The Times-Delphic now online

Great news! The Times-Delphic finally has a functional Web site that will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays ... when the paper comes out.

One of the neat things you can do with the Web site is include a link in your own blog with a single click, so adding a link to my story on Zach Johnson's performance at the Ryder Cup was a snap.

Johnson's personal victories highlight U.S. Ryder Cup action - Sports

I'll be working on the site all year long to make it as interactive as possible. Right now, one of the best features is our new e-mail edition. If you register on the site, you'll receive an e-mail when the site is updated. It's a great way to keep up with all the news at Drake.

Let me know what you think of the site.

You win some, you lose some

Iowa and Drake both won on the road Saturday, but Iowa State and former Drake golfer Zach Johnson lost in their weekend contests.

Iowa State lost at Texas 37-14. The beginning of the game was ugly. Texas quickly put 7 points on the board and added a 2-point safety when Iowa State's long snapper missed the punter and the ball sailed in the endzone. The Cyclones rallied two touchdowns, and at one point only trailed the national champs by two points. Not a bad showing for Iowa State, which travels to Cedar Falls this Saturday.

How do you think the Cyclones fared vs. the Longhorns? Do you think Northern Iowa will give Iowa State trouble like it did last season in Ames?

Iowa has a stiffer test this Saturday, as it will face top-ranked Ohio State under the lights at Kinnick Stadium ... not to mention College GameDay will be in town and the game will be televised nationally. Sure the Hawkeyes are 4-0, but they didn't look like the No. 14 team in the country with their 24-7 win over Illinois. The Illini are counting down the days until basketball season and have only won one Big Ten Conference game in three years.

How do you think the Hawkeyes will handle the Buckeyes ... or do you think it'll be the other way around? Do you think the extra publicity will detract the team from preparing for Ohio State?

Drake started its Pioneer Football League season with a 21-7 win at No. 10 Valparaiso. The Bulldogs are No. 7 in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major poll. Linebacker Phillip Williams sealed the win with a 14-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Rookie quarterback Derek Retherford completed 12 passes for 166 yards, while Drake rushed for a total for 129 yards (net) —— running back Scott Phaydavong had 128 of those yards.

Do you think Drake can continue using a balanced offense this season?

The Bulldogs host Morehead State this Saturday at Drake Stadium where Johnny Bright Field will be officially dedicated.

Across the pond, Zach Johnson earned 1.5 points in the American's 18.5 to 9.5 loss to Europe in the Ryder Cup. Only Tiger Woods posted more points —— 2.

What do you read most about Zach? That he's from Cedar Rapids, Iowa? He graduated from Drake? or He's a Hawkeye fan?

Thanks, Zach

Drake alum Zach Johnson, a rookie member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, recently donated $100,000 to his alma mater. Members of the Ryder Cup team get $200,000, half goes to a charity or charities of their choice and the other goes to universities.

Zach, who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the first Iowan to make the Ryder Cup team. Ten of the men on the team were chosen through a points system. The golfers earn points for top-10 finishes at PGA events and major tournaments.

The Ryder Cup starts today in Ireland today, although Zach isn't playing in the first round of competition. U.S. captain Tom Lehman said everyone on his 12-man team will play at some point during the tournament.

The United States, as of late, has not fared well in the Ryder Cup against the European team, but amid the college football, NFL, pennant races and such you can follow Zach here. The Des Moines Register's Rick Brown is reporting on the every-other-year tournament from Ireland. The link will take you to his articles and his blog. The Rick also covers Drake basketball.

Good luck, Zach and Team USA.

Times-Delphic Web site update

If you've visited The Times-Delphic Web site lately, you'll notice it still doesn't work. But after a long wait, the newspaper plans to have a functional site up late this week or early next week.

We apologize for the inconvenience of not having a Web site for almost a year. The Times-Delphic decided to work with a company called College Publisher to help manage the site. The delay came from moving this idea through the chain of command to get it approved.

We appreciate your patience and hope you'll visit the TD Web site once it becomes available.

Football weekends

Drake and Northern Iowa won quietly this past weekend, while Iowa loudly defeated Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium. For those who went, I hope you had fun. Sorry, about the Bloody Mary puke, Jumpin Joe.

Three of Iowa's Big 4 teams are on the road this weekend, and Northern Iowa has a bye. Panthers' coach Mark Farley said he plans to use the off week to work on fundamentals. Northern Iowa and Iowa State face off in two weeks.

Do you think Iowa and Iowa State are showing improvement? One could argue the Cyclones are improving because they gained an early lead on a top-20 team. However, Iowa showed it could finally get past the pesky Cyclones and the team is off to a 3-0 September start, a rarity in the Kirk Ferentz era.

What about Drake and Northern Iowa? The Bulldogs' beat Division-III Wisconsin-Platteville 35-7, and rookie quarterback found receivers Tyler Putnam and Shea Moroni for scores. Willie Cashmore ran in two touchdowns and DeCarlos Love scored once. Running back Scott Phaydavong had 26 carries for 106 yards, and Putnam had five catches for 120 yards.

The Bulldogs will need more go-to players than just Phaydavong when they open Pioneer Football League play at Valparaiso, ending their three-game homestand.

Iowa also opens its conference season at Big Ten doormat Illinois, while Iowa State starts Big 12 play at Texas, which won the national championship last January.

Drake football gets first win

The football team improved to 1-1 Saturday after beating Division II Upper Iowa 40-7 at Drake Stadium. To the right is a photo of running back Scott Phayvadong looking to elude some Upper Iowa defenders.

Out of the four Division I schools in Iowa, Drake arguably had the best showing. Northern Iowa lost to Division II North Dakota 35-31. While the Fighting Sioux are transitioning to Division-IAA status, the Panthers haven't lost to a DII foe since the 1980s.

Iowa and Iowa State both won, but the games were too close for comfort. Iowa took Syracuse into double overtime before clinching a 20-13 win. While the game was in New York at the Carrier Dome, the Orangemen were riding a 10-game losing streak —— now 11 games.

Iowa State beat Nevada-Las Vegas 16-10 at home after a controversial final play. UNLV thought its receiver had made a catch in the end zone with time expiring, but officials reviewed the play and said the Rebel player was out-of-bounds.

Neither Iowa or Iowa State have been spectacular in the first two outings. What do you think is going to happen when the teams meet up at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 16?

Drake also meets stiffer competition at home: Wisconsin-Platteville, a Division III team. The Bulldogs have a 1-2 record vs. the Pioneers.

What game are you going to on Saturday? Or, if you don't have ticket, what games are you going to watch?

First issue

The first issue of The Times-Delphic hit campus Thursday. The online edition is coming soon. The Times-Delphic is doing something different with its Web site, which is still under development.

What did you think the big news stories were in Thursday's paper?

Hosting the 2008 NCAA Track and Field championships will be a great opportunity for Drake to show off to the rest of the country and to the NCAA. The event is in June so most students probably won't attend, but Drake and the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau expect the community to turn out.

If the track championships are a success, it could help Drake land a bid to host the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Drake recently submitted a bid, but it was turned down. The NCAA also turned down Iowa State's bid to host the NCAA wrestling championships at Wells Fargo Arena, but it successfully secured the bid to host the first two rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament.

Is anyone interested in attending the track and field Midwest regional at Drake Stadium in May 2007 or the 2008 championships? How about the women's basketball tournament hosted by Iowa State?

Civil rights crusader on campus

I learned today through a non-Drake source that investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell is going to be on campus later this week. Mitchell works for the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., as the civil rights beat reporter. With his reporting, he has sent four members of the Klu Klux Klan to jail. If you've ever seen "Ghosts of Mississippi," he's the pesky reporter.

He's visiting Drake on Thursday to receive an award, although I'm not sure what for. There's no information posted on Drake's Web site. I'll post the information once I receive it.

I'm surprised no one — especially the School of Journalism and Mass Communication — has taken the initiative to get the word out about this event. The media get a bad reputation for being invasive and being the bearers of bad news. Mitchell's work brings out the good in journalism. He's helped the state of Mississippi, as well as his own newspaper, shed light on its dark past to make amends and a better tomorrow.

Visit www.clarionledger.com to read his latest articles and let me know if there are any reporters you admire.

Drake football

The Bulldogs opened their season in remodeled Drake Stadium with a 48-7 loss to Division-IAA scholarship power Northern Iowa on Thursday night. The Panthers were fresh off a I-AA title game appearance.

More than 10,100 fans sporting purple or blue flocked to the game, leaving less than 4,000 open seats at Drake Stadium. Although its hard to tell if the game would have had more fans if Iowa State hadn't moved its Sept. 2 home-opener with Toledo to Aug. 31 so it could get the game on TV.

The move certainly put a dent in Drake coach Rob Ash's strategy to create more buzz around the Bulldogs' season openers. Ash likes to schedule the first game of the season against a Gateway Conference opponent — like Northern Iowa — on a Thursday night. It's an easy way for Drake to improve its billing in the media because the team has a much better shot at making the sports cover in Friday's paper instead of Sunday's paper.

Do you think it was unfair for Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard to move the Cyclones' home-opener after the Drake-UNI game had been set for a year?