Another great one… since I’m moving this weekend.



Yup it’s a moving weekend for me. So, unless it’s on the radio or can easily be accessed on my Blackberry… gonna kind of be out of the loop. So, let’s try an experiment… here’s a handful of randomnous… chime in from time to time this weekend. Give you takes, your reports, snarky smart ass quips… and insight that you QCI-ders do so well.

DENVER WAS NO BEIJING – But, the Dems will try to spin it. Sorry guys, the Birds Nest was much more cool… but coincidentally… just might be as socialist.

Oh, and Obama people… Bush Cheney 2004 called, they want their rope line music back…

COLLEGE FOOTBALL – Cyclones off to a good start last night… as they should of. ‘Clone fans… how’s Thursday night football? Pros? Cons? And to my fellow Hawkeyes… what’s your take on this year? All will be good in the world when I hear Gary Dolphin’s voice at 9:00am tomorrow… then I know… the college football season is here. GO HAWKS!

VEEPSTAKES – OK… I’ve totally caved into the veep stuff. It happens every time. Dark horses are coming out of the woodwork. Who’s it gonna be? At the time of posting... Palin is the talk... thoughts? Once we get the confimed pick… what do you think?

Chew on that for a while… ‘cause that’s all I got. Even though it’s a union holiday… have a great and safe Labor Day weekend…

Hey kids… another good one for you crank this morning…

Hit it.


Oh yea… you know what today is?


Alright… a current events 7.2 Question for today… and since it’s the talk of the town, no… not Shawn Johnson (and I quietly judge the person thinking that out loud)… it’s the DNC. So Biden last night… and Obama at Mile High… I don’t know what’s pissing me off more. This convention or the fact that they are doing the speech on the evil grounds of the Denver Broncos. Seriously… Satan lives in that building… he used to play there in human form, you also know him as John Elway… but I digress… So today’s 7.2…

What’s your take on the Democratic National Convention?

QCI-ders are pretty smart and savvy politicos… so let’s hear your takes, thoughts, stuff that pisses you off, things that are going right and wrong… I’ll start.

Do yourself a favor…

Crank this sonofabitch up!!!!!!!



Hey QCI-ders… in a good mood today… why you ask?

Do you know what today is?















IT’S 69 DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION!!!!!!

Take it to the streets!



69! 69! 69! 69! 69! 69!

OPEN LINE TODAY! Discuss anything you want: Clinton speech, Metallica, Hawkeye Football, the Designated Hitter, your favorite song, favorite food, Shawn Johnson doing the pledge for Obama, your predictions!

Come on QCI-ders! In honor 69 days (ha ha, 69) until the election… let’s get to 69 comments!!!!!! Chirp away my fine feathered friends!

Wow... you Metallica haters out there are stewing, aren't you. Yes, to one anonymous poster… Motorhead rules. Anyway enough about that stuff… if convention time! It’s like the presidential cycle of the finals… (primaries are the playoffs). Any hoop… here’s your convention style randomnous.

DNC, DAY 1… THE WASTED OPPORTUNITY - Boy, those Obama folks know what they are doing…. At least that’s what the rank and file want to believe. Did you watch it? Here’s a lightning round of takes from last night.

TEDDY – Smart move… gave the Obamas and Clintons something to agree on. Plus, it’s Uncle Teddy. I’m probably the only one, but… they’re the Kennedys… doesn’t give him a pass on his issues and behavior… but, it’s Teddy! Alright, that's enough of that...
LEACH – You heard it here first… Jim Leach did not have some sort of epiphany. He didn’t as BO said, “Saw the light.” That’s all horse shit. Jim Leach hates McCain. That’s it. This is simply away for Leach to stick it to McCain. Sorry Dems and elitist Obama folks… it’s the truth… don’t try to put lipstick on a pig… because in the end… it’s still a pig.
WASTED TIME – I thought James Carville’s head was going to explode. Did anyone hear the name George W. Bush in prime time? Me neither. Seriously? What was this, a RPI dinner? No one uttered the name of the evil one? What about McCain? You Dems just wasted one quarter of your free 4 hour political infomercial. Word to the wise, the GOP and Team Straight Talk will not make the same mistake.
BIDEN – We haven’t chimed in about the new Veep nominee yet. And since his mug was everywhere last night… let’s chirp about it a little. I like Joe Biden… but I also like him for the same reason why Republicans like that he’s on the ticket. He’s out spoken, tends to ramble… and is always off message. This Fall just got better.
CLINTONS – Tonight will be a fun to watch. Good news is that the cable networks are all over the Clinton/Obama drama.

Did I miss anything on this? Really use and abuse the comment section today... I'm feeling ornery...

TWIN CITIES – Another QCI Exclusive for you next week! SANDY CAM!!!!! Yes, our favorite legislator Sandy Greiner is going to be our QCI Correspondent… scoop, sights, sounds and hopefully (if I figure out how to do it) VIDEO FROM THE SANDY CAM!!! WOOT! Stay tuned for more and fancy graphic.

UM, WHO IS ADVISING HER? So yea… in case you haven’t heard, guess who’s leading the Pledge of Allegiance on the night Obama accepts the nomination? I’ll give you a few clues… she’s everywhere… Iowans can’t stop talking about her… oh, she was made of butter a week or so ago. Um, yea… your golden girl with the winning smile, Shawn Johnson… what’s your thoughts on this QCI-ders? Let’s hear it.

Let’s hope we hear this song over and over and over again this fall QCI-ders! QCI Hawkeye Football Correspondent, Howard Jones is back. And here’s his 2008 Iowa Defense Preview! GO HAWKS!

Greetings again QCI-ders, Howard Jones here to cure your jonesin’ for more Hawkeye football:

Thanks for all the tremendous feedback from volume 1 of the Hawkeye preview. It’s an honor to serve such a loyal and committed readership. Let’s head back to the trenches to discuss the monumental strength of this Iowa football team the Defensive line:

DL: Matt Kroul and Mitch King are two of the best players on the team and the best DT combo in the Big 10 right now. King and Kroul are reasons I love Iowa FB. They are tough, strong and local. Kroul is from Mt. Vernon and King is from beautiful Burlington. They should eat up lots of blockers allowing young stud DE Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard to wreak havoc on the outside. Ballard and Clayborn had stretches last year against MSU and NW where they absolutely dominated. I’m almost giddy at the prospect of seeing them full time this year.

Again, my biggest concern on this unit is depth. If King or Kroul go down for any extended period of time this could really put the defense in a position where they are reaching to find the right pieces to fill the puzzle. The good news is that both King and Kroul have starting streaks nearing an all-time records at Iowa and seem to be very durable. The guys behind King and Kroul are either young or completely untested. That said; I am excited about Cody Hundertmark from Humblodt. He certainly looks the part and should be tough, strong and local…

Prognosis: Look for this unit to be dominant and at times control games. They should be stout against the run and they should also be able to get a strong pass rush as well. It will be interesting to see if the coaches implement more of a rotation this year than they have in years past to keep the starting 4 fresh and effective.

LB: I’m nothing if not someone who hates to raise expectations but I’m just going to go ahead and do it. AJ EDDS IS THE NEXT CHAD GREENWAY. Book it. The kid is fast and can cover in a similar manner to Greenway. I couldn’t be happier about watching Edds for the next two years as offensive coordinators think because he’s from Indiana he’s an automatic mismatch against a RB or TE. There is an interesting battle shaping up at MLB between Jacody Coleman and Pat Angerer. Angerer obviously leads in the name department but Coleman leads in the disregard your own safety and hit them as hard as you can department (AKA imitation of Bob Sanders). Filling the last spot will likely be Jeremiah Hunter from Pennsylvania. Hunter was a top 10 linebacker recruit a couple years ago and looks like he has the tools to continue the great tradition of impact LB at Iowa. Jeff Tarpinian had a lead on Hunter in the spring but Tarp has been banged up nearly his entire Hawkeye career and may have fallen a step behind Hunter at this point.

Prediction: My reaction after watching Coleman and Angerer both split time last year when Klinkenborg went down was that we’d see Coleman on running downs and Angerer on passing downs. I don’t know if the split will be that defined this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we get them both on the field a lot this year. Also, don’t be surprised against spread teams to see a 4 LB set with both Tarp and Hunter on the field at the same time.

DB: I’m most excited about Jordan Bernstein. He was the most highly sought after recruit in Iowa 2 years ago and was an immediate contributor on special teams. He’s been battling injuries so far in his Hawkeye career but if he can get healthy he has the athleticism to be an immediate impact player. Look for Bradley Fletcher to start opposite Bernstein. Fletcher was burned badly in the 06 game again MN, to the point where the dermatologist actually recommended he put some aloe on it. however, when he filled in for Adam Shada last year he performed much better. Another factor in the CB competition will be Amari Spivey who was sequestered to Ft. Lauderdodge last year while rehabbing his grades. He was a standout performer for Iowa Central Community College on both Defense and Special Teams.

Safety may be the deepest position on the Hawkeye roster right now. Continuing the great tradition of walk-on safeties of Derek Pagel and Sean Considine is Brett Greenwood from Pleasant Valley. Greenwood struggled early last year but made some key plays late in the season (Illinois). Starting opposite of him will likely be Harold Dalton. Although Lance Tillison and Tyler Sash are both getting a lot of positive comments from the coaching staff as well.

Optimism: A D-backs best friend is a good pass rush. And the Hawks look to have the tools to keep the pressure on opposing QB and off their young and inexperienced defensive backfield.


Final Thoughts:
1. Expect this Defense to be tough starting with the D-line. We’ll see a lot of 2nd and 3rd and longs. Let’s hope they can convert those 3rd and longs into 3 and outs at a higher rate than they have in previous years. There are not many offenses that can succeed when the defense can get pressure with 4 guys. Just ask the New England Patriots…

2. Look for the amount of nickel and 3-4 defense this team plays against the spread offenses. With speed and athleticism at least at the top of the depth chart at both DB and LB there should be some ability to counter those 5 WR sets that are so popular in College FB today.

3. Sit back and enjoy Mitch King and Matt Kroul work. It will be sad to seem them go on Sr. Day.

Alright, giving the Metallica thing a rest today… but as I said in the comment section, love the haters coming out and posting. Dave Mustaine? Good work out of you. Nah, today we don’t have much scoop today. So if Kermit the Frog says, “It’s not easy being green…” at QCI… sometimes, it ain’t easy being random. But we fight throw it. Fo sho. So here’s some crap and a recap. So grab me some Grimes Corn because I’m just straight butter… “Huh?” Awe yea… just over 15,000 hits….

MCCAIN SIGN MAKING PARTY! Got to show off my masterful sign making skills last night over at Team Straight Talk. All of these signs will head to the Twin Cities. You may just see some of these in PRIME TIME!!! WOOT! Here’s a few pics…









Which ones do you think will make the cut for the floor? I see 2 really good ones. s QCI-ders for McCain a coalition? it should be.

VEEP STAKES – While I know that those crazy aviators at In Fly Over can get over themselves on this veep stuff… (not judging, it’s your thing doggs)… I’m just kind of sick of it. Like Hershel says… name ‘em already. Any predictions? Let me introduce you to my little friend, his name is comments.

QCI RENOVATIONS - So, I’ve mentioned a few times… the World’s Crappiest Blog is now in a designing phase of a complete renovation. Right now, we’re looking at concepts. But like a good garage band, I love feedback. Are there feature you would like to hear more about? Things that really suck? Things we’re doing right? Would you like to write for QCI? Let me know… email me at grantyoung72@hotmail.com or start the discussion in the comment section. Seriously, you all take the time to waste you’re here… the least I can do is aim to please. But… be gentle… and snarky is cool as well.

NEW SONG! – Dudes… this is going to be awesome. “The Day That Never Comes” is released today on airwaves worldwide. “G$, if Metallica came out with an album of the band simply farting their songs, you’d say it was the best album ever.” Of course I would… because if they did, they’d win a Grammy… The band has been release small portions of their new riffs, “Tastes of Death” if you will. Also, the entire making of this album has been documented on missionmetallica.com. Anyways, check out the new song at 1:00pm Iowa time or go their site to shred…

“G$... you gotta get off the Metallica thing… it’s really getting annoying.” Yes, you are probably going to get some Metallica reference here until mid-September… so you’ve been warned. And yes, I didn’t forget today is Thursday… and we started a new thing last week that made some pretty hilarious comments. So bust out the banner!

IT’S 7.2 QUESTION THURSDAY! Woot! OK, as you know, we talked about the some upcoming changes… and every Thursday we ask one of the original 7.2 Questions… or work on some new ones. Last weeks, “Tell me something I don’t know” question, got some buzz. Loved all of the predictions… it was much like the Conan O’Brien “In the year 2000” bit. So, as Hayden Fry said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… so we’re gonna do a similar one like last week, ala Conan. So let’s look to the future…


“The future G$”

Yes, all the way to the year 2000…. Here is today’s question:

In the year 2000, what will happen?

I’ll start…







In the year two thousaaaaand, in the year two thousahhhhhnd….

Alright, now that I have totally alienated more than half of our loyal QCI-ders by doing a Hawkeye Preview and getting yelled at by my brother… let’s get back to what we do best here. Be completely random.

NEW SONG HITS TOMORROW! – Metallica is set to release the first song, “The Day That Never Comes,” tomorrow at 1:00pm Iowa time. So tune into Lazer tomorrow around then, they should have it. This is going to rule.

SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN – The McCain peeps are having a sign making party tomorrow over at the Victory HQ in Ur-bon-delay… Urbandale for you nonhipsters… I plan I being there… I’m kind of the sign making champion of the world. You heard me Mean Gean. So be there around 5:30pm. What you gonna do when McCainiacs run wild on you? Paint.

SPEAKING OF ARTS AND CRAFTS TIME – Here are a few different artsy sites for you to totally waste time on. I’m moving in a week… so I have been using and abusing Apartment Therapy. Also, if you are obsessed with sports logos… (isn’t everyone?) check out the Society of Sports Uniform Research. And if that doesn’t fill the void for your inner sports art geek, you should be reading UniWatch. It’s kind of the law.

SMACK TALK OPEN LINE TIME – Well since football is here… (yea, I count the preseason) and the IOWA/iowa state Game is less than 4 weeks away… let’s have a little contest. “Sweet!’ I know. Alright let the smacketh begin. A special prize will be given to a QCI-der for the best Cyclone Slam and one for the best Hawkeye Slam. Must be clever… the judges like 4th grade humor… just saying. I’ll start!

As promised, here’s the QCI 2008 Hawkeye Football preview by our Hawkeye Correspondent, Howard Jones. Have at it Howie….

Welcome QCI-ders to the first annual QCI Hawkeye Football Preview! A huge shout out to G$ for his brilliant addition to the blogosphere and his invitation to write a guest blog on my favorite subject: Iowa Football. Up first: the Iowa offense.

Much blood has been spilled on the issue of the 2007 Iowa offense and it’s, well, offensiveness. The only consistent, reliable player that suited up for the Hawks last year was the criminally underappreciated and underrated Albert Young (see Michigan State) and running back is the only position where no starter is returning. The O-Line was young and inexperienced. The receivers were injured and their replacements didn’t know the offense well enough. The quarterback, well, everything has been said about the quarterback. Let’s go ahead and break this down position by position. And because no football game is complete with out the cliché that it all starts up front, let’s start… up front.

O-Line –
Iowa has the tools to put together an impressive offensive line in 2008. Let’s take a quick look at some of the pedigree on the line.
Seth Olsen – Parade All-American and generally agreed to be the best offensive lineman on the roster, the only Sr. on the line and a 3 year starter.
Rafael Eubanks – An all everything center from MN football powerhouse Cretin-Durham high school. A 2 year starter
Dan Doering – Army All-American, offers from every major FB program in the country coming out of high school and yet only a part-time player last year as a sophomore. Dinged by injuries so far.
Bryan Bulaga – A combination of all of the above.

That is a pretty solid list of talent coming out of high school. However, for some reason they have been unable to live up to their lofty expectations. Bear in mind gentle reader that Iowa’s best lineman since Alex Karras (Webster!) was the brother of an old Hawkeye punter who had only one other scholarship offer. So, high school pedigree doesn’t always matter. The other 6 guys on the radar screen for the offensive line:
Kyle Calloway
Rob Bruggeman
Travis Meade
Julian Vandervelde
Andy Keumple
Wes Aeschelman

The offensive line gave up a league worst 46 sacks last year. That is not all on their shoulders in some cases the receivers ran the wrong routes and that led the QB holding onto the ball too long. In other cases the QB just held onto the ball too long. However, they were still plenty of blown assignments and ineffectiveness going on in that unit. My only demand is that Travis Meade not see the field unless there is a rash of injuries so severe The Lug has to call Iowa City a disaster area… again.

Reason for hope:
I recall the dark days of the Fry-Ferentz transition… these were the 1-11 and 3-9 seasons where the game would be out of hand by the 2nd quarter. Those dark days put together the most dominant offensive line in my memory in 2002 because the guys on that line had a lot of game experience by the time they were seniors. I’m not saying this line will be as good as the 2002 line but the top 6-8 lineman saw a lot of snaps last year and they have the size and skill to make a big step forward from last year’s debacle.

WR and TE –
The loss of Brodell – break out games against Minnesota and Texas in 2006; Stross – reportedly the receiver that has the best chemistry with Jake; Moeaki – again a candidate for best TE in college football; and Douglas – lead the conference in catches by a freshman – made the receiving core an inexperienced and sometimes just plain bad group to watch. The wrong routes, the drops, the missed blocks, it was like watching Chet Culver get through a July 4th parade without having a 20-year-old Grinnell student spraying down him with a hose.

However, just like the offensive line these guys learned and received valuable game experience in 2007. With Stross, Brodell and Moeaki back and the emergence of the Internet Legend DJK look for the hawks to be in plenty of 3 wide receiver sets with weapons all around for the QB to utilize. This group should be everything last years wasn’t – competent, experienced and successful.

No review of the WR and TE would be complete without mentioning the addition of Erik Campbell as WR coach. Campbell replaces the retiring Carl Jackson at RB coach (former WR coach Lester Erb moved to RB coach). His addition to the staff has been met with a nearly disconcerting level praise from recruits and from current Hawkeye receivers. If the Hawkeye receivers listen to their instruction they should have the tools necessary to be difference makers on the field this year where they were not in 2007.

Wildcard: Injuries
With the startling level of attrition at this position – Cleveland, Douglas, Bowman all thugs who are no longer with the team – this position, once an area of depth is now pretty thin. If the rash of injuries happens again in 2008 there will be more problems at the receiver position. The one exception to this is TE where Brandon Myers and Allen Reisner provide a pretty solid set of back-ups. How punishingly ironic is it that since I first wrote this both Stross and Moeaki have gone down with injuries in the pre-season…dang!

Running backs
My awkward love for Albert Young aside, I’m not sure I can remember a time when the Iowa RB depth chart has been so thin. I always commented in 2007 that you know the team is thin when Paki O’Meara is making special teams plays. Now Paki O’Meara is our starting running back. Be afraid, be very afraid. However, if the hawks can win the Capitol One Bowl with Sam Brownlee starting at RB then anything is possible. Look for Shonn Green to step in no later than the ISU game and be the full time starter and carry a bulk of the load. A couple of incoming freshmen with gaudy HS stats also join the Hawks this fall. Jewel Hampton out of a powerhouse school in Indiana and Jeff Brinson from Florida, who at one time during last year had offers from both Florida and FSU but spurned them both for our beloved Hawkeyes. To sum: the talent is there, it’s just young or rusty.

Prognosis
Fred Russell was a great and dynamic running back. However, he had some pretty decent holes to run through during that 2002 campaign. I’m not saying that RB don’t matter, what I am saying is that the O-line play is likely more responsible for the success of the running game than a difference between a ‘B-‘ running back and a ‘A+’ running back.

Quarterback
If I have to talk about the QB position I will; but only because G$ made me. Everyone is down on Jake because he had a rough season last year. However, the entire offense’s woes last season were far from a one position problem. I think with the improvement of the players around him Jake will be better and I look for him to be the starter and remain the starter all year.

Panic
If Jake starts to fall apart and the wheels come off, I’m not confident that the team can keep it together during a QB change. Nothing against Stanzi but there has been too much turmoil and too many crises for this team to endure another one during the season at the most important position on the field.

Final Thoughts:
After more than a thousand words I’m sure you never thought you’d read that sub-header… Here are my bold predictions for the 2008 Iowa offense:

1. You will see a dramatic reduction in the role of the fullback. You will see I didn’t even mention the FB in the RB section and that was for a reason. I think Ferentz and O-Keefe are phasing out the heavy involvement of the FB in this offense. I believe they will be running a lot more two tight ends, two wide receiver sets, especially if Moeaki can get/stay healthy.

2. I think we’ll also see a lot more WR sets. With Brodell, Stross and DJK the Hawks can put a pretty solid WR core out there and should cause some serious match up problems with DJK on a safety or a linebacker.

3. This offense will average more than 21 points/game if they can stay reasonably healthy. I believe what the head coach says when he continually states that game experience is the most valuable thing a player can have to improve his play in the future. And we saw a lot of ‘experience gaining’ last year on offense for sure. Here’s to progress!


Great work Mr. Jones! Alright Hawk fans, forget all that crap this off season, and focus. Here's a nice little video you'll want to crank up. With bonus Hayden Fry interview...

First part of this week, we have some sports updates. For today, I brought back my man A-Ro, of A-Ro's Sports Blog. Facebook peeps can check out his stuff here. You may remember him from his NFL Draft preview. We've talked a little bit about Olympic fever and everything else. A-Ro has joined the "Act Like You've Been There Before" Movmement. Here's his guest post of the day. Take it away A-Ro!

First of all, congratulations to Shawn Johnson on winning the silver medal in the all around gymnastics competition. She performed very well and was deserving of her medal. Second, let's talk about all of this "Iowa pride" stuff. I understand that Shawn is from West Des Moines (Valley) and Lolo from Des Moines (Roosevelt), but in my opinion Iowans are too overly obsessed with athletes from the state. Don't get me wrong, I am not "a hater", but it's true. Everyone falls in love with the next athlete, whether it be Shawn, Lolo, Zach Johnson, Kurt Warner, etc. Or Iowa fans, who constantly say, "If we wouldn't have lost to Iowa State, we would have been in the national championship game." Please. ISU fans, you don't go free either, "If we wouldn't have got the fouls called against us, we would have beat Michigan State and been the national champs." Ah huh. I mean, seriously, there is such a thing as having pride but there is also have too much pride.

If LeBron James helps the Redeem Team win the gold medal, is he going to come back to Akron, OH and have a big parade just for him? I don't think so. Are the streets going to be packed in West Des Moines if Shawn has a parade? Of course they are.

I know Michael Phelps will get a big welcome back home and from the whole nation because what he is doing is unbelievable. With 8 gold medals, he would definitely deserve the praise. But, he is doing something unprecedented, while we are watching Shawn and Lolo win a few medals. C’mon, Iowa. Maybe I do sound like a hater, but it is the truth. I am not going to sit and here and hold my breath on every move that Shawn and Lolo make. Am I proud of them? Yes, as I am of all Americans competing in the games. This competition comes around only every four years and has elite athletes in the world involved in them. I am just not drooling over them like everyone else seems to be.

But, Iowans need to act like we have been here before. Instead of getting all excited and hyped every time one our athletes makes it big, we act like little kids going into a toy shop. We should have a swagger about us that makes people think that Iowa can raise great athletes instead of "corn bred hicks". We just need to stop being too giddy over every little thing and realize we do produce quality individuals in this state and should be proud but not overly obsessed with them.

Thanks for chiming in A-Ro. Thoughts QCI-ders? Tomorrow is an exclusive 2008 Iowa Hawkeye Football Preview. Talk amongst yourselves...

Here’s your Friday Fix.

MARVIN POMERANTZ, 1930-2008 – We lost a great one yesterday. A giant of Des Moines and GREAT supporter of all Republicans. Both InFlyOver and Krusty had great tributes and we here at QCI ditto everything they said. The DMR has a collection of thoughts and statements from prominent leaders.

While this is huge loss and leaves a ginormous void in our community, Mr. Pomerantz’s legacy can challenge our up and coming leaders by looking at this shining example this man and answer his question, “Is that the best you can do?”

OLYMPIC FEVER – Des Moines is clearly under the spell of the Olympics. You can go anywhere in town without hearing, “Dude, you see that last night?” You know what I think is absolutely hilarious (and I am so guilty of this as well)… during the Olympics, everyone is an expert in every sport. GO USA! Go Sweden!

7.2 WINNER! – To end this on a much lighter note... Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner from yesterday’s post… although I think I may change it to “In the Year 2000 Thursdays.” They were that good. And the winner is:

White Des Moiner said...
G$ will unknowingly travel west of 63rd street, realize the mistake he just made, and immediately turn around. As soon as he gets back to Des Moines proper, he will pull over and begin dry humping the Des Moines road sign. Yes, G$ loves Des Moines that much.

Nice work! Email me for your prize. Now… in honor of one of my new favorite sports, Synchronized Diving, here’s Thorton Melon and the triple lindy…

Here’s a new Thursday thing for you. QCI is doing a little internal revamp… you see a new look here, features a little better and a little bit of uniformity. Yes, yes we know, as a good buddy of ours said,”It’s ain’t the look dude, it’s the content.” Got it. But the creative artsy side of us wants it to look good… we subscribe to , “If your blog looks good, you will blog good.” Anyways… part of the renovation plan is to revamp the cult favorite, 7.2 Questions. Which brings us to today’s fun experiment. 7.2 Questions, staring you.

Here’s how it works. While QCI Renovations are underway, we’ll ask our readers 1 of the 7.2s… the original questions, new tester questions and question with the current scoop of the day. Then you answer them in the handy dandy comment thinger below. You can answer them a million times. You can answer them in making a joke. You can answer them while you eat your lunch. Hell, you can answer the in the form of a question!

“G$, this is pretty cool.” BUT WAIT! There’s more! Best Answer of 7.2 Thursdays will get a prize. “PRIZES! HOLY CRAP!” Yeah, I know. So here’s today’s first question on 7.2 Thursday… one of the original 7.2s...

What’s your big prediction? – "Tell me something I don't know."

Alright, I’ll start…

UPDATED....

Gonna take a break from drooling or mentioning Metallica today. Damn it… I just did. Oh well, here’s some crap for today.

OH BECKY... - Home Girl... the camera is on... and Mr. Meyers got a hold of it. Darn it, you were doing so well. Making Katherine Harris look like Einstein isn't very flattering on you... Sigh... Now do I have to give you the Uncle Dave speech? "We love you, but were disappointed in you... but we still love you." Keep this stuff coming. You know why 50% of NASCAR fans show up to races? To watch the crashes. Check out the video below...

LEACH FALL OUT – So… Hawkeye GOP went off on it… Krusty chimed in… and conservatives across the state are screaming and foaming at the mouth saying, “I TOLD YOU SO!” Sigh… well, I’m not to cool to it either… but there’s another side of me that says what did you expect? Too bad… that guy could rock the sweater blazer combo like no other. No one else going to be talking about this later… because McCain and Obama will be picking their Veeps… and that’s all we will be talking about… that and the Olympics.

YOUNGSY GETS A STREET – The legendary Dic Youngs got a street named after him over on the Eastside. DMR has all the deets. Been listening to him probably since my ‘rents brought me home from the hospital. Well deserved and congrats Youngster. Miss ya on the radio.

QCI FACEBOOKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE – A little bit of shameless self promotion today QCI-ders. For you stalkers… cough… ER… Facebook members out there, there 3 things you can do to help and promote the World’s Crappiest Blog in our quest for crappy blogging…
1. Join the QCI Facebook Blog Network. We’re currently #3 in the Des Moines network. I say we kick all of their asses! So take a minute to join by clicking here.
2. Join “Questions, Comments & Insults – the Facebook Group.” Join others in a group where you get special alerts on QCI Events… polls we want to smash and other random stuff you would expect. You can join by clicking here.
3. Join Facebook… seriously… all the cool kids are doing it… You not on Facebook = not cool.

OH JOHN… - So this Edwards stuff out there… Clinton people are saying, “We woulda won dude if he wasn’t in and this was out!!!!!” Huh? What? Are you telling me someone cheating on their wife would make a difference in campaign? Oh yea, this is something you Clinton peeps would know a thing or two about.

Speaking of winning, losing and another Edwards… more importantly Herm Edwards… he has a speech for you. Take it away Coach.

Whew… still trying to calm down a bit from the Metallica announcement QCI-ders. Not gonna lie, my Fall just got better. So you’ve got football starting… um, Fall weather is my favorite… Birthdaypalooza… football… will have a new nephew in our family this September… NEW Metallica album out in September… and to top it off, Metallica is making their 4th stop on their North American Tour in October. Those guys in the Old Mil commercial are right, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” Here’s 12 ounces of ice cold randomnous for today.

SHOP TALK TUESDAY – A Quick Lap Around Iowa Campaigns – Join Team Straight Talk for a House Party and conference call with the future first lady, Cindy McCain this Thursday. You can also help John McCain and get pizza for McCain Mega Monday, which takes place every Monday at the Victory HQ in Urbandale. Victory has also opened a new HQ in CR… fire it up Linn County! Polk GOP’s GOPFest is September 20th, with special guest Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty… they’ve also revamped their website. Kim Schmett hit the soap box yesterday at the Fair and showed off his Obama/Boswell Tire Gauge. Polk County Supervisor Bob Brownell has a new blog, check it out. And 3M is hitting Loeb up side the head for “Chilling” while the hardest hit district in Iowa waits for relief. Also, her website is pretty good.

OUCH – You’ve already seen this… but if you haven’t… it looks like someone in the Al Franken campaign is checking out the classifieds today. Check this out. Sucks to be that staffer.

SPEAKING OF SHITTY ADVANCE WORK – In Flyover has a good snap of Lt. Guv Judge… bashing McCain’s energy policies but having the gall to have her state paid State Trooper car in the back ground. Oh and Exxon-McCain ’08? Yea right… nice try. Nothing like a campaign gimmick at taxpayer’s expense. Someone bust out Conan’s stamp…. ASS.

WHO SAYS THERE’S NO IRONY IN THE OLYMPICS – I’m sure this picture is making its way around the internet by the time I post this. It’s the picture of the day. In this picture is a Russian and a Georgian Olympian. What’s their sport? Sharpshooting.

AND FINALLY – Looks like another East Coast ivory tower elitist is endorsing Obama… In FlyOver has it all via Radio Iowa. Jim Leach is endorsing Obama. Thoughts? Really use and abuse the comment section today QCI-ders… let’s hear it. Oh and how random is that there are 2 In Flyover articles today linked? Answer, they are damn good.

We have a lot of stuff for you this week. Lots of random things… with a dash of politics… As you know I rarely do more than post a day… BUT! We have something breaking…. But up the siren!!!!

*** BREAKING NEWS ***
METALLICA IS COMING TO DES MOINES!!!

YES! YES! YES! HELL YES!!!!! Alright, calm down… calm down. DUDE!!!!! METALLICA IS COMING TO DES MOINES!!!!! “Get a hold of yourself G$... you must chill!” (Deep breath) (exhale) Alright… per a Metallica Fan Club email, they released their North American Tour Dates… On Sunday, October (more like ROCKTOBER) 26 at Wells Fargo Arena the gods of metal, Metallica, will make a stop in support of their new album Death Magnetic. Opening for them with be Down and The Sword. No word on when tickets go on sale… but dude… this is gonna rule!

An official QCI pre concert tailgate is already in the works, email me if you are interested. HOLY CRAP!!!! METALLICA IS COMING BACK TO DES MOINES!!!!! Crank it up!

Alright QCI-ders… I told you we were branching out a bit. Since we talk a little everything here… how about movies. I have recruited a special movie critic… The Movie Mongol. When he’s not pillaging to countryside… he’s parked at the theatre... The movie review this week is on Pineapple Express.

If you are a college student or stoner – you will love this movie. Don't waste your time by reading any further. Go see it and enjoy yourself.

SPOILER ALERT: This is not to give away the ending; the true alert instead is that any thinking person will view this movie as a spoiler – not worth your time and money.

This movie gets TWO burning villages out of a possible FIVE.

Seth Rogan continues to prove that, while some certainly find him entertaining, he is a "niche" rather than a "talent."

The dialogue was brimming with stoner jokes, f-bombs and rather obvious observations on the mundane circumstances the characters found themselves in.

Then came the handguns. And the physical slapstick that included some grotesque violence that drew laughs and guffaws from the small audience in attendance. (The largest theater in the complex was showing the film, with the owners obviously expecting a Dark Knight crowd rather than the small but vocal lot that paid their hard-earned money to attend. Dark Knight still reigned supreme, clinching its fourth straight weekend atop the box office, becoming the third largest-grossing movie of all time.)

The rapport between the characters continued throughout the movie, with each and every sentence uttered with the beaming pride of a new father. If they were any more proud of themselves for the "wit" coming out of their mouths, the theater would need a larger screen on which to display their ever-growing heads.

Were there funny moments to make you laugh out loud? Most certainly – you can't help but find some honest humor in some of the antics and high jinks that the film puts on the screen before you. In fact, one can laugh out loud pretty hard in a couple of spots. However, it wasn't enough.

Seth Rogan carried the film to its pathetic end, no doubt about it. The film suffered an embarrassing plot that led it to its own suicide.

Rogan continues to wear his laced-up tennis shoes with a suit in this, his latest film – fitting of his personality in any number (if not all) of his films. But it's getting old.

Rogan blazes his pathway, and resembles that of a young Jim Carrey. That is to say, he is seemingly capable of displaying just one character per movie, similar to Carey being the over-the-top buffoon who made faces, eventually taking on serious roles but not before it was too late for his audience – and the world – to vanquish him to forever being the funny man. Never to be successful in his roles with any new audience; relegated to the Ace Ventura/Dumb and Dumber that Generation X idolized, he could never move on as the Generation itself moved on to explore deeper, timelier subjects in their cinematic experiences.

Rogan, a less successful Carey, risks falling into that trap, and had better find a more worthy role quickly, or risk finding his college-aged audience ascending to their mid-twenties and eventually thirties, viewing Rogan as a has-been pulling off the same tricks that just aren't that funny anymore.

"Pineapple Express" takes its name from a brand of marijuana featured in the movie.

I would instead pick a much different fruit for the film – a lemon.

Happy Friday to you and yours QCI-ders… You know for the first weekend of the Fair… it’s not so bad of weather out. Headed to KC this weekend for a baby shower and family revelry in honor of my future nephew. So here’s a little bit of stuff to get you through the weekend. If anything happens or if I run into famous Kansas Citians… you be sure to see it over the weekend. On to the randomnous…

BIG WIN – Speaking of Kansas City, my beloved Chiefs picked up a big win last night. I can hear you sarcasm now… “Is he really fired up about a preseason win?” Well when your favorite team has only won 6 games (pre and regular season) since December of 2006, yes you do. Plus, the first drive was solid and Croyle winning me over… It will be an interesting season.

MAC IS BACK – In Iowa! Great to have JSM in Des Moines today. He hit the fair, saw the boar, at a pork chop on a stick, other fried foods, and did the soap box. Raised some dineros and rolled out of town. All reports close to QCI are telling us he was a big hit.

OLYMPICS – Let me be the first to say it… I haven’t even seen the opening ceremonies and I’m already over the Olympics. Seriously? Yeah. A wise man told me once, “You Iowans need to act like you’ve been there before.” Nothing more could be true with the Johnson and Lolo show. Yes, we’re proud of all the athletes from the Tall Corn State whose talents will take them better places… but think about this… do other states go over board for their athletes? I put money on it that they don’t make them out of butter. Get used to hear about this all the time… you know… until Lance Armstrong comes back to the state. Earth to all fellow Iowans… act like you’ve been there before. So Olympics… you and me are so over… you know, until the women’s sand volleyball is over, then that’s it.

SNAKES ON A REPORTER! To get your weekend off to hilarious starts, check out what happens when Curtis Gertz meets a snake out at the fair. Here’s you must see link of the day. Click Here.

Kind of reminds me of one of the most hilarious movies of all time… QCI-ders, let’s welcome Mr. Jackson to the stage…

Mixing up today a little bit QCI-ders… there have been some questions on the comment sections and some that have landed in the QCI Mailbox. While everyone is doing it, I’m holding the 1st eva, “QCI MEDIA DAY.” Let’s start with a short press conference to answer the questions, comments and insults… in no particular order.


West Side Courier -“Mr. Young, how do you feel being called a sell out for all of your gushing about Metallica?”
G$: You wanna start this off with that one. Alright, it’s your right. You all know Metallica is great. They just are. You’re just pissed because you have to look a little harder to find your super cool underground bootleg recording of some obscure snobby indie band no one has heard of. As I’ve said, yes, Metallica are sell outs… they sell out every single show the play, everyone of their albums go platinum, 5% of all songs requested in the word are one of theirs, and are the most played/requested on Rock Band and Guitar hero. They are Gods… and we are mere mortals. Their new album is going to blow your mind. Next question...

Ingersoll Inquirer - “G$, why does it seem you’re the only blogger on our side that actually puts their name on their stuff? What’s with all the anon blogs?”
G$: Well there are some that tag their names to it. Sporer, Donny Boy at Cyclone used too… David Chung at Hawkeye… but I don’t know, it’s an interesting question. I’ve always wanted to do one of these blog thingers. When I started I made a commitment not only to my readers, but myself, that if I’m gonna do this… gonna stick my name to it. Now, I’m not gonna go all “I’ve taken my mask off, let’s see if they can take off theirs,” ala Joker in the first Batman. We have some great stuff out there. Krusty is legend. Battleground, In Flyover, and Constitution Daily are good reads. And there are a whole bunch of others out there worth adding to your morning reads. Good question… who’s next? …oh, a follow up?

Ingersoll Inquirer – “So you’re not interested in knowing who these bloggers are?”
G$: Please, give that shit a rest… that’s so 2006. Get over it. They write good stuff. Leave ‘em alone. Next question…

Merle Hay Monitor – “You’ve been criticized for no mention of the up and coming 2008 Hawkeye Football season… is it valid?”
G$: I’ll tell ya. We haven’t had so much good news out of that program. It’s just brought a Debbie Downer to me when trying to root for them. Have no fear. Once I hear Dolph on the pregame show on the 30th, all of that will disappear and I will once again become a militant Hawkeye fan.


Southside Sentinel – “We’ve never got an official stance on the smoking ban from you. While easy to figure out… what’s your take?”
G$: I smoke. I enjoy it. I know it ain’t the best for you… listen, after a long day of work… I enjoy turning on a game on the radio or on the tube, crack open a beer, light a cig and relax. Same goes for my hang out Flannys. Check what game is and smoke and joke with my friends. My problem is that you are telling small business owners how to run their business. Oh and enforcement of the law? Turn in your neighbors. When was the last time we heard of that? Oh yea, Nazi Germany. While Smoker Hating Emily at Battleground and other are jumping for joy… I see it as a slippery slope. What’s next to outlaw? I’ll take a couple more if anyone has some…

South Hamilton Record News – “2010… you and other have stirred some chatter in the blogosphere… any more to add?”
G$: Um not much… I mean we have this whole election going on now. Maybe we should talk more about that. I’m just as guilty about looking at the next cycle… but, there’s a long ways to go. I’m still sticking with my names right now.

Glen Oaks Observer – “What’s up with no 7.2 Questions? And all of your other features… sup wit dat?”
G$: Working on it. Stay tuned. As for the features, I did the first mix tape. I’ll be branching out to more than just your average political sewage. Although, that’s what keeps the peeps coming back… not the 69 jokes and Metallica references.

QCI Press Secretary, The lovely Elizabeth Shue – Alright everyone, thank you attending we will close this with a final statement from Mr. Young, then we’re headed to Flanny’s.

G$: Thank you everyone for attending the first of many QCI MEDIA DAYS. You know if you any questions, comments and insults you know where to go. Now if you excuse me, Ms. Shue and I are off to catch the preseason opener for the Chiefs down at Flanny’s. Please feel free to join us. GO CHIEFS!