No subject (Part 5)

Used to love watching the TDF back in Lance's day. Not so much anymore. However, once you get into it you find it has very interesting strategies and the fitness levels of the riders are absolutely astounding.
With all the current controversies in golf, I started watching some. Watched the last round of the US open and it was great. The skill levels of the top players are out of this world.

I watch the TDF every year, pretty much every day primarily to see the quaint little French towns and mountain scenery.

I'm looking forward to the start of the Hawkeyes' season, but I lament the state of college sports. I liked it better when the "Big 10" was really the Big 10. Now USC and UCLA are joining the "Big 10." Are you kidding me? Some sports people are saying everything will eventually coalesce into a few massive conferences. If that's the case, why have any conferences at all? It's all about the money.

The transfer portal and NIL are wrecking it too. Especially NIL. Now we'll have kids making millions while playing college sports. I've always thought college athletes should get spending money stipends (on top of free tuition and free room and board), but like everything else in sports, it's out of control.

Oh well, it will still be fun cheering for our college teams.

Cyclone,
You know it! Always fun playing the intra-state rival. It's the only game I'm not rooting for the Cyclones. 🙂

Let’s give a shoutout to the greatest “ foodie athlete “ of any generation, Joey Chestnut. Approximately two weeks ago he won another hot dog eating championship, consuming 63 hotdogs in ten minutes. And during the championship it was reported that he had a masked protester in a headlock, and continued to eat hotdogs.

Was it Jim Croce who said “ don’t spit into the wind, and don’t mess with anyone who can consume over sixty hotdogs in ten minutes.

I am off to take my Prilosec.
Michael

You just knew it had to be out there, so I searched and, yes, found it.

Below, on a roughly 11-minute Youtube video, is the whole hot-dog eating match that has been mentioned, from start to finish, from "Go" to final burp, complete with running score (hot dogs consumed so far) across bottom of screen.


And listen to Mr Chestnut's account of his feat (end of video) upon being interviewed following his victory. Rather modest, I would think, in view of his earth-shaking accomplishment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtzfjd8v2dg

Couple of hot dogs or smoked brats on the grill, loaded up with ketchup & chopped onion & slathered with sweet pickle relish ~ on a CONEY bun ~ with some potato chips, baked beans, and potato salad and I am STUFFED!

63 hot dogs??#?!?!

Seriously!#!!#!!

Un-freaking-believable!

C-Y-C-L-O-N-E ~~~ # Iowa State University

Mattam,
You must eat to survive! ;)
He is a survivor!! ;)

In the midst of this current heatwave ... Iowa temperatures are climbing up over 100 today, with heat index ...

I just read that the cornfields of Iowa exude 54 BILLIONS of gallons of extra water in a day, as the cornstalks nature, adding additional humidity and raising the dew point significantly on a summer's day ...

I was a "town boy" ~ but I did lots of summertime field work through junior high, high school, and even college ~ to build up and maintain my college account, back in the day.

I've weeded more soybean fields than I can count, detasseled field corn on sweltering days, and even picked picked truckloads of corn on a huge sweet corn farm to pay for my last semester at college ...

Today, I went on a trail walk at the crack of dawn to "beat the heat"~ and I have big jars of sun tea brewing in the sun right now ... makes the best iced tea you've ever had!

Summer days, drifting away ~
C-Y-C-L-O-N-E ~ # Iowa State University

Adventures in YUMA, to be sure!

When I volunteer at the state food bank, we receive huge semi truck loads of watermelons and cantaloupes from South America, to sort and distribute to local food pantries.

If they are bruised, cracked, or split ~ they are taken directly to Blank Park Zoo, where they are fed as treats to the animals there! They LOVE them!

This evening, I watched the local news. As temperatures soared near 100, some asphalt-covered roads buckled in the heat.

Time for some chilled sun tea!

C-Y-C-L-O-N-E ~ # Iowa State University

If I have a fav MLB team, it's the Cubs. It could be a good game -- the Cubs are 16 games back and the Reds are 17 back. 😁 I'll probably watch most of the game.

[Curmudgeon mode on]
I don’t get it. Whatever gene it is that you have that makes you a sports fan, I lack it. I have had my masculinity and even my patriotism called into question because I have NEVER watch sports of any kind. That’s right, I’ve never seen a Super Bowl, a World Series, the Olympics, or the national curling championships.

That some people enjoy this is fine with me but I’ve been subjected to near-religious proselytizing about this for decades. In high school, I refused to sell chocolate to support the football team and was, as a result, roughed up by that team. It was right out of Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War.” Since I’ve never watched a Super Bowl and refused to get involved in “pools” where I worked, my patriotism was questioned since this has turned into what makes an American an American. Heck, patriotism? I’m a veteran!

I’m told that I should “pick a team” and, perhaps, put some money on the outcome, to make it more “meaningful” to me. How does one “pick a team?” What criteria comes into play? I’m also intrigue by the apparent boost in self-esteem that some fans get when “their team” wins and all they did was cheer, usually at the TV.

I know I am treading on sacred ground and some would say just to ignore it but when I am taxed to provide a venue so that adults, who are paid lots of money, to play a children’s game so that others can watch, well, that does impact me.

And lest you assume I do nothing athletic, I’m a distance runner, have done a couple marathons and numerous other events, and I’ve been a distance swimmer for years. I was a high school cross country coach for a decade. But I have no idea who holds what record in running or swimming and have never watched those events on TV.
[Curmudgeon mode off]