On Iowa with Marc Morehouse

Periphery week 3

My iPod selections for my own personal tailgate this week (which consists of dozing in front of whatever college football game is on Friday night, I'm such a rock-n-roller!):

"Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" -- ZZTop. I have no idea how this got on my iPod, but I'm glad it did.

"Blowin' in the Wind" -- Neil Young, a cover off "Weld, disc 1." This kind of sums it up for the Jack Trice experience. The wind whips through the plains and into the stadium via that unbowled south (I believe it's the south) end zone. I'll never forget Troy Blankenship's 400-yard punt into the wind in 2005. (OK, I know it was 68.) Hold on to your napkins, folks. And hold on to your toupee, newly retired Gazette columnist Mike Deupree! (Kidding, kidding. Mike's hair is real. Is Gary Dolphin's? Yes, and it comes with its own weather system.)

"Tony's Theme" -- Pixies from "Surfer Rosa." This goes out to you, Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki.

"Born to Run" -- Bruce. I'm 40 and this plays to my crowd (actually, it plays over my crowd, the 50 folks). "The highways jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive," sang Chris Moltasanti in one of the last seasons of "The Sopranos." Can't remember which one. There were like three.

"Clash City Rockers" -- The Clash. Play this song when you get there Friday night or early, early Saturday morning. Play it again when you start to slow down. Play it when you start to lose it. Believe me, it works.

Beer suggestion

Fat Tire -- I'm just getting into being a semi-beer connoisseur. I have no idea what "mouthfeel" means. Rest assured, I'll figure it out. "Fat Tire" has always been one of those beers I've drank when I've had the opportunity. Benz Beverage Depot (yes, this is me mugging for an endorsement deal) recently started offering it. I've got six 22 oz. bottles in the fridge. This amber/red has a deliciously malty taste that's beefy and sustains slightly sweet. Some people complain about the smell. Probably the same people who know what "mouthfeel" is.

Hawkeye people, make sure you go mooch off my friend Andy Wolter's tailgater. He's an ISU grad and he's ardent, but I'm sure he'd welcome you with open arms on gameday. I'm not sure where his tailgate is, just follow the cans of Old Style Light. I'm sure Andy will be the only one.

Try to have fun and remember, you won't remember the score five years from now.

Fellas, easy on the flat-out insults . . .

Jeff Potrykus, the fine Wisconsin football beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is PO'd at you guys.

In his blog on the JS website, he admonishes Iowa fans for coming up with a link to a phony story calling UW quarterback Tyler Donovan's intelligence into question.

The link, which has been taken down, showed up on HawkeyeNation and HawkeyeReport.

It went to a story that had an Associated Press byline that appeared to be picked up by ESPN.com. It was a false report that none of us would want to see written about one of our kids or brothers or sisters.

Jeff is mad at you guys, writing, "We understand passion. We also understand this attempt at 'humor' went too far."

Jon Miller, publisher of HawkeyeNation, took the post off his messageboards. Here's the link, but don't bother, it's already been pulled from wherever it originated http://hawkize.freewebspace.com/donovan.html. It shot for "The Onion," but ended up at Mad Magazine, which still has some sort of appeal, think "Comic Book Guy" from "The Simpsons." (Is Mad defunct? I think it might be.)

I have to side with Jeff on this one. I'm certainly not here to preach to you guys or come down too hard on anyone. I'm all for pranks. If Tyler Donovan is like all of the Division I-A college quarterbacks I know, he brushes this stuff off like toe lint. I'm sure the intention was jest. So now, go back and come up with something better, something that I can take to my executive producer friend at the Colbert Report (a UW alum, BTW) for use on the air. Or at least considered for use on the air (he won't, but just go with this for a second). How cool would that be! Consider it a class project. Humor rules, empty-headed bashing drools.

Is it me or has this week been way, way too quiet for an Iowa State-Iowa (or Iowa-Iowa State) week? I think this link-gate shows us that you guys are already in Madison, mentally. First things first, people.