Happy Holiday Hawkeyes!

 The first game after the passing on Hayden Fry, and he is/was a Holiday Bowl Legend.  It turned out really well!

Touchdown Shots!

And there's only one way to Celebrate a big Hawkeye win!

Game Highligts

Wide Right Hall of Fame – Second Class

As the first class had a feel of the season (baseball’s first pitch) the second class follows suit with football season approaching. 

Kinnick Stadium – The Empire Strikes Back – Hayden Fry – Back In Black – The Tiger Hawk – Tecmo Bowl

Kinnick Stadium – As with Wrigley Field in the Inaugural Class, Kinnick Stadium is my other of my 2 favorite places in the world.  I’ve been to close to 100 games there and every time I walk up that old tunnel still in the shadow.  Looking up you can see the sun and as I still get closer to that point every time I get goose bumps.  Once you hit the top of the ramp the brightness of the sun hits you, the green grass (turf) and the Hawkeyes in black jersey’s and the black helmets.  It’s one of the favorite things in my life.  I’ve seen many games there with my dad and mom and I can’t wait to take my kids there for games.

The Empire Strikes Back – Star Wars started my love of that galaxy far far away, but Empire continued it.  Luke grows up, Han & Leia’s relationship starts and the 2 coolest guys in the galaxy are introduced, Boba Fett and Lando! 

Hayden Fry – Hayden is a first ballot Hall of Famer, but wanted to save him close to football season.  He’s one of my ultimate heroes.  At Iowa games I’d always scope out the white pants where they were on the sideline.  I’d listen to his radio show every Thursday with my dad.  I even dressed as him a couple Halloweens.  I got to meet him during the 93 spring game and got a picture with him. 

Back in Black – Just watch this!

The TigerHawk – The symbol of my child hood and life.  It’s one of the first things I learned to draw and I used to draw A LOT OF THEM. It’s one of the first things I taught my kids what it is, when they see one they shout “Dad, Hawkeyes!” 

Tecmo Bowl – The first great football video game!  I can’t count how many hours I played it.  I used to keep stats manually since the game didn’t do it, and I’d make my own “Big Peach” sports pages.  Bo Jackson on it is LEGENDARY too! 

  

Best and Worst of the Weekend - Put a full dad weekend on the resume`

So that was a blurr and busy weekend.  I’ll start Thursday.  I got off work early because both the older kids had parent teacher conferences.  Missed Addy’s but got to Bray’s.  Addy had a good conference and she is where she needs to be.  We’ve been working on reading and recognizing words.  She’s getting there.

Bray is almost ready to graduate and has more than a year and a half left.  He’ll probably have enough points by semester so I hope he doesn’t get too bored next spring.  He’s testing also as extremely gifted.  Smart kid.

 

After swim on Thursday night, since Addy didn’t have school, she got shipped off to grandmas till Saturday.  Friday night we got La Hacienda and a couple movies.  Bray picked out Rio, loves that movie and all the music.  At Redbox he did ask when Cars 3 comes out.  I rented The Conspirator.  Really good flick!

 

Saturday morning came and Bray had football in the am.  Got him there at 830 for pictures and then he didn’t want to participate.  I tried to nudge him a bit to play but he just didn’t want anything to do with it and I wasn’t going to push him. 

 

Grandma brought Addy down and was going to watch practice but then just headed to the house.  The next 4 hours was spent getting ready for Brayden’s 4^thbirthday party at the Y.  We had the rock climbing wall and pool for a couple hours and I was the only adult that got in the pool.  It was a free for all on me.  I had 4 4-5 year olds wrassling me.  My oldest daughter was too and then my older nephew was trying to go Dan Gable on me.  After an hour the kids were spent, and so was I.

 

Then we got to the cupcakes.  The kids I think had more fun with the frosting all over their lips and faces then eating them.  Bray then wanted to open presents.  Got some really cool things.  Grandma got him a leapster (that he’s been bugging me about) and some hot wheels stuff and a wii game and some other things.  We got him a bike and he was really excited about that.  Was a good day.  Played with them all night on Saturday night.

 

Also Saturday night I finally got to sit down and watch the Hawks.  Overall they played well I thought.  Liked the way Coker was running north and south and getting to the second and third levels.  Vandenburg had some nice tosses to Davis and McNutt.  Need to get them really involved in the next few weeks before we play the Michigan schools and Nebraska.  I like Persa and Ebert for the ‘Cats and Fitzgerald, if he could get some more talent in there would be really really dangerous…even still they are dangerous.

 

Sunday came and Bray got german pancakes for breakfast and a visit from grandpa and grandpa’s truck.  We went out and raked and loaded leaves and branches for 3 hours to take to a buddy’s house to drop so he can burn them.  Got a really big load and when the leaves were stacking up I put the kids in the bed and they had a blast scrunching down all the leaves.  Went and dropped them off then headed for home.  About half way home when we were talking about going to McDonalds with grandpa, Brayden puked.  Something didn’t sit well with him, either too much sugar, not enough sleep and all of the above just got him.  Got him home and cleaned up and he was looking like he had absolutely no energy.  He crashed for about a 4 hour nap.  While he napped, Addy even napped.  She was worn out from the weekend too.  I then feed Ryleigh…and got spit up on, and before that pooped on. 

 

After that we crashed in the recliner together, she’s a pretty good “warming cat” as my dad puts it.  I got about a 30 min nap in too before Addy woke up and time to get more stuff done.  Dishes, and supper out and going (steaks were phenomenal) All done in time to do some laundry while watching the Bears. 

 

The Bears made huge strides since Monday.  The pass protection was better and Hester, what can you say but “DON’T KICK IT TO HESTER” if you’re an opponent.  Was a good night! 

 

Was a really good weekend, but a rough start as Ryleigh is home sick today.

 

Next weekend is Iowa-Indiana, Bears-Bucs from London and more leaves await; plus Phineas & Ferb for Bray (another birthday present).  Wouldn’t change this though.

Hawkeyes + Huskers = Heroes Game

Since last year and when the 2011/2012 schedules where announced that Iowa and Nebraska would be the last game of the year, got really excited..and I still am and thought of how this rivalry is going to build up and be Iowa’s next great game to look forward too.  Kind of like what Wisconsin has become for Iowa and attempt to be what Nebraska had with Oklahoma.

You knew the inevitable trophy was going to come.  I love Floyd of Rosedale, and the Heartland Trophy as a Bull is great too.  Last week someone decided to retire the current incarnation of the Cy-Hawk trophy but a new one will be coming apparently.  This week before the Big Ten Media Days a joint announcement was made of a trophy that will be announced with the word “HERO” standing out.

Thoughts were being tweeted around it going to be something to do with Kinnick, Berringer, and/or some other great Huskers and Hawkeyes?  Answer is no.  Introducing the Heroes game, and trophy.  The design isn’t ready, the trophy is going to honor local state heroes.  Have their name etched on it and hopefully the score too.  Oh, and its sponsored…yes it’s about $.  Soon you’ll have your toilet paper rollers in stadiums sponsored. 

Ok – now before you kill me, it’s a great concept…yes honor local people doing great things, we don’t get enough of that on the news, its more terrible things going on.  So yes, great concept….but really, this for what is one of the top 2 games in the Legends Division (along with Michigan-Michigan State).

Now back to football…look at the trophies in the Big Ten…Floyd of Rosedale, the Little Brown Jug, the Old Oaken Bucket and Paul Bunyan’s Ax…now throw in HY-VEE Hero Trophy.  Which one doesn’t belong? 

As I’ve had time to think about it today, not every game needs a trophy.  The best rivalry in college football, Ohio State-Michigan, doesn’t have a trophy.  Their reward for winning usually was the Rose Bowl and Big Ten Championship Trophy. 

I wonder was there any thought of that?  Just bring the Big Ten Legends Division Title to the game, winner gets a ticket to Indianapolis.  Or as Ohio State-Michigan is dubbed “The Game” just call it Farmageddon (as you’ll hear from me). 

Rivalries aren’t built by title sponsors and trophies, their built by the games on the field.  The seed is planted for Hawks & Huskers, let’s let it grow, not sell it out.

The Man Cave

Saturday and Sunday (and any other day ending in "Y")  mornings and afternoons and nights, the "Man-Cave" in many houses across the country is where you'll find a lot of sports fans.  Some prefer the sports bars and the food and over priced beer, some go to the events, but more and more are experiencing the sporting events from home with a lot of big screen tvs and a place to show your teams memorabilia you've collected over the years.


When we bought this house, one of the things I wanted was a finished basement I could decorate as my "Hawkeye Room."  When I finally got it, we took a wall out and made a big living room in the basement that was a play area for then my one kid and now 3 kids, and put the fun stuff down there.  My big screen, surround sound, the dvds, xbox and had a couch and a futon and my chair.


Since I've had my 3rd child in February and needing another bed room, my Hawkeye room has had the wall that was taken down put back up, and also had some thing not yet prominently displayed.  In a few conversations on twitter, I thought I'd give a tour of my slimmed down Hawkeye Room 2.0.  There are a few shots from an earlier blog, but I thought I'd add a few others of what is currently out.


Enjoy the slide show and silent video.

My Hawkeye Book is filled with a lot of football cards, got a ton of Brad Banks, and also all my ticket stubs from 1992 to present.  When we moved from the old house I grew up in to the newer one, the stubs from 1986-1992 got trashed unfortunately.