One of the chapters in The All-American King opens with quarterback Dave King being interviewed about an upcoming game between his Western Iowa Falcons and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Heading into this contest at Falcons Stadium in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Falcons were ranked #12 in the nation, while the Irish were ranked #9. Below is the 1979 Western Iowa football schedule, including the results of games played prior to the contest against Notre Dame.
September 8: Western Iowa 56 - Drake 0
September 15: Western Iowa 41 - Iowa State 13
September 22: Western Iowa 28 - Iowa 20
September 29: Western Iowa 23 - Penn State 17
October 6: Western Iowa 42 - Miami (Florida) 6
October 13: Notre Dame
October 20: at Army
October 27: at Louisville
November 3: Memphis
November 10: North Texas
November 17: at South Carolina
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Two-A-Days
Football season is less than a month away. Across the nation, high school, college, and professional teams have started their training camps. Thousand of players are now drilling and scrimmaging to prepare for the upcoming season. The field pictured is at Williams Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. That is the where the East High Scarlets play their home games. In The All-American King, Williams Stadium is where Dave King played his home games as quarterback for the Eastridge High Braves.Blue 32, Blue 32, hut-hut-HUT
Saturday, August 8, 2009
An Expanding Problem
I’ve been eating too much lately. And not exercising as much. You know what that means. I could mope around lamenting this situation, or I could celebrate my added girth with a song:
I’m bringing flabby back (yeah)
Them other boys don’t know how to snack (yeah)
Is that a pie cooling on the rack? (yeah)
I want a burger gotta get it fast (yeah)
Take me to the fridge
Hungry babe (uh-huh)
You see the Snickers
Candy I’m your slave (uh-huh)
I’ll add some whip cream cause that’s what I crave (uh-huh)
Just don’t tell me yet how much I weigh (uh-huh)
Take me to the buffet
Come here fries
Go ahead, bring more of it
A pancake stack
Go ahead, bring more of it
P-I-E
Go ahead, bring more of it
Pink ice cream
Go ahead, bring more of it
Let me see what you’re cooking with
Go ahead, bring more of it
Look at those chips
Go ahead, bring more of it
Soup makes me smile
Go ahead, bring more of it
Julia Child
Go ahead, bring more of it
And get your flabby on
Go ahead, bring more of it
Get your flabby on
I’m bringing flabby back (yeah)
Them other boys don’t know how to snack (yeah)
Is that a pie cooling on the rack? (yeah)
I want a burger gotta get it fast (yeah)
Take me to the fridge
Hungry babe (uh-huh)
You see the Snickers
Candy I’m your slave (uh-huh)
I’ll add some whip cream cause that’s what I crave (uh-huh)
Just don’t tell me yet how much I weigh (uh-huh)
Take me to the buffet
Come here fries
Go ahead, bring more of it
A pancake stack
Go ahead, bring more of it
P-I-E
Go ahead, bring more of it
Pink ice cream
Go ahead, bring more of it
Let me see what you’re cooking with
Go ahead, bring more of it
Look at those chips
Go ahead, bring more of it
Soup makes me smile
Go ahead, bring more of it
Julia Child
Go ahead, bring more of it
And get your flabby on
Go ahead, bring more of it
Get your flabby on
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A Farewell to Kings
It is Saturday. For the past several weeks the arrival of Saturday has brought a new episode of Kings on NBC. Last week, however, was the season finale. And since the network did not renew the show, that episode was also the series finale.
Premiering in April, Kings was an alternate reality drama based on the biblical story of King Saul and King David. I confess I had mixed feelings about it at first. It intrigued me, though I wondered if it tried to do too much with too many different elements. But the show held my interest enough to keep watching. Each week it drew me deeper and deeper into the story. By the middle of its 12-episode run, I counted Kings as one of the year’s best television shows. The writing, production quality, and acting were superb. More than once I had to rewind a scene to absorb the full power and beauty of Ian McShane’s Shakespearean dialogue.
Despite garnering much critical acclaim, Kings did not draw high ratings. So NBC pulled the plug. We will thus never know the fate of Silas, Rose, Jack, Michelle, William, and of course David Shepherd, who at season’s end, had to flee his homeland to seek refuge among his nation’s enemies.
Goodbye Kings. You were an innovative show that deserved a much longer run.
Maybe I should check out Deadwood on DVD.
Premiering in April, Kings was an alternate reality drama based on the biblical story of King Saul and King David. I confess I had mixed feelings about it at first. It intrigued me, though I wondered if it tried to do too much with too many different elements. But the show held my interest enough to keep watching. Each week it drew me deeper and deeper into the story. By the middle of its 12-episode run, I counted Kings as one of the year’s best television shows. The writing, production quality, and acting were superb. More than once I had to rewind a scene to absorb the full power and beauty of Ian McShane’s Shakespearean dialogue.
Despite garnering much critical acclaim, Kings did not draw high ratings. So NBC pulled the plug. We will thus never know the fate of Silas, Rose, Jack, Michelle, William, and of course David Shepherd, who at season’s end, had to flee his homeland to seek refuge among his nation’s enemies.
Goodbye Kings. You were an innovative show that deserved a much longer run.
Maybe I should check out Deadwood on DVD.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Movies For Writers
People are often inspired by movies that feature characters in their own profession. For example, firefighters have Backdraft, boxers have Rocky, teachers have Dangerous Minds, stockbrokers have Wall Street, and cyborg assassins have The Terminator. The list goes on. As for me, I love to watch movies about writers. Here are some of my favorites:
Capote: This movie’s portrayal of Truman Capote as he researched In Cold Blood is nothing less than riveting. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar is well deserved. Infamous with Toby Jones is another fine film showing the legendary Capote at work.
Secret Window: Johnny Depp plays a mystery writer working on a new book at a secluded lakeside cabin. Trouble ensues when a mysterious stranger shows up accusing him of plagiarism. What follows is a barrel of eerie fun.
Stranger Than Fiction: Have you ever wondered if fictional characters actually exist, living out their lives in some alternate universe? This is sort of what happens when a famous novelist (Emma Thompson) finds that one of her main characters (Will Ferrell) is a living, breathing person. There are some hilarious scenes as Ferrell’s character hears Thompson’s voice narrating the events of his life. The movie also offers insights into how authors develop, write, and learn from their characters.
Misery: Bestselling author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued from a car crash in a blizzard by his “number one fan” (Kathy Bates). She takes him back to her house in the mountains and they drink cocoa and spend a delightful evening discussing his books. Well, as the title suggests, that’s not exactly what happens.
The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” What writer hasn’t typed that line over and over for hours on end?
Adaptation: A bizarre look at a screenwriter who struggles to adapt a novel for the big screen. Though a strange ride, there is plenty for writers to identify with in this movie.
Finding Neverland: Tells the story of J.M. Barrie as he worked on Peter Pan. This film reveals the magic of storytelling and the power of imagination. And, amazingly, Johnny Depp is not at all creepy as a grown man who neglects his wife to play with four boys he meets at a park.
Factotum: Shows the unglamorous life of an aspiring writer. Sometimes depressing and sometimes funny, the story of Hank Chinaski (Matt Dillon) provides a reality lesson for those who would seek to make a living with the pen. Despite the long odds he faces, Hank offers several motivating reflections on writing and its rewards.
Capote: This movie’s portrayal of Truman Capote as he researched In Cold Blood is nothing less than riveting. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar is well deserved. Infamous with Toby Jones is another fine film showing the legendary Capote at work.
Secret Window: Johnny Depp plays a mystery writer working on a new book at a secluded lakeside cabin. Trouble ensues when a mysterious stranger shows up accusing him of plagiarism. What follows is a barrel of eerie fun.
Stranger Than Fiction: Have you ever wondered if fictional characters actually exist, living out their lives in some alternate universe? This is sort of what happens when a famous novelist (Emma Thompson) finds that one of her main characters (Will Ferrell) is a living, breathing person. There are some hilarious scenes as Ferrell’s character hears Thompson’s voice narrating the events of his life. The movie also offers insights into how authors develop, write, and learn from their characters.
Misery: Bestselling author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued from a car crash in a blizzard by his “number one fan” (Kathy Bates). She takes him back to her house in the mountains and they drink cocoa and spend a delightful evening discussing his books. Well, as the title suggests, that’s not exactly what happens.
The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” What writer hasn’t typed that line over and over for hours on end?
Adaptation: A bizarre look at a screenwriter who struggles to adapt a novel for the big screen. Though a strange ride, there is plenty for writers to identify with in this movie.
Finding Neverland: Tells the story of J.M. Barrie as he worked on Peter Pan. This film reveals the magic of storytelling and the power of imagination. And, amazingly, Johnny Depp is not at all creepy as a grown man who neglects his wife to play with four boys he meets at a park.
Factotum: Shows the unglamorous life of an aspiring writer. Sometimes depressing and sometimes funny, the story of Hank Chinaski (Matt Dillon) provides a reality lesson for those who would seek to make a living with the pen. Despite the long odds he faces, Hank offers several motivating reflections on writing and its rewards.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Sal Kishman at the All-Star Game
Tonight the 80th All-Star Game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The first time St. Louis hosted an All-Star Game was on July 10, 1940. Played at Sportsman’s Park, it was Major League Baseball’s eighth midsummer classic. Sal Kishman, one of the characters in The All-American King, homered in the seventh inning of that contest to help the National League claim its third ever All-Star victory.
Born on September 9, 1917, in Des Moines, Iowa, Sal Kishman led his American Legion baseball team to the 1934 state title. After graduating from Eastridge High, Kishman starred for the minor league Des Moines Demons in 1936 and 1937. The following year, he broke into the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies. Kishman, who batted left and threw right, became a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love. The right fielder was one of the top sluggers in the National League until the Marines drafted him before the 1943 season.
Born on September 9, 1917, in Des Moines, Iowa, Sal Kishman led his American Legion baseball team to the 1934 state title. After graduating from Eastridge High, Kishman starred for the minor league Des Moines Demons in 1936 and 1937. The following year, he broke into the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies. Kishman, who batted left and threw right, became a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love. The right fielder was one of the top sluggers in the National League until the Marines drafted him before the 1943 season.
Friday, July 3, 2009
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