Remembering Stevie, Greene for Heisman, and no longer laughing at Metrodome scoring.

• I was in Old Navy Friday, wondering how it's possible with 10,000 pair of jeans on sale for $15, that not one would be a 32x32, when my cell phone rang around 5 p.m. It was Shawn Terrell to tell me Stevie Hicks was dead. I didn't know Stevie well, interviewed him a few times, but like many of you, Hicks' death hit me hard. It's been on my mind all weekend. I think it's one of those things where you just can't get your mind around a guy who looked that strong and healthy being dead and gone forever. One of Stevie's friends told me he was really struggling to find happiness and peace of mind. It's a stark reminder to us all that these guys aren't superheroes or robots. They're real people with real feelings. Rest in peace, Stevie Hicks.
• No good segue from something so sad. I wasn't surprised Dan McCarney immediately released a statement on Hicks. Not everyone thinks McCarney was a good head coach, but no one questions how much he cared about his players. It was good to see Dan on the Florida sideline Saturday, surrounded by blue chip players and all-americans. I'm sure he wonders what he could have done with talent like that in Ames.
• Tim Tebow is a stud. The guy once ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one. I don't know what kind of pro Tebow will make, but he is a great college football player, and by all accounts, an even better person.
• Look for Tebow to place higher at this year's Heisman ceremony than some expect. The Heisman almost always breaks down by regional bias, which makes sense. The more you've seen someone play, the more likely you are to vote for that person. The Big 12 players will all split votes. Bradford or McCoy? Harrell or Crabtree? What about Daniel? Will he get a vote or two? Meantime, Tebow has the south pretty much to himself.
• I'm waiting until the last minute to vote. Right now, my vote looks like this: 1) Colt McCoy 2) Tebow 3) Shonn Greene. Sam Bradford is the favorite in Las Vegas, but I don't think for a minute he's the "most outstanding college football player in the United States". Bradford might be the MVP, but that's not what the Heisman ballot says. A lot of voters learned this the hard way when they voted for OU's Jason White. Look at the candidates, and put them on a bad football team. Would Bradford be a Heisman candidate quarterbacking Iowa State? No way. However, I'll bet Austen Arnaud could put up some sick numbers at Oklahoma (not Bradford's, but still good ones.) Would Shonn Greene be a candidate running the football at Iowa State? Possibly. You could put Greene on Oklahoma or Texas, and he'd likely be even better (though he might not run the football as much).
• I think Texas got hosed by the BCS. There's no good way to decide this mess that continues in D1 college football, but head-to-head should come first in the tiebreaker, and Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field. Then again, Tech beat Texas...
• I laughed too when I first heard about the Metrodome sexcapade, but the embarrassed kids and humiliated husband have robbed me of any enjoyment. That, and the fact Iowa punked Minnesota 55-0, and Minnesotans are laughing at us anyway.
• Gene Chizik firing two coaches (Tony Petersen & Shawn Raney) and demoting two others (Robert McFarland & Wayne Bolt) shows Chizik can make tough calls. It's not easy firing friends. It also shows Chizik realizes just how desperate it's become in Ames. Iowa State needs to get much better sooner, not later. Chizik has already begun the search for two new coordinators.
• The first 30 minutes of "Role Models" is crudely hilarious. Jenny and I fell out of our seats. It doesn't keep the laughs coming at the starting pace, but a surprisingly sweet story mostly makes up for it. A-
• Also enjoyed "Bolt" with the little boys, though the 3D added nothing except $6 to our bill. B+
• Chris Hassel and Shawn Terrell sit in for Jon Miller Monday through Wednesday this week on KXNO from 2 to 4 p.m. That should be fun. Shawn will try to keep Hassel from going off the tracks, though Hassel unhinged might make even better radio.
• Props to Jon for predicting Outback Bowl from the jump. It's not a done deal yet, but Jon looks smarter each day.
• It was not an encouraging weekend for college basketball in Iowa. Many of our men's (Iowa, Drake, UNI) and women's teams (Iowa, ISU) finally played good teams, and all were blown out.
• I need to go do SoundOff, and as I do, I realize something else to add to my Thanksgiving list of "Things I'm Thanks for": hosting this show with Andy Fales each week. At this time a year ago, I thought those days were done, and that perspective makes me appreciate the partnership even more.
• I spent most of the long weekend on the couch watching TV and movies with the family. This isn't good news for the President's Council on Physical Fitness, but it was glorious for me.
• You know you have a good friend when she'll housesit, dogsit, and turtlesit. Thanks Heather!