Watching the Bulldogs take on the Shockers

Linda and I returned to the Knapp Center to see the Drake Bulldogs battle the Wichita State Shockers. The visitors made two out of every three shots in the first half building double digit leads a couple of times in the first half but only took a four point lead into the halftime break. In the second half, the Bulldog defense tightened and the Shockers only made one third of their shots count. After tying the score at sixty-seven in the closing minutes, the Bulldogs went on little run and finished the game up 74-69. Josh Young and Adam Templeton, pictured, played key roles throughout the game.

Ringing out 2008 watching Drake take on Missouri State

The men's Bulldog basketball team got their tenth win showing some excellent defense against the Missouri State Bears, 67-49. I've been trying to get images of the team members in some game action this year. By the numbers, 3 is Craig Stanley, 23 is Josh Parker, 22 is Bill Eaddy, and 44 is Adam Templeton. Most of these guys are new to the lineup this year so it's been fun to watch their game develop and how they work as a team.

Watching Drake's HyVee Classic First Round Game

Josh Young led the Drake Bulldogs with a 26 point contribution to win 84-73 over Georgia Southern. Josh has been an exciting player the last couple of years and lived up to that reputation in this game. Josh maintained his high caliber of three-point shooting making four of seven from long range as well as ten of twelve from the free-throw line.

Witnessing an NCAA Mens Basketball Record Tying Performance

Linda and I went to see the first round men's basketball game but arrived in time to see an NCAA men's basketball record tied. Ben Woodside of North Dakota State University put on an amazing performance in the early game against Stephen F. Austin University. Woodside put on an impressive display scoring 60 of the Bison's 111 points. Along the way, he MADE 30 of 35 free throws tying the NCAA single-game record set by LSU's "Pistol" Pete Maravich forty years prior! While we weren't aware of the record, we did enjoy the triple overtime game that was in doubt until the final buzzer sounded.

Watching Drake Host Texas Pan American

Linda and I returned to the Knapp Center to see the Drake Bulldogs take on Texas-Pan American in the opening round of the Iowa Realty Invitational basketball tournament. The game was hard fought and Drake trailed often and, with under four minutes left in the game, was down 49-56. The 'dogs showed some grit and fought their way back to even the score at 57 before scoring the final basket of the game in the closing seconds. It was quite a game and showed that this team could rally late.

Tipping off the Drake Men's Basketball Season

Last year, the Drake men's basketball team did SO well that Linda and I wondered what the team would be like this year. We finally got to see a game and were treated to that familiar Knapp Center energy. With the Bulldogs winning three of the first four games, the crowd was already enthusiastic. Most of the players were familiar; it was good to see them back on the court. The game was generally close and didn't have the scoring spurts that we'd seen before. Instead, Drake pulled ahead a point or two at a time to ultimately win 75-65. It was good to see the new team and be back at the Knapp.

Watching Drake host Morehead State

Linda and I braved a chilly day to see the final home game of the Drake football season. Morehead State was in town and the Bulldogs were looking to get back above .500 for the season. Drake got off to a slow start and fell behind 0-3 at the end of the first quarter. The second went more Drake's way as they scored 17 while giving up two more field goals. Morehead scored a touchdown in the fourth to them within two, 15-17. Their two point conversion failed so the score stood; another field goal would put Drake behind. Drake's defense rose to the occasion as it scored the final points forcing a safety in the closing minutes. It was a nice way to close out the home season.

Taking in Drake AND Iowa State Football Games

TWO games in ONE day? Yep... without really trying! Linda and I like to get out on nice autumn days and this was one not to miss. We sat in the sun at Drake Stadium and watched the Bulldogs match wits with Davidson, a pretty consistent power in the Pioneer League. The game was a pretty even affair but ended with Drake up 20-17... my favorite ending!
Later that afternoon, we hooked up with a friend of mine who had two extra tickets that we could use so we made the drive up to Ames to see the Cyclones take on Texas A & M. It was more of the big time football experience: excellent marching band before the game and at half time, extremely geared fans, good football, and, when the going gets tough, the voice of dissent. Iowa State ended up on the short end of the score but we had a good time!

Watching Drake host San Diego

Linda invited her friend Linda to join us for the Drake Homecoming game against San Diego. San Diego has been a perennial power in the Pioneer Football League; the 2008 team carried on the tradition. The weather was more suited to baseball than football and the Drake really had difficulty moving the ball. The thing that "saved" the day was that the Drake Marching Band exceeded our expectations and did march... with a little style!

Watching Drake host William Penn

Linda and I had a little different Drake football experience this week. Linda's affiliation with William Penn allowed us to attend their tailgate party before the game. It was pretty well attended and let me meet a number of her William Penn friends. They served a nice array of foods, had some games, and a general good time. Afterwards, we slipped away to sit among the hometown crowd.

Another interesting aspect of this evening at Drake Stadium was the unusual cloud formations. They were striking enough on their own but the light from the setting sun really did highlight them well. Someone in the stands noticed us shooting the sky and explained some of the structures and how uncommon it was to see them.

Going to the Drake-Upper Iowa Football Game

It's time for football! Linda and I opened our 2008 football experience at one of our favorite venues: Drake Stadium. The Upper Iowa University Peacocks came to town to test the new Bulldogs... and did a fine job of it! The home team got off to a slow start and was quickly trailing 0-10. The defense tightened up and the offense got back on track by the end of the first half. An Upper Iowa fumble was recovered and run in by the Bulldogs to put Drake ahead 14-10 at the half.

The second half opened with the Peacocks scoring a field goal; Drake answered with a field goal of their own a few minutes later. The game was a great defensive battle into the fourth quarter. With only a few minutes remaining, Drake was forced to punt. Upper Iowa took over possession on their own 24 with 1:47 left to play. Ten quick plays later, the had first and ten on the Drake 32 with 0:35 on the clock; plenty of time and closing in on field goal range. The Peacocks passed over the middle to the Drake 13 where Bulldog Andy Green was covering his man. Green dove in front of the pass, tipped the ball into the air, and fell to his back; the ball followed him, practically landing on his chest. Andy clutched the ball before it hit the ground halting the Peacocks drive. Drake ran out the closing seconds for the win. An excellent home opener!

Scoping out this year's Beautiful Bulldogs

Another fun off-track event of the Drake Relays is the selection and crowning of the Most Beautiful Bulldog. For the last couple of years, Linda and I have spent a lunch hour watching the parade of curvacious canines walk the runway. Located at Nollen Plaza downtown, it draws a pretty decent crowd. Last year's Most Beautiful Bulldog, Riggs, was on the throne (briefly) monitoring the proceedings. Drake legend Dolph Pulliam of the 1969 Men's Final Four basketball team was Master of Ceremonies again and had a pretty good time with the introductions. Costumes seem to to be the order of the day... and the dogs aren't the only ones getting dressed up. Linda and I both noticed and commented that the pink ballerina / princess bulldog from last year was absent from the line-up this year; evidently coming in second too often takes its toll on a dog. This event really does a nice job of bringing awareness downtown.

Checking out the Drake Relays Parade

Caught up in the Relays spirit, Linda and I went up to see the parade. The route is basically a trip around the campus and that's enough room to put on a pretty nice parade. We found a spot along University Avenue across from Old Main. One of the parade route security people stopped by and chatted with us as we waited. "Ready to get some Tootsie Rolls?" she asked. "They're the best value so you'll see a lot of them today." Our area was soon scattered with viewers. There were several kids to clean up the Tootsie Rolls so we wouldn't feel guilty if we let some fall from time to time.

Right on time, the parade made the turn off Twenty-Fifth and down University. Various community dignitaries were chauferred down the street in wonderful old cars and were celebrated by their fans. There weren't a great number of fans so we had to be demonstrative or it would have been a drive around campus. Of course, cheering produced amazing numbers of tootsie rolls of various flavors. Clearly, security had their finger on the pulse of the candy aspect of the parade.

Before it was over, one of our favorite parade and sporting event groups came thundering around the bend: the Isiserettes Drill and Drum Corps. These kids can fill up any room! Drums hammered out the beat as the dancers put on quite a show. It's always a treat to see them perform.

Stopping by Drake Relays Street Painting

One of the great events of Relays doesn't take place at the stadium. Each year, various campus organizations get a day to repaint one block of street on campus. Barricades prevent cars from travelling the street virtually all year so the work is there until replaced the following spring. A particular theme is given, squares marked off, and the paint begins to flow. As you can see in the images, it doesn't always hit the pavement but that's part of the tradition as well. All in all, a good time is had and the street really does look pretty good when it's done.

Yes, Linda and I do remain at a "safe" distance.

Dropping in at the Drake Spring Game

The 2007 Bulldogs had a rough but winning season finishing with a 6-5 record, including a 3-4 league mark. Interim coach Steve Loney kept the Bulldogs on course and gave the eventual conference champion Dayton Flyers a fight to the end.

New head coach, Chris Creighton, has a glowing reputation both on and off the field. Currently ranked fourth among all active NCAA Division III football coaches in career winning percentage, he also is recognized for preparing his players well for life beyond the field and university. I'm looking forward to the 2008 Drake football campaign.

Watching Drake host UNI

As is becoming our custom, Linda and I attended another Drake - UNI sporting event. This time, the Drake men's basketball team was hosting and looking to continue to extend a startling streak of sixteen consecutive wins. This year's team is having something of a fairy tale season and interest around the city is picking up. Couple that with the in-state rivalry and the tickets that were once pretty easy to pick up have become harder to secure. Fortunately, we got ours and were on site for what was another very entertaining, well played game.

The visiting Panthers led by four with 5:32 left in the game; unfortunately, they didn't make another basket. Drake scored nine while UNI made one free throw giving a final score of 58-54... and the streak continues!

Watching the Drake Men win their Regency Classic Tourney

Linda and I stopped by the Knapp Center to see the Drake Men's basketball team in the championship game of the Drake Regency Classic. Coming into the game at 8-1 with a win over Iowa State, the Bulldogs were on a roll. Texas-Pan American, 6-5, had won their opening round game and would meet the 'dogs.

The game was fairly balanced but Drake did manage to pull away on a few turnovers converted to three point shots. Over the course of the game, Drake maintained an advantage in every statistic and, predictably finished leading in the most important stat, score, 83-55.

I expect that Linda and I will be stopping in to see these 'dogs again.

Cheering the Bulldogs

Saturday afternoon, Linda and I saw the Bulldogs get back on the winning track with a 48-20 win over Valparaiso. Senior Scott Phaydavong rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns as the 'dawgs rolled over the Crusaders. Drake also had their passing game going as all three Drake starting receivers -- Travis Hardgraves, Zach Brower and Augustine Agyei -- caught touchdown passes. On top of all that, Logan Rees, Drake junior, kicked the longest two field goals of his career from 45 and 40 yards; it was a breezy day so that probably helped. On top of all of that, the band performed at half time! It was the same show they'd done a week before ... but they performed!

The image I chose with the photographer in it continues something of a theme for me: photos of people taking photos. Several years ago, I took a shot with my mom in the foreground taking a picture of my father and son on a tractor. I liked it and have continued to snap that shot when it's available.

Checking out Autobahn

Friday evening, Linda and I went to the 2007-2008 Drake Theatre Department season opener, Autobahn by Neil LaBute. This presentation was more a collection of seven smaller plays played in sequence on the same stage. It's tempting to call these plays vignettes but I'm not familiar enough with the term to use it without this rambling text warning that it may not be truly applicable. Whatever they were, they were interesting.

The only thing that connected these stories was the set. Each was set in the front seat of a car. The stage was overly long in front, suggesting the hood of the car. On the floor to the left and right of the stage, just at the feet of the audience on those sides, were the highway lane marking lines. A steering wheel, accelerator, and brake petal were positioned for the driver. On the plain screen behind the seat, an image out the back window was displayed for each scene. It was simple in appearance but also clear that time and thought had gone into the design.

Of the seven vignettes, three were simply monologues with another person there. I'm sure that many of us have been on trips like those. I say trip but these weren't necessarily trips of any length longer than across town. Linda noticed that most of them also had some sort of word play, or an uncommon use of a word, sometimes repeatedly. I noticed that they also tended to start out pretty normal and, as the picture became clearer, they often got a little strange, a little dark.

The cast for these plays was only four people in various combinations of two. There were two senior men and two freshman women. All did an excellent job in their respective and varied roles. One of the men we had seen in a Drake production last year. It's nice to have that continuity.

Checking out the 2007 Bulldogs

Linda and I opened our Drake football season like last year, at the UNI game. Both teams came into the game undefeated, with the mythical state championship on the line. Pregame analysis had Drake needing a flawless game and a little luck to really have a shot against the UNI Panthers, ranked fourth in The Sports Network's FCS Football Rankings.

We were pleased to see the Drake band putting on a pre-game show; being on television makes a difference, I guess. The game started with Drake on offense and they were able to get a first down or two before having to punt. The Panthers used their size and speed well to move the ball and were soon on top. By the half, it was 28-7, UNI's favor. It ended 45-7 and could have been worse. Fortunately, with the game clearly decided, UNI played more to run out the clock than pile on the Bulldogs.

Drake mascot, Spike, did an excellent job of entertaining and engaging the fans. One of the fun dimensions from last year missing this year was the interaction between Spike and the UNI mascot, TC. Last year, TC had a nice big rawhide bone to tempt and torment the big dawg; not this year.

Drake will have a good year. I think they got away without injuries so the experience of playing a team this good may pay dividends later in the season. Linda and I will likely be stopping in again from time to time.