Night Out on the Town

Across the street from the State Capitol of Wisconsin, and adjacent to the UW-Madison campus The Old Fashioned is the popular place for drinks, food and conversation.

One would think being so close to the lawmakers of the Badger State that politics would be the main conversation piece. And while I'm sure there is a place for that, The Old Fashioned may be the place where lobbyists and locals go to get away from the dealings of Capitol Hill and talk more about what the Badgers are doing on the playing field, ice or basketball court.

But this is the place where memories are made. On a Saturday in May I found myself witnessing three different wedding parties stopping by before heading to their reception. All to enjoy either the signature drink, "The Old Fashioned" or many of the local brews found around the state of Wisconsin. And all of the wedding parties I saw each had their pictures taken with either the sign on the front or the bar within.

Many of the beers are of the local variety. And when you are in Wisconsin, restaurants can provide a large beer list with those within the borders. The sign hanging from the ceiling behind the bar can give you the variety of the day, but there is always at least two or three that will satisfy, and one or two that provide intrigue. The food must be good as it is tough to find a table at the many different dining hours. Wisconsin inspired specialties are common on the menu.

Night Out on the Town

With the new Big Ten divisional realignment the conference decided to place Wisconsin and Iowa in seperate divisions, which is very unfortunate. Iowa leads the series 42-41-2 and in recent years has become one of the better rivalries in the Midwest. Another reason it is unfortunate the series won't be continued is the proximity of the two schools to one another and the love each fan base has to travel a short three hours to watch their beloved team play. This is the last time the Hawkeyes and Badgers will play until at least 2013, and this year's game is in Iowa City. This means the black and gold fans will not be able to eat at one of the Big Ten favorite diners, Mickies Dairy Bar.

If you have spent time in Iowa City imagine Mickies to be the Madison version of the Hamburg Inn #2. Mickies Dairy Bar is known for its breakfasts and shakes. Of course a dairy bar in the state of Wisconsin better have good dairy and Mickies doesn't disappoint. It is a must when visiting the restaurant across the street from Camp Randall Stadium.

But the best part of Mickies Dairy Bar are the breakfasts, which are served while they are open. Above is the signature scrambler served wtih an assortment of vegetables, meats, Wisconsin cheddar cheese, eggs and "Yanks," their version of potatoes. Of course it is served with toast and gravy. If you have a cardiologist, it is best you bring the doctor along--although any doctor will deter you from ordering this. To finish this mammoth breakfast one must either be very hungry or very hungover, as it is typical that this little diner is packed with UW students on a Sunday morning after the State Street bars close.

Mickies was featured on Discover Wisconsin's special on Diners, Drive Ins and Dairy Bars. It was shot on the day the Hawkeyes played at Wisconsin in 2009. Notice the number wearing black and gold inside. Hawkeye fans know good food and where to find it.

Inside the Big Ten Meetings

Three times a year Big Ten football coaches meet to continue to improve the conference making it the best in the country. For a few days in May the football coaches are joined by their athletic directors as well as men's and women's basketball coaches to addres concerns that affect all of their programs. Each entity breaks out and focus on issues of their own sport.

Within the smaller session the football coaches had the opportunity to learn about the advancments in video technology. Along with myself, Rob Porteus of Wisconsin and Phil Bromley of Michigan had the one-time opportunity to speak of the transition to HD for video exchange. Already the Big Ten Network is utilizing HD and relies on video from the team's video department for segments of their "4-Pack" shows. The upcoming 2010 season will be the first for HD replay. The last piece of the puzzle is coaching video.

Currently there are no college or NFL teams operating a full HD network, so there are many questions that need to be answered. What will be the HD format? Will the teams continue to exchange video over the internet at the same speed teams are accustomed to today? How will each school pay for the upgrade? Already teams have begun to transition to HD, but not one have all the necessary components. By early 2011 all the necessary parts will be available and the act of teaching from video will be taken to a new level as the clarity will be significantly improved.

Within the HD presentation was the proposal to mandate the H.264 8MB HD codec. The advantage of this "flavor" is to provide HD quality video in a smaller video file than the current Standard Definition DV25 file. With the smaller video file, less storage will be necessary and the exchange times of video between schools will be quicker.

Currently all Big Ten schools are in different phases of the HD transition. Those with newer facilities already have HD monitors and projectors. However there are still a couple of schools that need to upgrade their software, replace current hardware or are still deciding on the best camera set up for them. While the ideal time frame to convert all schools to HD is following the 2010 season, many of us know that it will be a gradual upgrade for others. The SEC also discussed the topic at their Video Coordinators meeting earlier this week. Their time frame is still two years away, and the knowledge they have on the subject is not as in-depth as that put in by us in the Big Ten.

Leading Up to Game Time - Wisconsin

October may be the best time to travel to Madison. The foliage is at its peak, and the crisp Autumn temperatures allow for the full aroma of the brat grills set-up outside Camp Randall Stadium. It is a very easy trip from Iowa City to Madison. Except for a 20 mile trek on Highway 1, it is literally US Highway 151 all the way to the Stadium.

While the sign Welcomes you to Wisconsin, many Badger fans feel otherwise. A popular afternoon radio show host on "The Big 1070" informed the listeners that he "hate(s) Iowa."

The trip is only three hours long, but Iowa Video Student Erick Tjarks finds it hard to stay awake.

 On Capital Square is a popular Madison night spot. The Old Fashioned was full of Badger Homecoming enthusiasts.

 It was the UW Video Staff along side the Iowa Video Staff at the Old Fashioned. Pictured are David Blaker, Rob Porteus and Ryan O'Donnell from the Badgers. I am joined by a Iowa Video Staff Alum, Heather Van Peursem (right) and her friend Brit.

 The State Capitol of Wisconsin.

 The sun rises early on Camp Randall Stadium. Arriving to the stadium two hours prior to the team's arrival, support staff get the stadium prepared for the game. It was a quick turnaround for the Iowa team managers. The night before they were crushed by the Wisconsin managers, 37-6 in the annual battle for the toolbox.

Among the many lakes within the Madison city limits, Lake Mendota is nearest to Camp Randall Stadium, located just blocks from the home of the Badgers.

Of course tailgating is popular around the stadium. Here cars are squeezed into the adjoining neighborhood. Grills are as popular as the cool beverages being consumed.

College Football Week 13

For many Hawkeye fans who are wanting an Oregon State defeat this week to in-state rivals, Oregon, we present you the Fighting Duck Cheerleading Squad. A loss by the Beavers helps the chances of the Big Ten Conference having two BCS teams and improving Iowa's bowl rank within the Big Ten. However a win by Oregon State puts them into the Rose Bowl as Pac 10 Champs. New Year's Day in Florida looks very promising.

Dome is Home--For the past twenty-seven years the Minnesota Golden Gophers have called the HHH Metrodome home. At that time, moving their home facility off-campus to an indoor, climate-controlled atmosphere was a recruiting plus. However now the dome is blamed for lack of attendance and atmosphere. Next year the Gophers move into TCF Stadium on the UM campus. Saturday night at kick-off I noticed a packed house for the border rivals Iowa Hawkeyes. A full house isn't typical unless the Hawkeyes or Badgers travel to the Twin Cities, but Minnesota will definitely miss out on these types of crowds when playing outdoors in November, and more importantly, the deafening noise that gets trapped inside. Moving into the open-air stadium will lose its flare, not after a couple of years, but perhaps after a couple of games. If Tim Brewster continues to have the same type of success that his predecessor Glenn Mason has (padding his schedule with lower level FBS teams and succumbing to BCS schools of winning records), it won't matter where the Gophers play, fans will not show up. Now they are guaranteed of full houses at least once a year.

Keep the A.D. to His Word--After a devastating 70-7 defeat to the hands of New Mexico , San Diego State Athletic Director Jeff Schimmel declared Head Football Coach Chuck Long would be back in 2009. Chuck was fired prior to Saturday's 42-21 win over UNLV. Long did not share the news with members of his team or coaching staff until after the victory. It was discovered Schimmel and boosters had been securing the money to buyout Long's last season on his contract over the last two weeks.
Can we end in-season comments by athletic directors unless a final decision is made. Please state that a decision will be made at the end of the year. It is unfair to coaches, staffs and players to be misled.

Blowout Saturday--As exciting this college football season has been, this past Saturday was a disappointment. Every game in the Big Ten was decided in the first half with the exception of Wisconsin and Cal-Poly. In the day's most anticipated game, #5 Oklahoma dismantled #2 Texas Tech. A top 25 North Carolina Tar Heel team was embarrassed at home by in-state rival, North Carolina State while the newest darling of the ACC, Miami lost badly to this week's darling, Georgia Tech. We may see the same this week when Florida and Florida State meet.
Games to watch:
Georgia Tech at Georgia
Western Michigan at Ball State
Oregon at Oregon
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
and look for West Virginia to upset Pittsburgh.

Wisconsin Game Time Set

Game time has been set for Iowa's next home game on October 18. The Hawkeyes will take on the Wisconsin Badgers beginning at 11:03 CT. It will be shown on the Big Ten Network. This will be the second week in a row the Big Ten Network will televise the Iowa Football team. Iowa at Indiana this weekend will also be shown on the conference's network with a start time of 11:03 CT.

Much to Read

I didn't begin to read blogs until the beginning of this year, but I continue to find new and informative ones on a daily basis. I find some blogs more informative than reading the newspapers. Many bloggers spend way too much time to keep theirs up to date with daily information. Today I stumbled upon a couple of different college football sites with links to more local university blogs. I found the following interesting. http://badgercentric.blogspot.com/search/label/john%20chadima.

Prior to 1990, the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department was on hard times. The football program was unable to fill it's 76,000+ stadium unless it was for a border game with Minnesota or Iowa. The basketball team continued its mediocrity and the Olympic Sports weren't excelling. Times were so tough the department decided to drop baseball. Then the President of the University became involved and put the right people in place to build the program up again. In less than 15 years the Badgers won three Rose Bowls, attended a couple of Final Fours and numerous other honors ensued.

Jamie Pollard is now the AD at Iowa State. As a Hawkeye fan and a long-time resident of the State of Iowa, I was not a fan of how he treated the price per ticket for the 2007 Iowa - Iowa State football game. But I do respect the job he has done in Ames. In 2006, coming off a year where the Cyclones won the Cy-Hawk trophy, he purchased a popular billboard in Cedar Rapids claiming victory. Then in 2007 he increased the price of the game ticket for the annual football showdown in Ames from $50 to $95 and the only way you could gain entrance for that game was to buy a season ticket. Following the 2006 season, he fired popular head football coach Dan McCarney and replaced him with the Defensive Coordinator at Auburn and Texas, Gene Chizek.

Pollard is trying to make Cyclone backers proud of the program again and inject it with enthusiasm needed to contend in the Hawkeye State. He has worked hard and I admire him for making some very difficult decisions for the best of the Iowa State program. Although I admire him doesn't mean I like him.

The linked article is from February, but worth reading.