The Jock Strap

Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball diamond concession stand.....Easily the state's best

2008-06-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

You know, during my travels around the Hawkeye state since beginning my professional sports broadcasting career in June of 2003, I've been north, south, east, and west. I've covered events in Fort Dodge, St. Marys, Clinton and Burlington, and Sioux City. I've also been pretty much everywhere in-between, including Des Moines, Iowa City, etc., etc. And, of course, chasing the teams I've covered around the state puts me on a tight schedule, which doesn't lend itself to too many sit-down family-style meals. As many coaches well know, a lot of my meals come at the stadium, the ballpark, or in the lobby of a gymnasium. In other words, I many times pray to the great god of the concession stand.

This being said, I feel that I am am expert on high school sports concession stands and the quality and variety of their menus. And, this past weekend, while covering the Bulldogs' three games at the Cedar Rapids Jefferson J-Hawk Softball Classic, I encountered the best of the best.

When you head down to get a hot dog and a drink at "The Cabin," the affectionate name for the concession stand at the C.R. Jefferson softball diamond, you encounter a menu that many small restaurants would be envious of. Quickly, you realize that simply ordering a hot dog and a Coke might be the biggest mistake you've made in your life. For example, when I was leaving the ballpark on Saturday evening, a Jefferson assistant coach and a team Mom who helps run the concession stand insisted that I order whatever I want from The Cabin before leaving to head back to Ottumwa. I'm thinking pizza, a cheeseburger, maybe even get fancy with a giant pretzel and some nacho dip. But oh no, I was at Jefferson High School, and the concession game is played at a different level around there. Natalie Niemeyer, the head coach's daughter and freshman team assistant coach for the Jayhawks, throws out a recommendation for a piece of their gourmet cheesecake. So, before I leave the ballpark, while watching some of the BGM vs. Mount Vernon game, I enjoy a piece of gourmet cheesecake with cherries and cherry topping.........At a high school softball game! I'm telling you, the cheesecake was excellent, but I was more shocked by the fact that you can actually order cheesecake at a high school softball game, and the concession stand has it in stock. Absolutely amazing.

Now, let's get back to the menu at "The Cabin." It's broken down into sections, including drinks, breakfast, food items, desserts, and candy.

Under food items, one finds a ribeye steak sandwich for $5.25, a Philly steak sandwich for $4.75, a grilled, boneless chicken breast sandwich for $4.00, and a grilled fish sandwich for $4.00. Get the idea? This place is unreal.

Under breakfast, you have donuts, rolls, pancakes, and french toast sticks.

Then, when you turn to drinks, you'd think, "Well, they'll have the usual soft drinks, bland coffee, etc." Wrong again. They have 7 different soft drinks, sun tea, generic lemonade, bottled water, Gatorade, Country Time lemonade, Snapple lemon tea, strawberry banana smoothies, apple, grape, and Sunny D juice, milk and chocolate milk, coffee, and hot chocolate.

How 'bout desserts you ask? Well, let's get down to business. Cheesecake (with cherries or strawberries.......As mentioned, I went with cherries), apple, cherry, peach, and blueberry pie (available ala mode), strawberry shortcake (available ala mode), brownie sundae, rootbeer float, frosty malt, drumstick, ice cream sandwich, ice cream cone (2 dips), ice cream cone (3 scoops in a bowl (available with chocolate syrup, strawberries, or both)), and freeze pops. Are you serious?

Then, for candy, you have: Dots, Hot Tamales, Mike & Ike's, plain and peanut M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Skittles, Snickers bars, Twix bars, Twizzlers, blue, green, and purple Sour Punch Straws, Fireballs, caramel apple suckers and lolly pops, and Laffy Taffy. Whew!! That took a lot of effort just to type out!

Again, this is at a high school softball stadium!

In conclusion, this was easily the most amazing high school concession stand experience I've ever had, inside and outside the state of Iowa, and including high school, college, and professional sports. Quite honestly, "The Cabin" at Jefferson is better than most Minor League Baseball park concession stands I've been to, and has a greater variety of items than any Major League Baseball park I've ever been to.

All the respect in the world to the founders, purveyors, and workers at "The Cabin," you have all created an absolute masterpiece that goes down in all-time concession stand lore!

"The Bruce"

Tiger Woods.......Does anyone need any more proof?

2008-06-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

As you know, Tiger Woods locked up his 14th career major with an epic victory at Torrey Pines in San Diego on Monday (6/16), defeating Rocco Mediate on the 91st hole of competition in a sudden-death playoff that followed that day's 18-hole playoff between the two men.

Tiger, only 32 years of age, now owns just four fewer major championships than Jack Nicklaus, who won his 18th and final major, The Masters, at the age of 45 in 1986. With the U.S. Open win on Monday, Woods also joined Jack as the only men to ever win the career Grand Slam three times over (Grand Slam includes all four majors......U.S. Open, Masters, PGA Championship, and British Open). Just to hammer that point home, Tiger and Jack each have at least three titles at each of the four separate events. Just incredible.

And, while Jack Nicklaus' brilliant career was highlighted by six wins at The Masters at Augusta National, Tiger's win at Torrey Pines was his seventh on the famed public course in the San Diego area, including not only this U.S. Open, but five Buick Invitationals and one Junior World Championship won when he was a teenager. Again, seven wins on the same course, another all-time record.

Now, all of this being said, Tiger Woods recently let it be known that the evident knee pain he suffered from at Torrey Pines, while walking 91 holes to finally earn the victory, was actually a very serious ACL tear in his left knee that will now require season-ending surgery. Meanwhile, he was also playing with a double stress fracture in his tibia. He has come out recently and admitted that a few weeks ago, when a doctor told him to take 6 weeks off for the stress fractures to heal properly, he looked him straight in the eye and said, "I'm playing in the U.S. Open, and I'm going to win." So, ignoring doctor's orders and a severe amount of pain that limited his game, he still beat the best in the world and won our nation's golf championship, for the third time.

Anybody have any more questions or doubts about Tiger Woods? Care to question his talent, his ability, his heart, his toughness, his singleness of purpose? Care to question his desire to become the greatest golfer of all time? I would love to field a comment from someone who questions any of those things.

And, above and beyond everything just mentioned, I believe the one attribute that makes him truly special is his ability to live in the moment, and nowhere but in the moment. Just like Michael Jordan had the ability to do, Tiger has an almost superhuman ability to slow things down, purely focus on what he's trying to do, and seemingly get things done by sheer will. To me, he has more control on the outcome of whatever he's involved in than any other sportsman ever has. He ALWAYS comes up with the exact thing he needs at the exact time in which he needs it. A perfect drive on the 18th hole when he must birdie to keep the competition alive, a 15-foot putt on the 18th green for a tie and a forced playoff, a 65-foot eagle putt earlier in the round and a 35-foot double-breaking eagle putt on the 18th hole Saturday to take the overnight lead, and these were all things he just did in this last tournament, let alone all of the highlights we could come up with for his career. Oh yeah, by the way, I forgot the birdie chip-in he made this past Saturday at Torrey Pines as well. Just thought I'd throw that in.

Tiger Woods cannot be considered the greatest golfer of all time until he eclipses Jack Nicklaus' major championship record of 18 or Sam Snead's all-time tournament wins record of 82 (which he's quickly approaching with a current total of 65......Jack has 73), but I think it's pretty clear that you are watching the greatest golfer who's ever picked up a club. It's really not even much of a stretch to make that claim at this very point in time.

My words to you......Take in every moment, watch him as much as you can, enjoy the moments and cherish the memories as much as possible, because individuals like this come around once and once only.

"The Bruce"

14 innings.......No score.....Let's finish it later

2008-06-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

On Monday night, June 9th, I had one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in 7 1/2 years of play-by-play experience. Ottumwa was at Des Moines Roosevelt for a Metro softball doubleheader, and the first game went to the Roughriders by the final score of 3-0. Now, this outcome was a little odd, mainly because nobody scored in the entire game outside of the bottom of the first when Roosevelt pushed 3 runs across on 4 hits. The remaining six innings were made up of nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard.

But, while that was a little odd, things were set to get just plain crazy. The second game of the evening went 14 innings, and nobody won! How could nobody win, you ask? Well, Roosevelt and Ottumwa battled through 14 scoreless innings, and after the Bulldogs retired the Roughriders without scoring in the bottom of the 14th, OHS coach Frank Huston and Roosevelt coach Lindsey Smith decided to suspend the game due to darkness (Roosevelt doesn't have lights at their softball field). The game will be re-started with the Top of the 15th inning on June 26th, when the Roughriders come to Huston Field in Ottumwa for the regularly-scheduled second doubleheader of the season between the two teams. Absolutely incredible! 14 innings of shutout softball, for both teams. I've never seen anything like it, and I've never had to report that neither team won a game that I've called. At least for the night, it was a tie.

Meanwhile, a really odd scenario was mixed in to the story in that Bulldog freshman right-hander Courtney Wagner and Roughrider junior left-hander Laura Ramsey each threw 14 inning shutouts, and neither earned a victory for the effort. Think about dealing with that mentally. You just threw 14 innings and didn't get a win. And, think about the person who eventually loses this game, probably only giving up one run in 15 or 16 innings of softball. Wow.

A wacky, enjoyable, and strange evening of high school softball. Meanwhile, I also urge all Bulldog softball fans to stand by their struggling Bulldogs this year (3-11; 0-5 METRO after Monday night, 06/09/08), keep in mind that Ottumwa lost 7 senior starters off of last year's team that earned 3rd place at the Class 4A State Tournament in Fort Dodge, and that what you have this season is a group of very talented, but very young players in red and white. This I can guarantee you.......In a few short years, Coach Huston and Coach Mishler will have Ottumwa right back where it normally is, in the thick of a Class 4A state championship hunt, and they will do it for the most part with the exact same players that are on the field right now.

Enjoy the summer, and as always, thanks for listening to our Bulldog play-by-play coverage on The Voice of the Bulldogs, 1240 KBIZ!

"The Bruce"

When it rains, it pours

2008-05-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

So, let me tell you about my Monday afternoon/evening (5/19). This short story will give you an inside look at the life of a sports broadcaster.

First off, I was coming off of a monster New York City weekend for my best friend's bachelor party, one in which sleep was at a minimum but fun was at a maximum. So, needless to say, heading directly into a 15-hour workday on Monday was less than a perfect situation, but I was still fired up about making a trip to Marshalltown for the Ottumwa High School baseball season opener against the MHS Bobcats (15-hour explanation......Get in to work at 9:00 AM and get home from Marshalltown after game at midnight......Just a typical summer workday for your friend, the Voice of the Bulldogs.)

So, after my daily work at the station, I jumped in "the KRKN van," one of our two company vans named as such due to the personalized license plate. Now, keep in mind, I've driven "the KRKN van" and "KISS van" all over the great state of Iowa in pursuit of outstanding Bulldog play-by-play coverage, including Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Des Moines, Burlington, Muscatine, etc., etc., all locations that are nowhere near Ottumwa. So, driving to Marshalltown was no big deal, nothing more than par for the course.

My route was up Highway 63 to the north, then west on Highway 30 (take a left at Tama, IA) about 18 miles into Marshalltown. Well, all was well until I got about 3 miles west of Tama on Highway 30, and boom, the old KRKN van begins to struggle.

The old soldier (with just less than 150,000 of hard work on its odometer) finally had had enough. The oil gauge went down to just above zero, the "check gauges" light came on, the despite giving the van plenty of gas, it was only able to struggle up a hill at 30 mph maximum before it finally quit. When the power steering went out and the van lost power, I became fully aware that we had a major problem. At that point, I struggled to get the van to the shoulder of Highway 30 West, and that's where it finally came to rest.

At this point, I'm about one hour out from starting my pre-game show for the single varsity game, and I'm currently in a broken down van approximately 12-15 miles east of Marshalltown with no ride in the foreseeable future.

So, here's where things get funny. Or sad, depending on how you look at it. Mr. Goodvin (a player's dad), after being flagged down at the ballpark by coaches Ryan Woods and Mike Egbert (whose cell phones I had called repeatedly in a panic), comes back out Highway 30 East in a team van to get me, I load my equipment in his van, and we take off for the ballpark.

But, just as it looks like everything will be fine, and I have my equipment set up and am ready to start pre-game just barely on time, the rains begin to come in earnest, and after a very short rain delay, the remainder of the junior varsity game and the entire varsity game are postponed until later in the week. So, all of those problems and work just to get there, and for a moment you're amazed you were able to pull it off, just to have the game rained out anyway! Hilarious. :)

Then, I hitch a ride in Ryan Woods' (head baseball coach at OHS) team van with about 9 or 10 players back to Ottumwa, Coach Woods and Coach Egbert have to drop the vans off at the place the school rents them from, and after Coach Woods gets back into his personal vehicle, he'll be able to drive me back to the station.

Well, good old Murphy's Law was not done with me yet on this day. As Coach Woods attempts to start up his vehicle, the ignition does nothing but click and it won't turn over due to a dead battery! Amazing. Just one more thing, please! So, finally, Mike Egbert gives Coach Woods' vehicle a jump start, Coach Woods takes me back to the radio station, I get in my car, and get home at the amazingly early hour of 11:00 PM. Welcome to the amazing life of your favorite local sportscaster. :)

So, there's the tale of my most recent encounter with Mr. Murphy of Murphy's Law. When it rains, it pours! Absolutely no question about it. And, as far as "the KRKN van" is concerned, R.I.P. You've served me well, my friend. (R.I.P. that is, unless Carriker Ford of Oskaloosa can bring the old girl back from the dead!)

Hope you enjoyed this amazing tale. I'll be back with more in the near future!

OUT.

"The Bruce"

The amazing Ottumwa High School girls golf team

2008-05-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello one, hello all. "The Bruce" is back, and it's time to give credit where credit is due. As of Thursday's (5/1) tie-breaker victory over Ames in the Ottumwa Invitational at Ottumwa Country Club, the OHS girls golf team has won 20 consecutive matches, dating back to an undefeated state championship run in 2007.

20 straight? That's right, 20 straight! My mission today is to make sure that anyone reading this post has a firm grasp on how amazing that winning streak really is.

Ottumwa competes at the highest level in the state of Iowa, Class 4A high school athletics. Therefore, it's not as though the Bulldogs are marching through the "Little Sisters of the Poor" or "Fox Valley" (as my friend Coach Stan Rupe would say). No, in actuality, OHS is consistently beating the best that the state has to offer. We're talking all sorts of teams from around the Hawkeye State, including the Des Moines metro area. Already, this season, the Bulldogs have taken down two state title hopefuls in Ankeny and Ames. To win 20 straight matches against this kind of competition is simply remarkable. And, keep in mind, Ottumwa went undefeated in 2007 to begin the winning streak that is still alive as of the time this post is written.

Another way to put this in perspective is to compare the streak to other sports at the high school. Imagine if Tom Kopatich's Bulldogs, who always had tons of success, had ever won 20 games in-a-row. That would be at least one undefeated state championship season and most of another. As fired up as folks in southeast Iowa are every fall about Bulldog football, this sort of streak would have been the talk of the town for months if not years, no question.

What if Stan Rupe's OHS girls basketball squad or Mike Holmes' OHS boys basketball team had ripped off 20 straight victories last season. Again, if that was the case, you're most-likely looking at a state championship run and one of the best 4A teams assembled around the state in the last 5 to 10 years. In 2003-2004, the OHS boys basketball team, led by Holmes, advanced to the Class 4A Final Four. The team had an incredible season and stirred excitement around Ottumwa unlike anything seen for a long, long while. But, consider this: The team's final record included 19 wins. Of course, that is a phenomenal win total. But, in the case of the OHS girls golf squad, we're talking about 20 wins, in-a-row. Wow.

The level of play of Betsy Anderson, Katie Maher, Hailey Sheldahl, Paige Wetrich, Sarah Paulson, and Kristin Paulson is something unmatched in OHS history. On top of this talented group of players, OHS girls golf is led by one of the up-and-coming young coaches in the state, Dusty Stewart. What has Stewart done recently? Oh, well, nothing more than be named the 2007 Class 4A Coach of the Year.

I'm going to go way out on a limb here. I know, I know. Right now you're saying, "Geez, Brian, how can you afford to be such a risk-taker?" Well, anyway, my prediction is that the 2008 OHS girls golf squad runs the table again this year, and in doing so earns its second consecutive Class 4A state championship.

So, do yourself a favor. Take a look at the OHS spring sports schedule, match up some free time with an OHS girls golf meet, and go enjoy yourself. You'll not only see some great golf being played, you'll see the high school's sports record book being rewritten.

The many different levels of men's Division I basketball

2008-04-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you what's really annoying and unbelievably frustrating...........Losing your favorite basketball coach to a "more prestigious" or "bigger" program. :(

Recently, I've been struck by that phenomenon twice, with Tom Crean leaving Marquette (my beloved alma mater) for Bloomington, Indiana and Hoosier country, and Keno Davis bolting Des Moines for Providence, Rhode Island.

From the standpoint of coaching being a profession, I, of course, understand why coaches would leave one post in order to make more money and be on a bigger stage somewhere else. In the state of Wisconsin, Tom Crean, despite rebuilding the Marquette program to a yearly level of national relevance, was always second fiddle to Bo Ryan at the University of Wisconsin. Plus, Crean could only make so much money at a private, Catholic institution such as Marquette, while a public institution such as Indiana could and would offer him plenty more.

Meanwhile, with Keno Davis' move to take over the Friars at Providence, again, this makes perfect sense in terms of a business decision. He moves from a Missouri Valley Conference program to a Big East program, and moves from fairly low six figures to seven figures per year. Obviously, good for you from that aspect.

But, and I suppose this post is nothing more than a gripe, but I'm tired of schools and programs that I support being nothing more than feeder schools for bigger programs. Tom Crean does a great job at Marquette, turning the Golden Eagles into a yearly Top 25 team, but as soon as big, bad Indiana finds itself in a lurch, they pick the great coach away from the "little guy" by offering him more prestige and cash.

In the case of Drake, the school hadn't seen really good basketball for at least 30 years. Keno Davis, along with his hard-working players and staff, works a miracle in 2007-2008, and boom, Providence comes calling and Drake supporters are left hoping they can continue on with their recent rise to national awareness.

Personally, I wish more coaches established a personal connection with a school and simply decided to stay because of their relationship with the place, the people in the program, the fan base, etc. I understand coaches' job changes from the business aspect, but I don't understand them at all from a personal aspect.

For example, Tom Crean could have stayed at Marquette forever, been a local folk hero for taking Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 and the tournament almost every year, and continued to make at least one million dollars every year for the rest of his life. Honestly, what's the difference between millions of dollars. To me, if I'm a millionaire, then I'm a millionaire. It's not like I would feel disenchanted making only one million as compared to three million. It's still way more money per year than you would ever need with which to live comfortably.

Also, I ask this question: How in the world can a major Division I program such as Marquette, in the Big East Conference, still be a feeder school for another program? That honestly makes me quite angry. Truth be told, at this stage in history, Marquette's program is at a far higher level than Indiana's is. Granted, Indiana basketball has a great aura surrounding it due to past success, national championships, Bobby Knight, etc. But I'm talking about 2008 and beyond, not 1976, 1981, and 1987.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm ticked off and frustrated. I don't like losing my coaches to "better" and "bigger" programs, and I truly wish that there was more loyalty from coaches in college basketball.

Get back at me on this subject. I want to hear some different viewpoints.

"The Bruce"

"Beat the Bruce" and the NCAA Tournament

2008-04-09T13:24:00.001-07:00

Well, the NCAA Tournament wrapped up on Monday night in San Antonio with the Kansas Jayhawks knocking off the Memphis Tigers, 75-68 in overtime, for the national championship. The Jayhawks brought the title back home to Lawrence for the first time since 1988, when Danny Manning and the Miracles defeated Oklahoma 83-79 in the title game at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.

The drama-filled championship game finished off yet another outstanding NCAA Tournament, which does nothing but continue to grow in importance and popularity.

This year at Ottumwa Radio, we tried something new with our "Beat the Bruce" bracket challenge. We were hopeful that plenty of individuals would sign up for the online bracket challenge, and truly thought it could be an exciting and enjoyable feature on our website.

We were not disappointed. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with the level of genuine excitement that many people had for the "Beat the Bruce" challenge, from friends of mine around the country, people we're familiar with around southeast Iowa, and faithful listeners that we haven't yet met personally. It was awesome!

Now, I must say, "The Bruce's" early round picks didn't go as planned, and believe me, I heard plenty of heat about the exact number of people that were "beating the Bruce" when I sat in 160th place after the first weekend of The Big Dance. But, I am proud to say that I correctly picked 3 of the 4 Final Four teams (would have had all four if Xavier hadn't laid an egg in the Elite 8 versus UCLA), picked the championship game teams, and picked my beloved Jayhawks to win it all. In the end, I finished 16th, and only 15 people "Beat the Bruce." Not bad, my friends, not bad.

But, any accomplishments I had pale in comparison to what I will refer to as "The Top Three." Finishing first was an Ottumwa grade-schooler, Tristan Boyer. T-dubs topped the list of 224 bracketologists and defeated the second place finisher by 13 points. T-dubs "smack" talk says nothing other than "Hey....I'm just a kid." Yes, it may be true that he will only be in 7th grade next school year, but T-dubs came up with one heck of a memorable performance in our bracket challenge! Congratulations buddy!

Finishing second was none other than local high school student and sports genius Emery Songer. Emery entered the exact same bracket in the Ottumwa High School pool and on the Fox Sports website. His OHS bracket earned him money in the end, and at one point, his Fox Sports bracket was 15th-best in the entire state of Iowa. The thing that has to be pointed out about Emery's bracket is the fact that he correctly picked Davidson to advance to the Elite Eight and lose to Kansas. UNBELIEVABLE! I mean, let's be real. I knew Davidson was an excellent team and thus I picked them to defeat Gonzaga in the first round, and then lose to Georgetown in the second round. Not Emery. The local sports whiz accurately predicted the Wildcats' historic run to the Elite Eight. Incredible. Nicely done, my friend, nicely done. Second place with over 600 accumulated points. Excellent.

And rounding out "The Top Three" was one of "The Bruce's" best friends, Kristine Kelly, who resides in the Kansas City metro area. To all of those macho sports dudes out there who think that there isn't a female alive than can possibly know as much as you do about sports: Kristine proves you wrong. First off, just look at her username on "Beat the Bruce": Sherron Collins is my basketball boyfriend. Now, you have to know a ton about sports to name your bracket after the Kansas Jayhawks backup point guard. You also have to know a lot about basketball to finish third out of 224 contestants. Don't talk to me about luck. Kristine has the skills to pay the bills (and now she has a Motorola Blue Tooth hands-free cell phone speaker as well)! Ms. Kelly's triumphant result in "Beat the Bruce" capped off an incredible March Madness season for the KU graduate and lifelong Kansas basketball fan, as she was in Lawrence to witness her 'Hawks defeat UNC and Memphis to earn the national title for the first time since 1988, as well as entering her same "Beat the Bruce" bracket at work in K.C. and taking home money there as well. "Sherron Collins is my basketball boyfriend" came up big, just like the real-life Sherron "Big Hustle" Collins and his Jayhawk brethren did in San Antonio. Awesome job Kristine!

That's it for now, friends. Thanks for all of the interest in and excitement for "Beat the Bruce," and I truly hope you enjoyed the 2008 edition of The Big Dance as much as I did.

I'll check in with you again soon.

OUT.

"The Bruce"

Three first round "must-see" games in The Big Dance

2008-03-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

As I write this post on Tuesday evening (3/18) at about 5:45, we're all just a few hours away from the start of "The Madness." The best 3 weeks in sports, otherwise known as the NCAA Tournament, tips off tonight in Dayton with the "play-in" game, pitting two No. 16 seeds who will battle it out for the right to be bludgeoned by overall No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday.

Now, if you're a total sports nut like me, you'll even watch the "play-in" game with vested interest. I still think that one of these days, even though No. 16 seeds are 0-92 all-time versus No. 1 seeds, one of these "little guys" will knock off Goliath and make tournament history. So, I'm going to watch Coppin State take on Mount St. Mary's and hope the winner can shock the world by defeating North Carolina. Of course, either of the two teams will lose to the Tar Heels by at least 30 points, but we can always dream the big dreams.

Looking toward the first round, let's focus on three "must-sees":

1. Omaha, Nebraska- Midwest Region- Thursday, 03/20/08- 6:10 PM tip-off- (6) USC (21-11)vs. (11) Kansas State (20-11)

This game possesses national intrigue. Why? The answer is simple. Star power. It's the Wildcats' Michael Beasley, a Player of the Year candidate (it's a two-horse race between "The Beas" and UNC's Tyler Hansbrough) vs. the Trojans' O.J. Mayo. Freshman versus freshman. Blue-chipper versus blue-chipper. Plus, you throw in K-State's Bill Walker, and you have three guys on the floor who all have great shots at becoming contributors if not standouts at the NBA level. Beasley averages 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. In a word, ridiculous. Walker scores 15.8 per game. Meanwhile, O.J. Mayo is averaging 20.8 ppg. Also, as Iowans know, USC head coach Tim Floyd used to be the head man at Iowa State, taking the Cyclones as far as the Sweet 16. His coaching ability is unquestioned. With those around the Hawkeye State being so familiar with him, this adds yet another facet to an already entertaining match-up. Again, you'll hate yourself for quite a while if you don't carve some time out of your Thursday night to take this one in.

2. Raleigh, North Carolina- Midwest Region- Friday, 03/21/08- 11:25 AM tip-off- (7) Gonzaga (25-7) vs. (10) Davidson (26-6)

The nation's perennial tourney "darling" versus "this year's George Mason." The Bulldogs had another fine season under one of the nation's best coaches, Mark Few. They won the West Coast Conference regular season crown with a 13-1 record, finishing one game ahead of outstanding St. Mary's in the league race. But, their opponent really takes this game's buzz to the next level. The Davidson Wildcats have won 24 consecutive games coming in, and went toe to toe with two of the nation's big boys early in the season without so much as batting an eye. On November 14th at now No. 1 North Carolina's "Dean Dome," Davidson hounded, irritated, and frustrated the Tar Heels on their home floor before finally falling 72-68 in a hotly contested battle. Then, on December 1st, the Wildcats marched into Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the now No. 9 vaunted Duke Blue Devils, and stayed with Coach K's team the entire way before finally coming up just short, 79-73. As Dickie V would say, "This team can flat out play." Don't be surprised if Davidson beats Gonzaga and gives Big East regular season champion Georgetown a war before finally succumbing in the second round.

3. Tampa, Florida- West Region- Friday, 03/21/08- 11:30 AM tip-off- (5) Drake (28-4) vs. (12) Western Kentucky (27-6)

First-year head coach Keno Davis and his Drake Bulldogs continue to rake in awards after their amazing 2007-2008 run that culminated in a 28-4 record, the first MVC regular season crown since 1971, the school's first-ever MVC Tournament crown, and the school's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1971. Davis has already won a couple different coaching honors and is one of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Adam Emmenecker and Josh Young are first-team All-MVC picks, etc., etc. Incredible stuff from a team that was picked during the preseason to finish 9th in a 10-team league race and just last year experienced its first winning season in the last 20. So, Cinderella very well may have been a Bulldog, but that Bulldog will have a tough customer on his hands in the first round. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 27-6 and took home the regular season and tourney titles in the Sun Belt Conference. Coach Darrin Horn is one of the nation's best "unknown coaches," and Courtney Lee (20.4 ppg) and Tyrone Brazelton (13.3 ppg) combine to comprise one of the nation's best one-two punches, that nobody knows about. A stern test for the boys from Des Moines, and you hope their outstanding coaching, leadership (primarily from Emmenecker), and skill (specifically speaking of Josh Young (15.8 ppg) and Leonard Houston (14.0 ppg)) will enable them to prevail, but that is anything but a foregone conclusion against the tourney's best 12-seed. If you're a true basketball junkie, especially residing anywhere in the state of Iowa, you know you'll be locked in on this hardwood battle.

4. (YES, I KNOW THAT I SAID THREE, BUT I LIED)- Anaheim, California- South Region- Thursday, 03/20/08- 1:30 PM tip-off- (6) Marquette (24-9) vs. (11) Kentucky (18-12)

Why do you have to be interested in this match-up, you ask? I'll tell you why. It includes my beloved alma mater, Marquette University. That's more than enough of a good reason, on top of the fact that because the game involves my alma mater, I've given you nothing less than a "must-watch" order. On top of those reasons, I assume that you'd like to see the Golden Eagles win their first of six in-a-row on the way to the school's second national championship (1977, God love ya Al McGuire!). Truthfully, I'm trying to be considerate here. I'm granting you the opportunity to remember and be a part of history!

Enjoy the Tournament one and all. This is nothing less than the avid sports fan's second coming of Christmas.

For more than you ever wanted to know about the 2008 NCAA Tournament, turn to CBS Sports via http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/.

A-May-zing! Eric May beats Iowa City West and Harlan during Dubuque Wahlert's 3A State Championship season

2008-03-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008- Wahlert at home trailing Iowa City West when Eric May's buzzer-beating 3-pointer wins it for the Golden Eagles in regulation.

Saturday, March 8th, 2008- May does it again, but this time it gives Wahlert a three-point win over Harlan in regulation in the 3A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena. (Wahlert called timeout with 0:02 left on the 4th quarter clock after Harlan's steal and lay-in tied it at 67 all.) (Video courtesy IHSSN)

For a tighter angle of the play, click on this link:

http://youtube.com:80/watch?v=ohEWsvDTZAg

One of the best endings, if not THE best ending to a state championship game I've ever seen or heard of in U.S. history. I'm absolutely amazed that SportsCenter hasn't picked up on this yet. They should. And, what makes it even more amazing is that it's sort of a trend for Eric May, since as you see in the video from 01/22/08, he'd already done something very similar earlier in the year. Incredible stuff from a player and a team that seem to be able to perform the best and focus the most when it matters the most.

And, to cap it off, we tracked down Tim Lary, the Sports Director at KDTH, "The Voice of the Tri-States," in Dubuque. Tim had the play-by-play call of May's buzzer-beater during his coverage of the State Championship game as The Voice of Dubuque High School sports. Thanks very much for the audio, Tim. (See below for the audio link.)

Amazing stuff. Enjoy!

The NBA is a sport of overpaid prima donnas and isn't a team game. But, I love it!

2008-03-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Oh boy. After looking back at the title I just created, I can just hear one of my good friends, a local basketball coach, shrieking out loud in his office as he reads it. Ah yes, the magic of the blog. It can make people love you, it can make people hate you, it can make people agree with you, and it can most certainly make people wonder what in the heck you're thinking about.

Here's the deal with the NBA. It's not a team sport. Actually, it pretty poorly played basketball. You have an absolutely ridiculous 24-second shot clock that is there for no other purpose than to make sure that scores are high and excitement abounds. Teams can't play any zone defense and can't double-team opponents, which, once again, gears the game towards one-one-one play and fans' excitement.

You don't see five or six passes, a great cross-screen on the low blocks, and beautiful entry pass to set up a strong move and a kiss off the glass for two. You see Allen Iverson go between his legs 5 consecutive times, put a "killer crossover" on a defender (better known in the rule book as "carrying" the basketball, otherwise known as a turnover), and cut to the hoop for a ridiculous reverse layup when a simple right knee-high form layup would have done just fine.

The NBA isn't about team basketball. The NBA isn't about good defense (until teams actually start caring when the playoffs begin). The NBA is about bringing fans to the gates with outstanding individual plays and high-flying action. So, for the traditional basketball fan who accepts no other form of basketball than the team game, and won't so much as watch anything else, the NBA is clearly not for them. College basketball would be that person's bag.

All this being said, though, I really enjoy watching NBA games. Don't get me wrong, college basketball, for my money, is the best basketball you'll find anywhere, with team play, great defense, 100% effort all of the time, etc. But, I still love the NBA. I know it's a league filled with a bunch of overpaid prima donnas, but I'll tell you one thing, those guys can flat out play.

I love watching NBA games because you are watching the best basketball players in the world and many of the world's greatest athletes battle it out on a nightly basis. You get to see guys do things athletically on a regular basis that 99% of the population can only dream about doing. So, no, it's not a team game. It's about individuals and exciting the fans. It's about a silly 24-second shot clock and final scores of 125-112. But, it's also about watching incredible athletes play basketball, and I'm all about that.

For more on the NBA, check out www.nba.com.

My goodness, I can just see my good friend, the local basketball coach, slamming his keyboard down in disgust of what his favorite local sports broadcaster just wrote. :)

Can't wait for baseball season? Give Iowa Minor League Baseball a try this Spring and Summer!

2008-02-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you have just about had enough of Mother Nature and her silly tricks this Winter. It has been snowing, icing, and freezing since early November 2007, and it's just about time to move on. I, like you, long for warmer temperatures, more sunlight, and longer days.

And, when I start thinking like this, I start dreaming about green grass, roasted peanuts, giant souvenir cups filled with the soft drink of my choice, warm breezes, and the crack of the bat. That's right sports fans, baseball season is only about one month away!

When you start putting together plans to head out to the old ballpark this Spring and Summer, keep Iowa Minor League Baseball in the forefront of your mind. Yes, no question, the occasional trip to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to watch the big boys in action is always a great use of an extended weekend, but when you want to watch a ballgame and be able to get back home for work the next day, staying in Iowa is the answer for you. Plus, there's just nothing like the allure of Minor League Baseball, watching young professional ballplayers with big dreams to make it to places like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago one day.

The Minor League game and experience are great because of the lack of frills and unnecessary extras you sometimes encounter at Major League ballparks. The Minor League experience is about one thing, baseball. The experience has to do with watching the game and studying the game that is being played in front of you, not about everything that surrounds the game.

On top of the beautiful simplicity of the set-up, you'll experience old-school prices and a touching hometown feel.

For instance, at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, home of the Kansas City Royals' Low Class A affiliate, the Burlington Bees, you head up to the concession stand, order a Coke, and they hand you a 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. No fancy stadium cup. No 40-ounce stadium mug and straw for $4.50. Just a plastic, 20-ounce Coca Cola bottle. Love it! Also, the price will be about $1.00 to $1.50, as compared to the $4.00 you'd pay at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City or the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis for a similarly-sized beverage. Bottom line, you take $5.00 to the concession stand, you come back with plenty of products. You get your money's worth, and that's all that you can ask for. And, you're not just getting your money's worth in terms of concessions, but also the product on the field. Next time you're at a Minor League game, study the actual game being played. It's great baseball, and many times, like in the Midwest League (where the Bees play), it's very well-pitched baseball. For baseball purists who like the low-scoring game where intracacies of the game become important to push across hard-to-come-by runs (like myself), this is great baseball to watch.

Now, onto the touching hometown feel of Minor League Baseball. Again, using Burlington, Iowa as an example, when you're at Community Field you'll run into a local legend by the name of Bobby. Bobby is a gentlemen who attends each and every game, stands near the the first base line box seats, and dances to the stadium music in-between half innings. Bobby is totally harmless and very entertaining, but will get a little miffed if anyone tries to dance with him and steal the spotlight. So, do yourself a favor, just let Bobby have the spotlight and enjoy the dancing. Again, only in Minor League Baseball.

Also, Minor League GMs will regularly have some sort of crazy promotion to draw crowds, such as "pick your seat night," "80s night," etc. Teams will also typically have fun little trivia segments and competition giveaways between half-innings. Minor League Baseball is all about the fun.

So, this Spring and Summer before you run out of state to K.C., St. Louis, or Chicago to catch a game, why not head to Burlington, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, or Des Moines. Believe me, you'll thank me for it later.

Check out these four team sites:

Burlington Bees (K.C. Royals Low Class A affiliate, Burlington, IA):

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t420

Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals Low Class A affiliate, Davenport, IA):

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t565

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Anaheim Angels Low Class A affiliate, Cedar Rapids, IA):

http://www.kernels.com/

Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, Des Moines, IA):

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t451

Have a great time experiencing Minor League Baseball! I sure have and will continue to, I can tell you that for sure. And, don't forget to respond to this blog by posting a response and/or e-mailing me with your thoughts at bbruce@ottumwaradio.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

"The Bruce"

Show the Drake Bulldogs some love!

2008-02-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

"The Bruce" is back and I'm annoyed. The Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team, as of 02/20/08, is 23-3 overall and 14-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, already MVC regular-season champs for the first time since 1971, and ranked No. 16 in the country on the AP Poll, and still earning little or no love from the national media.

Yes, I grant you that it's extra special to me because I cover collegiate sports in Iowa, and also because I live within 90 miles of the Drake campus in Des Moines. But, if you're an employee at ESPN or a producer for College Gameday, how can you say that you're doing your job while you overlook a conference champion that was picked to finish 9th in the league in the preseason rankings? How can you say that you're doing your job when you overlook a program that just last year had its first winning season in the last 20, and currently sits at 23-3 overall? Again, it's a disgrace. The Drake men's basketball story is a great one, and nobody is telling it.

Instead of spending all of the time in the world on Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian McNamee, and the "Kidd to Dallas" NBA blockbuster trade, the national sports media should focus a little more of their collective energy on some good old, hometown feel-good stories. Drake would definitely qualify.

To read up on the Bulldogs, learn about the team, and devour in-depth facts about their on-going magical season, try these links:

http://www.godrakebulldogs.com and http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/DRA

Enjoy this season and support the Drake men's basketball team, one of the best in the land in 2007-2008. Magical runs like this sometimes only come once in a lifetime.

Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, steroids, and HGH

2008-02-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, 7-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee engaged in a "he said, he said" on Capitol Hill, with both men calling the other a liar. If you're not familiar with the situation, the Mitchell Report, which investigated steroids and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) use in Major League Baseball and was released several months ago, has turned Major League Baseball and the country upside down with big names in baseball implicated for steroid and HGH use at some point during their careers.

Of course, Barry Bonds was implicated and tied up the most pages of any player in the 600+ pages of the report. But, Roger Clemens was also highlighted in the report, with McNamee stating that he had injected Clemens with steroids and HGH several times over a period of years during his Major League career.

While being questioned in a public deposition, both men asserted they they were telling the truth. McNamee saying he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH, and Clemens saying that he never took steroids or HGH during his playing career. From watching the video on ESPN, it is, of course, impossible to tell which man is actually telling the truth. The chilling thing is that we all know for a fact that one of them is flat-out lying.

Now, and I admit that this is nothing but my intuition speaking as part of an opinion, but I believe that it's Clemens who's doing the lying.

First and foremost, what do you expect him to say? "Yes, I took steroids and HGH shots during my career, so please look differently on my accomplishments and Hall of Fame numbers and think of me in a totally different light than you used to." Of course he's not going to say that. He must defend himself and the credibility of his career.

Secondly, what are McNamee's reasons to lie about the situation? What does he have to gain? Nothing more than a little time in the spotlight that comes with more than adequate irritation, being questioned under the spotlight by a Congressional committee, etc., etc. There really isn't any reason for McNamee to lie. Why would he?

Finally, and this is more on a generic line, but usually when someone has very specific details about an incident that occurred or didn't occur, such as the in-depth specifics in the Mitchell Report highlighting supposed facts surrounding McNamee injecting Clemens with steroids and HGH, then they are not lying. When someone lies, they give a glossed-over and generic answer to everything, hoping that nobody will dig into the details, details with which they are not equipped. But, when someone has the truth on their side, they also have details and facts to support their argument, because they were actually there and said what they said or did what they did. Basically, McNamee is giving an incredible amount of specific facts, while Clemens is simply saying, "No, I didn't do it." That's really all Clemens has left at this point, a comprehensive denial of all the accusations pointed toward him.

Now, what McNamee's real reasons are for saving gauze pads and needles from supposed injections of Clemens, I have absolutely no idea. It's disgusting, not to mention possibly harmful with infection and the like.

But, even with that being said, McNamee has the facts and specific details on his side. Agree with me or disagree with me, but I see it how I see it. Fire back with your thoughts on the situation.

"The Bruce"

Welcome to The Jock Strap....Your favorite new blog from the mind of Brian Bruce at Ottumwa Radio

2008-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hey there Southeast Iowa sports fans! Welcome to your new favorite sports blog. The idea here is this.........I regularly post sports-related topics that inspire, irritate, annoy, and/or provoke, and you post back with your feelings on what I've said and/or the topic in general......Sound good? Excellent.

My blogs might have to do with ultra-local sports.......Such as the Ottumwa Bulldogs, Indian Hills Community College, William Penn, etc., or they might have to do with national stories that are receiving big-time coverage.

Either way......The idea here is to get a flow of ideas going.......I'll get it started a couple times a week, and your job will be to respond!

So, let's get this thing rolling..........First true post to come soon! Let me know what you think about the new sports blog, and thanks for looking at the Ottumwa Radio websites!

Go Ottumwa Bulldogs! I'll be with you again soon!

Brian Bruce