Damnable real world!

We've got a lot on our plates not only here at THC (oh boy, have we got lots to talk about, readers), but in the real world as well. So pardon our momentary lack of content while we take care of earning a living.

The upcoming week will feature brawls, defensive lunacy, exploding spaceships, liberal use of the "iowa state sucks so bad" tag, a wonderful change of scenery for us... and murder.

Stay tuned.

The Morning After - Cyclone Edition

Let's get this out of the way right now -- we didn't start this site to attack Iowa State.

This is about Iowa, the Big 10, and college football. So just know, going into this season that this isn't the place to get your Cyclone abuse on. Iowa State lost, 23-14, last night in their season opener to Kent State. 1st year Head Coach Gene Chizik sounded tighter than a drum on his radio show the other night and I can only imagine how he feels this morning. I doubt he slept at all. It's going to be a long season for those guys and but I think he's got them going in the right direction. That's all I'm going to say about them. We have an Iowa game to think about so let's do that.

OK, I will say this to the guy in the photo above. Wearing a sweatband to watch other men play football angers the football gods. It's Division I football. It's the Big 12. It aint intramurals. So your team loses and you're a little bummed out? Go play intramurals, brother.

The hell with the BTN, put me in THE CLONE ZONE!

The Big Ten Network has been taking its lumps for its role in hostage-like negotiations, and rightfully so. There's something confusing and backwards about a network acquiring rights to games before taking care of distribution, but clearly I've got a lot to learn about negotiation and corporate greed.

Anyhoo, if the deal gets done, then you'll pay a little more per month and you'll be able to watch the games. If it doesn't, then you can go somewhere that does get it--either a friend's house or an establishment. Regardless, though the posturing is irritating, it's only moderately inconvenient and expensive.

Not so for Iowa State fans (both of them). Literally the only way they can enjoy tonight's game against Kent State (without putting on National Guard uniforms, anyway) is by entering... the Clone Zone. It's not nearly as cool as it sounds, so quit dreaming of cloned human zombies and explosions.

No, the Clone Zone is a subscription-based internet service that provides exclusive(!!!!!) ISU sports content, including tonight's game against Kent State and the September 22 Toledo game. Seriously. Only on the computer. As far as THE CLONE ZONE goes, the press release breathlessly asks:

Have you ever wanted to watch the weekly or post-game media conferences, take a virtual tour of the locker room, listen to post-practice interviews with student-athletes, view historical footage or coaches’ TV shows or walk with the team on the way to the field?

On behalf of everyone who has ever lived: No.

So Iowa State fans are relegated to sitting inside at their 15" cow-powered computer monitors to watch choppy game footage from a very limited amount of cameras. Certainly Iowa State wouldn't have the temerity to charge their fans anyth

Monthly subscriptions cost $8.95 and a yearly subscription costs $79.95.

Oh god. 80 bucks a year? Eighty? Well, fine. For that kind of money, I'm sure the service will be impecc

Toledo, as host of the football game against ISU, will be responsible for providing the video feed to Iowa State for the web cast. The audio will likely be the Rockets’ radio team.

God I love the Cyclones.

Actually worse than cloned human zombies.