It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It Wants Freedom, Frys

by Hawkeye State on Sep 1, 2009 7:00 AM CDT Comment 13 comments

Break Out the White Slacks. It's Not Labor Day Yet. Lost in the discussion of actual honest-to-God football is this week's big event: FryFest, a celebration of all things Hayden-related set for Friday in Coralville. Full details here (WARNING: There's sound, and you're going to want to stand up and clap, so wait until you get home or turn off the speakers), but the most publicized event will be the unveiling of the newly-named Hayden Fry Way -- also known as First Avenue in Coralville -- at 10:00 Friday morning. Hayden will be in attendance for this part of the ceremonies.

The subsequent party and trade show is where the real action is, however. In particular, a Hayden Fry lookalike contest at 3:30 could break the comedy meter. Also, guest appearances by Tim Dwight, Rob Thein, Mike Dolezal, and a number of other former Hawkeyes (they even found Randy Reiners!) provide ample opportunity for pictures, appropriate and otherwise. Go, minions, and bring back FanShots!

There haven't been too many stories on Fry yet this week, but Don Doxsie gets into the act early with a fantastic slideshow contrasted with a confusing article on the local business owners who helped organize this event, who are treating Hayden like he's the retired president of the Coralville Chamber of Commerce. It is bafflingly narcissistic and cynical; essentially, by the end of the column, the businessmen interviewed (and Rick Klatt, who might actually be a malfunctioning cyborg) are taking credit for their coordinated ability to get people to spend an extra day in Iowa City before the game.

Fun With Depth Charts, Part II: THE REDEPTHENING. A couple of points as follow-up on yesterday's discussion of the UNI two-deep:

Bama Hawkeye (who has been churning out wicked amounts of content at The Rivalry, Esq.) makes a good point: No true freshmen are listed on the UNI depth chart. No true freshmen made it that far last season, either, which makes me think they're being kep off the chart for redshirt purposes until the last possible moment. In other words, expect Hyde, Wegher, and Davis. Ferentz has said as much in private interviews.
Rittenberg made a post on the Iowa depth chart and injury situation on Friday that is now absent from his site. In it, he noted that Colin Sandeman has missed a significant amount of camp with an injury, and DJK has suffered a number of minor injuries "but has done well when given the chance."
You can pay attention to this stuff and slowly go insane like me, or you can throw up your hands and say "fuck it" like the Daily Iowan. Honestly, given the staff's Politburo-like control of information, you'll be equally informed.

Let's Talk Panthers. News from this week's opponent, the Former Iowa State Teachers' College. Earlier this week, we footnoted the indefinite suspension of three Panther backups. Yesterday, they added two more:

At his weekly press luncheon Tuesday, the Panthers’ head football coach announced suspensions of veteran backs Derrick Law and Taylor Brookins. Law, Farley said, is out for UNI’s Sept. 5 debut, and Brookins has been suspended indefinitely.

"As much as we want to win this game and as much as I want to win this game … we will not compromise our university and our football program to do that," Farley said. "We just feel that it’s even more magnified in a type of game like this against the University of Iowa."

Brookins is a junior and a Cedar Falls High graduate. He was arrested Saturday for possession of marijuana in Bremer County. Law, a senior from Kansas City who finished high school at Newton, was arrested Saturday. Authorities charged Law with two simple misdemeanors for public intoxication and criminal trespass after he walked into a house about two blocks from his home on North College Street in Cedar Falls.

I'm not going to pretend to know enough about UNI's current squad to anticipate what this might mean for their season, but losing your starting halfback 5 days before the season opener at Kinnick obviously doesn't improve the odds of the Panthers beating Iowa for the first time since 1898.

One player who will be available is Elijah Hodge, the brother of former Iowa linebacker Abdul Hodge, who transferred to Northern Iowa from Wisconsin following last season. Hodge brought pain against Iowa in 2007, but was brought low by a string of injuries and couldn't move back up the depth chart. Faced with the choice of moving to fullback or losing his fifth year, Hodge chose to transfer and play linebacker in I-AA. If he's healthy, he's dangerous.

Footnotes:

Keenan Davis is the only true freshman named to the Leadership Group for 2009, which bodes well for his chances to play: Of the 13 other members of that group, 11 are currently listed as starters, and the other 2 (Tyler Nielsen and James Vandenberg) are backing up other members of the group.
Either Kirk Herbstreit hasn't been paying attention or doesn't believe the APAKILYPSE is nigh: He lists Jewel Hampton among "Household Names by the End of September" in the Ninth Annual Herbie Awards. If wishing made it so, Kirk.
Doc Saturday is right: This year's Heisman race is going to totally suck, mostly because all three top vote-getters from last season are back and will probably suck the air out of the room, leaving shockingly little space for anyone else in the conversation.

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I too, am slowly going insane from all this...

…but at this point almost nothing would surprise me on Saturday as far as who’s really injured/not playing and who’s just fine. Hell, I’d only be marginally surprised to see Shonn Greene trot back out there and find out that the whole leaving-early-for-the-NFL thing was all a clever ruse.

Like the DI, I have also just given up and said “fuck it.” That said, I will continue down this same path to further insanity until 11:05 Saturday morning.

by Bucketochicken on Sep 1, 2009 8:36 AM CDT reply actions

It’s on BTN Saturday, right? One of their overflow channels? I have no idea how my viewing will work – traveling from Dallas to see my mother-in-law in rural Iowa (Osage). Did the Iowa cable providers finally work out a deal with the BTN? Can I type more questions?

by txhawkeye on Sep 1, 2009 9:00 AM CDT reply actions

Yes.

BTN will be showing the game, and I do believe they have agreed to terms with all cable providers in Iowa.

Hit him with your groin!

by The Mexican't on Sep 1, 2009 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions

Tell that to

the people of Sioux City…

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Bama Hawkeye on Sep 1, 2009 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

I was slightly worried that I'd be eating my words.

I even tried to find the cable provider in Osage before comitting to the comment. I guess BTN isn’t as widespread as it should be.

Hit him with your groin!

by The Mexican't on Sep 1, 2009 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions

Omaha area (CB) is still "Big 12 Country" according to the cocks at Cox.

FREE ADRIAN CLAYBORN! It's a conspiracy and/or he was framed!

by CUNKNNK on Sep 1, 2009 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Today's Omaha World-Herald sez

Cox is trying to get the BTN “soon” but as someone who was involved in trying to get them them to pick it up in 2007, I’ll believe it when I see it.

by telepathetic on Sep 1, 2009 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions

Looks like we'll get to see it in Chicago as well

Makes me very, very happy

It never gets to be easy

by chitownhawkeye on Sep 1, 2009 5:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Game Should Be On

My grandparents live in Osage, as long as your mother-in-law gets Omni Cable, you’ll have coverage of the game. Otherwise, I suggest hitting up Telluwut on Main Street, or the Bowling Alley north of town on 218. Both places subscribe to football packages that ensure all of the Iowa games are covered.

They took the bar, the whole damn bar!

by recoveringfratguy on Sep 1, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions

I think she gets Omni. I’m running the movie in my head of telling my wife I’m going to the Osage bowling alley to drink beer and watch football at 11:00 Saturday morning rather than hanging out with her 81 year old mother that I see, at most, once a year.

by txhawkeye on Sep 1, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions

I’m actually pretty sure that as long as she’s not on a satellite dish, she is getting Omni from what I recall when my grandparents moved into town from the country (there was a switch recently). As for the movie in your head, hopefully it doesn’t have a terrible ending for you.

They took the bar, the whole damn bar!

by recoveringfratguy on Sep 1, 2009 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Wow, a sports article from the DI that doesn't totally suck.

That’s a nice change of pace after the last few years.

And, yeah, the Heisman race is going to be completely boring unless (a) one (or more) of the Holy Trinity get hurt or (b) someone else just completely blows up (like Jahvid Best averaging 200 yds a game or Dez Bryant catching like 15 TDs by mid-October or something). Then again, when was the last time there was a really organic, surprising Heisman contender that emerged purely on the basis of their play that year and not on any pre-season hype? Banks in 02? Maybe Larry Fitzgerald a year or two later?

by RossWB on Sep 1, 2009 9:47 AM CDT reply actions