When Retired Sportswriters Get It Right

It's a few weeks old, but worth the trip.

Check out Ron Maly rightfully taking the Register to task. Nice shot of Erin Andrews, too. Her accessories tell you all you need to know.

Peterclone

All In?

Short version of the football season ticket plan and the SUI game:

This is much like calling the Statue Of Liberty in OT of the Fiesta Bowl: If it works and you sell 45k+ season tickets, you are a flipping genius. If you only sell 35K and the stadium is half empty for the SUI game, you are an idiot.

JP is asking Cyclone Fan to quit bitching about the quality of the football program and pony up the cash it will take to get there. Selling 45K+ season tickets is goal #1.

In or out, Cyclone Fan? In or out?

Peterclone

Tempo

I had not seen the wrestling team since watching them on the telly wet themselves while losing to SUI.

They have changed completely, in the best of ways.

Gone is the overly technical, score-just-enough-to-win-or-at-least-don't-do-anything-stupid-to-lose style, and in its place is a probing, carefully aggressive, take-no-prisoners style of wrestling. It's not the overcranked street fight that Old Time SUI Wrestling was, but this is fun to watch. Even an underdog is on the mat looking to score and make the other guy beat him, not just running and hiding, trying to not get majored.

If the team continues to improve at anything like its present rate, they will be scary at B12's (B5's?) and NCAA's.

Nice work, boys.

Peterclone

Head Games

Somehow, McDermott convinced his layers they could win despite glaring weaknesses as a team, and they started a strong 2-1.

Now the players have convinced themselves they are nothing but weaknesses and have lost two games they should have won.

I suspect that Huggins has a special place in his heart for ISU after Floyd's boys upset a pretty good Cincy team in the NCAA's a decade ago. I fully expect KSU's best shot each and every time ISU appears on their schedule. Yuk.

Much hay will need to be made after the turn.

Peterclone

You are always hardest on your own

An anonymous comment from the Register's website in regards to an article titled: "Alford to Big Men: Do More"

"Iowa fans to Steve Alford: Go away. You couldn't coach the Globetrotters past a bucket of confetti."

Brilliant. Damn brilliant.

Peterclone

Follow Through

Most teams worth their salt can execute a game plan that will give an underdog a chance to win at home.

Few teams have the "testicular fortitude" to follow through a game plan on the road against an honestly bad team and win.

We know ISU is in the former camp. Whether they belong in the latter camp will be revealed in Boulder.

Peterclone

This Is Getting Interesting

Watching the first half, I thought ISU was cooked: Nebraska was making both threes and scoring in the paint, and ISU was struggling to keep up.

But the defensive effort in the second half allowed ISU to make a 26-12 run to open the game up, and solid free throw shooting down the stretch iced it for the Cyclones when Nebraska crawled back in. Hilton started jumping during that stretch after halftime, and you could smell the good times coming back.

Trust me, TV people absolutely love Hilton at full roar, and it was getting good for about 8 minutes of clock time in the second half.

The yellow ponchos on Cyclone Alley was a little silly, but it looked great on TV.

Too bad the Jayhawks appear to be at top form right now. Pull that one off, Mac, and there will be a brawl to get the last seats on the bandwagon.

Peterclone

Retired Sportswriter Mistakes, Espisode 2

Ron Maly complains that Wells Fargo doesn't need a hotel next door. Wrong.

The sole reason why Wells has been passed over for NCAA wrestling and basketball events is because, well, it doesn't have a hotel next door.

One of the prime selling points of the joint was that it would bring in NCAA wrestling and basketball events. If that's going to happen, more building must go on.

I love the "Who wants to get mugged or their purse snatched walking to a downtown hotel line". Dang, I didn't know downtown DSM was so violent. Alert the Gannet News Outlet. He says folks would rather drive to Big Box Land in West Des Moines to spend the night, after eating at an overpriced chain restaurant I suppose.

I probably shouldn't tell Ron that I took a bus to a Blackhawks game (yes, public transportation), and walked six blocks to a show while staying in a downtown hotel in Chicago.

Somehow, I didn't get mugged. My wife doesn't carry a purse, for the record.

Judging by the crowds I saw in Chicago and at other cities with downtown arenas, I think people would like the option of staying next to the Well. Since the NCAA pretty much requires it, it's going to happen.

Peterclone

Kirk can thank or curse Nick

If Kirk Ferentz had any dreams of coaching in the NFL, Nick Saban may have dampened them.

I suspect a cooling off period has begun in the heavy petting between Big Time College Football coaches and Stupid Rich NFL Owners after Saban's disappearing act. It appears that career NFL guys make better NFL coaches, or, inversely, college success means nothing in the NFL.

Granted, Kirk's .500 record the last two years has cooled the rumor mill, too. So it goes.

I second everything Mike Hlas says, too.

Peterclone

Plus Minus

There is a stat in hockey called the plus/minus. It tracks who is on the ice when each goal is scored, and gives a point to each player on the scoring team, and subtracts one from each player scored upon team.

If basketball tracked the same kind of stat, Corey McIntosh would be minus. Very minus. Bad things seem to happen when he's in the game.

He's a bit like Glen Worley was at SUI, minus the dad trying to coach from the second row. It seemed that every time SUI lost a game, Glen had something to do with it. He played under a very dark cloud.

Hopefully Corey's cloud dissipates.

Peterclone

38 Minutes Of Hell

Too bad ISU had the perfect two minutes they needed.

The gauntlet has been thrown down to the rest of the league by Mac: I may have the most incomplete team in the league, but if you let us hang around, we'll steal the game from you.

Slowing down the tempo to a crawl when Mizzou wants to run: brilliant!
Slapping on the press in the final minute when you hadn't used it in forever: brilliant!
Getting more points from your bench than your starters: brilliant!

Gee, maybe this guy can coach after all.

Peterclone

It's all about the Benjamins

Cyclone Fanatic has begun an interesting thread asking the group who they feel is in a better long-term position, ISU or SUI.

To me there is no discussion: It's SUI.

As long as SUI maintains a fat athletic budget- the official number is 50% larger than ISU, but I suspect the "in-kind" monies make it at least double- they will succeed at a higher level than ISU in the aggregate.

Look down the list of the top twenty teams in any non-revenue sport. 15 will be from a Big Time Football School, and the other 5 are Ivy/Private and have massive endowments to spend on sports. Schools that are on a pay-as-you-go budget like ISU may have moments in the sun, but will generally be also rans.

It's all about the money. Pluck and hard work only go so far.

Peterclone

Ladies grind one out

Boy, that was tough to watch.

Bill's squads have always been susceptible to physical defense (translation: getting pushed around on offense when the refs "let them play") and KU is back to trying to push people around and call it defense.

Fortunately, KU also stinks on offense, and ISU put on a big push down the stretch to pull out a 61-50 win. The refs certainly didn't eat their whistles tonight, as ISU got 31 points at the line. Ouch.

I hope they draw as many fouls on their return trip to Lawrence, or they might come away with an L.

Peterclone

Frontrunners

Until last season, I described Mack Brown as the coach who had done the least with the most. He has now returned to form.

Losses to mediocre Kansas State and horrid a$m dropped UT all the way to the Alamo bowl and a date against an underachieving Iowa squad that managed only 2 conference wins.

The result? A come from behind win where UT found itself down 14-0, and almost 21-3. Only a botched halfback option saved the Longhorns.

Perhaps no program plays down to the level of the competition when nothing is on the line more than UT. While Iowa put forth its best effort of the season- an effort that would have won games against NW, Indy and Minny- Texas' lack of effort dug the hole.

Naturally, Iowa draws an indifferent Texas squad, but ISU seldom gets a shot at that.

It is understandable that UT's players didn't care. When you are having smoke blown up your skirt from the age of seven, a date with a 6-6 team in a possibly third-tier bowl doesn't get your juices flowing no matter how many sprints you are given in practice leading up to it. It goes with the territory of being highly gifted, and knowing it.

Give me a squad of three-star lunchbucket types any day. They won't win every game, but they will have the courtesy to show up and work hard every week.

Gene- remember this when you are out recruiting. You need both kinds of kid to win.

Peterclone

One Step Back

I watched the game twice off the TiVo. To say ISU struggled to find an offensive rythym in Iowa City would be nice.

For once, I thought Alford had a good game plan: Ball pressure. Whoever had the ball was forced to do something with it. In an offense that is still looking down, trying to follow the footsteps taped to the floor, it was a recipe for disaster. The result was 26 turnovers. The Cyclones looked somewahat confused on defense, and completely discombobulated on offense.

If you remove all the layups SUI got off of turnovers, ISU had a pretty good night from the defensive shooting percentage standpoint. They rebounded like mothers. SUI made some Every-Piece-Of-Garbage-Is-Going-In shots to boot.

SUI was clearly ready to go for this one, coming off their epic collapse against UNI. When they are in their usual Big 1011 free-fall in February we can snicker that they put waaaay too much emphasis on the ISU game.

Things will get better, but while this team is climbing the learning curve, there are going to be stinky stretches like we are in right now.

Peterclone

Margin

An interesting subplot of tonight's SUI-ISU game: SUI really, really, really needs this game to keep their hopes of an NCAA bid alive.

SUI already has 5 losses, which when added to an optimistic 8-8 Big 1011 record, leaves them with 13 losses. If they split their games against ISU and Drake- no guarantees there- they end with 14 losses, a bubble total to be sure. An 8-8 league finish may include a few quality wins, but would most likely include a few bad losses, too. They need all the help they can get.

It is far too early to say a home win over a rebuilding ISU will get SUI into the tourney, but a loss will dig the hole another foot or two deeper.

Here's a shovel, boys- keep up the fine work.

Peterclone

Head Games

Technically, Iowa State looked like they knew what they were doing on the mat Sunday.

But they have miles to go in the mental game.

Peak in March and all is forgiven.

Peterclone

Too Little, Too Late

Teams that get down 16 with 8 to go can't complain when things don't work out in the end.

Can the Cyclones exchange a horrid game against Drake for the best effort of the year in Iowa City? That would be nice to see.

Peterclone

Overinflated Expectations

The spinning has begun.

Fans of SUI have already started raising the expectation bar so high that Chizik is doomed, in their eyes, to failure.

Exhibit A.- Ron Maly, retired Register sportswriter. Check out some of his list of what Gene must do to keep his (and Jamie's) job:

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1. He must beat Iowa four times every five years. In his one loss to the Hawkeyes in that five-year period, his team can'’t lose by more than three points. Chizik'’s first victory in the series must come next season, when Iowa plays at Iowa State.

2. Both Texas and Oklahoma play in Ames next season -- the Longhorns on Oct. 13, the Sooners on Oct. 20. Chizik needs to beat one of those teams- preferably Texas, the place he'’s leaving.

7. His Cyclones need to win the Big 12 North championship -- preferably next season or no later than the season after that.

8. Chizik'’s teams need to beat Nebraska two years out of every three. Sticking it to the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, where some people still aren't sure Iowa State has a football program, will be important.

9. Chizik needs to be voted the Big 12 coach of the year very soon.
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Beat SUI four of five? Beat the Huskers two of three? Beat Texas or OU next year? Win the North in the next two years? Is he insane?

I doubt St. Kirk, The Three Million Dollar Man and The State's Highest Paid Employee, could do that, or would be expected to, either. I don't know that Pete Carroll and half of his USC team could accomplish that- let alone a rookie coach with massive holes in the two-deep. Be rational.

Iowa fans (and ex-sportswriters) are trying to paint the dismissal of McCarney as "He didn't win enough" which I think misses the point. Dan probably did win enough to hang around. But he lost too much, to bad teams, to be rewarded with more years.

If Kirk went 0-8 and 1-7 in the 1011 in the span of four years, would he be retained? I don't think so. Why should ISU settle for that.

And give Gene at least a Spring Game before you start setting goals neither he- nor the miracle workers in Iowa City- can meet.

Peterclone

5-4

The Cy-Hawk closes to 5-4 with a Women's Hoops win in Iowa City.

Well done, especially for doing it the hard way, spotting The Team Out East 11 points after the tip.

Next up: the most anticipated ISU-SUI wrestling meet in recent memory.

Peterclone