Loney and Drake Upstage Chizik and Cyclones--Now I'm Wondering If There's Any Team On the 2007 Schedule That Iowa State Can Beat. Maybe Not

Ames, Ia. -- The first thing I did yesterday after parking my car near Jack Trice Stadium was look for what is historically the best tent tailgate party in this town.

It seems like there are more tents than ever for Iowa State's football games, so I should probably credit athletic director Jamie Pollard for that.

Jamie's got it going.

Well, maybe.

Because then they had to play the football game.

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After walking through the tailgate area north of the stadium for several minutes, I heard a guy say, "Ron! Hey, Maly!"

That was my call.

It came from the most avid and best-informed Cyclone fan around.

"What's a Hawkeye doing in Cyclone Land?" the guy asked.

That got us off to a fantastic start.

I've been getting questions like that since Clay Stapleton coached football at Iowa State 40 years ago.

"Slumming," I joked.

"So how's this team going to be?" I asked Mr. Cyclone.

"Can't tell yet," he said. "Too early. Ferentz didn't win many early games, did he?"

Kind of a defensive approach to my question.

No, Kirk Ferentz didn't win many games in his first couple of seasons at Iowa. Just one in 1999 and three in 2000, as a matter of fact. But in his fourth season, he won 11.

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After Iowa State's embarrassing 23-14 loss to Kent State, I knew why Mr. Cyclone was so defensive.

This team is pretty bad, folks.

Iowa State, I mean.

The fans were ready for this season opener, the new coach and his players weren't.

When you schedule teams from the Mid-American Conference, you're supposed to beat them.

Especially in your season opener when 47,313 spectators are in the house.

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Iowa State and Gene Chizik [pictured at the left], who was introduced to Iowa State in an off-season celebration at Hilton Coliseum that saw him walking through smoke amid bright lights, were upstaged by non-scholarship Drake on this opening night of collegiate football.

The Bulldogs upset Illinois State, 27-24, on the road for the university's biggest football victory since Chuck Shelton's 1985 team came to Ames and whipped Jim Criner's Iowa State squad, 20-17.

That was the beginning of the end for Criner at Iowa State. He was gone before the 1986 season ended. Iowa State isn't supposed to lose to Drake. Or Northern Iowa, for that matter.

Ask Jim Walden about that. Walden lost to UNI in 1992 and 1994, and Iowa State said adios to him in '94.

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Drake is coached by Steve Loney [pictured at the right], who would have given his left something-or-other to have gotten the Iowa State job.

I'm pretty sure he didn't even get an interview at a place where he went to school and was twice an assistant coach.

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So now I'm wondering what happens next to the 2007 Cyclones.

They play Northern Iowa on Sept. 8 and Iowa on Sept. 15 at Jack Trice Stadium.

If Iowa State isn't the underdog in both of those games, it should be.

After that come successive road assignments against Toledo, Nebraska and Texas Tech.

Then home games against Texas and Oklahoma.

If you want to tell me the Cyclones will beat any of those teams, I'll tell you to go see your doctor.

No wonder I'm starting to ask myself if there's any team on the schedule Chizik can beat.

At this stage, I don't think so.

*

Somewhere in south Florida, a football coach is still likely wondering what it was that he did so wrong when he was at Iowa State.

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I still think Dan McCarney deserved better.

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By the way, the two cold Red Stripes from Mr. Cyclone of tent tailgate fame tasted just fine.

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The photo of the Iowa State-Kent State football game at the top courtesy of Charlie Neibergall of the Associated Press.

Reader Asks: 'Remember When the Register Covered Carroll?' If That Was Still Happening, the Paper Wouldn't Have Been Beaten to the Punch On This Story

A reader sent me an e-mail with the question, "Remember the days when the Des Moines Register used to cover Carroll?"

Yes, I do.

And Council Bluffs and Shenandoah, Sioux City and Decorah. Red Oak and Keokuk, too.

Yes, those were the days.

If the Register -- which still uses the words "The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon" on its front page -- was still covering Carroll, it wouldn't have been beaten to the punch by the Omaha World-Herald on a high school football story it published Wednesday.

The Register finally had a three-paragraph story on the incident this morning. The story said three Carroll seniors will sit out the first half of tonight's game against Kuemper.

The Omaha World-Herald story was written by Kevin White, and it's a good one. It was headlined "Prep Football: Photo raises a furor in Carroll:"

Three Carroll High School football players face a one-game suspension for making what the school has deemed obscene hand gestures in a team photograph.

This photo of the Carroll High School football team ran in the Carroll Daily Times Herald on Monday. The newspaper altered the photo before publication to "blur" four players, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the paper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner."The decision prompted one boy's father to resign as a booster club president and left the local newspaper explaining its decision to publish an altered version of the photo.

The controversy comes the week Carroll High is to play cross-town rival Carroll Kuemper.

The photo, taken by the Carroll Daily Times Herald, appeared Monday in the newspaper's fall sports preview section. The newspaper "blurred" four players in the photo, three of whom were making similar hand gestures and a fourth whom the newspaper judged not to be acting in a "respectable manner." The fourth player was not suspended from playing.

Every player on the team, including those obscured, was identified by name below the photo. An editor's note followed:

"The above photo has been altered to remove hand gestures displayed by four members of the team. While we considered not publishing the photo, we felt it was not fair to the 51 young individuals who conducted themselves in a respectable manner."

One of the suspended players is a returning two-year starter. Another had been expected to start.

Mike Bach, the father of one of the suspended players, said he was informed by a school administrator on Monday that the three boys would miss one game. Bach was the school's booster club president before resigning Monday night, citing his disappointment in the way the school handled the situation.

Bach contended that the hand gesture the boys made is not obscene and has been commonly displayed by athletes in other sports at the school, as well as by widely known college athletes.

The gesture had become so accepted at the school, Bach said, that a varsity head coach at Carroll High used a picture of a player showing the gesture as a screen saver on his school computer.

"There was absolutely no intention at all to disrespect themselves or Carroll High School or the general public," Bach said of the suspended boys. He said he has requested that the school reconsider its decision.

Carroll High Superintendent Rob Cordes would not comment on the players' suspensions. He said the coach mentioned by Bach voluntarily removed the screen saver and had been unaware that the gesture could be interpreted as offensive.

The gesture, involving the middle, index and pinky fingers, goes by various names including "the shocker" when the connotation is sexual in nature.

Cordes said that if athletes in past seasons had been using gestures that could be considered offensive, school administrators were unaware of it. If the administration had knowledge that the gestures could be considered offensive, it would have taken the appropriate steps, he said.

In explaining her decision to run the altered photo, Ann Wilson, general manager and co-owner of the Daily Times Herald, said Monday that the players' action "was disrespectful to the team, to us and to women, which means mothers, sisters and girlfriends."

"Why cover it up?" she asked. "I think young people need to learn to take responsibility for their actions."

On Tuesday she added that the paper would have handled any gesture, including one not considered offensive, the same way.

"Any gesture would be considered inappropriate, whether it's a thumbs-up or anything," she said. "If it happens again, we'd do it the exact same way."

On Monday, Wilson said she strongly opposed shooting the photo again, citing an unwillingness to take up more of the team's time, as well as the newspaper's time and resources.

Carroll opens its season [tonight] after qualifying for the Class 3-A playoffs in 2006. Kuemper opened its season last week with a 29-14 win over Glenwood. The Class 2-A Knights are seeking their fourth straight playoff appearance. The teams play Friday at the Carroll Athletic Field.

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[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: The altered photo from the Carroll Daily Times Herald is at the top of this column. If you ask me, the best thing to do would have been to not use the photograph in the paper. However, the players guilty of screwing up the photo by making what is interpreted as obscene hand gestures should be suspended for a game, and another team photo should be taken when the season is over. I guess I've got to question the team's coaching staff, too. What kind of team discipline does a picture like this show in a photo taken before the season even starts?]

Where They Live and Play

Now that I've told you who the new publisher at the paper is, I'll let you know a little more about her.

I mean, where she lives.

Always on the lookout for things to publish that you won't find in the mainstream media, I've included a picture of the home and a map showing where it is, obtained from the Polk County Assessor's web page, so people who work at the paper can find it when they're invited out there for snacks and drinks in the near-future.

Forty-year-old publisher Laura L. Hollingsworth, husband John M. Hollingsworth and their three children -- 17-year-old daughter Kayla and 2-year-old twins Josh and Kendall -- reside in a home in Johnston that's assessed at more than a half-million dollars.

The two-story home on 1.1 acres at 7016 NW 95th Court has a swimming pool, a whirlpool and was assessed at $525,200 this year -- up from $485,900 in 2005.

The land is assessed at $94,300, the building at $430,900.

Laura and John paid $465,000 for the place on July 31, 2002.

The home was built in 2001 and is in what the Polk County Assessor's office says is "normal" condition.

There are 2,031 feet of living on the main level, 1,398 in a finished basement, 907 in the upper level.

There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one toilet room and a fireplace.

So there you have it, Register folks. I'll see you at John and Laura's for chips, dip and a Diet Coke one of these evenings.

We can car-pool if you want to.

If New Register Publisher Laura Hollingsworth, 40, Was a Football Coach Heading Into a Big Game, She'd Be Told, 'Good Luck. You'll Need It'

The Des Moines Register didn't take long -- and didn't have to look far -- to find a successor to Mary Stier as publisher.

Here's a memo sent to the staff this morning:

Laura Hollingsworth will be the new president and publisher of the Des Moines Register when Mary Stier leaves next week.

Laura has been general manager of the Register since 2005, running the day-to-day operations and second in command to Stier. She was vice president of Advertising at the Register from 2002-2005.

She has been active in the community as well. She serves on the board of Variety -- The Children's Charity, the board of Character Counts in Iowa, and on the Community Development Board for the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

"I am passionate about our children, everything from diseases to giving them best environment possible to education," Hollingsworth said.

Her work with the Partnership exposed her to workforce issues, she said. That's one of my greatest concerns for the area the labor issue.

The publisher runs all aspects of the business of the newspaper news, advertising, distribution and production -- establishing the strategic priorities, standards and culture. As publisher, Hollingsworth also will sit on the newspaper's editorial board and weigh in on its editorial positions.

"We are truly at the Des Moines Register a multimedia company today," Hollingsworth said. "There will always be a need for strong local information, watchdog journalism, civic connectivity and bringing people together and that's what we do.

"I wanted to be the president of a multimedia company to help lead this state into the future. I love [this state] and I'm thrilled to stay." She said is most excited about building on her relationships in the business community and her knowledge of community to benefit customers and Iowa.

"I can think of no one better to lead that newspaper," said Sue Clark-Johnson, president of the Newspaper Division of the Gannett Co. Gannett owns the Des Moines Register. The community is going to appreciate a smoother transition. Carry the torch of the next generation, Laura.

Before coming to Des Moines, Hollingsworth served as an advertising executive in Green Bay, Wis.; Olympia, Wash.; Rockford, Ill.; and Lansing, Mich. She has received Gannett's President's Ring for excellence in advertising five times from 2000 to 2004.

She was born in Chicago and attended the University of Wisconsin in both Milwaukee and Green Bay. She has a bachelor's degree in communications.

She is married to John Hollingsworth and has a 17-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twins.

Laura also will be in the newsroom about 11:30 to talk to you. Of course she'll also answer any question you have.

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[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: The paper says Hollingsworth is 40 years of age. Stier was 50 when she quit or was told to quit. With the newspaper business in turmoil all around the nation, if not the entire world, Hollingsworth faces an extremely challenging future as publisher. Publishers tend to age quickly in the newspaper business these days. The paper is urging people to read the paper on its website, which they can do without paying anything. Meanwhile, circulation of the print version declines monthly, if not weekly and daily. Good luck, Laura. As the football coaches say when they're going into a big game, you'll need it. All of those President's Rings from Gannett won't do a damn bit of good when people in Iowa City complain again about why the news they're getting in the paper is two days old. In the event you were wondering, that's Hollingsworth who's pictured at the top of this column. The photo of her was taken by Register photographer Rodney White. We'll look forward to hearing from Hollingsworth at a future retirees' lunch at the Chinese buffet in Clive. I'm sure one of the things she'll mention is that the business section needs improvement. That's what Stier said when she last spoke to the retirees, and that's what most publishers and editors say when they talk about their newspapers at public gatherings. By the way, I particularly liked it that one very informed and astute reader submitted one of the many comments on the Hollingsworth story on the Register website that said he wanted "the Big Peach to return with such talented writers as Maury White, Buck Turnbull and Ron Maly." He added that he'd like to see investigative reporting again by Clark Mollenhoff. Unfortunately for that reader and others, Maury White and Clark Mollenhoff are now in the Big Newsroom In the Sky, and I'm not sure the computers up there connect to the computers down here. As for me, I'm having too much fun doing what I'm doing. I'll check with Turnbull at one of our next lunches, but I doubt he's interested in writing seven stories on a press conference from Iowa City -- three for the website, three for the paper and one for the web camera. Finally, the guy who contributed to the "story chat" below the news article about Hollingsworth noted that his suggestion about having White, Turnbull, Maly and Mollenhoff back on the Register had been deleted. Indeed, only 10 of the 43 posts in the chat remained. Those that had been eliminated evidently were too critical of the paper for the editors' tastes. The guy who wrote about the paper needing the Big Peach and White, Turnbull, Maly and Mollenhoff back on the writing staff said in a later post, "Thanks a lot, DMR--Iowans are getting an 'advocate for women' when what they really need is an advocate for the truth. But after the last 40 years, why would that surprise anyone? How funny that the DMR censored my previous remarks. They must have been too close to the truth." That post has since been deleted, too].

Russ Van Dyke Rolls Over In His Grave -- WHO-TV 'Humble and Grateful' That More Central Iowans Are Watching Channel 13 [And Not Channel 8]

Tim Gardner at WHO-TV tells me and a few other folks that his station's morning news program, Today in Iowa, is the undisputed No. 1 morning newscast.

Gardner said that's "according to the just-released July Nielsen Media Research ratings. The win cements the Today in Iowa’s No. 1 position that was achieved in May."

Gardner adds that "the good news continued for channel 13 news beyond morning news with household ratings up year-to-year in every newscast including a 51 percent increase at noon, nearly 18 percent at 5 p.m. and 16 percent at 6 p.m. The gap to No. 1 is now just 1.4 ratings points away at 6 p.m. and 2.3 at 5 p.m.

KCCI [channel 8] has been the ratings leader in central Iowa since the Louisiana Purchase -- or at least since television was invented.

People used to joke that, after the death of longtime channel 8 anchorman Russ Van Dyke, the station could prop up a photograph of ol' Russ and KRNT, KCCI or whatever the hell the station was called back then would lead the ratings.

“The evidence is indisputable,” says WHO-TV president and general manager Dale R. Woods. “We are humble and grateful that more and more central Iowa viewers are seeing the difference and making the choice to watch channel 13 news. We do not take their vote of confidence lightly and will continue to work hard to serve their needs.”

In revenue-important adult 25-54 share, Gardner said, the news was also excellent for channel 13 with its 10 p.m. newscast growing 30 percent while KCCI’s dropped 16 percent. In fact, every Channel 13 weekday newscast was up in this demographic.

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Photo of Russ Van Dyke with the Anderson-Erickson props courtesy of www.DesMoinesBroadcasting.com. Logo of John Bachman, Keith Murphy and the gang at channel 13 courtesy of www.WHOTV.com

The [Declining] State Of Journalism in Des Moines: Local Ownership -- Or the Lack Of It -- Is Among the Keys

George F. Davison, Jr., an attorney who is a weekend announcer for WHO-radio in Des Moines, sends a knowledgeable and interesting follow-up to my column about Mary Stier's exit as publisher at the Des Moines Register.

Here's Davison's e-mail, titled "The State of Journalism in Des Moines:":

Ron:

Your commentary on Mary Stier and her "decision" to leave the Register as publisher included an observation that the newspaper will never be the way that it was 30 and 40 years ago.

There are some very real reasons for that observation.

1. The newspaper is no longer locally owned. When the Cowles family and others decided it was time to "cash out" and sell, the newspaper lost its heart. Local ownership, locally involved, and locally connected means that the focus will be on what the folks in the community think is important.

The same observation can be made about the radio and television stations serving Des Moines. None of the television stations (except Channel 11, Iowa Public Television is locally owned. Thirty years ago it was different:

KCCI-TV, Cowles Communications -- the Cowles family
WHO-TV, Palmer Broadcasting -- the Palmer family
WOI-TV, Iowa State University

The picture was somewhat similar for the city's radio stations:

KIOA -- 940 -- Midwest Broadcasting, out of state owner, but strong local manager and talent; at least three person in the news department

WHO -- 1040 -- Palmer Broadcasting (also owned WHO-FM/KLYF-FM); at one time as many as ten persons in the news department (perhaps more depending upon how part-time employees were characterized)

KWKY -- 1150 -- Norseman Broadcasting, Putbrese family

KRNT -- 1350 -- Cowles Communications until sale to Stauffer Communications, based in Topeka, KS, in 1974 -- when Stauffer took over local talent continued on the air and a five person news department was established

KCBC -- 1390 -- Bunce Broadcasting -- Bob Bunce, local owner, at least one newscaster; purchased by Black Hawk Broadcasting in the mid-1970s and used as a base of operations for news material which was fed to stations in Waterloo, Austin, and Cedar Rapids; at least five person news department for a time

KSO -- 1460 -- Stoner Broadcasting -- when KSO was country, it had a couple of newscasters as well as a farm commentator

Today, here is the lineup of radio stations in Des Moines:

Clear Channel -- WHO-AM (1040), KSO-AM (1460), KDRB(FM)(was WHO-FM and KLYF-FM)(100.3), KPTL(FM)(106.3), and KKDM(FM)(107.5) -- WHO maintains a news department with five fulltime employees and at least three parttime employees-- WHO news provides information for the other stations, WHO also carries FOX Radio News;

Saga Communications -- KPSZ-AM (940), KRNT-AM (1350), KIOA(FM)(93.3), KSTZ(FM)(102.5), KAZR(FM)(103.3), KLTI(FM)(104.1)-- contract for newscaster, Polly Carver Kimm, was not renewed according to recent news stories -- KRNT carries news from state network, Radio Iowa, and CBS national news network;

Citadel Broadcasting -- KBBG-AM (1700), KJJY(FM)(92.5), KGGO(FM)(94.9), KHKI(FM)(97.3), KWQW(FM) (98.3) -- KWQW(FM) carries ABC network news;
St. Gabriel Communications -- KWKY-AM (1150) -- KCCI television audio is broadcast at 5:00 PM

The situation with the television stations is similar:

KCCI-TV, Channel 8, owned by Hearst Argyle Television, Inc.
WHO-TV, Channel 13, owned by LOCAL TV IOWA LICENSE, LLC
WOI-TV, Channel 5, owned by CAPITAL COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC.
KDSM-TV, Channel 17, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

Each is an out-of-state company. Several of the television stations are doing a good job of covering the local news, but there is still a lot of glitz and "gee whiz." News should be an undertaking to search and to report the facts. Too often, especially with television, the equipment (the need for pictures and motion) gets in the way.

2. The newspaper no longer has a commitment to local news. "Way back in the olden days" (1970 to 1980), where there was both a Register and a Tribune, the Register had at least two reporters covering the Polk County Courthouse and the Tribune had the same number. Also, the local radio and television stations covered the courthouse, city hall, and other government agencies in person.

Back in the mid-1970s it would not be unusual to see at a Polk County Board of Supervisors meeting reporters from the Register, the Tribune, KRNT Radio, WHO Radio, KIOA Radio, KCBC Radio, KSO Radio, KCCI-TV, WHO-TV, and WOI-TV. Each reporter would see and report the story or stories from a different perspective. The winner was the public. The Board of Supervisors knew that what they did would be on the air and in print. Today, based upon what I see in the newspaper and from what I hear and see from the broadcast media, I am not even certain when the Board of Supervisors meet.

3. There was real competition for news 30 and 40 years ago. The Register reporters wanted to make certain that they got stories that Tribune did not. Same thing for the Tribune reporters. The broadcast news reporters who were assigned beats worked hard to get the story before the Register and the Tribune reporters. This kept everyone sharp. Again, the winner was the public.

4. The Register still has some excellent editors and reporters, but are they hamstrung? 30 and 40 years ago it was rare to see an Iowa story in either the Register or the Tribune with an Associated Press byline. Today, it occurs more and more frequently. Why is that such a big deal. It means that there is a loss of a different view point, a different angle, a different treatment of a story. Competition assures that facts will be brought to light. If every news outlet (newspaper and broadcast) relies upon the same version of the story (Associated Press), it is as if there were a ministry of information.

Would local ownership of the newspaper and the broadcast stations make a difference? I have tried to show some facts from 30 to 40 years ago. You and other readers of your blog need to make the decision. The role of the reporter is to report. The role of the reader, listener, and viewer is to decide.

George F. Davison, Jr, J.D.
2746 Lynner Drive
Des Moines, IA 50310-5835
Telephone: 515-250-1553
Email: N0zezgfd@juno.com or gdavison@iowabar.org

Bulldogs' Snorkeling Ends Successfully--'Nobody Got Bit By a Shark.' And I've Got Great News For All Of You Brooke Bouma Fans. She's Back At 13 Again

Drake sports information director Mike Mahon tells some of us that members of the Bulldogs' basketball team were rewarded for going undefeated on a four-game tour of the Bahamas by spending Friday afternoon on a catamaran and snorkeling in the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

And talk among the 11 players centered around how their week-long stay will pay dividends for the future.

"This experience will definitely help us prepare for the upcoming season," Mahon quoted senior guard Leonard Houston as saying.

"We've spent the past week together all the time, bonding. This trip will help improve team chemistry and the rapport of the team."

Mahon wrote that the catamaran, named Sea Horse, took the team five miles west of Paradise Island before docking with players having one hour to snorkel off the coral reef.

The captain pointed out homes where celebrities live, including a private island owned by comedian-actor Eddie Murphy.

Five players tried snorkeling for the first time in Houston, sophomore redshirt Bill Eaddy, freshman redshirt Keith Worner, junior redshirt Brent Heemskerk and sophomore Josh Young.

"This was a nice way to cap off the trip," said Young. "It was interesting. You see a different world. It was a lot of fun. I was pretty anxious and am pleased how things went."

"I didn't know what to expect," added Houston. "I've been in the ocean before, but I probably wouldn't have done this on my own. I was glad I had the opportunity. I had a good look at the ocean floor. It was a totally different experience than I expected."

Said Eaddy: "When I first got in the water, I panicked but I got to breathing properly through the snorkel and calmed down and the rest was beautiful."

Associate head coach Chris Davis and assistant coach Justin Ohl accompanied the team. Davis said the staff thought the snokerling experience was a great way to cap the trip.

"This is a close-knit group," said Davis. "It has been fun watching them enjoy themselves today."

The Bulldogs won all four games on the trip by a combined average of 34.3 points against the same teams that the University of New Mexico posted a 3-1 record on a recent tour.

"This trip was important for everyone on the team because we all gained experience, especially the guys who hadn't played much for us in the past," added Young.

There was ample playing time for all nine players who suited up for the games.

For Eaddy, it was a chance to prove that he belongs in the rotation.

"This was the first time in two years that I played in games that meant something," said Eaddy. "I played as hard as I could and the games gave me confidence, knowing I can help contribute to our team this season.

"This has been the experience of a lifetime. The trip has exceeded my expectations from the beach, the resort, the games and how the people are so laid back here."

As expected, the trio of Houston, Young and junior redshirt forward Jonathan Cox led the team statistically.

Houston, known as a defensive sparkplug off the bench last season, averaged a team-high 20.5 points, while leading Drake in scoring in the last two games of the tour. He also made seven three-point baskets.

"My role has changed from the last couple years," said Houston. "The coaches are going to be looking at me to score more this season."

Young, who exploded for 27 points in the first game of the tour against the Bahamas All-Stars, averaged 17.8 points while making a team high 11 three-point baskets.

Cox averaged 17 points, enjoying double-doubles in the last three games of the tour. He had 18 points and 22 rebounds against the Commonwealth Giants Monday, followed by 22 points and a whopping 25 boards against Sunshine Auto Tuesday. He finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds Thursday against the College of the Bahamas.

"Because we lost several players on the frontline from last year's team, I know more will be expected of me this year," said Cox. "I just kept going after rebounds down here and really didn't pay any attention to the statistics."

Cox said he has snorkeled in Hawaii as well as on both the east and west coasts of Mexico.

"This was a nice way to end the trip," said Cox. "No one got bit by a shark."

Something tells me Drake's players will have to get back to reality soon, and start attending classes again in Des Moines.

But that's just a rumor.

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Good news for all of you Brooke Bouma fans [and there are plenty] out there.

Officials at WHO-TV say channel 13 veteran and Iowa native Bouma [pictured] is returning and will pick up right where she left off at the station: Co-anchoring Today in Iowa. She will join veteran morning anchor Patrick Dix, meteorologist Jeriann Ritter and traffic reporter Brad Ehrlich for central Iowa’s No. 1-rated morning news program. Her first morning back on the air will be Monday, Sept.17.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity for me,” Tim Gardner of Channel 13 quotes Bouma as saying. “I’m thrilled to be working again with Patrick and thoroughly enjoy and respect the talents Jeriann and Brad. For me, being a brand new mother adds just one more perspective to the experience I can offer viewers. I hope they’ll once again trust me to start their day informed and entertained.”

“I’m very excited about Brooke’s return,” says WHO-TV president and general manager Dale R. Woods. “The timing for both of us couldn’t be better and I’m confident her abilities combined with those of Pat, Jeriann, Brad and our hard-working staff will continue to propel us upward. The transition will be fun to watch.”

Bouma left the Today in Iowa anchor desk in May of 2005 to spend more time with her husband, start a family and pursue other career interests which most recently includes working at Iowa Realty.

Bouma started at WHO-TV in 2000 as a reporter. She quickly moved to weekend evening anchor. In 2003, she moved to Today in Iowa. Before working at WHO-TV, Bouma was the morning anchor then the weekend anchor and reporter in Topeka, Kan., at CBS affiliate WIBW-TV. She is an Iowa native, growing up in rural Ottumwa and graduating from Eddyville High School and Central College in Pella with a degree in communications.

Channel 13’s Today in Iowa is the top-rated morning news program, according to July 2007 Nielsen Media Research household ratings.

Bouma replaces Trisha Shepherd, who departed the station last week to anchor evening newscasts for WRTV in Indianapolis.

Channel 13 launched the first local morning news in central Iowa in 1988. Now on at 5 a.m., Today in Iowa continues to be the news leader in the morning emphasizing important overnight news, traffic and breaking news live from Chopper 13 and weather every seven minutes or less.

Bad Reporting Or What? Newsboys Doing Their Lunch Notice There Wasn't a Word From Gannett In the Story On Stier's Exit As the Register's Publisher

Naturally, one of the prime topics of conversation among the Newsboys at this week's Oriental lunch was Mary Stier, the paper's lame-duck publisher.

One of the Newsboys, who saw plenty of rough-draft copy placed in front of him at city edition deadline time over the years, mentioned that reporter Bonnie Harris didn't have a word in her story of Stier's resignation from anyone at the Gannett Co., which owns the Register.

Not even a "Joe Blow at Gannett couldn't be reached for comment about Stier's rather surprise resignation" or "officials at Gannett didn't respond to repeated calls regarding Stier's resignation."

Harris said in the second word of her story that Stier was "tearful" when she talked about her Sept. 7 exit from the paper, but the reporter either didn't bother or didn't come through with getting a quote from anybody at Gannett.

She certainly didn't have anything in her story about someone from Gannett being tearful over Stier's exit from 8th and Locust. So I guess we can all assume that no one at Gannett is crying over Stier's departure.

In the old days, someone like Harris would have been sitting at her desk until past midnight trying to get somebody at Gannett to comment on Stier, but those days disappeared when the Newsboys left the office for the last time.

Hell, the only person still in the newsroom after midnight now is the night janitor.

Oh, sure, in the Stier story there were meaningless quotes from guys at Iowa State's journalism school and the Iowa Newspaper Association.

That tells me the Gannett people are saying, "Good riddance" and "Just the way we wanted it" to Stier's bailout.

I'm sticking to my story that Stier quit as president and publisher of the paper because Gannett had put the squeeze on her. In effect, Gannett dumped her.

The idea I advanced was that Mary had turned 50 and was no longer useful to Gannett. The old girl probably puts some coloring in her hair now, and maybe even uses some Botox in the morning. Or at night, whenever the hell they use Botox to cover up their wrinkles.

Mary was making too much money, and the company has plenty of dreamers sitting in Gannett offices around the nation who'd be happy to try fixing what's wrong at the Register.

Let's just hope that 20-Year Club wristwatch Stier was awarded 16 or 17 years too early is still ticking. She'll need it when she starts following that dream she keeps talking about at Brilliance Group, whatever that is.

*

I was trying to figure out why my loaf of 9-grain bread at Hy-Vee jumped 50 cents overnight.

Surely it couldn't still be the high gas prices, could it?

No, it's the grocery chain trying to get some of its money back from consumers after that West Des Moines city councilman kept stealing prescription drugs from the pharmacy.

*

I asked a retiree who worked in several departments at the paper what he thought of that series of stories out of The Netherlands.

"I didn't read any of them," the guy said.

No wonder circulation is dropping.

*

Cartoon and Botox ad courtesy of Google.

'I Am Really Disappointed With the Big Ten For Absolutely Screwing Fans Who Have been Able To Watch Most Hawkeye Games Over the Past 20 Years'

It used to be that the Big Ten was a respected athletic conference--at least until Woody Hayes began punching opposing players.

Now the Big Ten is also a television network.

Hawkeye fan Mark Robinson of Iowa City weighs in on the Big Ten Network in this e-mail:

Hello Ron;

When the University of Iowa decided to sell the broadcasting rights of the Hawkeyes' football and basketball games to Learfield, Hawkeye fans became the beneficiaries of fewer choices. Zabel, Gonder, Brooks--all gone. Well, Learfield threw those broadcasting legends a bone, allowing the trio to play minor roles before and during the games. And Zabel has maintained a presence on WHO in postgame chatter.

I can't speak for all fans, but I hated the move, and I still do. Big money equals fewer choices for the fans. Now, the same thing can be said of the Big Ten Network. This time, however, I think the fans will suffer even more. Easily, this hurts the fans more than anything the Iowa athletics department could imagine. At least, the U of I banks a boatload of money for the Learfield deal, and fans still get to hear Ed Podolak on the radio each Saturday.

Now we have the Big Ten Network believing they could leverage a fan base to put the network on Mediacom's basic expanded tier of cable channels, costing fans nothing. I wonder if the Big Ten upper management actually felt that it was a no-brainer for Mediacom before they moved forward.

The need for money has once again left the fans out of the equation. Fewer choices, and the fans lose again. It appears to me that the Big Ten powers and the networks are eating their own fan bases out of greed. First, it's Learfield, next, it's ESPNU, VERSUS, and now the Big Ten Network.

It appears that Mediacom subscribers might be able to watch perhaps 4 Hawkeye football games this season. And I've read that 16 of the 18 Hawkeyes basketball games this season will be cabled on the BTN.

The fans are losing again. I don't blame Mediacom, although they are the best at ripping off customers with their tiered pricing; I am really disappointed with the Big Ten for absolutely screwing fans who have been able to watch most of the Hawkeyes football and basketball games over the past 20 years.

Dolph and Eddie will garner their largest audiences this fall.

Keep writing,

Mark Robinson
Iowa City

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Mark, you're starting to sound like a guy who's not going to enjoy it one bit while getting screwed all year].

Iowa Should Get Rid Of the Clowns In These Photographs. They Don't Deserve To Play In a Stadium Named After Nile Kinnick, a Class Person, Class Player

The pictures are in. I've made up my mind.

Just like what Iowa State did to Larry Eustachy after his drinking and carousing pictures came in.

Iowa State got rid of him, and Iowa should get rid of those clowns in the pictures.

A couple of those airheads -- Dominique Douglas and Anthony Bowman -- used somebody else's credit cards and charged more than $2,000 worth of stuff.

Iowa doesn't need bums like that. I don't care how many passes Douglas and Bowman caught last season.

If they let your football program down by posing for idiotic pictures like what you see here, courtesy of the Internet, they'll let you down on the field in a big game, too.

They're bums and they need to pay the price.

They don't deserve to play in a stadium named after Nile Kinnick.

If Kinnick, a class person and a class athlete, were here today he'd turn thumbs down on any return by Douglas and Bowman to Iowa's 2007 football team.

I say let them transfer to welding school, hopefully in Detroit.

After they get their welding diplomas, let the union bosses handle them.

Get rid of 'em.

Now.

Stier Didn't Wake Up One Morning, Tell the Old Man, 'I'm Quitting This High-Paying Job' and Call Hanoi Jane.[Gannett Pulled the Plug On the Old Girl]

Heavens to Mary Stier, a guy spends a week at the lakes on vacation and all hell breaks loose down at the paper.

I'm talking about Stier [pictured at the right] shocking some of the folks in our town, but not necessarily folks in the newspaper business, the other day by saying she'll be leaving after seven years as president and publisher of the Des Moines Register.

It just seemed like yesterday that Stier was a darling of the Gannett Co. chain. She appeared to be on the fast track -- at least until she blew out all 50 candles on the cake at her most recent birthday party.

Suddenly, with circulation plummeting in Des Moines and elsewhere in the newspaper industry and with stock prices falling, Stier was no longer the hot young whiz. Indeed, she was starting to look kind of old.

I guess Gannett figured Stier could take her "50-Plus" and "Moms dot Com" or whatever it's called and the other giveaways and throwaways that clog up the racks at Wal-Mart and Hy-Vee and take 'em with her to something called Brilliance Group targeted at boomer women -- all four of them in Polk County who want to wear a label like that.

Good luck on that one, Mary.

We'll see you at lunch at the Chinese place and you can tell us all about how things are going with Hanoi Jane and the girls.

This is the same Mary Stier who, after three or four years at the Register, was awarded a 20-Year Club wristwatch by several ass-kissers at a dinner in the old Younkers Tea Room.

Old-timers who worked their butts off to get one of those 20-Year Club watches couldn't believe it.

Now everybody knows why they gave Stier a 20-Year Club watch 16 or 17 years too early. They all knew she wouldn't last 20 years at the paper.

Obviously, Stier was expendable in the Gannett way of things. I'm sure the bosses at the media company, which isn't doing so well itself, noticed that there were several other hot young whizzes out there who might -- with might in italics -- get things going at the Register and elsewhere.

And I don't for one minute believe that Stier just suddenly woke up one morning, turned to the old man and said, "Jeff, I think I'll quit this tremendously high-paying job I have, give Hanoi Jane Fonda a call, ask her if she wants to give another speech in Des Moines to and for boomer women and we'll live happily ever after."

Jane Fonda and boomer women? As Uncle Otto would say, "You gotta be shittin' me!"

Tell me all you want about Stier being tearful -- oh, sure Bonnie Harris got that into the first paragraph of her Register story about Stier's "resignation" -- I'm pretty sure Gannett decided she was no longer needed in the publisher's office at the old paper.

By the way, people are always tearful when they've been told their time is up and they can't get a Social Security check for a dozen years.

Just like a number of reporters, photographers and mid-level editors, Stier was told to clean out her desk.

"But we'll make it sound like you resigned," some nerd at Gannett probably told Stier. "We'll save money, find somebody to replace you at half your pay and you can make it sound like you just couldn't wait to start running Brilliance Group so you can schedule all those speeches."

Stier's bailout comes at a time when newsroom employees are heading out the back door in droves.

Just the other day, Pulitzer-prize winning photographer Dave Peterson retired from the Register at 57 years of age. People say he'll probably make more money freelancing than he did at the paper.

They tell me Gary Fandel, another veteran photographer, had been demoted to the "zone desks" at the paper before he decided to call it quits. The photo department chief didn't even write his resignation memo to the staff.

Like a lot of others, the bosses kept making it tougher on him so he'd quit. They got their way. They always do.

The newsroom chiefs have been offering buyouts and delivering threats for months. The word was, "Get out while you still have at least a little bit of respect."

Why would I believe there's anything different about Stier's departure? She could smile and flash those white teeth all she wanted. That wasn't going to get people in east Des Moines and Windsor Heights to buy the paper.

They might look at it while eating a ham sandwich during their lunch hour at Wells Fargo, but they had no interest in buying it.

Editor Carolyn Washburn can tell us all she wants about how readers are going to race to their computers so they can read what the bloggers say on the Register's website.

Read a paper on the computer? Try to get Uncle Otto to believe that one!

Success is a thing of the past at the Register. So are Pulitzer prizes. There hasn't been one since 1991.

I'm a firm believer that there will always be a newspaper in this town, but it's never -- repeat never -- going to be the kind of paper that was a blockbuster publication 30 and 40 years ago.

So on to Brilliance Group goes Mary Stier, who showed up at a Register retirees' lunch several years ago and told us how the paper needed to improve its business and sports sections and that Rob and Rekha's columns would bring in readers.

She had already sent Dennis Ryerson packing, and replaced him with Paul Anger as editor. Now it's Washburn who can't figure it out.

Well, now circulation keeps dropping, we've got Biz Buzz in the business section -- you're really excited about that, aren't you? -- and Nile Kinnick's 1939 Iowa Ironmen were somehow left out of the list of the 20 best teams in this state's sports history.

If that's a sign of the improvement in the business and sports sections, Barry Bonds doesn't sprinkle steroids on his Cheerios in the morning and we're winning the war in Iraq.

Just one more word -- well, a couple more words -- related to Stier's departure.

The folks she leaves behind in the news and advertising departments better beware.

There's no assurance the next hot 35-year-old whiz Gannett picks to be the Register's president and publisher will be satisfied with who's doing the editing and the reporting.

She -- oh, hell, maybe they'll be old-fashioned and choose a he -- could certainly show the door to the editor, the managing editor and a number of other lesser editors.

Every publisher wants her or his own editors, and maybe even reporters.

Who knows, the first thing the new publisher might say is, "How come our sports sections aren't anything like they were when Ron, Buck and Burdick were here? Bring back the Big Peach!"

With Buses Running Over People These Days, I'll Delay Going To the State Fair and Let My Friend Kenny Fuson Tell Me All About It

I gave some thought to taking the bus from Valley West Mall in West Des Moines to the State Fair and back today, but then had second thoughts.

I had bought a couple of $6 discount admission tickets at Hy-Vee earlier in the week, and thought this might be a good day to explore the 2007 Fair. But I didn't realize the temperature and humidity were going to be quite so high, so I'll delay going until later.

Besides, I remembered that the Des Moines buses had been running over people lately, so I didn't feel much like spending the weekend in the hospital or the morgue.

Also, I knew Ken Fuson [pictured at the right] was doing his usual bang-up job of writing for the paper, and I figured I'd get all the information I needed out of his Blue Ribbon Blog at the Fair.

It's no secret that Kenny is my favorite humor columnist at the paper. He's better than Dave Barry ever hoped to be, and I suggested more than a year ago that editor Carolyn Washburn should consider letting him write his humor stuff several times a week instead of just on Fridays.

I'm glad she listened. Kenny is now writing his Blue Ribbon Blog, and I assume I'll be able to enjoy it tomorrow and all of next week.

I don't know if Kenny is appearing at the paper's tent or booth at the Fair. If so, visitors are in for a treat. I'm not sure if everyone knows it or not, but Kenny talks just as funny as he writes.

I got a huge charge out of the humor-filled speech Kenny gave to the paper's retirees more than a year ago. I sat up in front at Baker's Cafeteria the day he talked because that way I could hear him better, and I also could interview him afterward.

I wrote a column about him a couple of days later, and Kenny told me in an e-mail that I quoted him accurately. He made me happy by saying that.

I'm pretty sure it was a standing-room-only audience for Kenny that day. The rumor is that he attracted so many people at the cafeteria for lunch that Baker's was able to stay open for a couple more months than the management intended. Now, though, it's closed for good.

By the way, I call Kenny by the name Kenny because I think it's a friendlier way to refer to someone. I wouldn't call Kenny by the name Kenny if I didn't like him personally, and as a newspaper writer.

I got that idea from coaches like Hayden Fry, Dan McCarney and Johnny Orr. I always liked it when those guys called me Ronnie. Actually, Orr called me Ronnie when he didn't call me Coach.

The only other person who called me Ronnie was my mother, so Fry, McCarney and Orr got on my good side real quick when they they referred to me as Ronnie.

I'll tell you what I think of Kenny Fuson's coverage in his Blue Ribbon Blog at the Fair.

I think he's covering, and will cover, the Iowa extravaganza better than it's ever been covered before.

I've been throwing the word "gamer" around a lot lately. For want of a better expression, I'll call Kenny a gamer, too.

He's to feature and humor writing what Randy Peterson is to sportswriting. Both of them are ready for the Big Story, and they always give it their best shot.

I've even told Kenny that I think he'll be the paper's next Pulitzer Prize winner.

At least I hope so. The paper hasn't won a Pulitzer since 1991.

There's only one thing that worries me about Kenny doing such an excellent job at the Fair. Whenever someone at the paper does so well at covering something, the editors think they like whatever they're writing about, and keep assigning him or her to the same thing year after year.

I mean, I'm not sure Nick Lamberto wanted to be assigned to murder trials all the time, but it seemed like he got most of 'em.

Now I'm wondering if Kenny will draw the Blue Ribbon Blog assignment at the Fair every August.

He'd better watch it or they might name a pie judging contest after him. Or a building.

I can tell you this. After having to cover the Iowa Open tennis tournament in Cedar Rapids about 28 years in a row, I finally started taking my vacation in late-July so I could avoid it.

I don't know if Leighton Housh caught onto that or not. But, man, those big horse flies over there were eating me up every afternoon. And those tennis players were starting to wear on my nerves, too.

So, Kenny, in about 2050, put yourself down for a couple of weeks of vacation in late-August so you don't have to write about that damn 1,200-pound pig again. By that time, the winning hog will probably weigh 10,000 pounds anyway.

*

Speaking of the State Fair, I was glad to see Diane Graham's name atop the story about "40 things for kids to do at the Iowa Stte Fair" in the Iowa Life section in the paper.

Under Diane's byline, it said dmmoms.com

So I called up the dmmoms website and was opened up to a whole new world.

To show how far behind I was, I didn't realize Diane is listed as a "contributing editor" in the little "Des Moines Moms" newspaper that's available free at places like Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart.

And, I'll be darned, "Des Moines Moms" is owned by the Des Moines Register, and the managing editor is Jane Schorer Meisner, who just happens to be the most recent Pulitzer Prize winner at the paper.

She became the paper's 15th Pulitzer winner in 1991. Before that, photographer Dave Peterson won one of the prestigious Pulitzers in 1987.

Ironically, Peterson just announced his retirement a few days ago, and will be leaving the paper soon. I hope he's leaving with happiness on his face and in his heart.

Another bit of irony is that Diane Graham, who is credited with writing the "40 things for kids to do at the Iowa State Fair" feature in today's paper, is a former reporter and managing editor at the Register.

I can't remember back that far, but Graham might have been one of Schorer's bosses, and now Graham is working for Schorer. Weird, huh?

Graham left the paper a while back, probably because there wasn't much for her to do. She was something called "managing editor/staff development." That came after she was just managing editor.

She was demoted to the "staff development" role during the turbulent Dennis Ryerson years at the paper.

No one was quite sure what Graham's responsibilities were when she had that "staff development" title.

I heard sixth- or seventh-hand that one of her jobs was to tidy up the meeting rooms for the daily news conferences, but I can't be sure if there's any truth to that.

I knew Graham a little. I remembered her as a hard-working reporter before she became an editor.

Graham even called me into her office a number of years ago and asked if I wanted to apply for the features editor job.

At the time, I can't remember if I was getting ready for a Rose Bowl or an NCAA basketball tournament.

I hadn't intended on applying for the new job, but figured I'd better since Diane told me to write out what I'd do as features editor.

I gave her a lengthy proposal, but evidently I didn't get the job because I never heard from Diane afterward.

Still, I'm glad to see her back in journalism, if, indeed, that's what "Des Moines Moms" is.

No Losers Here--Experts From Don Lund To Brooksie To Gary Dolphin Say the Hawkeyes Will Snap Back To Win 8, 9, Maybe 10 Games In the 2007 Season

 

 

 

Iowa City, Ia. -- Don Lund has reminded me several times in recent years that I wanted to write a newspaper story about him more than 30 years ago.

"I was the student manager on the Iowa football team in 1974 and 1975," Lund explained. "That's when Bob Commings was the coach, and guys like Dan McCarney, Rob Fick and Bobby Elliott were playing here.

"I think you talked to Rick Brown, my roommate, about writing a story about me. But I wasn't quite stable enough in those days, and didn't want to do the story. I didn't want that kind of gig because I was still trying to hit on women."

Lund laughed when he said that.

Don Lund -- a great guy and a great Hawkeye -- is now 53 years of age and lives with two cats.

He's also the co-author with Brian Fleck of the book, "No hands...no feet...No Problem" that tells his story.

As the title says, Don was born with no hands and no feet.

"A quadruple congenital amputee," the book says. "A freak of nature. One in a million. A joke for the politically incorrect. A gift from God.

"Don's right leg ended with a partial kneecap, and his left leg was formed down to his ankle. His right arm ended at his wrist, and his left arm was an inch or so shorter. All four limbs ended in stumps."

Obviously, nothing has stopped Don Lund since then.

"I can do pretty much everything," he said. "I have a fairly normal life without a normal body."

If the guy could be a student manager on football teams that never had winning records, he knew he could do it all.

Now he's writing stories and taking photographs for the North Liberty Leader newspaper.

Lund recalls how that all happened.

"They were looking for somebody to cover the Hawkeyes in 2000, and I said, 'Hey, I'm your man," Lund said. "The first game I covered was against Iowa State and we got beat. The first two stories I sent in, I didn't even know the guy I was sending them to."

Lund was one of the people I wanted to talk with when I came to Iowa City to find out about Iowa's 2007 football team.

When I asked Lund, he said, "As long as Kirk Ferentz is the coach, I feel we're going to be competitive in every game we play. I talked to [offensive line coach] Reese Morgan, and he told me that they have the most depth in the offensive line that they've had in all his years here. That's where it all starts.

"They've got two great running backs in Albert Young and Damian Sims. And then I like Jake."

Jake is quarterback Jake Christensen, who is the successor to Drew Tate.

"We have some pretty good wideouts and tight ends, and when you've got Norm Parker coaching the defense it's like Bill Brashier over there. You're going to get the best...." Lund said.

"I've looked at the books, and they say we'll be underdogs in two games -- against Wisconsin and Penn State. I think Purdue is going to be tough, too. If we can win nine games, I'll be happy.

"Nine-and-three and win the bowl game."

*

Susan Denk is a sportswriter for the Burlington Hawk Eye. She began covering the Hawkeyes in Kirk Ferentz's first season.

Paying attention to everything that's going on with a major-college football is a demanding enough job for most people.

It used to be that the summers were a little easier on a sportswriter than the autums and winters.

Not anymore.

Not when Susan Denk had to prepare for, and compete in, the June 3 triathlon in Palo -- a community near Cedar Rapids.

And also do things like cover the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League.

"I didn't finish last in the triathlon," she told me.

Coaches and other athletic department personnel show up at "I" Club meetings around the state in the spring and summer to talk about how the season might go.

Denk said she wasn't able to attend any of those meetings.

"That's a good thing," I said.

So what kind of team does Denk expect?

"I think they'll be pretty good," she said. "I'm interested to see how Jake Christensen does. And I'm excited about the receivers."

I caught up with Denk between interviews. I'm sure she found much more to write about.

*

Gary Dolphin is the veteran play-by-play broadcaster for the Iowa radio network.

He said the No. 1 priority in preseason practice is the offensive line.

"I think it can be an 8- or 9-win team," Dolphin said. "Two key games are at Wisconsin and Iowa State. Nobody knows what to expect out of Iowa State.

"If Iowa can steal two wins at those places, they're on a momentum roll."

*

It's not true that Bob Brooks broadcast the first Iowa football game that was played in 1889.

But he might have been the student manager on that team.

Just kidding.

Brooksie did see the 1939 Ironmen play when he was a kid, and he says he attended his first Iowa press day in 1943.

"Slip Madigan was the coach then, followed by Clem Crowe," Brooksie said. "For press day, we met under a tree on the practice field. It was a beautiful tree and we had a lot of shade.

"We solved the world's problems and we talked a lot of football."

Brooksie is now 80 and says he still works for radio station KMRY in Cedar Rapids.

He looked good and sounded good as he sized up the Hawkeyes.

"I think Iowa will make it to a top-notch bowl game, and I think they can certainly win nine games and probably 10," Brooksie said.

"I think this team has the right chemistry and is going to be a lot better than a year ago [when the record was 6-7]."

*

After a 6-6 regular season in 2006, athletic director Gary Barta said he thinks the team "returned to Iowa football."

The Hawkeyes played well in a 26-24 loss to Texas in the Alamo Bowl, and that provides some hope for 2007.

"Winter workouts and spring ball went well," he said. "My enthusiam is high. We have some holes to figure out in the offensive line and the defensive secondary, but there are a lot of positives.

"We're undefeated at this point."

*

George Wine was Iowa's sports information director for 25 years.

He and I experienced most of the 19 seasons of non-winning Hawkeye football under five coaches during that period.

It wasn't much fun.

At least one of us thought we might be looking at the makings of a permanent coaching graveyard.

Then along came Hayden....

Wine is a big fan of Kirk Ferentz, and says of the 2007 season:

"I think this is a year when the Hawkeyes start slow and finish fast, ending with a record of 8-4. But what the hell do I know?"

*

Me? I picked Iowa to go 12-0 last season.

So, as you might guess, I'm waiting a few days to make my 2007 prediction.

Meanwhile, let me get back to checking the two-deeps.

*

EDITORS' NOTES -- Ron Maly obviously checked in with a number of people to get a cross-section of Hawkeye football, 2007 version. The photos, from top to bottom, are of Don Lund, Dave Stockdale, Randy Peterson, Susan Denk (left), Gary Dolphin (right), George Wine, Bob Brooks and Gary Barta. The photos of Lund, Stockdale, Peterson, Wine, Brooks and Barta were taken by Ron Maly. The photo of Denk is courtesy of the Burlington Hawk Eye. The photo of Dolphin is courtesy of Google. Maly said he tried to take pictures of Denk and Dolphin on the practice field, but his camera quit working. He thinks his rechargable batteries crapped out. We've heard that story before. However, Ron did take the photo of Stockdale in front of the new Wall of Fame on the fourth floor of Kinnick Stadium. Stockdale, a retired Des Moines Register sports news editor, copy editor and sportswriter, has been a Hawkeye fan forever, and this was his first visit to the new press box. Maly was proud to show Stockdale that he was among the charter members of the Wall of Fame that honors sportswriters, sportscasters and sports information directors. All of them were longtime "gamers." Maly told the editors of his website that he wanted to get an updated photo of Peterson for this package and for his files because he's been calling the Des Moines Register sportswriter a "gamer," too. Ron tells us that a "gamer" is someone who not only works hard, but works hard 24 hours a day. Indeed, Maly told us Peterson was the only reporter he saw working on a computer during Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz's press conference. That displayed considerable dedication. Being a "gamer" is a good idea these days, of course, because of what's been going on at newspapers like the Register, where Peterson has worked since breaking in when -- we think -- old-fashioned manual typewriters were still being used. Bloggers, whose day jobs could be as fry cooks at the North End Diner, are already serving as movie critics for the Register -- and no doubt aren't being paid to do it. Consequently, Maly thinks it's a good idea for reporters like Peterson to work on their computers during press conferences so the Register's bosses will be impressed. Obviously, everyone in the newspaper business is running scared. When unpaid bloggers can start critiquing the movies, the next step could be for editors to bring in bloggers from the East Side Maid-Rite or the women's restroom at the bus station to cover Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball games.]

Oops! 'If E. Wayne Cooley Indeed Hails From Mercer, Mo. [And Not Lucerne], Then I Need To Get In Touch With Folks Down There To Put Up a Big Sign'

Des Moines attorney George Davison e-mailed me about the Des Moines Sunday Register Iowa Sports Hall of Fame story that was published a couple of days ago:

Ron:

As a native of Mercer, Missouri, I believe that there was an error in Sunday's story about E. Wayne Cooley.

I always understood that he was born and raised (at least for a while) in Lucerne, Missouri. Lucerne is about 20 miles east of Mercer, on U.S. 136 -- just south of Powersville and on the old Milwaukee line to Kansas City.

Mercer is five miles south of the Iowa line on highway 65 and the former Rock Island main line (originally it went to Leavenworth, Kansas, but officials figured out, finally, that Kansas City was the place to go for the railroad).

I would like to think that a man of E. Wayne's stature did, indeed, come from the mecca of Mercer (377 people when I was growing up).

I meant to ask Jim Zabel about this apparent error on Sunday night, but he was not in the studio. He was on the telephone.

Anyway, if E. Wayne indeed hails from Mercer, then, I need to get in touch with folks down there to put up a big sign.

George F. Davison, Jr, JD
2746 Lynner Drive
Des Moines, IA 50310-5835
Telephone: 515-250-1553
Email: N0zezgfd@juno.com or gdavison@iowabar.org

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: In addition to his law practice, George F. Davison also keeps up with the news -- and even reads the news. His authoritative voice can be heard as a weekend announcer on WHO-radio, the station that booms all over the country from Des Moines. I enjoy checking in with George whenever I can, before church, after church and out of church, to get his thoughts on what's going on -- or should be going on -- in the world. Davison has worked alongside legendary sportscaster Jim Zabel for a number of years, and if the "Z" doesn't behave himself in the studio, George is a powerful enough guy that he can turn him over his knee and spank him. Just kidding, "Z". As if Davison wasn't already busy enough, he also co-hosts a broadcasting website with Ray Dennis at http://www.desmoinesbroadcasting.com/. In Lisa Colonno's story in the Sunday paper, she wrote this about Cooley: "He was born in 1922 in Mercer, Mo., and attended high school in Coon Rapids...." A Google map of Lucerne, Mo., is shown at the left, with Lucerne in red at the top. I'll bet there's at least one gas station there and, hopefully, a cafe with plastic menus].

*

Photo of E. Wayne Cooley and map of Missouri courtesy of Google.

What's Up With Veteran Register Photographers? First, Dave Peterson Hangs It Up, Now Gary Fandel Calls It Quits

This e-mail arrived today:

"First Peterson and now Fandel. What's up with the Register photographers?"

The e-mailer was referring to Dave Peterson and Gary Fandel, both of whom are quitting as photographers at the Des Moines Register. They've been at the paper a long time.

The paper has been offering buyouts to a number of newsroom people in recent months.

It could be that Peterson, who has won a Pulitzer Prize, and Fandel decided that taking buyouts was smarter than waiting for management to make the call on when they were bailing out.

All I can say is, it's a good thing Harry Baumert is still working at the place. Somebdy's got to take the pictures.

Fandel, by the way, is married to Linda Lantor Fandel, deputy editorial page editor at the paper.

Here's the announcement of Fandel's resignation:

From: Warren Taylor
To: DES-NEWSROOM
Conversation: Staff photographer Gary Fandel has resigned
Subject: Staff photographer Gary Fandel has resigned

Register staff photographer Gary Fandel, my colleague and friend of 23 years*, has resigned in order to start a freelance business. His last day will be Friday, August 17th.

Gary’s Register career is personified by excellence. His photographs carry a completeness and clarity that’s seldom seen today. To view his images is to quickly know more about the subjects, whether they are presidential candidates or ears of corn. His command of color and light is artful and the envy of all of us who toil in photo images. He is a wonderful portraitist and inventive illustrator.

His talents will be sorely missed by Register readers and colleagues who value excellence and high standards of photojournalism.

WT

*more, if you include those late night sessions at Iowa Press Photographers Association conventions when he was with the Waterloo Courier.

'The Bill Snyder School Of Scheduling In Football Is the Same As the George Raveling School Of Scheduling In Basketball. Both Are Terrible'

Al Schallau [pictured at the right], an Iowa and Southern California football fan, takes issue with what he calls the "Bill Snyder School of Scheduling" for non-conference games.

Snyder is the now-retired former Iowa football assistant coach and Kansas State head coach who looked for every trade school or business college he could find to put on the Wildcats' schedule.

Raveling is a former Iowa basketball coach. He was a very good recruiter, but an awful coach.

It's too bad Grand View -- which is starting a football program -- didn't have a team when Snyder was still coaching. He'd have put the Vikings on the schedule every year.

Right along with AIB, where the players have a flag football league at a city park.

Here's Schallau's e-mail:

"The Bill Snyder School of Scheduling in football is exactly the same as the George Raveling School of Scheduling in basketball. Both are terrible.

"Loading up on non-conference cupcakes is not the way to establish a strong football program that challenges for its conference championship every year.

"After the 2002 and 2003 seasons, USC could not get any major powers to schedule
non-conference games with them. So USC had to schedule a home game against Colorado State in 2005 (USC won, 49-0); with a return game at Mile High Stadium in Denver in 2007. Colorado State chose to cancel that game.

"After the 2003 season, Pete Carroll's defensive secondary coach (Nick Holt) was named head coach at Idaho. As a favor to Nick Holt, and because USC could not schedule anyone else, USC scheduled a game against Idaho for Sept. 1, 2007. Now we have to play that turkey.

"The score will be 51-0 at the half. But it will be a big payday for the Idaho athletic program.

'The irony is that Nick Holt lasted only two years as head coach at Idaho and was fired after the 2005 season. His record at Idaho was 5 wins and 18 losses. Now he is back at USC as Pete Carroll's defensive secondary coach.

"I am happy to say that Ohio State is not afraid to schedule the USC Trojans. Those two will be playing home-and-home in 2008 and 2009. I am sure both games will be nationally televised on ABC-TV and will be big paydays for both universities.

"Chicken-shit scheduling has never appealed to me. Iowa has been paying the price on Sept. 30 and the month of October for scheduling cupcakes in early September."

"Best,"

Al Schallau

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Iowa's non-conference games this season include Northern Illinois at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 1, Syracuse at home Sept. 8, Iowa State in Ames on Sept. 15 and a srange regular-season windup Nov. 17 against Western Michigan at home. Iowa officials had better hope the football team has a good record and the temperature is above freezing Nov. 17 or they might have to give away two tickets [or more] for the price of one for that game. I'm glad Iowa agreed to play Northern Illinois at Soldier Field, and I have absolutely no argument with playing Syracuse and Iowa State. The Hawkeyes' 2008 schedule has Maine in Iowa City on Aug. 30 and Florida International in Iowa City on Sept. 8, Iowa State in Iowa City on Sept. 13 and then there's a Sept. 20 game at Pittsburgh. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz used to coach at Maine. Florida International doesn't turn me on, but Iowa State and Pitt do. In 2009, Iowa plays Northern Iowa on Sept. 5 at home, goes to Iowa State for a Sept. 12 game and meets Arizona of the Pac-10 [now coached by ex-Hawkeye Mike Stoops] on Sept. 19. There's still an Oct. 3 non-conference game to be scheduled. Let's hope it's with Nebraska or UCLA. The 2010 schedule has Iowa playing Iowa State Sept. 11 in Iowa City and Sept. 18 at Arizona. Non-conference games Sept. 4 and Oct. 2 remain to be scheduled. How about Oklahoma and Washington in those slots?]

*

E. WAYNE WHO?

Sorry, but that drawing or painting or whatever it's supposed to be of E. Wayne Cooley on the front page of the sports section of today's paper doesn't look anything like the retired executive secretary of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Mark Marturello used to do the drawings for the paper's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. I don't know if he's still working there or if he's still doing the drawings.

I hope not. Marturello had a lot of talent and did a great job with the Hall of Fame drawings. If the paper can't do any better with the present drawings, the editors should use photographs instead.

A photo of Cooley, courtesy of Google, is at the left. That shows you what he really looks like.

After Being Wrong On My 8-4 Prediction for the Cyclones In 2006, I'll Go With 5-7 In Gene Chizik's Break-In Season This Year And Hope I'm Wrong Again

You're all aware by now, of course, what an optimist I am.

I mean, at this time last year I predicted that Iowa would run the table to a 12-0 regular-season football record, and that Iowa State would go 8-4.

There'd be bowl games for both teams, of course.

And they'd be big bowl games, not some dot-com matchups played on baseball fields.

In retrospect, Cyclone coach Dan McCarney wished I was signing his paychecks and drawing up his contracts.

Mac's team went 4-8 in 2006, and Pollard fired him.

So now we're getting ready for 2007.

But....

Sorry, the best I can do is a 5-7 finish in Gene Chizik's break-in season at Iowa State.

So that means the Cyclones won't be headed to a bowl game -- unless, of course, I -- along with some help from Chizik -- can come up with one more victory.

You know, of course, that a team can go to a bowl at 6-6 because Iowa proved it last season.

Right now, I've got Iowa State winning its first two games -- Aug. 30 over Kent State and Sept. 8 over Northern Iowa.

I rarely apologize -- but it doesn't make me happy -- for saying that a team is going to lose seven straight games, but that's what I see happening to the Cyclones after their 30-27 victory over UNI in that early-September nighttime thriller at Jack Trice Stadium.

Oh, I know, I'll catch hell from all 50,000 of my best Iowa State friends for predicting that Iowa will win the Sept. 15 game over the Cyclones, 27-21.

I usually get verbally and electronically pistol-whipped by somebody regardless of which team I pick when Iowa plays Iowa State.

Frankly, I see things getting worse for Chizik after the Iowa game.

I figure Toledo will catch the Clones with their daubers down when they play there Sept. 22.

An old baseball coach I knew in Cedar Rapids -- Carl "Shrimp" Matter -- used to always warn his players that it's not a good idea to get their daubers down, and I'm sure Chizik will tell his Cyclones to keep their daubers up after they lose to the hated Hawkeyes.

After all, daubers are important in football as well as baseball. Keeping them up is also important in both sports

Even though Ducky Lewis is no longer coaching defense at Toledo [or Iowa, either], his memory lives on. I fully anticipate Toledo's players chanting, "Let's Win This One for Ducky!" >when they hold a pep rally at a loading dock the night before the game.

After Toledo, Iowa State's next five games are against Nebraska [on the road], Texas Tech [on the road], Texas [home], Oklahoma [home] and Missouri [on the road].

Realistically, can you see the Cyclones winning any of those?

I can't.

But I can see them finishing the season with three straight victories -- over Kansas State, Colorado and Kansas.

So that'll give Chizik something to build on, and it'll give athletic director Jamie Pollard something on which to base his 2008 season ticket sales.

As Uncle Otto used to say while he was rolling a cigarette in the Fifties, "Go, Clones!"

Somebody's Playing the Wrong Kind Of Games In Preseason Coaches' Football Poll--Duke, Which Was 0-12 In 2006 And Has Lost 20 In a Row, Gets a Vote

I'm starting to agree more and more with what Kirk Ferentz says about collegiate football polls.

The Iowa coach pays little attention to the USA Today coaches' and Associated Press sportswriters' polls -- at least until November and December when the bowl invitations are being sent.

Ferentz has never participated in the coaches' poll, and I heard him say a couple of years ago that he'd turn down any request to do so.

The coaches' poll has always seemed kind of suspicious to me.

I mean, I've always wondered how many coaches actually do the voting.

It's very easy for coaches to turn the voting over to their sports information directors, or even their team managers.

George Wine, who spent 25 years as Iowa's sports information director, told me he did the voting when Bob Commings was the Hawkeyes' coach in the last century.

I guess Commings was too busy putting together game plans for the Hawkeyes to do any deep thinking and voting.

Smart move.

He didn't have a single winning season.

Now I'm wondering about something else.

The preseason coaches' poll was in USA Today this morning, and Duke is listed among the teams that received votes.

That's Duke University, not Wayne Duke or Duke as in John Wayne.

Duke's record last season was an impressive 0-12. That's impressive as in totally unimpressive.

Oh-and-8 in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference.

Furthermore, Duke has a 20-game losing steak and hasn't beaten a Division I-A team in the last two seasons.

Its most recent victory was over Division I-AA Virginia Military Institute in 2005.

Duke is No. 114 in the preseason power rankings among the nation's 121 Division I-A football teams. Buffalo is No. 121.

Iowa is No. 38, Iowa State is No. 72.

I'll bet Ferentz and Gene Chizik of Iowa State are losing sleep over thatm now that they know Duke got a vote.

I'm wondering how that happened. Duke getting a vote, I mean.

Ted Roof, Duke's coach, didn't send in the vote unless he printed it out in crayon and talked one of his coaching buddies into mailing it in.

Roof isn't a voter. Check it out in the list below .

I think somebody is playing games.

And not on the football field.

Here's the coaches' poll:

Rank Team (first-place votes) Record Points Final 2006 rank

1. Southern California (45) 11-2 1,481 4
2. LSU (4) 11-2 1,372 3
3. Florida (9) 13-1 1,278 1
4. Texas 10-3 1,231 13
5. Michigan (2) 11-2 1,218 9
6. West Virginia 11-2 1,205 10
7. Wisconsin 12-1 1,114 5
8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,026 11
9. Virginia Tech 10-3 1,005 18
10. Ohio State 12-1 919 2
11. Louisville 12-1 836 7
12. California 10-3 763 14
13. Georgia 9-4 604 NR
14. Auburn11-2 595 8
15. Tennessee 9-4 583 23
16. Rutgers 11-2 466 12
17. UCLA 7-6 454 NR
18. Penn State 9-4 440 25
19. Nebraska 9-5 388 NR
20. Arkansas 10-4 360 16
21. Florida State 7-6 301 NR
22. TCU 11-2 233 21
23. Boise State 13-0 222 6
24. Hawaii 11-3 214 24
25. Texas A&M 9-4 209 NR

Others receiving votes (with 2006) records:

Boston College (10-3) 150; Georgia Tech (9-5) 150; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 91; Notre Dame (10-3) 90; South Carolina (8-5) 90; Wake Forest (11-3) 71; Missouri (8-5) 58; Oregon State (10-4) 52; Brigham Young (11-2) 47; Clemson (8-5) 30; Oregon (7-6) 30; South Florida (9-4) 26; Texas Tech (8-5) 20; Alabama (6-7) 16; Oklahoma State (7-6) 15; Southern Mississippi (9-5) 14; Iowa (6-7) 12; Kansas State (7-6) 8; Memphis (2-10) 5; Houston (10-4) 4; Arizona (6-6) 1; Duke (0-12) 1; Kentucky (8-5) 1; Washington State (6-6) 1.

*

The USA TODAY Board of Coaches is made up of 60 head coaches at Division I-A institutions. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association. This season's board: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech; Mike Bellotti, Oregon; Bret Bielema, Wisconsin; Larry Blakeney, Troy; Bobby Bowden, Florida State; Tommy Bowden, Clemson; Jeff Bower, Southern Mississippi; Art Briles, Houston; Mack Brown, Texas; Bill Callahan, Nebraska; Neil Callaway, UAB; Lloyd Carr, Michigan; Mario Cristobal, Florida International; Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State; Bill Cubit, Western Michigan; Mark Dantonio, Michigan State; Butch Davis, North Carolina; Bill Doba, Washington State; Randy Edsall, Connecticut; Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M; Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee; Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan; Joe Glenn, Wyoming; Jim Grobe, Wake Forest; Dan Hawkins, Colorado; Pat Hill, Fresno State; Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville; Mike Leach, Texas Tech; Rocky Long, New Mexico; Sonny Lubick, Colorado State; Bill Lynch, Indiana; Doug Martin, Kent State; Les Miles, LSU; Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio); Hal Mumme, New Mexico State; Joe Novak, Northern Illinois; Houston Nutt, Arkansas; Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State; George O'Leary, Central Florida; Gary Patterson, TCU; Chris Petersen, Boise State; Mark Richt, Georgia; Mike Riley, Oregon State; Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia; Greg Schiano, Rutgers; Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic; Mark Snyder, Marshall; Frank Solich, Ohio; Steve Spurrier, South Carolina; Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State; Bob Stoops, Oklahoma; Jeff Tedford, California; Joe Tiller, Purdue; Bob Toledo, Tulane; Dick Tomey, San Jose State; Jim Tressel, Ohio State; Tommy Tuberville, Auburn; Charlie Weis, Notre Dame; Tyrone Willingham, Washington; Ron Zook, Illinois.

The AFCA prohibits coaches from voting for schools

*

CHIZIK NOT A VOTER

Dan McCarney, who was dismissed last year after 12 seasons as Iowa State's coach, was a regular in the coaches' poll. But successor Gene Chizik isn't among the coaches who are voting this year.

*

THIS GUY'S A WINNER

It's hard for me to believe that anyone could say or write anything bad about Ken Fuson.

*

I'D RATHER HAVE THE PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER

I'm starting to wonder if the Cubs' Cliff Floyd is washed up.

*

AND WHILE I'M AT IT

Ryan Demptster, too.

*

WRIGLEY FIELD FANS ARE READY

The fans at Wrigley Field are ready for the Cubs to win the World Series. I'm still not sure the team is.

*

SUMMER BASKETBALL IN THE BAHAMAS

I heard you.

You said you were ready for some August basketball.

In the Bahamas!

Mike Mahon sends me this about Drake's men's team:

The Bulldogs get a jump-start on the 2007-08 season when they begin preparations Wednesday for a trip to the Bahamas.

First-year coach Keno Davis will conduct 10 days of practices with his returning players for an eight-day trip that includes four games against club teams from the Caribbean.

The team travels to Nassau on Aug. 18 and returns Aug. 25. The Bulldogs play the Bahamas All-Stars Aug. 19, Sunshine Auto Aug. 20, the Commonwealth Bank Giants Aug. 21 and conclude the trip facing COB Caribs Aug. 23. All four games will be played at Sir Kendall Isaac Gym in Nassau.

Eleven veterans, including seven letterwinners from last year's team which posted a 17-15 record, are expected to report to the first practice.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity to help our players get better," said Davis. "The 10 days of practice and four games will provide our team invaulable experience as we prepare for the regular season.

"This trip is important because the returning players know that there will be tough competition for playing time with a highly thought-of recruiting class coming in."

It's Time for Football Press Days -- But I Don't Expect Either Ferentz Or Chizik To Treat Reporters To An Endless Supply Of Suds [Those Days Are Over]

I don't know about you, but I know I'm ready for press day.

Or media day. Or "coach evades all difficult questions" day.

Whatever they call it these days.

Back in the last century, when I had to plan my schedule around such things, we called it press day.

Fellow Wall of Famer Bob Brooks of Cedar Rapids, whose football reporting dates back almost to the Amos Alonzo Stagg coaching era, tells me one of his earliest recollections of press day was when Eddie Anderson would talk to two or three reporters under a tree on the Iowa campus.

About 30 years ago, another Iowa coach -- Bob Commings -- told reporters at every press conference that the only way the Hawkeyes could win was "under the 'aw-spee-us' of the single-platoon."

You've got to understand that Commings, a good guy who meant well, invented a lot of words.

He could butcher the language with the best of 'em.

In this case, he used aw-spee-us instead of auspice.

I'm pretty sure Bob, who never had a winning season at Iowa, meant the only way the Hawkeyes could win was if collegiate football returned to the era when players went both ways -- which meant playing on both offense and defense.

It never happened, and Iowa has done pretty well with modern rules under Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz.

A couple of hours after Commings talked about the "aw-spee-us" of the single platoon, he met reporters at his house and gave them all the beer they wanted to drink.

Nobody talked much about single-platoon football during the beer-drinking, and I think a couple of reporters didn't make it out of the house until the next day.

I somehow doubt Gene Chizik or Ferentz will be serving beer to reporters from large coolers in their homes in the next few days.

Well, I can't say that for sure about Chizik. All I know is, he's getting ready for his first season at Iowa State, and has already hired a team pastor before deciding who will be in his secondary.

Team pastors and beer busts don't seem to go together on press day.

Some people are telling me Chizik wanted a team pastor because he looked at this year's schedule, but we'll find out more about that later.

From past experience, I can tell you that it's highly unlikely Ferentz will be providing a never-ending supply of Bud Light to reporters in his living room at 5 p.m. Monday.

Chizik's press day -- actually, Iowa State calls it media day -- is Saturday.

The e-mail I received from sports information director Tom Kroeschell says, "Here is the football media day schedule. Coach Chizik will speak to the media at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 4 in the Hunziker Auditorium at the Jacobson Building. We will head down to the football field at around 1 p.m. Players will be available after the team picture. As usual,m we will set up TV cameras in the North end zone."

12:15 p.m. Coach Gene Chizik speaks to media in Hunziker Auditorium
1 p.m. Team picture/staff picture
1 p.m. Press comes on field
1 p.m. Meet Special Olympians in end zone
1:15 p.m. Players available for interviews

The Iowa State memo lists 22 Cyclone players who will be available for interviews. They range from Austen Arnaud, a quarterback from Ames, to Bret Meyer, the No. 1 quarterback from Atlantic, to Doug Dedrick, an offensive lineman from Tempe, AZ.

If there's nobody on the list of 22 a reporter wants to interview, he or she can request other players.

On press day, everyone tries to cooperate.

*

Iowa's press day is Monday, and it's going to be quite a bit different than those held recently.

Iowa is continuing its tradition of serving lunch to reporters, and this time the lunch will be in the very nice and spacious press box the university opened up last season at Kinnick Stadium.

Ferentz's press conference also will be in the press box. The lunch will be on the second floor, Ferentz will speak on the first floor.

I've been attending football press days at Iowa for more than 40 years, and I think this will be the first one that's been held in the press box.

Memo to George Wine: If I'm wrong about this, let me know.

In past years, lunch was always served to reporters and hangers-on in a hotel dining room. Over the years, the hotels changed. But it didn't matter to reporters. They were happy to get a free meal anyplace in Iowa City or Coralville.

I don't think anything has changed. I doubt any reporters will be turning down Monday's free meal in the press box.

In the old days, the Iowa coach -- whether it was Frank Lauterbur, Bob Commings, Hayden Fry or Ferentz -- addressed reporters in a room at the same hotel.

In a memo from sports information director Phil Haddy, it was stressed that opening activities Monday would be in the press box.

Here's the schedule:

11:30 Registration table open
11:30 - 1:15 Lunch for everyone on the second floor of the press box
1:15 - 2:00 News conference with Kirk Ferentz on first floor of the press box
2:00 - 3:00 Interviews with the Iowa assistant coaches on the football practice field (just west of baseball stadium)
3:00 - 4:30 Photo and interview session with players and coaches on the football practice field
4:45 Squad picture at Kinnick Stadium

As soon as I get some more batteries for my tape recorder, I'll be ready.

Put me in, coach.

*

Then there's this message to me from Mike Mahon at Drake:

Please Mark On Your Calendar:

Drake Football

Media Day

Aug. 21

And....

"One-hundred-ten players are expected to greet new Drake coach Steve Loney when the Bulldog football team reports to preseason camp Tuesday, Aug. 7, for physicals.

"The team will conduct its first practice Aug. 8. Drake will alternate single and double sessions of practice Aug. 14-22.

"The Bulldogs will kick off their 114th season of intercollegiate football Aug. 30 --traveling to Illinois State.

"Loney was named interim coach at Drake June 18 and has been busy assembling a coaching staff while having less than two months to prepare for the season.

"'It has been hectic with the staff not being fully in place, while a lot of administrative things have presented challenges, but the enthusiasm and support here has been greet,' said Loney. 'I will be glad when we finally hit the field.'"

*

EDITOR'S NOTE: The photo of legendary broadcaster Bob Brooks [left] of Cedar Rapids was taken by Ron Maly. Brooks is shown lounging on the Hawkeye practice field. The photo of University of Iowa Wall of Famer Ron Maly [right] was taken by a prize-winning Oriental photographer from Singapore named In Fo Cus. Ron was caught on film -- well, actually on a Sony digital camera with a 7.2-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens -- after just arriving from Malaysia. He had gotten off the Kuala Lumpur-to-Singapore train and was headed to the Raffles Hotel for high tea. Or maybe low tea. That day, he didn't care if the tea was high or low.

Family Reunions and Picnics Are For Cuban Cigars [From Aruba!], Ham and Turkey With All the Fixin's, Cold Drinks, Kids, Swimming and Lots Of Laughter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delany Knows All About Talking Out Of Both Sides Of His Mouth. And, Oh, By the Way, Don't Look for Big Ten Expansion To 12 Teams Anytime Soon

Over the years, it's been my practice to believe about half of what a conference commissioner says.

Especially the commissioner of a collegiate conference.

Now, though, I've changed my mind.

I believe only 10 percent of what a collegiate commissioner says.

So it doesn't surprise me one bit that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is talking out of both sides of his mouth these days, depending on who's listening.

If he's not trying to keep one group of guys and girls happy, he's trying to keep another group of guys and girls happy.

"Tell 'em what they want to hear," is what commissioners learn in "How To Be A Commissioner I" and "How To Be A Commissioner II."

Delany, I think, wrote the textbook.

Delany [pictured at the right] certainly tells 'em what they want to hear.

Whatever makes a headline.

Whatever makes a sound byte.

I'm writing all of this because of what has taken place in the past week.

Delany was in Des Moines to try to convince people what a great deal the Big Ten TV network is.

He even went so far as to meet with reporters from the paper about this matter, and gave 'em some good stuff.

Maybe he thought all the people he talked to in Des Moines were dummies. Or that there still wasn't electricity or telephones here so that the reporters' stories could be seen outside the county line.

I guess he told those reporters at the paper that one of the benefits of the Big Ten network was that the conference might add a 12th team.

That, of course, would then possibly lead to a December football championship game that would bring in millions -- maybe even billions -- of dollars to the conference and some lucky TV network.

The coaches would complain about it, but nobody -- certainly not the TV networks and the commissioners -- worry about the coaches.

When those sportswriters here tell me that Delany said the Big Ten might expand to 12 teams sooner rather than later, I believe them.

I'm 100 percent certain they had their tape recorders whirring with "AA" batteries provided by the company, and I'm betting they listened to those recorders carefully when they wrote their stories.

I seriously doubt they put copyrights on stories written from handwritten notes anymore.

I know one thing. Randy Peterson [pictured at the left] wrote the big copyright story when Delany was in town, and I believe everything he wrote. That man is a gamer and he does not make mistakes.

I can't say the same for everybody else down there, but don't try to give me any crap about Peterson.

It certainly hasn't bothered me about what Delany has been saying and what some other newspapers have been writing about the Big Ten's 12th team issue in recent days.

I mean, I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to these comments from today's Chicago Tribune :

"During a Big Ten tour last week, Delany told Des Moines Register reporters the league needs to look at adding a 12th team. Why? To increase programming and add a new TV market for the soon-to-be-launched Big Ten Network.

"Delany stopped short of saying he was misquoted but said expansion is hardly imminent. He told Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese that he never mentioned Rutgers and Syracuse —- two schools included in the Register story as possible Big Ten additions.

"We don't plan to expand, but we analyze it on a regular basis," Delany said Tuesday. "We haven't looked at it since we had those conversations with Notre Dame in the late '90s."

"Later, he added: 'By expanding, are you a better, stronger conference? We've never been able to answer that [with a] yes.'"

After all the questions, the answers, the denials and the clarifications in Chicago and the suburbs, I'm guessing there won't be any Big Ten expansion until Notre Dame is ready to drop its private TV network -- which happens to be NBC -- and says it will join the conference.

That, my friends, means it won't happen in my lifetime or yours.

How could you expect the Big Ten to work out such a move?

It can't even count.

It's got 11 teams and still calls itself the Big Ten.