Bulldogs Humble Cyclones, CBS News Bait and Switch, Mustache Club

Iowa State beat Drake by 48 last year, and that was a less talented Cyclone team. So when Tuesday's betting line dropped down to ISU by just 1, that seemed grape nuts. I thought ISU would win by at least ten. As a friend of mine often says, when a betting line seems too good to be true, it usually is. Vegas knows. Somehow Vegas knows...

Anyway, Drake dropped Iowa State by nine, and most of us did not see that coming...

What did we learn? Well, Drake had an undersized line-up and a nice game plan by Mark Phelps. Kurt Alexander and (especially) Rayvonte Rice showed why they only served a one (regular season) game suspension for allegedly stealing at Scheels. They're good, and Drake doesn't beat ISU without them. Rice, at times, was the best player on the court. Ben Simons' clutch 24 points didn't hurt either. Drake deserved the win...

As for the Cyclones---fans, deep breath---it's only one game. One early season game. It's not the end of the world. But... we did learn several things that show ISU has a LONG way to go. The lack of a true playmaking point guard is a glaring hole. Bad free throw shooting will cost this team some games, and make Fred Hoiberg---a great shooter---lose his hair. Royce White is a force, but he hasn't played in games that count in a long time, and he still has to learn to harness his power. Great talent doesn't automatically equal a great team (see the Eagles). Players have to learn to make each other better. I also think it's apparent Hoiberg misses right hand man Bobby Lutz. The bench needs to adjust as well. But again, it's just one game...

CBS News flat out embarrassed itself Tuesday night. The network promoted an exclusive interview with Mark McQueary---the first time we'd hear McQueary talk since the Penn State scandal broke. The usually reliable investigative reporter Armen Ketayian even tweeted about how McQueary "breaks his silence and opens a window for me into his emotions".  The interview is essentially McQueary in front of his house saying he has nothing to say right now. Not kidding. Here is the entire interview as it appeared on the CBS Evening News http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1tCys5I0Yg&feature=player_embedded

It's a cautionary tale for all newscasts at every level. Don't bait and switch the audience with promotion you can't live up to. You may gain a few viewers that night, but the trust you lose makes it foolish in the long run...

CBS made Bob Costas' actual exclusive with actual content look even more impressive...

Here's how an actual email I received from a viewer begins:

Keith-

I don't like you and I don't think I ever will.

Some days the job is more fun than others.
As Andy and I were leaving our radio show at KXNO, we bumped into Clear Channel Grand Poobah, and good guy, Joel McCrea. Since Joel has a mustache, naturally Andy had to take a picture.

Only one of these mustaches survives to see December