Black Heart Gold Pants, an Iowa Hawkeyes community

So we know Iowa Football and Basketball are the big programs in a state with no pro teams, but it's kind of shocking how poor the upper midwest is when you put the numbers all together. Great quick shot analysis by the mothership, click for the predictably high % winning states and stay for the not-so-subtle jabs at jNW and North Central IA Tech and Ag.

Iowa played -- and won -- their first game open to the public earlier this afternoon. Unless you were in CHA, the only way to see it was to watch the online stream on video.btn.com. I did watch it, although not with my full attention. They seemed to play OK in general; if anyone who watched it more closely (or was in attendance) wants to chime in, please do so. The first proper game is Friday against Chicago State; we'll try to have better game thread coverage for that.

It's behind a wall, and I'm sorry about that, but this alone may justify the hiring of the most Fran-tastic coach in Iowa's history. The Hawkeyes are now recruiting CoCo (B.) Ware from a Mississippi junior college. That's right, perhaps the greatest wrestler of the 1980s may be coming to Iowa. It's a great day to be a Hawkeye!