Scattershot Thoughts

Dick Vitale out until February with a blown vocal cord? I'm sorry it happened, but it was only a matter of time. That man yells more than Al Pacino. Get well, Dick. You do a lot for college basketball...

I now understand why Elvis shot his television. Have you seen the Bud Light "Dude!" commercials? I saw the same ad 43 times during one NFL game. Dude...

The Iowa Hawkeyes need game-breakers, not law-breakers. Unfortunately, Dominique Douglas was both. He's out of second chances. I'm confident Kirk Ferentz strongly encouraged Douglas to transfer...

There's a cool new local Web site with potential, http://www.iasportsnews.com/ It allows you to "get all your Iowa sports news in one place". Great idea...

Green Bay Packer fans, cheer for Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo to take their relationship up a notch, or at the very least, stay together. I've seen that look of a man with his mind on other things. The thumb might hurt, but the heart aches...

The Mitchell Report forces all of us to be judge and jury. As more and more guys admit their guilt (always "one time" and "for an injury"), it looks worse for Roger Clemens. The timeline for his stats and alleged steroid use is damning. My verdict, with no proof, is guilty. I see Clemens and Bonds as the faces of the steroid era, but there is a far more detailed trail following Bonds (see "Game of Shadows")...

Dan Fogelberg died. That's sad. Fogelberg had that reputation for being overly sensitive and sentimental, but I always found myself singing along to those sappy songs, like the ridiculous "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Who takes his mantel? I nominate James Taylor... (Update on 12/20: one of our smart readers points out it was Gordon Lightfoot who sang about a shipwreck, not Fogelberg. Remember Gordon and that porn 'stache? "Leader of the Band" will have to do for our Fogelberg example.)

Do you have a favorite Christmas song? Mine's "Little Drummer Boy" as sung by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. How did that ever work?! I also like Bob Seger's version. Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" never grows old either, thought it should since it's on every few minutes...

Favorite Christmas movie? I want to say "Christmas Story" or "It's a Wonderful Life", those seem like cool answers, and I do love those movies, but the truth is "Christmas Vacation". I laugh out loud every time.

Cousin Eddie: "He's(Snotz) got a little bit of Mississippi leg hound in em... He'll grab a hold of your leg and go to town. Word to the wise if he does grab a hold, just let him finish."
Clark W. Grizwald : "Thanks Eddie... I'll remember that."


Merry Christmas to you and yours,
Keith