Did you happen to catch Marty & Miller Thursday afternoon on KXNO? It was riveting radio. Marty & Miller's guest was an executive from the Big Ten Network, and not only did they ask him every imaginable tough question, they told him the Network was being foolish, arrogant, and condescending in its fight with Mediacom. The sparks were flying the way they were when Marty had Jamie Pollard's voice climbing three octaves of frustration a few months ago. The Big Ten guy had just come from a rally of like-minded Hawkeye fans, Ken called them Kool-Aid drinkers, and the suit couldn't figure out why anyone would be opposed to his Network.

Marty & Miller occasionally act on hearsay instead of actual facts, but they deserve credit for being real with their interview subjects. Too often, hosts bash a sports figure until he's on the air with them, then it's all compliments and softballs. Not these guys. Plus, Marty & Miller know what makes good radio, and confrontation, if not faked, definitely qualifies...

With more than 3,000 votes in 24 hours, 87% of you say you're not willing to pay an extra $1.10 a month to receive the Big Ten Network. In a separate poll, 93% say you side with Mediacom. These results aren't scientific but they are telling, and they tell me the Big Ten Network has some work to do. It's not good for the Big Ten when most people side with Mediacom despite the PR nightmare with KDSM (i.e. Sinclair Broadcast Group) just 7 months ago...

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told central Iowans in a put pressure on Mediacom luncheon that the Network might broadcast the RAGBRAI race. Race? Here's another word that starts with "r": research...

I don't have a dog in this fight---Scratch that; Michael Vick has made that expression morbid--- I really don't care who wins the staring contest, I just want the Big Ten Network on my TV options come September. If I don't have it, I'll have to abandon Mediacom, which I don't want to do...

Common question these days: Which pro league commissioner faces the biggest crisis? Here's the way I see it:

1) David Stern, NBA. Evidence and allegations that an NBA official bet on, and perhaps fixed, games shake the public trust that's essential to thriving, if not surviving. There's a reason the Black Sox Scandal nearly ruined Major League Baseball. We must believe what we're seeing is real, or you might as well hire Vince McMahon as commish. Who doesn't look at that Spurs-Suns playoff debacle differently now?
2) Bud Selig, MLB. Major League Baseball continues to set attendance marks, so it's on strong ground, but Selig should share in the embarrassment that is Barry Bonds. Bonds is merely the figurehead for the ugly steroid era, partly because he's such a jerk, and mostly because he's going to bring down the most hallowed record in all of sport. He wouldn't be close without the use of wide-ranging "supplements". He'd still be great, and still be a jerk, just not as great, and not as jerky.
3) Roger Gooodell, NFL. The accusations against Vick are beyond disturbing, and I'm sure he's not the only NFL player caught up in the ugly subculture of pit bull-induced-machismo, but the Feds indicted Vick, and he's likely going to jail. Goodell had already wisely started dropping hammers on these boneheads who don't get it. We trust the league; we just don't trust some of the guys in it.

Of course, whoever runs the Tour de France needs to just resign and cancel the race until they can clean it up. What a joke. I continue trying to believe that even though virtually all of the world's best cyclists have been caught doping or are tied to cheating, that Lance Armstrong found a way to win seven straight on willpower, but I'd be lying if I didn't say logical doubts creep in. That's more an indictment of the sport than recent allegations against Lance...

I lost it laughing on SoundOFF Sunday night. I couldn't help it. B-Ross and I did a "skit" on the Chizik Coins and the director stayed on the video beyond our expectations and we came out of character. You can watch me laugh like a girl, again, on I Think at whotv.com I can't help that these Chizik coins make me laugh. It's worked out well for Community State Bank, but I chuckle every time I think of putting the face of a man who has yet to win a single college football game anywhere on a coin. Chizik deserves props for saying his 6 year old wondered the same thing. I realize Chizik's just doing what was asked and trying to help Iowa State...

Chizik's hiring of his friend from Texas as Iowa State's "volunteer life skills adviser" proves the football coach got just what he wanted, and I'd guess, what he was promised when he was hired. Chizik often mentions he chose Iowa State because of the AD and President's commitment to do whatever it takes to win. Chizik wanted the chaplain, and for all intents and purposes, he has his man. His exact man...

Shawn wonders who's left to play D-back for the Hawkeyes. Good question. Might be time to worry a little, and give thanks for the relatively easy schedule. I still see Iowa winning 8 or 9 games...

I'm taking the boys to The Simpsons Movie today. I honestly think we're going because of the song Homer sings on the commercial, "Spider Pig, Spider Pig...does whatever a Spider Pig does." Well, that and 18 years of consistently good shows... (update: Loved it. A grade of A if you're already a convert, B if you rarely or never watch the Simpsons.)

Fitness recommendation of the week: Female athletes looking to take their fitness, and therefore their game, to the next level should check out www.6minutecircuits.com Actually, the plan works well for women (and men) just trying to burn fat and get in shape. John Barban sent me the workouts to try, and they're well designed and effective. It's more than a middle-aged sportscaster needs (I'm still recovering), but my teenage son is now doing them to prepare for football season. If you have any questions, John will answer them personally at John@grrlathlete.com

I just read Felicity Huffman's A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants To Be One - For Every Girl Who Wants To Build One. It's full of good tips like, "How to look like you're listening, even when you're not (If you're busted, just say "You're so pretty, I'm distracted.") It also warns us to never, ever wear tighty-whities...

Don't miss Shawn Terrell's interview with Ernie "Schoolboy" Johnson. The former Negro Leagues star from Des Moines doesn't just discuss history, he helped make it. The interview is on 13 Raw, and you can see some really cool and important paintings and memorabilia from the Negro Leagues at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines through October 28th...

Can't believe it, but I'm hooked on VHI's Scott Baio is 45 and Single. There are so many guys I know who could learn from this show, and at one point, I was one of them. I can wrap up the wisdom in one sentence---Appreciate what you have instead of searching for what you don't have---but it's fun to watch someone else take the journey...

Thank you for the nice notes, and even the critical ones, in the feedback. I appreciate all opinions, even those that are wrong... (editor's note: the last part is a joke.)

Hope to see you at Zearing Days Saturday. I'll be the guy in the outfield trying not to rip his hamstring (Well, one of two guys if John Bachman plays)...

Finally a shout out to Kendra Daly. Thank you for the gear from the Tim Dwight and Nate Kaeding football camps. It's so nice, it's worth attending for the gear alone. I'm passing it out to kids in the neighborhood, and they love it. Much appreciated...

Michael Vick is an idiot. Even if he didn't personally hang and electrocute dogs, and he may have, it's beyond a stretch to think all this despicable criminal activity went down on his property without him knowing. The Feds don't indict unless they're sure they've got you, and I think Vick's headed to prison...

Kudos to Greg McDermott for booting team MVP Mike Taylor. Taylor never did anything violent---like Berryman---or truly awful---like Pierce, but he was one of those guys who just doesn't get it. How many second chances do you want? McDermott's not just talking a tough game, he's following through. The Cyclones will be better for it. I'm so sick of coaches who say they're disciplinarians, and are as long as it's a second or third team player in trouble, but once it's a star, we're treated to the same old speech about due process or second chances. Nice job, Greg...

For the first time in a long time, I'm encouraged that the sports culture is slowly changing. I think everybody has had it up to HERE with thugs. The NFL & NBA Commissioners seem to sense we're all sick of these pampered and spoiled athletes acting like they're entitled to whatever they want, laws be damned, and we're supposed to keep paying to watch them play. Enough already. They're blessed with a great opportunity. If they don't appreciate it, toss them out on their butts...

The Big Ten Network and Mediacom better figure this TV deal out soon. Does anyone want to hear more spin from each side? The one thing that should not happen, cannot happen, is no option. Put the channel somewhere. I sat in disbelief last January when KDSM went to color bars on my Mediacom cable, and couldn't believe I had to break out the tinfoil and rabbit ears for the BCS title game...

Some Major League players are not the most agreeable guys to deal with when they're sent to Des Moines for rehab or because they're demoted. I'm happy to report Cubs closer Ryan Dempster was really cool, couldn't have been nicer to Shawn Terrell & Chris Hassel...

My friend B-Ross loves to defend Barry Bonds. He knows I think Bonds is a jerk who cheated the game and (soon) sport's most hallowed record. Nothing will change my mind about that, but B-Ross makes a good point when he says "at least Bonds aint no phony". True. And "at least Barry didn't put the hurt on anyone else". Also true, unless you count the scores of people he's verbally abused, but point taken. Bonds is not a good guy, but there are far worse role models in sports (see first paragraph)...

Zach Johnson needs to find the joy in golf again. He's been pulled in so many directions since winning the Masters; he looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has trouble saying "no", and it's wearing him out...

Our other Johnson, Shawn, is going to go from star to superstar next summer. I think the West Des Moines dynamo will win the women's gymnastics all-around gold medal, which is the most watched night of television at the summer Olympics (think Mary Lou Retton). Shawn has the total package of appeal, and five medals (four gold) at the Pan Am Games proves she's a force...

Which Johnson is a bigger star? Vote on the whotv.com sports page...

As promised, took the kids to High School Musical at the Des Moines Playhouse. It was packed full of parents and grandparents with their kids, and I saw nothing buy smiling faces on the way out (I can't imagine how many hours the young and talented cast had to log to get all the choreography down). The story is beyond simple and G-rated right out of the 50's, but my boys loved it. The only problem is Cade (age 6) wanted to rent the movie, and it was checked out everywhere, so I had to splurge for the full $20. While shopping, Cade discovered this entire cottage industry of High School Musical stuff. I should never go in to Target...

Shawn Terrell keeps playing Go Cubs Go here in the office, and I can't get it out of my head. Not sure I want to either. They're on a roll...

Chris Hassel says mascots kind of freak him out. You know, the way they stare at you and never blink. We changed his screensaver to Cubbie Bear. Chris nearly had to go home sick...

Things I'm thankful for on TV this week: The incomparable Denis Leary is back on Rescue Me; Scott Baio is Single and 45 is actually entertaining and wise; The Bronx is Burning is not very good, but I still enjoy all things baseball. Well, not all. I tried to get a refund for Major League 3...

Can't wait to see Rescue Dawn. It looks awesome...

Jamie Pollard has what my grandpa called big onions. I'm not even sure how Pollard walks around. The House Speaker asks for 175 tickets to the Iowa-Iowa State football game and Pollard tells Pat Murphy he'll need 175 season tickets. Onions! Murphy turned to the U of I and got what he wanted.

I recently sent Pollard an e-mail. I asked ISU's Athletic Director if he'd sell a Cy-Hawk single game ticket to any of the following people:

Tiger Woods
President Bush
The Pope

So far, no response. I'll keep you posted...

I want to thank all the nice people who sent thoughtful notes about Heather Burnside taking over the co-host role on SoundOFF. It blew me away how many of you care about the show, and worried about who would sit in that chair. While I know, and you know, no person is going to be met with 100% acceptance, I think Heather's a great fit. She's bright, quick, and irreverent---not to mention thick-skinned; a prerequisite for SoundOFF. The show continues to evolve, just as it always has. Look for more tweaks this week...

By the way, Marty Tirrell's rant about suing Heather was hilarious. Heather affectionately said on SoundOFF that Marty was "nuts". The next day on KXNO'S Marty & Miller, Marty said repeatedly he was going after her for libel and defamation of character. I couldn't believe how many people bought it. Heather says she had 17 voice mails when she got home. Marty and Heather like each other. The whole gag reminded me of two other times Marty & Miller had people going. One involved Bob Costas, the other Zach Johnson; so Heather's in good company...

It's softball season. If you're interested in taking on the channel 13 team, and you have a paramedic nearby, please contact our softball guru, B.Ross. He can be reached at brian.ross@whotv.com (now you know his whole name). In two weeks, we'll be defending our titles at Zearing Days, one for softball and one for partying. I wasn't much help with either championship last year. I tore a hamstring, had to stop playing, and used the cold beer cans to ice my thigh. What a pathetic story that is...

Props to the Iowa Speedway for going right to work on that traffic nightmare of June 24th. The gravel is down, and I'm looking forward to taking the family out to watch Mark Martin and company Friday night...

The hot dog eating contest is out of control. I'm happy an American won on the 4th of July, but did we really need to see a legend like Kobayashi trying to swallow his own puke?! That's what he was doing. Throwing up in his mouth. The same thing I did when I heard Ann Coulter's latest diatribe...

Speaking of the book selling hate speak Ms. Coulter's been spewing... It made me sad that my recent criticism of her made so many people certain I must have a political agenda. It's come to that America? You speak out against hurtful hate and you're labeled? Interestingly, when I blasted Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton for some their recent nonsense, none of the people who ripped me and defended Coulter seemed to have any problem with the knocks on the reverends. I know because I have all the e-mails. When did we get so divided? I hate it...

Enough of the that. There was a water polo tournament in Des Moines this past weekend. The sport takes incredible endurance and skill. You hardly ever see coverage, so we responded to their news release and sent Chris Hassel to do a story. One problem: no interviews! A sport desperate for attention turns away publicity. Try to make sense of that. Oh well, we showed highlights anyway...

I love college football. We have room for Grand View. Welcome to America's favorite sport Vikings fans...

My annual check of flags flying the colors at Clear Lake on Independence Day showed marked improvement for Iowa State, but still no top two ranking. Here is my unscientific findings on the flag top 3:
1 United States
2 Iowa Hawkeyes
3 ISU Cyclones
4 Notre Dame

Seriously, what the heck was Tony LaRussa thinking? I can't believe it, but I was really into the All-Star game. It was like I was a kid again, back when the game mattered because the starters played more, there was no interleague play, and TV hadn't watered down the wow factor of seeing the stars in living color. So after Alfonso Soriano pulls the NL within 1 in the bottom of the 9th, the AL keeps walking batters, but Pujols just sits there PEEVED. LaRussa says he was saving him. Saving him for WHAT! You can't play extra innings unless you tie the game first...

Ichiro is the real deal. I'd pay to watch him play any day. In fact, I did, down in Kansas City a couple years ago and he hit a grand slam. The guy may slap singles, but he can go deep when he wants to, or keep it in the park and run around the bases like he did Tuesday night...

I loved Transformers. Can't believe it, but I really did. Shia Lebeouf is a star, and headed for superstardom. The young man carries the movie. He's funny, endearing, and heroic. No wonder Spielberg thinks he's the next Tom Hanks. Transformers made me laugh many times, which I didn't expect. The robots are really cool too. I give it a B+. The only thing keeping me from grading it higher is the endless product placements and an ending that goes on a little too long. Pleasant surprise, and even more shocking, Jenny liked it too...

I'm taking the kids to High School Musical at the Des Moines Playhouse this weekend. Apparently this is their generation's Grease. By e-mail, I asked Lee Ann Bakros with the Playhouse if that was the case. Lee Ann's answer:

High School Musical has a definite Grease vibe -- kids from different cliques falling for each other -- but the message is it's okay to be a jock who also likes to sing and a brainiac who also likes to act. (As opposed to Grease, where I think the message is you need to dress like a tramp to get your man.)

Well played, Lee Ann. Though I must say, guys my age will never forget when Olivia Newton John showed up in the leather. Yowza...