The bigger story is Iowa coming back from a 17-3 deficient to defeat Penn State 23-20, to an overflowing of Iowa patrons that stormed the field afterward. Iowa had problems with Sean Clifford in the first two quarters before knocking him out with an injury and DaQuan Roberson couldn't solve the Iowa D, which had four more interceptions. Jack Campbell knocked Clifford out after an incomplete pass. Iowa's offense, once again dormant in the first half came alive in the second half with the game winning 44 TD pass to Nico Ragaini. Another hero in the Iowa game, punter Tory Taylor, who kept Penn State pinned behind their 20 yard line. With this win, Iowa controls their own destiny from here on out, with the rest of the teams they play are not ranked, including a disappointing Wisconsin team, a so so Purdue and much improved Nebraska team that almost upset Michigan, but Michigan seems to be on the comeback of late. Till they beat Ohio State, I won't be convinced. Also, Arizona State whopped Stanford 28-10 Friday Night in Tempe. Jack Jones, lateraled the ball to Deanan Pierce who went into the end zone and Jaylen Daniels had a great game, ran for 76 yards including a 51 yard touchdown run, against a poor Cardinal defense. This was the same Stanford team that upset the Oregon Ducks the week before but this time they had no answer to the Sun Devils running game. Next up for the ASU, Utah, who blew out USC 42-26, the first time the Trojans lost to the Utes in LA since 1916. It's been a very interesting week of college football.
Back in 2015 Colin Cowherd thought Iowa was overrated and didn't play nobody, to which became true but this year he's been on the Iowa bandwagon and has been amazed on the Iowa Defense. Time will tell but I do have a good feeling that Iowa will run the table to the Big Ten Championship and maybe get to play Michigan, if they can beat Ohio State. That remains a very BIG IF. In the meantime, kudos to the Ohio State Marching Band for their tribute to Rush during the halftime show. To which Maryland had no chance of winning. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/rush-marching-band-tribute/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR2g9z7HcX0iijRAIYrv7yeoyFyL4yLKzh4kl8osEWbOxDr6AzgRlUZMyy0
On the music side of things. The Avey Grouws Band is one of the best up and coming blues rock bands that has come on the horizon. Led by Jeni Grouws and the intense playing of Chris Avey, they have put out a new album called Tell Tale Heart, which is more rock and roll, but in this day and age, it's now known as the blues. While I have cut back on buying brand new music, Tell Tale Heart is a must own. It's a record that demands your attention and has a groove to it, that you have to listen to it again. It helps to have a damn good rhythm section and AGB has it with Randy Leasman on bass and Bryan West on drums (Nick Vazquez plays keyboards). Plenty of rock and blues to go with Avey's searing guitar on Mariana, to which he actually played some of that guitar lead during a blues jams Thursday at Checkers. They did played the Olympic with Joanna O'Connor, one of the best guitar players out there. They're based in the Quad Cities but these folks are the real blues and rock deal. This will be one of my fave 2021 albums of the year, maybe the best.
It's been two weeks since the last bargain hunt, and Tell Tale Heart was the only CD that I bought over this time. The Goodwill Dive and Dump Store, had about 8 scratchy James Brown records thrown into one of those bins along with decent copy of Elvis Costello's Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood but I really didn't need that record, nor One More Night from Phil Collins. There's a Scotch Grove Flea Market slated for Sunday and perhaps we'll find something out there. But I'm still trying to listen to the stuff that I got in Davenport two weeks ago. So much music, so little time. The Scotch Grove Flea Market I didn't make. Had to go on a wild goose chase for something that I wrote the wrong address down. My brain and fingers seldom are on the same page. Life with Demetria.
The Chicago Cubs' season is done. They let go their hitting coach and one other. The pitching coach should be let go as well. The starters this season were the all time worst. It was Kyle Hendricks' worst season as a Cub, Jake Arrieta's return was a crash and burn disaster and he never got any better when San Diego picked him up and then released him three weeks later. In hindsight, Yu Darvish being traded away, Jeb Hoyer thought right that Darvish would get hurt and Darvish did. The guy they traded for Zac Davies sucked all year, even pitching that no hitter with the departed Andrew Chapin, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel helping out, that Davies didn't pitch worth a shit after that. He's a one and done deal and good riddance to him. While Tepera is doing well for the White Sox, Kimbrel has been used in a set up role and it has not worked. This guy is a stopper and for this year as a Cubs player he was lights out. So far, Tony LaRussa has not used Kimbrel as a stopper at all. Which is a head scratcher. Look for Houston to move on to the final.
The Cubs pitching staff was a mess. Nobody completed a game, tho soft throwing Alec Mills might have been the best, Azolay up and down and did better out of the bullpen than starter and Adrian Sampson, journeyman pitcher did well. Middle relief and beyond, life after Kimbrel, Chapin and Tepera was a constant suffering of lead off walks, base hits, home runs and blown leads In those 91 losses, half of those game could have been won had the Cubs had relief pitching. Dillon Maples, couldn't stop the walks, so the Cubs told him to take a walk. Tommy Nance sucked, Brothers, sucked Rodriquez sucked and Rowan Wick was no Kimbrel. Trevor McGill sucked, Cody Hauer did okay. And Cory Abbott, faltered till he pitched a gem of a game against the Cardinals.
Overall the Cubs had 69 players in their lineup, a record upon itself. They traded away Rizzo, Baez and Bryant, and their replacements were Frank Schwingel (who really was the best of the new guys, winning rookie player of the month), Patrick Wisdom (who could hit home runs and then strike out multiple times as well) and Rafael Ortega, to which these three batters did hit better than our 2016 heroes. Alas, this was Jason Heyward's worst year as a Cub, he couldn't hit and his fielding went south as well. Ian Happ was Happless most off the year, but then got hot in August and September. Happ would be the sole remaining player that started on Opening Day and the last game of the year. David Bote simply couldn't hit either. Sergio Alcantana turned out to match Wisdom and Baez for K's this year and was a joke. Wilson Conteras was the only decent catcher the Cubs had, the rest could challenge the pitchers for the batting average that was under the Mendoza line. Looking back, it's hard to believe that they were in first place for most of May and part of June before Milwaukee kept sweeping them away and the free fall begin. But like any trainwreck, there was some sort of fascination with the ever changing lineup and results. And they did win a few games. But their bullpen was beyond repair after trading their best pitchers. However, these trades might have bulked up their farm system. It might take a year or two but perhaps the Cubs might be back in the hunt. But then again if Pete Ricketts keeps a chokehold on the check book, we will be back in the days of PK Wrigley and the wilderness years.
Iowa is now rated 2nd in the top 25 in college football with their win over Penn State. Alabama tumbled down to number 5.
Five Star Mud Game. Philadelphia 23 Detroit 20 12/5/71 (Tiger Stadium)
The Inspiration Of Clone Trooper in Star Wars? Seems to me that looking at the white helmets of the Eagles, they had to inspire George Lucas to come up with that. But anyway, in 1968 both teams in the monsoon on Thanksgiving Day, one of the premier mud games ever, but even in 1971 improvements had even made Tiger Stadium see less mud games, tho in this game Greg Landry did find the mud puddle and proceeded to muddy up his jersey, only to have it replaced with a clean shirt after the half. Landry was the Detroit offense that day, scoring two rushing touchdowns, including the one that put Detroit ahead 20 to 16. However, Pete Liske then drove the Eagles in the final two minutes with a winning drive that Kent Kramer would score on a five yard pass. The Eagle would win the next two to finish 6-7-1, The Lions after upsetting Kansas City in the Thanksgiving game would lose this game and the next two to take themselves out of the playoffs.
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