The Big Ten's Best Football Team, Hockey At Wrigley Field, A Look at the First Sunrise Of the New Year At the Sea And Mt. Fuji In Japan

Don Clasen was a longtime newspaperman who included the Des Moines Register and Tribune among his places of employment.

Clasen still watches plenty of sporting events and does does some writing, including this e-mail to me:

"Ron:

"Great column or blog on Friday. Iowa is undoubtedly the best Big Ten team now and should be for the '09 season. I hope that keeps Kirk Ferentz in Iowa City even without Shonn Greene.

"Of course, I remained at home Thursday and watched the Hawks demolish Steve Spurrier on the tube. But my wife welcomed in 2009 at Wrigley Field. Since we are a couple of old rink rats, who ran the Bucs games for years in Urbandale, the Blackhawks have renewed our interest in the ice sport. Even though they lost, 6-4, to Detroit in the Winter Classic, they are the best show in Chicago these days. If it weren't for the other Hawks, I would have been at chilly Wrigley on New Year's Day.

"My son and daughter-in-law bought tickets for the Classic earlier. Although I managed to get into the waiting room on the computer and could have bought tickets I neglected to do so. As it turned out, wife Lucy didn't think too highly of my decision. She wanted to go despite the cold.

"Our son, David, went to Wrigley early Thursday and met at big hockey fan from Calgary and bought Lucy a ticket. She had a ball and didn't even complain about the temperatures in the 20s. Of course, I watched the conclusion of the Classic after the Iowa game.

"Needless to say, I agree with the guy who says you should still be writing for the Register. The paper's reporters are amateurs compared to a pro like you. Keep up the good work."

Don Clasen

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Great hearing from you, Don, and thanks for the kind words. The last time [and only time] I watched an outdoor hockey game was when I was a one-man sports department at the Albert Lea Tribune many years ago in southern Minnesota. I vowed after I left that job that I'd never again watch hockey in 10-degree weather. But 40,818 people showed up at Wrigley Field for the Blackhawks' 6-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings [pictured at the right], so not everyone shares my opinions about outdoor hockey. Happy New Year, Don].

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Our friend, Fusayo Hattori, brought in the New Year in fine fashion near her home in Japan. She writes:

"This morning, I went to watch the first sunrise of the year at the sea [you know, It's near my house]. Then we saw Mt.Fuji. It's very beautiful..."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for sending the beautiful photo shown at the top of this column, Fusayo. Our best to your wonderful family, including Boggie].

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I see some of the folks at Iowa State [pictured at the left] will be taking furloughs so they can save some money for the place.

That doesn't, of course, include former Cyclone football coach Gene Chizik, who was out to lunch from August through November last year.

I figure newspaper people will be watching that very closely. In a business that's been torn to shreds with closings, downsizing, layoffs and other cutbacks, I predict reporters, middle editors and photographers will be furloughed in droves so the bosses can keep their own jobs a while longer.

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Speaking of newspaper people, there's not enough aggressiveness being shown by them in the strange Anthony Tucker situation.

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I don't care how much money Iowa pays Kirk Ferentz or what the extent of his contract is. If he wants to leave, he'll do it. That's the way it's always been in the coaching business.

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Photos courtesy of Fusayo Hattori, Iowa State University and the Chicago Sun-Times.