas
SirVincent Rogers, Houston OL Jr. Jasper, Texas
Samson Satele, Hawaii OL Sr. Kaneohe, Hawaii
Arron Sears, Tennessee OT Sr. Russellville, Ala.
Jeremy Sheffey, West Virginia G Sr. Catlettsburg, Ky.
Brian Stamper, Vanderbilt OT Sr. Windermere, Fla.
Herbert Taylor, TCU OT Sr. Houston, Texas
Shannon Tevaga, UCLA G Jr. Paramount, Calif.
Joe Thomas, Wisconsin OL Sr. Brookfield, Wis.
Marcus Thomas, Florida DT Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
Robert Turner, New Mexico G Sr. Austin, Texas
Kelly Talavou, Utah DL Sr. Santa Ana, Calif.
Tavo Tupola, Utah OL Sr. Kahuku, Hawaii
Steve Vallos, Wake Forest OT Sr. Boardman, Ohio
Greg Wafford, Kansas State OL Sr. Lancaster, Texas
Theodric Watson, South Florida OL Sr. St. Petersburg, Fla.
Eric Wood, Louisville OL So. Cincinnati, Ohio
Kyle Young, Fresno State C Sr. Fallbrook, Calif.

* * *

Sales of season tickets for Iowa's home games of Iowa’s football team to the general public have been suspended, the athletic department said today.

Iowa hs sold approximately 42,000 general public season tickets, according to David Sandstrum, director of ticket operations. That number –- paired with sales of 4,000 season tickets to current and retired faculty and staff and projected sales of 10,500 season tickets to students –- has exhausted the supply of tickets that can be sold on a season ticket basis.

* * *

Drake placed sixth and Northern Iowa seventh in the final 2005-06 Missouri Valley Conference all-sports standings.

The Bulldogs won the Valley's regular-season women's soccer title for the third straight year, and captured the men's tennis tournament championship.

The Bulldogs placed second in the men's cross-country championship and men's golf championship. Drake finished second in the women's basketball regular-season standings and men's tennis regular-season standings.

Wichita State captured the all-sports trophy for the third straight season.

The trophy is based on a school's average finish in each of the sponsored championships by the Valley. Teams are awarded one point for first, two for second, three for third, etc., and the total accumulated points are divided by the number of sports in which a particular school competes. Finishes in baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball are based on regular-season competition. All other sports are determined by finish at the championship tournament or championship meet.

ALL-SPORT STANDINGS

1. Wichita State 40.5 points 2.70
2. Missouri State 65.5 points 3.64
3. Illinois State, 72.5 points 4.26
4. Southern Illinois, 71 points 4.44
5. Indiana State, 68.5 points 4.89
6. Drake, 75 points 5.00
7. Northern Iowa, 83 points 5.19
8. Bradley, 87 points 6.21
9. Creighton, 86 points 6.62
10. Evansville, 88.5 points 6.80

Long After Lewis Lloyd and His 'Street Offense' At Drake, Mavericks TV Analyst Bob Ortegel Is Still Enjoying the Rewards Basketball Gives Him

2006-06-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen or talked to Bob Ortegel for a while, and that's too bad.

Ortegel's name came to mind the other night when I was spending my usual 3 minutes watching the Dallas Mavericks play the Miami Heat in yet another NBA playoff game.

For overpaid basketball players to still be slam-dunking as I start giving some thought to my Fourth of July fireworks and picnics is....well, idiotic.

Whatever, watching the Mavericks on the tube took me back more than 30 years.

I was thinking of Ortegel [right], not Mark Cuban and his Dallas players.

I knew Ortegel was the longtime analyst on the Mavericks' telecasts, but that means nothing around here. What he does on Dallas' local telecasts isn't shown in Iowa, now or during the regular season.

It's all network stuff now.

Come to think of it, I'll bet some of you don't even know who Bob Ortegel is.

Well, he was Drake's basketball coach from 1974 through 1981, and his very first team at the school won a national championship.

You read that right.

National championship.

Not every coach can say that.

No, it wasn't the NCAA title, which Drake came so very close to winning in 1969 when Maury John was running the Bulldogs' show so masterfully.

No, it wasn't the National Invitation Tournament, which is where Drake teams played in 1964, 1981 and 1986.

Ortegel's 1974-75 Bulldogs decorated a 19-10 season by winning something called the National Commissioners Invitational Tournament in Louisville, Ky.

The NCIT was a postseason event the National Collegiate Athletic Association bosses put together in an attempt to kill the NIT, which it then had no control over.

In effect, the NCIT was a tournament for third-place finishers in their conferences.

Don't laugh. There were some good teams in it. Drake beat Southern California, 80-70, in its first game, beat Bowling Green, 78-65, in its second game and held off Arizona, 83-76, to win the championship.

Larry Haralson was Drake's leading scorer that season with a 20.1 average, and Terry McKissick was the top rebounder with an 8.4 average.

I've still got the wristwatch Ortegel made sure I received from the tournament, and it keeps time after all those years.

I do wonder about something, though. The thieves that broke into my home 25 or so years ago didn't bother taking the watch.

I don't know if that's indicative of what they thought of the watch or what they thought of the National Commissioners tournament.

Whatever, unlike the watch, the tournament lasted only a few seasons.

Ortegel had come to Drake as an assistant on Howard Stacey's staff, Stacey was the poor stiff who had to succeed John in the 1971-72 season after the Best Coach In Drake History took the Iowa State job.

It didn't take long for Drake officials to realize that Stacey wasn't the answer. After records of 7-19, 14-12 and 13-13, he was shown the door.

In came Ortegel, who seemed like a breath of fresh air -- especially when his 1974-75 team beat Texas, 103-98, in overtime and won at Iowa State, 65-64, in December.

Ortegel is a guy whose style is probably what Drake needs now. The recruiting rules were looser at the school then, and he was able to bring in players Drake couldn't or wouldn't waste a plane ticket on these days.

One was Lewis Lloyd [left], who set a record with a 30.2-point season scoring average in 1979-80, then averaged 26.3 in 1980-81. His number was retired by the school in 1981, something that still rankles living members of John's 1968-69 team that went to the Final Four.

Ortegel was a likable guy who I enjoyed dealing with most of the time during his seven seasons at Drake.

He understood my needs as a newspapermnan, and I tried to understand his needs as a coach.

One Saturday when I was preparing to drive to Ames to cover an Iowa State football game, he called me at home to tell me Lloyd had been injured in a pickup game. That gave me a good story for the Sunday paper.

I know one thing. Lute Olson never did anything like that when he was coaching at Iowa.

Another time, Ortegel called me at home to tell me he was suspending two or three players who had misbehaved during Drake's road trip to New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M.

In those days, Drake's players and traveling party had made a habit of going into Mexico whenever they played at New Mexico State [which then was in the Missouri Valley Conference].

Evidently, a few of the Bulldogs had treated themselves to something other than tacos, enchiladas and cream soda on one of their trips across the border, and Ortegel called me to say he was suspending them.

That made for a good story, too.

Not so good for the players and Drake, but good for me.

Actually, Ortegel was a guy most reporters liked. If you were covering his team on the road, he invited you to dine at the team's pregame meal on game day, and he enjoyed entertaining you with stories, food and cream soda or other liquids on road trips throughout the season.

Ol' Bob never tried to overwhelm you with X's and O's. At one preseason press conference he told us he was planning to install something called the "street offense," which meant there wasn't much structure to it.

"Street offense" indicated there was about as much discipline connected with it as the "street" games that were being played in the ghettos in those days.

No matter. Ortegel's teams were usually fun to watch.

Ortegel finally called it quits after his 1980-81 team went 18-11 and lost to Minnesota, 90-77, in the first round of the NIT.

My guess is that he had determined he wasn't going to be the next Maury John, even though his teams were much more respectable than those in the 19 straight non-winning seasons the school has had under Gary Garner, Tom Abatemarco, Rudy Washington, Kurt Kanaskie and Tom Davis.

When he left Drake, Ortegel went into what the Mavericks call "the corporate world."

For 14 years, he was an executive with ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., and Merle Harmon's FanFair.

It's probably fitting that Ortegel worked for an outfit called ShowBiz because he's always had plenty of show biz in his blood.

He even went Hollywood on us recently. Ortegel played the role of a sportscaster in the movie "Glory Road" that chronicled Don Haskins' Texas Western basketball program.

This was Ortegel's 24th year as a TV basketball analyst and his 18th with the Mavericks. He's worked with ESPN, ABC, the Southwest Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference Game of the Week. In addition to his TV responsibilities with the Mavs, he headlines the team's speakers' bureau.

It's difficult for me to believe that Ortegel will turn 66 years of age in September and that his four daughters -- Kim, Kari and identical twins Mindi and Missi -- have presented him with eight grandchildren.

But time obviously marches on.

Summing it up, basketball has been good to Bob Ortegel, and he's been good for the game.

Article About Grassley On TV, In Newspapers -- But Not the Register. Bud Appleby Wonders 'What Register's Crack Washington Staff Has Been Doing'

2006-06-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

Bud Appleby of Des Moines writes:

"Interesting story about Senator Grassley [right] on TV last night and in the Washington Post and other newspapers this morning. But it was not in the Register.

"Makes a person wonder what the crack staff at the Register's Washington bureau has been doing.

"The Washington Post story was on the Register's website early this morning, but it looks like it has been removed from there. At least I can't find it now.

"Here is the AP version:

WASHINGTON - Federal health officials on Wednesday rebuffed a lawmaker's attempt to meet with a Food and Drug Administration special agent who is investigating an antibiotic linked to a dozen reports of liver failure, including several deaths.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Health and Human Services Department officials denied him access to the agent. Grassley later said he may convene a Senate Finance Committee hearing as part of that staff's ongoing investigation into allegations of fraud connected with trials of the drug, Ketek.

"I smell a cover-up," said Grassley, who is chairman of the committee.

Allowing the agent to speak to Grassley would have violated policy and compromised that agent's work, FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro said.

"Imposing inquiries on an investigator during the process and or releasing documents involved with an open investigation could essentially provide a roadmap of our ongoing work and seriously undermine the investigation," Bro said.

The FDA has received reports of 12 cases of acute liver failure, including four deaths, in patients treated with Ketek, according to an internal FDA memo. Sanofi-Aventis SA makes the drug, which the FDA approved in 2004. The company has said it believes Ketek is safe and effective when used as directed.

If warranted, the FDA would consider strengthening warnings on the drug's label, Bro said.

The FDA-approved label for Ketek warns of liver disfunction that can be severe but is "usually reversible."

* * *

"On another matter," Appleby wrote, "I noticed on Page 7B this morning that 'The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon' thinks the town of Shell Rock is spelled as one word -- Shellrock."

* * *

This just in.....

A source in the Register newsroom says editor Carolyn Washburn and managing editor Randy Brubaker are being blamed equally for the screw-up on the Grassley article.

It figures.

* * *

Todd Voss, who had a 108-32 record in four years as the women's basketball coach at Concordia [Neb.] University while leading the team to a pair of NAIA Final Four appearances, has been named assistant women's basketball coach at Drake.

Voss [left] will replace former assistant coach Jon Will, who left Drake in May to be named head coach at East High School in Cheyenne, Wyo.

"I am extremely excited about the addition of Todd Voss to our staff," said Drake coach Amy Stephens. "Todd brings a wealth of winning experiences to our staff and his track record with post players is second to none."

Voss led Concordia to NAIA Division II Final Four appearances in 2003 and 2005. During the 2002-2003 season, the Bulldogs finished 36-2 en route to earning the No. 1 national ranking in the final NAIA poll.

During the 2003-04 reason, Concordia reached the Elite Eight of the NAIA tournament, while posting a 28-8 record. In the 2004-05 season, the Bulldogs finished 31-5. This past season, Concordia finished 13-17.

"We are really excited to join the Drake family," said Voss, a native of Schleswig, IA. "Drake is an outstanding academic institution and I am thrilled about the opportunity to join Amy Stephens and her staff."

Voss and his wife Amy have a 9-year old daughter, Karlee.

Lifelong Wisconsin Football Fan Loses Out On Badger Season Tickets, But Iowa Fan Website Makes Sure He'll See Nov. 11 Game At Kinnick Stadium

2006-06-15T05:46:00.000-05:00

There's a happy ending to Bill Meunier's story.

Meunier is a longtime Wisconsin fan who will be able to attend the Badgers' football game Nov. 11 at Iowa, thanks to some very nice, and generous, Iowans.

Here's Doug Moe's story in the Capital Times of Madison that was sent to me by Jane Burns, a former newspaper colleague of mine in Des Moines:

Bill Meunier, the 54-year-old lifelong Badger fan from Milwaukee who got famous last week when his $550 donation to UW athletics did not result in a chance to buy football tickets, will be going to at least one Badger football game this coming season.

Meunier will be attending the Iowa-Wisconsin game on Nov. 11.

Note that the game is not at Camp Randall Stadium. Rather, Meunier and a guest will travel to historic Kinnick Stadium, for an all-expenses-paid football weekend in Iowa City, courtesy of donations from members of HawkeyeReport.com, an Iowa football fan website.

The inspiration for this comes from Aaron Comer, a 42-year-old marketing executive who lives in Coralville, adjacent to Iowa City.

Comer is a member of HawkeyeReport.com, and he first heard about Meunier and his plight after reading a link on the site to my colleague Todd Finkelmeyer's original story, which quickly gave UW athletics a public relations headache.

Meunier had sent in his $550, and, owing to some imprecise language in the UW promotional material, expected he would be given an opportunity to buy season football tickets. Because the demand for tickets was high, fewer than expected new opportunities for purchase were available, and Meunier was among those out of luck --and, originally, out $550.

Meunier earns $25,000 annually working for a Milwaukee non-profit, so 500 bucks is a lot of money to him.

When Comer, down in Iowa, read the story in the Capital Times, he checked the message board on HawkeyeReport.com and found a member posting that said: "We ought to reimburse that guy."

Comer thought it was a swell idea, and contacted his fellow Hawkeye fan to say so.

The man replied: "I was actually joking."

Comer wasn't laughing. Or maybe he was laughing. In any case, he was serious about following through on the idea.

Comer posted a message saying he was donating $100 to reimburse Meunier the cost of his UW athletics donation, and he welcomed other Hawkeye boosters to donate as well.

He was not prepared for the level of enthusiasm his plan generated.

"The response was overwhelming," Comer was saying Tuesday.

After an hour and a half, he had hit the goal of $550. But that wasn't all. Restaurants wanted to donate meals, hotels offered accommodation. "Offers were pouring in," he said.

Comer admits that his purpose was twofold. He genuinely wanted to help Meunier, a man "who has committed his life and career to helping others," in Comer's words. But he also saw a golden opportunity to tweak gridiron archrival UW. "It did occur to me that this could be pretty funny," Comer said.

It also occurred to Comer, by the middle of last week, that the money was pouring in but he had yet to ask Meunier if he was interested in coming to Iowa City.

"For all I knew," Comer said, "he could have been such a Badger fan that he'd tell me to stick it up my Hawkeye butt."

I thought immediately of a famous Madison incident in the 1970s, when strip club owner Al Reichenberger tried to pay the $200 bail of the Rev. Wayne Dillabaugh, who was in the Dane County Jail for excessively spanking a young boy at his church school. Dillabaugh had been a highly visible critic of Reichenberger and the Dangle Lounge. When Dillabaugh learned who had paid his bail, he ran back into the jail. He called it "funny money." Reichenberger's pal Eddie Ben Elson then petitioned the court to make Dillabaugh pay room and board since he refused to leave jail.

Bill Meunier did not have a Dillabaugh-like reaction. Though he was guarded at first, Comer said, Meunier quickly warmed to the idea and accepted the invitation to come to Iowa City.

Comer recalled: "He said, 'I'm almost ready to cry.' "

Meunier told Comer that UW had agreed to refund his original $550, so the decision was made to donate that amount from the Iowa fund to the Milwaukee chapter of the Senior Companion program.

Since as of Tuesday Comer had raised over $1,000, the rest of the donations will be used for game tickets and other expenses to ensure that Meunier has an appropriately high-rolling time in Iowa City.

There are plans for a Friday dinner at the Iowa River Power Company, a popular steakhouse overlooking the Iowa River in Coralville, and Comer said that the publisher of HawkeyeReport.com plans to take Meunier to the Wig & Pen, a pub that's a favorite with Hawkeye fans.

Meunier will also be given a full allocation of Hawkeye gear, including shirts and caps. "But of course he doesn't have to wear them," Comer said.

He chuckled. "We're not out to convert anybody."

Iowa-Iowa State Football Game Sept. 16 In Iowa City Will Start at 11:05 a.m. and Be Televised By ESPN; Hawkeyes' Game Against Montana On ESPNU

2006-06-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Iowa-Iowa State football game Sept. 16 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City will be televised by ESPN, starting at 11:05 a.m.

The Hawkeyes' season opener Sept. 2 against Montana will televised by ESPNU, also starting at 11:05 a.m.

Iowa enters the 2006 season with a streak of 52 straight games being televised. Iowa’s first three games and four of the first five have already been announced for television this fall.

In addition to Hawkeye games against Montana and Iowa State, the Sept. 9 game at Syracuse will be on ABC and the Sept. 30 home game against Ohio State will be on either ABC or ESPN. The Syracuse game will kick off at 2:35 p.m., and the Ohio State game at 7:05 p.m.

Although not picked for TV yet, Iowa’s homecoming game against Purdue on Oct. 7 is set for an 11:05 a.m. kickoff.

* * *

University of Iowa alumnus Terry Mulligan, a Hawkeye football letterwinner, and Susan Mulligan have given $125,000 to the University of Iowa Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship for the Iowa football team.

The Terry and Susan Mulligan Football Scholarship will enable a deserving student-athlete to attend the university each year, with preference given to business majors.

Athletic director Bob Bowlsby said the Mulligans’ gift is a demonstration of the lifelong loyalty of Iowa student-athletes.

“When Terry Mulligan wore the Hawkeye uniform in the 1960s, he gave his all to his team and his university,” Bowlsby said. “With this gift, in addition to Terry’s other extensive service as an alumnus, he and Susan have shown that their commitment to their alma mater is as strong as ever. We are extremely grateful for the Mulligans’ generosity.”

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz echoed Bowlsby’s comments.

“Terry and Susan’s faith in our program will benefit Hawkeye student-athletes for generations,” Ferentz said. “The Mulligan Scholarship will help the UI stay competitive with the nation’s top programs.”

The Mulligans live in Bonita Springs, Fla., and Lake Forest, Ill. Susan Mulligan earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Iowa in 1967. Terry Mulligan, who retired in 1996 as group vice president of medical-supplies company Baxter International, earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from the university in 1968. He is now vice chairman of MedAssets, a company providing services to healthcare providers worldwide.

Guess Where Home Is Now For the Knucklehead Pitcher Whose Fastball Killed An Endangered Florida Osprey? Here At Good Ol' No-Name Ballpark!

2006-06-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Cubs have a big right-handed pitcher from South Korea named Jae-Kuk Ryu in their organization, and unfortunately for all of us he's now on the starting staff of the Iowa Cubs.

I use the word unfortunately because Ryu [right] has had a story following him around for three years that won't go away.

Ryu would like it to go away, Chicago would like it to go away, Des Moines would like it to go away, even the poor embarrassed bastards wearing those nail aprons who have to follow the I-Cubs' owners' orders and charge fans $5 to park their cars at No-Name Ballpark would like it to go away.

But it won't.

Ryu was signed five years ago by Leon Lee [the father of Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee.....more on him later] out of high school to a professional contract. The Cubs thought so highly of Ryu that they awarded him a $1.6 million bonus.

Ryu, of Choon Chung Do, was regarded as the best amateur and professional player in South Korea. Lee thought he could be dominant in the major leagues. In the last game of his high school career, he pitched a no-hitter and stuck out 20 of the 21 batters he faced.

After making stops in Boise and Lansing in the low minor leagues, trouble found Ryu when he was assigned to the Daytona Cubs.

For some idiotic reason, he intentionally threw a baseball at "Ozzy," a male osprey [left] that is an endangered bird. Ozzy, who had nested near the Daytona baseball park, died and Ryu received death threats from Ozzy-lovers, osprey-lovers, other bird-lovers and Ryu-haters

In other words, he pissed off a lot of people.

Ryu even faced possible deportation.

The Orlando Sentinel said angry people in Florida were calling Ryu a "murderer." However, long after Ryu killed the bird he still couldn't explain why he did it.

Public backlash became so strong in Florida that the Cubs had to demote him to the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League.

If you ask me, a dummy who killed a bird with a baseball deserved to be a Lugnut at sometime in his life.

I suppose you could defend Ryu by saying he was no more of a jackass than those in this nation who wear funny-looking outfits on Saturday mornings and shoot defenseless pheasants, geese and ducks with powerful guns. But at least defenseless pheasants, geese and ducks aren't endangered.

Ryu tried to explain his actions to the Sentinel.

Through an interpreter, he called what he did a "terrible mistake." Despite orders from the Chicago Cubs to shut up about the osprey-killing incident, he said, "I want people to know me inside, not just the outside. I want everyone to know I'm not a bad person."

Prosecutors pushed for the maximum $500 fine and community service.

Somehow, Ryu -- who has a fastball in the low 90s -- has continued to move through the Cubs' farm system, and has made two appearances for the Chicago Cubs already this season.

Neither has been pretty. Obviously, he's not ready for prime-time yet.

He lost to San Diego, 9-0, and to Atlanta, 13-12. In 1 1/3 innings against the Braves, Ryu surrendered four home runs.

I think Atlanta thought it was batting practice. Ryu's earned-run average for the National League Cubs is a whopping 40.50.

That's ideal for a lousy team like the Cubs. Ideal for a lousy manager like Dusty Baker.

Ryu's record with the Iowa Cubs is 2-4. The next time Chicago sees him will likely be when the September call-ups are made. Maybe TV announcer Bob Brenly will have replaced Baker as manager by then.

Then he can deal with Ryu, who is said to lack character and isn't liked by his teammates.

I suppose it's fitting that someone like Ryu would be a Chicago Cubs farmhand.

After all, Ben Christensen was, too.

Talk about goofballs.

Christensen was at the top of thst list.

Christensen is the former Wichita State pitcher who did a horrible thing Apr. 23, 1999. He threw a warmup pitch at Anthony Molina, an Evansville batter who was waiting in the on-deck circle 20 feet from home plate.

The ball hit Molina above his left eye, breaking bones and permanently damaging his vision.

The injury ruined any hope Molina had of being a professional player. Christensen, however, was the Cubs' 26th pick in the 1999 draft, and received a $1.06 million bonus. He reached Class AA in the Cubs' organization, but then had shoulder surgery and may never be heard from again.

Let's hope that's the case.

Leon Lee, the one-time Cubs' scout who signed Ryu, has also come on hard times.

After being with the Cubs' organization from 1998-2002, he managed in Japan in 2003. However, his team went only 41-76 and he didn't last a full season for his last-place team.

In 2004, he was managing the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones when he was charged with exposing himself to four women in a hotel in Port St. Lucie, Fla., during spring training.

The team forced him to resign. He was offered a chance to perform community service and pay $500 to clear his name, but refused. To pay legal fees, he liquidated many of his assets.

Tough thing for his son, Derrek, to endure.

But, as they say, that's baseball.

Especially when you're talking about the Cubs.

Filming Of 'The Final Season' Finally Gives Gonder and Maly a Chance to Talk About Their Standout Hollywood Careers In the Iowa Movie 'Dribble'

2006-06-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

I guess I've never told you about my Hollywood career.

But that's about to change right now.

My friend, Ron Gonder -- formerly of Des Moines and now of Cedar Rapids -- prompted me to flash back to the movie, "Dribble," in which both he and I appeared.

Let's see, I think our big-screen movie life probably lasted 5 minutes or 5 seconds, take your pick.

Gonder and I didn't win Oscars for our performances, and we weren't even nominated for Academy Awards.

That was a shame because we both held up our end of the bargain. We turned in starring roles.

I blame the movie's producers for screwing it up.

I think I was paid $100 to be in the movie. Or maybe it was $50. That and a lot of makeup. Hollywood always wants you to wear your makeup.

Gonder is retired as a sportscaster, but has been doing occasional commentaries for WMT of Cedar Rapids, the radio station for which he worked from 1969-1999. He had been at KRNT in Des Moines from 1965-1968.

Gonder was a tremendously talented football and basketball play-by-play announcer in his radio days -- blending a bit of humor along with a standout play-by-play ability. During his heyday at WMT, his broadcasts with commentator Mike Reilly were among the very best in bigtime college football.

Those days were a real premium for Hawkeye radio listeners. Gonder did the play-by-play on WMT, Jim Zabel was on WHO in Des Moines and Bob Brooks was with KCRG and KHAK in Cedar Rapids.

That all ended when Iowa went to a one-network operation for its football and basketball broadcasts, with Gary Dolphin the play-by-play announcer and Ed Podolak and Bobby Hansen the commentators. Gonder later became the sideline reporter for the Iowa football broadcasts, and Zabel and Brooks also did some work for the network for a while.

Gonder's most recent WMT commentary dealt with the movie, "The Final Season," which is being filmed in eastern Iowa about the Norway High School baseball team that wrapped up 20 state championships in the school's final year of existence before consolidation, as well as the movie, "Dribble," which featured -- well, kind of -- Gonder and me.

Gonder said what's gone on with "The Final Season" reminds him of "another movie that was being shot in the 1970s.....the movie was called 'Dribble' and was produced by the well-known George Nissen of Cedar Rapids, the man who invented the trampoline and owned an exercise equipment company.

"Nissen also owned the Iowa Cornets women's pro basketball team, which played its games at the U.S. Cellular Center, then the Five Seasons Center. The star of the Cornets was a former Iowa high shcool player, Molly Bolin, who was also to be one of the stars of the movie.

"She was a very attractive young lady and had the catchy nickname of Machine Gun Molly for her shooting skills. The main actor in the movie was former pro basketball star Pete Maravich, who was a machine gun himself, having led both pro basketball and the college nation in scoring."

Actually, Maravich's nickname was "Pistol Pete." So, with "Machine Gun Molly" [lower right] and "Pistol Pete" Maravich [lower left], you'd think you'd have a blast of a movie.

Gonder went on to explain how the basketball scenes in "Dribble" were "filmed in the gym of the old Regis High School, now a middle school. I was the WMT-TV sports guy at the time, now KGAN, and was recruited to be an extra for some of the basketball scenes and was to be one of the official scorers for the games in the movie. I wore the black-and-white striped zebra shirt at the scorer's table, and Ron Maly, sportswriter for the Des Moines Register and a Cedar Rapids native, sat beside me as another the scorers in the zebra shirt.

"One of those evenings I had my assistant shoot some film of the proceedings, including shots of Ron and me to be used on the TV sportscast that evening at 10. After the movie filming of that particular evening, Ron and I adjourned to the nearby Tic Toc restaurant to have a cold one and watch the 10 o'clock sports, still wearing our striped officials' shirts.

"As the shots of the two of us came up on the TV screen, a guy at the bar sitting next to us did a double-take, looking back and forth, first at the TV screen and then at Ron and me. He finally shouted out for in the place to hear, 'Hey, that's you two guys up there. What are you guys up to?'

"Telling him was both humorous and lucrative because it bought us a round of beers. As for the movie, 'Dribble,' it may have been humorous, but it definitely wasn't lucrative. The scenes I witnessed from my scorers' table seat looked pretty hammy to me. And apparently the rest of the movie wasn't any better.

"It never made it beyond a premier showing at a Cedar Rapids theater, which I never saw, but others said was pretty awful. George Nissen lost a lot of money on the venture, I heard. But Ron Maly and I? We came out one beer ahead."

I agree with Gonder about the movie. Even though we were wondering what might come of it when we were sitting in a room at Regis, having makeup applied to our faces by some sweet young thing hired by the movie company, I probably secretly wondered if we'd wind up on the cutting room floor.

I made it to the premier in Cedar Rapids, but I remembered telling someone that it would surprise me if "Dribble" would be good enough to appear at a drive-in theater that the city still had.

I did some research on the movie a couple of days ago. I covered a few of the Iowa Cornets' games in my earlier writing life. Some were played at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines, and I recall leaving press row to interview Nissen -- the team's owner -- about something.

Nissen was chewing on a cucumber when I got there.

I'm not sure if that indicated anything or not.

The Cornets became the first team in the Women's Basketball League in 1978. They were brought into the WBL when Nissen [upper right] purchased a franchise for $50,000.

Nissen said the Cornets would be a statewide team, with "home" games in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Molly Bolin, a native of Moravia, Ia., became the first player to sign with the team in July, 1978.

It was in 1978 that Nissen agreed to finance "Dribble." The film was supposed to be a comedy about an underdog women's team that beat a rival men's team. The movie attracted a great deal of attention when it opened in Iowa in January, 1979, but it received low box-office sales around the rest of the nation.

The Iowa Cornets had been drawing the biggest crowds in the WBL, but the league was suffering financially by 1980. Nissen sold 80 percent of the franchise to former disc jockey Dick Vance in January in 1980, but the franchise was terminated in September because Vance was unable to provide sufficient funds.

That brings me to the filming of "The Final Season," a movie about Norway High School baseball that's being filmed not only in the small eastern Iowa community of Norway, but also in Cedar Rapids, Shellsburg and even areas around Solon.

I hear that people are being paid $100 so the movie company can use their property. The producers want viewers to think they're watching baseball in rural Iowa, so they want Iowa barns in the footage.

Nothing like an Iowa barn, of course, to throw a baseball against. Didn't Bob Feller of Van Meter do that when he was getting ready for a stellar big league career?

I guess they offered one family $2,000 if it would move out of its home for a while so it do some filming there.

Some filming has been done in the Sutliff Road area of Solon, including the "Sutliff Bar and Grill," which will give you many reasons to have a grease fix -- a shrimp basket, chicken wings, fried fish, tenderloins, hamburgers....well, you get the idea.

They're trying to teach Hollywood actors how to play baseball. The last thing you want in a movie is the star of the show not knowing how to hold a bat or how to throw.

I hope "The Final Season" works for everyone and doesn't embarrass the state of Iowa. Hollywood has tried many times to do sports movies and, frankly, not many of them turn out very good.

That's because of Hollywood, not because of the subject matter.

Not every film can be "Field of Dreams."

I go back as far as movies about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, which were pretty bad. Trying to watch William Bendix play The Babe was a horrible experience.

Let's hope Norway baseball has better luck.

Home Is Just a Very Long Home Run Away--With, Of Course, the Help Of Some HGH and Steroids and Maybe Even One of Sammy Sosa's Old Corked Bats

2006-06-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Please understand that we, The Management and Editing Team at the Ronald Wesley Maly Dot Com Division, have no intention of turning this into a real estate site.

But occasionally we like to look at the interesting way housing dollars are being spent in the bustling Greater Des Moines area.

Mike Gartner got us thinking about that when he'd occasionally publish the photographs and facts about certain peoples' homes in this area in the little cityview paper he co-owns with his old pal, Gary Gerlach.

Now, we realize Ron Our Boss doesn't concern himself with things like that. As you know, he's forgotten who Gartner is or was. Honestly, he doesn't give a rat's ass about the guy.

But we, The Management and Editing Team, know that a few people in this state are interested in Gartner, if only because they regard him as an obnoxious creep who has an advanced case of little man's disease. We also figure that Gartner, a frequent target of those who question the goings-on in newspaper/baseball/Board of Regents circles, should have grown a thick skin by now and can stand being inspected and dissected.

That being said, a couple of us on The Management and Editing Team have a question or two. For one thing, we've wondered why Gartner and his employees have never treated readers to a photo of his own home in the little paper.

Cityview had Mike Blouin's condominium at 300 Walnut Street in Des Moines pictured recently. The West Des Moines home of former Des Moines Register editor Paul Anger was also featured once. But, as far as we know, cityview hasn't ever published a picture of the building Gartner calls home.

It seems like kind of a chickenshit way for the little paper to operate.

Consequently, we decided to give Gartner's residence a little pub today by putting the facts about it on Ron's site. Ron has been out of the state visiting his kids and grandchildren, so he left us in charge of the office.

You know what happens when The Boss is gone.

Gartner's address is listed as 100 Market Street in Des Moines, which puts him a wind-aided, human growth hormone-aided and steroids-aided Iowa Cubs home run away from one of his jobs at No-Name Ballpark.

Polk County assessor records show that the name Gartner is listed at 100 Market Street, but the first name isn't Mike. It's Barbara, and we're betting she's related to Mike. His wife maybe?

Actually, the Gartner name is listed in connection with more than one property at 100 Market Street. Hell, they may own the whole joint for all we know.

Of course, the building [pictured above] is where the old Younkers Warehouse used to be. Ron told us he bought a table and a couple of chairs there when he was a lot younger and his kids were a lot smaller. We're assuming that was when Younkers still owned the place and before Gartner moved in. As far as we know, Ron didn't buy any furniture from Gartner, and we figure Gartner sure as hell didn't give any away.

We haven't figured out why Mike isn't listed as the titleholder to the properties at 100 Market Street. But he's named as the buyer of Unit 515 at Brown Camp Lofts, even though Barbara is the titleholder and is listed as trustee.

Records show that Mike bought the condominium for $250,000 from Tanner Kinzler on Oct. 12, 2004. The assessed value is $175,200.

Condition of the condo is listed as "very good." The view quality is listed as "good."

That's really nice to know.

There are two floors, with the loft area serving as storage. There's one bedroom, one bath and 901 feet of finished living area. There are three rooms. The condo has heat and air conditioning.

Keep in mind that's only for Unit 515. Things really get interesting when we get to Unit 514 at Brown Camp Lofts.

Records show that Barbara Gartner bought that condominium from James H. Windsor IV for $727,000 on Aug. 31, 2004. Barbara Gartner is listed as titleholder No. 1 and titleholder No. 2.

The residential assessment is listed at $528,000. There are two floors, with storage in the loft area. There are two bedrooms, two full baths and a finished living area of 2,908 feet in six rooms.

Nice little layout.

The condo has heat and air conditioning. It's in "very good" condition and the view quality is "good." There are two parking spots. That's nice to know, too.

Like we said earlier, we're not planning to turn this website into a sub-division of Iowa Realty and Better Homes and Gardens, but with the Chicago Cubs resembling a Little League team this summer and with the Iowa and Iowa State football season still a ways away, we decided to step away briefly from the sports beat.

Working on this project was so much fun that we may take a look at more of the local housing scene later. If we do, we'll have a good time with it. Stay tuned.

How Hypocritical Can the NCAA Be? On the Day Ferentz's Pay Rises to $2.7 Million, His Quarterback Can't Accept $25,000 Car for Making a Hole-In-One

2006-06-05T06:48:00.000-05:00

George Wine of Coralville refers to the "hypocritical NCAA" while writing about the fat pay raise Iowa football Kirk Ferentz received and the fact Hawkeye quarterback Drew Tate couldn't accept money for a new car after making a hole-in-one at the Finkbine golf course in Iowa City:

"On the day Kirk Ferentz gets a new contract worth $2.7 million per year, Drew Tate, playing in a golf tournament, makes a hole-in-one on Finkbine's 13th hole. The prize for that was a $25,000 automobile, but NCAA rules prevent Tate from accepting it. Nor can he give it to a friend or relative.

"Does anyone else see the irony in this? Yes, Ferentz deserves his new salary for doing a good job, but Tate also deserves to keep his prize for hitting a good shot. This is a perfect example of hypocritical NCAA rules."

George Wine
Coralville

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Wine, an author, Hawkeye-watcher and retired Iowa sports information director, is correct. While others -- like Ferentz -- get rich in athletics, someone like Tate must settle for the short end of the stick. NCAA rules prevented Tate from accepting $25,000 that was supposed to be used for the purchase of a car. Tate sank a hole-in-one during a tournament in Iowa City. They're looking for a way to give the money to charity. I've already given Tate my address. In his comments to me, Wine also said, "I think a clever lawyer would have a good time taking Tate's case to court and would receive a hell of a lot of national attention."]

* * *

THIS WHOLE DEAL SMELLS LIKE ARCHIE BROOKS

Bud Appleby of Des Moines also had Ferentz's pay raise on his mind when he wrote:

"Sounds like Archie Brooks has been put in charge of overseeing athletic salaries at the U. of Iowa."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Brooks is in the middle of the CIETC scandal. The former CITC chairman approved tons of money in bonuses for CIETC people. His next job should be with the grounds crew at No-Name Stadium. He'll fit in well with the rest of the crooks down there].

* * *

EVASHEVSKI WAS HIGHEST-PAID AT $20,000

Ex-Iowan Gordy Scoles, a former coach who now is an author, also wrote about Ferentz's salary:

"Ron,

"I read about Ferentz's raise and dug this early 1959 piece out of my Nashua football book: "In Iowa City, University of Iowa football coach Forest Evashevski was given a pay raise of $2,500; an amount that boosted his yearly salary to $20,000, and made him the highest paid football coach in the Big Ten Conference. Evy came to Iowa in 1952 from Washington State University at a salary of $14,500." I must have found that information in an old Des Moines Register, but I guess it's pretty accurate. Coaches' salaries have come a long way in 47 years. How's that for an understatement?"

Gordy Scoles
Bennettsville, S.C.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Gordy, I'm urging all of my grandchildren to forget medicine, dentistry, science, math and engineering when they go to college. I'm telling 'em to go into coaching].

* * *

POLLARD IS EITHER 'NAIVE OR JUST PLAIN STUPID'

"Keith from Kalona" lets Jamie Pollard have it over the Iowa State athletic director's comment that this is now a Cyclone state:

"If Pollard really thinks Iowa is a Cyclone state, he is really, really naive or just plain stupid."

"Keith from Kalona"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Pollard, basking in Iowa State's football and basketball victories over Iowa, proclaimed this a "Cyclone state" and said a billboard will be put up in Cedar Rapids saying that. Iowa State won the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk trophy in men's and women's competition with Iowa during the 2005-2006 school year, and Pollard -- in his first year at Ames -- isn't letting Hawkeye fans forget it].

* * *

POLLARD 'BLOWING SMOKE UP THE ASSES OF ISU FANS'

"Larry in Lawler" writes, "Ron, when Iowa is known all over the world and in all circles as the 'Cyclone State' instead of the 'Hawkeye State,' then Pollard will be correct. Until then, he's blowing smoke up the asses of ISU fans."

Larry in Lawler

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: It sounds like "Larry in Lawler" has just gotten a whole lot of new business for the proctologists in this state].

* * *

EXCITED ABOUT JAMIE POLLARD, CYCLONES

Travis Simpson of Des Moines sees nothing wrong with Iowa State's football and basketball radio broadcasts moving from KXNO-AM to FM station KDRB in Des Moines. He likes what he sees in Pollard and is enthused with the future of Cyclone athletics. Here's his e-mail:

"The switch to FM radio for the Cyclones is not all that bad. Cyclone Nation founder Steve Deace is moving from KXNO to WHO, creating a huge void for Cyclone athletics talk now on Des Moines' only sports talk radio station. I’m VERY impressed with Pollard in his short time at ISU. I think it’s about time that Des Moines and central Iowa become a Cyclone dominant market since eastern Iowa is all Hawkeye and the further you venture west in the state the more Cornhusker you will run into as well. Pollard is just what ISU needs to finally become competitive on a consistent basis in athletics and he’s not scared to shoot for the moon to get there, unlike Bruce Van De Velde who did more harm to the athletic department than good as the AD. A caller to Deace’s show made a great point -- ISU’s fans are probably more loyal, passionate, and knowledgeable about their team than your average Hawkeye fan since most Cyclone fans went to school there and most likely grew up in the area. People who move into the state usually become casual Hawkeye fans since Iowa is the more well-known school in the state as far as national recognition goes.

"And just for the record, yes I am a Cyclone alum and fan. I’m excited about Pollard and his vision for the athletics at ISU and hopefully the job he does just makes the Cy-Hawk rivalry that much better. Iowa is losing a great AD in Bob Bowlsby, and if I were an Iowa fan I’d be very concerned about choosing the right person to succeed him as AD after seeing all the excitement Jamie Pollard is creating at ISU. A change in AD at ISU resulted in the firing of the men’s basketball coach and I know of a lot of Hawk fans that are hoping the same will happen with a new AD in Iowa City."

Travis Simpson
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: My only point in saying that putting Iowa State's games on an FM station seems like a step backward in a very competitive sports radio market. With Iowa's games on powerful WHO-AM and Iowa State's on something called "The Bus," it looks like the Cyclones are losing more ground. But Pollard obviously isn't timid. He's making some bigtime decisions in his first year, and I'm sure he'll be so successful at Iowa State that Wisconsin will hire him when Barry Alvarez decides to retire as athletic director].

* * *

[Ron Maly is a four-time Iowa Sportswriter of the Year and also is the best-selling author of "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," which is in its second printing as both a hardback and softback book. The book is about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa. Maly has a heck of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. Ron's columns about sports, newspapers, his family, medicine, travel, the people he knows, the people he doesn't know, a few people he'd like to know better, a few people he once knew and is trying to forget, a few people he has already forgotten, and anything else that trips >his trigger appear regularly at www.rmaly.blogspot.com and www.whotv.com.].

Iowa State's Jamie Pollard Says It's Now a Cyclone State, But Putting the Football and Basketball Broadcasts On An FM Station Is a Bush League Move

2006-06-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

MORE MONEY FOR IOWA'S KIRK FERENTZ [lower in this column]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I've got a question or two today -- besides, of course, the obvious one about why anybody would allow Dennis Ryerson and Mike Gartner to clutter up Rob Borsellino's funeral.

While Borsellino rolls around in his casket over that one, and while he and I wonder if Gartner will be charging everyone $5 to park a car tomorrow at No-Name Ballpark for the memorial service, I'm scratching my head over something Jamie Pollard just did at Iowa State.

Pollard [right] is Iowa State's new athletic director. Some might call him one of a new breed.

Then, again, some might not.

He's the guy who pulled the plug quickly on basketball coach Wayne Morgan and wrestling coach Bobby Douglas.

Now he's putting Iowa State's football and basketball broadcasts on an FM radio station in Des Moines.

Yes, you read that right.

An FM station.

Iowa State says 100.3 FM [KDRB-Radio, a.k.a. "The Bus] is the strongest FM station in the state.

I think Pollard wants us to think of that as good news.

I don't.

Hell, some Iowans still don't have an FM dial on their radios. And I know some of Iowa State's fans don't have FM in their tractors.

I mean, Pollard may figure 100,000 watts is a big deal on the new flagship station, but it's still an FM outlet -- and there's something of a bush league sound when you hear the letters FM connected with a broadcast in a big-time athletic conference.

As far back as I can remember, this will be the first time Cyclone football and basketball has been on an FM station, not an AM station, in our town.

I go back far enough to remember when Dale Williams was putting people to sleep with his Iowa State football broadcasts. I was living in eastern Iowa then, not central Iowa.

Then there was Frank Snyder, Pete Taylor and now John Walters doing the Cyclone play-by-play. Maybe I'm missing somebody in there -- George Turner possibly was in there somewhere -- but the broadcasts have gotten better and better over the years since the decision-makers at Iowa State decided to move Williams aside when Clay Stapleton came in as the football coach in 1958.

I guess they thought that if they were going to get a new look with a Fifties-style Stapleton, they'd better not stick with a turn-of-the-century [the 20th century] radio announcer.

I've listened to plenty of Cyclone broadcasts on Des Moines AM stations KRNT and, more recently, KXNO.

In recent years, KXNO has been everything-Cyclones. Play-by-play broadcasts, postgame shows, pregame shows, coaches' call-in shows, tailgate shows, Steve Deace talk shows, Larry Cotlar talk shows.....you get the idea.

Now comes "The Bus," what the hell ever that means.

According to Pollard, the 100,000-watt station will "help broaden the reach of ISU athletics and enhance the Cyclone Radio Network significantly after 'The Bus' takes over as the network's preeminent station.

"It's time to get on 'The Bus' and follow Cyclone athletics. When we entered into our multi-media agreements in February, we did so with the expectation that we would deliver radio coverage of Cyclone sports to all corners of our state."

Pollard added that "our staff will continue to work to fill any remaining gaps in coverage in-state with local affiliates. The Cyclone Radio Network currently has 33 stations in its family and those commitments are being firmed up this spring.

"Making Iowa State sports available on the radio to every household in the state is the fundamental goal to building our brand. Never before has the radio coverage of Cyclone sports been so comprehensive within the state borders, and we hope to capitalize on this exciting opportunity to continue to build relations with current and future fans."

Pollard also said that the move of Steve Deace, former afternoon sports-talk host on KXNO, to WHO will be beneficial to Cyclone athletics.

"Steve's belief in our program and passion for sports suggests that the Cyclones will receive frequent mention on his new outlet at WHO, a 50,000-watt station that also encompasses the whole state," Pollard said.

WOI sports anchor John Walters and former Iowa State basketball player Eric Heft will continue to handle the play-by-play and commentator duties on the radio network and Walters remains host on the call-in shows for football coach Dan McCarney and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott, which will continue to be aired on KXNO.

* * *

Still on the subject of Iowa State athletics, Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote in today's paper, "Starting July 15, for two months a billboard in Cedar Rapids will please a large number of people and irritate a large number of others.

"It will show Iowa State football players holding high the Cy-Hawk Trophy they captured with a 23-3 win over Iowa last September.

"In red letters against a yellow background, the billboard [pictured above] will read 'It's a CYCLONE STATE.'

"That can be interpreted as in-your-face to Iowa in the two months leading to the Sept. 16 renewal of the ISU-Iowa series in Iowa City. Or it can be interpreted as Iowa State celebrating itself. ISU Athletics Director Jamie Pollard says it's the latter. But as Dizzy Dean eloquently said, it ain't braggin' if it's true.

"The billboard will be the only one in the state. It will be situated off I-380, appropriately, south of 33rd Avenue SW.

"'We just wanted to be able to do something for the folks in Cedar Rapids," Pollard said last night after the Cedar Valley Cyclone Club's annual banquet at the Cedar Rapids Marriott. 'When I came out here last fall for my first visit in Cedar Rapids (after taking the Iowa State job last October), they said at times we feel in the eastern part of the state that all we ever get is the Hawkeyes. We want to know that we matter.'

"'Along with his four best-known coaches -- football's Dan McCarney, men's basketball's Greg McDermott, women's basketball's Bill Fennelly and wrestling's Cael Sanderson -- Pollard literally took a busload of Iowa State people to Cedar Rapids. Before his coaches spoke to the ISU fans who filled the hotel's ballroom, Pollard gave a stemwinder in which he insisted Cyclone sports and their supporters must 'push, push, push.'

"That, of course, takes money, money, money. But it takes more, something Pollard may be the person to provide. It requires demanding on more than rolling into town once a year, telling everyone how glad they are to be here with such great fans and how hard they're working over in Ames. It takes firmly saying things will get better in ISU athletics because the man in
charge insists on it.

"'We're a small ma-and-pa store trying to compete in the big world,' Pollard told Thursday's gathering. ``We're going to get to be the big world someday, and we're pushing to do that, but we've got to do some things we haven't done in the past.'

"One is selling 30,000 football season tickets. Iowa State is close to hitting that mark. Another is making Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum better. Those are on Pollard's immediate to-do list. He wants the south end zone of Trice bowled in for a better atmosphere, and he wants a renovated Hilton, as well as a practice facility for the basketball and volleyball teams.....

"Pollard was plenty proud as he stood before the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series championship trophy, which ISU gained with triumphs in six of nine head-to-head events against Iowa in 2005-06, including double-digit wins in men's and women's basketball.

"'(Outgoing Iowa men's athletics director) Bob Bowlsby never thought that thing was going to leave his home,' Pollard said. `We're never going to give it back.

"'It's a Cyclone state, folks!'

"They do own those trophies."

* * *

The contract of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz [left] has been restructured, outgoing athletic director Bob Bowslsby said today.

“We are pleased to have completed the restructuring of Coach Ferentz’s contract and we believe that this agreement helps to ensure continuity in our football program,” said Bowlsby. “Coach Ferentz is among the very best coaches in the nation and this compensation package is reflective of that excellence.”

The basic elements added to the current contract include:

(1) One-time payment of $1.4 million, which is payable immediately.

(2) Quarterly payments of $350,000, payable Sept. 30, Oct, 30, March 30, and June 30 each year. This compensation is in addition to that payable under the past contract and some or all of this compensation may be deferred.

(3) Amendments to termination clauses which provide guaranteed payments in the event the University cancels the contract without appropriate cause.

All other aspects of the contract remain in effect except compensation for longevity, which is no longer a part of the agreement.

“Although this agreement does not place additional years on the contract,” said Bowlsby, "it is the culmination of several months of work by several individuals and it recognizes our confidence that coach Ferentz will continue to lead the University of Iowa football program to high achievement on and off the field in the years ahead.”

Ferentz is heading into his eighth season as Iowa’s coach and has a 49-36 record with the Hawkeyes. Iowa is one of four schools in the nation to have played a January bowl game four straight years. The Hawkeyes have won two Big Ten titles the last four years and have finished the season ranked in the top ten nationally three of the last four years.

Ferentz ranks fifth in terms of longevity among Big Ten coaches.

* * *

Iowa offensive lineman Lee Gray’s application for a sixth year of eligibility has been turned down, coach Kirk Ferentz said today.

Gray, a 6-6, 320-pounder from Dallas, started 11 of 12 games in 2004, but missed what should have been his senior season in 2005 due to a knee injury. The NCAA rejected Gray’s appeal for another year of eligibility and the ruling ends his Iowa career.

“It’s unfortunate for Lee,” said Ferentz. “We thought we had a very realistic chance on the appeal, but the NCAA ruled against it. We’ll have to move forward. The important thing is that Lee has completed his academic work. We’ll sit down and map out a plan that best suits Lee and his future.”

In another football matter, two redshirt freshmen, Corey Robertson and Kalvin Bailey, have left school and will likely attend a junior college this fall. Robertson is a 6-1, 222-pounder from Denison, Texas. Bailey is a 6-foot, 245-pounder from Tampa, Fla.

“We wish both players the best and we will follow their progress in the future,” said Ferentz.<

Statue Of Nile Kinnick Nearing Completion. So Is Bob Bowlsby's Move To Stanford -- His 6-Bedroom Home Sells for More Than $1.4 Million Asking Price

2006-06-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

Much like a football team nearing the end of a long off-season, artist Larry Nowlan is finishing his work in preparation for the upcoming football season.

In Nowlan's case, that means completing two of the final pieces of the two-year, $87 million Kinnick Stadium renovation: a statue of Hawkeye great Nile Kinnick and a large relief depicting Kinnick's famous touchdown [right] against Notre Dame.

The Iowa City-Press Citizen wrote that the 12-foot tall statue is currently at a foundry being bronzed and will be ready by Iowa's home opener Sept. 2 against Montana, Nowlan said.

He is now working on the second of three sections of the relief, about 20 feet wide and 10 feet high, which will not be done for the start of the season.

Nowlan, who lives in New Hampshire and has his studio in Vermont, said the statue would be shipped by truck to Iowa City in late August.

He has been working on the project since December, 2004 and said he spent every day for three or four months straight last fall on it. He called the experience "unbelievable."

"These are very big projects," said Nowlan, 41. "And along with that, you have an obligation to the people in Iowa. The unveiling is the icing on the cake."

Presumably, the statue will be in place for the Montana game. But university senior associate athletic director Jane Meyer said details of a rededication ceremony and statue unveiling were still being finalized.

No matter when Hawkeye fans get their first glimpse of the statue, she expects they'll like what they see.

"I think what we're looking at for the statue is for it to be the finishing piece for that plaza," she said, referring to the new gathering area on the 70,585-seat stadium's south side.

Kinnick is arguably Iowa's greatest player. He won college football's highest individual honor, the Heisman Trophy, in 1939, the only player from a university in Iowa ever to do so.

The Adel native graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was in law school when he enlisted in the Navy Air Corps Reserve. He died at 24 when his plane crashed off the Venezuelan coast June 2, 1943.

The statue will emphasize Kinnick's role as a student-athlete. The figure will be in trousers and a letter jacket with a textbook and notebook in his right hand and his No. 24 game jersey over his left shoulder.

"I tried to give the feeling of stability, determination, honor, with hints that he still stood to accomplish more," Nowlan said.

The relief shows 11 athletes and re-creates Kinnick's touchdown in Iowa's 7-6 victory over Notre Dame in 1939. It will go in the south concourse, Meyer said.

Nowlan said he heard countless Kinnick stories during a three-day visit to Iowa City in November 2004 that allowed him to appreciate how much the Hawkeye legend meant to fans.

"Even, actually, on the way home on the plane, I sat next to a guy who grew up in Iowa City and was about 12 when Kinnick played," Nowlan said. "And he told me Kinnick stories."

* * *

Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby can scratch one thing off his to-do list before moving to Stanford University.

Bowlsby said Wednesday that he has sold his house near Solon, which was listed at a cost of $1.45 million.

The home, which features six bedrooms, five baths and an outdoor swimming pool, was on the market less than a week and it sold for more than the listing price, wrote the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

"Yes, I was surprised and pleased," Bowlsby said of how quickly the house sold. "And yeah, it makes it a lot easier.

"Anybody who's ever owned two houses knows that it's not a comfortable feeling."

Bowlsby listed the house May 7 with Iowa Realty. It sold by the following Thursday.

Lou Ann Lathrop sold the house for Iowa Realty.

She said there were competing offers that made the cost of the house go above the listing price.

"It made me very happy," Lathrop said. "And it took some of the stress off him."

Lathrop said the sale is still pending until the financing is approved.

"We're still in the process, but it looks pretty good," she said.

Neither Bowlsby nor Lathrop would say who bought the house, which is located at 2594 Johnson's Crossing near Solon.

The house sits on 25 acres and features a three-car garage, a small fishing pond and hiking trails.

It was built in 1998 by H&H Home Builders of North Liberty.

The size of the house came in handy when all four of Bowlsby's children still lived at home. But that no longer is the case.

Bowlsby's two daughters live on the West Coast. His son, Matt, just graduated from Iowa, and his youngest child, son Kyle, graduated from City High last month and will attend Iowa in the fall.

"We've got a big house in the country that we either needed to board up the upstairs or open a bed and breakfast," Bowlsby said.

Lathrop said the size of the property helped the house sell quickly.

"It's a very nice, traditional home," she said. "And you also have 25 acres.

"The potential buyer could sell off part of the property and get some money back."

Bowlsby, 54, resigned as the Iowa athletic director earlier this month to become the athletic director at Stanford. His last day at Iowa is July 9.

Bowlsby is currently searching for a new house on the Stanford campus. The fact that he will live on campus will help cut the cost.

"Housing is probably seven or eight times more expensive than it is in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids," Bowlsby said. "But they've worked hard to take the sting out for us."

Drake's New Athletic Director Deserves Every Chance To Prove She Can Manage Her Own Major-College Program, and I Hope She's a Success

2006-05-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

In the nearly 47 years I've spent in these parts, Sandy Hatfield Clubb is the sixth athletic director Drake has had.

After observing and listening to her today at historic Old Main on the campus, I hope she does well and I believe she deserves every chance to prove she can run the Bulldogs' department in a class way.

There's no reason she can't do as good a job, or better, than the other five Drake athletic directors I've observed since 1959.

What's more, I'm somewhat surprised Drake was able to attract the senior associate director of athletics and the senior women's administrator at Pac-10 Conference university Arizona State to be its 16th athletic director.

So I'd say she deserves all the support we in Greater Des Moines can give her as she leads a department that has fallen far behind Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa on the major-college athletic totem poll.

Jack McClelland was starting his second tour of duty at Drake when I came to town. He was the director at the start of the Maury John basketball coaching era -- and you sure couldn't knock him for that.

Then came Bob Karnes, who stayed until 1986. He let John [pictured on the right], the best coach ever to sit on a Drake bench in the school's 100 years of basketball, get away to Iowa State -- and that, my friends, was one of the biggest athletic mistakes the university let happen.

Curt Blake followed Karnes, and stayed until 1990. He's the guy who hired Tom Abatemarco. And Abatemarco was run off before his second basketball season was over. That's enough said about Blake.

Lynn King stayed as Drake's athletic director from 1990-2000, and he was a guy I liked. But his basketball coaches -- Rudy Washington and Kurt Kanaskie -- did him no favors.

Dave Blank left in April after six years as athletic director. He hired Tom Davis -- who had been the winningest coach at Iowa -- to run the Bulldogs' basketball program. Tom's son, Keno, has already been tapped as the next coach. Whether that's a wise decision remains to be seen.

So that brings me to Sandy Hatfield Clubb [top photo], 42, who has been in the athletic department at Arizona State, to run the Drake show.

Actually, Sandy -- the first woman to run a Division I men's and women's athletic department in this state -- doesn't officially move into her job until Aug. 1.

Any observing and interviewing I did at today's combination press conference/rally-around-Sandy-and-her-husband-Jeff-and-son-Tristan, 7-and-daughter-Skyelar, 4 was a sort of sneak preview.

"I can't wait to get started," she said.

In response to a reporter's comment about how Iowa and Iowa State dominate the Division I athletic scene in this state, Sandy said she welcomes the challenge the Hawkeyes and Cyclones provide.

"I love it," she said. "Coming from Arizona State, I know what Iowa and Iowa State are doing in athletics. Drake University is a special place for a student-athlete to be.

"I can't wait to take on Iowa and Iowa State....."

As part of her answer to my question about the challenges she faces at Drake, Sandy drew a laugh when she referred to her time in balmy Arizona, "I don't own a coat. So I'll be doing some shopping."

The lady faces some big challenges. So what else is new? Name an athletic director at any college or university in this country who doesn't face enormous challenges.

There are seats to be filled in basketball arenas and football stadiums. There is money -- oh, yes, lots of money -- to be raised. There are coaches to be kept happy. There are fans to be kept happy

At Drake, there is a horrible streak of 19 men's basketball seasons without a winning record.

The Davises are under contract to coach the team through 2011. The same with women's coach Amy Stephens.

Hatfield Clubb certainly wasn't critical of those moves -- calling them "great decisions" -- as she stood in front of the microphone today. After all, Drake president David Maxwell made the decisions, and he hired Sandy after her second visit to the campus.

Tom Davis has had three sub-.500 seasons, and Sandy was asked if she has any thoughts about how the program could move to among at least some of the best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"First and foremost, Dr. Tom Davis is a phenomenal fit for Drake," she said. "He's a scholar and one of the top coaches in NCAA coaches. Building a program takes time. I love to win, and winning takes time.....One of the things we need to do is full up the stands."

Sandy lit up when I asked if she'd ever been to the Drake Relays.

"I'm dying to go to the Drake Relays!" she said. "Jeff [her husband] and I are very excited to see that beautiful stadium full, with all the activities happening that week."

Gene Smith, the former Iowa State athletic director who was one of Hatfield Clubb's bosses at Arizona State, said, "Sandy will be a great addition to the state of Iowa. Her values and commitment to students is unparalleled. She knows every aspect of athletic administgration and is well prepared to lead Drake athletics....."

Smith now is the athletic director at Ohio State.

Said Kevin White, athletic director at Notre Dame: "Sandy is clearly one of the bright, young superstars in athletics administration. She is smart, engaging, resourceful, courageous, tireless and, most importantly, she possesses unqualified integrity."

Although most others -- either those who are Drake fans or who aren't Drake fans -- are content with a wait-and-see attitude about Sandy, several people have already been negative about the university's hiring of her.

All are University of Iowa fans.

Barry Crist of West Des Des Moines said, "The demise of Drake continues. [Michael] Ferrari [a former Drake president] killed Drake when he dropped down from Division I to Division III football. The basketball coaching hires were bordering on lunacy. The worst was Tom Abatemarco [Chris Washburn's pen pal] over....BOB HUGGINS. Did they do any research at all? I guess it's safe to assume that Drake did not require a 200-word essay on why applicants would want the job as Abatemarco would have misspelled at least 25 of the words. Meanwhile, Huggy Bear is a lock for the No. 1 basketball recruiting class of 2007 at Kansas State.

"Then I believe it was Rudy Washington over Homer Drew.

"Could Huggy Bear have won at Drake in the '80s? Maury who?"

A man identified as "Keith in Keswick" said, "You can forget about Drake's basketball team ever going anywhere in the Mo Valley again. I hope the Drake Relays can survive this hire."

Said Al Schallau, an attorney and a Hawkeye fan who grew up in Iowa and now lives in California: "Ron, my response to Drake University's selection of its new athletic director is one that my late mother and father, and all of my brothers and sisters would never believe.

"I am going to stifle my opinions and keep quiet.

"Anything I would say would be politically incorrect to the 'nth' degree.

"Will I incur enormous wrath if I simply say that I would have hired someone else if the decision had been mine?"

Obviously, things are much different at Drake now than they were when someone like Ossie Solem [pictured on the upper left] was the university's athletic director from 1922-1932 and coached the Bulldogs in football from 1921-1931.

Indeed, Solem's teams played, and beat, such teams as Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa State, Mississippi, UCLA and Oklahoma A&M. Solem's squads also played Notre Dame regularly.

The non-scholarship football teams coached by Rob Ash under the management of Hatfield Clubb won't need to worry about teeing it up with Oklahoma or Notre Dame on Johnny Bright Field in revamped Drake Stadium.

They just need to try to attract more than a handful of fans into the arena.

DRAKE ATHLETIC DIRECTORS

1894-95 W.W. Wharton
1897 William J. Monilaw
1907 Doc Pell
1910-1918 John L. Griffith
1919-1921 M.B. Banks
1922-1932 Ossie Solem
1931-1940 E.O. Williams
1940-1946 V. J. Green
1946-1951 J. Russell Cook
1951-1956 Jack McClelland
1957-1959 Dolph Stanley
1959-1968 Jack McClelland
1968-1986 Bob Karnes
1986-1990 Curt Blake
1990-2000 Lynn King
2000-2006 Dave Blank

Lou Gehrig's Disease Claims Borsellino At 56; Playing the 'Name Game,' Kilen, Fuson, Clark, Burns Could Step Into the Register's Columnist Lineup

2006-05-28T17:33:00.000-05:00

He was a fighter right down to the end.

But, for Rob Borsellino, the end came at 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Regardless of how hard Rob Borsellino or anyone else fights or fought, Lou Gehrig's disease always wins.

Borsellino, a well-known columnist for the Des Moines Register died at 56 in Taylor House Hospice.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS] is the official name of the awful disease that killed baseball player Lou Gehrig, and now a newspaper guy named Rob Borsellino.

Regardless of how anyone felt personally about Borsellino, it is a sad Memorial weekend for any of us who care about the news business in Des Moines.

I wrote about Borsellino often. Whenever I referred to him in one of my columns, I called him "my very good friend Rob Borsellino."

He wasn't perfect. Hell, who is? None of us.

I'd kid Borsellino about sometimes being loose with the facts -- like when he wrote about Bill Reichardt's death a few years ago.

Borsellino had spent some time with the cancer-ridden Reichardt in his final days. Reichardt was a personable Des Moines clothier who I interviewed extensively for my book, "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines."

In his football days at Iowa, Reichardt was a fullback who was named the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference as a senior in 1951. Borsellino wrote in the paper that the Hawkeyes didn't win a game that year.

Actually, Leonard Raffensperger's '51 Hawkeyes won two games and tied two others in a 2-5-2 season. They beat Kansas State and Pittsburgh, and tied Minnesota and Notre Dame.

So they weren't as bad as Borsellino indicated to his readers.

But he made a mistake or two along the way because he probably tried to be in too many places at the same time, and never allowed himself to slow down. He was only human.

Borsellino and his wife, Rekha, also a Register columnist, had two tours of duty at the newspaper.

They tried living and writing in Florida for a while, but came back after friends of Borsellino and Basu urged Register publisher Mary Stier to rehire them.

Stier was hoping the addition of Borsellino [right] and Basu would help the Register recover some of its sagging circulation.

But that didn't happen.

Circulation continues to sink at the Register, just like it sinks at most other daily newspapers around the nation.

It will be interesting to see how Stier and others at the Register attempt to fill Borsellino's spot as a columnist.

One possibility certainly is Mike Kilen, who has been an outstanding feature writer at the Register for several years.

It was Kilen who wrote the front-page story of Borsellino's death in today's Register.

I hear he has shown an interest in column-writing in the past, and he would be my choice for the job.

Obviously, he had most of today's story written ahead of time.

God never tells families or people who put out newsspapers when someone is going to die.

It's never a good time for someone to die. Ten-fifteen on a Saturday night definitely isn't a good time for people editing a Sunday newspaper.

[Writing stories in advance is something that's done often in newspaper offices because of what happened in the Borsellino situation. Try finding a reporter who is available to work on a story at 10:15 p.m. on a Saturday when there's a death like Borsellino's.

[I still laugh about when Bob Bowlsby was named Iowa's athletic director 15 years ago. Several of us in the newspaper office had earlier been assigned to write profiles of finalists for the job.

[The name assigned to me was Gary Cunningham, who had been a basketball coach at UCLA. The story I wrote in advance on Cunningham would have been used had he taken the job, but he turned it down.

[My profile on ol' Gary is probably still hanging around somewhere in a musty old newspaper waiting area. It was a damn good story, too.]

Another potential replacement for Borsellino could be Ken Fuson [left], who already is writing a once-weekly humor column for the Register.

The rest of the time, Fuson writes feature stories -- and does very well at it.

Both Kilen and Fuson would give the newspaper a different sort of column than Borsellino has been writing.

Nothing wrong with that.

It would be a mistake for Kilen, Fuson or anyone else to try to write in the same style as Borsellino.

Some will say that the Register needs a woman to write a newsside column, but I see no female writer waiting in the newsside wings to replace Borsellino.

However, Register sports columnist Nancy Clark could be a longshot for the job. She writes well.

Jane Burns, a former Register sports and features writer now at the Capital Times in Madison, Wis. -- and is happy there -- might be another possibility. She'd be worth a look.

Basu's columns appear on the Register's editorial pages, and it's doubtful she would be moved to the news pages.

Her writing style is not well-liked by many readers. If she is going to be in the paper at all, the editorial pages are the place for her.

On the Weekend When America Honors Its Dead, the Cubs' Dusty Baker Gets the Dreaded Vote Of Confidence From His Boss

2006-05-27T19:23:00.001-05:00

Finally, something good happened today to the Chicago Cubs.

On the weekend when America historically honors its dead, manager Dusty Baker got a vote of confidence.

Naturally, that means ol’ Dusty will probably fired in the next two weeks.

General manager Jim Hendry, who is trying to end speculation that Baker’s job is in jeopardy, told Chicago reporters on this Memorial weekend that he’s sticking with the skipper.

“I’m hearing every time we lose a game that Dusty is going to get fired,” Hendry said before the Cubs lost their fifth straight game –- a 2-1 decision to the Atlanta Braves.

“Dusty is going to get every opportunity to manage the club and get us out of this hole, and he’ll get the opportunity to manage the cub when we get health the next couple of weeks.

"I’d like to put that speculation that every time we lose a ballgame [Baker will be fired] and we stop putting that for public discussion every single day.

Today’s loss dropped the Cubs’ record to 18-30, including 5-20 in the month of May. Told of what Hendry said about him after the loss, Baker said, “My track record, they know what I can do, and I know whatr I can do. As a unit right now, we’re just not getting it done…..”

Historically, votes of confidence from bosses aren't worth the time it takes for a general manager to say the words. They usually come back to haunt managers –- especially incompetent managers like Baker.

Baker's strength supposedly is being able to motivate players, but he hasn’t been able to motivate anything or anybody in the last couple of seasons.

Even the batboy seems dead on that team.

Strategy was never one of Baker's strengths, and he’s usually as mystified about Cub losses as are most of the players.

Waiting in the wings for a possible elevation to the manager’s job is Bob Brenly, who managed the Arizona Diamondbacks to the world championship a few years ago.

My personal choice to be the Cubs’ next manager, however, is Lou Piniella, who should be able to light a fire under the asses of an ailing [i.e., Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior], underachieving team.

Hendry better not wait too long to make a change. If he does, his own job may be in jeopardy.

Maybe This Will Be the Year Iowa Isn't Out Of the National Football Championship Picture Before the Leaves Change Colors

2006-05-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Pete Fiutak of collegefootballnews.com writes, "Someday, Iowa will have all the pieces put together on day one and then it'll really be time for the rest of the Big Ten to worry.

"Every year, some preseason publication declares that it's the year Kirk Ferentz's team will finally win an outright Big Ten title and become the type of superpower that causes other teams to tremble. Ohio State gets the blood boiling. The Michigan game always gets circled on the calendar. Penn State, even during the down days, was a big date that got everyone fired up. Iowa, even after four straight January bowl appearances, just barely gets the blood pressure up.

"And why is that?

"Maybe it's because the team is always out of the national title hunt before the the leaves change colors.

"It hasn't been just that Iowa always loses at least one early game to tumble out of the title race, it's that fans can cross off the Hawkeyes after crushing losses like the 23-3 gaffe to Iowa State last year and the 44-7 blasting by Arizona State in 2004. Worse yet, Iowa has lost its last three Big Ten openers. On the plus side, Ferentz and his staff has the team humming as the season goes on.

"While it's always important to get off to a hot start, it's more important to be good in November, and that's where Iowa has succeeded going 9-2 over the last four ears in the most crucial of months. This year's team has just enough holes to fill that it might continue to follow the pattern and have a few problems early on before rocking and rolling late.

"The offense will have few problems moving the ball with Drew Tate back to lead the attack for a third straight season and tailback Albert Young a burgeoning superstar running behind a talented, veteran line. The hole? The receiving corps. It's very fast and should be great by the end of the year, but it'll need time to develop.

"The defense has the same issues. The defensive line that was a concern last season will be one of the Big Ten's best this year, but the linebacking corps won't be nearly as good and will need a few games to get rolling. The safeties are excellent, but the corners are green. All the problems on both sides of the ball aren't that big a deal and will all be fine; it's just going to take a few games. By that time, Iowa could be out of the hunt yet again.

"So Iowa isn't going to win the national title. Would another January bowl game be so bad? With this schedule, it might be because ...

"The Schedule: It's almost all that any Big Ten team could reasonably ask for. It's light enough for Iowa to get that time to jell playing Montana, at Syracuse, Iowa State, and at Illinois before dealing with Ohio State in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes catch a huge break not having to play Penn State, and not facing Michigan State this season isn't a bad thing. If you believe that the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy at Minnesota will be like an Iowa home game, then the only road game on the slate to worry about is at Michigan. Win that, and get by the Buckeyes at home, and an unbeaten season is very likely.

"Best Offensive Player: Senior QB Drew Tate. One of the Big Ten's toughest quarterbacks, Tate is also starting to grow into one of the smartest with improved accuracy and decision-making abilities. He might not always be the prettiest quarterback, but he always seems to find a way to get the job done.

"Best Defensive Player: Junior DE Ken Iwebema. He turned into a flash of a pass rusher last year and should be even more dangerous this season with the rest of the front four good enough to take the heat off. Fine, so offenses will gameplan to stop Iwebema. That means Bryan Mattison will make plays at the other end, or quick tackles Matt Kroul and Mitch King will fly up the middle.

"Key player to a successful season: Senior WR Calvin Davis. Herb Grigsby should be a reliable target on one side, and Scott Chandler will lead a strong group of tight ends, but it's Davis who has to shine at split end and become the consistent deep threat who opens things up for the rest of the offense.

"The season will be a success if ... Iowa wins 11 games and comes up with at least a share of the Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes will be favored in every conference game but two (at Michigan and home against Ohio State). If this really is a Big Ten championship-caliber team, it splits the the two nasty games and beats everyone else.

"Key game: Sept. 30 vs. Ohio State. It'll take an upset for Iowa to lose at home to Purdue, Northwestern or Wisconsin and on the road against Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. A win in Kinnick Stadium over the Buckeyes would likely mean it's a one-game season (Oct. 21 at Michigan) for the title.

"2005 Fun Stats:

"- First quarter scoring: Iowa 119 - Opponents 37
"- Field goals in eight Big Ten games: Iowa 14 of 17 - Opponents 4 of 9
"- Time of possession: Opponents 32:27 - Iowa 27:33

"The Last Time Iowa…

"…played in a bowl game…2005 (Outback Bowl vs. Florida)
"…missed a bowl game…2000
"…pitched a shutout…2005 (Ball State)
"…was shutout…2000 (Illinois)
"…scored 50 points…2005 (Minnesota)
"…went undefeated…1922
"…won a conference title…2004 (share, Big Ten)
"…had a 3,000-yard passer…1988 (Chuck Hartlieb)
"…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Albert Young)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2000 (Kevin Kasper)
"…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (LB Chad Greenway)"

* * *

Head coach: Kirk Ferentz
8th year: 49-36
11th year overall: 49-36
Returning Lettermen: 45
Lettermen Lost: 25
10 Best Iowa Players

1. QB Drew Tate, Sr.
2. RB Albert Young, Jr.
3. DE Ken Iwebema, Jr.
4. DE Bryan Mattison, Jr.
5. LB Edmond Miles, Sr.
6. TE Scott Chandler, Sr.
7. DT Mitch King, Soph.
8. G Mike Jones, Sr.
9. PK Kyle Schlicher, Sr.
10. FS Marcus Paschal, Sr.

2006

9/2 Montana
9/9 at Syracuse
9/16 Iowa State
9/23 at Illinois
9/30 Ohio State
10/7 Purdue
10/14 at Indiana
10/21 at Michigan
10/28 Northern Illinois
11/4 Northwestern
11/11 Wisconsin
11/18 at Minnesota

2005
CFN Prediction: 9-2
2005 Record: 7-5

9/3 Ball State W 56-0
9/10 at Iowa State L 23-3
9/17 Northern Iowa W 45-21
9/24 at Ohio State L 31-6
10/1 Illinois W 35-7
10/8 at Purdue W 34-17
10/15 Indiana W 38-21
10/22 Michigan L 23-20 OT
11/5 at Northwestern L 28-27
11/12 at Wisconsin W 20-10
11/19 Minnesota W 52-28
1/2 Outback Bowl
Florida L 31-24

* * *

Mark Robinson writes:

"Nice story about your early days in Cedar Rapids.

"I'm not sure if I told you, but my father taught at McKinley in 1957 and '58. I think my brother was born right across the street. At least, I think that is where St. Luke's Hospital is. My memory is failing as well.

"Before that, dad taught at that pre-historic monument known as Ottumwa High (where I was born, not at the high school, but at what was then known as St. Joseph's)). Before that, his first job was at Clarinda High in 1951. Moved back to his and mom's hometown of Marshalltown in '59.

"In Cedar Rapids, we lived in the shadow of Regis High School. If I walked out the front door, on the left was the football field and the high school was straight up the hill. Can't recall the address, but I'm sure you'll know. Five years ago, I revisited the neighborhood and it is remarkable how much I recall from my time as a 3- and 4-year-old.

"Thanks for listening."

Mark

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for writing, Mark. Although you now live in California, you recall quite a bit about Iowa. It's Mercy Hospital that's across the street from McKinley in southeast Cedar Rapids. St. Luke's is on the northeast side of town, but your memory is certainly better than mine. Heck, I'll bet you even know who Mike Gartner is, and I know you haven't forgotten Sec Taylor Stadium a.k.a No-Name Ballpark].

* * *

More from Mark Robinson:

"Hi, Ron;

"Baseball trivia created [this week].

"St. Louis Cardinals pitchers did something against San Francisco that may go down in the record books, but I don't know if they have a category for it.

"The Cards beat the hell out of the Giants with a bullpen lineup of pitchers because Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter is sidelined, at least for this game, with a festering elbow problem.

"Here's what transpired:

"LaRussa pinch-hit Jason Marquis, a starting pitcher and a very good hitter, who responded by hitting a triple. Later on, relief pitcher Looper hit a double.

"From the category of those statistics that are stranger than fiction is that reliever Wainwright hit a home run. He hit the home run on his first at bat in the major leagues. Not only that, he hit it out of the park on the very first pitch.

"I've never seen anything like it.

"Keep writing, Ron."

Mark

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: The Cardinals do things like that, Mark, in a season when the Chicago Cubs and Dusty Baker, their horrible manager, keep shooting themselves not only in the foot, but the legs, the groin, the abdomen, the chest and the head. Good things happen to good teams and good managers. That's why the Cubs lost another one in the ninth inning today].

I Can't Blame Chet Culver Because His Dad, John, Was An Athlete At Franklin. But, Truthfully, We At Wilson Hated Those Thunderbolts From the Eastside

2006-05-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

Consider this a change in direction.

I'm going to veer off today to politics, which is very similar to a couple of other things I sometimes write about -- sports and journalism.

Among the reasons politics, sports and journalism have a lot in common is that all three have plenty of bullshitters and phonies.

Severe memory problems prevent me from recalling all of the folks in one or some of those three areas, but I do remember a few of the participants.

One is John Culver [left] -- the father of Chet Culver [right], a man who wants to become Iowa's next governor.

Let me say right now that I have no reason to believe that either John or Chet is a bullshitter or a phony.

If you can believe the polls -- and, most of the time, I don't -- Chet is going to win the race to be governor.

I have nothing against the guy, and I have nothing against his dad, either.

Not anymore.

But I do know that I didn't like the guy -- John, I mean -- when I was a kid.

You see, John attended Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids, and I attended Wilson High School.

That was enough right there to cause me to dislike him.

The architecture of Franklin and Wilson, as well as the gyms where the teams played basketball, was much the same.

Roosevelt and McKinley, the other public high schools in Cedar Rapids at the time, were also architectually similar.

But back to John Culver and Franklin.

We at Wilson didn't hide our emotions about Franklin.

We hated those bastards with a passion over there on the eastside.

We were the Ramblers from the southwest side, they were the Thunderbolts.

I never saw a Thunderbolt I liked.

We [or at least most of us] were the Bohemies [actually, kids of Czech descent] who went to Sykora's Bakery to buy kolaches and Pohlena's to buy jaternice.

[NOTE: This is Ron Maly's editor butting in. For the benefit of the non-Bohemies who are reading this, I told Ron he should explain what jaternice is. He said he's going to coffee and told me to do it -- explain what jaternice is, I mean. Anyway, jaternice is a sausage-like food generally made from pork snout and pork jowls, ground and mixed with cereal and spices. It's still popular in Czech and other ethnic homes in Cedar Rapids and elsewhere. Neither John nor Chet Culver would probably know the difference between a jaternice and a jalapeno. But that's just me talking. By the way, at the top of his column, Ron has a photo posted of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library at 30 16th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids. Anything and everything you want to know about the Bohemies will be there. Now back to Ron's column.....]

Our dads wore their undershirts when they went into what were called the "beer joints" on 16th Avenue.

I didn't check, but I'll bet the dads of the Franklin kids wore real shirts -- maybe even shirts that were ironed -- when they went into the Me-Too Grocery Store or a place where you could buy a cold one in a glass.

There was no school Wilson wanted to beat more in any sport than Franklin,

They had the money, we didn't.

Our dads worked at Penick & Ford or Link-Belt Speeder, if they worked at all.

Their dads worked at the bank and loaned us money.

That immediately gave us enough incentive to beat them.

Bill Barnard never let his Wilson football players forget that. I recall Barnard, who had been Wilson's coach forever and who had a speech impediment, reminding a big lineman who had a Czech name of that late in a Wilson-Franklin game at Hill Park -- where the Cedar Rapids schools used to play.

Barnard stared at the big lineman who had a Czech name and said, "This is the last chance you're ever going to get to beat these guys!" Barnard screamed.

The big lineman with the Czech name listened intently because you always listened to Barnard. Wilson went on to win the game, and made life much easier on the southwest side for the Bohemies for another year.

The kolaches from Sykora's tasted a hell of a lot better the next morning, too.

John Culver is about three years older than me, and I remember when he played football for Franklin.

Nobody from Wilson liked him -- probably because he was a good player.

Listen, we didn't like Jack Elgin, either. Elgin played baseball, and probably football, too, for Franklin. He later went on to coach football at Valley in West Des Moines.

I liked Elgin a lot better then, even though there were many people from West Des Moines who didn't.

It didn't help the Wilson-kids-hate-Franklin-kids feeling when Barnard suddenly resigned as Wilson's coach to take the job at Franklin.

I never forgave the guy they called "Barney" for that.

I still don't, even though Barnard has been dead for many years and Wilson and Franklin are now elementary and junior high schools.

But back to John Culver.

He made something of himself, as did many Franklin graduates [as did many Wilson graduates].

Culver was a friend of the Kennedy family and was a legislative assistant to Edward Kennedy in 1963, but we'll forgive him for that.

Culver graduated from Harvard University as well as Harvard Law School.

He was a Marine captain from 1955-1958, and began practicing law in Cedar Rapids in 1963. He soon entered politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Iowa as a Democrat in 1964. He served in the House from 1965 until 1975.

In 1974, Culver was elected to the U.S. Senate, winning the seat left open by the retirement of Harold Hughes. Culver served one term 1975-1981], then Culver was defeated in a bid for re-election by Republican Chuck Grassley in 1980.

I hope your health is all right, John.

And I hope your kid Chet does well in that race he's in.

Time heals a lot of things.

'Cardinal Fan Close to Czechtown' Urges Cub Fans To Stay Away from Wrigley Field. Newspaper Readers Find Out That Pole Dancing Is 'Sexy amd Slimming'

2006-05-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

"Cardinal Fan Living Close To Czechtown" -- not his real name -- agrees with me that it's a bad thing for the Tribune Co. to own the Chicago Cubs.

Here's his e-mail:

"Ron,

"This is what happens when a ballclub and newspaper are owned by the same company. The Cubs are a sad franchise. Sometimes I think the only way to correct their miseries is for the fans to stay away from Wrigley Field. As long as they keep filling Wrigley the Cubs can play like shit and get away with it. Hell, they can't even beat the inept Marlins . . ."

Cardinal Fan Living Close To Czechtown

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I wrote yesterday that the Chicago Sun-Times carried a column item about Cub executives Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry giving Chicago Tribune sportswriters Dan McGrath and Paul Sullivan a "profanity-laced tongue-lashing" because they had written negatively about what has become a horrible Cubs team. The Cubs are owned by the Tribune Co., but for MacPhail and Hendry to expect favorable stories out of McGrath and Sullivan is asinine -- especially when they have to deal with an idiot like Dusty Baker].

* * *

Speaking of the Cubs, it's good to know that they showed enough interest in Tim Gudex, a University of Iowa relief pitcher, to sign him to a free agent contract.

The fact that Gudex, a 6-foot, 170-pounder [pictured signing his Cubs contract], played for a Hawkeye team with records of 23-33 overall and 12-20 in the Big Ten makes it even a more unusual [should I call it stupid?] signing.

Of the signing, the Iowa City Press-Citizen wrote:

"A major league baseball rule allows fifth-year seniors to sign with professional teams prior to the June 6-7 draft. Though his statistics had been sparkling throughout the past season, Gudex was uncertain of his place in the draft. He said he heard his chances of getting drafted were iffy and there was no guarantee he would have free-agent opportunities, so Gudex jumped at the chance with the Cubs.

"'They gave me a great opportunity, gave me something I couldn't hold out on," said Gudex, who declined to specify how lucrative of a deal he received. 'I didn't really want to get caught with my pants down. I figured this was a good opportunity and I better take it.'"

Poor choice of words by Gudex, if you ask me.

It just so happens that the University of Iowa has started what the Press-Citizen called "an investigation after receiving a photograph that shows possible 'inappropriate activity' by Hawkeyhe baseball players.

"Two pictures from the website Webshots.com were e-mailed.....to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The photos showed some college-age men standing naked with hats over their genitals....."

[RON MALY'S COMMENT: Now that's really getting caught with your pants down].

* * *

Jane Norman's story on the front page of the Metro & Iowa section of today's Des Moines Register got my attention.

Nor because of the subject matter.

Not because it was written with any style.

But because Norman [upper right] wrote it and Senator Tom Harkin [upper left] was pictured.

I recalled that Bud Appleby sent me a note last December after another Norman story about Harkin was in the paper.

In his e-mail to me then, Appleby wrote:

"Here's a note I got from someone at the Register:

"'You mean you didn't know that the Washington Bureau's primary duty is to be Harkin's personal flack? It has been that way for years. Especially Jane Norman. Every time Harkin takes a shit, Norman is there to record the color.'"

* * *

I don't read much of what's in "Mid-Iowa mind & body" -- a supplement in the Register -- but I noticed a headline on today's cover.

It said, "Pole dancing.....Sexy and slimming."

Well, it's a lot more body and a lot less mind.

Call something "sexy" and editors think that'll get a lot of attention.

But pole dancing?

Come on!

I thought pole dancing was something TV viewers see only at 2 a.m. on cable TV.

Being done by strippers.

Then, the well-put-together girls move to lap dancing after the pole dancing.

So now you're telling me that pole dancing [pictured] is moving to the corner gym, and being performed by 45-year-old housewives?

As I say about a lot of things these days, "You gotta be kidding!"

* * *

Drake senior forward Ajay Calvin has been selected to play on a 10-member Athletes In Action team which will play six games against professional teams in France Aug. 10-15.

Calvin is the Bulldogs' top returning scorer from last year's squad after averaging 10.2 points. He led the team with a 5.3 rebounding average.

"Our staff is excited for Ajay," said Drake coach Tom Davis. "His upcoming trip with Athletes in Action is a great opportunity for him. The experience of traveling abroad, playing with players from other collegiate programs and against the competition that he will face in France will prove to be invaluable.

"Ajay Calvin has the potential to be a terrific player. His quickness and overall athleticism are very good and his shooting touch gives him good offensive capability. He will be considered among the best frontline players in the Missouri Valley Conference this year."

It's Tough To Find Anything Good About a Rotten Baseball Team -- Cubs' Brass Gives Tribune Writers An 'Expletive-Laced Tongue-Lashing'

2006-05-23T07:41:00.000-05:00

Michael Barrett's right-cross-to-the-chops-of-A.J.-Pierzynski isn't the only interesting baseball story in Chicago these days.

Another has to do with the verbal punching that a couple of Chicago Tribune writers took from executives Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry of the Cubs.

Naturally, the incident was reported by someone from a rival newspaper.

Michael Sneed of the Sun-Times wrote that MacPhail and Hendry "berated Chicago Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath and Cubs beat writer Paul Sullivan over what they felt was the paper's unfairly critical coverage of the team. The expletive-laced tongue-lashing supposedly took place at Wrigley Field."

This has already turned into a lousy season for the Cubs, of course. The only thing holding them out of last place in the Central Division of the National League standings is a woeful Pittsburgh team -- which might be even worse than my grandson's Little League squad.

In Dusty Baker, the Cubs have a lousy manager who hopes to get a contract extension--but should be fired.

Baker has an awful team playing in a ballpark that has seen plenty of awful teams for nearly a century.

Part of the problem with the MacPhail-and-Hendry-blast-McGrath-and-Sullivan saga is that The Tribune Co. owns the Cubs.

I don't think a newspaper should own a baseball team, a basketball team, a football team or any other kind of team.

But because the Tribune owns the Cubs, the baseball team's brass wrongly thinks the sportswriters should write favorable things about the team.

Things are especially tough on the sports editor and the reporter who covers the team regularly. He or she constantly hears stuff like, "You're a 'houseman' or 'housewoman' because you work for the paper that owns the team."

Actually, there are some people who think the writer covering a team should author only favorable things about it, even when the paper doesn't own the ballclub.

Try to tell the truth and you're lambasted daily by fans, managers, coaches batboys--and occasionally even by other sportswriters, who are fans in disguise.

More than once I was told, "I thought you were with us" after I had authored something negative about a particular team in my earlier writing life.

I feel especially sorry for Sullivan, who is going to have to cover the horrible Cubs the rest of this miserable season.

If you ask me, he'll probably be ready to ask for a shift to the farm department in October.

* * *

On another matter, I got a laugh out of the Cubs-White Sox telecast the other day on WGN-TV.

During a break in the action, outspoken Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson said something like, "Before we get too far along, I want to mention something that's been on my mind.

"I want to say that Jay Mariotti of the Sun-Times is a hineybird.

"And if you don't know what a hineybird is, I'll tell you. It's a bird that flies around in a circle endlessly until it finally flies up its own [asshole]. Then it's never seen or heard from again.

"I say that because Mariotti knows absolutely nothing about the game of baseball....."

Harrelson [wearing the Sox cap] and Mariotti [not wearing the Sox cap] have been carrying on a feud for years, and this was the latest verbal punch thrown.

When Harrelson finished attacking Mariotti, fellow announcer Darrin Jackson said, "I didn't read [what Mariotti wrote]."

Mariotti evidently isn't the only guy who thinks Harrelson, a former major league outfielder/first baseman, has some shortcomings.

There's a website on the Internet called "Heave the Hawk" that's trying to get Harrelson fired by the Sox.

The site says Harrelson uses "non-standard English and egomanical blather [which have] made the mute button a must for Sox TV."

Jackson also gets ripped on the site.

There's a segment that says, "DeeJay, you suck, too."

Even Though Plenty Of Iowa Basketball Fans Haven't Warmed Up To Alford, They Might As Well Get Used To Him -- He Signs a Contract Extension

2006-05-20T20:19:00.000-05:00

Memo to basketball fans at the University of Iowa:

You're going to have Steve Alford around as your basketball coach a while longer -- whether you want him or not.

At least Alford [right] is under contract to be around a while longer.

An impeccable source tells me he has signed a one-year extension, which will put him under contract long enough to coach the incoming recruiting class.

Signing Alford to the extension was one of the last major administrative moves outgoing Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby is expected to make.

Bowlsby, who is headed to Stanford as athletic director, has been a big booster of Alford.

Although Alford's Hawkeyes had a 25-9 record and won the Big Ten Conference tournament championship in the 2005-2006 season, he still hasn't completely warmed the hearts of many Hawkeye fans.

The fact that he seemed very much interested in becoming Indiana's new coach added to the fans' frustation this past season.

Alford was the former "golden boy" of Hoosier basketball in the Bobby Knight days.

But, in what was considered a harsh slap in the face, Indiana didn't even interview Alford after Mike Davis resigned as its coach.

Instead, the job went to Kelvin Sampson of Oklahoma, who had a tainted past.

Alford's contract at Iowa has paid him $800,000 per season plus incentives. He has wanted an extension because the old contract would expire before incoming recruits would use up their eligibility.

* * *

Careful reader Mark Robinson sent this e-mail:

"'In 'The Hot Corner' portion of the local paper this morning online was this morsel:

"Hawkeye basketball ticket prices rise

"For the second straight season, Iowa basketball fans will be paying less for season tickets.

"After paying $406 in 2004-05 and $387 in 05-06, season-ticket holders will be charged $300 next season. Student tickets will again be $5 per game.

"The Hawkeyes finished 25-9 last season, and averaged 12,006 fans in 17 games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which holds 15,500.'

"Thought you might enjoy it."

Mark Robinson

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I guess it was a tough day and night in the ol' "Hot Corner," Mark. But the Register did get it right in the print edition on a story that was originally in the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Above the item about the drop in ticket prices, it said, "Check It Out." No mention of a price rise.]

* * *

I don't think Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com knows any more about a top 25 college football rating -- early-summer version -- than the rest of us, but I'll give him some props today.

I'm using Maisel's top 25 primarily because he's picking Iowa No. 10.

His story:

Can Texas repeat without Vince Young? Will Ohio State find the answers on defense? Is West Virginia really a contender? Are Notre Dame and Oklahoma among the challengers? Spring practices provided some answers to those questions, so it's time to take an early look at the top 25 for 2006.

TOP 25: POST-SPRING EDITION

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

OK, so only two defensive starters return. When did Jim Tressel not have a defense? And my, oh, my, that offense.

2. Oklahoma Sooners

You've got to be pretty good to go 8-4 while rebuilding. Quarterback Rhett Bomar comes into his own as a sophomore, and junior tailback Adrian Peterson is healthy.

3. West Virginia Mountaineers

If you think the Mountaineers peaked in the Sugar Bowl, then you'll dismiss them. But they've shown what they can do. West Virginia's biggest obstacle is ego expansion.

4. Texas Longhorns

If they had a QB returning from winning a national championship, they'd definitely be No. 1. If they had a QB who had ever taken a snap, maybe.

5. Florida State Seminoles

There's more returning on defense than the loss of seven starters suggests. This is Bobby Bowden's best team since Chris Weinke -- and Mark Richt -- left.

6. USC Trojans

If John David Booty is healthy, move them up. If he can't play, and Mark Sanchez remains suspended, move them down.

7. California Golden Bears

Marshawn Lynch should be in the same Heisman breath as Peterson. The defense is experienced. If Nate Longshore stays healthy
…
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

BQ squared. On offense, Brady Quinn is the answer. On defense, the Big Question is stopping the pass. The defense will improve, but not in time to get through every one of the first five games.

9. Auburn Tigers

I like this team. There's a lot of experience on both sides of the ball and a favorable schedule. But the SEC has too much depth to expect a BCS championship game contender.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

Drew Tate [left] is the best quarterback you're not paying attention to, and the Hawkeyes played better last year than their 7-5 record would indicate.

11. Clemson Tigers

Sophomore tailback James Davis is a star ready to shine. Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and his 40 starts are gone, but backup Will Proctor is ready to lead.

12. Florida Gators

Higher than I expected, because there's more coming back than I realized. But Chris Leak looks like a spotted tiger in this offense, and no running back has stepped up.

13. LSU Tigers

Lower than I expected, because both lines have to be rebuilt, and because of road games at Auburn, Florida and Tennessee. There's sure a lot of talent on offense, though.

14. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks have plenty to sink their beaks into: road games at Fresno State, Cal and USC. OU comes to Autzen Stadium, which has replaced Husky Stadium as the toughest venue in the Pac-10.

15. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Huskers were my dark horse last year, and I was nine games early. Zac Taylor found his stroke late in the season. Nebraska can't let what happens at USC, good or bad, dictate the rest of the season.

16. Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines are my dark horse this season. That's right. This team wasn't all that good last year. But RB Mike Hart is healthy, and I think new coordinator Ron English will fix what ailed the defense.

17. Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals and West Virginia have reversed roles. It's WVU's turn to deal with expectations. I'd rank the Cardinals higher if I knew for sure that quarterback Brian Brohm will have recovered from knee surgery.

18. Miami Hurricanes

Too low? Shoot, this is a leap of faith. To be honest, I expect this to be a transition year into a new offense with a new offensive coaching staff.

19. TCU Horned Frogs

If the Frogs had more than one returning offensive lineman, they would be in the top 10. All the other pieces are there, and early games against Baylor and Texas Tech will provide schedule cred.

20. Boston College Eagles

A good nucleus of experience, led by the offensive line (74 returning starts) and LB Brian Toal on defense. Strange scheduling: Eagles close at Miami, which means they could play the Canes again nine days later in the ACC title game.

21. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions will fall off from 11-1, but there's still a lot of skill on offense, and there's still Puz to anchor a young defense. Penn State fans need to be patient with quarterback Anthony Morelli.

22. Georgia Bulldogs

The SEC East is as tough as ever, and the Bulldogs have less coming back than the rest of the Top 25. Can Joe Tereshinski III run the offense well enough early enough?

23. UTEP Miners

Quarterback Jordan Palmer has the eye of NFL scouts and the defense returns almost intact (which may be a good thing). Texas Tech comes to El Paso early, which could boost UTEP into a higher ranking. Four road games in five weeks will be rough.

24. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies lost almost as much (12 starters) as Georgia, and Frank Beamer has four new coaches. But with this schedule, the Hokies could be mediocre and go 8-4.

25. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Hold on to your Stetson: The Red Raiders won't have a fifth-year senior at quarterback. Graham Harrell is only a sophomore, but he's got the arm, the brains and a veteran cast around him.

I'm Trying To Take My Saturday Afternoon Nap, But a Fight Breaks Out In the Sox-Cubs Game On TV and Wakes Me Up. But the Cubs Still Doze

2006-05-20T07:20:00.002-05:00

I'm about to fall asleep watching TV this afternoon while the Cubs are playing the White Sox.

All of a sudden, A. J. Pierzynski -- that loudmouth bad guy from the Sox -- barrels into Michael Barrett of the Cubs at home plate.

Gee, you'd think those two guys would be nice to each other. They're both catchers.

And catchers with strong opinions.

Right after Pierzynski knocks Barrett over, Barrett gets up, grabs A. J. and throws a punch at him.

Pretty good punch, too. At least for a baseball player.

A right cross [pictured above] that would've been a 2 by Rocky Marciano [left] on a scale of 1 to 10.

Of course, Rocky Marciano has been dead a long time.

Then all hell breaks loose. The Sox and Cubs are fighting all over the field. Four players -- two from each team -- are thrown out of the game.

One is John Mabry, the Cubs' first baseman. I didn't know he ever got excited about anything -- certainly not a fight in a Sox-Cubs game.

The fight woke me up, and I thought it might wake up the Cubs -- who have been sleeping most of the season

Mistake.

The Cubs still aren't awake. Tadahio Iguchi [aren't you proud of me for being able to spell that name?] hits a grand-slam home run [that's a homer with the bases loaded for all you soccer fans] to put the Sox ahead, 5-0.

The Sox end up winning, 7-0, and the Cubs might as well call it a season. They could fire manager Dusty Baker and it wouldn't make any difference. Aramis Ramirez would still be there, and he's been asleep for three weeks.

Kevin Kennedy, who was a flop as a big league manager, said after the game on Fox-TV that he thinks Barrett will get suspended for 10 games.

Fine with me. The Cubs are dead anyway.

* * *

All of America has now been warned.

Keep your e-mail messages to yourself in the workplace.

Steve Shanks didn't do that, and now he's ready to start filling out job applications.

Shanks was, in effect, fired because an e-mail he thought he was sending to his brother wound up in the hands of a coach he had fired at Dowling High School in West Des Moines.

Shanks was in his first year as athletic director at Dowling.

At 43, Shanks should have been a computer-savvy guy. He grew up in the computer age, and should be aware of all the pitfalls of personal e-mail that is sent from work.

When it was learned by Shanks' bosses at Dowling, it was evident he had to go.

In three e-mail messages, Shanks said he was "done with religion," complained about a 1-hour 40-minute Mass at a Catholic church and mentioned an "Italian mafioso priest."

Not good.

Not good for the athletic director at Dowling -- a Catholic school in West Des Moines with a long and storied tradition -- to say he was "done with religion."

Not good for Shanks to talk negatively about a Mass.

Not good for him to put down Italians, a nationality that is weaved strongly throughout Des Moines and its suburbs.

The lesson in this unbelievably weird matter is that a person should always put his or her mouth where his or her e-mail is.

Don't put anything in an e-mail you wouldn't want to go public because far too often e-mails do go public.

Shanks should have waited until he went home to send the e-mails to his brother.

Better yet, he should have called his brother from home.

Or driven to his brother's home if it was so important to talk with him.

* * *

When former Drake athletic director Dave Blank was introduced a while back as the new athletic boss at Elon University in North Carolina, he proudly donned an Elon baseball cap.

He may have second thoughts about that now.

Members of the Elon team were disciplined after photos surfaced that showed players drinking and wearing women's underwear and blindfolds at a team party.

"We consider this a serious violation of our athletics codes of conduct and are outraged at this unacceptable behavior," outgoing athletic director Alan White said.

The photos were discovered in November and the issue was addressed then, the school said. White said the photos were posted on an Internet site. Baseball coach Mike Kennedy had the photos removed from the website and took disciplinary action against all involved team members who had violated athletics conduct policies as part of the party, White said.

The pictures have since showed up on another website.

White's statement did not say what action was taken against the players.

"I will be working with Blank and provost Gerald Francis to review the university's response to this incident and determine if future action is necessary," White added.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: It's one headache after another for Blank. He goes from watching a Drake men's basketball program that hasn't had a winning record for 19 seasons to an Elon baseball squad that wears women's underwear. What's this world coming to?]

* * *

Meanwhile, the University of Iowa has started an investigation after receiving a photograph that shows possible "inappropriate activity" by Hawkeyhe baseball players.

Two pictures from the website Webshots.com were e-mailed Wednesday to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The photos showed some college-age men standing naked with hats over their genitals. The men appeared to be in an apartment.

University general counsel Marcus Mills said the athletic department is conducting an investigation. University officials "have identified at least one of them as a baseball player," he said.

Mills would not name the identified player.

The Press-Citizen e-mailed one of the photos to Iowa sports nformation department baseball contact Tony Wirt on Thursday to see if the men in the picture could be identified as baseball players, as the photo caption suggested. Some of the players in the photograph have their heads tilted backward and one had a baseball hat on, making them difficult to identify.

"I didn't recognize any of them," Wirt said, noting that there are a number of redshirt freshman players he does not know well.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I'd say the Hawkeye baseball team has been behaving inappropriately all season. A 2-1 loss Friday at Michigan lowered Iowa's records to 23-30 overall and 12-17 in the Big Ten. Now that the players are taking their clothes off for photographs, I guess it's time for the yet-to-be named incoming athletic director to cancel the baseball program].

* * *

Maybe you remember Danny Almonte.

Almonte, 19, famous for playing in Little League while ineligible because of his age, now has 30-year-old wife.

Almonte is really grown-up now -- he's secretly married to a 30-year-old woman, said the Daily News.

[Almonte and his wife are pictured above].

Almonte, who hasn't even graduated from high school yet, reluctantly confirmed that he tied the knot with cradle-robbing Rosy Perdomo months ago.

"She's special," Almonte told the Daily News with a shy smile near the Bronx apartment he shares with Perdomo. "My family is happy for me."

The strapping young man wouldn't say much more about his bride, a former baseball league official who now works as a hairstylist in lower Manhattan.

"I don't want to talk about my personal life," he said politely, moments after he burst out of a barbershop when the question of his marriage came up.

But Perdomo told the paper she and Danny tied the knot at City Hall last Oct. 14 after both families showed "we have a lot of support from them."

She said she's known Almonte since his infamous Little League days.

"He always used to tell me things and I was like, 'You're a minor . . . we'd get in trouble," the pretty, freckle-faced bride said with a smile from a couch in the Bronx apartment she shares with Almonte.

"I really waited for the right person to come along," she explained, "so I wasn't going to just fool around, especially not with someone younger than me."

Perdomo said she and Almonte got closer last year and they began living together in June.

What makes it work?

"We share a lot," she said. "It's a family here. We have the same friends. We just have a lot in common."

Almonte's mom, Sonia Rojas, told the newspaper from her home in the Dominican Republic that the May-December union has her blessing.

"Love has no age," Rojas said, bemoaning the fact that she couldn't obtain a visa to attend the nuptials in New York.

Five years ago, Almonte was being groomed as the greatest Little League star ever to emerge from the ballfields of New York. But his phenomenal run ended in disgrace when it was revealed he faked his age -- subtracting two years -- to play in the Little League World Series.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Maybe Almonte will sign a pro contract and someday be assigned to play for the Iowa Cubs. They deserve him].

* * *

[Photos courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, Rocky Marciano's family, Google, DeCrescenzo, Daily News, Stars and Stripes, Pravda].

You Get It All--Talented Jane Pauley, Ditzy Deborah Norville, Clyde The Orangutan, a Stadium Still Named In Honor Of a Sportswriter, Plus Dimmer Bulbs

2006-05-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

As I consistently point out, a severe case of memory loss has robbed me of my ability to remember anything about certain people.

One is someone named Mike Gartner.

Although I don't have the slightest idea who Gartner is, who he was or what he does, my readers evidently have not forgotten him.

I have received even more e-mail this week about the guy.

Here goes, starting with a message from Bud Appleby of Des Moines:

"For anyone who thinks Michael Gartner might have forced some administrators to leave the University of Iowa, they just need to remember that he once shoved a talented Jane Pauley out the door of the 'Today' show and replaced her with ditzy Deborah Norville.

"What a jerk."

Bud Appleby

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Obviously, Appleby isn't having any memory problems. When he digs up the names of Pauley [lower right] and Norville [lower left] from NBC-TV history, he demonstrates that his mind is sharp as a tack. I asked Appleby if he wanted his real name used, along with his pointed comments, in this column, and he wrote, "As far as I know, it isn't libelous to call a jerk a jerk, so you can use my name." Some discussions on the Internet, of course, use such phony names as "Pissed Off In Pisgah" and "Shorty From Southern Iowa" as contributors. Appleby is a retired writer and editor at the Des Moines Register. Rumor has it that Gartner also drew a few paychecks there. By the way, Appleby's reference to University of Iowa administrators had to do with rumors that Gartner influenced the exits from the state of David Skorton, president at the Univeristy of Iowa, and Bob Bowlsby, the school's athletic director.]

* * *

"Doug From Davenport" also wrote about Gartner, as well as the laughable search for a new school superintendent in Des Moines.

Here's Doug's e-mail:

"Have you followed Mike Gartner's attempts to buy the Class A Midwest League baseball team [in Davenport]? He failed for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make another run at the team owned by Kevin Krause, a son of Kum and Go mogul William. Kevin Krause owed the city about $420,000 for his share of stadium renovation and was dragging his heels because he didn't think he owed that much. Literally at the last moment, he sent the team's mascot, Clyde The Orangutan, with a check for the city and Gartner's plan to buy the team for what appeared to be a very sweet price ... for Gartner anyway ... failed. It was high drama in minor league sports. A great stadium, by the way, if the river isn't on the rampage.

"When I read that everyone in Des Moines was shocked that the school superintendent was leaving, I read the story, even though I didn't really care whether the person stayed or left. In the Quad Cities, we have school administrators jump across the river from Iowa to Illinois quite often and sometimes they don't even have to move their residence. If you look deeper, it is usually because they are able to begin collecting their pension for their experience in Iowa, but can still go over to Illinois to higher-paying jobs for a few years, possibly work long enough to qualify for another pension, and not affect the pension they are collecting from Iowa. It's classic double dipping. I read the Register every morning on-line and I don't think I've seen money mentioned as a reason why the super left.

"Keep up the good blogging."

Doug From Davenport

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Many thanks to you, Doug, for reminding me of the great baseball tradition in the Quad Cities, specifically Davenport. I can recall attending many games as a kid at what is now called John O'Donnell Stadium in Davenport [pictured]. Unlike the money-hungry owners of the Iowa Cubs, those who run the Swing of the Quad Cities -- a team in the Class A Midwest League -- have retained the name of the ballpark, which was named in honor of the late Quad City Times sports editor, John O'Donnell. For a long time, the I-Cubs' ballpark was named Sec Taylor Stadium in honor of the late Des Moines Register sports editor, and still should be. Instead, the naming rights -- shamefully -- were sold to an insurance company whose name I have forgotten. Also gone from my memory permanently is the name of the owner of the team. I now refer to the stadium as "No-Name Ballpark--Sorry About That, Sec." Look at it this way, Doug. If John O'Donnell Stadium had changed ownership, you could have figured that the new name of the place would be something like Rath Packinghouse Hog-Kill Sausage and Bacon Ballpark, or some equally idiotic name -- if you know what I mean. I plan to see a game soon in Davenport, as long as the ballpark is still called John O'Donnell Stadium. I want to get an up-close look at Clyde The Orangutan [pictured]. Maybe he'll give me a check, too. As for the school superintendent search in Des Moines, it has turned into what it really is -- a fiasco. I've forgotten about that, too. See you at the ballpark, Doug. I'll buy the popcorn].

* * *

[Ron Maly is a four-time Iowa Sportswriter of the Year and also is the best-selling author of "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," which is in its second printing as both a hardback and softback book. The book is about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa. Maly has a heck of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. Ron's columns about sports, newspapers, his family, medicine, travel, the people he knows, the people he doesn't know, a few people he'd like to know better, a few people he once knew and is trying to forget, a few people he has already forgotten, and anything else that trips his trigger appear regularly at www.rmaly.blogspot.com and www.whotv.com.].

* * *

[Photos courtesy of Jane Pauley's family, Deborah Norville's family, NBC-TV, Google, The Saturday Evening Post, Norman Rockwell's family, Swing of the Quad Cities, Clyde The Orangutan's family, Clyde The Orangutan's photo album, Stars and Stripes, Pravda, Viditelny Macek].

Marshalltown School Official Brad Clement Provides Excellent Commentary On Cable TV Games. Hey, Someone Get The Shovel--He's Needed To Do Some Digging

2006-05-17T17:17:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in a recent column that I enjoyed the work of versatile play-by-play announcer Larry Morgan on the MediaCom telecast of Kerry Wood's rehab game for the Iowa Cubs.

I also thought commentator Brad Clement did an excellent job while working with Morgan.

I've liked Clement's work in the past, and he was at the top of his game when Wood was turning in an unimpressive 85-pitch performance.

Someone who knows everything that happens in Marshalltown, and seems to know anyone who has lived in Marshalltown, is Mark Robinson [lower photo].

So I asked Robinson, who now lives in California, what he knows about Clement. Here was his reply:

"You mentioned that you had watched the Iowa Cubs play on local cable-the annual Kerry Wood rehab game--and that a fellow named Brad Clement was doing the color commentary. Sounds like there were a good number of Iowa folks in attendance at No-Name Park to drink up those $5.75 beers.

"Brad Clement is the father of Jeff Clement, the Marshalltown graduate who is now in the Seattle Mariners farm system, picked No. 3 overall in the 2005 draft out of Southern California. Brad also did commentary on local cable for the state baseball tournament this past summer.

"Brad is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame [2004] and is now the principal at Miller Middle School in Marshalltown.

"The elder Clement graduated from Newton High School in 1971 and played baseball at Mesa Community College for two seasons. He became the baseball coach at Marshalltown High School in 1980 and remained in that position for 14 seasons, winning three state titles and 5 district titltes. He was Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year twice, in 1985 and 1986.

"In 1996 he managed his son and the Marshalltown Little League All-Star team to a berth in the Little League World Series, where they beat the American East team that eventually lost to the Far East team in the title game.

"Six years later, Jeff surpassed the national home run record for preps [75] and led Marshalltown HIgh School to another state championship under manager Steve Hanson. Jeff, who is a catcher for the Class AA San Antonio Mariners affiliate, pitched all seven innings in the title game played on the Marshalltown diamond.

"Jeff was drafted in the 12th round by the Twins out of high school. Hi"s camp perfomances, apparently, drove his stock down. He attended USC for three years and garnered several awards, including the national title of Freshman of the Year. After three years, he was again eligible for the MLB draft and was drafted third overall with a huge financial bonus.

"Jeff began his pro career with a Fall League Arizona affiliate. He then was shipped to a team in Everett, Wash., for all of four games before heading to Class A Appleton, Wis., where he performed very well.

"Clement began this season with Class AA San Antonio. He batted 5-for-5 with three doubles in one game earlier this season. It was reported on May 6 that Jeff endured two surgeries. A torn meniscus was repaired and a bone chip in an elbow was removed. He will be sidelined for up to two months.

"He was batting .288 at the time of his surgery. Mariners manager Mike Hargrove is optimistic, calling the surgeries nothing more than 'maintenance.'

"I sure hope that is the case. Scout.com just announced that he is the 20th-most likely minor league prospect to make it to the show. Those odds are pretty good, in my opinion.

"Take care and keep writing, Ron.

"Best regards,"

Mark Robinson

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I knew Mark Robinson would come through when I had a question. I also contacted Larry Morgan about his broadcast partner, and he came through, too. These were Morgan's comments: "Hi Ron, I'm a little behind on your columns. However, I always get around to reading them all and always enjoy them. I appreciate the kind words about me. I look forward to reading it. I work with Brad on both high school football and Iowa Cubs baseball for MediaCom. He has also worked on MediaCom's state high school baseball championship telecasts. To answer your question, yes, he is still a middle school principal in Marshalltown. He's a great guy and I know you would like him. Hope to see you soon. -- Larry."]

* * *

Strange things occasionally happen at our Wednesday sportswriters' lunches.

A guy today wondered why there was no mention in the morning paper about defensive tackle Chad Hennings [flat-top haircut] being named to the College Football Hall of Fame.

"The story was in the paper," another guy said. "I saw it."

We even asked the waitress at the Chinese restaurant if she had a paper so we could check out who was correct.

"No," she said, making it sound like the Register was something from a foreign country.

I later checked to see if the Hennings story was in the paper.

I couldn't find it.

Weird.

The 6-6, 291-pound Hennings was born in Elberon, Ia., and played football at the Air Force Academy before going to the Dallas Cowboys. He deserved special mention in these parts.

Oh, well.

* * *

Even though I continue telling people that a severe, sudden-onset case of memory loss prevents me from having absolutely any recollection of someone named Mike Gartner, I keep getting questions about him.

Here's the latest e-mail, from "Wondering in Wellman:"

"Ron,

"Have you heard the rumors about Michael Gartner giving Bowlsby a bad time and running him off? The story was that Gartner thought Bowlsby should have given the Regents a heads-up on the firing of Jim Zalesky, then refused any attempt to keep Bowlsby when Stanford offered him a job. It was reported by KCJJ radio last week and I thought it was bullshit, but now I'm hearing otherwise. Just wondered what you've heard over there. I know Gartner and Skorton had a poor relationship, and that might have cost us a president. Now an AD has been tossed into the picture. You know better than I how Gartner wheels and deals. This guy might be dangerous to the Regents institutions . . . I'll let you know if I learn anything more definitive over here . . ."

"Wondering in Wellman"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Dear Wondering, here's what I wrote a few days about this strange episode: "There are always a lot of interesting rumors and true stories making the rounds in Iowa City. When it comes to Iowa City, the truth is usually better and stranger than the rumors. One of the latest stories concerns outgoing University of Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby. Longtime Hawkeye booster Barry Crist forwarded me a story that Pat Harty and Ryan Suchomel wrote for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The story detailed a report that had been carried on Iowa City radio station KCJJ. The Press-Citizen story, said in part: "University of Iowa officials are denying a radio report that a deal to keep Bob Bowlsby as the UI athletic director was quashed by Iowa state Board of Regents President Michael Gartner. Gartner also denied the report, but the owner of KCJJ, the station that aired the news, said it was standing by the story....." The KCJJ report: "KCJJ has learned that an attempt last month by outgoing University of Iowa president David Skorton to keep UI athletic director Bob Bowlsby at the school was apparently rejected by Iowa Board of Regents chairman Michael Gartner. According to sources with close ties to the Iowa athletic department, Skorton had worked out a deal in principle with Bowlsby to remain at Iowa, which would then match the offer that was made last month by Stanford. Well, that deal was nixed by Gartner, who showed no interest in keeping Bowlsby at the UI. Gartner was apparently upset that Bowlsby had hired former wrestling coach Dan Gable as an assistant under new head coach Tom Brands without clearing the deal with the regents first." At the time, my comments were these: "If the story was on KCJJ, it must be true. I believe everything I hear on KCJJ. Frankly, I wish Bowlsby was staying at Iowa. He's been good for the university, which needs him more than Stanford needs him. As for Gartner, I have no idea who he is. As I have said often, a case of severe, sudden-onset memory loss prevents me from remembering who he is or was -- something I stressed to an eager-beaver reporter from the Press-Citizen who contacted me twice a while back to ask about Gartner. A number of my friends tell me I am a very fortunate man to have such unique memory features. Of course, I already knew I'm a very fortunate man." Final note: That's my story, and I'm sticking to it].

* * *

Hey, give me [and everyone else] a break on this newspaper mess about a search for a new Des Moines school superintendent.

Let's call in The Shovel already to get to the bottom of this ridiculousness. The stories are starting to sound like they wouldn't be good enough even for the Roosevelt Roundup.

Yes, even though the Register's Tom Witosky did a fine job today explaining how the Dowling High School athletic director got his you-know-what in the e-mail wringer and now should be fired, he [The Shovel, I mean] needs to take over the superintendent beat.

That superintendent story can't get much more childish in the paper, can it? Dana Boone or Daniel Boone, Boone's Farm or whatever Boone it is who's been screwing things up down there needs to take a lesson from The Shovel and find out how to get the candidates' names in the superintendent search.

You don't wait for a handout news release from the school board. You don't just wait for a press conference. You call people around the nation who know where the good superintendents are, and which of them might be candidates for new jobs. It's the same way we used to get the names of football coaches and athletic directors who might be coming to Iowa or Iowa State.

Dana Boone or Daniel Boone or Boone's Farm even wrote something about a "secret knock" that was necessary to enter a room.

You've gotta be kidding.

Shovel, where are you when we [and your bosses] need you?

* * *

Former Iowan Gordy Scoles checked in with this e-mail:

"Ron,

"We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday visiting friends in Salem, S.C. Actually, our friends live on Lake Keeowee, which is 20 minutes from Clemson, S.C. Larry and Jane Gabe [our friends are graduates of UNI [actually, State College of Iowa] who retired five years ago and now live on this beautiful lake in what is called the 'upstate' of South Carolina. That's not what I'm writing you about. We watched Clemson, which was ranked No. 7 in college baseball, sweep a three-game series from Florida State [No. 13], in one of the best sports weekends I've ever been involved in. Clemson has a beautiful stadium, a great team, and the environment was fantastic. The students were gone, since school ended over a week ago, but the size of the crowds, starting with Friday night were 5,200, 5,470 [full house], and 5,100. Tickets costs $3.60 per game [season ticket rate], or $10 regular price. We were so impressed with the fact that colleges in this part of the country have taken advantage of a great sport by building nice facilities, hiring excellent coaches, and recruiting great players. The result: one of the greatest sports weekends we've ever spent. If you ever get a chance to go to an ACC or SEC baseball game, jump at it!"

Gordy Scoles

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Sounds great, Gordy. It might be tough, though, to tear myself away from the 38-degree weather, with strong winds out of the north, we get for baseball around here in the spring].

Iowa and Ohio State Will Go Prime-Time Next Sept. 30. Their Nationally-Televised Big Ten Game Will Start At 7 P.M. In Kinnick Stadium At Iowa City

2006-05-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

Iowa’s highly-anticipated football game with Ohio State on Sept. 30 has been selected for prime-time television.

The game will have a 7 p.m. kickoff [Iowa time] in Kinnick Stadium [right] at Iowa City, and it'll be televised by either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

The Big Ten’s prime-time schedule begins a week earlier with Notre Dame at Michigan State.

Most, if not all, of Iowa’s games are expected to be televised this season. The Hawkeyes have had their last 52 games televised. Every game the last four seasons has been on TV.

Iowa's last home night game was Sept. 20, 2003 against Arizona State.

“We feel honored to have been included in the Big Ten’s prime-time schedule,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz [left]. “It’s an important game, like they all are, and much of the nation will be watching us. We look forward to the challenge.”

* * *

Athlon Sports magazine has picked Iowa’s football team 16th in its 2006 preseason poll. The Hawkeyes will open their season Sept. 2 against Montana in Kinnick Stadium.

Athlon also predicts postseason honors for a number of Hawkeye players.

Defensive end Kenny Iwebema is named to Athlon’s preseason third all-America and first all-Big Ten team. Defensive back Marcus Paschal and kicker Kyle Schlicher were also predicted to be first team all-Big Ten.

Running back Albert Young, offensive linemen Mike Jones, Mike Elgin and Dace Richardson and defensive lineman Mitch King were picked on the second all-Big Ten team.

Named to Athlon’s third preseason all-league team were quarterback Drew Tate, tight end Scott Chandler, defensive lineman Matt Kroul and linebacker Edmond Miles.

Additionally, Iowa’s offensive and defensive lines were rated best in the Big Ten.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Kirk Ferentz continues to be one of darlings of college football -- especially college football TV. The networks -- from the play-by-play announcers to the sideline reporters -- love the guy. They all think Ferentz is one short step away from jumping to the NFL, which they believe is the place he really wants to be. And the networks have always had a soft spot in their hearts for the state of Iowa, which they like to characterize as "A Genuine Story Out of Middle America where the farmers are struggling, it either floods or freezes all the time and is a place that gets screwed regularly by Washington. The networks also like Drew Tate because they remember the last-second winning touchdown pass he threw in the Capital One Bowl two seasons ago. And, oh, yes, the networks also love Ohio State -- crooked program that it is -- because there are a lot of TV sets in places like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. Some of the network bigwigs, I think, are still of the opinion that Woody Hayes coaches the Buckeyes].

* * *

2006 ABC SATURDAY NIGHT COLLEGE SCHEDULE

• Sept. 2, 7 p.m.: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
• Sept. 9, 7 p.m.: Ohio State at Texas
• Sept. 16, 7 p.m.: Nebraska at USC
• Sept. 23, 7 p.m.: Notre Dame at Michigan State; USC at Arizona
• Sept. 30, 7 p.m.: Ohio State at Iowa or Michigan at Minnesota*
• Oct. 7, 7 p.m.: Oregon at California; ACC, Big 12 or BIG EAST (12-day selection)
• Oct. 14, 7 p.m.: Michigan at Penn State; Arizona State at USC
• Nov. 4, 7 p.m.: UCLA at California; ACC, Big 12 or BIG EAST (12-day selection)
• Nov. 11, 7 p.m.: ACC, Big 12 or BIG EAST (12-day selection)
• Nov. 18, 7 p.m.: California at USC; ACC, Big 12 or BIG EAST (12-day selection)
• Nov. 25, 7 p.m.: Notre Dame at USC
• Dec. 2, 7 p.m.: Big 12 championship game*

One game will be on ABC and the other in primetime on ESPN or ESPN2.

* * *

ABC Saturday night college football in the upcoming season will feature showdowns between top football programs at 7 p.m. Iowa time.

Notre Dame kicks off the 12-week season Sept. 2 at Georgia Tech followed by Ohio State at defending national champion Texas the next week.

Commentator Brent Musburger will be the play-by-play voice with Bob Davie as the analyst. They will be joined by ESPN College GameDay and ESPN College Football Thursday prime-time analyst Kirk Herbstreit on certain weeks. Lisa Salters, an NBA sideline reporter and general assignment correspondent for multiple ESPN news outlets, will report from the sidelines.

"This prime-time series will be terrific for fans as more top-quality sports product comes to the ABC television network," said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports. "These games join a strong lineup of sports on ABC, including the NBA Finals, NASCAR's playoffs -- Chase for the Nextel Cup -- in 2007, Belmont Stakes and Indianapolis 500."

Cyclone Basketball Teams Will Play Dec. 16 At Wells Fargo Arena In D.M. Men's Team Meets Bradley On ESPN2, Women Face St. Louis

2006-05-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

For the second year in a row, Iowa State's men's and women's basketball teams will play in Des Moines.

The men's team faces Bradley of the Missouri Valley Conference in the Mediacom Cyclone Capital Classic on Dec. 16, 2006 at the Wells Fargo Arena.

The Cyclone women’s team will host St. Louis University. Tipoff times have not been set, but the men’s game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.

The Braves, 22-11 last year and ranked 24th in the final poll, were one of the Cinderella stories from the 2005-06 NCAA men's tournament after advancing to the Sweet 16.

That club won 13 of its final 17 games, including NCAA tournament wins over Kansas (77-73) and Pittsburgh (72-66). The Braves were eliminated by top-seed Memphis. The St. Louis women’s team is led by senior guard Tyler McIlwraith (15.6-point average) and second-year coach Shimmy Gray.

“We are very excited to continue our relationship with Mediacom and all the great Cyclone fans in the Des Moines area. Playing games in Des Moines annually is one of our many initiatives to help cultivate more Cyclone fans in our capital city,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said.

“Getting the national television exposure from the ESPN family is a direct reflection of what the network thinks of a match-up between the Big 12 and a powerful mid major.”

Added Pollard: "The cooperation between the Wells Fargo Arena and ESPN2 was instrumental in making the game a reality. Scheduling special event, cross sectional games is hard, especially during that time of the year.

"However, the willingness of all parties to work together resulted in our capital city getting a very desirable non-conference match-up that will be broadcast to a national audience.”

The doubleheader will not be a part of the men’s and women’s season ticket packages, but Cyclone season ticketholders will have the first opportunity to reserve tickets for this doubleheader on their ticket renewal forms this summer.

Ticket prices for the doubleheader and the on-sale date for the general public will be established in the near future.

Baseball Is Too Dull These Days. Bring Back Showman Bill Veeck, Who Once Sent a 3-Foot 7-inch, 65-Pound Midget To the Plate In St. Louis

2006-05-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

A few things of interest have been happening both in and out of the sporting scene lately, and one of them doesn't involve Kerry Wood throwing 85 not-very-impressive pitches in a Triple-A game at No-Name Ballpark last night.

The way I look at it, no more time should elapse without me mentioning Jim Delsing.

Jim Delsing?

Yes, household name Jim Delsing.

Jim Delsing, who died recently at the age of 80, was an outfielder who played 10 years of baseball in the American League.

But the thing that made Delsing famous happened Aug. 19, 1951 at old Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

He had a role in a stunt pulled off by baseball's master showman, Bill Veeck.

In 1951, Veeck owned the St. Louis Browns. On Aug. 19, the Browns were playing the Detroit Tigers in a doubleheader.

The Browns weren't drawing many fans, so Veeck decided to insert a circus atmosphere into the day.

He sent Eddie Gaedel, a 3-foot 7-inch, 65-pound midget, into the game to pinch-hit [top photo]. Gaedel walked and Delsing was put into the game to pinch-run for him.

"A lot of people say Roger Maris hit 61 home runs," Delsing once said, "but I'm the only one who ran for a midget."

Between games of the doubleheader, Gaedel popped out of a cake to celebrate the American League's 50th anniversary.

Veeck [middle right] fixed up Gaedel with a tiny uniform that had the number 1/8 [middle left] on the back.

When Gaedel -- somewhat of a showman himself -- said he might be tempted to swing at a pitch while at the plate, Veeck told him he'd better think twice about that because he had a sniper stationed in the grandstand.

In his 1962 autobiography, Veeck wrote, "Eddie [Gaedel] I've got your life insured for a million dollars. I've got a gun stashed up on the roof. But don't you let any of that bother you. You just crouch over like you've been doing and take four pitches, huh?"

Gaedel was the first, and only, midget ever to appear in a major league game.

When he came to the plate, umpire Ed Hurley talked with Browns manager Zack Taylor. Taylor and Veeck had Gaedel's contract with them.

Bob Cain pitched to Gaedel, who had a strike zone measuring 1 1/2 inches After Gaedel was walked, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Tigers won the game, 6-2, and afterward American League president Will Harridge said Veeck was making a mockery of the game.

Harridge voided Gaedel's contract the following day.

Although Gaedel's major league career was over, Veeck continued to use him in off-the-field promotions. In 1959, Gaedel and three other midgets dressed as spacemen presented ray guns to Chicago White Sox players Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio at Comiskey Park.

Some critics later said such stunts harmed Gaedel, who became a heavy drinker and died of a heart attack after being mugged in Chicago in 1961. He died at 36.

Actually, it's too bad the clowns who run the Chicago Cubs don't do something similar to what Veeck pulled off more than a half-century ago.

All they've got to impress fans are manager Dusty Baker, general manager Jim Hendry and a dugout full of bad, overpaid players

Talk about boring.

* * *

Kerry Wood's latest performance at No-Name Ballpark was so-so at best.

Many of the pitches he threw in the cold and wind last night at No-Name would have been clobbered out of a number of parks in the nation, including Yellowstone.

Wood's body is beaten the battered, and hitters know it.

Any similarity between the very ordinary Wood [lower right] of 2006 and the Wood who once struck out 20 Houston Astros in a game is purely in Ron Santo's imagination.

He's never been willing to change his mechanics, and eventually will retire as a stubborn overhyped pitcher who couldn't match his potential.

The only difference between Wood and the rest of the Joe Six-Packs hanging around minor league parks, rehab games, surgeons' offices and training rooms is that he'll have lots of money in the bank when he quits, which could be sooner than you might think.

Meanwhile, National League hitters are frothing at the mouth awaiting Wood's return to Dusty Baker's pitching rotation.

Dusty Baker.....now there's another guy without a clue.

* * *

Nice going, Mediacom.

Excellent job with the telecast of last night's game.

The shut-ins appreciated it, as did the smart folks who refuse to be gouged by the ridiculous prices at No-Name.

Play-by-play announcer Larry Morgan again showed his versatility. Morgan does equally well behind the microphone at football, basketball and baseball games, and I always enjoy his work.

* * *

People have been saying for several years that Greg McDermott is a good basketball coach.

I guess we'll be finding out if that's true next season at Iowa State.

It looks to me like he'll be going to war with a bunch of tin soldiers.

* * *

Meanwhile, McDermott's former boss at Northern Iowa -- athletic director Rick Hartzell -- continues to be an embarrassment.

Not only does Hartzell persist in running all over the country every winter, officiating major-college basketball games while he's supposed to be managing UNI's athletic department, he makes his name available for all athletic director openings in the country.

* * *

In 1986, a suburban man was told that -- because of other medical problems -- his coronary bypass surgery would probably be good for only 8 to 10 years.

"He can have more bypass surgery then," a cardiologist told the man's family.

Coronary bypass -- or the more dramatic term "open-heart surgery" -- is the kind of procedure where they slice open the breastbone, do what they have to do and, if the guy is still breathing afterward, he tells his buddies, "It hurts more where they took the veins out of my leg than where they opened up my chest."

On May 2, the man celebrated 20 years with the original bypass grafts still in place.

Needless to say, the man takes his Vytorin and the rest of his pills every day, tries to do everything his doctors tell him, and he prays a lot.

* * *

There are always a lot of interesting rumors and true stories making the rounds in Iowa City.

When it comes to Iowa City, the truth is usually better and stranger than the rumors.

One of the latest stories concerns outgoing University of Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby.

Longtime Hawkeye booster Barry Crist forwarded me a story that Pat Harty and Ryan Suchomel wrote for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The story detailed a report that had been carried on Iowa City radio station KCJJ.

The Press-Citizen story, said in part:

"University of Iowa officials are denying a radio report that a deal to keep Bob Bowlsby as the UI athletic director was quashed by Iowa state Board of Regents President Michael Gartner.

"Gartner also denied the report, but the owner of KCJJ, the station that aired the news, said it was standing by the story....."

"The KCJJ report:

"KCJJ has learned that an attempt last month by outgoing University of Iowa president David Skorton to keep UI athletic director Bob Bowlsby at the school was apparently rejected by Iowa Board of Regents chairman Michael Gartner.

"According to sources with close ties to the Iowa athletic department, Skorton had worked out a deal in principle with Bowlsby to remain at Iowa, which would then match the offer that was made last month by Stanford.

"Well, that deal was nixed by Gartner, who showed no interest in keeping Bowlsby at the UI. Gartner was apparently upset that Bowlsby had hired former wrestling coach Dan Gable as an assistant under new head coach Tom Brands without clearing the deal with the regents first."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: If the story was on KCJJ, it must be true. I believe everything I hear on KCJJ. Frankly, I wish Bowlsby was staying at Iowa. He's been good for the university, which needs him more than Stanford needs him. As for Gartner, I have no idea who he is. As I have said often, a case of severe, sudden-onset memory loss prevents me from remembering who he is or was -- something I stressed to an eager-beaver reporter from the Press-Citizen who contacted me twice a while back to ask about Gartner. A number of my friends tell me I am a very fortunate man to have such unique memory features. Of course, I already knew I'm a very fortunate man].

* * *

And, oh, yes, if you're interested in living in the same house Bowlsby lived in, Iowa Realty in Iowa City will be glad to talk to you.

But bring your wallet.

And your checkbook.

And everything else you've got in this world.

It'll cost you, my friend.

Bowlsby's 7,965-square foot home at 2594 Johnsons Crossing NE in Solon is on the real estate market at more than $1.4 million.

The actual cost is $1.450,000.

The house is on 24.57 acres. It has six bedrooms, five baths, two fireplaces, a three-car garage, a swimming pool and just about everything else you'd expect in a $1.4 million house.

* * *

[Ron Maly is a four-time Iowa Sportswriter of the Year and also is the best-selling author of "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," which is in its second printing as both a hardback and softback book. The book is about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa. Maly has a heck of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. Ron's columns about sports, newspapers, his family, medicine, travel, the people he knows, the people he doesn't know, a few people he'd like to know better, a few people he once knew and is trying to forget, a few people he has already forgotten, and anything else that trips his trigger appear regularly at www.rmaly.blogspot.com and www.whotv.com.].

* * *

[Photos courtesy of Eddie Gaedel's family, Bill Veeck's family, Kerry Wood's family, Baseball Hall of Fame, St. Louis Browns, Iowa Realty, Charlie Neibergall, AP, UPI, INS, Reuters, Google, Stars and Stripes, Pravda, Vytorin, Zetia, Ezetimibelsimvestatin, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, MSC Singapore Company].

Harry Burrus Has Gone from Winning Tennis Championships To Writing Poetry Books To Directing And Producing the Movie 'Marrakech'

2006-05-11T07:07:00.000-05:00

When I grow up, I want to be like Harry Burrus.

I mean, Burrus has been a tennis professional and a tennis champion in Iowa.

He's a poet who has written seven books and helped out on others.

He's the writer, director and producer of the movie "Marrakech."

He has already written 1,200 or 1,300 pages of a novel.

He wants to write a children's book.

If you're wondering what Burrus, 61, does in his spare time, he's planning a move from Houston, Texas, to Mexico with his wife, Megan.

"San Miguel would be the place," Burrus said. "It's in a state north of Mexico City. What I like about San Miguel is that there are so many writers, painters and so forth. It's an interesting environment.

"When I'm in Mexico, I'm going to be doing the same thing I do here -- trying to make films."

I got to know Burrus when he was a young man and I still thought I was a young man.

He was playing tennis -- and playing well -- in places like Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Burlington and Keokuk, and I was producing stories about him in an earlier writing life.

"I haven't hit a tennis ball since 2000," Burrus told me the other day. "That surprises me. It's mostly because of my priorities. We spent a lot of time with the movie, and it's still taking time. I didn't feel right going out to play tennis. So I'm in a dormant period.

"Maybe I'll be like a volcano and erupt again. Tennis has always been such a big part of my life -- at least until the last six years."

Burrus attended graduate school at the University of Iowa in 1970-71, then was the tennis professional at old Racquet Club West in Des Moines from 1973-77. He has degrees in film, dramatic arts and poetry.

For a while, Burrus spelled his first name Hari because his late father's name was also Harry.

Indeed, on the cover of one of his early poetry books -- "I Do Not Sleep With Strangers -- Confessions of a Tennis Pro" -- his name is spelled Hari Burrus.

Burrus mailed that book to me a number of years ago, and the thing that immediately got my attention was that the photograph on the cover was of several women lying on a beach.

And they weren't wearing much clothing -- at least not on the tops of their bodies.

Burrus' other books include "Bouquet;" "A Game of Rules;" "Without Feathers;" "For Deposit Only;" "the Jaguar Portfolio;" and "Cartouche." He has also co-edited with Peter Gravis of Black Tie Press "American Poetry Confronts the 1990's."

Copies of all of them arrived in my mail a while back. Thanks, Harry.

Burrus' movie, "Marrakech," is called "a contemporary, independent feature film....In a riveting, fractured narrative, newlyweds Arden and Sierra Cole return from their honeymoon in Mexico are stalked by a killer who believes they witnessed his crime.

"He befriends them, and then, in an evil game of manipulation and cunning, applying 21st-century technology, the killer sets out to erase any memory they might have of the event...."

Burrus said the movie has been cut from 2 hours to 90 minutes -- "98 with credits" --and "it's going to the [upcoming] Cannes film markets."

Included in the cast is a character named Calla, whose role is played by Ruth Mirelly Osuna [left].

Osuna says working on the film was a pleasure. In publicity for the movie, she said:

"I would love to work with Harry Burrus again because he is extremely respectful of everyone on the set, and has the patience of 1,000 men. When all is chaotic, Harry walks around like world peace has just hit....."

[Burrus and Osuna are pictured at the top].

Calla is described as someone "who amuses herself, and fascinates others, with exotic self-portraits and veil dancing [right]. [She] yearns to escape from Texas to Marrakech. She lives with Ned Prime, a smooth wealthy Texan who is enticed by her, but cannot possess her."

Burrus said he doesn't appear in the movie.

"I wrote the script, wrote the screenplay, directed the movie and I'm one of the producers," he said. "We hired the people, the crew, the casting. Megan took care of the legal contracts. She's a lawyer, and helped a lot with the film.

"Megan suggested that I should be like Hitchcock and be in the film. I didn't do it."

Alfred Hitchcock was the movie genius who often made cameo appearances in his films.

Better Start Saving Your Money for Parking And Beer--Kerry Wood Will Likely Be Stopping By At No-Name Ballpark Friday Night

2006-05-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

Next stop, Des Moines.

Whether Des Moines wants Kerry Wood to stop by or not.

Wood is one of the multi-millionaires in the growing "Mr. Rehab Club" on the Chicago Cubs' baseball team.

He always pitches well in places like Peoria and Des Moines.

He's always got his arm in a sling in Chicago.

Wood, who is hurt more than he's healthy, struck out 12 of the 18 Lansing Lugnuts he faced last night while pitching for Class A Peoria.

I mean, what did you expect a team called the Lugnuts to do against Wood's fastball --- actually hit it?

Naturally, two or three Cub fans are excited about the latest development.

But, really, what has changed?

Nothing.

Wood is hurt every year, and every year he has what some regard as an awesome rehab appearance in a minor league park.

Usually, it's in Des Moines -- at what I still call Sec Taylor Stadium, or sometimes No-Name Ballpark.

It's a place where the owners have their hands in your pockets before you get off the freeway.

Wood is expected to be pitching here at 7:05 p.m. Friday when the Iowa Cubs play Colorado Springs.

Then you can pay $5 to park and $5.75 for a cup of beer to watch Wood again throw 94 to 97 miles per hour to minor league batters.

Mr. Rehab will probably pitch his first game for the big-city Cubs May 17 against Washington.

I can't wait.

* * *

Actually, I think Peoria would be a great place for Dusty Baker, too.

* * *

Although they may have been edited out of some of the recent newspapers you've been reading, a few comments by Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro deserve a look today.

When Barbaro showed up at his press conference following the race in Louisville, he immediately nodded at Des Moines Register reporter Dan Johnson.

"Great to see you, Dan," the horse commented. "You've been loyal to horse racing over the years and I want to thank you for coming to Louisville again this time. Every horse in America owes you a debt of gratitude for your longtime coverage.

"You've been great for our sport. In this era of shrinking news budgets, I appreciate it that you came all the way out here from the great state of Iowa to cover the Derby.

"I read your stuff every chance I get, and I hope your bosses give you a bump in pay."

* * *

No hard feelings, Barbaro, but I was hoping Lawyer Ron [right] would win the Derby.

* * *

When Bud Appleby of Des Moines heard that former Drake women's basketball coach Lisa Stone is being pressured to win by her bosses at Wisconsin, he told me:

"Maybe she'll come back to Drake."

That tells me not everyone is happy with present Bulldogs coach Amy Stephens -- whose record is a modest 47-42 -- nor are some folks pleased that Stephens has had her contract extended through the 2010-2011 season.

Indeed, the new athletic director at Drake -- regardless of who it is -- will inherit some potential problems when he or she steps into the job.

It has already been decided that Keno Davis -- the son of present Bulldogs men's coach Tom Davis -- will take over that job and be around at least through 2010-2011.

Like I said earlier, I hope it all works out at a place that's trying desperately to get back some respectability in basketball.

Meanwhile, the athletic director candidates -- Sandy Hatfield Clubb, Robert Fourier and Jerry Wellmering -- will be touring the campus, starting today.

* * *

A man identified as "Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001" sent this e-mail:

"Ron,

"I was skeptical of The Des Moines Register's new page layout and design when the new management came on board a few months ago. I mean, c'mon, it is newsprint, what can make it any better?

"Honestly, it has really cleaned up the pages and made it a quicker read! I read the whole damn paper in less than 10 minutes this morning and got it right into the recycle bin! No haste -- no waste!

"I will admit I slowed down to read the advertisements, though -- a lot of 4-color ads looked like they were printed while maintenance was using a jackhammer on the pressroom floor.

"Cheers,"

Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: "Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001" is an expert on the things he mentioned. When he says them, I believe him].

* * *

"Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001" followed with another e-mail:

".....Great forum and article about Jane Burns -- right on target, too!

"Two other things...

"Juice -- talked to marketing staff -- they don't have a 'street team' anymore because of promotional budget cuts (duh - I could have guessed this one) - but it still was a strong part of their initial promotion last year. Each week gets more interesting with the Juice because recently you can stack four Datebooks next to Juice and still be shorter! Are they going to pull a 'Press Citizen' and kill the Datebook and insert in an expanded Iowa Life? Hmm...

"Word from an ISU rassler insider is that Frank Santana (7 Flags) used his financial leverage to expedite the Bobby Douglas ouster. Hmmm..."

Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Dear Locust Liar Alum 1997-2001, you might be reading publisher Mary Stier's mind!]

* * *

Old friend Harold Yeglin checked in with this great e-mail:

"Ron,

"Move over, Igor from Independence. This is Foo from Roanoke.

"Good reading about Jane Burns, a great kid to have around the ol' sports desk in those days of yore. She was a bright kid whose good cheer offset that former pain-in-the-ass named Sotak. (Just kidding, John; you;ve long since become a man of the collar and genuine good guy!)

"Couldn't find a thing about the Drake Relays in Roanoke and Washington papers. And the only reason the Penn Relays got a paragraph in the Roanoke Times -- which has a pretty good sports section -- was that a guy from Radford U. (where's that? you say) won the (good grief!) hammer throw.

"People hereabouts haven't a clue about Drake U. (as unknown here as Elon is there) or its Relays. That's no indictment of Drake or the Relays. People here don't (1) know where Iowa is and (2) just don't give a s---t about track unless it's Olympics stuff.

"A couple of weeks ago [my wife] Milka and I took in a great recognition banquet for hometown hero J.J. Redick. It drew 900 people at $25 a head. All this after Redick won the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete.

"Redick is a Nile Kinnick type. Smart boy. He gave a 15-minute speech off the top of his head that wowed 'em at the banquet."

Harold Yeglin
a.k.a Foo from Roanoke

P.S. Where's Radford U.? The answer: About 15 miles south of Blacksburg/Virginia Tech on Interstate 81. In other words, 45 miles south of Roanoke. (The hammer throw. Good grief!)

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: It was great hearing from Foo from Roanoke. He's always been an enjoyable guy. John Sotak knows you're kidding, too, Foo! By the way, I think I once wrote a story about the hammer throw for a newspaper. I've been trying to forget it -- the hammer throw, I mean -- ever since].

* * *

"Sandy in Boone" writes:

"I think Barry Alvarez would make a good athletic director at Iowa. He would be back working with some of the guys he worked in the past with. Kirk Ferentz, Dan McCarney. Iowa needs to get a people person, one that can sit and talk to you as a regular person. A Hayden Fry kind of guy!!!! Thanks for your time."

Sandy in Boone

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: We all got to know Alvarez well when he was on Fry's Iowa football coaching staff after being at Mason City High School. He's probably too entrenched at Wisconsin as athletic director to come back to Iowa].

Former Drake Coach Lisa Stone, Whose Record At Wisconsin Is Only 33-51, Told 'You Need To Do Better'--Her Contract Isn't Extended

2006-05-06T07:26:00.000-05:00

University of Wisconsin senior associate athletic director Vince Sweeney expressed confidence Friday in women's basketball coach Lisa Stone.

But Sweeney and the Athletic Board also gave a strong indication her program needs to improve during the annual review of the winter UW coaches' contracts, Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal wrote.

The board voted to maintain Stone's current contract, which expires May 31, 2010, rather than extending it a year. That means Stone has gone from a five-year contract to a four-year deal.

When the board has done that in the past, like it did twice to former women's coach Jane Albright, it usually means expectations are not being met. Stone's three-year overall record is 33-51, including 14-34 in Big Ten Conference play.

Stone came to Wisconsin after being Drake's head coach.

Sweeney, who is concluding his first year overseeing the women's basketball program, said the move was not an indication he is unhappy with Stone.

"We don't see it as a negative in any way," Sweeney said. "We see it as an acknowledgement that we've got some work to do. But we also are fully confident that she is going to get it done."

Sweeney said the length of the existing contract lessens the significance of the decision.

"I think what we hung our hat on, the contract through May of 2010 is longer than most of our coaches' contracts," Sweeney said. "It gives her plenty of time to recruit and plenty of time to continue to make progress."

A spokesperson said Stone declined to comment on her contract.

"She's the first to acknowledge she would have liked to have seen a few more victories along the way and needs to continue to make progress, so she's not surprised, shocked, disappointed," Sweeney said. "She's got four years to go and she has the confidence to get it done and we have the confidence in her that she will get it done."

It's the Best of 2 Worlds--Jane Burns Edits And Writes In Wisconsin, Soon Will Hang Out In a Count's Castle And Drink His Wine In Transylvania

2006-05-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

I started this with the intention of writing about Jane Burns' newspaper career.

Then the former Des Moines Register writer and editor mentioned to me that she and some friends will be vacationing in Transylvania this summer, and I immediately switched gears and became envious.

I knew Burns had been a traveler to some storybook places in this world for many years, and when she brought up Transylvania I knew she had, indeed, stepped up to the next level.

"I was actually wondering if you'd ever been there, being the world travler you are and all," Burns said when I asked her about Transylvania.

Huh-uh.

But, after listening to Burns describe the place, I'm ready to go.

I mean, bring on Bucharest!

Planning a trip to Romania, Burns said, "was kind of a fluke and proof you can find anything on the Internet. I was looking for something else online and stumbled across a link for a castle in Transylvania that is open as a bed-and-breakfast, and your host is a count.

"The count got his family property back when the Communist government crumbled and has opened it as a B&B to earn money back to restore all his properties. I had sent a link the place to friends who quickly said, 'When are we going?' because it sounded like a cool adventure.

"We would have gone last year, but my move to Madison [Wis.] made it impossible. And, yes, I did all sorts of homework to make sure this is all on the up-and-up."

Burns [pictured above with a friend] is enjoying life in Madison as a copy editor and sometimes-writer at the Capital Times, which she says is "the smaller of the two papers here and an afternoon one at that."

It's independently owned. The morning Wisconsin State Journal is owned by Lee Enterprises.

[The fact that Madison has an afternoon paper is news in itself. There aren't many afternoon newspapers anywhere these days in this Internet-TV-Radio-Instant News world].

"The State Journal is known as a conservative paper," Burns said. "In fact, we share a building and, if you walk in the front door, you turn left to come to our paper and you turn right to go to the State Journal. I don't know if they did that on purpose or not. The State Journal endorsed Bush, we usually call for his censure or impeachment about every other week.

"We kind of like the Green Bay Packers, benefiting from a business model that no one in their right mind would get away with today.

"I just wanted to get out of the corporate journalism world if I could, and it's a double bonus to be able to do that and work at the paper I grew up reading. My dad was a photo correspondent for this paper when I was a kid."

Burns came to Des Moines to study at Drake University, and she later did outstanding work in various jobs at the Register.

"I was at the Register as a news intern in 1982-83," she said, "then got a job there a few months after graduating, and was there until 2000 -- in sports as a copy editor until about 1986 when there were various titles.

"They were always changing them -- assistant sports editor, deputy sports editor, whatever. That was until about 1989. I wrote sports until 1996, when I went to the features department."

As a writer at the Register, Burns could handle any assigment. She became one of the best women's collegiate basketball writers in the nation, and has intentions of doing a book on women's basketball in the future.

In the features department, Burns' writing -- among other things -- included reviewing movies. Keep in mind that many of the same problems that exist at the Register now also existed then. I mean, the editor recently sent the most recent movie reviewer back to the copy desk.

How's that for 19th-century newsroom thinking? Sounds like typical to-hell-with-the-employee Gannett Co.-style philosophy to me.

My guess is that the bosses kept piling more and more assignments on Burns until she fled to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she stayed for five years.

Wow, I'll bet it was a gigantic thrill for her to work in the same Star Tribune sports department as Sid Hartman, a sports columnist who has considered himself a journalistic legend for the last couple of centuries.

[That's me talking, not Burns. And I'm laughing as I say it. Hell, Hartman doesn't know anything about spelling and sentence structure, but he can take a joke. Right, Sid?]

"It was OK, nothing wrong with it," Burns said of her term at the Star Tribune. "After a couple years, though, I realized it wasn't where I wanted to make my career, and really was interested in moving back to Wisconsin.

"It's a good fit for me so far, not just because I'm home but because I'm working for a paper that really has a commitment from top to bottom to bettering a community we call care for greatly.

"Seems to me that's what journalism has lost in the past 20 years, and to be experiencing it again in a city I love is just an amazing thing to me."

Burns said she recently began "writing a column on media stuff." I've reprinted one of her media columns at the bottom of this essay, and also an op-ed piece Burns did for her paper.

"The op-ed [about Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, pictured on the right] was something my smart-ass self felt compelled to write," she said. "But I like editing and I like writing, and I knew this job would be a chance to do both.

"On a personal note, the return home was rather ironic because just a couple weeks before I moved, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was a very rough time for her and all of us -- so the fact that I was here to help her makes me think this was all pre-destined in some way.

"And she has pulled through and is doing great, all things considered."

Burns said she "still gets back to Des Moines to visit aplenty," and was here for the Drake Relays last week. "I'm in touch with tons of ex-Register folks."

Indeed, several of them are going with Jane on the trip to Transylvania.

"We just like the idea of hanging out in a count's castle, and drinking his wine," Burns said. "Actually, I also like the idea of doing some hiking in the area and seeing a very different part of the world. I've since learned that Romanian is a Romance language like French, Italian and Spanish, so I'm hoping to be able to read some signs since I speak French and a smattering of Italian and Spanish.

"It looks like a beautiful country, and I'm really excited about the trip. I plan to spend a week in England first, to see [former Register photographer] Terry Farris and her husband, who now live in the Dorset countryside."

Burns said she's "been to England many times in the last 10 years and have seen Terry and her husband often, and stayed with them on my last trip there. The rest of my traveling party will join me there for a bit and we'll head to Bucharest.

"There are no direct flights into Bucharest from the U.S. You've got to stop somewhere. I think it's about a 3-hour flight from London. From there, we're going to be exceptionally lazy and have someone from the castle come get us at the Bucharest airport for a fee.

"Mostly because I like the idea that someone representing a Count in Transylvania will be at the airport holding a sign that says, 'Burns.' I'll have to get a picture of that.

"So between hooking up with Terry and Cos, hanging with Mary Challender, Kathy Berdan [now at the St. Paul Pioneer Press] and Lynn Olson [now at the Washington Post], it will be an old Register reunion."

One more thing about Burns.

"My Wisconsin accent is back securely in place," she said. "I sound like a bigger cheesehead than I ever did when I lived in Des Moines."

* * *

Following are two recent columns Burns wrote for the Capital Times:

Sometimes decisions are just too tough to tackle quickly

By Jane Burns

This decision has been a tough one. I've pored over it, mulled over it, pained over it and gone back and forth.

I've consulted friends, I've consulted professionals and now it's time to announce to the world where my head is at today:

I still haven't decided on a paint color for my dining room.

This has been going on for months. I thought I had it figured out but that Guava Jam just looked too peachy and Powdered Petals was just too pink. Neither will quite go with the Mexican Chile I want as an accent wall. It's a conundrum.

Now I know this decision doesn't just affect me. There are people to whom I've said, "When my place gets put together, I'll have you over for dinner." I know this has an impact on their life, but what are they going to do, not eat my food?

I also realize people are getting impatient, but maybe they should just enjoy my living room right now.

I don't like the way I've left things. That mousy shade of green is not what I want surrounding me all the time. But I have a hard time knowing that the changes I plan to make will really be the right improvement.

This is important stuff, this is the rest of my life we're talking about here. (It really is, when you consider how often I do major interior work at home.) Taking my time to get it right seems a necessary step.

I've consulted my family, and they really don't care. Friends say noncommittal things like, "I think that would work." I don't have any former friends who prefer sitting in hot tubs with teenagers, which is too bad, because they seem to be the sort who aren't shy about spouting their opinion.

So the question is: Why have I gone so public with my indecision?

Because I'm tired of the questions, really. That signing bonus has suddenly become a factor, even though I like to call it my federal tax refund. I'd like to step into a paint or home store and not be surrounded by questions, which, given the service of many bigger stores, really should not be a problem.

And the truth is, I love making people wait to hear what I have to say. I remember the intoxicating power I once felt as dozens, maybe hundreds, of people eagerly awaited every utterance I made while standing behind a microphone. But then I forgot the second "m" in "roommate," had to sit down and that was the end of my grip on the crowd at the Mount Horeb Elementary School Spelling Bee.

I suppose if I just committed to spend a half hour or so actually making a decision, it would help. That was the plan a couple weekends ago, but there were all those films to go to at the festival. Last week might have worked, but that would have involved actually leaving the house and I didn't feel very well. Then the notion of going to a busy shopping area on a weekend was too daunting and besides, it was sunny. Not that I did anything, but it was sunny and perusing more paint samples just didn't seem the right way to spend a sunny day.

So I can totally understand Brett Favre's decision not to decide anything decisive. He'll know when he knows and then he'll let us know, you know?

I'm willing to cut him some slack, which might be the operative word here. He'll make up his mind when he wants, eventually sharing with us his grand plan for 2006.

And then I'll ask him if he wants to come over for dinner.

Jane Burns is a copy editor for The Capital Times.
Copyright 2006 The Capital Times Freelance writers retain the copyright for their work that appears on this site.

BURNS' MEDIA COLUMN:

A Look At 10 Days That Changed U.S.
The Capital Times
Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Jane Burns

It never ceases to amaze me that every time politicians or world leaders discuss books, they never fail to mention that they love to read history. The reason I find this so amazing is because they never seem to learn a darn thing from it.
That seems increasingly obvious in the wake of the History Channel's intriguing series of documentaries, "10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America."

Besides giving us 10 hours of food for thought, the network has also laid out the archetypes that permeate our culture today: the alienated loner making his name with an infamous shooting; a president thought to have been led around by a cunning aide; government that uses force to disastrous effect; teenagers who love to rebel; and brave individuals who stand up and say "no more." That gives every story current relevance, along with the notion that you can plan all you want but fate just takes its own path sometimes.

The series brings 10 award-winning documentary filmmakers on board to tell these tales, and despite the title, the History Channel hasn't succumbed to the VH-1 style of list-making. This isn't "I Love the '20s" or "40 Most Awesomely Bad Segregationists." In fact, it's not really a list at all.

The series began on Sunday and wraps up on Thursday, then starts over again in cable's handy immediate rerun fashion. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what airs when, just that perhaps Antietam was a good way to start the series by sucking in all the Civil War buffs.

The series began as a question posted on the network's Web site: What are the influential events in American history? After receiving hundreds of responses, the question went out to network staff. From there, a panel of historians got involved and a list of 29 days in 12 eras emerged.

The biggest ground rule was to stay away from more recent events; historical context remains impossible for something like 9/11. Indeed, the most recent event is the murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi's Freedom Summer of 1964.

The series shines by avoiding the obvious. The earliest segment isn't Jamestown or the American Revolution but the 1637 Massacre at Mystic, the first significant clash between the English and American Indians. Besides foreshadowing centuries of atrocities, the film by James Moll (who won an Oscar for "The Last Days") follows the Pequot tribe into the 21st century, bringing a somewhat happy ending to a tragic tale.

Even something like the assassination of William McKinley seems of little significance in the grand scheme of the nation, but director Joe Berlinger ("Metallica: Some Kind of Monster") weaves a tale of an assassin so alienated even the anarchists he was trying to impress thought he was kind of nuts. "Assassination Vacation" author Sarah Vowell is on board that episode to add some insight.

But the film says the true significance of the event was that it brought Teddy Roosevelt to the White House. That bigger-than-life figure drew power away from Congress and to the president, where it has remained ever since.

Other events include Shays' Rebellion, the Gold Rush, the Homestead Strike, the Scopes trial, Einstein's letter to FDR urging development of an atomic bomb, and Elvis Presley's first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." (That episode airs tonight at 8.)

That might seem like a bone thrown out to make history seem hip, but it's a great moment to include and not just because it ensured the success of black velvet artists for decades to come.

If it's tough enough to imagine Elvis before he was king, it's just as hard to imagine a world that didn't involve marketers coveting teenagers' money. The Elvis phenomenon meant much more than music, and even all the former teenagers who grew up to be adults who hate punk and hip-hop can attest to that.

'Tank Man' endures: Those intrigued by iconic moments that change history will have to set their TiVo or make a tough choice tonight. Frontline pulls out another fascinating segment with "The Tank Man," exploring the mystery of the man who faced down tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and his significance for China today.

It's a tale of much irony; experts say China's embrace of capitalism came as a response to the uprisings in 1989, yet that deal with the devil has kept dissent unacceptable, and Western nations quick to make a buck help enable that dichotomy. The end result is that thanks to information suppression and Internet filters developed by companies like Yahoo! and Google, most Chinese under the age of 20 have never seen nor recognize the image of the Tank Man.

Tank Man remains a mystery, but his relevance remains in China whether they know it or not. And just like so many other things in history, no one saw it coming but it changed so much.

"10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" airs tonight and Thursday at 8 and repeats at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

"The Tank Man" airs at 9 tonight.

Alford Hires Tim Buckley, Billy Garrett As Assistant Coaches On His Hawkeye Basketball Staff

2006-05-03T08:46:00.000-05:00

Coach Steve Alford said today he has hired Tim Buckley [right] and Billy Garrett [left] as assistants on his Iowa basketball staff.

Buckley has 10 years of experience as a collegiate head coach. He was the head coach at Ball State from 2000-06 and served as the head coach at Rockford College from 1989-93. His career record is 143-139, including a 93-77 record at Ball State and a 50-52 mark at Rockford.

Garrett joins the Hawkeye program after serving as an assistant coach at Seton Hall for the past five seasons. Garrett helped the Pirates post an 18-12 record in 2006, advancing to the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“We’re very excited to add Billy and Tim to the staff,” said Alford. “They both have a wealth of coaching experience at the college level and both have ties to the midwest. Tim and Billy are high quality people who have a great passion for college basketball.”

Buckley led Ball State to an 18-12 mark in his first season and the Cardinals posted 23 wins in his second year at the helm. In 2005 he led Ball State to an 11-3 home record as the Cardinals led the Mid-American Conference in attendance.

In 2002 Buckley led Ball State to the Mid-American Conference West Division title and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. Ball State won its first round game at home and collected wins at St. Joseph’s and Louisiana State before losing in the round of eight.

The Cardinals placed second in the Maui Invitational that season, reaching the title game with back-to-back wins over third-ranked Kansas and fourth-ranked UCLA.

Buckley spent the 1999-00 season as the top assistant under Tom Crean at Marquette as the Golden Eagles posted a 15-14 record and earned a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.

In five seasons as an assistant at Ball State, Buckley helped the Cardinals post an 88-55 record. The Cardinals averaged nearly 18 wins per season and participated in the 1995 NCAA and 1988 NIT tournaments. Ball State won the 1995 MAC Tournament title and tied for first in the conference in 1997-98.

Buckley spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Wisconsin under Stu Jackson. The Badgers that season earned their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1947, advancing to the second round and concluding the year with an 18-11 record.

He began his college coaching career as an assistant at Bemidji State from 1986-88 and he was an assistant coach at Rockford in 1988-89. He was named Rockford’s head coach in 1989 and reached 50 wins there faster than any coach in the school’s history.

He was the youngest coach in the nation during his first season at Rockford when he led his team to a 16-9 record, the first winning season for the school in seven years.

A native of Aurora, Ill., Buckley earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications in 1986 and his master’s in Administration of Physical Education in 1988, both from Bemidji State. He played for two seasons at Waubonsee, IL Community College before completing his playing career at Bemidji State.

“I’ve known Tim since our days coaching at the Division III level,” added Alford. “I feel fortunate to add Tim to the staff due to his 10 years of experience as a head coach at the college level. Plus, he has served as an assistant coach in the Big Ten. He knows the landscape of recruiting and will benefit our program in both recruiting and the on-floor development of our players.”

Along with advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2006, Garrett helped Seton Hall advance to the NCAA second round in 2005 and the Pirates competed in the NIT in 2004. Overall the Pirates posted an 80-69 record in five seasons with Garrett as a member of the staff, making three straight post-season appearances.

Garrett joined the college coaching ranks in 2000-01, serving as an assistant coach at Siena. Siena that season posted a 20-11 overall record and tied for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Prior to joining the college ranks, Garrett served as athletic director, boys basketball coach and head track and field coach at Providence St. Mel High School in Chicago (1994-2000). Taking over a basketball program that was 4-22 the previous season, Garrett compiled a 130-50 record while transforming the program into a city, state and national power.

A native of Indianapolis, IN, Garrett attended Illinois State University, where he played football for four years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in youth administration from the University of Indianapolis in 1991.

“I’m excited to have Billy joining the staff, as we’ve known each other since we were very young,” pointed out Alford. “I’ve known his family since we were growing up playing basketball together. He has experience as a head coach on the high school level in Chicago and six years of valuable experience in the Big East Conference.”

As is the case with Alford and associate head coach Craig Neal, Garrett comes from a basketball family in the state of Indiana. Garrett’s father, the late William Garrett, was Indiana’s “Mr. Basketball” in 1947. He led Shelbyville to its first state title and later became the first African-American basketball player at Indiana University

'Doug In Davenport' Wonders What a Stars Crowd Of 1,900 Looks Like In a 17,000-Seat Arena; Iowa Will Play Hokies; Al Schallau Sounds Off

2006-05-02T13:37:00.000-05:00

Doug in Davenport, who knows his hockey, doesn't predict a strong future for the Iowa Stars in Des Moines.

Here's Doug's e-mail:

"What does a crowd of 1,900 look like in a 17,000-seat arena? That is what the Iowa Stars attracted to a playoff game last week. Granted, it was a midweek game, but shouldn't a first-year team still be in its honeymoon phase and be able to attract 5,000 or so to a playoff game? I think it's going to be a rocky marriage between the team and the community and the cost of using that building
could speed up the breakup."

Doug in Davenport

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: First, the answer to Doug's question: What does a crowd of 1,900 look like in a 17,000-seat Wells Fargo Arena? Well, 1,900 certainly isn't a crowd, and that handful of fans in the huge building is not a good sign. The Iowa Stars didn't get a nickel out of me in their first season, and they won't get a nickel out of me next season. Unless they can develop a stronger fan base, I agree with Doug -- they aren't long for Des Moines. Where are the Barnstormers when Des Moines needs 'em?]

* * *

IOWA PLAYS AT VIRGINIA TECH IN ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE

Iowa’s men’s basketball team will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to play Virginia Tech next Nov. 29 as part of the 2006 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Game time will be 7 p.m., and it will be televised on ESPNU.

[Let's hope some enterprising TV folks pool their efforts and make sure the game gets on a channel that everyone from Keokuk to Pisgah can get. I'm not sure many people in this state even know what the hell ESPNU is].

Iowa is 2-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge after a 45-42 victory over North Carolina State last season in Iowa City. It was a game that helped get North Carolina State coach Herb Sendek get fired.

Iowa lost to Maryland in Baltimore in 2000, defeated Georgia Tech in 2001 in Iowa City, lost at Florida State in 2003 and lost to Duke in Chicago in 2002. Iowa did not take part in the event in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Iowa and Virginia Tech will be meeting for the first time.

“Taking part in this event is exciting and challenging,” said Iowa coach Steve Alford. “We knew we would be on the road this season and Virginia Tech will be a tough opponent. Seth Greenberg is a veteran coach who has done a good job in each of his previous stops as a head coach. Tech will feature a veteran team that gained valuable experience a year ago during its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.”

The Hokies had a 14-16 record this past season and return all five starters. Guard Zabian Dowdell and center Coleman Collins each earned honorable mention all-ACC honors last season. Virginia Tech lost at Ohio State (69-56) in the 2005 Challenge. Tech plays its home games at Cassell Coliseum (9,847).

Iowa was 25-9 in 2005-2006, compiling the second-highest victory total in school history.

[RON MALY'S COMMENT: Don't expect anything good to happen to the Hawkeyes in Blacksburg, Va].

* * *

AL SCHALLAU GIVES UP ON NFL DRAFT

Al Schallau's latest e-mail:

"Starting in April, 2007, I will no longer spend any Saturday or Sunday watching the NFL draft on ESPN, or listening to it on the radio. I have finally decided forever that the men making the draft decisions for the NFL teams know absolutely nothing about football.

"I am now 100 percent convinced that when an NFL team does make a real good draft selection (like San Diego choosing Shawn Merriman in the first round in 2005), it is application of the doctrine that "Even The Blind Squirrel Finds The Acorn Once In A While."

"The last straw was when Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant was still available to be drafted by Philadelphia Eagles with the 109th pick in the draft. Jason Avant is the closest thing to Anthony Carter that I have ever seen. He is tremendous.

"Also, the St. Louis Rams drafted tight end Joe Klopfenstein of Colorado when they could have drafted tight end Anthony Fasano of Notre Dame. I thought Fasano was the best tight end in college football in 2005. Fasano lasted only a few more minutes when he was drafted in the second round by Dallas Cowboys. I think he will play first string for the Cowboys immediately.

"Back in 1979, Joe Montana was the 82nd player picked in the NFL draft. How could he have possibly had a more stellar college career? I haven't checked lately to see if any of the 81 players drafted ahead of him are in the NFL Hall of Fame.

"But Montana is there. So is Dan Fouts, who was the 64th player picked in the 1973 draft.

"Best,"

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Al, I'll bet you spent more time on this year's draft than I did. If it hadn't been raining all weekend, I wouldn't have watched any of it. Welcome to the club].

Candidates for Drake Athletic Director Job Narrowed to 3, And They'll Visit the Campus Soon; Drake Relays' Outstanding Competitors Are Named

2006-05-01T16:28:00.000-05:00

The top three finalists for the Drake athletic director job will visit the campus beginning Monday, May 8, university president David Maxwell said today.

The finalists were chosen by a 10-member committee of faculty and staff who sifted through more than 40 applications before settling on the finalists.

"We believe that we have three candidates who would be not only the top choices for the Drake athletic director but for any athletic director's job in the country," Maxwell [left] said.

"The volume and quality of candidates we have is a reflection of the reputation of Drake University and Drake athletics around the country. The three finalists all appear to have the experience, skills, and commitment that match Drake's aspirations for excellence in our athletics, recreational, and wellness programs."

The finalists are:

--Sandy Hatfield Clubb [right], senior associate director of athletics and senior women's administrator, Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

--Robert J. Fournier [center], athletic director at Wayne State University in Commerce, Mich.

--Jerry Wollmering , a Drake graduate who is athletic director at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

Each of the candidates will participate in a variety of discussions and interviews with relevant on-campus constituencies, as well as members of the Drake Board of Trustees and the Bulldog Club.

Drake's current athletic director, Dave Blank, said in February that he would leave the university after the Drake Relays to take the same position at Elon University in Elon, N.C.

I still think Jean Berger, Drake's top women's athletic administrator, would have been a strong athletic director. She was my choice for the job. But, hey, I'm not paying the bills over there. Maxwell is.

So I'm sure his finalists are outstanding.

* * *

Christian Cantwell and Michigan sophomore Nicole Edwards have been named the outstanding men's and women's performers, respectively, of the 2006 Drake Relays.

Nick Kuchel, a senior at Kingsley-Pierson High School, and Burlington High School senior Jenna Caffrey were named the outstanding high school boys' and girls' performers, respectively.

Cantwell was named recipient of the Maury White Award, named after the long-time sportswriter for the Des Moines Register, who died in 1999. Cantwell also earned the award in 2002 as a senior at Missouri.

Cantwell, who won the 2004 World Indoor Championships, broke one of the oldest Drake Relays records in the men's invitational shot put with a throw of 72 feet 6.25 inches, bettering the previous mark of 69-6.50 by Al Feuerbach of the Pacific Coast Track Club in 1972.

It also marked the second straight week he posted the best outdoor throw in the world after recording a mark of 70-3.75 to win the Kansas Relays April 21.

On Friday afternoon Edwards ran the anchor leg on Michigan's distance medley relay team which won an unprecedented third straight university division title, being clocked in 11 minutes 6.13 seconds.

She came back later that evening to run the third leg on the Wolverines' winning university division 4x800 relay which was timed in 8:39.59

Edwards also ran the anchor leg on Michigan's 4x1,600 relay which finished third in 19:39.03.

Amy Acuff, who set a Drake Relays record in the women's invitational high jump (6-4) and Nebraska senior Becky Breisch who won the discus (202-0.5) for the second time in three years, also received votes. Breisch's throw was the second best mark in the U.S. this year, trailing only her throw of 205-2 in Lincoln, Neb., April 15.

Kuchel, who was named recipient of the Robert Kramme Award as the outstanding high school boys performer, edged out West Des Moines Valley junior Brian Collins, who won the 100 while running the anchor leg on three winning relay teams.

Kuchel was the only individual double winner in the high school boys division, claiming titles in the 110 hurdles (14.49) and 400 hurdles (54.10).

He won the 110 hurdles for the third straight year, becoming just the second prep to win the event three years in a row, joining Cyrus Nichols of Des Moines Roosevelt 1997-99.

Caffrey, of Burlington, was named the recipient of the Gerry Cooley Award as the outstanding high school girls performer after winning the high school girls 100 hurdles (13.80) for the third straight year, while also winning the 400 hurdles in 1:03.02. She also ran the anchor leg on the shuttle hurdle relay which was second in 1:03.58, while anchoring the 4x100 relay to a seventh-place finish in 50.37.

Penn State Names Malcolm Moran Of USA Today As Inaugural Knight Chair In Sports Journalism and Society

2006-05-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Malcolm Moran, who has nearly 30 years of experience as an award-winning and respected sports journalist at USA Today, the New York Times, Newsday and the Chicago Tribune, has been named the inaugural Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society in the College of Communications at Penn State.

In his distinguished and diversified career as a sports journalist, Moran has covered 26 bowl games with national championship implications, 26 men's basketball Final Fours, 16 World Series, 11 Super Bowls, several NCAA conventions and two Olympic Games.

"These experiences have created a conviction to be passed on to a generation of reporters that will take their skills into a fragmented and uncertain media landscape," Moran said. "Never has the temptation of risk taking in pursuit of the big story been greater than it is in the shrill, niche-seeking environment of competing Internet sites, chat rooms and talk radio.

"But the good news I hope to communicate in courses, sessions with media professionals and athletic administrators is that effective, responsible deadline writers are made more often than they are born."

Some think veteran investigative reporter Tom Witosky of the Des Moines Register was one of six finalists for the position. If true, the outcome isn't all that surprising. This is another example of how difficult it is for folks from such places as Des Moines, Pocatello, Idaho, or Grand Forks, N.D., to get coveted jobs when they're in competition with people from the New York Times-Chicago Tribune-USA Today power structure.

In effect, Moran can now tell the five bridesmaids, "Welcome to the big leagues."

Moran, a graduate of Fordham University, launched his daily newspaper career as a sports reporter at Newsday in 1977, where he covered high school, college and professional sports. He worked at The New York Times from 1979 to 1998 as a reporter and columnist before joining the Chicago Tribune in 1998, where he worked as the Notre Dame football beat reporter while also writing commentaries and providing event and feature coverage on professional and college sports.

In 2000, he moved to USA Today where, in addition to his coverage of college basketball and football, he wrote feature articles on professional and college sports.

"We are elated to announce Malcolm's appointment," said Dean Doug Anderson of the College of Communications. "He brings to his position a wealth of professional experience and a cerebral approach to the issues facing sports journalism. He has all the makings of a thoughtful teacher, and we know he will interact comfortably with academics and working journalists."

Professor John Curley, distinguished professional in residence, chaired the search committee that drew a talented pool of applicants for the Knight Chair. The first editor of USA Today, Curley is the former president, chairman and CEO of the Gannett Co.

"Malcolm seems like a perfect fit for the position," Curley said. "We believe he will be an articulate and thoughtful spokesman for the Center for Sports Journalism. We look forward to having him in the role of the Knight Chair."

Penn State received a $1.5 million endowment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to establish the position. Knight Foundation president and CEO Alberto Ibarguen said the University had been selected as home of the Knight Chair after a national call for proposals to receive the grant.

"With its enormous influence on our culture, sports are major institutions," Ibarguen said. "Sports bring us together as communities. They unite a diverse nation and do the same for towns, cities and regions. Yet much of sports journalism is devoted to game coverage, personality profiles, statistics and features.

"We hope this high-profile teaching post will spur interest in sports' larger role in society. With its strong intercollegiate athletics values, its solid journalism leadership and its talented sports journalism faculty, Penn State is truly an appropriate home for this effort."

Penn State President Graham Spanier said he respected Moran's varied and wide-ranging journalism background.

"Malcolm will be a terrific role model for all of our students who are committed to careers in sports journalism," Spanier said.

In addition to teaching and working with journalism professionals, Moran will serve as director of the Center for Sports Journalism, housed in the College of Communications and its Department of Journalism. Moran's appointment begins with the fall 2006 semester.

The Center, founded in 2003 with Anderson and Curley as co-directors, explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, programming and research. Four full-semester core courses (sports writing; sports broadcasting; sports information and management; and sports, media and society) comprise the undergraduate classroom portion.

Complementary sponsored programming for the Center includes on-campus lectures, panels and workshops on journalism and the role of sports in society. The Center also conducts regular studies and surveys about trends in sports journalism.

In the future, the Center will issue periodic reports that measure and track trends in hiring, staffing and coverage philosophies of media enterprises as well as media coverage of off-field sports issues.

Professor Marie Hardin serves as the Center's associate director for research.

The Center also emphasizes internships and on-campus media experiences in sports journalism for its undergraduate students. More than 170 students are enrolled in the Center, which is supported by a 23-member advisory board chaired by Anne Riley, a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees.

In 2005, Moran was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame; in 2002, he earned first place in the loose deadline category of the Football Writers Association of America writing contest; and, in 1999, he received the Jim Murray Outstanding Sportswriter Award, presented by the All-American Football Foundation.

In addition, Moran has displayed a proactive approach to sports journalism, and to bettering sports beyond competition on the field.

When Moran was president of the USBWA in 1989, the organization followed his suggestion to create awards for the male and female basketball players with the highest level of athletic and academic achievement. As a reporter at The New York Times, he was instrumental in that newspaper's decision to include graduation rates when compiling preseason rankings in football and men's basketball.

Moran has made presentations to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Sports Management Institute and several major universities.

"I am pleased that Malcolm Moran has agreed to join the faculty,"
said Rodney Erickson, Penn State's executive vice president and provost. "Our students will benefit greatly from their work with this distinguished sports journalist."

As Far As I'm Concerned, It's Not An Official Search For An Interim Hawkeye Athletic Director Unless Ex-Governor Bob Ray Is In the Middle of It

2006-04-29T07:46:00.000-05:00

Before the search for an interim athletic director at the University of Iowa gets too far along, I want to be the first to suggest one particular name.

It's Bob Ray, a former governor and a man who has been the interim head of just about everything else in our state.

Some would say that he was also an interim governor, too, but you won't catch me making any cheap shot comment like that.

Back in my earlier writing life, I showed up unannounced at Ray's office in the State Capitol one day while researching a story.

I knew Ray [pictured at the lower left] appeared at a lot of sporting events -- accompanied by one or two of Iowa's best State Troopers -- so I wanted to ask him about that part of his life.

He took as much time as I needed, and I'll always be appreciative of the man.

I know Fred Mims -- one of the top aides to outgoing Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby -- is the leader in the clubhouse to be the interim Hawkeye boss.

But I also realize it's not an official search for an interim athletic director unless Bob Ray's name is included.

* * *

Still on the subject of the athletic directorship at Iowa, a friend of George Wine sent him this e-mail:

"George, here is something else that is amazing -- and you would know this, being a smart kid from North English:

"Bob Bowlsby was AD from 1991 - 2006, right?

"Bump Elliott was AD from 1971 - 1991, right?

"Forest Evashevski was AD from 1959 or 1960 to 1971?

"That's just three athletic directors in 46 or 47 years. Is there another successful, big-time university that matches that stability? Heck, since '59 we've had 7 'permanent' UI presidents plus 5 interim UI presidents....."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Iowa should consider itself proud to have the stability it's had in the athletic director's office. It figures that the next man --or woman -- who gets the job permanently will be in it a long time].

* * *

"Igor from Independence", who has had a lot of time on his hands lately, was also thinking about the Hawkeye athletic directorship. He sent this e-mail:

"Ron -- I just had this thought . . . How about Tom Davis as Iowa's next AD? As Johnny Orr might say, 'Wouldn't that be sumpin?' You could have some fun with that on your blog. . . ."

"Igor from Independence"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Yes, Doctor Tom [middle left] running Iowa's athletic department would really be ironic. After all, it was Bob Bowlsby who pulled the plug on The Doctor when he was Iowa's basketball coach. Even though The Doctor had become the Hawkeyes' winningest coach, Bowlsby didn't renew his contract after the 1998-99 season. Bowlsby wanted Iowa to be a consistent challenger for Big Ten championships, and didn't think Davis was going to deliver. [OK, it's time for all those Steve Alford jokes!] Now The Doctor has completed three sub-.500 seasons at Drake. I know one thing. Being the athletic director at Iowa would be convenient for Davis. He still owns a home near Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where the Iowa athletic department offices are located, and Kinnick Stadium].

* * *

"Veryl from Villisca" writes:

"Fred Mims is the logical person to be interim athletic director at Iowa, I believe, unless they can talk Bump Elliott into coming out of retirement for a year. Mims will probably be a finalist for the job, but until I see the other candidates I'm withholding an opinion. Rick Hartztell [of Northern Iowa] would certainly be a strong candidate, I think, but he'd have to hang up his whistle, unless he could ref Iowa games, too."

"Veryl from Villisca"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Bump Elliott [middle right] is one of my favorite people in athletics, but I think he saw enough of the headaches connected with the athletic director job to know that he wouldn't want to come out of retirement for a year, or even a month. As for Hartzell being a candidate for the permanent job at Iowa, the first thing I'd tell him is that his days as a major-college basketball referee are over. He's become an embarrassment at UNI, rushing off to officiate big-time games while trying to run the Panthers' athletic department. Imagine this scenario if Hartzell became Iowa's athletic director: He has a meeting scheduled with football coach Kirk Ferentz, but calls Ferentz to say, "Kirk, can we put off that get-together until next week? I've got games at North Carolina and Duke this weekend, and I don't want to miss them."

* * *

"Sergio from the Suburbs" writes:

"I will be sleeping with Julia Roberts before Fred Mims is the permanent athletic director at Iowa."

"Sergio from the Suburbs"

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Better go buy a new suit and some deodorant just in case, Sergio. Underwear is optional. By the way, you can probably pick out Roberts' photo in the collection I posted above].

* * *

"Docile in Des Moines" knows how to put together sentences and paragraphs the correct way. He writes:

"Ron—I think it should have been '. . . urging Buck Turnball and ME to start . . .' instead of “ . . . urging (Buck Turnball and) I to start. . . .' Maybe you should leave the copy editing to Bud; he knows how to do it!

--Cheers, from an old copy editor

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Docile was referring to a sentence I had in an earlier column. I had written "Buck Turnbull and I...." and quickly corrected it to "Buck Turnbull and me...." after hearing from Docile. Thanks, Docile. You deserve another pay raise].

* * *

Travis Simpson of Des Moines writes that he thinks he saw Dusty Baker's Chicago Cubs do something strange the other night:

"Was that a squeeze play I saw during the Cubs game last night? Did someone finally wake up Dusty Baker this season because not only did he shock me last night, but I’ve also seen the squeeze used in at least one other game this season that I watched on TV. I’m not sure I ever saw Dusty call for the squeeze in his first three seasons as manager. Could it be that he’s actually trying this year so he gets a contract extension? Players usually play better in contract years; I guess the same may happen with managers, too.

"When Derek Lee went down, I thought the season was over (and it’s still early to tell if these past few games could be a fluke), but for the first time in a while the Cubs are actually playing the hand of cards dealt to them and not making excuses about the injuries holding them back. When a big-time slugger goes down they revert to playing small ball and letting the young guys play like Cedeno and Murton.

"Instead of using the excuse of Prior and Wood being hurt yet again, they are going to their talented farm system and giving the prospects like Sean Marshall and Angel Guzman a chance. And, they haven’t settled with mediocrity with the pitching staff (minus Rusch and Ohman) sending Williams and Wuertz to the minors after poor performances and relying on their best relievers when the situation calls for it.

"Maybe I’m just sipping the Cub fan Kool-aid too much, but there is just something about how this team is playing right now that I think they’ll be able to hold the fort down without Lee and be able to make a run once the roster gradually gets healthy again."

Travis Simpson

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Travis, that was not a mirage you were seeing. Baker actually used a squeeze bunt to score a run. At least I think it was Baker. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Dick Pole, the mannequin who is propped up against the dugout wall wearing a hand-written sign on his chest that says "Bench Coach." But don't get excited about Baker yet. It's a long season and there's still plenty of time for him to screw up things].

* * *

Speaking of the Cubs, it appears Des Moines won't have to put up with yet another Kerry Wood rehab assignment.

Wood, the Cubs' broken-down pitcher, is usually assigned to pitch a few innings for the Iowa Cubs when he's coming off one of his countless injuries.

I think he has been sent here 193 times while rehabbing.

But Wood's tentative first rehab assignment this time is May 7, and the I-Cubs will be on the road. So Chicago reporters are guessing that Wood will be sent to Class A Peoria to pitch.

Nomar Garciaparra was sent to Peoria last year, and attracted a sellout crowd.

You can see what that got him.

Garciaparra wasn't re-signed by the Cubs and is now with the Dodgers.

I hope the same thing happens to Wood.

* * *

It looks like Chief Illiniwek is history at the University of Illinois.

The NCAA and others have been trying to get the Chief terminated for a number of years, and this time they may have succeeded.

The Chief has been Illinois' athletic mascot since 1926. He's a student dressed in Native American attire.

He's been confined to the Illinois campus in recent years. Hard telling what might have happened to him if he'd be allowed inside Kinnick Stadium or Michigan Stadium.

I know it wouldn't have been pretty.

By the way, the photo at the top of this column is Chief Illiniwek, not a prospect to be Iowa's interim athletic director..

* * *

Corey McIntosh, the 2006 California junior college player of the year who led his team to a 37-0 record last season at Fullerton, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Iowa State next season.

“Corey provides point guard experience and a winning mentality,” new coach Greg McDermott said. “We like the fact that Corey knows how to win and does it in a way that involves all of his teammates. He provides point guard skills along with the ability to make open shots.”

The 5-11, 175-pound McIntosh was the point guard for the best team in the California junior college system last season. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 assists and made 46.2 percent from 3-point range.

McIntosh, who will have two seasons of eligibility, and Wesley Johnson are two of the latest recruits Iowa State has signed. The recruits:

Cory Johnson, F, 6-7, 215, Freshman, Duluth, Minn. (East)

Dodie Dunson, G, 6-3, 185, Freshman, Bloomington, Ill. (Bloomington/Brewster Academy {N.H.})

Michael Taylor, G, 6-2, 175, Junior, Milwaukee, Wis. (Marshall/Chipola {Fla.} JC)

Corey McIntosch, G, 5-11, 175, Junior, West Covina, Calif. (West Covina/Pasadena CC/Fullerton College)

Wesley Johnson, F, 6-7, 190, Freshman, Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana/Patterson School {N.C.}/Eldon Academy)

Alex Thompson, F, 6-9, 215, Junior, Ames, Iowa (Ames/Iowa)

* * *

Drake will host the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional outdoor track and field meet, president David Maxwell said today during the rededication ceremony of Drake Stadium.

The championship, which draws as many as 1,100 athletes, is scheduled for May 25-26, 2007.

"It's coming," Maxwell told fans during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Drake and Des Moines are truly the midwest capital of track and field."

My Column About the Standout Basketball Career That Never Happened Hits Home With Mark Robinson, Who Has Been There, Done That At Marshalltown High

2006-04-28T07:16:00.000-05:00

The column about my teen-age basketball exploits, or lack of them, has been the subject of considerable e-mail in the past week.

Indeed, the column brought more attention from readers now than it did when it first appeared as a Sunday newspaper feature 29 years ago.

The first e-mail is from Mark Robinson [right], a native Iowan who now lives in California:

"Great story, Ron.

"Thought I would share this with you.

"We had a hoop at our house in Marshalltown, and kids on the block played there every day. No matter the weather. I recall looking out the side door and seeing Rod and Tom and Steve and others going at it. None of them high school material, and it was December; the ball was hard as a rock.

"I did manage to do well as a freshman at Anson [Middle School], averaging 23 points per game. Your story hit home with me when I recall my high school years. I was supposed to be the next star. At least, that was what of expected of me. I didn't grow beyond my 6-foot frame and I didn't seem to fit the inside game that George Funk preached to us. As a junior, we got to the championship game against Kennedy, and I played a whole minute and got 1 point on a free throw.

"My senior year at Marshalltown, I started two games, only because the junior starters were ill. I managed to score 10 points (high scorer) against Des Moines North.

"Ames, with Terry Carroll and Scott Berguson, kicked our butts in the semifinals my senior year. We Anson kids beat those boys in overtime when I was a freshman (32 points from yours truly), but these kids had come a long way and had added a gigantic player named Schneider along the way. He was the difference. Ames won it all that year and we came in fourth.

"Guess who won the consolation? Yeah, Kennedy...again, with the younger brother of the great Enright in the middle.

"Now, about Murray Wier, whom you mentioned in your article.

"I worked for Lennox Corporate in Marshalltown before they sent us all to Dallas in 1978. While there, they hired Marcia Wier, Murray's daughter. She was absolutely gorgeous. I recalled Murray, in my high school days, coaching East Waterloo when I was a player at Marshalltown. And I asked myself; How did this beautiful creature come from the Ross Perot-looking Murray Wier? She told us a few stories about her dad. Wish I had written them down.

"She hooked up with a Lennox employee named Barr Prichard, who was 10 years her elder with a pickup truck that had a sound system that would knock your ears off.

"I always wondered what happened to Marcia Wier."

Mark Robinson

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Most kids are dreamers. I was a dreamer, and evidently so was Mark Robinson. As kids, we think we're going to be the next Murray Wier [left], the next Greg Brunner, the next Fred Hoiberg. It's tough when reality shows its ugly face -- whether that happens when your 7th-grade coach tells you [well, told me] that you'll alternate wearing jersey No. 32 in games with another kid [the other kid way back then was named Clark Looney]. There was only one Murray Wier. Only one 5-9, 155-pound red-haired whirlwind would set a Big Ten scoring record in his senior season for Pops Harrison's Hawkeyes with 272 points, and 399 points overall. Mark Robinson is pictured on the right, and I thank him for documenting his career. I know how he feels. By the way, Mark, I don't know what happened to Marcia Wier, either. If I hear, I'll let you know].

* * *

On the same subject, Gordy Scoles wrote:

"Ron,

"That was a great story about your experience with basketball in 7th grade. Very
common, I would imagine..... Thanks again for a great story."

Gordy Scoles
Bennettsville, S.C.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Great hearing from you, Gordy. And good luck on your next book].

* * *

Former Iowan Richard Hayman sent this e-mail:

"Mr. Maly,

"Your (literary) shots still go swish! Thanks for the article. (BTW, is
that a recent picture of you?)"

Richard Hayman

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thank you, Richard. The photo was taken on the field after a football game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City in 2004].

* * *

[Ron Maly is a four-time Iowa Sportswriter of the Year and also is the best-selling author of "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," which is in its second printing as both a hardback and softback book. The book is about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa. Maly has a heck of a lot of fun doing what he's doing. Ron's columns about sports, newspapers, his family, medicine, travel, the people he knows, the people he doesn't know, a few people he'd like to know better, a few people he once knew and is trying to forget, a few people he has already forgotten, and anything else that trips his trigger appear regularly at www.rmaly.blogspot.com and www.whotv.com. When you call 515-201-5495, either Maly or the person who recorded the message on his answering machine will respond].

Here's a Column for That Guy Who Eats Jalapenos, Cactus and Hot Cheese On His 9-Grain Toast Every Morning, And All Of His Pals

2006-04-27T07:21:00.000-05:00

This column is for the guy I know who eats jalapeno peppers, cactus and hot cheese on two slices of 9-grain toast every morning:

Bud Appleby, a former Des Moines Register writer and editor, sent the following e-mail in response to one I received from Igor from Independence:

"Ron:

"I think Igor from Independence must be in a league by himself. He pointed out something stupid he saw in the last paragraph of a Sean Keeler column. I wasn't aware that anybody ever read as far as the last paragraph of any of his columns. I've never been able to get past the first two or three myself.

"On a similar matter, there were some letters to the editor the other day complaining about a cheap shot in a David Yepsen column. For crying out loud, they were reading David Yepsen. What did the expect to find there? Hockey scores?"

Bud Appleby
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I guess these are tough times for the Register's columnists. Igor from Independence had written earlier, urging Buck Turnbull and me to start editing Keeler's sports columns in the Register because he had found an error that survived all editions in the Sunday paper. I said I had more important things to do. Turnbull must have known I was going to ask him to consider Igor's request because he was a no-show at this week's sportswriters' lunch at the Chinese restaurant. Meanwhile, I'll be checking Yepsen's columns to see if there are any NHL scores in them].

* * *

A man identified as "Double-U Vaclav" of suburban Garnavillo had a question in his e-mail.

"Do newspapers require their sportswriters to answer readers' inquiries?" Double-U Vaclav asked.

"I e-mailed Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch with a question regarding the Cardinals' game last Sunday with the Chicago Cubs. Cardinal players, undoubtedly at the urging of manager Tony LaRussa, asked the umpires to inspect the baseball thrown by the Cubs' Greg Maddux.

"The umps didn't find spit, grease, hair oil or tobacco juice on the ball, nor was there any hint that Maddux, 40, had sandpaper in his glove so he could 'doctor' the ball.

"But Strauss didn't put anything in his game article or sidebars about Maddux and the umpires -- as though nothing had taken place. Yet, John Kruk and his cronies on ESPN's 'Baseball Tonight' made a big deal out of the umps inspecting the baseball. They said Maddux 'had gotten into the heads of LaRussa and his crybaby players.'

"House come Strauss didn't write anything about that brouhaha? Is he in LaRussa's pocket? By ignoring my e-mail, I gotta think Strauss is on the Cardinals' payroll. I told Strauss -- who answered an e-mail of mine one other time -- that I live too far from St. Louis to be able to afford $2.75-a-gallon gas so I can drive to the Cardinals' games. His reports are what I depend on for my news.

"Now, before you think this is a bush-league e-mail from corn country, I've got nothing against Big Bernie Miklasz, who writes sports columns for the Post-Dispatch. He answers me every time I send him an e-mail I think I piss him off with a few of my questions -- especially when the Cardinals lose to the Cubs -- but he always gets right back to me. He's my pick to be Missouri's Sportswriter of the Year."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Listen, Double-U Vaclav, if I were running a newspaper, I'd have all of my reporters and editors answering readers' e-mails. There are fewer and fewer newspaper readers every day, so the sportswriters had better do all they can to please them. Maybe you caught Joe Strauss on a bad day. Or maybe he didn't have time to answer your e-mail. Could be he was too busy getting a haircut so he could be on Channel 40 this week. I'm glad you like Bernie Miklasz's columns. He's a pretty reader-savvy guy, and I'm glad he answers your e-mails -- even though he's on TV a lot, too].

* * *

[MORE OF RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Pictured are Des Moines Register sports columnist Sean Keeler on the lower right; Register political columnist David Yepsen on the lower left; St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball reporter Joe Strauss on the middle right and Post-Dispatch sports columnist Bernie Miklasz on the middle left. Igor from Independence was hoping to send me a current photo of himself, but those plans had to be scrapped when he ran out of film for his 1932-version Speed Graphic [upper left]. So I did the next-best thing and used a photo at the upper right of the column of another man named Igor. It's Igor Stravinsky, the famous Russian music composer who died in 1971. When he wasn't writing music, Stravinsky was rumored to be a very astute media critic].

Keep Your Eye On Fred Mims, Who Could Become Iowa's Interim Athletic Director--Then, Who Knows, Maybe the Permanent Boss

2006-04-26T07:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a name to remember:

Fred Mims.

Mims [right] is a loyal veteran of the University of Iowa athletic department, and could have a very interesting future at the school.

"Fred has been in the department for 30 years, and would make a capable interim athletic director," George Wine said.

Mims is Iowa's associate athletic director for student services and compliance. Wine says Mims would qualify as a capable person to lead Iowa's athletic department -- at least in the short term -- when Bob Bowlsby leaves after 15 years as athletic director this summer.

Bowlsby, a class act who has been an outstanding director for the Hawkeyes, will become the new athletic department leader at Stanford University.

"David Skorton is also leaving as Iowa's president, so a new athletic director is not likely to be named for at least a year when a new president is in place," said Wine, a retired Iowa sports information director who has authored two books on Hawkeye athletics.

If Mims lands the athletic director job on an interim basis, and does well -- and there's no reason to think he won't do well -- it certainly would be possible for him to get the job on a permanent basis.

Wine has worked with, and around, Bowlsby for a number of years. Wine probably knows what makes Bowlsby tick as well as anyone.

Like me, Wine says he was "shocked" that Bowlsby took the Stanford job.

"Stanford hiring Bowlsby was the best-kept secret since the Big Ten introduced Penn State as its newest member," Wine said.

"How this was pulled off in today's world of intense media scrutiny is truly amazing. No one in the state of Iowa or the San Francisco bay area had a clue."

Wine has much admiration for the job Bowlsby has done at Iowa.

"Bob gave Iowa a good 15 years and leaves a program that is in good shape financially and has excellent facilities," Wine said.

"I always thought his greatest strength was as a fund-raiser, and it's probably fitting that a multi-million dollar renovation of Kinnick Stadium is being completed as he walks out the door."

Bowlsby pulled off perhaps his biggest move when he surprised virtually everyone with the hiring of Kirk Ferentz as the Hawkeyes' football coach prior to the 1999 season.

There was strong sentiment among Iowa fans for Bowlsby to hire former Iowa player Bobby Stoops, but Stoops signed with Oklahoma instead.

When I was doing research for my book, "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," Bowlsby told me that "the talk about Bob Stoops had been around even during the last couple of years Hayden [Fry] was our coach. That was always the package --'Hayden needs to retire and we need to hire Bob Stoops.'

"[But] Bob had been at a couple of places that were different than Iowa. I think he may have thought, and others may have thought, that this should be a turn-key deal. You go out and tap him on the shoulder and offer him 'X' number of dollars and that's the end of it.

"But it doesn't work that way. We had a number of quality candidates. I talked with Bob over the course of this process.I called him the first day after Hayden's retirement -- and he was the first guy I called. Through that process, we set up an interview time."

Stoops has been very successful at Oklahoma, but Ferentz has done well at Iowa, too. He has been a big winner and the Hawkeyes have become a consistent top-10 team nationally.

The jury is still out on Iowa basketball coach Steve Alford, who has not yet become the huge winner that Hawkeye fans want.

But, through the uneasiness, Alford's 2005-2006 team won 25 games and seized the Big Ten postseason tourament championship.

"Isn't it ironical that Tom Davis came from Stanford to Iowa nearly 20 years ago, and now Bowlsby is going in the other direction?" Wine asks.

Bowlsby didn't renew the contract of Davis, who became Iowa's winningest basketball coach, after the 1998-99 season. Alford then took over.

Davis has completed three seasons as Drake's coach. and has yet to have a winning record there.

In a Stunning Development, Class Act Bob Bowlsby Resigns As Iowa's Athletic Director to Take Job At Stanford. Replacing Him Won't Be Easy

2006-04-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

This is a shocker.

Bob Bowlsby has resigned his position as athletic director at the University of Iowa and will accept a similar position at Stanford University.

He is expected to continue his duties at Iowa until mid-summer. The announcement was made today jointly by Bowlsby and Stanford.

Replacing him at Iowa won't be easy.

Bowlsby, a class act, is completing his 14th year at Iowa and has led the department to unprecedented growth and success. His departure is the second major loss for the university in the last six months.

President David Skorton announced his resignation to take the Cornell presidency earlier this year.

The following is a statement by Bowlsby:

“I have been offered an extraordinary opportunity to assume the Director of Athletics’ position at Stanford University. My involvement with the position has occurred over the last three weeks and the entire process has transpired quite rapidly. I look forward to the challenges and the rewards which come with the duties.

“Stanford is an exceptional academic institution which also supports a very broad based and highly successful athletic program. I look forward to building on the traditions and successes of the past and to developing plans for the future.

“I want to thank my colleagues in the Department of Athletics at Iowa. Our staff is an outstanding group of coaches and administrators who are devoted to the best values of intercollegiate athletics. I also want to thank President David Skorton for his tremendous support. I could not have asked for a better colleague and friend.

“Finally, I want to thank the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and fans of The University of Iowa. I have taken pride in representing your University every day of my 15 years at Iowa.”

Bowlsby has directed the $90 million dollar renovation of Kinnick Stadium, which will be completed this fall. The football program has experienced unmatched success under Kirk Ferentz.

The athletic department is in fiscally sound shape, a testament to Bob’s leadership ability.

All I've Got To Say Is It Must Be a Slow News Century. And Didn't We All Know That Frank Leahy Didn't Really Resign As Notre Dame's Football Coach?

2006-04-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

Bud Appleby of Des Moines, who has written and edited plenty of news stories over the years, didn't think much of the Sunday paper.

Unless I'm mistaken, he's referring to the Des Moines Register.

Here's his e-mail:

"There was one -- count 'em, one -- byline news story in the 10-page Iowa News section of the Sunday paper. There were also three columns. Everything else was either AP or a handout."

[RON MALY'S COMMENT: I guess National Public Radio knew what it was talking about, Bud, with that recent critique of the Register. I'm figuring it's been a slow news century so far for what once was The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon].

* * *

Igor from Independence sent this e-mail to Buck Turnbull and me:

"Hi, Buck & Ron --

"You guys should volunteer to edit Keeler's column. Sunday he writes in the last graf -- 'If throwing away a year of eligibility makes he and Degand happy . . . '

"Unbelievable! Did they change that in your edition? Just curious."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Nothing changed in the city edition, Igor. I'll check with Turnbull to see if he wants to be the volunteer editor for sports columnist Sean Keeler. I've got more important things to do].

* * *

Meanwhile, a few of us are trying to figure out the Register's obituaries.

In the obits last week was one for Louise Bote Pack.

Just one problem. A man -- a smiling man -- was pictured in the obituary.

The next day there was a much larger obit for Louise Bote Pack in the paper. That time, a woman was pictured.

She was smiling, too.

We're wondering if that was the way the Register handled correcting the photo of a man in a woman's obituary the day before -- or if the family of the deceased person had to pay for two obituaries, one of which had the wrong photo.

Hey, folks, these are crazy days in the newspaper business.

* * *

Longtime Iowa fan Al Schallau sent an e-mail regarding a book written by retired football coach Lou Holtz:

"If you have not read the Notre Dame biography of Lou Holtz -- 'UNDER THE TARNISHED DOME,' -- you can buy a used copy for a couple bucks. I read it from beginning to end. It is a full biography of the Lou Holtz [middle left] saga at Arkansas, Minnesota and particularly Notre Dame.

"The book also confirms something that Jim Zabel has been telling me for many years--that Frank Leahy [lower left] did NOT resign as head football coach at Notre Dame. Zabel has always pointed out that after the Fainting Irish game against Iowa in 1953, Leahy never coached another game for Notre Dame.

"The next week, Notre Dame journeyed to Los Angeles for their season-ending game against USC. Leahy did not make the trip -- reportedly for health reasons. In January, 1954, Leahy reportedly 'resigned for health reasons' and Terry Brennan was named Notre Dame's new coach.

"Zabel has always said that Father Hesburgh escorted Leahy out the door as football coach because Notre Dame's administration (particularly Father Hesburgh) were incensed by Leahy having taught his players to fake injuries to stop the clock. Many national columnists (particularly Grantland Rice) hammered Notre Dame brutally after the Fainting Irish game, and Father Hesburgh said, 'No more.'

"Best,"

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Leahy paid a stiff price for ordering his Notre Dame players to flop on the field, faking injuries to stop the clock that enabled the Fighting [or Fainting] Irish to tie Iowa, 14-14. Before each half ended, assorted Notre Dame players collapsed so the officials would stop the clock. Consequently, the Irish scored touchdowns in the final seconds of each half. Iowa coaches, players and fans thought the phony injuries robbed them of an opportunity to score a huge upset. When he returned to Iowa City, Hawkeye coach Forest Evashevski [lower right] pounced on the Fainting Irish theme by paraphrasing the words of sportswriter Grantland Rice with these words:

"When the One
Great Scorer comes
to write against our name,
He won't ask that we won or lost,
But how we got gypped at Notre Dame"

* * *

I'm starting to think there might actually be a man named Dick Pole who sits in the Chicago Cubs' dugout.

For years, I've seen what I thought was a mannequin sitting in the corner of the dugout behind manager Dusty Baker [upper right].

He didn't talk.

Hell, he didn't even move.

People kept saying it was Dick Pole [upper left], who is listed as Baker's "bench coach."

Frankly, I thought it was a joke.

But a couple of days ago Pole was interviewed by Ron Santo on WGN-radio.

He actually said a couple of things.

I'm still not 100 percent sure Pole is alive, but my research will continue.

Nile Kinnick Was Larger Than Life As Iowa's Heisman Trophy Football Player in 1939. Now, 63 Years After His Death, His Story Will Be On Stage

2006-04-24T07:36:00.000-05:00

The University of Iowa athletic department and Iowa City's resident professional theatre company, Riverside Theatre, are partnering to create a new theatrical production to be performed at Hancher Auditorium.

"Kinnick," a play that will add another layer of excitement to the start of the 2006 college football season for the nationally-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and the celebration of the completion of the two-year, multi-million dollar renovation of the stadium named in honor of arguably the university's most famous student-athlete.

"Kinnick" will run Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 2 at 5 p.m., and Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. The Saturday performance will feature an optional pre-performance tailgate at Hancher, which will begin after the football game.

Tickets will go on sale May 1 and will be available for purchase at the Hancher Auditorium box office, (319) 335-1160 or 1-800-HANCHER. Tickets will also be available on-line at www. hancher.uiowa.edu. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children/students.

Nile Kinnick was the University of Iowa's most decorated student-athlete and the only Hawkeye to win college football's most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy. He was also considered to be an accomplished student and charismatic leader who gained national attention -- first as the "Cornbelt Comet" and then as an almost symbolic "All American Boy."

The Riverside Theatre and the university will present the new, multi-media, play that documents his achievements and illuminates the turbulent historical period, 1939-1943, during which he both thrived and died.

Iowa native and Iowa graduate Jackson Doran has been cast in the title role. Doran has been a long time favorite with Riverside audiences, having appeared in numerous productions with the company over a 10-year period. He now resides in Chicago.

The production of "Kinnick" imagines a live, old-time radio broadcast honoring him just after his death. It juxtaposes scenes recreated from Kinnick's own diaries and letters with extravagant commentaries from sportscasters and gossip columnists of the time interspersed with singing jingles and advertisements as well as images and popular music from the period.

The original script is by Riverside Theatre co-founder, Bruce Wheaton.

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I like this idea. The more I researched my book, "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines," the more I realized what an unbelievable person Nile Kinnick was as a University of Iowa student and football player in the late-1930s. With the leadership of coach Eddie Anderson, Kinnick brought Hawkeye football back to life in a 1939 season that saw him win the Heisman Trophy. I'm glad "Kinnick" is coming to the Iowa City stage 63 years after Nile's death. The man led a storybook life, and I'm glad to see the university is remembering him again].

* * *

Jon Miller, publisher of Hawkeye Nation, writes:

Once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye...or so the adage goes. To say it is one thing, but to see it is another. That love and spirit was on full display Sunday in Ottumwa as several Iowa basketball legends gathered together and played a game to benefit another Iowa great, Kenny Arnold.

Jon Miller was the master of ceremonies for this event and he has filed a diary of his experiences, plus some information on how you can lend a Hawkeye hand to Kenny Arnold.

There have been times in my nearly eight years of marriage to my wife when she has asked me why Iowa fans have such a strong bond and identity with their favorite team and school. She is not from this state, so I can understand where she is coming from. I have met many a sports fan from other states around this country and have rarely seen the level of loyalty, devotion and love that Iowa fans show to their beloved Hawkeyes.

The easiest way I know how to describe the bond is to say that it’s almost like the Hawkeyes are a member of your own family; you love them all the time, they can irritate you some of the time, but at the end of the day, family is family and those bonds last forever.

Such an outpouring of loyalty, devotion and love was on display Sunday in Ottumwa as the Second ‘Because We Can for Kenny Arnold’ Legends Game took place on a near picture-perfect Iowa spring day.

This event is set up to raise funds for the Kenny Arnold Trust, an account that helps Arnold battle through the after effects of a brain tumor that reduced him from 200 pounds down to 125 pounds in recent years.

Arnold is not in great health even today, but the man’s spirit seemed unbreakable as he was laughing throughout the two-hour event. Read more about Arnold's plight and the efforts to help him HERE.

Arnold arrived at the Indian Hills Community College gymnasium shortly before tipoff, and he was eagerly sought after by most in attendance.

Though there were more heralded Hawkeye greats from the past on hand, such as Bobby Hansen and Greg Stokes, this was Arnold’s day.....

Many of you have e-mailed me asking how to contribute to Kenny Arnold’s Trust. You can certainly do this, and it would be greatly appreciated. Send your check or money order to the following address:

Kenny Arnold Trust
c/o US Bank
270 West Seventh Street
Dubuque, IA 52001