Is Ferentz worth the money? Is McCarney underrated? What's in Keith's CD player?

Is Kirk Ferentz worth $2.7 million a season? Of course he is, or Iowa wouldn't pay it. Ferentz creates a lot more money than he makes. It's smart of him to give some to charity. Should take the edge off some of the resentment and jealousy.

Athlon Sports names Dan McCarney one of the five most UNDERrated college football coaches. Something for Mac's critics to think about. Remember, before McCarney, no bowl games in memory and no wins over Iowa. Since McCarney, five bowls in six years, 6 wins over Iowa in 8 years. ISU needs to finish games, and not get so conservative, but Mac's in no danger. Shouldn't be either.

If you're a Cyclone fan concerned about Greg McDermott's ability to pull big recruits, worry about something else. Craig Brackins is just the beginning. McDermott will succeed at ISU.

Give Steve Alford credit. If he'd rather be at Indiana, he's not acting like it. He's having his best off-season at Iowa. Alford and his new staff have put together Iowa's best recruiting class in memory.

Of course, both the above paragraphs mean very little. If there's one thing I've learned, it's don't count on any recruits until you see them in uniform playing, and even then, the player often doesn't match the hype (e.g. Shawn Taggart).

We still can't believe our eyes when it comes to MLB. Jason Grimsley reportedly told federal investigators he switched from steroids to human growth hormone (or HGH) because baseball still doesn't test for it. HGH works much like a steroid, and allows all kinds of competitive advantages. The D-Backs promptly cut Grimsley, but reports say he's ready to name a "boatload" of current players using HGH. Why didn't baseball do the right thing the first time, and test for this too? Bottom line, I'm suspicious of everybody and that SUCKS.

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but I think I'll watch a few World Cup games. Those promos with by boy, Bono, must be getting to me. Just play "Where the Streets Have No Name" and I'm hooked.

There are passionate World Cup fans in Des Moines. We found one. Southside Gino. He'll be our viewer correspondent throughout the Cup. He did the same things four years ago. Gino was born in Italy but he's "USA all the way!" (read that with an Italian accent for authenticity).

I have another must see TV show, but unfortunately it's not on channel 13. "Rescue Me" on FX is phenomenal. It's raw, but real. Denis Leary is so good in this, you can't see him acting.

Another winner at the Des Moines Playhouse: The Foreigner. Very funny. If you haven't thought of the Playhouse lately, please do. It's a great way to spend an evening, and better entertainment than most of the movies we're now paying 8 bucks to see. Plus, it's LIVE.

Answers to recent e-mail questions:
I have a 6-CD changer in the car, so I have six albums going, not one. I wish the question was my favorite albums, but here's what's actually in:

The Legend of Johnny Cash. The voice of my early childhood. I love this album. It spans Cash's entire career and shows why he's a legend (hence the title).

Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits. My girlfriend, Jenny, loves these guys, and although this isn't typically my thing, I've got to admit it's great. No wonder they self-destructed. Too much energy.

Coldplay: X & Y. I can't help it. "Fix You" is a great song. Sounds like something my favorite band, U2, would have writtend and recorded, which leads me to...

U2: Rattle & Hum. This is my most played U2 album. It's U2 at their most self-indulgent and bombastic, which to me is U2 at their best. Critics strongly disagree. The only minus is that the highlight of the movie, U2 performing the song "Bad", is inexplicably not included on the soundtrack. I suppose it's because it's already on "Wide Awake in America". Big plus: B.B. King and Bono on "When Love Comes to Town".

Loverboy Classics. Okay, now you know I'm telling the truth. Yes, it's a guilty pleasure. About every other time I'm on with Deace, he bumps in on a Loverboy song, and that rush of feelings from college frat parties made me buy the Classics. I'm not disappointed either. "Lovin' Every Minute of It" still rocks.

Kanye West: Late Registration. This guy may be as good as he thinks he is. Even if you're tired of the overplayed "Gold Digger", there's plenty here. Songs with beats this fierce shouldn't make you think too, but these do.

Alright, next answer: Erin Kiernan is really nice and a lot of fun. I'm happy to have the chance to work with her. Sounds like the PR department wrote that, but I mean every word.

To Craig in Ames, thanks for remembering my "fat year" at channel 5. Like many men, I reached my late twenties---and 20 extra pounds---before realizing I could no longer eat whatever I wanted while exercising less than John Kruk. I still eat as much as I want, but now I eat healthier foods and make better bad choices.

Exercising remains a chore, and when you're as busy as I am, it seems there's never enough time in the day. Being a single dad raising four kids removes any chance of going to the gym every day, so I have to work out at home, and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible. I'm not one of those people---like Erin Kiernan---who loves to exercise. Therefore, I highly recommend the Quatro Fitness program (www.quatrofitness.com) . You exercise as little as 4 minutes, and at most 12 minutes, and that takes care of your strength training and fat melting cardio, but it is an intense four minutes of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. It helps me because it takes away the no time excuse, and I'd rather go hard for 12 minutes, than soft for 60. Highly respected fitness trainer Ryan Lee runs the Quatro Fitness site, and he's always personally answered my questions. I use the dumbbell and body weight DVDs, but I'll let you in on a little secret. If you join the members only club on the web site ($9.95 a month), all the workouts on the DVDs are included for free, along with many additional workouts and a lot of other cool stuff. I get nothing for mentioning this, but from time to time---to my surprise---some of you ask how I've stayed in shape over the years, especially those of you who remember the "fat year". Well, I have to work at it, but I've never found a more efficient way than Quatro Fitness. It really works.

Here's how you know you have kids, when your summer vacation is at Jellystone Park. And I can't wait! I'll be gone for a while. Please keep Andy on his toes, and send me an e-mail if you have any thoughts or questions. I'll try to answer them.

keith.murphy@whotv.com