Noah arrives for the Fields Fam, OG Visits the Pumpkin Farm

Superchad the Dad. It was great to meet Noah.

OG was loving the pumpkin farm. Lots of pointing to do.

Family photo op.

We let Olivia sit in a pile of pumpkins. I wish a pile of pumpkins brought me that much joy so simply.

Jordy and OG went for a wagon ride.

They had a petting zoo too. This guy seemed like the leader. Also, with the long hair and nice horns all the girl goats want him.

They apparently love pumpkins. Convenient then, living at a pumpkin farm and all.

Olivia got to meet Noah. She didn't know quite what to think, but she liked sitting with Papa Chad.

For all of us Iowa Fans, here's the hard truth:

Keeler: It's not Christensen's fault his coach has too much faith in him

By SEAN KEELER • REGISTER SPORTS COLUMNIST • September 20, 2008

Pittsburgh, Pa. — Let’s make one thing clear: This is not Jake Christensen’s fault. He is what he is. He’s short. He’s inconsistent. He’s inaccurate. The next pass he throws with any touch will be his first.

It’s not for lack of effort. Or toughness. Or heart. Christensen is a stand-up kid. He’s faced tough questions from the media. He’s been booed at home by his own fans. He’s taken it like a man.

But, by God, if he’s the quarterback that gives Iowa the best chance to win, I’m Brad Pitt.

“I just thought that Jake had more of a feel for what they were coming at us with defensively,” Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz said of Christensen after Iowa fell today at Pittsburgh 21-20. “And what we needed from our quarterback to win the game.”

Wait.

What?

“Just a feeling I had,” Ferentz continued.

No, this one wasn’t on Christensen. It’s on the coaching staff that kept trotting him out there, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

The Hawkeyes’ other quarterback, Ricky Stanzi, had completed 7-of-10 passes against the Panthers in the first half, including a 48-yard strike to tight end Tony Moeaki. Christensen in the first half? Two-of-six. Conventional wisdom says you ride the hot hand in the third quarter, right?

Not Ferentz.

He had a feeling.

Stanzi never played again.

Hey, if it works, you’re a genius. If it doesn’t, you lose to Dave Wannstedt. And you have to live with it for the rest of your life.

“This game could be a blessing or a curse for us,” said Christensen, who was sacked four times. “We can either get better or fold. I think everybody in our locker room thinks we’ll get better.”

They might. He won’t.

It’s time to turn the page on Christensen. Isn’t it? For his sake and yours. It’s time to cast your lot with Stanzi, the skinny sophomore from Ohio. It’s time for him to get his feet wet in the Big Ten Conference, to see what you’ve really got.

“Going with only Jake Christensen in the second half,” Ferentz explained, “was more of a gut thing than anything else.”

Don’t trust your gut, coach. Trust your eyes.

Yes, there will be roller-coaster moments. Stanzi forced some throws against Iowa State that nearly cost the Hawkeyes dearly. Yes, he’s prone to the occasional brain cramp. At the end of the second quarter, time running out, he completed an 8-yard pass to tight end Brandon Myers on third-and-9. That forced the Hawkeyes to punt the ball back to the hosts with 17 seconds left, and offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe looked none too amused.

Still, sitting on the young man isn’t going to speed up his development. Is it? He’s not going to get any wiser standing on the sideline watching Christensen throw balls at his receivers’ ankles.

It was there. There for the taking. That’s what should gnaw at the Hawkeyes. Iowa had the ball three times in the last 9 minutes. When Pitt punts the ball to your 1-yard line with 2:19 left and no timeouts and all you need is a field goal to win, it shouldn’t smell like the game is over. It shouldn’t smell like 2007.

And yet it did. A short pass on first down, a sack on second down, a third-down fumble and good night, nurse.

Another 100-yard game by Shonn Greene, wasted. Another chance to make a statement on national television, to nab a marquee nonconference game on the road, gone.

Somewhere, an Insight Bowl scout is crying. Again.

He had a feeling.

So did you. Deja vu.

Iowa over ISU

Today was the annual big game between Iowa and ISU. You probably know Iowa won, and W is all the counts in the end, but it was an interesting day. Mike Galles, Nicole and I met up with our old crew including Tate and Amy and had fun cheering on the Hawks in the rain.

Stanzi started, much to the fans delight. The pregame feel? Pumped. I think everyone expected us to run Shonn Greene, (above) about 35 times today. He did end up with his third straight 100 yd running game, but we let Stanzi throw the ball a lot.

STANZI TIME! Well, I hope this guy sold all his shirts before the game. Stanzi was benched by the end of the third quarter. I still think he will end up being the better of the two QB's, but he just wasn't ready today. Jake came in and led us to a 14 point lead and ultimately the win. Now, I think the fans were left with more questions about the QB position than answers.

Rain made things interesting, including the running game on the field. End result? Iowa wins, great day. I guess we'll learn more next week in Pittsburgh about this team.

As Tate said, Stanzi is The Manzi

This is how I feel about Rick Stanzi. Just consider me the guy in the white shirt and suspenders dancing and professing my love for him.

The Press Citizen just reported he got the nod for the start on Saturday against ISU. Cyclones beware, Rick Stanzi, Shonn Greene and DJK are going to eat your D up.

You just got Ricky (Stanzi) Rolled.

Rove, O'Reilly and Other Conservative Liars

Take 5 minutes and watch this video, it is well worth it. More examples of blatant lies from the likes of Rove, Bill O'Reilly and their conservative cohorts. Conservative might be the dirtiest word I know.

Tsk. Tsk. They're all liars. I think my favorite ticket for President after Obama/Biden would be Bill Maher/Jon Stewart.

Go Left.

SNOWBILLY MELTDOWN!!?!

Barack Obama hit 50% in national polls for the first time today, with the McCain-Palin ticket down to 42%.
The InTrade futures market is now offering bets on Palin dropping out.
Other tidbits lingering, her supposed "Troopergate" and a connection to the AIP, an Alaskan Independence Party who wants to secede from the U.S. I think Alaska should be allowed to secede from the U.S. after they invade Canada and take it over.

I heard Fred speak tonight. I liked Fred better on Law & Order.

Also, I ran 17 miles tonight. Why? Because I can.

Weekend at Okoboji, Part 1

The Fam took a little trip to Okoboji this weekend, and we are still up here for a couple more days. Olivia, Daisy, Nicole and I came up thursday. Jeremy, Gina and Jordy joined us friday. We have been taking in all 'Boji has to offer and having a blast. Yesterday we went to Arnolds Park and Olivia rode the merry-go-round. She had a grand time on that, lots of smiles hollers of glee.

WATER BABY! Friday afternoon we got in the indoor pool at the water park here at Bridges Bay. Olivia loved it. She cruised around in her little floatie turtle, splashed and couldn't get enough of it. She also swam the lazy river with us in her turtle and was smiling the whole way. Clearly got mom's genes for the water, as her dad is sort of a sea cow.

Joe Liewer let us use his boat for the weekend, (thanks Joe!), and so we went did some cruising on East and West Okoboji. Here's Jordy loving it.

The Sitzmann Family

Daisy loves the boat, as she always did in Iowa City, too. By the way, try getting a dog and an infant to look at the camera on a boat at the same time. Good luck.

Jordy and Daddy

It didn't take long for Olivia to be put to sleep on the boat. Loud white noise and rocking? She was cashed.

To end off Saturday night here's Jordy serenading us. Mainly she was rocking for her mom, which at 11pm after a long day Gina was really enjoying. We were ready to go to bed, Jordyn was ready to head down to Bracco's and party.

**Update**: Today I turned 30! Goodbye 20's, it was fun. Today I celebrated my thirtieth birthday by: 1. Running 15 miles this morning 2. Boating in Okoboji 3. Stuffing myself like a pig 4. Hanging out with Mom & Dad here in Okoboji 5. Going to stuff myself a little more before I go to bed.

The Real GenCon post

This last weekend I went to GenCon in Indianapolis. Complete Nerdfest fun. Here are five of us that went, all friends from undergrad in Cedar Falls: Paul Gorecki, Cory Scanlan, Chad Delp, Michael Devin and I.

For those of you that don't know what GenCon is, it is a big gaming convention. Everything from D&D to Halo to Board Games. Many are played with a 20 sided dice, just a wee bit smaller than the one Chad is showcasing here.

Paul.

Here's Hans House, he joined us for a few gaming sessions. This was the Tower of Gygax, DM'd by Cory, and in honor of Gary Gygax, the creator of D&D who died this year.

This is the infamous COUGAR. Much different than the cougars Devin fancies in California, but equally open to trying new things. He was a bit creepy. I initially feigned fright and asked:

"Are you a bear?" ...His response, best put by Cory over on Scantabulous, was this:

The Cougar responded in a thick effeminate southern accent "Nawww, Ah'm a Cougar, can't ya tell from the looong taaail?""

I no longer had to feign my fear. A real furry.

GenCon, New Pics of Olivia and Stormtroopers.

I have a couple of GREAT pics to share. Tate, you wanted a new post. Here it is. Better than you could have ever imagined. I made it special for all the devoted Peltgrande followers out there. Here it is: CLICK HERE!

Rustic Run and Mighty Mo 1/2 Marathon

Here's Chad and I after the 23rd annual Rustic Run. I didn't have a great race, but it was a good day, finished 3rd in my age group and I beat Jeremy Dunlavey. Of course, he didn't run, so I had a pretty good shot to start with. Chad nailed 2nd in his age group, hence the green mug prize.

My first meeting of Maura Kay. She's a peach. So is Cullen.

Last weekend I decided to run the 17th Annual Mighty Mo' 1/2 Marathon. It was in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Pretty flat course, and AllSport was there with chip timing which was nice. I kept a pretty decent pace, and finished with a 1hr 45min 13.1 mile run time. It got me 3rd in my age group and hopeful to break the 3hr 45min 26.2 mile time mark this fall.

I called Mike friday afternoon after registering him for the 8K and told him he was running. He was glad he did. He set a PR for the 5K (at the 5K mark) and finished the 8K in 38 minutes. Good for 2nd in his age group, nice work!

In completely unrelated news, George Noory spoke with SkyCar creators at 4 am this morning on my way home from work. The M400 goes around 200mph at economical speeds and can hover and take off straight up. Moller, the company that produces them also has a M200 model which they plan to have released with at least 40 available in 2009.

Paris, Britney and Obama? Really? McCain, REALLY?

Ok, somehow I don't think Obama is quite in the same celebrity ballpark, or universe for that matter, as Britney and Paris. (Fun Fact: Hiltons donated to McCain. What does Paris' daddy think of that commercial?) Obama, celebrity? Sure, I guess. But a little different celebrity than Paris and Britney. And McCain, why did you pick two white girls to compare him to? What about Ashanti or Lil' Kim?


I have a hard time understanding how there is even a presidential race at this point.

As if I wasn't already excited about GENCON. The Catwoman is a Libertarian!

18th Iowa Football player in 15 months arrested. Yikes.

Another Iowa Football Player Arrested. Suprised? Not Anymore.

It just keeps happening. 18 players since April of last year, or 18 in 15 months. Are you kidding me? Most of them scholarship players too.

Just in case you missed these, here is the brilliant Anthony Bowman and Dominique Douglas posting some pics of themselves online after some thefts. GUINESS COMMERCIAL VOICE: BRILLIANT!

What? We just getting our Goose on in the IC. Hellz yeah.

I am really disheartened with the program the last 2 years. Not sure what the problem is, and I don't have any suggestions to what could be done. All I know is that these continued social/off field problems are destructive to the program that we love.

In other news, summer is going fast. I haven't posted in a couple weeks without even realizing it. A lot has been going on. Olivia is crawling, waving bye and pointing. Working a ton. Did the Rustic Run with Chad. I need to get my pics loaded from my camera, and I will get some of the good ol Rustic Run up on here soon enough....

Summer in Full Swing in Sioux City

Olivia is 8 months old now. Sitting well, pulling up to stand, crawling all around...

...and pretty adorable too.

Mike and I did the Missouri River Runners 5K today. It was a pretty fun race. Flat, fast and it rained on us the whole race. I kept a 6:45 pace for the run which I was pretty happy with. It got me 2nd in my age group, and Mike finished 1st in his. (I make sure to point out to Mike who was in the 30-35 group and all you other old farts that I still fall in the 20-somethings age bracket. Ok, so maybe for only 2 more months, but still...)

We met up with a couple of other guys we know who did the run too, Jeremy VandeZande and Brian Soenen, a UNI alum, (who happens to be the one and only Tony Cooper's cousin). They entered the Pump 'n' Run side of the race where you get time taken off for benching a certain amount.

Last but not least, Jeremy and I took a kayak trip down the Big Sioux near where it flows into the Missouri River.

It was a good day for kayaking.

The 500 Mile Club

500

I know Nike is kind of like the Starbucks of the sporting world, but I love 'em. I get to keep track of all my runs and get little electronic 'trophies' for certain goals and milestones. Actually a pretty good motivator for someone like me. SO, I probably got sand kicked in my face in 2nd grade, developed a little insecurity and now I need Nike to tell me how awesome I am. Well, it works, I've logged 500 miles running since moving to Sioux City and am still running baby.

Our Other Roommate

Meet our other roommate. For those of you who know me well, you know what this was like for me. I wanted to curl up in the fetal position like I was suddenly overcome with dragonfear, but I held my ground and slayed the beast. (5 ft away with spider death spray.)

I photographed him primarily because I hate spiders, (and want to sleep at night), so much that identifying every spider I find in my house has become routine. This is a fisher spider. Not poisonous, but large and evil. Let this be my official warning to all you spiders: You show up at my house, you will suffer the consequences...

Flooding Peaks

More Flood Photos

In case you haven't seen some, I wanted to post what it was like in Iowa City this weekend. We still had a great time. (See Here), but it was sad to see what people are going through all over Eastern Iowa.

Got some aerial photos from the Press Citizen. This is the spillway and dam, normally just a trickle below the dam.

One of many historic things destroyed, sadly the Sutliff Bridge was one.

Houses down by city park.

Taco Bell, well I just wouldn't eat there in Coralville ever again no matter how much they clean.

The Coralville strip under water.

The picture above is water from the spillway, washing down where it has only been once before.

Here's an aerial photo of the spillway flow. Note, normally NO water is flowing right there.

Just North of Iowa City along 380.