What a start to the week. I still can't get over the fact that the last play in the Super Bowl wasn't reviewed. All of my referee friends agree (Yes, I have lots of referee friends)...I received about a dozen text messages within seconds of the end of the game, saying to some extent, "How the eff was that not reviewed!?!?!"


I had the same feeling after the 2001 Independence Bowl, where I still maintain Tony Yelk's kick was good. That still pisses me off to this day.

Onto other Iowa State matters....not looking forward to the result tonight in Manhattan. Very little good has happened there for the good guys. They haven't won there in eight years!! And back in the early part of the decade, K-State was rolling players out there like Pervis Pasco and Gilson DeJesus. (K-State always has some of the Major League (the movie), "Who are these effing guys?")

I don't have fond memories of Bramlage Coliseum either. Last year, while broadcasting with the women's basketball team I got lost in the bowels of that god-forsaken place while trying to leave. The signage is very poor in the Bramlage basement. I ended up taking a wrong exit, got locked out, circled the outside of the place while carrying all of the radio equipment in sub zero temperatures, before finally locating the only entrance to the media parking lot. It was disastrous.

Let's hope the men can break the Bramlage hex tonight and John Walters and Eric Heft escape the place in an efficient manner.
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This may deserve it's own post at some point, but I stumbled across some interesting info in regards to Iowa State's ability to get to the free-throw line. As my fifth grade AAU coach told me, "Blum, since you can't make a shot ....at least try to get fouled." That coach was more than likely being sarcastic, but he had a point. The Cyclones I'm sure have been told similar things, yet they don't seem to be reacting to said information. Check this out:


In 96-97 ISU was 86th in the nation in FT's attempted
97-98: 90th
98-99: 187th
99-00: 10th
00-01: 123rd
01-02: 228th
02-03: 213th
03-04: 13th
04-05: 76th
05-06: 24th
06-07: 196th
07-08: 244th
This year: 326th!!!

Brackins and DG have combined for 207 of the 322 FT's this season. Only Justin Hamilton is averaging any more than 1 FT a game (23 attempts in 21 games).

I relate free throws in basketball to a Johan Santana in baseball. They can stop the bleeding and end draughts. Most great teams get to the line regularly. (UCONN is #2 in the nation in FT's attempted, Oklahoma is #4, Xavier is #9 Marquette is #10, North Carolina #13.)

That's where Colvin and Gilstrap will greatly help next season.
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Now for your Craig Brackins draft update. Brackins helped himself quite a bit Saturday in his matchup with Blake Griffin and OU. Although, Blake only guarded CB about a dozen times, Brackins showed he could score on a taller, athletic defender. CB took it at him, had a couple and1's and also hit a turnaround on Blake in the post. But, perhaps just as importantly Craig battled on the glass with OU, grabbing a dozen rebounds.

Draft Express (who I think is the most reputable NBA draft site) continued their meteoric rise of Brackins, moving him up to the #8 overall pick in the 2010 Draft. He was in the low 30's 12 days ago. Again, that's the 2010 draft, but needless to say people are starting to notice Craigers.
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-Final thought....With signing day tomorrow, ISU has a chance to sign a guy nicknamed Pooh Bear and another guy named Money. Meanwhile, current Cyclone "Bo" Williams has changed his name on Cyclones.com to Johnny. Henceforth, I want to be known as the Bullet.

And now for the YouTube clip of the day.