Hawk Talk Daily: Random Thoughts

Aug. 21, 2011

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Random thoughts on a Sunday morning in the Heartland…

This is a sure sign that the end of summer is fast approaching: My favorite baseball team fired someone. Yes, the Cubs sent their long-time general manager packing on Thursday. “It’s a business,” Jim Hendry said before adding the obvious, “We didn’t win enough.” Yeah, that’s probably true. The Cubs didn’t – although they did have some very good years Hendry on the administrative roster. The irony of it all is that his departure – not the decision, as we know – comes during a period of success for the 2011 version of Major League Baseball’s “Loveable Losers.” Oh well, as they say and say and say again, there’s always next year.

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Darren Miller had a nice piece earlier this week on running back Mika’il McCall. The true freshman appears to be in the mix which is a good thing because, as recent history has told us, the Iowa Hawkeyes can never have too many talented and healthy running backs. If you didn’t read the story on the Dolton, Ill., native, click HERE.

A few weeks back the UI Athletics Department announced it was transitioning from the Official Iowa Hawk Shop to Herky’s Locker Room as the official team store of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Well, the doors to Herky’s – both real and electronic – are open for business. You can check out the selection available online by clicking HERE.

A few weeks back the UI Athletics Department announced it was transitioning from the Official Iowa Hawk Shop to Herky’s Locker Room as the official team store of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Well, the doors to Herky’s – both real and electronic – are open for business. You can check out the selection available online by clicking HERE. If you are in the Iowa City/Coralville area, you can walk the aisles at the Herky’s Locker Room location on U.S. Highway 6. So, gear up and enjoy! And, of course, bookmark it…the selection will be under constant change, always reflecting the “hottest items” in retail.

The current fan poll on the home page of hawkeyesports.com asks a rather simple question: Which team is Iowa’s biggest hurdle in the Legends Division of the Big Ten? The current leader isn’t a surprise: Nebraska. But I do find it worth noting that fans of the Hawkeyes have Northwestern and Michigan State well ahead of Michigan. Me? I’m just glad we have all three of them in Kinnick…and I cast my vote on Iowa taking care of its business. History tells us that when we do that, we’re playing 2:30 p.m. football games in November and that’s a really good thing.

Lastly, the Iowa Hawkeyes are unbeaten in 2011-12 thanks to Ron Rainey’s UI soccer team’s 3-0 victory over DePaul in Chicago yesterday afternoon. And, if you’re looking for another reason to smile, consider this: Iowa lost its 2010 season opener to DePaul by a 2-0 count. What a difference a year can make…

Go Hawks!