Winter again - not by the calendar, but it seems we already have had a month of it. It's time to head south and west again to old Mesilla, New Mexico. Makes the winter seem shorter. Besides, I can check on my adobe and see how my tenants are doing, and deliver a few items to daughter Kara, now stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas, just a few miles south.
Son Johnny and I finally finish the countless last-minute tasks, toss some gear into my GMC, and head west to Dubuque. The snow cover diminishes as we head west, and disappears when crossing the Mississippi. We head south and west on U.S. 151. The landscape is rather drab this time of year. But there is plenty of winter left for snowy scenery.
A few miles west of Animus, Iowa, we take State Route 1 south through the quaint little college town of Mt. Vernon, home of Cornell College. It is a nice route down to I-80 and the 90-mile stretch from Iowa City to Des Moines. Then it's I-35 south to Missouri. During these short hours of daylight, darkness falls soon. But the roads are clear and traffic is light.
A few miles south of the Iowa/Missouri line, we hit Bethany, county seat of Harrison County. We detour off the interstate and take my ritual drive around Bethany's courthouse square. It looks as run down and depressing as ever. Bethany's economic activity is located right around I-35. Its downtown consists of the courthouse, a couple of law offices and a few second-hand joints and non-descript businesses.
There is a new public library that replaces torn-down structures on one side of the square. It's nice to have a new library, and we're all for them. But if it takes a public library to refurbish a rundown courthouse square, you know the traditional business district is on the decline. There is a new Dollar General store on the square, looking rather incongruous with the more traditional Midwest town architecture. It makes one appreciate the vitality of Monroe's vibrant courthouse square.
We gas up and hit the interstate again, heading for Kansas City. We had planned to stay at a motel and catch the Big 10 playoff game, but decided instead to push on through Kansas City to Emporia, Kansas. That proved to be a fortuitous decision. We searched the radio dial, and by the time we found a station broadcasting the game, our Badgers were already behind 14-0. It was all downhill from there and, as readers know - really downhill.
If my information is right, the Badgers were handed their first shutout since August 1997 and their worst loss since a 59-0 drubbing by the same Buckeyes in 1979. And this for a team ostensibly having the fourth best defense in the nation, all before a national television audience.
We can see it now - more ridicule and trashing of the Big 10 by the half-wits who are paid to beat their gums about this stuff. After this, I would think nobody would want to play the Badgers in a bowl game because it would be a no-win situation. If the Badgers get beat, hey, no big deal for the other team - it would be expected. And if the Badgers win, how embarrassing for the other team - getting beat by a "Big 10 weakling."
Looks like the Badgers play powerhouse Auburn on New Year's Day. The pressure is on Auburn. The angered, frustrated, and humiliated Badgers have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going all out and handing Auburn and the vaunted Southeastern Athletic Conference a bloody nose.
We Badger fans have to wonder about some things. With our traditionally dominant offensive lines, why can't we recruit a top flight quarterback who would love to play behind such protection? Russell Wilson, of course, was the exception - the kid who was "not big enough" to play in the NFL, that beat out heir-apparent Matt Flynn for the position, and led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
Why can't we recruit a quarterback to provide some balance to the passing game, and to complement the offensive line and top running backs characteristic of Wisconsin football? I don't know how that kid over there in Burlington High School did, or if any Badger recruiter even looked at him. But Tony Romo went down to Eastern Illinois and now stars in one of the highest profile and most prestigious positions in all of sport, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
There was another kid from Wautoma. He must not have been recruited, as he was a walk-on for the Badgers. Jared Abbrederis turned out to be the Badgers top receiver, good enough to be drafted by the NFL, now unfortunately on the Packers injury list. But where were the recruiters? How come a Wisconsin native with NFL potential was overlooked by Badger recruiters?
I detect some incompetence somewhere along the line.
Okay, so recruiters aren't perfect. But we produce guys like J.J. Watt, now with the Houston Texans, Chris Borland, now with the 49ers, Montee Ball, now with the Broncos, and, of course, Wilson, the transfer from North Carolina State University. But until the Badgers attain some balance in their offense, they will never crack the elite circles of college football.
University of Wisconsin-Madison is among the world's premier academic institutions. Madison is a great college town and place to study. It affords students the opportunity to begin successful careers. It produces NFL-caliber football players. There is absolutely no reason not raise the program that extra notch to elite status.
Maybe alumni shouldn't complain. But hey, I'm complaining.
Meantime, the trip southwest continues.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
Son Johnny and I finally finish the countless last-minute tasks, toss some gear into my GMC, and head west to Dubuque. The snow cover diminishes as we head west, and disappears when crossing the Mississippi. We head south and west on U.S. 151. The landscape is rather drab this time of year. But there is plenty of winter left for snowy scenery.
A few miles west of Animus, Iowa, we take State Route 1 south through the quaint little college town of Mt. Vernon, home of Cornell College. It is a nice route down to I-80 and the 90-mile stretch from Iowa City to Des Moines. Then it's I-35 south to Missouri. During these short hours of daylight, darkness falls soon. But the roads are clear and traffic is light.
A few miles south of the Iowa/Missouri line, we hit Bethany, county seat of Harrison County. We detour off the interstate and take my ritual drive around Bethany's courthouse square. It looks as run down and depressing as ever. Bethany's economic activity is located right around I-35. Its downtown consists of the courthouse, a couple of law offices and a few second-hand joints and non-descript businesses.
There is a new public library that replaces torn-down structures on one side of the square. It's nice to have a new library, and we're all for them. But if it takes a public library to refurbish a rundown courthouse square, you know the traditional business district is on the decline. There is a new Dollar General store on the square, looking rather incongruous with the more traditional Midwest town architecture. It makes one appreciate the vitality of Monroe's vibrant courthouse square.
We gas up and hit the interstate again, heading for Kansas City. We had planned to stay at a motel and catch the Big 10 playoff game, but decided instead to push on through Kansas City to Emporia, Kansas. That proved to be a fortuitous decision. We searched the radio dial, and by the time we found a station broadcasting the game, our Badgers were already behind 14-0. It was all downhill from there and, as readers know - really downhill.
If my information is right, the Badgers were handed their first shutout since August 1997 and their worst loss since a 59-0 drubbing by the same Buckeyes in 1979. And this for a team ostensibly having the fourth best defense in the nation, all before a national television audience.
We can see it now - more ridicule and trashing of the Big 10 by the half-wits who are paid to beat their gums about this stuff. After this, I would think nobody would want to play the Badgers in a bowl game because it would be a no-win situation. If the Badgers get beat, hey, no big deal for the other team - it would be expected. And if the Badgers win, how embarrassing for the other team - getting beat by a "Big 10 weakling."
Looks like the Badgers play powerhouse Auburn on New Year's Day. The pressure is on Auburn. The angered, frustrated, and humiliated Badgers have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going all out and handing Auburn and the vaunted Southeastern Athletic Conference a bloody nose.
We Badger fans have to wonder about some things. With our traditionally dominant offensive lines, why can't we recruit a top flight quarterback who would love to play behind such protection? Russell Wilson, of course, was the exception - the kid who was "not big enough" to play in the NFL, that beat out heir-apparent Matt Flynn for the position, and led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
Why can't we recruit a quarterback to provide some balance to the passing game, and to complement the offensive line and top running backs characteristic of Wisconsin football? I don't know how that kid over there in Burlington High School did, or if any Badger recruiter even looked at him. But Tony Romo went down to Eastern Illinois and now stars in one of the highest profile and most prestigious positions in all of sport, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
There was another kid from Wautoma. He must not have been recruited, as he was a walk-on for the Badgers. Jared Abbrederis turned out to be the Badgers top receiver, good enough to be drafted by the NFL, now unfortunately on the Packers injury list. But where were the recruiters? How come a Wisconsin native with NFL potential was overlooked by Badger recruiters?
I detect some incompetence somewhere along the line.
Okay, so recruiters aren't perfect. But we produce guys like J.J. Watt, now with the Houston Texans, Chris Borland, now with the 49ers, Montee Ball, now with the Broncos, and, of course, Wilson, the transfer from North Carolina State University. But until the Badgers attain some balance in their offense, they will never crack the elite circles of college football.
University of Wisconsin-Madison is among the world's premier academic institutions. Madison is a great college town and place to study. It affords students the opportunity to begin successful careers. It produces NFL-caliber football players. There is absolutely no reason not raise the program that extra notch to elite status.
Maybe alumni shouldn't complain. But hey, I'm complaining.
Meantime, the trip southwest continues.
- John Waelti's column appears every Friday in the Times. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
