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Iowa Youth Sports

Hi Sports Nutz!

I'm in the process of building a companion website to IowProSports.com!

Iowa Youth Sports will be a new aggregation site compiling news and information about Iowa pee wee to high school sports.  Not only will I try to bring you news about the sports and the participants, but coaching information as well.  Most of youth sports is made possible by volunteers and I know, as a little league coach myself, any training, help, or ideas I could get my hands on was always welcomed.

Based on the Des Moines south side, you may notice many of the live Tweeting events come from Lincoln High School, but I'll also be sharing from little league, AAU, USSSA, and any other action I may happen to be following.

I've been coaching little league baseball the past few years, and I have a love for youth sports.  But as my kids get older and move into high school sports, I will likely no longer be coaching so this new website is just my teeny tiny little contribution to the genre.

Here is the current address: www.leaguelineup.com/iowayouthsports

And make sure to follow Iowa Youth Sports on Twitter! :  https://twitter.com/IowaYouthSports


Stay tuned!

Bad Week to be a Hawkeye in the NFL, Champions!, State of Hockey gets a Little Bigger

It was a rough week for former Hawkeyes in the NFL, especially if they also happen to be a Kansas

City Chief......or used to be.   Hawkeye fan favorite and great American Ricky Stanzi was cut from the Chiefs roster after 2 years with the team.  Hawkeye fans and Chiefs fans took to the battlefield known as Twitter to voice their objections, whether sincere or in jest, but the basic sentiment fell in to the category that Stanzi never really got a good shot to play.  This idea was magnified last season when the Chiefs had the worst quarterback play in the history of sports yet Stanzi could not even get on the field.  This year, with a new coaching and front office regime bringing in 3 new quarterbacks of their own, Stanzi would have needed super powers in order to remain a Chief.  I predict he'll be starting for the New York Jets by week one.

Another Chief/Hawkeye, Tony Moeaki, fractured his shoulder during a preseason game.  His status as to if and when he'll be able to play again is still not yet known.  This obviously does nothing to help him shake the reputation of being injury-prone.

Also, the Minnesota Vikings cut quarterback James Vandenberg, but nobody really cared.

The Midwest Football Alliance crowned a new champion.  Well, actually, it was the same old champion.  The Des Moines Blaze became three-peaters winning the MFA championship game over the Sioux Falls Stallions 42-27.

Also in the championship spirit, the Knoxville Raceway Season Championship was decided last Saturday night.  Bronson Maeschen became a first-time champ in the 410 class at the historic track.  Danny "the Dude" Lasoski won the evening's event, marking his 100th 410 win at Knoxville.

The Minnesota Wild, NHL affiliates of the newly relocated American Hockey League team the Iowa Wild, announced an affiliation agreement with the Quad City Mallards of the Central Hockey League, expanding further their "state of hockey" empire into Iowa and the upper mid-west. 

Stormers fizzle, Knoxville sizzles, Wild fo shizzle

Hey sports nutz!  It's been a little while so I thought it was about time to mention a few things happening in the Iowa sports scene.

After a strong start to the 2013 season, the Iowa Barnstormers went out like a lamb with a 84-45 loss to the Arizona Rattlers.  At one point, early in the season, the Barnstormers were battling for first place in their division, but ultimately, the struggles reminiscent of the past couple of seasons, plus mounting injuries, took their toll.  The Barnstormers, unable to keep pace with the league leaders, finished the season with a disappointing 6-12 record, missing the playoffs again.  Being the optimist that I am, I know the Stormers will be great again.  There is too much tradition with this team for them to be bottom dwellers for long.  Here's to looking forward to 2014!  Go Stormers!

The best week of racing in ALL of racing, (except for maybe Daytona speed weeks), began this past weekend with the 360 Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.  Shane Stewart won his fifth 360 Nationals title Saturday night to kick off what will be another amazing week of dirt racing at Knoxville Raceway.  The racing action continues with the Osky Challenges at Southern Iowa Speedway on Monday and Tuesday nights followed by four more nights of action-packed, 410 sprint car racing at Knoxville.  It's a week long party with people from all over the world......and racing.  Think of it kind of like RAGRAI, but it never leaves town.

Speaking of RAGBRAI.....the 2013 RAGBRAI is in the books.  Make sure to head over to their website to check out all the photos, videos, and blogs from this years ride.

The scheduler at Wells Fargo Arena is going to be earning his money this year, having to juggle the Iowa Barnstormers, Iowa Energy, Bon Jovi concerts, state wrestling and basketball, and the brand new Iowa Wild hockey team. We are absolutely stoked about getting professional hockey back in Des Moines.   Don't get me wrong.  We love our Des Moines Buccaneers, too, but AHL level hockey is just a different animal.  I hope it gets a fair shake this time around.  From everything I've heard from the ownership and management, this time WILL be done the right way.  We are already planning our huge tailgating event for the home opener on October 12.  Yeah, we'll be there early.  ;)  Make sure to stop by and say "Go Wild!"

P.S. Twinkies are BACK baby!!

The Iowa Wild Rocks!

If you know me, you know that I'm as super excited about the Iowa Wild coming to Des Moines as I was when the Iowa Barnstormers returned.  I loved the pro hockey of the Iowa Stars and Iowa Chops and I can not wait for the AHL season to start this fall.

But before we can properly begin a new season with a new team, there are some incredibly important questions that need to be answered. 

What should be the theme song for the Iowa Wild?  What song do you want to hear at every game?  Here are a few ideas:


The obvious:
1. Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf

2. Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
    The title alone would be a great fit but the rest of the song probably isn't the best material for family consumption.  If only nobody in the universe knew what this song was about.....

3. Wild Boys by Duran Duran
    Getting warmer.....

4. Wild Night by John Mellencamp
    (or if you prefer the Van Morrison version )  I totally dig the bass in JCM's versions though.

5. Wild Thing by the Troggs
    Another somewhat obvious choice, but does it rock hard enough for hockey?  Maybe the Sam Kinison version?

6. Wild Wild Life by Talking Heads
    Maybe they can play this when the game is in hand and things are going well....

7. Call of the Wild by Eclipse
    Probably not known by most folks, at least in America, but may be my personal favorite.  The band, and the song, rocks....HARD

I know there are many many more possibilities, but these are just a few of the highlights.  Such an important issue needs to be dealt with with much diligence.  So make sure to listen to all the songs before you vote .

P.S.  This is for entertainment purposes only.  This poll will have pretty much no impact on how the Iowa Wild will run their game time music.
    

#StanziTime

I was born a Kansas City Chiefs fan.  It's in my genes, which kind of makes the Chiefs part of my family.  However the 2012 version of this team has pushed disappointment and frustration to new levels.  Not only do the Chiefs not win games, but they look like they don't know what they are doing in the process.  The blowouts keep piling up, and with no improvement in sight the tensions between angry fans and front office are about to lead to a full-scale civil war.  They are completely hapless on the field, and we fans, (family), are saddened by it all.  It's like watching a close family member get overtaken by alcohol, become addicted to meth or crack, or vote democrat.  It hurts us.  It hurts us because we can't do a thing to fix it, and we want them to be successful and happy.

Now I totally understand that the problems with the 2012 Chiefs are vast.  From the front office all the way down to the beer vendors, there are issues contributing to the epic fail we see on the field each week.  They are like a car with multiple mechanical problems, from a slipping transmission and leaky brake lines, to the cracked windshield and broken steering wheel, and pieces keep falling off along the way.  (However, the radio works. Gotta have tunes!)  But perhaps instead of replacing one broken piece with another broken piece, why not try the shiny new piece that's sitting in storage?  I know it's not a name brand, but maybe it could work if given a chance.  It might even be enough to get your jalopy to the shop for an overhaul.

As of this moment, Matt Cassel has only thrown 6 touchdown passes but has thrown 12 interceptions.  He currently has a rating of 66.7.  Brady Quinn has thrown 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions and carries a rating of 52.9.  The Chiefs are -21 in turnover ratio.  -21!  And the vast majority of ALL the Chief's turnovers this season can be attributed to Matt Cassel, who leads the universe in turnovers this year.  And let's not forget last season's superstar Tyler Palko, who managed to get all the playing time while Cassel was injured.  It's no secret that the quarterback play has been less than stellar.  But the Chiefs continuing to alternate between a dumpster fire and a train wreck at the quarterback position make the coaching staff look stupid.  What is preventing them from trying the perfectly good "rookie" sitting on the sidelines?

Ricky Stanzi

I'm talking, of course, of Ricky Stanzi, who the Chiefs drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft.  The former Hawkeye has never been flashy, or even thought of as an elite quarterback, even in college, but all he did was win games.  The improvement in his play from his junior year to his senior year was so dramatic, it had to play a  roll in the Chiefs' decision to take him in the draft.  No one expected him to be the franchise quarterback for the Chiefs,  but I was absolutely thrilled he was drafted by Kansas City,  but for whatever reason, he hasn't been
able to crack that number 2 spot on the depth chart and couldn't even get on the field last season even though Tyler Palko was serving up interceptions like deep fried Twinkies on a stick while filling in for Matt Cassel.

What I want to know is.....why?  There is no possible way, scientifically, mathematically, alphabetically, or numerically he could do ANY worse than the current one-two punch of Cassel and Quinn.  If he is not good enough to play in the NFL, why keep him on the roster?  Cut him and let him go play somewhere else.  By playing Stanzi, the worst that could happen would be........pretty much what has already been happening week after week.  Maybe it could light a spark.  Who knows?  He has great familiarity with Tony Moeaki, who was also drafted out of Iowa by the Chiefs, (and is also criminally underutilized in the offense.)  Big targets in Bowe and Baldwin.  (who are both injured right now) . And still a pretty good running attack with Jamal Charles and company.  He doesn't need to be John Elway.  He could be Steve Deberg and that could be enough to get the offense clicking.  Maybe they're afraid Stanzi could have a little success, which would also make the staff look stupid for keeping him on the bench all season. 

Look, I'm not a football genius.  And there is a fair amount of homerism in me wanting to see Stanzi get some playing time.  (Go Hawkeyes!)  But you haven't tried everything until you've actually tried everything and by not putting Stanzi in the game, you're spinning your wheels.  Maybe instead of flying the "Fire Pioli" signs at the games, fans should be waving the "#StanziTime" signs.  I like Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn.  I want them to do well.  But they aren't and haven't been for some time now.  Give Stanzi a shot with the number 1 offense and see if there is anything that can be salvaged from this season.  Then maybe you can temporarily appease some of the fans.........like me.

Oh, and Stanzi's favorite target in college, Marvin McNutt, is on the Eagles' practice squad.  Might want to check him out.

P.S.  PAY BOWE!!!!!