Here's Some Bad News: Cedar Rapids Gazette Fires 27-Year Veteran Jim Ecker, Who Is One Of the Top 3 Investigative Sportswriters In the State Of Iowa

Not a lot of upbeat stuff from the newspaper front today.

Jim Ecker's byline has appeared for the last time on the sports pages of the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Ecker, 56, who has been writing two columns a week and covering Northern Iowa basketball games, has been fired after nearly 27 years at the newspaper.

Ecker [pictured] is one of the three best investigative sportswriters in the state of Iowa, and didn't deserve what happened to him.

Also fired from the Gazette's sports staff were John Riehl and Jeff Dahn.

In all, more than a dozen newsroom employees were dumped at the Gazette.

People at the paper are referring to it as "Black Tuesday."

It is, of course, a sign of the times in the newspaper business.

The Gazette isn't the first paper to fire reporters and editors, and it won't be the last.

Amid the turmoil in the business, nothing should surprise me. Or you.

There are shockers every day.

Who'd have thought page 1 cartoonist Brian Duffy would get the ax at the Des Moines Register a while back?

Good people, people with talent are shown the door in an industry that's shellshocked because of declining advertising profits and circulation.

One of the talented writers to take a career hit was certainly Ecker.

He was a high-proile reporter and columnist at the Gazette, and I know first-hand how hard he worked.

He was well-known throughout the state, as well as other areas of the country.

He covered big bowl games and NCAA tournaments. He's been in huge press boxes in the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences.

He's asked tough questions in press conferences.

He's gotten into heated discussions more than once with coaches and athletic directors.

A classic Ecker performance came a number of years ago when he was on the Iowa football beat.

Hawkeye coach Hayden Fry spent most of a Tuesday press conference berating Ecker because he aggressively tried to find out what Iowa's new uniforms looked like.

But the more Fry barked, the more Ecker barked.

It was sports journalism at its best.

It also was Ecker and Fry at their best.

After those two guys got through with each other, there wasn't any time to talk about football.

Ecker didn't quit on a column or a story until he got it right, and I thought he was fair to the people he wrote about and fair to the people he worked with.

Critics said he at times treated sportswriting as though it was the police beat.

But I say not enough people covering sports do it the way Ecker does it.

He's been a friend of mine for a lot of years, and I'll miss seeing his byline in the Gazette.

Good luck in the future, Jim.

Omaha World-Herald Coverage Of Boy Scout Deaths In Iowa May Win Pulitizer Prize; Des Moines Register 'Getting Clobbered On Its Own Turf'

Bud Appleby, a retired Des Moines Register reporter and editor, writes about newspaper prizes:

On Feb. 22, the Register ran a story patting itself on the back for winning two awards for design.

Here's that story:

The Society for News Design presented two "Awards of Excellence" to The Des Moines Register last week.

Register graphic artist Katie Kunert was recognized in the breaking news/natural disasters category for a full-page graphic she produced in June showing flooding in Iowa City.
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The Register also received an award of excellence in the breaking news/elections and politics category, for the front page published the morning after the January 2008 caucuses. Jon Benedict designed that page.

Continued Appleby:

On the same day, the Omaha World-Herald won a top prize from the American Society of Newspaper Editors for its coverage of a tornado that killed four Boy Scouts -- at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Ia. [pictured, courtesy of the Associated Press]:

The American Society of Newspaper Editors has selected the winners of its annual awards for distinguished writing and photography.

This year’s contest attracted over 300 entries from news organizations throughout the United States.

“The judges were heartened by the consistently high quality of the entries,” said Andy Alexander, chair of the ASNE Awards judging and ombudsman for the Washington Post. “Despite these difficult economic times, it was inspiring to see so much ambitious work. These were stories that righted wrongs, exposed corruption, gave voice to the underdog and championed truth. And, because this is the nation’s premier newspaper writing competition, the entries were compelling and absorbing. The beautiful prose and photography reminded us of the powerful impact that newspapers can have on readers and their communities.”

The winners:

Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting by a Team — Staff, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald. For coverage of a deadly tornado that claimed the lives of four Boy Scouts.

Batten Medal — Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times. A collection of stories spotlighting the cruelties, hopes and fears of the people of Zimbabwe.

Commentary/Column Writing — Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald. A compilation of columns including pieces on the historic election of President Barack Obama.

Community Service Photojournalism Award — Sonya N. Hebert, The Dallas Morning News. Photos depicting people living on the edge of life.

Freedom Forum/ASNE Award for Distinguished Writing on Diversity — Jason Stein, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. Stories on the impending loss of the state’s five Native American languages.

Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing — Ken Stickney, The News-Star, Monroe, La. A collection of editorials, including one on permits for students to carry concealed handguns on campus.

Distinguished Writing Award for Local Accountability Reporting — Ames Alexander, Kerry Hall, Franco Ordoñez, Ted Mellnik, Peter St. Onge, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. For a series of stories revealing how officials in the poultry industry ignored and threatened injured workers.

Distinguished Writing Award for Non-Deadline Writing — Joanna Connors, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland. For stories of her rape 20 years ago and her search to find the man who did it.

The Jesse Laventhol prize carries a $10,000 cash award; all of the others will receive $2,500 prizes. The awards will be presented on Monday, April 27, during the ASNE Convention in Chicago.

Now the trade publication Editor & Publisher says the World-Herald is probably in the running for a Pulitzer Prize for that same story.

Remember when the Register was recognized for content and not packaging? Now it is getting clobbered on its own turf.

*

Appleby also sent me a story that appeared in today's Editor & Publisher that was headlined:

Cartoonists' Association Blasts Des Moines Register For Withholding Fired Cartoonist's Work

By Joe Strupp
Published: February 26, 2009 1:50 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Word that the Des Moines Register is refusing to give former editorial cartoonist Brian Duffy his collection of past drawings has sparked a critical letter from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

Ted Rall, AAEC president, sent the letter Thursday to Register Editor Carolyn Washburn. It says, in part, "While your newspaper may claim ownership of Brian's thousands of original cartoons he drew during 25 years as The Register's staff editorial cartoonist, there remain compelling questions of what is customary and what is right.

"Although it used to be common for newspapers to keep their cartoonists' original artwork, that practice changed decades ago, and almost universally cartoonists now leave their newspapers with their artwork. These original drawings represent an artist's life work, and while newspapers pay for the its production, they do so in order to publish the work on its editorial page—not to possess each piece as artwork."

Duffy, fired three months ago, revealed earlier this week to an Iowa television station that he was battling for his past artwork. Contacted then, Washburn told the station: "It's not about withholding things from Brian. The Des Moines Register paid him for his very excellent work, but we hold the copyright for the work our staff produces. We're trying to do the right thing and make sure these unique pieces of work are protected for Iowans and available to the public."

Washburn could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

*

Rall's letter:

Ms. Carolyn Washburn
Vice President and Editor
The Des Moines Register
P.O. Box 957
Des Moines IA 50306-0957

Dear Ms. Washburn:

As President of The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), I am writing to express the collective dismay of our membership at reports that you plan to dispose of Brian Duffy's original political cartoons without his consent.

While your newspaper may claim ownership of Brian's thousands of original cartoons he drew during 25 years as The Register's staff editorial cartoonist, there remain compelling questions of what is customary and what is right.

Although it used to be common for newspapers to keep their cartoonists' original artwork, that practice changed decades ago, and almost universally cartoonists now leave their newspapers with their artwork. These original drawings represent an artist's life work, and while newspapers pay for the its production, they do so in order to publish the work on its editorial page—not to possess each piece as artwork.

Mr. Duffy is understandably attached to his quarter-century's worth of drawings, and may wish to archive some of them for his children. Others he may want to donate to charities or sell at galleries. Regardless, they offer him a potential source of revenue after retirement, and reasonable people would assume that he should have them.

Although your reported plan to donate Brian's cartoons to the University of Iowa is commendable, cynics may charge that your purpose is to cash in on Brian's firing by taking a tax write-off for a sizable donation.

By your own admission, Brian produced "very excellent work" for your organization. On behalf of his professional organization, I encourage you to reconsider your plans and return his artwork to him.

Very truly yours,
Ted Rall
President
Association of American Editorial Cartoonists

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I agree. Give the guy's cartoons back].

When It Came To Sportswriters In Waterloo/Cedar Falls, 'Russ Smith Was the One Person Everyone Wanted To Read To Gauge His Perspective'

I received two e-mails yesterday that told me of the death of Russ Smith, the longtime sports editor at the Waterloo Courier.

One was from Gene Raffensperger, who was a colleague of mine at the Des Moines Register, the other was from R. H. of Des Moines. Both Raffensperger and R. H. grew up in Waterloo.

Smith [pictured at the right, courtesy of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier] died yesterday at 84. He retired in 1990 as sports editor of the Courier, and was one of 20 charter members named to the Kinnick Stadium Media Wall Of Fame at the University of Iowa several years ago.

I asked R. H. if he wanted to send me some personal thoughts about Russ, and here's what he wrote:

"Ron, you are spot on with your short obit of Russ. I don't have anything to edit or change. There is no way I can question the memory of a journalist, because it's true. The funeral has been set for noon Saturday at First United Methodist in Cedar Falls. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Waterloo. That is fitting because Fairview sits behind the outfield walls overlooking Riverfront Stadium, which the UNI Panthers and the Waterloo Bucks now call home.

"To me, as a native of Waterloo and someone who played and followed sports in Waterloo and Northeast Iowa, Russ was more than what his title was at the Courier. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Courier. From the Hartman/McCoy clan who ran the paper, to Gene Laughlin, Bob Case, and Phyllis Singer, the Courier is a major part of life in Waterloo. Writing this brings back memories when Russ penned his final column in 1990.

"1990 was a year that many continue to remember in the Cedar Valley, especially at this time of the year as we head into March. March 1990 was a magical month, with three major headline sports stories. The Waterloo Warriors, led by K.C. Doland, breezed their way to a prep high school hockey title. East Waterloo, with Mike Davis and Cortez McGhee, stormed through the regular season and marched into Vets for the state basketball tournament. After dispatching Indianola and Chris Street in the semifinals, they rallied from a double digit deficit and defeated Iowa City High for the 3A title on St. Patrick's Day night.

"And, yes, who can forget the unbelievable year Eldon Miller and the UNI Panthers pulled off? Beating Iowa at home for the first time since 1914, in front of the largest crowd in Iowa college basketball history (which still stands to this day), and then winning the old Mid-Continent Conference regular season and tournament titles. But the one that will forever stand the test of time was Maurice Newby draining the three-point shot with seconds waning as UNI upset Norm Stewart's Missouri Tigers in Richmond, Va.

"Russ was the one person everyone wanted to read to gauge his perspective from all three events within days of each other. It's hard to put into words how much I am still loyal to the Courier. I think I know why. Russ announced his retirement later that spring, if I recall, and I regret to this very day not saving his final column. I always thought the big guy would be around for a long time. Wednesday cruelly proved me otherwise.

"It was the people I mentioned earlier, and the beat writers that worked under Russ when I growing up: Kevin Evans, Doug Newhoff and Jim Sullivan. I learned that if you lived in Waterloo, you can say 'East' and 'West', but if someone called the schools 'Waterloo East' and 'Waterloo West,' you had to correct them. The proper way was 'East Waterloo' and 'West Waterloo.' As far as the coverage of local, state and national sports, anyone would put the Courier up against the best. They were the best. When Russ followed Dan Gable to Munich, the Courier staff was on hand when East High had their 56-game unbeaten streak snapped by East Sioux City. Russ was surprised that East lost, but wasn't worried at all on how the staff was going to handle it.

"To me, Russ was the Courier sports department. When he retired, the question was asked 'will they survive without Russ?' I guess we know how they survived. Newhoff and Sullivan, along with Kelly Beaton, have kept the office humming, without a beat.

"They are still the best sports department around.

"A great chapter in the annals of the Waterloo Courier and in Iowa sports ended Wednesday morning with Russ' passing. It goes without saying that Russ Smith and the Courier was a natural fit. It was the best fit.

"I miss the big guy already."

R.H.
Des Moines

What's In a Name? For Instance, Maury Or Maurice? Maurice John, Jr., Says His Basketball Coach Father At Drake Would Have Preferred To Be Maurice

Every one of us goes through life with a name. Sometimes more than one name. Jay Davidson writes about names today:

"Ron,

"You've done it again! While others had the score, you were first with a little game story on Providence's win over No. 1-ranked Pitt Tuesday night. And with a Keno quote to boot! Nice work...

"By the way, in talking with Maurice John on Saturday night, I learned that neither he nor his dad ever cared for the name 'Maury.' I remember that Coach John always introduced himself as 'Maurice [pronounced Morris] John' but had not realized that he didn't like the nickname. But his son and namesake says that was indeed the case.

"I am reminded of the story that Dean Smith tells about his recruitment of Charles Scott, who became one of the first black all-Americans at North Carolina, and who starred on the Tar Heel team that Drake beat to claim third place in the 1969 Final Four at Louisville. Coach Smith always said one reason he was successful in recruiting Scott was that, early in the process, he asked Scott what he preferred to be called. 'Charles' was the answer and Smith and all around the Carolina program made sure they called him that and not the more familiar 'Charlie' that everyone at other schools was calling him. Names are important to people, and like Coach Smith, I almost always ask people what name they prefer. Apparently no one asked Maurice John, and he went through life answering to a name he really didn't like. Rather too bad, don't you think?

"All the best,"

Jay Davidson

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Jay, thanks for your comments on what I did when I found the Providence-Pittsburgh game on a Big East Network telecast last night. The Associated Press photo at the top shows Friars fans storming the court after Keno Davis' team upset No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh. As for Maury/Maurice John's name, when I moved to Des Moines in 1959 and began learning things about the man who was coaching Drake's basketball team, I heard the name Maurice John [pictured at the right] a lot. But, as time went on and he began to build a very successful program, people began calling him Maury. I probably called him Maury more than Maurice because so many other people were doing it. However, Paul Morrison, Drake's 91-year-old historian, always refers to him as Maurice John whenever he talks about him. Either way -- Maurice or Maury -- the man became the best coach Drake ever had and built the best program the university ever had. After Jacobson sent his e-mail to me, I asked him why he thought Maurice John, sr., and his wife Jean called their second son John John. "Apparently both Maurice and Jean John liked the name John for their second son," Davidson told me. "I enjoyed talking with him, too, but didn't ask him what name he prefers! Of course I hardly ever call anyone over 10 'Johnny' or 'Joey'. But some folks do! I was tempted to call Bob Mast 'Bobby' as we did in our student days. It's hard to believe we're all 60 and up. I think some of those guys could still play a mean game of H-O-R-S-E."]

*

WHY NOT HOCKEY INSTEAD OF BASEBALL OR SOFTBALL IN IOWA'S DIVISION I SCHOOLS?

Louie from Le Claire, not his real name, writes:

"Hey, Ron,

"I always thought Division I hockey for men and women made more sense than baseball or softball for Iowa's Division I universities. There are thousands of kids playing hockey in Iowa and they have to go out of state to play at the college level. Hockey is also a sport where it doesn't take that long to have a program that is competitive and can make the NCAA tournament. We aren't doing so well with basketball in that regard. Third, there are already opponents close by in Minnesota, Nebraska [Nebraska-Omaha], Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Colorado, Michigan. But it isn't a cheap sport because you really have to have a separate arena from basketball arena."

Louie from Le Claire

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Louie's comments came in the wake of Northern Iowa's decision to drop baseball as a competitive sport. Drake and Iowa State have already dumped baseball, and I can't believe that Iowa will want to keep it much longer. Universities and college from this area have to send their teams on expensive trips to the south to play games at this time of year, and it's risky to try to schedule games in Iowa in March and April. I asked Louie from Le Claire about club hockey, which is played on some campuses, and he's familiar with that. Iowa State has had a successful club team for a long time. "Go to cyclonehockey.com. They are pretty good," Louie said. "hey have several Iowans, a few players from Minnesota and some from Canada. They must get some scholarship money from somewhere. I haven't seen them play, i just looked on the website. The coach, Al Murdoch, is the same one that was there when I was a student 34 years ago. I wonder if they sell beer. I think they used to and students would get all wound up."]

*

EXPERIENCE KENO DAVIS' BIG VICTORY OVER PITTSBURGH AGAIN ON TV

George Kruckenberg of West Des Moines writes:

"Hi, Ron,

"Keno Davis and Providence pulled off quite an upset by beating Pitt. I don't think the game was on here [I wasn't home], but I was just checking the DirecTV program guides and I noticed that a replay of the game is on channel 639 Wednesday at noon. I thought it might be kind of fun to see Keno and his team play, so I might watch some of it and I thought you might be interested, too. Iowa plays tonight too, but I don't know if they have enough to beat Michigan State. It was sure a fun game to watch last Sunday when they beat Michigan.

"There are also some spring training baseball games on starting today on channel 213, the MLB channel. It has one or two games on nearly day and there are also some on some of the east coast stations that are on DirecTV. I assume we will be able to get them."

George Kruckenberg

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Thanks for the TV program notes, George. Chennel 639 might be the one where I watched part of the second half of the Providence-Pittsburgh game last night on the Big East Network. I switched over there immediately after continually hearing Brent Musburger, on ESPN, say that a potential upset was brewing at Providence, R.I. Good for Keno Davis, who is doing a wonderful job rebuilding the Friars' program after being everybody's coach of the year last season when he and his Drake Bulldogs went 28-5. I see a very bright future for the kid. You know his dad, Tom Davis, is very proud of him].

Mixup Behind the Mike: Announcer Wayne Larrivee Couldn't Keep His Father-Son Combinations Or His Sports Straight On a Big Ten TV Network Game

Wayne Larrivee, who has been screwing up things on TV and radio for a lot of years, pulled a doozy the other day while he was talking about Iowa's basketball team.

When referring to Hawkeye freshman Matt Gatens in a Big Ten TV network game, Larrivee said, "His dad quarterbacked the football team here at Iowa."

Wrong family. Wrong sport, too.

Larrivee obviously had Gatens [pictured at the right] confused with Jason Bohannon, the sophomore Wisconsin basketball player from Marion, Ia.

Bohannon's dad, Gordy, lettered as an Iowa quarterback in 1979 and 1981.

Gatens' dad, Mike, lettered as an Iowa basketball player in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Larrivee has been around a long time, and has done TV and radio play-by-play for teams such as the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and the Big Ten football and basketball networks.

Obviously, he should've gotten the story straight on Gatens, who leads Iowa in scoring with an 11.1-point average and in three-point baskets with 47 in 107 attempts.

Indeed, Gatens is my choice as the Big Ten's freshman of the year.

*

When I saw Gary Odom at last week's 40th reunion of Drake's 1968-69 basketball team, he immediately told me about a newspaper clipping he has in his home.

"You wrote about me when I played for the Bulldogs," Odom said.

"You said I was the first 6-8 basketball player you've ever seen who wore cowboy boots.

"You also wrote that I had a deerskin coat that I wore."

Thanks for reminding me, Gary.

I guess I've written about so many basketball players over the years that I forgot about your cowboy boots and coat.

I'm sure you were a very imposing figure in those days.

*

I enjoyed talking with the family of Maury John, who coached Drake's 1968-69 team to its third-place finish in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville and is the university's winningest coach with a 211-131 record from 1958-1971.

John John [pictured at the left], Maury's youngest son, gave an emotional speech at Friday night's banquet in downtown Des Moines and was a central figure in the planning and carrying-out of the weekend celebration.

After playing basketball at, and graduating from, Iowa State, Johnny and his family from West Des Moines are now Drake season ticketholders.

When I told him I was planning to write a column [which appeared yesterday] saying that Drake would have a 20-9 record had it won games against Stephen F. Austin, Illinois State and Evansville, he told me, "Yes, the Bulldogs would be sitting pretty if they had won even two of those three games.

"But that is the difference between an average and good or great season -- how you handle the close games. In 1969, the Bulldogs won those close ones for the most part.

"This year's team must win Wednesday night [in the home finale against Southern Illinois] to have a chance to avoid the play-in game [next week at the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament in St. Louis]. Then they need help from other teams playing Evansville and Wichita State.

"Thanks for all your great work in 1969 and your kind words now about Dad and the team. They are much appreciated."

My pleasure, Johnny.

*

Drake can get closer to a 20-victory season Wednesday night when it plays its final home game of the season on Senior Night.

Seniors Jonathan "Bucky" Cox, Jacob Baryenbruch, John Michael Hall, Brent Heemskerk and Alex White will be recognized in special ceremonies at a game that starts at 7:35 and will be televised by Fox Sports Midwest.

Cox, who will be appearing in his school-record 126th game, is the fourth player in Drake history with more than 1,000 points and 700 career rebounds. Heemskerk ranks second on the all-time games-played chart at Drake, having appeared in 125 games.

Drake takes records of 17-12 overall and 7-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference into a game against a Southern Illinois team that has fallen on hard times.

The Salukis, who lost to Drake earlier in the season at Carbondale, Ill.,67-60, are 11-17 overall and 6-10 in the Valley.

*

I've got to wonder what kind of bush league operation is in charge of the athletic department at Northern Iowa.

For longer than I care to remember, Rick Hartzell was the athletic director. But he spent an embarrassing amount of time moonlighting as a major-college basketball referee during the same time his Panther teams were playing games -- a number of them in Cedar Falls.

When he was supposed to be managing the operations at a home game, Hartzell often was wearing a zebra outfit in a Big Ten or Atlantic Coast Conference game.

Now UNI has a new athletic director, Troy Dannen, who says the university's players and coaches can save the baseball program if they can raise $1.2 million by the middle of April.

If the money isn't raised, the program will be dropped.

What a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on collegiate kids and coaches while they're trying to get through the season.

Actually, the team isn't playing as many games as Dannen's department is playing.

Baseball is obviously a money-loser at UNI, just as it is at most other colleges and universities in this part of the country.

If the fundraisers in the athletic department can't accumulate enough money to save the program for another few years, drop it.

Drake and Iowa State have already dumped their baseball programs, and Iowa probably should, too. Let Grand View of Des Moines be king of the collegiate baseball hill in this state.

By the way, Grand View has an April 15 game scheduled April 15 against Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Let's hope the players are wearing handwarmers. Footwarmers, too.

Because of lousy weather, this is a ridiculous state in which to play baseball in the spring months.

The high schools teams play in the summer, which shows they have more intelligent people running the program than the colleges and universities.

Despite Some Criticism, First-Year Coach Mark Phelps and His Inconsistent Drake Basketball Team Aren't That Far Away From Having a 20-Victory Season

Most of the recent news about Drake basketball has been centered around the team that played 40 years ago.

And the Bulldogs' 1968-69 players' deserved it. They were the best team Drake ever had, they finished third in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville, and now three of their starters -- Willie McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise -- have had their jersey numbers retired permanently by the university.

But I'd like to mention a few things today about the present team, which is nearing the end of its regular-season schedule.

Mark Phelps is the first-year coach, and he and his players have come under a certain amount of criticism.

Despite winning a third straight mythical state Division I state championship, the team certainly hasn't performed as well as the 2007-2008 team that was coached by Keno Davis and finished with a 28-5 record and won both regular-season and postseason Missouri Valley Conference titles.

Yet, these Bulldogs have a 17-12 record that already is the second-best at the school in the last 23 seasons.

McCarter pays attention to what's happening to Bulldog basketball from his home in Jackson, Mich., and he told me what he thinks about the present team.

"Nobody wants to play Drake right now," McCarter said.

In other words, Willie -- a former Division I collegiate coach -- thinks the Bulldogs, inconsistent though they are, could be trouble for any opponent.

They're coming off a 71-54 BracketBusters victory over Austin Peay in a game Saturday night at the Knapp Center when the 1968-69 team and deceased coach Maury John were honored.

It was that night athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb and president David Maxwell retired the three starters' jerseys [shown in the photos at the top, courtesy of GoDrakeBulldogs.com].

Since 1986-87, only last year's NCAA team had a better record than this 2008-2009 squad. At 17-12 heading into the home final Wednesday night against Southern Illinois, Drake is in better shape than Tom Davis' best [and last] team at Drake -- the 2006-2007 outfit that finished 17-15.

Just think, there's not much separating Phelps' team this season to one that could already have 20 victories.

I can think of three games the Bulldogs could have won that would have them sitting at 20-9 right now:

1. A 66-64 loss at home to Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 13 in the championship game of the Hy-Vee Classic.

2. A 65-61 loss at Illinois State on Jan. 14.

3. A 65-62 loss at home to Evansville on Jan. 29 when the Purple Aces' Kaylon Williams, who is from Cedar Rapids, sank a three-point basket from midcourt as time expired.

I'm expecting Drake to win Wednesday's game over Southern Illinois, which would give the Bulldogs 18 victories.

Anything after that will be up for grabs. Drake finishes the regular season Saturday at Bradley, then will play in the Missouri Valley postseason tournament next week in St. Louis.

If the Bulldogs can, as expected, beat Southern Illinois, then win a couple more after that they'd be a 20-victory team.

It used to be that 20 would pretty much get you a spot in the NCAA's Big Dance, but those days are over.

The only chance this team has of giving Drake a second consecutive NCAA tournament invitation would be to get the automatic Valley bid by winning the postseason tournament.

But, like McCarter says, nobody wants to play Drake now.

I guess stranger things have happened.

*

I couldn't find a glitch in any of the celebrations that marked the 40-year reunion of Drake's 1968-69 team.

I was sorry to see that starter Don Draper couldn't get to town, but he had his reasons.

I'm glad Sandy Hatfield Clubb and her bosses put closure to an ugly situation that developed after Maury John's Bulldogs went 26-5 so many years ago.

The players on that team always felt they didn't receive enough credit from the university, and they were right, to a certain degree.

The administration in those days was bothered by the fact that John left Drake and took the Iowa State coaching job after the 1970-71 season.

But the players had nothing to do with that, and they should have had their jerseys retired 38 or 39 years ago.

McCarter and Dan Callahan paid the price professionally for what happened many years ago.

Both wanted to coach at Drake, but neither was interviewed by past athletic directors. So McCarter took high school coaching jobs, and later was the head coach at the University of Detroit. Callahan coached at Valley High School and wound up his successful career at Morningside College in Sioux City.

Thank goodness the jerseys of McCarter, Pulliam and Wise are hanging at the Knapp Center now alongside those of Red Murrell and Lewis Lloyd. Thank goodness Maury John is pictured on a banner that's also displayed in the building.

It was a long time coming.

*

Rachel Pierce says she'll be doing a solo act on the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts on WOI-TV for a while.

Co-anchor Chris Flanagan has left the station.

I asked Pierce [pictured at the right] what WOI officials plan to do about a replacement.

"They've been bringing in candidates for the position...no word when it will be filled. Until then, I'll solo anchor some days," she told me.

Pierce was an anchor/reporter at WOWT-TV in Omaha before coming to WOI. She graduated magna cum laude from Oklahoma City University, where she received a BA in mass communications.

During her last summer there she was awarded an internship with the British Broadcasting Company in Washington, D.C. where she also did freelance coverage of White House briefings and research.

It's no secret that WOI consistently ranks last in viewership among central Iowa's three major stations.

Its problems date back to when Iowa State University owned the station, and the studios were in Ames.

I'm sure there are still some people who think WOI is a college station, and that the announcers are journalism students.

*

Clothing update on Dan Callahan of Sioux City, the former Drake basketball player and assistant coach:

I wrote last week that Callahan forgot to bring the suitcase that contained the clothes he planned to wear at the 40-year reunion of Drake's 1968-69 team.

I asked Dan if the blue shirt he wore Friday night was a blue-light special from K-Mart, but he said it was a yellow-dot special from Younkers.

He wore the same shirt Saturday night, but not until after his wife pressed it.

He wore a necktie at Saturday night's celebration at the Knapp Center, and said he got that at Younkers, too.

"It had a list price of $27, but I didn't want to pay that much," he said. "So I wound up getting it for $10."

Must've been a yellow-dot special, too.

I didn't ask Callahan what did about underwear, and probably won't.

Anyway, it was good seeing Callahan, his wife and a number of longtime Drake fans [including Jay Cookman and his wife] over the weekend, including at a postgame gathering Saturday night at Rock Bottom in West Des Moines -- where Callahan bought me a couple of cold drinks after all the excitement at the Knapp Center.

*

By the way, the postgame celebration was originally scheduled for The Tavern on 50th Street in West Des Moines.

But when we got there, the manager said the place would be closing at 10 p.m.

I mean, 10 p.m. on a Saturday? What kind of restaurant does business like that?

I wonder if the place is in trouble.

*

There was a sizable story on page 1 of the Register this morning that was headlined:

More ISU
employees
sign up
to take
furloughs

The paper enjoys writing about furloughs, except its own.

The Iowa State story was written by someone named Gunnar Olson, who wrote virtually the entire front page.

Everyone else in the newsroom must've been on their Gannett-ordered one-week furloughs. Unpaid, of course.

The paper isn't giving much ink to its own furloughs.

It would kind of silly, I guess, to put Rekha Basu's photo in the paper with the note: "Rekha Basu's columns will appear again soon. She now is on her company-ordered furlough and is spending the week as a greeter at Wal-Mart."

*

Does anybody else think Iowa basketball player Jake Kelly [pictured at the left] looks like he's 12 years of age?

*

Speaking of basketball players, most of the guys on Iowa State's roster [with the exception of NBA-bound Craig Brackins] are really good until they play a game.

All we keep hearing is how talented Greg McDermott's recruiting classes are.

Then they play a season or two and they're gone.

Last year at this time, everyone felt sorry for Lucca Staiger, the 6-5 guard from Blaustein, Germany, who wasn't able to play.

Now Staiger is playing, and sometimes he never makes a basket.

I guess that's what happens when you get some coaching.

Iowa State's records are 13-14 overall and 2-10 in the Big 12.

It's been a rough winter in Cyclone Alley.

*

When I walked in front of the grandstand at the Knapp Center the other night, retired Drake ticket manager Reid Allen shouted at me.

"Hey, Ron, call it 8,400 tonight!" he said.

Allen meant that was his crowd count for the Drake-Austin Peay game in the 7,152-seat arena.

"Don't you think we should make it 8,423?" I told Allen.

It was a joke, of course.

And Allen was joking, too, about 8,400.

I'm always joking to ticket people about crowd counts.

The attendance figure Drake put on the official box score was 5,198.

Rick Wanamaker, Who Blocked a Shot By Lew Alcindor In the 1969 NCAA Final Four, Tells Story Of Bulldogs' 40-Year Reunion With the Lens Of His Camera

It Was a Night That Would've Made Maury John Proud--His 1968-69 Players Join Drake Brass, an Ex-Governor, Fans, a Writer For a Huge Celebration

It was the kind of celebration of which Maury John would have been proud.

A huge roomful of former Drake basketball players, team managers, an assistant coach, John's widow and son, a writer [that's me] who vividly recalls their march to the 1969 Final Four, administrators from the university, a former governor [Robert Ray], members of the school's present team and a bunch of proud fans gathered last night at the All-Play restaurant in downtown Des Moines to roll back history.

It was the 40th reunion of a team that's the best Drake has ever had.

It was a group that almost upset John Wooden's eventual UCLA national champions in the Final Four at Louisville, then finished with a 26-5 record after mauling Dean Smith's North Carolina team, 104-84, in the third-place game.

Yes, a 1968-69 team that never really felt it was given the credit it deserved after taking the collegiate basketball scene by storm 40 years ago.

Curt Gowdy, a prominent TV announcer in those days, couldn't even get it right.

He said it was Duke, not Drake, that was doing so well against Lew Alcindor, Curtis Rowe and Lynn Shackelford of UCLA at Louisville.

Some of the jerseys belonging to the Bulldogs should have been retired 38 or 39 years ago, but it's finally being done this weekend.

Some of the people in Drake's hierarchy didn't like it Maury John took the Iowa State coaching job in 1971 -- two years after taking the Bulldogs to their only Final Four ever.

Cancer took John's life more than 30 years ago, but his widow, Jean, and his youngest son, John, showed up last night to join the celebration.

The jerseys of starters Willie McCarter, Willie Wise and Dolph Pulliam will be retired tonight when Drake plays Austin Peay in the BracketBusters game at the Knapp Center.

Those three standout players, are shown in the one of the photos above with Paul Morrison, Drake's 91-year-old historian.

It took Sandy Hatfield Clubb, the athletic director who is relatively new on the Drake scene, to notice there was something missing in the wonderful story of the 1968-69 team.

McCarter, the star guard who went on to become a first-round NBA draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers, pointed out that Drake was the only university from the 1969 Final Four that hadn't retired the jerseys of some of its players.

Now Sandy has corrected that, and she and others from the school put on quite a show for everyone last night.

*

It was good to see Dan Callahan, the only living member of the coaching staff from the 1968-69 team.

Maury John and Gus Guydon have both gone to the big arena in the sky.

Callahan got so caught up in the emotion of yesterday that he forgot to bring anything except the clothes on he was wearing for the drive from his home in Sioux City to Des Moines.

He had to stop at a store here to find a blue shirt to wear at last night's dinner.

"I'd say that's the best shirt K-Mart makes," I joked to Callahn when I saw him.

"Actually, it's a yellow-dot special from Younkers," he said.

Dan was probably joking, too.

*

Three players from the 1968-69 team are deceased -- starter Al Williams and reserves Gary Zeller and Al Sakys.

It was too bad they couldn't have been at All-Play, and it certainly was a shame Maury John and Gus Guydon weren't there.

But that's what happens when there's a 40-year wait before retiring some jerseys.

"It was a heck of a long time to decide on something," Callahan said. "The important thing is that it's being done."

*

Callahan [pictured in the blue shirt at the lower left with longtime Drake fan Jay Cookman] said his first meeting with Maury John was in Union Station in Chicago in the 1950s.

Chicago is where Callahan was a kid. John wanted him to play basketball for him at Moberly Junior College in Missouri.

"I played for Coach John two seasons at Moberly," Callahan said, "then I transferred to Drake, where I played for John Benington."

Callahan later joined John's staff at Drake, where he stayed four seasons.

It bothered a lot of people that previous administrations at Drake didn't give Callahan the time of day when Drake was looking for a new head coach -- which, after John left, was often.

So Dan had to settle for coaching at places such as Valley High School in West Des Moines and Morningside College in Sioux City.

Of course, the same thing happened to Willie McCarter, who also wanted to be considered for coaching jobs at Drake -- either as an assistant or a head coach.

Although he was the scoring leader on Drake's 1968-69 team, he never got interviewed for a job at his alma mater.

He had to coach in high schools and at the University of Detroit instead.

*

I asked Callahan if Drake's coaches and players thought they could beat UCLA in the March 20, 1969 Final Four game at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

"Well, we were practicing at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines [where the Bulldogs then played their home games] and Coach John was talking to the players about the NCAA tournament," Callahan said.

"We were getting ready for the Midwest Regional, and Coach John mentioned Texas A&M and Colorado State, the teams we wound up beating in the regional at Manhattan, Kan.

"Suddenly, even before we played either game in the Midwest Regional, Dolph Pulliam said, "Coach, what about UCLA?"

"You get me to the UCLA game and I'll take of beating them," John said to Pulliam.

And what a battle those Bulldogs waged against the Bruins.

UCLA finally won, 85-82, but Wooden and his players knew they'd been taken to the wire by a gritty, gutty team from Des Moines.

*

All of the Drake players back for the 40th reunion spoke -- some of them several times -- last night.

A number of them spoke emotionally.

Personally, I appreciated the things Willie McCarter said.

He told the crowd how Drake had been shortchanged by the Des Moines Register before I began covering its games in the 1960s.

"Iowa was always on page 1 of the sports section and Drake was back by the obituaries," McCarter said. "Ron got us on page 1. Coach John told the players, 'Maly will take care of us,' and he did."

The talkative McCarter was overstating the situation a bit, but it's true that I felt in those days [and now, too] that Drake didn't get the attention it deserved from editors at the Register.

I could see that John was building a sensational program at Drake, and I felt he was a sincere, caring man.

I enjoyed covering him, I enjoyed visiting with him about basketball in general.

People in Des Moines were noticing. When Drake was winning, the crowds at massive Veterans Memorial Auditorium were large.

I knew there was room for improvement in how the paper treated the Bulldogs.

Paul Morrison brought some scrapbooks last night that were filled with clippings of stories from the Maury John era at Drake.

People leafing through the scrapbooks said they believe how many of the stories were written by me.

All I can is, it sure was fun.

*

I was sorry to hear that Bev Mahon, the 86-year-old owner of the Varsity Theater near the Drake campus, is hospitalized after suffering a stroke. I wish him a speedy recovery. Bev's son, Mike, is the veteran sports information director at Drake.

Drake's Maury John Was More Than a U.S. Coach Of the Year. Willie McCarter Says He Also Was 'Way Ahead Of His Time' In Racial Matters On, Off Court

The way Willie McCarter looks at it, Maury John was "way ahead of his time" when it came to racial matters.

"I can tell you this," McCarter said, "Coach John may have been one of the first coaches in Division I basketball -- especially in the midwest and south -- to have a fulltime black assistant coach."

McCarter [pictured at the left] was referring to Gus Guydon, one of two assistants on his staff when Drake had a 26-5 record and finished third in the 1969 NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky.

McCarter and his teammates will arrive in Des Moines today to start a weekend of celebrations that will be culminated with the retirement of three of the starters' jerseys Saturday night during the Bulldogs' BracketBusters game against Austin Peay at the Knapp Center.

John [pictured at the right], who had a 211-131 record from 1958-1971, was the winningest coach in Drake history. He took his final three teams to the NCAA tournament and was named the national coach of the year in 1969.

The 1968-69 season was when McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise -- whose jerseys are being permanently retired by Drake this weekend -- starred for a Bulldogs team that narrowly missed upsetting UCLA in the Final Four.

Drake lost that game to the legendary John Wooden's team, 85-82, but claimed third place in the tournament by demolishing Dean Smith's North Carolina squad, 104-84.

McCarter marveled at how John put together a team of players from cities such as Gary, Ind., and San Francisco, Calif., to small Iowa towns like Marengo and Algona.

The late 1960s were emotional, racially-charged times in America. Black athletes boycotted teams, or threatened to boycott them, at Iowa, Iowa State and other universities around the nation.

"But there were no racial disturbances at Drake," McCarter pointed out. "There was no 'I' on our team. It was 'we.'

"Black and white players roomed together, ate meals together, studied together, went to movies together."

McCarter, now 63 and living in Jackson, Mich., recalled how it was in collegiate basketball 40 years ago.

"We minority athletes back then would talk about how coaches treated racial matters," he said.

"Some coaches would have two black players in their starting lineups at home games and four black starters in games on the road," he said. "Some of the coaches just didn't feel comfortable starting more than two players in home games."

But Maury John wasn't one of them.

His starting lineup, home and away, included four black players -- McCarter, Pulliam, Wise and Al Williams. The only white starter was guard Don Draper.

McCarter and Pulliam were both from Gary, Ind. Guydon also grew up in that city.

One of McCarter's best friends on Drake's team was Dale Teeter, a white reserve from Algona, Ia. They were roommates and they still talk regularly long after their playing days.

McCarter served as Teeter's best man at his wedding. McCarter thinks he might have been the first black person ever to appear in Algona.

McCarter has had numerous health problems in recent years. He has had several strokes and surgeries, and said he was starting to make arrangements for his funeral.

"I have only two-thirds of a brain now," he says with a laugh. "So if I screw something up, there's a reason for it."

Teeter jokes to him: "Hell, Willie, you've only used a third of your brain for 60 years anyway -- so you've got a lot of years left."

*

McCarter had come to Drake from Gary with Pulliam and Larry Wright, a 6-6 player who left Drake in his junior year and went back home.

"After playing at Roosevelt High School in Gary, I had no assurance I would even get a basketball scholarship at Drake," McCarter said.

"Coach John had told my mother that he wanted me to eventually graduate from Drake, but I originally was going to be sent to Grand View College in Des Moines for two years.

"Coach John told me he was going to give me to Coach Dave Sisam at Grand View if a player from New York passed the ACT entrance exam. But one day I was working out with some Drake players, and Coach John noticed me."

After the workout, McCarter recalled that John said to him, "Willie, you don't really want to go to junior college, do you?"

McCarter said the prospect from New York didn't pass the ACT, and he got a scholarship at Drake.

"That's when he guaranteed my mother that I'd get a degree from Drake," McCarter said. "And I did. I got a degree in social studies."

McCarter said his mother died in 1988 after working as many as 16 hours a day.

"She raised eight kids and we lived on welfare in the Gary projects," he said. "My dad left home when I was a young kid."

*

Members of Maury John's family will be on hand for this weekend's ceremonies.

A banner with John's picture on it will be unveiled at the Knapp Center, and will hang permanently hang from the rafters of the building afterward.

Drake players and some of the university's fans have long felt that John wasn't properly credited with everything he did for the Drake program because he left the campus following the 1970-71 season and took the coaching job at Iowa State.

Pulliam tells me that most of the players from Drake's Final Four team will be present at the 40th reunion ceremonies.

Among those who aren't expected to be in town are Draper, who lives in Arizona and has been overseeing some medical issues his mother has been having, and Ron Gwinn.

Gwinn was a reserve on the 1968-69 team. He never felt he received enough playing time in the Final Four season, and hasn't participated in past reunions held by the squad.

Coaches Maury John and Gus Guydon are deceased, as are players Al Williams, Al Sakys and Gary Zeller.

The only living member of the coaching staff is Dan Callahan, who went on to coach at Valley High School in West Des Moines and Morningside College after his years at Drake.

It Was 1969 At the Final Four In Louisville. Someone Knocked On Wise/Pulliam's Hotel Room Door, And the Surprise Visitor Was O. J. Simpson

Dolph Pulliam tells the story.

"It was 1969 and we were in Louisville for the NCAA Final Four," said the standout Drake basketball player of 40 years ago.

"Coach Maury John always made sure his players stayed in their hotel rooms there when we weren't practicing or playing.

"Willie Wise was my roormmate, and we were both locked in our rooms. Suddenly, someone knocked on our door.

"Is Willie Wise here?" the visitor asked.

Indeed, Willie Wise was in the room.

"The visitor was O. J. Simpson, who attended City College in San Francisco, a junior college, with Wise," Pulliam continued.

So Wise and Simpson had proceeded to have a conversation in the city where Drake went on to almost upset eventual NCAA basketball champion UCLA.

Wise and Pulliam were starters on the Drake team that finished the season with a 26-5 record and finished third in the Final Four.

After their 85-82 loss to John Wooden's UCLA team, Drake thrashed Dean Smith's North Carolina squad, 104-84, in the third-place game.

O. J. Simpson [pictured at the left] and Willie Wise [pictured at the right], of course, went their own directions attending the same junior college.

Simpson was a standout football player at Southern California and in the National Football League. Wise had a strong career in the old American Basketball Association.

Wise and Pulliam have remained good friends over the past 40 years. They and Willie McCarter will be the three former Drake players whose jerseys will be retired Saturday night by Drake during the present Bulldogs' game against Austin Peay in the BracketBusters game at the Knapp Center.

It's the 40th reunion of a team that became the only one from Drake ever to play in a Final Four.

O. J. Simpson has become known world-wide for other, less-positive reasons.

*

I DON'T USE THE WORD 'CHOKE' IN SPORTS, BUT UNI ISN'T THE SAME TEAM NOW

What a huge victory that was last night by Drake over Northern Iowa, 47-46, at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

At a time when Mark Phelps was getting heavy criticism from Drake fans in his first season as Drake's coach, the Bulldogs rose up to win the mythical state collegiate championship in the state of Iowa for the third straight year by seriously damaging UNI's Missouri Valley Conference title aspirations.

It wasn't long ago that UNI was the talk of the Valley. The Panthers couldn't lose at home or on the road.

They looked like a team that would win the Valley's regular-season championship and also the postseason title.

When UNI blasted Drake, 81-59, on Jan. 17 in Des Moines, Ben Jacobson's team looked as good as any I've seen all season in collegiate basketball.

Drake seemed dead, unable to play offense or defense. The Bulldogs appeared clueless under a coach who had taken over a program from Keno Davis that produced a 28-5 record last season.

Now it's UNI that looks clueless. I never use the word "choke" when it comes to collegiate sports, but I know some people are saying that's exactly what UNI is doing in the late stages of the Valley race.

UNI is now tied with Creighton for first place, and the outlook is anything but promising.

The Panthers must play Satrday at Siena in their BracketBusters game, then plays at Illinois State next Tuesday before winding up at home Feb. 28 against Evansville.

After that comes the Valley's postseason tournament in St. Louis.

There will be only one team from the Valley that goes to the NCAA tournament, and at this stage it doesn't appear to be UNI.

Jacobson and the Panthers sure know how to ruin a good story.

By Retiring the Jerseys Of McCarter, Pulliam and Wise, Sandy Hatfield Clubb Is Righting a Wrong That's Been Hanging Over Drake's Campus for 40 Years

This is a big week in Drake basketball history, and R. H. of Des Moines had the Bulldogs of 40 years ago on his mind when he sent the following e-mail to me:

"Ron,

"It will be quite a special moment on Saturday when Dolph Pulliam, Willie McCarter, and Willie Wise have their jerseys retired and proudly hang in the rafters at the Knapp Center.

"You have pointed this out in your past blogs about Drake, and it should be said again about what Sandy Hatfield Clubb has done since she has arrived as Drake's AD. For as much scrutiny as Hatfield Clubb will receive now and in the future [with the hiring and success of Mark Phelps and Chris Creighton], there is no doubt in my young mind that Hatfield Clubb has righted a wrong that has been hanging over the campus and Des Moines for 40 years: moving to retire the jerseys of the members of the Final Four team, and recognizing the accomplishments of that team.

"Sandy and David Maxwell learned very quickly since their arrivals to Drake that this school had prided itself on its rich history and the open arms that Des Moines have embraced them with. To say that Hatfield Clubb is finally doing something about this [retiring of the jerseys] is pointing the finger at the wrong person. The individuals that need to be put under the microscope are the past AD's and presidents at Drake, who, for some reason, ignored the Final Four team, as if they were a scrap of paper. How in the world does individuals like Michael Ferrari and Lynn King not extend a gesture or invite the team back and honor them?

"Hell, King refused to put UNI on the football schedule when he was there. It may not be a good idea now, given that the Panthers are one of the top teams in Division I-AA, but it would have helped generate some buzz and give Rob Ash and his team some talk around campus.

"I feel that Dave Blank's arrival as AD help put some of the wheels in motion to restore some pride and appreciation. Blank hired Dr. Tom to put the basketball program back on the respectability trail. Mark Kostek and Brian Brown came in to run the Drake Relays. Things were starting to move slowly in the right direction.

'It was Sandy Hatfield Clubb who decided that it was long overdue for Drake to honor and bring back the Final Four as part of the family again. As you mentioned in your recent blogs, some of the members of the Final Four were angry and hurt that Drake hasn't embraced them for their exploits under Maury John. Hatfield Clubb made it priority to right a wrong.

"What a huge right it was to undo a major slight!

"So, as Saturday approaches, Dolph, McCarter, and Willie Wise take the floor, the Drake community should not only give these three outstanding men a 5 + minute standing ovation, but unite as one to give this Final Four team that 'thank you' they deserve to hear more of.

"Best,"

R.H.
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Very well put, R. H. It's difficult for me to believe that it took 40 years for Drake to adequately honor the only Final Four basketball the university has ever had. Three of the players [Al Williams, Al Sakys and Gary Zeller] and two of the coaches [Maury John and Guy Guydon] are already deceased, but Sandy Hatfield Clubb [pictured at the right] finally did what a number of athletic directors before her should've done -- retired the jerseys of standout players McCarter, Pulliam and Wise. She could easily have retired the jerseys of all the starters and a couple of the top reserves, but at least this is a step in the right direction].

*

Drake assistant coach Justin Ohl got some laughs when he began giving a scouting report on Northern Iowa at the Drake Tipoff Club lunch at Christopher's restaurant.

"This is the first time we've played UNI this season," Ohl began.

Ohl got exactly the reaction he thought he'd get.

"As far as I'm concerned, we haven't played against UNI yet," he said.

He's right about.

The Bulldogs were no-shows in their 81-59 loss Jan. 17 at the Knapp Center.

The turning point in the game was when UNI's players got off the team bus.

The second Drake-UNI game is at 7:05 tonight at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. It'll be telecast by KDSM of Des Moines and KFXA of Cedar Rapids.

*

I didn't watch Alex Rodriguez's press conference [pictured at the left] yesterday.

I went to Fort Dodge instead.

I think I got the better end of the deal.

*

I pointed out the other day that some of the folks at the paper must have taken their Gannett Co.-ordered furloughs [with no pay] last week.

A few others should be taking their furloughs this week, judging by what they've been writing.

The Next Time I See Rev. Kendall Meyer, I'll Ask If the Cardinals Are Still In the National League; But I Hope He Doesn't Ask Me About the Cubs

Baseball's spring training has started in Arizona and Florida, so that means some of us will soon be able to start forgetting about the bad collegiate basketball that's being played in our state.

The next time I see Kendall Meyer, the new pastor at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Des Moines, I plan to ask him if his St. Louis Cardinals are still in the National League.

*

But I'd better be a little careful. He might ask me why the Cubs haven't won a playoff game since Don Zimmer wore short pants.

*

And another thing.

The next time I see Cy [pictured at the right], the No. 1 chef at Ohana's Japanese restaurant in West Des Moines, I plan to ask him if he's an Iowa State fan.

I don't know how anyone oculd be named Cy and not be a Cyclone fan, but sometimes Cy of Ohana's surprises you.

For all I know, he's a big Grand View booster.

*

I wonder what Cy thinks about Greg McDermott.

*

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Cy since New Year's Eve, when I was taking his picture after he had served me my scallops with Ohana's special sauce. Some of our teams were still playing decent basketball then.

*

I like it that Pittsburgh beat No. 1-ranked Connecticut last night, 76-68.

Anytime the No. 1 team loses in mid-February, it's good for collegiate basketball.

Besides, I like underdogs.


*

Clarinets, horns, drums, marimbas and tubas shook the rafters at Veterans Memorial Auditorium last night at the Diocesan All-City Band Festival.

The kids made the old joint sound good.

*

I don't think Vets has rocked like that since Drake pulverized Louisville a long time ago.

Back when Dolph Pulliam and Willie McCarter were playing.

That was basketball, though. This was music.

*

One of the neat things about the night was that Catholic kids and Lutheran kids were making great music together.

*

Jack Cafferty [pictured at the left], who was a channel 13 news anchor many years ago in Des Moines, still does good work now that he's at CNN.

Here's one of his latest thoughts:

"What a joke. Your Congress has voted to spend almost $790 billion of your money on a stimulus package that not a single member of either chamber has read.

"The 1,073-page document wasn't posted on the government's website until after 10 p.m. the day before the vote to pass it was taken. I don't care if you're Evelyn Wood, you can't read almost 1,100 pages of the lawyer talk that makes up all legislation in eight or 10 hours."

*

Referring to Mt. Olive, which I did earlier, the school's volleyball team has a big game today at Fort Dodge.

I'll be there, and I told my kids we'd have to eat at the greasy spoon up there later.

*

Before I go to Fort Dodge, though, I'll be at Drake's basketball lunch at Christopher's.

I know I'll have a good time, but I'm not sure how much fun it's going to be for Drake coach Mark Phelps after eight losses in the Bulldogs' last 10 games.

*

Drake has to play at Northern Iowa tomorrow night. UNI walloped the Bulldogs, 81-59, last month in Des Moines, so I'm not expecting anything good to happen to Drake at the McLeod Center.

*

But the food will be good at Christopher's this noon.

*

Mike Chapman sent me his first issue of "Iowa History Journal," with this note: "Ron, Here is the premier issue. The early response has been just terrific. Lots of hard work, but I am pleased with the outcome.

"Paul Wilber wrote us a wonderful letter. He is really a nice person; I feel sorry for him that he now faces life alone without Doreen at his side. -- Mike Chapman." Doreen Wilber of Jefferson won the gold medal in archery at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Doreen died of complications of Alzheimer's Disease Oct. 19, 2008.

The story about her for Chapman's magazine was written by Alan Cross. The cover of the magazine immediately caught my attention. It's got a photo of Nile Kinnick, the only player from an Iowa university or college ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

Kinnick was the star back for Iowa's 1939 Ironmen. Other stories in the magazine cover military hero Bud Day, Old West legend Buffalo Bill, business genius Fred Maytage, Indian tribes of Iowa, an Iowa history quiz and columns by Iowans. Nice going, Mike.

'You Live By the 3-Point Basket, You Die By It,' Says Willie McCarter, Who Shares Your Frustration and Concern Over This Season's Bulldogs

These aren't good days for Drake basketball fans, and Willie McCarter knows how they feel.

When he's able to watch an occasional Bulldogs game on TV at his home in Jackson, Mich., he sees what's happening.

"When you live by the 3-point basket, you can die by the 3-point basket," McCarter explained.

And there's still no Dolph Pulliam-type player in the lineup who can be a stopper on defense.

"That's what I said about last season's Drake team," McCarter said. "That was the difference in Keno Davis' team and our team. There was no Dolph Pulliam."

By "our team," McCarter was referring to the best Drake has ever had since it began the sport in 1906-07.

McCarter [pictured at the right] was a key member of the 1968-69 Bulldogs squad that went 26-5 and finished third in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky.

That team will celebrate its 40th reunion next weekend in Des Moines, and three jerseys -- those belonging to McCarter, Pulliam and Willie Wise -- will be retired permanently by the school.

Drake's 2007-2008 team actually had a better record [28-5] than Maury John's 1968-69 group, but it didn't last long in the Big Dance.

Western Kentucky broke the Bulldogs' hearts with a 101-99 victory in overtime in a first-round game at Tampa, Fla.

So that's why McCarter's 68-69 team remains the very best Drake has ever had.

There's been more frustraton than satisfaction among Drake basketball fans over the years, and frustration has certainly become an accurate description of what's going on now in the program.

Mark Phelps is the first-year coach and, for a while, things were going pretty well.

In December, the Bulldogs won at Iowa State, 66-63, and thrashed Iowa, 60-43, before 7,152 fans at the Knapp Center on the Drake campus -- the only capacity crowd to watch any of this state's Division I home games all season.

On Jan. 11, Drake had a 13-4 overall record and was 4-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Not bad.

Since then, the Bulldogs have lost eight of 10, and haven't looked very good doing it in some of the games.

Like last night, when they were 4-for-22 from the 3-point stripe and beyond.

Like in a horrible 81-59 home loss Jan. 17 to Northern Iowa, when Drake was 7-for-25 on 3's.

In a rare departure from the hard times, Drake defeated Bradley, 68-54, Feb. 7 at the Knapp Center. Interestingly, McCarter sat in with play-by-play announcer Larry Cotler and commentator Pulliam behind the radio microphones in the last half of that game.

If that's the only way Drake can win, maybe athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb should put McCarter behind the mike fulltime.

McCarter, like others, mentions the adjustment to a new coach this season. But this is mid-February, and the Valley's postseason tournament in St. Louis will soon be here.

People can't keep talking about adjusting to a new coach forever.

One thing is obvious. This team has lost confidence, can't shoot and seems to be going through the motions more often than not.

"Another thing to remember," said McCarter, "is that this Drake team can't sneak up on anybody. All the other teams in the Valley remember what the Bulldogs did last season [with a 15-3 league record]."

The records now are 15-12 overall and 6-9 in the Valley. Phelps put Alex White and Jacob Bayrenbruch into the lineup last night, but Juggling the starters obviously didn't help.

It's up to the players to decide if they're going to pull themselves out of this funk or if this winds up to be another drab windup to a season that began with promise.

*

"81DrakeGrad," not his real name, wrote to me about the Bulldogs in an e-mail:

"Ron....I don't know if this has ever happened before, but I'm at a loss for words. This team has gone from contender to the weakest team in the MVC. Whatever confidence these guys had in their ability to make shots is now gone."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: You're right. It's sad].

*

The sharp-eyed guys on the Drake Nation website noticed that guard Craig Stanley wasn't on the Drake bench for some of the second half of last night's game.

Someone mentioned that flu was bothering some of the players, and wondered if that was Stanley's problem. He wasn't in the starting lineup.

*

It looks like some of the boys in the sports department at the paper used last week as their Gannett Co.-ordered furlough week.

The employees must go without pay during their furlough week, so maybe a few of them used the time to sack groceries at Hy-Vee or something so they can pay their bills.

I noticed that there wasn't any hard-hitting "In the Loop" column on page 2 of the sports section in yesterday's paper, and some other things were missing.

I could've done without the picture of that dead bear on page 7, though. Where's Larry Stone when we need him?

But I'm glad the replacement folks got another reminder in the paper to readers about the upcoming "share your memories" package that the paper will publish next weekend in connection with the 40th reunion of Drake's 1968-69 team.

I'm rallying around the paper to make sure it proves to people that it, indeed, cares about Drake basketball -- especially the best team the university ever had.

Ron Maly Decides To Liveblog a Basketball Game for the First Time. If There's a Next Time, Maybe Drake Will Shoot Better and Play Some Defense, Too

I decided to give liveblogging a shot tonight.

I turned on ESPNU 5 minutes after the Drake-Illinois State basketball game started at the Knapp Center, and all I saw was Illinois State making baskets.

It wasn't long before Drake was trailing by 14 points.

The announcers said the visiting team had a red-carpet route to the basket.

That's not exactly the way Dan McLaughlin and Mac McCausland put it -- "red carpet route," I mean -- but I knew what they were saying.

Drake wasn't playing any defense. Absolutely none.

I'm starting to wonder if the Bulldogs' season is over.

If so, it was a mercy killing.

Sunday night collegiate basketball is for the birds -- certainly not for the Dogs.

When Drake cut its deficit to 10 points, McLaughlin said, "The crowd is rising to its feet."

Don't forget, McLaughlin is a St. Louis Cardinals baseball announcer when he's not doing basketball play-by-play.

I thought I'd say that to try to explain why he sometimes says dumb things.

Someone told me earlier in the season that McLaughlin is like a lot of young announcers. He never does any homework.

McLaughlin has said a couple of times this season that McCausland was a star player at Iowa.

Not so. McCausland didn't earn a letter when he was a Hawkeye in the Ralph Miller coaching era.

I can see why McLaughlin does a lot of work on ESPNU, a TV channel that George Wine once described to me as "the only national network that nobody ever sees."

McLaughlin said Drake's Alex White indicated during the shoot-around this afternoon that he might like to try out for a pro football team.

White probably doesn't know there are lots of guys playing basketball who think they're big enough to play football.

Wait'll he gets to one of those August training camps.

He'll wish he'd never shown any interest in football.

Now that this has turned into a liveblog, maybe Mike Hlas will check in with me.

I'm sure he's watching this basketball game on a Sunday night. He watches basketball on TV every chance he gets.

I just looked it up. Alex White [pictured at the right] is a 6-6, 235-pound Drake senior. With that size, no wonder he thinks he can play football.

Lots of 6-6, 235 guys think they can play football.

Even meter-readers.

White transferred to Drake from one of my favorite colleges -- Cochise College of Arizona.

Illinois State leads at halftime, 29-16, and McLaughlin said Drake shot only 29 percent. That kind of shooting won't win in the YMCA noon league.

It's "White-Out Night" at the Knapp Center. Fans were given white T-shirts when they entered the building.

Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb is good about doing stuff like that.

She's got a bright future ahead of her in collegiate athletics.

Back to the action. I mean the game. Those white T-shirts they gave away to the fans were meant to be a "white-out" in the stands. They really didn't want an offensive freeze-out.

McLaughlin has backed off calling McCausland a one-time star at Iowa. He now says all he did at Iowa was "play." He says McCausland's son [first name Kent] was a much better player.

I agree. Kent was all right. I covered the guy.

For all I know, Kent corrected McLaughlin on calling his dad a star.

Drake is losing by 19 with just under 12 minutes to play. Pretty ugly.

Now it's a 27-point deficit for the Bulldogs. I turned on the radio to see if it sounds any better than the telecast.

It doesn't. Radio commentator Dolph Pulliam says Drake now is "playing for pride," whatever that means when you're trailing by 27.

Illinois State is clearing its bench. I think Drake waved a white flag. The Bulldogs trail by 28 with 2 minutes to play.

It's over. Illinois State hangs on to win, 67-45.

It was a game where you might say: "Our defense wasn't very good. Neither was our offense."

Dolph Pulliam says, "Illinois State just gave us an old-fashioned beating in our house."

If it were football, Hayden Fry would've said, "It was an old-fashioned rump-kicking."

Pulliam, a standout player for Drake 40 years ago, knows what he's talking about. So did Fry.

After the game ends, McCausland interviews Missouri Valley Conference commissioner Doug Elgin.

Elgin didn't say he expects to see Drake in the NCAA tournament.

Asked how many Valley teams he expects to see in the Big Dance, Elgin said, "We'll just have to see how it plays out.

I think the answer is one. That's how I see it playing out.

I'm sure Drake coach Mark Phelps could think of more interesting things to do than appear on his postgame radio show.

No one needed to drag him to the microphone with a team of horses. Give the guy credit. He showed up.

And Phelps didn't slash his wrists while reviewing the loss.

I can recall when a Drake coach didn't even show up for his postgame radio show.

The coach was Rudy Washington, who was so pissed off with how his Bulldogs lost a game at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in the previous century that he decided to hold a practice a half-hour after the game.

On Second Thought, I've Decided To Not Liveblog During Today's Iowa and Cyclone Games; It Sounds Like Too Much Work On a Saturday Afternoon

For a few fleeting seconds -- four to be exact -- I thought about participating in something a few of the sportswriters are doing these days and nights.

It's called livelogging.

I guess I got the liveblog idea because I read that Mike Hlas, the talented columnist at the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Gazette, was going to do it during the Iowa-Purdue game this afternoon.

Liveblog, I mean.

I'm not exactly sure what liveblogging involves because I've never done it.

But I think it's when you watch a game and write small pieces of information on your laptop computer about it while it's taking place. If you don't have a laptop, I suppose a desktop would work, too.

I think you can be as smartass about the game as you want to be.

A lot of the games Iowa plays cry out for somebody to write smartass stuff. They can be pretty boring.

*

I also think people can e-mail a liveblogger while he or she is liveblogging during a game, and their comments can be pretty smartassy, too.

But after giving it some consideration, I decided I didn't want to liveblog. At least not today.

Maybe next week.

Frankly, it sounded like too much work.

First of all, I wasn't planning on going anywhere very far to watch a game.

Just as far as my 37-inch HD, where DirecTV will bring me the Iowa-Purdue and Iowa State-Oklahoma State games, which both start at 3 p.m.

*

I'd have to use ny remote a lot, of course, to find out what was going on.

Keeping track of two basketball games at the same time can occasionally be a challenge.

The way I look at it at 2:40 p.m., Iowa will play a close game with Purdue in Iowa City and Iowa State won't play a very close game with Okie State in Stillwater, Okla.

Iowa isn't very good, and coach Todd Lickliter complains a lot about the way his team doesn't play. He complains so much that somebody from Shueyville e-mailed me the other day to say Lickliter reminds her of Eeyore of Winnie the Pooh fame.

But maybe Lickliter can control himself today. And I think the Hawkeyes will, for a change, have a decent crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the fans will help them give Purdue a run for its money.

*

Purdue isn't exactly God's gift to collegiate basketball, even though a lot of people thought the Boilermakers would win the Big Ten title when the league did a preseason vote of sportswriters, who of course know everything.

I put a story on the other side of this page the other day that said Iowa State hasn't won in Stillwater since the stagecoaches were rumbling through Oklahoma, so I figure the Cyclones' chances of winning there today are slim and none.

I think Okie State still has a seat assigned to the legendary Henry Iba, who used to coach basketball at the school and may have even given James Naismith some advice when he was inventing the sport.

Iba is no longer living, but it's kind of an emotional thing to still have a seat assigned to him. After all, Iba's name is in the name of the arena.

I think the Cowboys can win today whether Henry Iba's memory and chair are in the building or not.

*

Maybe Greg McDermott, Iowa State's coach, could ask to use Iba's seat today and see if any of Henry's magic can rub off on him.

Nothing else is helping McDermott, who probably won't have a seat assigned to him at Hilton Coliseum at Ames after he's fired as coach -- which likely will be sooner rather than later.

By the way, if Hlas goes through with his idea of liveblogging during the game in Iowa City, I may shoot him an e-mail.

I'll be the guy going by the name WesleyVaclav who's asking how Eeyore is taking things on the Hawkeye bench.

*

I also wanted to write a few words today about my good friend Rick Wanamaker, who became famous in basketball circles 40 seasons ago when he blocked a shot taken by 7-foot 1-inch Lew Alcincor, who later changed his name to Kareem-Abdul Jabbar.

Wanamaker [pictured at the right] was playing for Drake in the 1969 NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky., and Alcindor/Jabbar was playing for UCLA.

At 6-8, Wanamaker was 5 inches shorter than Alcindor/Jabbar, but he was -- as the sportscasters like to say -- "athletic."

I mean, Wanamaker was the state of Iowa's first 7-foot high jumper and he won the 1970 NCAA decathlon title when the national track and field meet was held at Drake.

Wanamaker will be among the group of players honored next weekend when Maury John's 1968-69 team has its 40th reunion.

Rick won't be one of the three players whose jerseys are retired, but I'll tell you this: He has stayed in such excellent physical condition that he oould still fit into his jersey.

I know he can still wear his lettersweater because I saw him in it a year ago when he was honored for something else at Drake.

Wanamaker is now a standout real estate salesman in the Des Moines area. He and his wife, Marcia, are quite a team.

There was a story in the paper this morning that they're trying to sell a house for $3.9 million.

I've never been in a house that costs that much money, but I'm wondering if I should put in an offer on this one.

Give me a few days to think about it. I'll get back to you on it.

If Shonn Greene Is the 6th-Best Running Back In NFL Draft, I Think He Should Have Stayed At Iowa. Nothing Wrong With a 24-Year-Old Heisman Candidate

If Shonn Greene is only the sixth-best running back and may not be chosen until the third, fourth or fifth rounds of the upcoming National Football League draft, I'd say he should have stayed at Iowa for his senior season.

People keep saying, "Well, he's going to be 24 years old next season."

That doesn't bother me and it shouldn't bother Greene. He'd look pretty good as a 24-year-old guy running for bigtime yardage and vying for the Heisman Trophy in Big Ten stadiums next fall instead of spending time on some NFL team's bench or taxi squad.

Something tells me Greene got some bad advice to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility.

*

There wasn't anything funny about Iowa's 69-52 loss last night at Wisconsin, but Big Ten network commentator Tim Doyle tried to be humorous during the telecast.

He was talking about how many teams the Big Ten might send to the NCAA tournament.

It could be as few as five, it could be as many as seven.

"I might get myself in trouble with this, but you can't spell Nittany Lions without the letters NIT," he said.

Good stuff, if you ask me.

Of course, it probably didn't sound very funny in State College, Pa., where Penn State's basketball team has records of 17-8 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten after three straight losses.

Doyle's comment was refreshing. There should be more of that on TV instead of the constant upbeat talk from announcers who are just trying to save their jobs.

Somehow I can't imagine Gene Keady saying something like what Doyle said.

*

I see Iowa State said there were 10,821 fans in 14,356-seat Hilton Coliseum for last night's 70-42 Cyclone victory over Colorado.

If there were 10,821 people in the building, Bill Clinton is still president of this country.

I saw the game on TV, and it looked like Iowa State had the numbers reversed. There seened to be 10,821 empty seats and 3,535 bodies -- some of them still breathing.

*

By the way, it's a good thing Colorado is in the Big 12.

After looking at that ridiculous excuse for a basketball team, I can say flat-out that there's no way Iowa State can finish in the league cellar.

I mean, the Cyclones aren't very good. After all, they lost at Colorado, 55-49, earlier this season.

But Colorado is an absolute embarrassment to not just the conference, but to collegiate basketball.

James Naismith, the guy who invented basketball, would have walked out of the building at halftime last night, and headed downtown for a beer.

*

I don't believe Iowa State's defense had anything to do with Colorado scoring only nine points [a league record] in the first half at Hilton Coliseum. I think it was more a case of the Buffaloes simply being a bad team.

*

Further proof that Northern Iowa won't get into the 65-team NCAA tournament unless it wins the Missouri Valley Conference's postseason tournament: The Panthers' RPI power ranking among the nation's 300 Division I schools is only 82.

By the way, Iowa is 94, Drake 131 and Iowa State 138.

You asked about Colorado. It's 209.

*

When the radio announcers were interviewing Todd Lickliter following last night's game, one of them was trying to get him the Iowa coach to explain why some of his players can't grasp his system.

"What do you want me to do, read their minds?" Lickliter asked.

*

Speaking of embarrassments, Drake can't afford to be losing games to teams like Indiana State.

Of course, neither can Northern Iowa and Illinois State.

The Sycamores have records of only 6-19 overall and 4-10 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Their RPI ranking is a horrible 234.

Yet they've turned in three impressive overtime performances -- two in victories over Illinois State and one over UNI.

Indiana State beat Drake, 69-57, in a game that made it all the way to page 3 of the Des Moines Register this morning.

The game was played in relative privacy -- meaning only a few relatives and family members of the players were on hand at the 10,200-seat Hulman Center in beautiful downtown Terre Haute, Ind.

The crowd was said to be 3,427.

*

The paper sent no reporter to the Indiana State-Drake men's game, but Dan Johnson was dispatched to Norman, Okla., for Iowa State's 58-49 women's loss to Oklahoma. Johnson is a one-person women's basketball department, and I'd like to know how many miles he puts on a car -- either his or the comany's -- during a winter of following Iowa State, Iowa, Drake and UNI.

Well, maybe I don't want to know. It makes me tired to think about it. Johnson is something else.

*

Don't forget to help out your daily newspaper, regardless of which one it is. They all need help.

*

Photo of Iowa State-Colorado basketball game [left] courtesy of Steve Pope, AP; photo of Shonn Greene [right] courtesy of Google.

State's Fans Say 'No' To Bad Basketball. There's Been Just One Division I Sellout, and That Was 7 Weeks Ago When Drake Buried Iowa, 60-43, In D.M.

Iowans aren't dumb, and never have been.

When they see bad basketball being played, they find something else to do.

Like watch the games on TV or build birdhouses in the garage.

I was glancing at the attendance figures for this state's four Division I men's teams, and saw that there's been only one capacity crowd all season -- and none for seven weeks.

Looking at it a different way, there hasn't been a sellout crowd at Iowa, Iowa State, Drake or Northern Iowa for a conference game.

The only full house all winter has been the gathering of 7,152 [pictured at the left] that jammed its way into the Knapp Center on the Drake campus for the Bulldogs' 60-43 victory Dec. 20 over Iowa.

I joked then -- well, maybe it wasn't a joke -- that the Hawkeyes played so badly that day because they didn't know how to act in front of a capacity crowd.

*

The poor attendance is a sign of the times, I guess.

Maybe it's the recession.

Maybe it's the price of the tickets.

Maybe it's a lack of interest because a couple of the teams are so bad.

Iowa and Iowa State, which have the biggest arenas, used to sell out regularly, but no more.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City has a capacity of 15,500, but is averaging only 10,066 for its home games.

The biggest crowd has been 13,640 for the Michigan State game -- which happened to be the night they let students in free.

Hilton Coliseum in Ames [pictured at the right], where there is no longer anything called the Hilton Magic that Johnny Orr manufactured, seats 14,356.

The largest crowd there has been 13,168 for the Oregon State game in the first week of December.

*

Both Iowa and Iowa State are mediocre teams, at best. Both will have trouble finishing the season with .500 records.

The Hawkeyes are 13-11, the Cyclones are 12-11, with six straight losses.

I guess we'll have to wait until Iowa and Iowa State get their new and expensive practice courts to see some improvement in the records.

When Tim Floyd coached at Iowa State and Tom Davis was at Iowa, the records were very good despite not having practice floors.

But that's a column for another day.

*

Drake had a 28-5 record last season, and was selling out the Knapp Center regularly during the Missouri Valley Conference season.

But then Keno Davis left after one year to become the coach at Providence, and the Bulldogs are 15-10 overall the 6-7 in the Valley in Mark Phelps' first season.

Drake is averaging crowds at home of 5,149.

Even worse is Northern Iowa, the only team in the state with a legitimate chance of going to the NCAA tournament.

Despite being in first place in the Valley and despite having a 17-7 record for the season, the Panthers can't draw flies in the 7,018-seat McLeod Center at Cedar Falls.

UNI is averaging just a hard-to-believe 3,942 for its games.

The largest crowd has been 6,234, which showed up Sunday for the Panthers' loss to Creighton.

As hard to believe it seems, UNI drew only 5,558 when Iowa State and former Panthers coach Greg McDermott showed up for a game in December.

*

A reminder.

Don't forget to participate in the Des Moines Register's projects to name an all-state collegiate team, and don't forget to send 'em your thoughts on Drake's 1968-69 Final Four team.

The paper is trying hard to win back some readers [especially Drake fans in Des Moines who regularly rip the editors for treating Drake like a second-class operation], and inviting them to do some of the writing is one way they're hoping to do it.

In this new era of public participation in journalism, you can write blogs, suggest story ideas, chat online with the reporters and columnists, and make smart-ass comments about what they write.

The papers at Waterloo and Council Bluffs have already decided to drop publication for one day a week -- the Waterloo Courier on Saturdays, the Council Bluffs Nonpareil on Mondays.

The Register has gotten awfully skinny on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we wouldn't want publisher Laura Hollingsworth to get the bright idea of making it a six-day [or fewer] operation at the newspaper Iowa is supposed to depend upon.

Get those e-mails into the sports department. We need to save the paper.

*

Drake was hoping to get its BracketBusters game Feb. 21 against Austin Peay on one of the ESPN channels, but there will be no TV at all.

That's too bad because it's the night the players from the 1968-69 team will be honored at their 40th reunion. Willie McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise will have their jerseys retired, and it should be quite a show at the Knapp Center.

*

Photos courtesy of cyclones.com and GoDrakeBulldogs.com

I'm Urging You To Help Out Your Daily Newspaper and Participate In Its 1968-69 Drake NCAA Final Four and All-State Collegiate Team Projects

I hope you've been doing something a lot of people aren't these days -- reading your Des Moines Register -- because the paper needs your help.

I know I'm here to do my part.

I not only want to help the newspaper, I want to help some aging former Drake basketball players, who are friends of mine from 40 years ago.

The paper has been publishing stories about a couple more projects it has planned that involve -- what else? -- reader participation.

Now, I'm not talking about the project that already has hunters and fishermen replacing the laid-off Juli Probasco-Sowers as the outdoors writer and editor in the sports pages, or travelers to Europe and Asia taking over the travel writing stories in the Sunday paper.

I'm referring to the folks at 8th & Locust asking readers to turn into writers and tell the paper what they recall about how Drake's 1968-69 basketball team went 26-5 and made it to the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Ky.

Also, the project asking readers to pick an all-state major-college basketball team and a coach of the year.

The Register editors' big brothers at the Gannett Co. headquarters will be proud of 'em if they make those two projects work.

After all, another layoff can't be too far away.

*

"Where were you in 1969? What do you remember about the Bulldogs and their magical season?" the paper asks. "Share your memories with Des Moines Register readers and we'll run a selection of letters on Feb. 21 -- the day of Drake's game against Austin Peay."

Feb. 21 is the day Drake will have a ceremony honoring the 1968-69 team at its 40th reunion and permanently retiring the jerseys of Willie McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise -- standouts on the squad coached by Maury John that lost to UCLA, 85-82, and clobbered North Carolina, 104-84, in the Final Four.

I broke the news a week ago today with a column that said the jerseys would be retired, and the Register finally got the information in the paper four days later after Drake held a press conference.

That's how it goes these days. The paper is a few days late on lots of things, so that's why I'm trying to help the editors now.

I urge all of you to send in your memories of that 1968-69 season so the paper can have a worthwhile story Feb. 21.

I'm sure the pictures will be oversized. That's what happens these days -- if you don't have much to write, just make the pictures big.

Drake fans have been raising hell with the paper again most of this season, even attacking sports editor Bryce Miller in an online comment connected to a story that said political columnist David Yepsen would soon by leaving the Register to take another job.

A guy knows it's not his day when he's ripped in print after someone from another department takes a new job.

*

I also hope you participate in the Register's project to pick an all-state Division I team.

This seems like a strange year to do something like that because these are lean times for the major colleges.

Northern Iowa is the only team doing anything. It's the only school that has a chance of going to the NCAA tournament, but now I'm even worrying about the Panthers.

They lost a home game to Creighton yesterday they really couldn't afford to lose, and now they may be in trouble.

UNI has a 17-7 record for the season, and is still in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference at 11-2.

However, I can see UNI losing two, maybe three, more regular-season games.

I expect the Panthers to get beat at Siena in their BracketBusters game Feb. 21 and in their Feb. 24 Valley game at Illinois State. They also could lose Saturday at Wichita State.

Let's put it this way. UNI had better be at the top of its game when it plays in the Valley's postseason tournament in early-March. I think the NCAA is going to take just one team from the Valley, and it'll be the one that wins the postseason event.

UNI could be on the outside looking in when the 65-team Big Dance field is filled, which would be a shame for a team that's done so well.

*

And make sure you send in your all-state team and coach of the year to the paper.

I'd like to see that project succeed.

After all, the deep-thinkers who spend day after day pondering journalism's problems say the time may soon come when there will be no newspapers as we know them now.

You may have to read your newspaper on your computer, and a few of my relatives still don't have one.

A computer, I mean.

*

Here's my all-state team:

Mike Gatens, the outstanding Iowa freshman, who is averaging 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds for a team that looks like it'll finish below .500 again.

Josh Young of Drake, who is averaging 16.2 points for Drake, even though he's had his hands held more this winter by opposing players than anyone since the last time your teen-aged kid went to the prom.

Craig Brackins [pictured at the left], the 6-10 Iowa State sophomore who is averaging 19 points and 9.1 rebounds for a team that's going nowhere. He's my player of the year in the state, and certainly the MVP of the all-state team. If he could get some coaching, he'd be even better. A year from now, I expect to see Brackins in the NBA.

Adam Koch, who is averaging 12 points and 5.1 rebounds for Northern Iowa.

Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who is averaging 11.3 points for the Panthers. It was a tough call between Ahelgebe and another guy with a jawbreaking name -- Ali Farokhmanesh.

My coach of the year is an obvious one -- Ben Jacobson of UNI [pictured at the right; he's the one not dressed like a zebra]. The guy has saved his job with the strong season he's having. Now, though, the pressure is to not screw it up and miss the Big Dance.

The other coaches -- Todd Lickliter at Iowa, Greg McDermott at Iowa State and Mark Phelps at Drake -- are underachieving.

*

Jay Davidson writes:

"Well, Ron, I cannot help but comment on the paragraphs written by Mike Hutton which you included in your recent column. I have a feeling there is more than a little hyperbole and what I call graphic blandishment in his passages and perhaps Dolph Pulliam would like to sharpen and clarify some of the statements which the Gary writer makes. But there are two sentences that I must, as a grammarian, correct. Because of inappropriate modifiers, Hutton has the late Red Auerbach in a TV booth and Drake University retiring from CBS TV! (I think it might also be pointed out that Dolph, let alone Drake, didn't work for CBS, though he was employed by CBS affiliate KCCI--formerly KRNT--TV.) Maybe Hutton should come to Drake to take an English course!

"All the best, Ron!

"An old English teacher,"

Jay Davidson

"P.S. -- And no one who's ever known Dolph, certainly no player who ever took the court with or against him, has ever thought him 'spindly'"!


[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I've known Pulliam for more than 40 years. Hutton wrote some things about him that I hadn't heard before].

Nothing Would Have Made Maury John Happier Than To See His Drake Players Being Honored the Way They Are Now, Says His Proud Son John John

Forty years ago today, on Feb. 7, 1969, Drake's basketball players were celebrating a 23-point victory over Iowa State two nights earlier, and putting together a game-plan for some payback against North Texas State.

The 1968-69 Bulldogs had been walloped by North Texas State, 118-99, on Jan. 30 at Denton, Texas, in a game that was totally out of character for them.

But the 19-point loss marked the last time Drake would lose until an 85-82 defeat administered by eventual national champion UCLA on March 20 in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky.

A few paragraphs earlier, I referred to payback time against North Texas State. It happened on Feb. 11, 1969 when Drake won, 91-76, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines.

The 15-year-old kid sitting behind the Drake bench at home games in those days was John John, the youngest son of Bulldogs coach Maury John.

"I sat there at every home game," Johnny told me, "and I yelled at the officials."

Just like his father, I might add.

Maury John was famous for letting the zebras know exactly how he felt about what was going on in Drake's games.

Maury John was a Christian man, but wasn't bashful about making his opinions known when it came to officials' calls.

John John [pictured at the right] -- from here on to be called Johnny in this column -- is now one of the storytellers of Drake basketball generally, and the magical 1968-69 team specifically.

Even though he followed his dad to Iowa State, lettered as a Cyclone basketball player in 1973, 1974 and 1975 and earned his degree there, he is a Bulldog.

I knew that when he showed up at the Paul Morrison Room at Drake's Knapp Center the other day. He was wearing a Bulldog blue sleeveless sweater while appearing with athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb, former Drake player and present basketball radio broadcaster Dolph Pulliam, ex-Bulldog Rick Wanamaker and others who were talking about the 40th reunion of the 1968-69 squad Feb. 20-21.

The jerseys and numbers of three of the starters on that team -- Pulliam, Willie McCarter and Willie Wise -- will be retired permanently that weekend.

Wise recalled Johnny as a "little kid who ran up and down the floor and hung around the team" in the late-1960s.

Frankly, the retirement of three jerseys is something that should have been done shortly after Maury John's team had a 26-5 record and finished third in the Final Four.

Bob Karnes was Drake's athletic director then, and didn't like it one bit that John left after the 1970-71 season so he could coach at Iowa State.

I've always felt that was one of the big reasons Drake's administration didn't give the 1968-69 team the credit it deserved.

When Karnes died a few years ago, people were calling him an outstanding athletic director and Drake Relays director.

But I said he wasn't so outstanding because he let the best basketball coach Drake ever had get away, and he didn't make certain the university's only Final Four team didn't have some jerseys retired alongside those of Red Murrell and Lewis Lloyd.

Thank goodness Sandy Hatfield Clubb had the good sense to correct that oversight.

"As you look back on it, are you surprised the retirement of three jerseys hasn't happened long before this?" I asked John John.

Johnny was nice about it. That's what you'd expect from one of Maury John's sons.

"At this point in time, let's not dwell on that," he told me. "Let's be happy it's happening now."

Johnny's eyes glistened as he spoke.

"The one thing I would say to you is that Dad got lots of honors and recognition, but there's nothing that would have made him happier than to see these guys [members of the 1968-69 Drake team] being recognized the way they are now.

"It's great that the jerseys of Willie McCarter, Willie Wise and Dolph Pulliam will be hanging from the rafters of the Knapp Center."

I told Johnny that also hanging from the rafters will be a banner with his a photograph of his late father displayed on it.

"Frankly, he could care less," Johnny said. "It's not about him. He wanted his kids to get a great education at Drake, to graduate and to be successful in their lives. This is kind of his final recognition."

Johnny is now 55 and employed at Principal Financial in Des Moines, where he deals in individual insurance and client relations.

"I have season tickets to Drake's games, and I enjoy the team. This season, if they could shoot the ball well, they probably could beat anybody."

*

Mark Kostek, the assistant athletic director at Drake who is doing considerable legwork in putting together the 40th reunion of the 1968-69 Final Four team, was arranging the photos of the retired jerseys [shown at the left] in the Paul Morrison Room when he made a comment to me.

"Do you notice the red in the jerseys?" he said of the red stripes in the blue-on-white jerseys.

I covered many Drake basketball games in those days, but had forgotten about the red in the uniforms.

"I've heard that the red is Moberly-red," Kostek said.

Drake's colors are blue-and-white. What Kostek meant by "Moberly-red" was that Moberly [Mo.] Junior College, where Maury John won a couple of national championships, had red as one of its colors.

So Maury got some Moberly into the uniforms at the Final Four.

It's a Who's Who Of Collegiate Basketball Coaching That Shows Up Whenever Hot Prospect Harrison Barnes Of Ames High School Plays a Game

Ross Thede of the Marshalltown Times-Republican snapped this picture of collegiate coaches [left to right] Bill Self of Kansas, Billy Donovan of Florida and Todd Lickliter of Iowa when Ames improved its records to 16-0 ovrall and 8-0 in the Central Iowa Metro Conference by beating Marshalltown at the Roundhouse in Marshalltown. Self and Donovan were in the gym to [again] scout Ames junior Harrison Barnes, one of the hottest prospects in the nation's 2010 class. Lickliter no doubt looked at Barnes a lot, too, but he had another reason to be there. Mark Robinson of Iowa City points out that Marshalltown's Chanse Creekmur has committed to the Hawkeyes. Greg McDermott, Iowa State's coach, was in the gym that night also, but not in Thede's photo. McDermott's son, Doug, is also an Ames junior and is considered a Division I collegiate prospect. If Doug McDermott doesn't wind up playing at Iowa State, somebody should check the water in Ames--or Greg McDermott's recruiting abilities. I can't see Doug McDermott playing anywhere but Iowa State--assuming his dad is still coaching there. Sad to say, Greg is having another bad year with the Cyclones. They've lost their last six games.

'I Sure Didn't Want It To Be Done Posthumously,' Rick Wanamaker Says About Drake Finally Retiring the Jerseys Of 3 Bulldogs From 1969 Final Four Team

Rick Wanamaker was starting to wonder if this day would ever come. "I sure didn't want it to be done posthumously," said Wanamaker, who was a reserve center on the Drake 1968-69 basketball team that finished third in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville. Wanamaker [pictured at the left] was present in the Paul Morrison Room today at the Knapp Center when Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb confirmed what I wrote earlier this week--that the jersey numbers [pictured] of Willie McCarter [15], Dolph Pulliam [5] and Willie Wise [42] will be retired permanently by the university. McCarter, Pulliam and Wise were standouts on the best team Drake ever had -- a squad coached by Maury John that had a 26-5 record, lost to UCLA, 85-82, in its first game in the Final Four, then walloped North Carolina, 104-84, in the third-place game. The team will celebrate its 40th anniversary Feb. 20-21 in Des Moines. Three of the squad members--starter Al Williams and reserves Gary Zeller and Al Sakys are deceased, so it was high time Drake decided to retire the three jersey numbers. "Two of our coaches are also gone. You can't wait forever," said Wanamaker, referring to Maury John and assistant Gus Guydon. The only living member of the coaching staff is Dan Callahan, who will be present for the ceremonies later this month. McCarter, a standout Bulldog guard who became a first-round NBA draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers, has had serious health problems in recent years and has been pushing hard to get Drake to retire the numbers. The only jersey numbers of Drake male basketball players retired in the past were those of Phil "Red" Murrell and Lewis Lloyd. Clubb, who has been Drake's athletic director since 2006, said she didn't know why the university didn't retire the jersey numbers earlier, but added she was happy to be part of it now. "I feel privileged to be the athletic director to have this opportunity," Clubb said. Pulliam thanked Clubb and Drake for what they did. "I'm excited and honored," he said. "That was a special group of guys, and this is a special time." McCarter and Wise appeared on a conference call at the press conference. "I'd like to say I feel honored and blessed," McCarter said. "Without coach John being present in my lifetime, none of this would be happening. Drake University has never owed me -- a skinny little kid from the projects -- anything. Everything I received in my life was because of Drake, and this [retirement of the uniform numbers] is icing on the cake." Wise said, "I am so appreciative of coach John. He came out and got this little kid from San Francisco and brought me back there to Des Moines. I'd never been in the midwest, and he took a chance on me. He inserted me in the starting lineup along with these two guys [Pulliam and McCarter] and everything else is history. I owe whatever I am today to Drake University and coach Maurice John. I'm very appreciative they would even consider retiring my jersey."

Present Bulldogs In a Rut, So What Would Maury John Have Done? McCarter Says It Was the Players Who Pulled Drake Out Of Its Slump 40 Years Ago

I think I've already been on the phone eight times this week with Willie McCarter.

The former standout basketball player at Drake, and first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969, initiated most of the calls from his home in Jackson, Mich.

McCarter [pictured at the right] was keeping me informed about which of his teammates on the best team Drake has ever had -- the 1968-69 squad that went 26-5 and finished third in the NCAA Final Four at Louisville, Ky. -- would be present when the 40th reunion is held Feb. 20-21 in Des Moines.

It will be during that weekend that the jersey numbers of McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise will be retired by the university.

So, after missing two of McCarter's calls yesterday, it was my turn to call him late last night.

I missed his first call because I was taking my indoor walk after the weekly sportswriters' lunch, and I missed the second call because I was attending the performance of "Doubt" at the Des Moines Playhouse last night.

Normally, I would've been at the Drake-Creighton basketball game at the Knapp Center. But I didn't get around to changing the theater tickets to another night soon enough.

As things turned out, the play was good, evidently the basketball game wasn't so hot.

Talk about doubt, there's plenty of it surrounding Drake's present team.

The Bulldogs lost again, 79-68, last night and now they've been beaten three straight times and six times in the last seven games.

Obviously, first-year coach Mark Phelps and his players need something good to happen.

Like a celebration honoring members of the 1968-69 Bulldogs team to get the team and the crowd back into the game.

Hopefully, that's what will take place in a couple of weeks. McCarter and the other members of the 1968-69 team will be honored at a banquet Feb. 20, and McCarter, Dolph Pulliam and Willie Wise -- standouts on the team that performed so well in a different era will have their jersey numbers retired by Drake the next night.

The retirement of the numbers -- something members of the team have been awaiting for nearly 40 years -- wull take place the night Drake plays Austin Peay at 7:05 in a BracketBusters game.

Drake was hoping the Bulldogs would be playing a game that night on one of the ESPN network of stations so the telecast would be seen nationally.

But that dream ended when Drake began experiencing its current string of losses. After a promising start that included victories over Iowa State and Iowa, the Bulldogs' records have slipped to 14-10 overall and 5-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Austin Peay is 12-9.

Obviously, ESPN doesn't want a 14-10 team playing a 12-9 team on national TV.

McCarter is en route today from his home in Jackson, Mich., to Des Moines. He will be in Nevada, Ia., Friday night when his son, Toby, is added to the Nevada High School athletic hall of fame.

McCarter told me he is scheduled to call into a press conference that will start at 2 p.m. today at the Knapp Center. Athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb has scheduled the press conference to make official what I already announced earlier this week -- that Drake will retire the numbers of McCarter, Pulliam and Wise.

Those three ex-Bulldogs will join Phil "Red" Murrell and Lewis Lloyd as the only male players at Drake to have their jerseys retired.

Members of the 1968-69 team have always felt Drake's administration didn't give them enough recognition after they became the only team in school history to make it to the Final Four.

One reason was because Maury John [pictured at the left], their coach, went to Iowa State in 1971 after taking three consecutive Drake teams to the NCAA tournament.

McCarter said John John, one of Maury John's sons -- and someone who was on Iowa State teams in the 1970s -- will be present for today's press conference.

Others expected include former Bulldog players Pulliam [now a commentator on Drake radio broadcasts], Rick Wanamaker and Dale Teeter.

When I talked with McCarter late last night, he couldn't believe it that Drake had lost earlier in the evening to Creighton, 79-68, before a crowd of 5,445 in the 7,152-seat Knapp Center.

"They beat Creighton by 11 points at Creighton!" McCarter said.

Actually, by 12 points.

The Bulldogs won Jan. 24 at Omaha, 74-62, but that's been the only victory in their last seven games.

They haven't been the same team since being shocked and clobbered by Northern Iowa, 81-59, on Jan. 17 at the Knapp Center.

"I saw that game on ESPN2," McCarter said. "Drake didn't look good at all that day."

I asked McCarter what Maury John would do if faced with such a situation 40 years ago.

He turned it around by telling me that it was players themselves who got things turned around in the dramatic 1968-69 season.

Knowing John the way I did, though, it could have been that he told the players to organize their own meeting.

"We had lost back-to-back road games that season to Louisville and North Texas State," McCarter explained.

Indeed, the Bulldogs lost at Louisville, 84-70, Jan. 25, 1969, then were shellshocked, 118-99, by North Texas State in Denton, Texas, five days later.

"We, as players, decided to hold a no-holds-barred meeting after that game," McCarter explained. "We met at the airport to hash things out. It was all players, no coaches.

"We were cursing and yelling at each other. They got on my butt, telling me I wasn't coming through the way I was supposed to on offense. They got on Willie Wise about his rebounding. They got on Dolph Pulliam because of his defense.

"You know what? It worked. We didn't lose again until we played UCLA in the Final Four."

Following the debacle at North Texas State, the Bulldogs came back home to beat Memphis State, 85-72, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and followed that with a 94-71 victory over Iowa State [they had beaten the Cyclones, 81-71, earlier in the season at Ames] and thumped North Texas State by 15 points in a rematch.

In all, Drake won 12 consecutive late-season games before John Wooden's UCLA team got their number, 85-82, at Louisville.

Then came a 104-84 victory over Dean Smith's North Carolina team in the consolation game of the Final Four.

Yes, what a year it was.

I told McCarter that Drake's present team needs someone to take charge so the squad can again start playing the way it did earlier in the season.

"A lot of the problem is adjusting to a new coach [after Keno Davis' 2007-2008 Drake team went 28-5]," McCarter said.

"Do they have someone who can pull 'em by the collar and say, 'This is what we have to do?'"

"I'm not sure," I said.

But it's time to find out.

*

Drake unveiled the retired jerseys of standout members of its 1969 Final Four team today in the Paul Morrison Room at the Knapp Center. The jersey numbers of Dolph Pulliam [pictured at the left], Willie McCarter and Willie Wise will be retired in ceremonies Feb. 20-21. Pulliam wore uniform No. 5, McCarter wore No. 15 and Wise wore No. 42. Pictured, from left to right are Pulliam, Rick Wanamaker, who who was a reserve center on the 1968-69 team; John John, the youngest son of coach Maury John, and Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb.

Readers' Reaction To Yepsen's Exit from Register: 'Don't Let the Door Hit You On the Way Out;' 'Let's Pray Rekha Basu Is the Next To Go'

When R. H. of Des Moines heard that longtime political columnist David Yepsen would be the latest to leave the Register, he said in an e-mail to me:

"At least Yepsen is going out on his own terms, which means something. They wouldn't let Duffy get his coat, pencil, sketches, or even his bike he rode on during RAGBRAI."

R. H. was referring to veteran page 1 cartoonist Brian Duffy, who was escorted to the door when the Register kicked him out of the place a while back.

My first thought when the paper said Yepsen would be named director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute was, "The parent Gannett Co. is no doubt licking its chops. It can now use Yepsen's salary--listen, the guy doesn't come cheap--to help keep a sportswriter, a night janitor and maybe even editor Carolyn Washburn from being laid off."

Yepsen will make it official that he's bailing out of the paper at a 1 p.m. press conference today in Carbondale, Ill.--if he can find a way to get there.

I'm not sure they've discovered concrete yet in that part of the country so they can replace the dirt roads.

*

Truthfully, the biggest downer for Yepsen is going to be living in Carbondale. It's not exactly Excitement City. I had to go there plenty of times to cover Drake's football and basketball teams in games against Southern Illinois. I mean, if Yepsen can find anything to do in Carbondale on a weekend, more power to him.

*

The reaction to Yepsen being named head of the Simon Institute was about what you'd expect when any guy from a newspaper gets a new job.

Someone like Yepsen would like to think people respect his opinions.

That's a joke, obviously.

One of the first comments to the story on the Register's website had the old, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" reaction.

That quickly was removed this morning.

Here are some other comments from readers in this questionable era of reader-participation journalism:

"Congrats David! I'm sure you are happy to get the heck out of Dodge with this rag fishwrap. Headed by what is the biggest joke sports dept. of any newspaper in the country, The RAGister is an embarrassment to the community, the state, and Gannett. The sports dept. hates Drake and in return here is a Drake fan that hates the RAGister. What exactly does Bryce Miller do to earn a paycheck?"

And...

"Well, well well. Is Mr. Yepsen joining the ranks of the paper-shuffling, email-pdf sending, overpaid and underworked government employees? Perhaps when he does, he will return to where he started -- with a recognition that all government is not bad and there is such a thing as not enough government (think W). Perhaps he can research and write about government policies in a meaningful way and abandon the tired and overused tagline, 'government is bad' 30 second soundbite used by vacuous talking heads who have no claim to

Another comment:

"Congrats David! Now, as cost cutting sets in and as usual for the parent company, we will now not have a local political voice in the Register. It will probably 4 day old re-runs for the USA Today."

And...

"Good riddance" [although the writer, who obviously hasn't yet discovered spellcheck, actually wrote, "Good riddens."]

Another comment:

"Lets all pray that Reka is next to go."

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: The last comment was in obvious reference to columnist Rekha Basu [pictured at the left], who joins Washburn, publisher Laura Hollingsworth and the sportswriters and sports columnist as Register readers' favorite flogging targets. Anyone with an opinion in a newspaper or on a newspaper's online edition is going to catch constant hell from readers. Basu has always been easy prey for critics. Once, when I was visiting with a sports editor from an Iowa daily newspaper in the Kinnick Stadium press box at Iowa City, the guy said, "You know, Ron, the one columnist I can't stand at the Register is Rekha Basu." I told the guy, "Well, my advice to you is don't read anything she writes. That'll make your life happier." The only person in the state of Iowa -- perhaps the entire midwest -- who likely gets more hate mail than people at the Register is Mike Gartner, who used to work there. By the way, when I posted my first story about Yepsen leaving the paper, I headlined it, "Look at it this way because I know Gannett is -- here's another job the Register won't need to fill." It won't surprise me one bit if Yepsen isn't replaced. Just another way of saving money in the bloodbath that's known as the newspaper business these days.]

I Didn't Start Appreciating Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens Until Later. It's a Good Thing Their Music Lived Long After They Died

Dave Chase had a question for me today:

"Ron:

"What is your recollection about hearing the news of the Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper deaths following their concert at the Surf ballroom 50 years ago? Care to blog about it?

"Thanks,"

Dave Chase

*

Here's how I answered Dave:

Hi, Dave,

"Great hearing from you. You know what, I'd love to write something about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper as they pertain to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, but I must have been locked in a gym while watching a high school basketball game or a wrestling meet at the time. That tragedy happened during the short time I lived in Albert Lea, Minn., and was sports editor of the Albert Lea Tribune. My main job interests then were the Tigers' athletic teams. I also had plenty of other things on my mind, too. I knew that in September, 1959, I'd become a father for the first time. So I didn't have a lot of time to be thinking about music that was on the pop charts. Being in Albert Lea, I actually wasn't that far from Clear Lake, but didn't pay that much attention to what happened at the Surf. I didn't learn much about Buddy Holly until watching [and listening to] the Buddy Holly Show at the Playhouse in Des Moines in recent years. We've seen that show twice -- the second time last fall -- and liked it both times. If you have anything you'd like to share with me about Holly, the Big Bopper and Valens, please write it for me. I'd like to have your comments. Come to think of it, now that I've written this, maybe I'll put into a blog why I didn't know much about the Surf tragedy. Thanks for writing]."

*

Billy McGuigan of Omaha did a wonderful job impersonating Holly in the two shows that were held five years apart at the Playhouse.

The shows had the place rocking with such songs as "Peggy Sue," "That'll Be The Day" and "Rave On."

I've got to admit that those songs weren't among my favorites a half-century ago.

I grew up with slower music by Joni James, Kitty Kallen, Tony Bennett, the Ames Brothers, the Mills Brothers and other groups -- stuff that had a meaning and lyrics we could understand. My younger brother followed Buddy Holly [pictured at the right], J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson [pictured at the left] and Ritchie Valens.

However, I've come to appreciate Holly, the Bopper and Valens more in recent years.

Drake Will Retire the Jersey Numbers Of Standouts McCarter, Pulliam and Wise When the 1968-69 NCAA Final Four Team Has Its 40th Reunion Feb. 20-21

I've got some great [and long overdue] news today for the players on Drake's 1968-69 NCAA Final Four basketball team and their fans.

I've been told that the university will retire the jersey numbers of three premier players -- Willie McCarter [No. 15], Dolph Pulliam [No. 5] and Willie Wise [No. 42] -- when the squad is honored at its 40th reunion Feb. 20-21 in Des Moines.

Feb. 21 is the day of Drake's BracketBusters game against Austin Peay, an Ohio Valley Conference university from Clarksville, Tenn. The 1968-69 team will be honored at a banquet Feb. 20.

The way I hear it, athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb deserves the credit for Drake's decision to retire the players' numbers. Some of the players on the 1968-69 team are often outspoken, and she quickly learned that there was some unhappiness among them about the lack of credit given the team.

Sandy has been Drake's athletic director since May 30, 2006, and she's been good for the university. Retiring the numbers of three standout players from the only Final Four team Drake has ever had is another positive move on her part.

The 1968-69 team, which was coached by Maury John, was the best Drake has ever had.

Although its 26-5 record wasn't quite as good as the 28-5 season Keno Davis' 2007-2008 team had, the squad of 40 years ago finished third in the Final Four -- losing to eventual champion UCLA, 85-82, in the first game and walloping North Carolina, 104-84, in the third-place game.

Better late than never, I guess, for what's going to take place in less than three weeks.

Players on the 1968-69 team have never felt they received the recognition they deserved from the university.

I covered most of the team's games, and many more in later seasons. I always believed one reason previous administrations at Drake were reluctant to give more fanfare to the 1968-69 players was because Maury John resigned from the university and took the Iowa State coaching job in nearby Ames after coaching the Bulldogs to three consecutive NCAA tournaments.

"I've been told that the three other teams that competed in the 1969 Final Four at Louisville, Ky. [champion UCLA, North Carolina and Purdue] have all retired the numbers of some of their players," McCarter said. "Drake is the only team that hasn't retired any of the players' numbers from the Final Four team."

It has always irritated the players on Drake's 1968-69 squad, and their fans, that the only two men's uniform numbers retired by the university have been the No. 33 of Phil "Red" Murrell, who played for the Bulldogs from 1955-58, and the No. 30 of Lewis Lloyd, who was at Drake from 1979-81.

Lloyd, who owns the Drake record season scoring average [30.2], was suspended after the 1986-87 season by the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association for cocaine abuse.

Despite being invited back a number of times to the Drake campus since his playing days ended, he has never returned.

Drake players kept hearing that the reason no members of the 1968-69 team had their numbers retired by the school was because the school might someday run out of numbers -- something they scoffed at.

Interestingly, a player who wore McCarter's No. 15 on last season's standout Drake team was Adam Emmenecker, who was named the most valuable player in the Missouri Valley Conference.

McCarter and Emmenecker are pictured together in the photo at the top after a Drake game last season. McCarter is at the right, Emmenecker at the left. Emmenecker is now playing professional basketball for a team in Germany.

When I asked McCarter how he would feel if Drake would retire his jersey number and those of Pulliam and Wise, he said, "I'd feel great and the other players would feel great. But no player is going to campaign to have his number retired. That would be selfish."

In addition to displaying the retired jersey numbers of McCarter, Pulliam and Wise, I'm told Drake also plans to hang a banner at the Knapp Center with the names of all the players on the 1968-69 team on it, as well as a photograph of Maury John.

McCarter, a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers after his Drake career ended, told me he has decided to come back for the reunion after earlier saying he planned to skip it.

It is still uncertain if Wise [pictured at the left] and another starter -- guard Don Draper -- will return for the ceremony.

Wise has told friends that he will be busy with mission work for his church. Draper now lives in Arizona, and has not given anyone a commitment that he will return.

Pulliam [shown with me in the photo at the right] is now an assistant to the president at Drake, and does commentary on radio broadcasts of the Bulldogs' basketball games.

For a while, it looked like Pulliam would be the only starter from 1968-69 who would be back for the reunion. McCarter, Wise and Draper said they weren't coming, and Al Williams is deceased.

Now things have changed, and McCarter is trying to talk any teammates who are wavering about coming back to make the trip.

"Coach John always taught us that the team wasn't about 'I' -- it was about 'us,'" McCarter said. "After thinking that I wouldn't come back for the reunion, I've decided I should be there."

McCarter said he never thought he'd see a black man become president of the United States and he never thought his Drake number would be retired.

"When Obama was elected president, I figured that one out of two ain't bad," he told me.

McCarter, 63, has had numerous health problems in recent years. He's had several strokes and has undergone surgery.

"I almost died four years ago," he told me, "and I had already made my funeral arrangements."

McCarter said he has left a message on Draper's voicemail, and he has attempted to contact Wise.

"I would hope that everyone except the three deceased players can be back for this celebration," he said.

Williams, a starter, and reserves Al Sakys and Gary Zeller have died.

McCarter said he expects other members of Drake's 1968-69 team here for the reunion, including Rick Wanamaker, Dale Teeter, Bob Mast, Larry Sharp, Jim O'Dea and Gary Odom.

Also present will be Dan Callahan, the only member of the coaching staff who is still alive. Maury John and assistant Gus Guydon are deceased.

"Coach John's two sons, Maurice, Jr., and John John, will be there," McCarter said. "Mrs. [Jean] John, Coach John's widow, has not been in good health recently, but if she can't make it to the celebration I'll visit her wherever she is."