Ed's Back In The Booth, Ferentz Should Give Son Another Chance, Terror Alert: Code Brown

• It will be good to see Ed Podolak back in the booth where he belongs. Friends tell me he looks like a new man. I don't think the party scene at Hawkeye Huddles will be the easiest atmosphere for Ed, but I know Hawk fans will be respectful of what Ed's doing. This could be a win-win for everyone.
• I don't think Kirk Ferentz should kick his son off the football team because I don't think any college player, even the coach's son, should be booted for underage drinking and public intox. If one of the offenses were drunk-driving, I'd say dismiss him, but I think you give young Ferentz, or any player one more chance. Three strikes, you're out. I do think you have to suspend James a minimum of three games, and take away his allowance. I can't imagine how upset Kirk is that his son put him back in his embarrassing position again.
• Good to hear Larry Cotlar will be back on the air soon. 1700, The Champ, hired the Cotman to begin updates Monday. I wouldn't be surprised to see Larry with his own local show soon.
• Marty Tirrell is still giving his opinion at http://www.62andeven.com/ Jeff Jorgensen runs the site and contributes. He does a terrific job of finding interesting sports video and informational nuggets. Marty and Jeff also included Chris Hassel's latest impression, which shows Marty gets it, the same way skewered politicians laugh at themselves after SNL digs in.
• 3-D adds nothing to animated movies for me, might even take away. I paid the extra couple of dollars per ticket for Monsters vs Aliens, but the muddier picture isn't worth the occasional object moving toward you. Seth Rogen made the movie as B-O-B, though Stephen Colbert as the President has the best line, "Boys, set the terror level at Code Brown, cause I need to change my pants".
• To get ready for the Masters, I stopped at the Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll and ordered the "Zach Johnson". That's a good sandwich.
• Jenny and I had a date night dinner at "Sam & Gabe's". Why have I never been there before? That place is awesome. The "small" prime rib was the size of my head and couldn't have been more delicious, while Jenny thought her Halibut the she's had.
• Props to the Star Bar in Des Moines for exchanging my T-shirt that didn't fit after it sat in my car for nearly a year. This may surprise you; the shirt has a big star on it.
• Hasn't Jack Bauer earned the benefit of the doubt by now?
• Congratulations to Shawn Terrell for winning an Edward R. Murrow award for his reporting on Raccoon Valley Little League teams wearing Negro Leaue uniforms and inviting former KC Monarchs star Ernie Schoolboy Johnson to watch a game, and talk to the kids. Photojournalists Brian Fiser and Chris Hassel also worked on this terrific story.
• I'm off to Denver for the annual guys weekend. We have a triple-header of economic stimulus: "Stars vs Avs", "Phillies vs Rockies", "Springsteen vs Immortality". I can't wait. I'll try to send some pictures via Twitter at keithmurphy13
• My book for the plane is Jeff Pearlman's "The Rocket That Fell To Earth". It's the story of the rise and fall of Roger Clemens. If it's half as riveting as Pearlman's book on Barry Bonds, I may finish it before the plane touches down in Denver.
• For those of you who have sent follow-up questions to the FAQ below, I'll try to answer them next week. Thank you for stopping by.