More NFL, Damned United, Legendary Z

• Glad to hear Mediacom is finally adding NFL Network and RedZone, though I haven't heard yet when it will be part of the must-have HD tier. It will start, at minimum, in standard def by the first NFL game that counts.
• Before you flood me with, "How can you call yourself a sports fan and not have Directv?!" emails, please know I tried, several times, but we have too many trees. I was willing to cut a few down, but Jenny said no. For now.
• I must say Mediacom has stepped it up with the HD channels. However, you know what that mean$. Just as we have an anti-clutter house rule that if we buy a pair of shoes, we have to send one to Goodwill, we also have a rule that to add NFL Network, I need to drop something else. So long HBO. I'll miss you.

• I don't care if the Colts sign Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, and Bob Griese, until I see otherwise, I expect Peyton Manning behind center for game one.
• Danica Patrick will announce Thursday that she'll race NASCAR full-time in 2012 and not win in a stock car instead of not winning in an Indy car.

• I owe a big thank you to Dr. Blaine Brunsen at the Vision Clinic on Beaver Ave. Tuesday night, I scratched my eye with a contact lens. Thursday morning, I woke up with my left eye swollen badly and more bloodshot than Kid Rock returning from a booze cruise. Dr. Brunsen gave me several different kinds of drops and ointments. By the 6 p.m. news, you could hardly tell that only hours before I looked like Rocky Balboa.
• Two different people have dropped off sketches for me of what they think the Cy-Hawk trophy should look like. Please cut out the middleman. Go to www.iowacorn.org
• Sean Keeler recommended a little known sports movie called the Damned  United. It's a true story about soccer, so that will scare some of you off, but the movie is good. Michael Sheen is phenomenal. Isn't he always?

• Happy 90th birthday to my friend, WHO's Jim Zabel. The Z is truly a legend.