[NU Sports] Iowa, attendance and more

[Brad Wilson]

Catching up on a ton of posts here -- took me a day to
recover from the latest Cardiac Cats effort!!

1) On Iowa: The old dislike for Iowa was rooted, for
me, in equal dislike for the detestable Hayden Fry,
the least likable BT coach in my memory (though Mike
White was close) and for the violently annoying
Bumblebee fans. 

Now Ferentz, while still arrogant and chilly, is no
Fry. The Iowa fans are still the pits -- when NU beat
Iowa in wrestling in January, nothing was more
delightful than the stunned expressions of the
Bumblebees -- but overall Iowa had slipped on the hate
meter ...

... until Saturday. The constant cheap shots, the
blows to the head, the late hits, Chad Greenway's
victory dance on the sideline with 3:50 or so to play,
and the fact that Basanez, a pretty level-headed guy,
hardly a hothead, would call out Iowa on its
misbehavior reminded me, once again, that Iowa is the
most classless team in the conference.

I'd still rather beat Illinois -- for me, they are
always the rival, without exception -- Wisconsin and
(because I live in Pennsylvania) Penn State, but I
have had generally good experiences with Illini fans;
I have worlds of respect for Wisconsin's program and
coaches and I love their hearty, happy, fun-loving
fans; and generally classy Penn State is impossible to
hate (unless you're a Pitt fan, and then's it's in
your genes). In short, these are worthy foes, due some
respect.

None of that is true with Iowa. This is a classless
bunch from start to finish, worthy of nothing but
disdain, despair and defeat. Let's hope Bucky Badger
and Goldie Gopher hammer the Hawkeyes, thus keeping
the RVs parked in the cornfields in late December and
January, and leaving the Bumblebees with bitter
memories of miserable losses to their two hated
archrivals and NU (whom they simply can't stand to
lose to) in their black little hearts to chill their
spirits during the long, dark, cold winters out there
on the windswept frozen prairie.

2) On attendance: Mr. Clark is absolutely right about
11 a.m. starts. They are killers. 

But there's something else: single-game tickets that
cost $50! NU's season tickets are an excellent deal at
$28 (or so) but the single-game tickets are a ripoff.
$50 is a lot of money -- if you want to take your
kids, that's a small fortune (yes, I know end zone
seats are cheaper, but who wants to sit down there?).
$50 does not include parking, sodas, hot dogs, coffee,
programs, peanuts ... you get the idea.

I understand the thinking is to drain Badger and
Wolverine and Hawkeye fans' pockets, which I have no
problems with in the slightest. If there was a way to
just charge visiting fans $50 while charging locals
and casual NU fans $35, that'd be ideal, but it can't
be done.

Since the product on the field has not been an issue
the last three seasons -- NU has been competitive and
exciting (the latter in spades) -- I conclude the
attendance problems arise off the field: marketing,
parking (not much to be done about that, I fear), 11
a.m. starts (NIU was well-attended and a 4 p.m.
start), and $50 seats.

3) Terrific posts on the game by everybody -- thanks
for the wonderful reading, all! All I want to add was:

a) I thought Battle played a solid game at CB; b)
watching the dominating McGarigle is so much like
watching Fitz in '95 and '96 it's scary; it's almost
like a clone of Fitz is wearing #41; c) the
much-maligned (usually deservedly so) d-line played a
very creditable fourth quarter; was conditioning a
factor?; d) I'd like to see more student-body left
toss sweeps with Sutton; our WRs are excellent
blockers and these plays would allow Sutton to turn
the corner with a head of steam and run in space; e)
I'd kill to have Iowa's kick coverage teams; and f) as
much as I loved Zak Kustok, Brett Basanez has shown me
even more leadership and moxie than Kustok did as a
senior, and deserves every accolade he gets. I never
expected anything out of this season; instead, we have
a bowl game, whereas in 2001, while I know there were
many other factors, I expected much and was left with
some of the most dreadful losses I have experienced as
an NU fan (Penn State, Bowling Green, Indiana). We
have three more games to enjoy Basanez and McGarigle;
treasure every minute of them, as these kids are
special.

4) on the Big Ten: I careth not that NU is eliminated
from the BCS-berth chase. All I know is that if NU
wins out and Michigan State can rally and defeat Penn
State NU will have (a share of) its fourth Big Ten
championship since 1995. And that is JUST fine with
me, thank you!!!

Brad Wilson




 

 

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