Snookie's, Beam Me Up, Johnny Orr Floor,

• Maybe it was all the crappy weather over the weekend, but gosh the sunshine feels good.


• Is there anything better than Snookie's ice cream (an Iowa Icon) on a hot day?


• I can't wait to see my first I-Cubs game of the year Friday and my first Barnstormers game Saturday. I also need to get to the new Kauffman Stadium in KC. Andy gives it rave reviews, even after buying 2 sandwiches, 2 fries, and 2 beers for $45.


• The Iowa Speedway just does it right. We had a great time there this past weekend, even though it felt like January at Lambeau Field.


• Johnston High's Brett Moffitt doesn't look old enough to have his license, but the dude can drive.


• If you ever wondered how much better some older guys can play golf than you, check out the Principal Charity Classic. Not only will the Champions Tour golfers leave you in awe with their skills, it's a really well run, first class tournament.


• The new Star Trek is fantastic. I don't even like Star Trek, and this movie delivered. The chemistry, spark, and tension between young Spock and young Kirk makes the movie. It's obvious director J.J. Abrams grew up on Star Wars and not Star Trek. People applauded at the end in the theater where I saw it (Cobblestone).


• I"m happy my young friend, Shawn Johnson, won Dancing With The Stars. Shawn looked so excited, and she told me a long time ago it was her dream to be on the show. I never missed watching Shawn dancie, but I couldn't get into the rest of the show at all. Not so my mother. She watched each week with two cell phones and the house phone so she could vote more times for Shawn---not making that up. Mom called me in tears when Shawn won.


• The 30 Rock finale was genius.


• Mark Cuban needs to remember apologies should be delivered face-to-face whenever possible, not on blogs.


• NBA finals will be just what the Commish wants: Lakers vs. Cavaliers.


• Iowa State should honor Johnny Orr with "Johnny Orr Floor" or "Johnny Orr Court" or at least a street out front of Hilton Coliseum. Andy's Iowa Icon story on Johnny was a reminder of just how much Orr did for not only the Cyclone basketball program, but Iowa State's identity. Johnny Orr created Hilton Magic and set the stage for higher levels of success by Tim Floyd and Larry Eustachy. He is an Iowa Icon, and he's earned more than a banner hanging from the Hilton ceiling, though that is a good start. He's nearly 82. Don't wait too long.


• "We're going to take it one game at a time" was our sports cliche bracket winner when the Des Moines Register's Bryce Miller took on Andy. The underdog, "We shocked the world", finished second.


• Tana Goertz "37th hole" reference has taken on a life of its own.


• There are new "Big Ol' Fish" pictures here at whotv.com. Clayton Welch of Prairie City caught this Big Ol' Bass in a pond. Check out more pictures of ginormous fish here.

Is Brett Favre a Viking yet?

Floyd's No Fool, Big Baby's a Man, I'm Done with Crackberry (sort of)

• Tim Floyd strikes me as a coach who would do just about anything to land a recruit, as long as Floyd stays within the NCAA'S gray areas. I have a hard time believing a smart guy like Floyd would hand over an envelope stuffed with $100 bills. I have no trouble believing someone was handing money to Mayo. It never added up that he picked USC. Especially with Floyd's frequently told story of how he didn't even recruit Mayo; Mayo reached out to him.
• Hear those crickets? Not a lot of outrage or panic about losing the AHL, or Iowa Chops. Can you imagine what it would be like if the I-Cubs were in jeopardy?
• Mark Cuban, where did you grow up? Real man 101 teaches you to never disrespect someone's mother. Billion dollars doesn't buy common sense.
• Big Baby is a big man. He took the high road when he apologized to that kid he accidentally bumped after hitting the game-winning shot in Orlando. The kid's dad demanded an apology? Give me a break. It was an accident and no big deal. Entitled whiners wear me out. For once, I wrote that and I'm not talking about the NBA guy in the story.
• Ron Artest watched someone die on a basketball court from a table-leg-stabbing?! Artest really is tough. Kobe better keep that in mind.
• Bobby Jenks: "Yeah, I was throwing at him." Good for you, Bobby. Someone should tell the truth. I support the minimal $750 fine based on the honesty principle. Jenks can find $750 in his change jar.
• If Roger Clemens had just kept his lying mouth shut this week, no one would have noticed yet another book trashing his reputation. Clemens can't get out of his own way.
• No regular season NFL game, let alone the Super Bowl, should ever be played in London.
• Bobby Scales, 31 year old rookie, is a great story. Only Andy would ignore it.
• Props to Ellis Hobbs. He kept his promise.
• Had a great weekend at Honey Creek Resort on Rathbun Lake. Hard to find nicer people than those who are wandering the halls at that place. We also attended a breast cancer fundraiser at the Skein Block restaurant on the fabulous Albia town square. Albia has everything, except T-Mobile cell service.
• Speaking of that, I've removed all email and Facebook settings from my Blackberry. Friends did an intervention. I was becoming that guy. When you start to ignore face-to-face communication, if only for a moment, for the unlikely chance something important just dropped into your cell phone, you're missing the big picture. Can't be that guy.

Mariah vs Favre, Greinke vs NASCAR, Hassel vs Hurdles

• Bigger diva: Mariah Carey or Brett Favre?
• I've been saying for weeks Favre would end up in a Vikings uniform, partly because he wants to stick it to Packers management, and partly because the Vikes have everything in place for a Super Bowl run, except a pro bowl caliber quarterback. Favre won't win a Super Bowl in Minnesota, and he's been bad in the playoffs for years, but he's the best option available, and it will be fun to watch. We'll have a good seat for the circus.
• The best story in baseball is Zach Greinke. I love that he didn't want to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and when they put him on anyway, Greinke predicted it would be the worst seller in a long time. Or at least since SI put NASCAR on the cover.
• Darryl Strawberry claims he slept with 1,000 women, or as Wilt Chamberlain calls it, a down year.
• My educated guess is that A-Rod used steroids beyond the admitted years with Texas, but I hope Selena Roberts has more proof than the hearsay and anonymous sources in her book.
• Love the story of the Cubs' Bobby Scales. 31 years old, substitute teacher in the off-season, 11 years in the minors, and he finally plays in the Show. This is a script Dennis Quaid would love.
• Get the NHL teams out of the sun, and back to the cold where they belong. NHL didn't work in Phoenix? Duh.
• Ovechkin vs Crosby deserves more viewers.
• Has Lil' Kim always looked like that?
• The reviews for Star Trek are so strong, I may have to go see it. I've never been a Trekkie or Trekker or whatever they call themselves, but neither has JJ Abrams, and he directed.
• Steve Deace says Wolverine sucks. And we know how much Deace loves Wolverines.
• Get the guest appearance Emmy ready for Michael J. Fox on Rescue Me.
• Congrats to Chris Hassel for winning an IBNA award for "Outstanding Sports Coverage" for his reporting on Lolo Jones. Goes without saying that did not include the video of Chris running the hurdles.