More Hawkeyes in the NFL

QUOTE from Amy Tan: 'If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.'


Yesterday I started listing the Iowa Hawkeyes currently playing in the NFL. They have all been coached by Kirk Ferentz and his assistants. Here are 18 more.

7. Dallas Clark, Colts - 6-3, 252. Ninth-year tight end.
8. Adrian Clayborn, Bucs - 6-3, 287. Rookie defensive end.
9. Sean Considine, Panthers - 6-0, 212. Sixth-year defensive back.
10. Ryan Donohue, Lions - 6-3, 190. Rookie punter.
11. Bradley Fletcher - 6-0, 198. Third-year defensive back.
12. Robert Gallery, Seahawks - 6-7, 325. Eighth-year offensive guard.
13. Charles Godfrey, Panthers - 5-11, 205. Fourth-year cornerback.
14. Shonn Greene, Jets - 5-11, 226. Third-year running back.
15. Chad Greenway, Vikings - 6-2, 242. Sixth-year linebacker.
16. Jeremmiha Hunter, Saints - 6-0, 239. Rookie linebacker.
17. Nate Kaeding, Chargers - 6-0, 187. Eighth-year kicker.
18. Aaron Kampman, Jaguars - 6-4, 260. 10th-year defensive end.
19. Mitch King, Saints - 6-2, 282. Second-year defensive tackle.
20. Karl Klug, Titans - 6-3, 275. Rookie defensive tackle.
21. Matt Kroul, Jets - 6-3, 300. Third-year offensice/defensive tackle.
22. Bryan Mattison, Ravens - 6-3, 310. Third-year offensive lineman.
23. Tony Moeaki, Chiefs - 6-3, 252. Second-year tight end.
24. Brandon Myers, Raiders - 6-4, 250. Third-year tight end.

Tomorrow I will list the last 12. It's GREAT to be a HAWKEYE.


HUMOR for today:
One great thing I noticed about living by myself: All of my annoying habits seemed to have disappeared

Hawkeyes in the NFL - lots of them.

QUOTE from Tom Stoppard, writer: 'Look on every exit as being an entrance somewwhere else.'


Yesterday I wrote about Gopher and Viking football in Minnesota. Today I'm going to write about Hawkeye football. Head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes is Kirk Ferentz. Ferentzs' resume looks like this: former offensive line coach at Iowa in the 1980s under Hayden Fry; head coach at the University of Maine from 1989 to 1992; offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens from 1992 to 1999; and head coach of the Hawkeyes from 1999 to the present.

With seven years of experience in the NFL Ferentz knows what it takes to play in the NFL. At the present time Ferentz has 33 players on NFL teams. He has had numerous others but they are no longer playing due to retirement or injury. In fact many NFL coaches call Ferentz to see what he recommends from his current crop of Hawkeye players. In some instances he calls them like he did with Marshall Yanda and the Ravens.

Today I'm going to start listing the 1911 Hawkeyes on NFL rosters.
1. Pat Angerer, Colts - 6-foot, 235-pound second-year linebacker.
2. Jonathon Babineaux, Falcons - 6-2, 296. Seventh-year defensive tackle.
3. Jason Baker, Panthers - 6-2, 205, 11th year punter.
4. Christian Ballard, Vikings - 6-4, 283, Rookie defensive tackle.
5. Bryan Bulaga - 6-5, 314. Second-year offensive lineman.
6. Scott Chandler Bills - 6-7, 268. Fourth-year tight end.

There will be more tomorrow.

HUMOR for today:

I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.



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Some thoughts on the Gopher and Viking fans from last weekend.

QUOTE: 'It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.'


As a former Minnesotan and a former Gopher fan and still a Viking fan I could feel the anguish Minnesotans went through laat weekend. I watched the Gopher-North Dakota football game Saturday night and could see right away the Gophers were going to be in a tough game. As it turned out the Gophers got beat 37 to 24.

Then on Sunday the Vikings were ahead of the Detroit Lions by a score of
20-0 at halftime. I knew the Vikings had blown a 17-7 lead in their first game and had blown a 17-0 lead in their second game. I was cheering for the Vikings but I knew what had happened in the first two games. In the back of my mind was 'Is this going to happen again?' Well, it happened again and the Vikings lost by a score of 34-31 in overtime.

I'm writing this because I remember how I felt growing up when the Gophers would lose. At that time I was a died-in-the-wool Gopher fan. I would feel terrible for several days when they lost. And then when the Vikings lost their third game in a row on Sunday I had flashbacks to my childhood. I was also thinking of brothers Chuck (Marlys), brother Don, brother Jim (Verleen), nephews Tim and Brett, and numerous other nieces, nephews, in-laws and high school friends. I could feel the anguish they were going through.

So I just want to offer some historical perspective on the situation and say there is hope. When Hayden Fry came to Iowa in 1979 he won five games. In 1980 he won three games. The third year, 1981, we tied for the Big Ten Championship and went to the Rose Bowl. When Kirk Ferentz replaced Fry in 1999 he won one game the first year, three games in 2000, seven games in 2001, (including a trip to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio), and in 2002 we were undefeated (8-0 record)and Big Ten Champs and played in the Orange Bowl. So my message for the Minnesota Gopher fans is have faith and hope - you now have a good coach in Jerry Kill and he has been successful wherever he's been. I predict that in 2-4 years he will have the Gophers turned around and playing in some good bowl games.

As far as the Vikings there are 13 games NFL games left in this season. But they better get their second half collapses figured out. I don't think they will be division champs but they will win over half their games.

The reason I like to study history is that I can always find something to offer persoective on the situation and make me feel better. So I offer the above words to my Gopher and Viking relatives and friends - things will get better.


HUMOR for today:

My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.

Some things I LEARNED from the latest Reader's Digest.

QUOTE - an American proverb: 'After a rich man gets rich, his next ambition is to get richer.'


I've been reading the October, 2011, issue of The Reader's Digest and found some interesting bits of information.

1. First I LEARNED that in 2010 the median pay of U.S. CEO's rose 23%. The median pay is now $10.8 million annually (266 times the average U.S. income). (It didn't used to be this way. CEO pay has gone wild since the 1980s.)

2. This phrase of the month really made me think about what is happening in the U.S. It was written by a man named David Leonhardt of the New York Times. Mr. Leonhardt said: The expectation that the United States can support the world's highest medical costs, its largesy military, and an aging population with taxes that are among the world's lowest is what economists call 'a free lunch.'

3. And then Dave Barry had this to say: 'If you had to identify, in one word, the reason the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be MEETINGS.'
(I agree, I would like to have kept track of how many meetings I went to in my career as a teacher and at church, and in politics and.... When I retired from teaching in 1999 I vowed to never go to another meeting the rest of my life. I've pretty much fulfilled that vow.)

HUMOR for today from the Digest:

I have an 18-year-old; her name is Alexis. I chose that name because if I hadn't had her, I'd be driving one.

I was diagnosed with antisocial behavior, so I joined a support group. We never meet.

Why does Major League Baseball have the Cy Young award?

QUOTE from Leo Durocher: "Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand."

When reading the TODAY IN HISTORY section of the morning newspaper I noticed that on this day, September 22, 1911, Cy Young won his 511th and final career victory as he hurled a 1-0 shutout for the Boston Rustlers against the Pittsburgh Pirates at old Forbes Field. Today, every year the Cy Young Award goes to the top pitcher in each league. I wanted to LEARN today how and/or why Cy Young come to be honored this way?

Denton True "Cy" Young was born in Gilmore, Ohio, on March 29, 1867. He died on November 4, 1955. Young won 511 games in his 22 year career (1890 to 1911). That was more wins than any other pitcher in major league history. He also lost more games (313) than any other pitcher.

He set numerous records: most complete games (750), most innings pitched (7,356), and most consecutive hitless innings pitched (23). Young accumulated his incredible victory record in the era before relief pitching reached its present-day inportance; his record is therefore considered unattainable for modern pitchers. In recognition of his achievment, the award annually given to the best pitcher in each league is named for him. Young was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

His 511 wins averages out to 23 wins a season and his 313 losses averages out to 14 losses a season. His 7,356 innings pitched averages out to 334 innings pitched per season. His 750 complete games averages out to 34 complete games a season. Can you imagine a modern day pitcher even completing 1 to 5 games a season? And I don't think managers or the pitchers were concerned about pitch count in those days.

So now I know a little more about Cy Young, the Cy Young Award, and major league baseball - one of my two favorite spectator sports.

HUMOR for today: CHILDREN ARE QUICK.

Teacher: Whay are you late?
Peter: Class started before I got here.

Teacher: Peter, go to the map and find North America>
Peter: Here it is.
Teacher: Correct, now class, who doscovered America?
Class: Peter.

Teacher: Peter, why are you doing your math multiplicatio on the floor?
Peter: You told me to do without using tables.

Teacher: Peter, give me a sentence starting with 'I'.
Peter: I is...
Teacher: No, Peter.... Always say, 'I am.'
Peter: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'

Teacher: Peter, your composition on my 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.. Did you copy his?
Peter: No. It's the same dog.

The U.S. health care system is based on income. not need.

QUOTE from Mother Teresa: "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."


LEARNING about the American health care system. In last week's newspaper there was a Guest Column by a man named Tom Walsh. Tom has been a medical and science writer for nearly 40 years. He formally wrote for the Cedar Rapids Gazette but now lives in Maine. His column was a learning experience for me in regard to the American health care system. Here is what he had to say.

The sad but true reality is that health care in America is rationed not by medical needs, but by income.
Those with means have access to care at a minimal cost, because of their eligibility for or ability to afford health insurance, while those who subsist on minimum wages with no health insurance fend for themselves, often forsaking preventive care due to the substantial involved costs.
He told the story of the lady who cleans his house. She also works as a "stern man" on a lobster boat, removing lobsters from traps and re-baiting the traps for resetting. Betty has a live-in boyfriend. He is a carpenter and finds work sporadically. Both earn minimum wage, and neither has health insurance.
Betty discovered a few months ago she was pregnant in an unplanned sort of way. Without health insurance, having the the baby, given prenatal care and delivery costs, would cost at least $20,000. A premature baby might run $40,000. Betty's other option was an abortion that would cost $600. She decided she wouldn't give up the baby. She said, "I know I'll be paying the hospital $100 a month the rest of my life, but that's okay. I want this baby."
It's regrettable that America has such a dysfunctual health care delivery system that women without means are put in this position.
Ironically, if Betty lived a 100 miles up the road, in New Brunswick, Canada, the cost of having a baby, premature or not, would be $0.00. That would also be the cost of an abortion.
Clearly, she would be paying higher income taxes for that medical care entitlement, but she wouldn't find herself in debt for years.
Every health care delivery system rations care. In the U.S. it's rationed by income.
In Canada it's rationed by waiting times, although those with life-threatening needs go to the front of the medical care queue.
Meanwhile, even Americans of means are forced to endure a health care delivery system that reflects dismal results in terms of outcome, including infant mortality.
Compared with five other developed nations - Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom - the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high-performance health system: QUALITY, ACCESS, EFFICIENCY, EQUITY, and HEALTHY LIVES.
The U.S. is the only country among these six nations without universal health insurance coverage.
It seems clear that the only way to survive the American health care system, both physically and financially, is to do everything you can to stay out of it.

(Mr. Walsh produced a 10-part series on the Canadian health care system that won national and state awards. If you want to make a comment to Tom Walsh go to his website: tom.walsh@jax.org)

This column was an eye-opener for me. What I do not understand about some people in this country is why thay are so opposed to universal health care but then when they turn 65 they gladly sign up for Medicare and feel it is wonderful. For some reason they think Medicare is not government run health care. How stupid can you be??????

HUMOR for today:

Teacher: Peter, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested.
Peter: A teacher.

Teacher: Peter, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
Peter: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L
Teacher: No, it's wrong
Peter: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

Mr. Rice, it's more fun to win than play a good game and lose.

QUOTE from Grantland Rice: "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."

I'm going to have to disagree with the above quote by Grantland Rice. Two days ago the Iowa Hawkeyes played the University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh dominated the first 41 minutes and 49 seconds of the game. They were leading by a score of 24-3 when the Hawks finally scored a touchdown on a one yard run by quarterback James Vandenberg with 1:16 left in the third to make it 24-10. Then Pitt kicked a field goal with 12:09 left in the fourth quarter to make it 27-10. At this point the Hawkeyes went to a no-huddle offense and took off in the greatest comeback in Iowa football history.

At the 9:55 mark Vandenberg threw a 14 yard pass to Keenan Davis to make it 27-17. We held and got the ball. At the 6:19 mark Vandenderg threw a 25 yard to Martin-Manley to make it 27-24. We held and got the ball again. Then Vandenberg threw a 22 yard pass to Martin-Manley at the 2:51 mark and the Hawks were leading 31-27. AT THIS POINT THE 70,000 IOWA FANS IN KINNICK STADIUM ERUPTED IN UTTER JOY. THE CHEERING WAS EVEN LOUDER WHEN MYCAH HYDE INTERCEPTED A PITT PASS AT THE 1:41 MARK. At that point all we had to do was run out the clock.

HAWKS WIN 31-27. It was the greatest comeback in Hawkeye football history. Up to this point the greatest comeback was when the 1949 Hawkeyes fell behind Oregon 24-6 with 2:30 left in the third quarter and ended up winning 34-31.

Now getting back to the QUOTE. There is no doubt it is a lot more fun to win. I can assure you I did not feel very good last week when Iowa State beat us in triple overtime. Even if Iowa had played a better game I still wouldn't have been a happy camper.

HUMOR for today is a quote from Erma Bombeck: "If a man watches three football games in a row he should be declared leglly dead."

I should be dead. On Saturday I watched 3-4 games and on Sunday I watched three more.