Scattershot Thoughts for December 20th

• A guy in the middle of a passionate bar argument just texted SoundOFF. He and his buddy are arguing whether the Iowa Hawkeyes, without Anthony Tucker, could beat Ames High School. They were serious. That's how bad perception is for Hawkeye basketball right now...
• By the way, I wouldn't mind seeing that game, though I'd still pick Iowa to win. However, the Hawks have no one who could slow Harrison Barnes at all. He could pick his point total.
• This is silly. I'm being sucked in.
• Todd Lickliter is a nice man, but he must feel he can't catch a break. He comes back from serious surgery, coaches Iowa to a win over Drake, and gets woken up in the middle of the night with news his second leading scorer has been arrested (again).
• I want this to work out for Lickliter. We need good guys to succeed whenever possible, but it's getting harder to imagine this turning the corner to Big Ten title contenders anytime soon.
• Meantime, Steve Alford is 12-0 at New Mexico. Alford does well at mid-majors.
• Back to Ames. That Little Cyclone team is really good. No one around here will beat Ames. Harrison Barnes is so dedicated and focused, he won't allow his team to take a night off. That's unusual for a 17 year old. Most of us were checking out the cheerleaders between plays at that age.
• I'm one of those guys who doesn't go to the doctor unless I have a bone showing, but I should have gone sooner with my recent sickness. By the time I got to Mercy, I felt like I was dying. That's just stubborn and stupid.
• The Colts are 14-0, but scare no one. As long as Peyton Manning's the quarterback, they should.
• Andy and I completed the nacho pub crawl with our wives and friends this weekend. We hit a lot of places. Our top 5: 1) The Library 2) Victor's Sports Club 3) Hessen Haus (sausage nachos) 4) Limey's 5) Trophy's
• I don't think I'll be able to eat a nacho for at least a month.
• The Saints and Cowboys were playing during part of the pub crawl. We may be nowhere near Dallas, but we ran into a bar full of Cowboy fans at several stops. No wonder NBC is sticking with Cowboys-Redskins Sunday night.
• Vikings fans, are you concerned? There is no doubt Brett Favre's late season fade continues. He's still good, but he's cooled WAY off.
• Finally saw "Funny People". Like Hancock, it's a movie that starts with promise, and then jumps the tracks to Suckville about halfway through. Funny People has its moments, but it's WAY too long, and strikingly uneven. Disappointment.
• I love year-end lists, and this year is even better because we get decade-end lists too. I buy all those magazines, and a lot of other crap I don't need that they put near check-out because they know I'll grab some of it while waiting in line with my last minute Christmas shopping.
• I went shopping at Target Saturday afternoon. Why? Why would I do that? It was BONKERS.
• Someone just asked me my favorite Christmas movie, and though I want to say something like, "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Christmas Story", I think I enjoy Christmas Vacation more than anything. I know it's stupid, but Clark and Cousin Eddie crack me up. I've also moved the silly but charming, Elf, in to the yearly rotation.
• I love Christmas. How can you not love Christmas?!
• Will the bowl games ever get here? Andy and I are headed to the Orange Bowl, Chris Hassel and Dave Olson are going to the Insight Bowl.