The Hlog by Mike Hlas

Mike Hlas
Hi, I'm Gazette/TheGazette.com sports columnist Mike Hlas. This is the Hlog. We will meet here, discuss things, and then go forth in the world to implement our plans.

Blog Posts

Jim Zabel (photo from Chuck Offenburger's website)

Jim Zabel: Gone too soon at 91

"Z" made countless friends and memories in Iowa and beyond 1

    It’s going to take a while to wrap my mind around the fact Jim Zabel has died, even though he was 91 years old. Though I guess he technically was retired from WHO Radio, he was still doing  “Two Guys Named Jim” for the station on Sunday nights with former Iowa State football [...]

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Iowa baseball: A ‘rich history and tradition?’

Program was blah long before Jack Dahm took over

The University of Iowa fired head baseball coach Jack Dahm Thursday, and submitted a five-paragraph press release in announcing the move: We aren’t supposed to reprint press releases here, and it’s just as well, because the only paragraph that said anything other than the first one containing the news was the final one. It said: [...]

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Less than six months away

Bowl schedule for the 2013 season

Plan accordingly

      For one more year, the Big Ten will have four bowl games being played simultaneously for a couple hours on Jan. 1. The Heart of Dallas, Gator, Outback and Capital One. This wasn’t a wise idea originally, and it remains unwise today. But that will probably change after the following season after [...]

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If Hawkeye football team goes 13-0, this could be yours

The Iowa Hawkeyes can make you rich! 2

  All it takes are three things for Iowa’s football and/or men’s basketball team to make you rich in the next school year. 1. Bet a substantial amount on the Hawkeyes to be BCS or NCAA champions. 2. The Hawkeyes then win the national-championship. 3. Make your wager in Nevada, where it’s legal.   According [...]

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Ford Field: Where December dreams could be forged

The Detroit Lions want to host a bowl game!

A football ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Detroit

  Some of the greatest minds of our generation have claimed there are too many college football bowl games, or too many that are meaningless. Rubbish! They clearly are magnificent. Why else would Little Rock, Ark., consider hosting one?  The NFL’s Detroit Lions want in on the bowl business, even though they are reportedly a [...]

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It’s a Monday in May, with Ian Rubbish 1

I’ll have a podcast with Iowa associate head wrestling coach Terry Brands posted later this afternoon. He, to no surprise, was a good guest. Until then, here are a few observations from the weekend: 1. It’s great to have enough frequent-flier points for a free trip. Finding a time you want to go somewhere that [...]

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Podcast: Mike Hlas with Iowa coach Terry Brands

Hawkeyes' associate wrestling coach talks Olympic movement and more

Iowa associate head wrestling coach Terry Brands is on this week’s Mike Hlas Podcast to talk about the progress wrestling has made in trying to get reinstated for the 2020 Summer Olympics when the International Olympic Committee votes in September. Brands has a long, continuing involvement with international wrestling. He talks about recent rule-changes FILA, [...]

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Webster County I-Club (Jay Christensen photo)

Audio: Fran McCaffery, Tom Brands, Brian Ferentz

From Thursday at the Webster County I-Club event

FORT DODGE — The I-Club annual spring banquet tour made a stop in Webster County Thursday night. Here is audio from Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery. Here is audio from Iowa assistant football coach Brian Ferentz. Here is audio from Hawkeyes head wrestling coach Tom Brands. “We’re going Star Trek!” Brands said. You’ll see [...]

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Cedar Rapids Kernels' Byron Buxton (7, right) slides into third base against Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Jose Sermo (16) in the first inning of the second game of their doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Twins’ Buxton streaks across C.R.’s baseball sky

Minnesota bonus baby has mashed Midwest League pitching

CEDAR RAPIDS — Come a time in the not-so-distant future, people will brag about how they saw Byron Buxton play baseball in Cedar Rapids before he began tearing it up in the majors with the Minnesota Twins. The Cedar Rapids Kernels have provided more good baseball in the first six weeks of this year’s Midwest [...]

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Iowa skips past Big Ten football epicenter in 2014

No Michigan, Ohio State, MSU, Penn State 1

As a schedule-maker, you’ll never make everyone happy when you’re scheduling teams to play eight conference games in a 14-team league. You can’t. Unless you give a team eight home games and none on the road. But that probably wouldn’t fly with the rest of the conference. The Big Ten released its 2014 football schedule [...]

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