maly, too

Monday, July 29, 2013

Drake Historian Paul Morrison Is a Young 96

‏@mahonsports 29m

#PaulMorrison, #DrakeSportsHistorian, enjoys 96th birthday with spumoni @ favorite restaurant #Ricellis [Via Twitter].

Iowa's Opening Foe In Bahamas Tournament Is Xavier

Iowa's basketball team opens the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis holiday tournament against Xavier on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. The game will be televised in primetime beginning at 6 p.m. on the NBC Sports Network.

The Hawkeyes’ second-round game will be against either UTEP or Tennessee, pending the outcome of first round games.

Along with Iowa, the eight-team field features Kansas, Tennessee, Villanova, USC, Wake Forest, UTEP, and Xavier. The tournament will be held Nov. 28-30, at the Atlantis Royal Towers Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Four of the eight teams saw postseason action last season; Kansas advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, Villanova fell to North Carolina in the NCAA second round; Iowa was the NIT runners-up, while Tennessee lost in the NIT first round.

The Hawkeyes and Muskateers have met twice previously, most recently at the 2010 Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands where Xavier beat Iowa, 86-73. The Hawkeyes beat the Muskateers in the first meeting, 33-28, in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The impressive tournament field boasts a combined 191 NCAA tournament appearances, 25 Final Four appearances and five National Championships. Harvard won the inaugural tournament title in 2011 and Duke in 2012.

The games are played in the Imperial Arena, a grand ballroom that seats 3,900 fans, which is turned into a basketball venue, similar to last year's Cancun Challenge. The half-million dollar temporary stadium boasts state-of-the-art regulation facilities at the epicenter of the world's largest open-air marine habitat complete with lavish guest accommodations, restaurants, bars, spa, lounges, waterslides and the largest casino in the Bahamas. The event drew more than 4,000 fans to the 2012 championship game.

Battle 4 Atlantis 2013 ticket and travel packages can be booked by calling 1-800-Atlantis or battle4atlantis.com.

The remainder of Iowa’s schedule will be released later this summe

Thursday, Nov. 28

Kansas vs. Wake Forest - 2:30 p.m. (CT) - AXS-TV

Villanova vs. USC - 12 p.m. (CT) - AXS-TV

Iowa vs. Xavier - 6 p.m. (CT) - NBCSN

Tennessee vs. UTEP - 8:30 p.m. (CT) - NBCSN

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Matt Weitzel of Iowa's sports information staff].

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Billy Taylor Joins Hawkeye Basketball Coaching Staff

Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery said Billy Taylor will join his staff as director of basketball operations.

Taylor will work closely with the basketball staff, helping coordinate travel and carry out the day-to-day activities of the UI basketball program. Taylor replaces longtime staff member Jerry Strom, who retired after last season.

"We are extremely excited to have Billy Taylor join the Hawkeye family,â€ said McCaffery. ™ve known Billy since he was a teenager, having recruited and coached him, as well as being on the same coaching staff at Notre Dame and UNC-Greensboro. Billy is someone with tremendous character and will be a great asset to our program.â€

Taylor joins the Hawkeye staff after 15 years of collegiate coaching experience. He served the last 11 years as a head coach, most recently the last six seasons at Ball State (2007-13). During his tenure, the Cardinals finished either first or second in the Mid-American Conference West Division three times and advanced to the MAC tournament semifinals twice. Taylor coached nine all-conference selections and also mentored a MAC all-Freshman team member five straight seasons.

Prior to Ball State, Taylor spent five seasons as head coach at Lehigh (2002-07), where he was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year honoree. In his first season, Taylor was named Patriot League Coach of the Year after guiding the Mountain Hawks to the second-largest turnaround in the nation, improving on the previous year's record by 11 wins.

In 2003-04, Taylor led Lehigh to its first-ever Patriot League regular season and tournament championships, as well as a trip to the NCAA tournament. For his efforts, Taylor earned the league's Coach of the Year honor for the second time in as many seasons, becoming the first coach since Gonzaga's Mark Few to win conference coach of the year honors in each of his first two seasons as a head coach.

In 2005-06, Lehigh posted the third-most wins in school history with its 19-12 overall mark and a school-record 11 Patriot League wins.

Before taking over at Lehigh, Taylor was the top assistant for three seasons at UNC-Greensboro under McCaffrey from 1999-02. The Spartans won the Southern Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 19-11 record in 2000-01, before posting a 20-10 mark and an NIT appearance in 2001-02.

Taylor served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame during the 1998-99 campaign alongside McCaffery and under head coach John MacLeod. He coordinated opponent scouting reports, game preparations, preseason and postseason skill development sessions.

Taylor, who was recruited to Notre Dame by Digger Phelps, was a four-year letterwinner for the Irish. He started 79-of-112 games during his career and was the team captain as a senior. He scored 577 points and grabbed 300 rebounds, before graduating with a degree in accounting and computer applications in 1995. He also earned his CPA in 1998.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Matt Weitzel of Iowa's sports information staff].

Thursday, July 25, 2013

My neighbor Al, the health nut, rang the doorbell late this afternoon. "You got a cup of Italian Dark Roast?" Al asked. "Sure," I said. "Kind of late in the day for you to be drinking strong coffee, isn't it?" "Well, I've had an interesting day,"Al said. "I spent part of the afternoon at my doctor's office, trying to get a prescription for blood pressure medicine." "Al, I didn't know you had high blood pressure," I said. "You've always bragged to me about how good your blood pressure is." "Yeah, I know," Al said. "But I was reading on the Internet that hlood pressure pills may slow Alzheimer's Disease in people. I'm not getting any younger, of course, and I sure as hell don't want to get Alzheimer's. So I figure if I take blood pressure pills maybe I won't get it. It can't be just any old blood pressure pill, though. It's gotta be an ACE Inhibitor." "So did the doctor give you a prescription?" I asked. "Not yet," Al said. "He said he hasn't heard about the medical study that said blood pressure pills slow the progression of Alzheimer's. "'So check with me next week,'" he said. I gave Al his cup of Italian Dark Roast. "Now let's get to the important stuff," I told him. "I just heard that the Cubs managed to unload Alfonso Soriano on the Yankees. The only trouble is the Cubs have to pay Soriano the rest of his salary this season and next season." "Good," Al said. "I never did like Soriano as a Cub."

Friday, July 19, 2013

Hawkeyes' Gesell Breaks Bone In His Left Hand

Hawkeye basketball player Mike Gesell is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a broken bone in his left, non-shooting hand Thursday night during a summer league basketball game.

The South Sioux City, Neb., native guard started 30-of-34 games as a freshman, ranking third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg), steals (40), and assists (89). Gesell (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) missed four games and was limited in other contests late in the season with a stress reaction in his right foot. Despite missing time, Gesell became the only Hawkeye freshman to post 295+ points, 85+ rebounds and 85+ assists in a season.

Iowa, who posted a 25-13 record a year ago and return 11 lettermen, is scheduled to travel overseas and play six exhibition games in mid-August. Gesell’s status for those games will be determined at a later date after further evaluation.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Matt Weitzell of Iowa's sports information office].

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

That was sure some kind of power display by the National League in the All-Star game. Three lousy hits. It was such a boring game, I turned off the TV after seven innings and took a walk in the nighttime humidity. And, no, I didn't give a damn what Mariano Rivera did. It was such a lousy showing by the National League that the rest of the season might as well be called off. After Matt Garza of the Cubs is traded, of course.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Iowa's 9-Game Big Ten Football Schedules for 2016 and 2017

The Big Ten office announced the conference football schedules for the 2016 and 2017 seasons today. The schedules consist of nine league games each season, with Iowa playing five road games in 2016 and five conference home games in 2017.

Iowa’s Big Ten schedule in 2016 includes homes game against Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska. Iowa opens Big Ten play Oct. 1, hosting Northwestern. Iowa plays at Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, Penn State, and Illinois. The non-conference slate in 2016 includes three straight home games against Miami (Ohio), Iowa State, and North Dakota State. The first football game between Iowa and Rutgers will take place Oct. 29.

In 2017, Iowa is slated for non-conference games with Iowa State in Ames and North Texas in Iowa City. An additional nonconference contest is yet to be added. Big Ten home opponents include Illinois, Penn State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Purdue. The Hawkeyes will travel to Michigan State for the Big Ten opener on Sept. 30 and also visit Northwestern, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

The Heroes Game, matching Iowa and Nebraska, is scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving in both 2016 and 2017.

Iowa will play the other six members of the West Division in each of the two seasons. Non-division games in 2016 include Rutgers, Penn State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes plan non-division foes Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State the following season.

Beginning in 2014, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers in the East Division, and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin in the West Division.

The Big Ten will hold the 2013 football media dayss and 42nd annual Kickoff Luncheon on Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25, at the Hilton Chicago, featuring all 12 head coaches and some of the nation’s top returning players. The 118th season of Big Ten football kicks off Thursday, Aug. 29, and culminates with the third a league championship game Saturday, Dec. 7. The winner of the title game will earn the Big Ten championship and a chance to play in either the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series national championship game.

Iowa’s schedules for 2016 and 2017:

2016

Sept. 3 Miami (Ohio)

Sept. 10 Iowa State

Sept. 17 North Dakota State

Sept. 24 Open

Oct. 1 Northwestern*

Oct. 8 at Minnesota*

Oct. 15 at Purdue*

Oct. 22 Wisconsin*

Oct. 29 at Rutgers

Nov. 5 at Penn State

Nov. 12 Michigan

Nov. 19 at Illinois*

Nov. 25 Nebraska*

2017

Sept. 2 Open

Sept. 9 at Iowa State

Sept. 16 North Texas

Sept. 23 Open

Sept. 30 at Michigan State

Oct. 7 Illinois*

Oct. 14 Penn State

Oct. 21 at Northwestern*

Oct. 28 Minnesota*

Nov. 4 Ohio State

Nov. 11 at Wisconsin*

Nov. 18 Purdue*

Nov. 24 at Nebraska*

* - Divisional game

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Steve Roe, Iowa's sports information director].

JOLTIN' JOE GOT IT STARTED

When Ron Maly was a kid in Cedar Rapids, he wanted to enter an essay contest, and he did. He wrote about Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees being his favorite baseball player. For finishing second in the contest, Ron won a Louisville Slugger baseball bat autographed by DiMaggio. Ron later wanted to be the first person in his family to attend college, and he was. He earned a degree in political science from the University of Iowa, and did what all political science majors do. He became a sportswriter. He had, after all, covered high school football, basketball and baseball games for the Cedar Rapids Gazette while he worked parttime during his university days. Ron wanted to sit in the press box and write about an Iowa-Minnesota football game, and he did. It happened while he was the sports editor at the Albert Lea [Minn.] Tribune, and the game was at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Ron wanted to cover a World Series, and he did. Also when he was working for the Albert Lea newspaper. Ron wanted to cover Rose Bowls, Sugar Bowls, Orange Bowls, Cotton Bowls, Holiday Bowls, a Freedom Bowl, a Sun Bowl, a Super Bowl and NCAA basketball tournaments, and he did those things after he moved to Des Moines. Ron was a four-time sportswriter of the Year in the state of Iowa [the years were 1977, 1978, 1994 and 1996]. In 2006, he was named a charter member of the University of Iowa's media Wall of Fame in the Kinnick Stadium press box. A photo of the plaque that's displayed in the press box is displayed above this story. Following Ron's retirement from the newspaper business, a publisher asked him if he wanted to write a book about the rich football tradition at the University of Iowa, and he did. The hardback version of "Tales from the Iowa Sidelines" was a best-seller, and so was the revised, softback version. Now he's been asked by his publisher to update the book for a second time. He's in the process of doing that at the present time. Ron considers being asked to update a best-selling book for the second time to be the supreme compliment, considering the Hawkeyes won just four games in the 2012 season. When Ron isn't working on books, he's busy traveling and spending time with his family. Indeed, he attends the athletic, theatrical and musical [both vocal and instrumental] events in which his six grandchildren participate. He also writes about anything that interests him for his many websites. Every chance he gets, Ron proudly wears his America Needs Farmers T-shirt.

The Hawkeyes' Rich Football Tradition, Revisited

I mentioned a while back that I was in the process of updating my Tales from the Iowa Sidelines book. Updating it for the second time. The original hardback edition of Tales from the Iowa Sidelines [pictured at the right] was published in 2003, during the 10-3 season, when coach Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa football team had a 10-3 record that included a 37-17 victory over 15th-ranked Florida in the Outback Bowl and after the Hawkeyes went 11-2 in 2002. That book was a best-seller, so the publishers came to me again in 2005, a season that finished with a breathtaking 30-25 victory over No. 11 Louisiana State in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day, 2005. Because buyers had cleaned out the the shelves in the bookstores, the publishers wanted to know if I'd do an updated version of the book. I agreed, The revised, soft-cover edition [pictured at the left] was published in 2005. Warren Holloway, who teamed with quarterback Drew Tate on a miraculous 56-yard touchdown pass to win the Capital One Bowl, was featured on the cover. That book, too, turned into a best-seller, So I had reason to feel very good about my years as a published author. It's not every day that a the original version is a best-seller, and so is the updated version. Then, imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from a senior editor at the publishing company last fall, wanting wanted to know if I was interested in doing a second updated version of the book. It came at a time when things weren't going well for the Hawkeyes in the 2012 season. They lost their last six games and finished with a 4-8 record. Frankly, the thought of doing a revised edition of the book during a 4-8 season seemed to be a stretch. "Maybe producing a revised edition in a year or two would be a better idea," I told the publishers. "We'd like to do it now," I was told. "Let me think about it," I said. After a few days of thought, I accepted the idea. I talked myself into the idea that this was the supreme compliment--being asked to do a second book update during a 4-8 season showed strong confidence by the publishers in me and in the Hawkeyes' football program. So I got back into the business of interviewing players and coaches again, going to postgame press conferences, weekly press conferences and a scrimmage in West Des Moines. After a press conference in Iowa City, I did a one-on-one interview with coach Kirk Ferentz, and mentioned to him that I was in the process of doing a revised edition of my two best-selling books. I congratulated him on the excellent things he had done for Iowa's football program--all of which contributed to the success of my books. "I think Coach Fry had more to do with it," he told me, bringing up the name of Hayden Fry, his one-time boss at Iowa and a man who brought Iowa's football program back from the dead in the 20th century. That's modest Kirk Ferentz for you. Even though the 2012 season wasn't something Hawkeye coaches, players and fans will recall with any special feeling, Ferentz has a 14-year record of 100-74 at Iowa that includes two 11-victory seasons [2002 smd 2009], two 10-victory seasons [2003 and 2004], plus he's been the Big Ten coach of year in 2002, 2004 and 2009, and national coach of the year in 2002. Indeed, Ferentz has done some wonderful things at Iowa City, and I fully expect his success to continue. I've concluded my writing for the second update of Tales from the Iowa Sidelines, and the senior editor has furnished me with an early look at the book. Not only are the Kirk Ferentz years included in the updated version, but so is the stuff I previously wrote about Howard Jones, Dr. Eddie Anderson, Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick and the 1939 Hawkeye Ironmen, Ronald Reagan, Ozzie Simmons, Ossie Solem, Randy Duncan, Alex Karras and lots of other legends from Iowa's rich football history. I expect the book to be in stores soon. I hope you like it.