These are not necessarily my opinions...

...but I'm happy to give others a chance to "sound off".

I often receive lengthy letters we don't have time for on SoundOFF, and to pick a sentence or two takes them out of context.

Here's three recent letters in all their glory or shame. You decide:

Brian M. Kaldenberg writes this "memo" about the Kirk Ferentz era. And apparently Brian reads a lot of business books:

Analyzing Ferentz as (CEO), Iowa Football as a (Brand), and the Big 10 as an (Industry)…. And the 2005 Blue Print

College Football in essence is a business. I am going to put into perspective my opinion on why Ferentz was successful and is now faltering as a CEO of Iowa Football… in the competitive and rapidly changing Big Ten industry. Then my opinionated recommendation will conclude.

Ferentz entered as CEO in 1999. Ferentz’ point of differentiation was offensive line expertise combined with zone blocking, which was a rather new blocking scheme in college football at the time. Ferentz also put emphasis on tough, hard nosed run defense, and solid special teams… all core competencies of competitive Big 10 Industry.

After analyzing what he believed was needed for success in the Big Ten industry, Ferentz orchestrated and put together an excellent management team. He hired Philbin to manage the offensive line units. In 1999 the Big 10 industry was dominated by traditional power offenses so Ferentz went out and hired a defensive coordinator named Norm Parker. Parker had a proven track record at MSU, and was a great fit for a rebuilding the Iowa defense.

Ferentz then proceeded with the hiring of Ken O’Keefe. O’keefe was known as a creative offensive coordinator who was great at mixing the run and the pass, and used the play action. Ken O’keefe’s offense wasn’t greatly complex so the system could be learned quickly by the players.

First 2 seasons. Ferentz struggled out of the gate as CEO of Iowa Football, but he had a plan and he stuck to it. He and his management went out and recruited employees that fit and bought into the system. Many of these employees were not recruited heavily by the blue chip Big Ten companies so these employees were just happy to be with a Big Ten company and they bought into was their CEO was selling.

In Ferentz’ third year as CEO the Iowa Football team started to get things headed in the right direction. Iowa’s competitors were still doing what they did in the past because it had worked against Iowa in the past, but in year 3 Ferentz’s Vision was finally starting to take shape. Ferentz out performed half of his competitors in the Big 10 in his third year.

Ferentz next three years as CEO of Iowa were excellent. All of his planning, management and company culture came together wonderfully. Iowa matched up very well with the other major players in the Big 10 Industry. Ferentz was named Big 10 CEO of the year, and his company was right up there at the top with the other blue chip Big Ten companies.

2005 Enter Big 10 Industry Changing / Competitors Attack Ferentz in New Ways.

During Ferentz’ glory years everything he had planned for worked out as planned. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois all remained pretty much traditional in their offensive schemes, and their defenses basic for the most part. Ferentz’ management style defeated most of these competitors regularly. Some of the contests were close, but Ferentz almost always ended up negotiating a better deal. The one competitor Ferentz struggled with was Purdue and Iowa State. Ferentz was able to win most of his battles with these competitors, but the competition with these other two companies was sometimes painfully close. It just seemed like sometimes Ferentz schemes didn’t always work as well against the “new spread offense” and “blitzing defenses” type teams. Some of the board members (fans) sometimes wondered why Iowa Football always had employees line 8 yards off the line of scrimmage when guarding WR’s. Why doesn’t Iowa blitz?

Iowa Football price per share fell in 2005, but not anything to write home about. Iowa was recruiting better employees, the media was still loving them, and some were predicting Iowa to be the company of the year in 2006. Everything was O.K., and the board members (fans) wrote 2005 off as just a slow year because of the ECONOMY. Ferentz was given a salary raise to roughly $3M per year.

Well in 2005 the ECONOMY wasn’t slow… it was a year when the Big Ten Industry started to change. Indiana had a new CEO in Hoepner, and Illinois had their new CEO with Mr. Ron Zook. Both of these coaches run the spread offense… and played Iowa closer in 2005 than the score may have indicated. Oh, and Iowa’s long time foe still had their spread offense, blitzing CEO in Dan McCarney. McCarney dominated Iowa that year and had pretty much owned Ferentz since Ferentz was named CEO of Iowa in 1999. Northwestern also was becoming a well oiled spread offense machine. They also upset Kirk Ferentz Hawkeyes. And a blue chipper, the Ohio State University had recently changed to a spread attack. They absolutely embarrassed Iowa in 2005. Iowa’s offense also had seemed to become more predictable. It just seemed like things weren’t clicking like they used to.

Iowa fans didn’t see it coming, but the rest of the Big 10 industry did. The other Big 10 CEO’s knew how Ferentz had become so successful, but they also had evidence and a BLUE PRINT now for attacking Iowa. Ferentz was in a bad situation because almost half of the Big 10 did not fit the mold for his master plan. Half of the Big 10 had changed, half of the Big 10 had Adapted.

In 2006 the competitors officially rolled out the blue print. Iowa had its worst year in years. Iowa struggled again against this “NEW BRAND” of football. There were several teams that ran this new brand (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, NW, Ohio State). Iowa’s offense also seemed to be getting worse again. Some CEO’s and employees of other companies actually started to laugh at Iowa’s “Brand”. They said how simple it was to just follow the blue print.

After the 2006 debacle, the board members (fans) started to scratch their heads. Half of the fans were getting restless, while half were still behind Ferentz 100%. Ferentz promised change in 2007. Ferentz said this is not acceptable at Iowa Football. The fans who backed Ferentz tried to blame the head employee because they said he showed too much emotion. The fans tried to say that the employees were young. Yet, Iowa had just put together arguable its best stretch of employee recruiting in years… Fans tried to blame the management (KOK, NORM). What the fans don’t realize is that the management has to operate within the CEO’s direction.

Well now we are here in 2007. MN ousted their head coach for a spread option CEO. The Big 10 is now officially a totally different animal than what it was when Ferentz entered. IOWA’s “BRAND” of football is stale. It’s outdated. It’s not successful anymore.

2007 has shown very little change. Iowa Football has upgraded employee talent (DJK, ect.), but still management still chooses to go elsewhere for labor. Iowa never fires an employee for performance related reasons. Once a worker, always a worker no matter how you perform. The only way you get fired is for legal issues or injuries. Younger players don’t buy into the system anymore, and some of them have left or transferred. Employee turnover is at an all time high.

Recommendation. For those board members who are calling for new management (offensive, defensive coord).. does this mean hire new ones with the same philosophies?

My recommendation is that Mr. CEO Ferentz has to get an offensive coordinator who runs the spread option and a defensive coordinator who knows how to defend the spread option. This isn’t some fad offense…... This is what college football is moving towards and eventually will largely become. The days of QB under center and smash mouth football are coming to an end. The days of tier two teams winning without mobile quarterbacks who can rack up rushing yards is over. Football is going through what the wishbone/triple option went through two decades ago. Teams with less talent on average have to differentiate themselves. You can’t try to sell SUV’s when that’s what the blue chip companies are selling. You have to find a niche and attack the markets weakness. Hiring new management with the same overall philosophies as our current ones won’t do anything. We need new management for the “new era” of college football that is looming, and is already half way here. If Ferentz refuses to do this, he needs to be fired as CEO.


My take: Ferentz has earned more time and patience, but changes are needed.

Next up, Huxley Fire and Rescue sent this one in following the Iowa at Iowa State football game:

As an emergency responder (firefighter, EMT) I was frustrated and then extremely offended to learn that fans from the game, ordered down highway 69, were giving the finger to law enforcement officers and medical personnel. I realize, that traveling a two lane highway delayed further fan celebration and slowed returning home. I also realize, this can be very frustrating. What was lost in this frustration was that four people had died.
These fans actions were disrespectful to law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, victims and their families. They optimize the belief that such inconveniences are intolerable and unacceptable. How dare you ruin our day?

Yet, these fans inconvenience, when compared to the suffering of the families, and the sacrifices of all emergency responders, was the smallest price paid, and in the grand scheme of things, fades to insignificance.

It seems appropriate these fans should be burdened by shame, equivalent, to the amount of grief the families are feeling. If only for a moment, to give them pause and reflection. Perhaps, in this moment of clarity, they will find, in their cold black hearts, some level of compassion and understanding.

So sit on the highway, and be thankful it wasn't you, or better yet, say a prayer for a grieving family, and realize that a slight delay, even if it were hours, has cost you nothing. Sit there and thank God that emergency responders and law enforcement officers will go above and beyond, if it were you in need of help. Don't curse us or make gestures at us. Realize that 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we are there for you also.

My take: thank God for fire and rescue workers.

The guys with www.savecy.com sent me this after Jamie Pollard unveiled Iowa State's new football uniforms and identity:

1. We believe the majority of Cyclone Nation wants to keep Cy on the helmet or at least have him as a choice. Responses to requests to sign our petition (which is now over 1,600 signatures) reflect this with over 90% of those asked to sign actually signing.

2. This was billed as a helmet logo change when in fact it was an Athletics identity change. Cyclone Nation was not aware of this fact when they were made aware of the three logo choices and we don't feel that is fair.

3. To say that Cy is not going away is laughable. No one that we know ever believed that we would no longer be called the Cyclones or that the mascot squad would stop dressing up as Cy at public events and SaveCy.com has never suggested that. The fact of the matter is that everywhere you currently see the Cy logo you will be instead see the I-State logo if this change is made, so the mascot squad dressing up as Cy will be the only place you will see our mascot. At best this is a dramatic downplaying of Cy, at worst it is a complete removal of Cy from the ISU Athletics identity.

4. All of the arguments for making this logo change as presented by the Athletic Department are refuted on www.savecy.com. Log on for yourself to see the other side of the issue and to sign the petition.


My take: I appreciate the passion, but the new look is sharp.

Let these guys know how you feel. I know you will.

Keith

Thank goodness Dale Earnhardt Junior picked #88. Now I just need to add an 8 to my existing tattoo. I won't have to involve a laser...

Rick Ankiel isn't chasing down baseball's most hallowed record, like Barry Bonds, but I'd still say Ankiel got off easy in the court of public opinion after his alleged ties to HGH. Why the double standard? At best, Ankiel was a feel good story nobody wanted to spoil. At worst, the media single out those we don't like. Hey, at least Bonds is real. He never pretends to be anything but a jerk...

My favorite story of the week, the NFL no longer wants cheerleaders warming up in front of the opposing teams players because it's too big of a distraction. Hey, that's strategy!...

My mother recently filled in for me at the Des Moines Playhouse production of Cats. I was in an RV, mom was in my theater seat. She loved it. She even called me at intermission to go on-and-on about how good Cats was. I can't imagine I'd share her passion for people in cat costumes dancing, and she did say the second half wasn't quite as good, but if people in feline make-up make mom happy, I'm all for it...

3:10 to Yuma...that's more like it for me. What a great Western. Russell Crowe gives a wild, charismatic performance, and Christian Bale is even better as a dirt poor rancher who's willing to die if it means being a good father and a good man. The climax delivers the goods. I give it an A. Fans of westerns should not miss this one. My dad loved it too..

I'm watching the Black Donnellys on DVD. How did this Sopranos lite not work? It's good...

I'm glad the new TV season is finally here, though a sub par season of Rescue Me got me through the summer. The best buzz here at NBC is for Chuck. I'll give it a shot and report back...

Big thanks to the Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau. These folks now how to make visitors welcome, hence the name, I guess...

I would have written sooner, but opening, not answering, opening the e-mail after an Iowa-Iowa State football game is a full-time job. Let me summarize:

-ISU fan: It's a Cyclone State! Deal with it you overrated choke-eyes. That's 7 of 10. Who's the little brother now?!

-Iowa fan: Same story. ISU was up for its Super Bowl, and Iowa didn't really care. The better team didn't win, just the one that wanted it more. The Cyclowns season is complete, while Iowa will now win games that actually matter.

It's just plain obnoxious. Here's what's real:

-ISU does have more to gain by winning, and the past ten years, the Cyclones have played with more emotion.
-If Iowa doesn't care, and it's ISU's Super Bowl, how did the Hawks win 15 in a row?
-No matter what happens from here, nothing changes the scoreboard. Yes, Iowa had the better team and season in 2002, but no matter how much some Iowa fans tried, nothing changed that one loss to ISU. Scoreboard trumps all in this one argument.

Several fans forwarded the following column from Paul Clark at www.cyclonereport.com

I am putting this post here so anyone and everyone can read it. This will crush one fallacy that is prevalent with Iowa fans and - more importantly - misinformed media people, regarding the Iowa State vs. Iowa game and in particular, the wins that ISU has posted in the last decade or so.

The fallacy is that ISU somehow musters a David-like performance to slay Iowa as Goliath. And it is, pure fiction and fantasy. Let me show you.

1998 - Iowa was indeed a huge favorite coming into the game. But Iowa wasn't very good, it was just that nobody realized it yet. Both teams went 3-8 and ISU won the head-to-head game. Superhuman effort? No, just one 3-8 team beating another.

1999 - Iowa went 1-10 and was a bad 1-10. Iowa State went 4-7 and was a good 4-7. This one is easy, the much better team won. Superhuman effort? No.

2000 - Iowa went 3-8 and Iowa State went 9-3. This one is beyond easy. The much, much, much better team won. Superhuman effort ? No.

2001 - Played at the end of the year, the teams came in with identical 6-4 records. Neither had done anything throughout the year to distinguish itself from the other. It was a ridiculously even match-up that ISU won by three at home. Three points, as in the standard home field advantage. Superhuman effort? No, just one 6-4 team beating another.

2002 - Based on entire seasons, yes, Iowa was the better team. At the time of the game, it wasn't so clear. ISU went 6-1 and reached #9 in the country before tanking. Iowa State was better against Fla. State, Nebraska and Texas Tech than it was against Iowa. Superhuman effort? It really wasn't, but I will concede this one only based on final records of 7-7 vs. 10-2.

2005 - Iowa was rated no. 8 and a big favorite, but it shouldn't have been. As the seasons played out, Iowa State went 7-4 and Iowa went 7-4. So the teams were pretty even and ISU won at home, with a final margin bloated by being +4 on turnovers. Super human effort? No, just one 7-4 team beating another.

2007 - See 1998 and 2005. We thought we knew how good these teams were based on two weeks. Could be right, could be wrong, we'll see how the respective seasons unfold.

The factual reality is: only Iowa State's win in 2002 can be considered to fit the mold of an ISU team beating an Iowa team it shouldn't beat. And in context, even that one has asterisk qualities to it. In 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005, Iowa State was AS GOOD AS or BETTER THAN Iowa. Period and no one can make an intelligent argument against that statement.

Interesting. Do you agree? The bottom line on the ISU upsets for me is that most of those years (not 2002) Iowa came in overrated.

Another e-mail I've received from a few dozen people is this one:

Hawkeyes Announce 2008 Schedule
September 17, 2007
Iowa City, Iowa

The University of Iowa Athletic Department has released the 2008 football schedule, and it was a surprise to see Iowa will only play 3 teams next year.

Aug 30 - Bye
Sept 6 - Bye
Sept 13 - Bye
Sept 20 - Bye
Sept 27 - Bye
Oct 4 - @ Ohio State
Oct 11 - Bye
Oct 18 - Bye
Oct 25 - @ Michigan
Nov 1 - Bye
Nov 8 - Penn State
Nov 15 - Bye
Nov 22 - Bye

Gary Barta announced the change after the Hawkeyes lost, again, to in-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones. Barta, "Our great fans demanded that the Cyclones be removed from future schedules because the Hawkeyes had nothing to gain in national prominence by playing [the Cyclones]."

Barta went on to explain that after looking over the schedule there really weren't many teams that did give the Hawkeyes a chance to gain respect nationally. Iowa will only continue to play Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan.

After being questioned about past losses to struggling Big 10 programs such as Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota, Barta explained that [the Hawkeyes] couldn't win those games because [Iowa] is every teams' "Super Bowl" and that those games don't mean as much to Iowa.

In related news.....Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State look to end their series with Iowa as those schools have nothing to gain and everything to lose in national respect by playing the Hawkeyes.

Now that's funny. It should be noted the Hawkeye players and coaches, unlike many fans, did give the Cyclones credit for winning and did not make excuses, other than poor execution on Iowa's part.

I love the rivalry, and it's fun to not have a dog in the fight. Our second night in the RV, the sweetest lady you can imagine, and her daughter, brought us this huge gift basket full of goodies; everything from aspirin to blankets to beer. As she left, this Cyclone fan handed me a deck of Hawkeye cards and said, "I got these for you because I know you're a Hawk fan."

Last night at our channel 13 client party at the Science Center (which was fun, by the way), I had two Hawk fans corner me and just grill me about being a "Cyclone".

Basically, passion runs so high in this state, if you're not obviously for one side, you must be for the other.

Back soon with something other than this game. I'm sure you're tired of it too.

Drop the curtain on RVTV.

I'm finally home. I feel like I played a football game. I'm sore, sick, and exhausted, but I had a week I'll never forget.

RVTV reminded me how nice most people are. I need that because a lot of SoundOFF e-mails tend to be negative and nasty; not toward me, just in general. It stuns me how many folks dropped by the RV just to say "hi", and in many cases, to give us food, drinks, or a gift, expecting nothing in return. I wish I had time to thank everyone. (The food was appreciated. Looking back, we ate exactly one mean outside the RV. Everything else was at the table while working on the computer or editor---all seen by Web cam, not to mention Shawn's Magnum PI sleeping poses.)

I also loved male-bonding. Nothing beats being a dad, but every once in a while, it's good to hang out withe fellas, quote movies, make sophomoric jokes, and see who can smell the worst (Chris).

I'm blessed to work with guys like Shawn and Chris. They worked their butts off all week and turned in some memorable stories, many of them funny. Check out Chris as a heckling Hawkeye fan on ISU's campus or Shawn visiting Story County's Hawkeye Hideout by visiting the www.whotv.com video player. I'm proud of those guys, and they were fun to hang with.

I want to be mad at the ISU Marching Band, and Channel 13 reporter Jon Cahill, but I just can't. Punking us into staying up late and then blowing us out of bed at 6 a.m. with music turned up to 11 is funny. Can't be mad if it passes the "got ya, and it's funny" test. Can't believe how many people have asked me if that was staged. The answer: heck no. I wouldn't allow myself to be seen with that many eye boogers. Did you see Chris? He couldn't function.

I loved when Jenny and the boys came to visit. They spent most of the day in our Hot Springs Spa hot tub and had a blast. The kids ate all the cookies and cakes we never got around to. I missed them so much during the week (the kids, not the cookies and cakes); it was the blast I needed to make it to the finish line (especially after that wake-up call).

Jamie Pollard delivered. He put my face on a coin. I vowed not to leave until it happened---especially since Gene Chizik and I started the week with the same number of career head coaching wins, but Gene's one up on me now. (Big thanks to Pollard and ISU for hosting us all week. We had everything we needed, within reason.)

The Friday night ten p.m. news was a blast. Cyclone fans finally started showing spirit after a relatively flat week. Next to no one gave ISU a chance---including me---and look what happened. The ISU people at the RV rally started believing a little as the game approached.
They've seen ISU stun Iowa more than once.

We learned Iowa's not great. Turns out Northern Illinois and Syracuse are both awful. Iowa's schedule will make sure Iowa wins no fewer than six games, and probably eight, but the Hawkeyes have a lot of room for improvement. Can you believe Kirk Ferentz is 3-6 against ISU?

How did ISU get so much better from week two to week three? I have no idea. The Cyclones were a disorganized, mistake-prone mess those first two games. What a difference a confident, poised Bret Meyer makes, not to mention the game's star, Bret Culbertson. I couldn't be happier for a student-athlete. Every time Bret missed a big kick, he faced the media, accepted responsibility and never let it define who he is as a man. This guy deserved a moment, and boy did he have one against Iowa... all 15 points, and the game-winner. Culbertson told Shawn and me he thought about stopping by the RV several times. Good thing he didn't. Whatever Culbertson did worked, and it's nice to see a good guy from Des Moines Lincoln find redemption.

I cleaned out the RV, chugged some Red Bull, and headed back to Des Moines about an hour ago. I'm writing this from home. The nice folks at Great Outdoors RV Store were nice enough to pick up our now "slightly used" rig. They better bring Lysol.

I'm so tired my thoughts are all over the place, and likely somewhat incoherent, but I just mainly wanted to thank all of you who watched, read, or visited RVTV. You made it a fun experience, and we really appreciate it.

See you on SoundOFF... if I get my voice back (cold, not hoarse).

Keith

RVTV is back. We may not have picked the best week for a comeback, spirit is running on fumes in Ames, but we didn't know that when we green-lighted this craziness two weeks ago.

Thanks to Iowa State for allowing us to take up a bunch of space with our huge Great Outdoor RV Store RV (this is not Cousin Eddie's RV), channel 13 live truck, Hot Springs Spa hot tub, and my Explorer full of Casey's General Store food & beverages. Is that a record for plugs in one sentence, or what? I feel like Al Michaels.

Speaking of Al, thank you NBC for running the world's longest and most pointless post-game show. I realize the network has bills to pay, but do we really need separate segments for the Horse Trailer Award, Andrea Kreamer interview, and Al & John's final thoughts?

Okay, I'm just bitter because SoundOFF didn't start until 11 p.m. Sunday.

Back to the RV. This is my first outing with the new crew, and it's taken me all of one day to figure out something: Chris Hassel aint all there. This guy has more theories than Oliver Stone, and they're just as wacky. Not even this blog is a place for his thoughts on porta-potties.

Shawn Terrell is on the Shawn Johnson watch at the Des Moines International Airport. I wonder how many people on her plane realize that they're sitting near the world's greatest female gymnast. Johnson is tiny, but even the football players at her school---West Des Moines Valley---will look up to her after she wins gold in Beijing next summer.

So Shawn's not here. The other Shawn. The one who's 6'2" and doesn't smile as much. He'll join us later, which will be fun. It really is nice to bond with these guys. I get to live like a single slob with no responsibilities, or as Shawn and Chris call it, Monday.

Jamie Pollard will join us live at 10. I'll ask him about the ticket sales for Saturday, as well as what he thinks about the 0-2 start.

We'll keep writing. We hope you'll keep reading.

(*note: this is also posted on the RVTV blog, and updates the rest of the week will appear there)

Someone always scolds me in public when I make this blog just "sports"---this time it happened at Walgreen's. I promise to mix it up this week. I don't want to be called out at Kum & Go...

Hawkeye fans travel like no other. Well, slight exaggeration, but the bumblebees took over Chicago last weekend. It was like a September bowl game. Wrigley Field on Friday, Soldier Field on Saturday, what's not to like?! That was a home game for Northern Illinois in name only. Hawk fans stole the stadium...

So what do we know about the Iowa football team now? Next to nothing. We know the Hawks aren't bad, and they're not really good. We'll find out which direction they go from here. Last year, they went from good to bad. This year, I like Iowa's chances of going from pretty good to very good...

Best thing to happen to quarterback Jake Christensen: he's been no better than solid. Iowa fans have a history of anointing young quarterbacks as the next Chuck Long before they've earned it . ("Beutjer is the future" anyone?) Christensen will get better, and most importantly, he doesn't turn the ball over. That's an underrated part of being an effective quarterback, avoiding mistakes...

Right. Time for something non-sports.

I went to see Superbad in Kansas City with Jenny. As were deciding between a car payment and popcorn, I looked to my left and whispered to Jenny out of the side of my mouth, "Hey, standing next to me... it's George Brett." I've interviewed a lot of famous people, but I still turn into a kid when I see one of my boyhood sports heroes...

Brett and his family followed us into Superbad. To give you an idea of just how raunchy and profane this movie is, Brett's wife led two kids out of the theater within five minutes. Good move. Eventually Superbad is all heart, but along the way, we are subjected to every swear word and penis reference you can imagine. I pray teens don't actually act or talk as depicted in the movie, but I realize I'm sounding like my parents. Bottom line: the movie is a little too long but very funny if you're not easily offended. I'm 43 and I could never watch this with my parents. B from me. George seemed to like it too... (After first writing this review, Shawn Terrell took his girlfriend to Superbad. She described the experience as being "blindsided". Shawn has to go see the Nanny Diaries as punishment. That's harsh, but I'm sure he deserves it. Anyway, exercise caution when going to Superbad. It could be rated NC-17 for language alone.)

I just received Premonition from Netflix. That's 94 minutes of my life I can't get back. What the heck was that? It makes less sense than Miss Teen South Carolina. A grade of C because Sandra Bullock is still interesting to watch, even when she's in a plot written by people who must have been baked...

I'm always stunned how many Iowa people go to Chiefs games. We were surrounded by Central Iowans during out tailgate. They were nice people too, but you knew that. Arrowhead Stadium is even loud during those meaningless, overpriced preseason games. Can't wait to go back...

Thanks to KXNO's Jon Miller for filling in for Heather this week on SoundOFF. He did a great job---the man knows his college football---and Heather made every minute count in Chicago. Cubs game, Hawks game, Cubs game, Cubs game...

Big congrats to Hoover's football team. You deserve it guys...