McCaffery Lands Prize, ISU Goes White-on-White, Andy Survives Buzz

• Big "get" for Fran McCaffery and the Iowa basketball program. I don't follow Sioux City East enough to know if Adam Woodbury is a difference-maker, but 7-1 athletic centers don't come along often, and I'm glad to see a top 50 recruit stay in our state for a change. Roy Williams needs to hear "no" once every other decade. Don't worry, Ol' Roy will be back.
• Mariano Rivera reaching 600 saves is amazing, I guess. I don't doubt Rivera's greatness, but there are few stats more worthless than the save.
• Iowa State will wear white football jerseys and pants for the first time in five years Friday night. The Cyclones will wear cardinal helmets, which won't look as cool as white helmets. I take grief for this, but generally speaking, the best looking football uniforms have helmets and pants with matching colors. Iowa and the Steelers are exceptions that work because they have a big bold black stripe down the pants that brings the helmet into a match. Hey, what can I say, I really care about uniforms. Anyway, Clone Chronicles shows how all white would look better (if you're going all white, which I wouldn't recommend more than once a season):

• Saw a good sports movie Monday night, Warrior. If you like MMA, you'll love it. I have trouble watching MMA---seems like a brutal street fight that needs breaking up---but I still enjoyed Warrior. It's more a family drama, brother vs brother, brothers vs estranged father, than sports movie. Nick Nolte is great as the dad seeking redemption who wears on his face a near lifetime of being a drunk and bad father. Warrior feels like the first Rocky, but again, if you're turned off by the fighting, stay away.
• Kyle Orton wanted no part of Tim Tebow questions this week. Who can blame him? Doubt there's a happy ending in Denver for Orton though.
• Rob Howe of HawkeyeInsider.com has every right to ask Kirk Ferentz for comment after DJK-- Iowa's all-time leading receiver--accused Ferentz of blackballing him from the NFL. Ferentz said he did not blackball DJK, and I believe him. I doubt Ferentz lobbied for DJK either (and who could blame him?).
• Ferentz saying Howe's question is "irrelevant" is not accurate. It's a fair question in context, though one must consider the source of the accusation.  Sometimes a reporter asking a question that's not welcome makes for a tense scene because the two parties have different agendas and jobs.
• Bottom line, if an NFL GM thought Derrell Johnson-Koulianos could make his team better, DJK would have a job (see Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Michael Vick, Sebastian Janikowski, Donte Stallworth, and many others). Kirk Ferentz could help DJK, but after four years of headaches, I doubt Ferentz is going out of his way, putting his good name on the line, for a guy kicked off Iowa's football team following a drug-house raid.
• Sorry to see AK O'Connors in Beaverdale is closing. AK's had the most underrated breakfast special in Des Moines. Cool bar too.
• Andy Fales looks pretty good with a buzz cut. Dang.
• I still can't believe what I saw Saturday. Most entertaining game, start to finish, I've ever seen in person. It was a privilege.