Spring Flings, Super Starlin, Hassel No Dazzle, & Fat Keith & Andy

(Zach)

For a "spring game", Iowa State's version sure was physical.  There were several slobberknocker hits.  Don't get me wrong, it was fun to see, but just seemed to be tempting fate a bit.  That said, since they didn't have a bowl game and the four weeks of practice last December, maybe they needed the extra time.  Lets hope they are this physical when the opponents wear different colored helmets.

The quarterback battle between Steele Jantz and Jerome Tiller isn't over yet, but if the Cyclones had to play a real game next week, Tiller would start and it wouldn't even be close.  Even with an injured elbow Tiller looked better than a healthy Jantz.  He seemed to move the offense better and, most telling of all, he didn't turn the ball over.  Jantz fumbled on his first possession and later threw a bad pick.

What to say about Iowa's spring game....I mean scrimmage....I mean practice....

Are they playing basketball in Kinnick now?

Down in the south and in Corn land out in Lincoln, spring games draw big.  I've never seen it firsthand, but the actual game itself is not the event.  Getting people to tailgate and drink on an April  weekend like they would in the fall is the big hook.  Can't Iowa find some way to capitalize on that at least?

I've got a hunch this Hawkeye team is going to be A LOT better than most are expecting.  Vandenberg really seems to have control of this team, more than you'd think a first time starter would.  Beyond that, it just seems the Hawks always overachieve when nothing is expected and fall short in "big years".

Not sure what happened to the Barnstormers.  Looked like they'd blow the doors off Chicago when they were up 21-7 in the first.  For whatever reason, their execution at home is not nearly as good as it has been on the road.  This was the second straight time an opponent rallied and set itself up for a game winning field goal.  If not for Spokane's quarterback having a brain fart and throwing an interception, the Stormers could easily be 0-2 at the Well despite nearly 20,000 fans showing up in two games.

Good to say the Iowa Cubs back.  Bad to see the winter/cold weather is still here.

The only reason to watch the 2011 Chicago Cubs

Troy Tulowitzki is easily the best shortstop in the National League.  I think Starlin Castro is second best in the NL, and by year's end, it may not even be close.  If he bulks up and adds some more power (as scouts say he will), this guy may be the best at short for the Cubbies since Ernie Banks.

If the Cubs are going to become relevant again they need to do it from within.  It's how smaller market teams like Colorado, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and so on have been to the World Series in recent years while the Cubs still flounder.  Of Colorado's everyday lineup, 7-8 of their players are guys who came up through their farm system, and three of their five starters are as well.  Even big spenders like the Yankees have home grown guys (Posada, Jeter, Pettite before he retired) at their nucleus.  Most of the free agents the Cubs sign to big deals always seem to be nearing the downside of their careers.  Why not develop some good young talent and reap the benefits while they're entering and in the prime of their careers?  The Cubs are fortunate in that they have money to spend and they can afford a superstar (See Pujols, Albert).  But they'll need 24 other guys to win a title even if they get Pujols, and wasting time on Carlos Silva's and Kosuke Fukudome's won't make them any better.

The NBA regular season is unwatchable.  But the playoffs?  Wow.  Sunday's finishes were some of the best I've ever seen.

Our own Chris Hassel debuted for the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters.  Strangely, it was also his final game as he was sent to the glue factory......I mean retired following the game.  He's not taking it well. 

I say look on the bright side.  The Generals have been one of the worst franchises in basketball history, yet for all the crappy players who've worn the green and brown, Chris Hassel was called the worst to ever wear the uniform.  That says a lot, and isn't it better to remembered for something rather than nothing?

Finally, Andy out of Ankeny sent us a couple of photos showing what Fales and Keith would look like with fat faces thanks to something called a FatBooth app.  Just when you think apps can't get any more pointless, but who knows, in another 10 or so years we'll have to compare.  Fortunately, I have no need for this app.  I just look in the mirror.  ;)