Soil Compilation

Music
Interview: Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers

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I sat down with multi-instrumentalists Jano Rix before his gig with The Wood Brothers at The Englert Theatre on November 12th. Taking a beat to touch on what shaped him artistically, his favorite illustrators, and the impact dancing has had in his adult life, Jano let us into how he makes a chaotic world feel focused and comfortable.

Sports
Cash in Hand 

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College athletes across the country are now receiving direct revenue-sharing payouts, fueling everything from luxury shopping sprees and impulsive spending to investments, charity, and family support. Their choices reveal how a generation of 18-to-22-year-olds is navigating sudden wealth in a rapidly shifting era where college sports now function like big-league business.

Sports
Sports Archives

A “Short” Preview of the Weekend in Soccer: Weekend of April 29th

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(Disclaimer): Opinions expressed are my own   There’s a lot of soccer out there. Here’s an appetizer of some of the soccer you may hear about or catch on TV this weekend…   Four Point Difference, Five Games Left Chelsea maintains a four-point edge on Tottenham in the English Premier League as both teams have five games left. They both face formidable opponents this Sunday as Chelsea visits Goodison Park to play at Everton at 8 am central time, while Tottenham hosts Arsenal in the North London derby. Everything’s to play for in regard to all of those teams, as … Continued

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Introducing OPS+ and FIP- in the Big Ten

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NCAA Baseball can have sabermetrics, too. The “sabermetric revolution”, or the application of using objective methodology to determine and understand player performances, is swirling all around Major League Baseball. Statistics such as  On-Base Plus Slugging Plus(OPS+) for hitters and Fielding Independent Pitching Minus(FIP-) with pitchers, among many more sabermetrics. All these unique stats determining player performance are great ways to understand the game of baseball from a unique perspective. The MLB and everyone working with it/alongside it make these stats easily available. I thought to myself, why not do some digging and research to have these metrics present in NCAA … Continued

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Chicago Bears Mock Draft

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The NFL draft is now upon us, one of the oddest sports television phenomenons that our country annually celebrates. It’s a time that brings hope to all 32 franchises, but is often looked back on as a day where hopes and dreams turned into pain and anguish for fans across the country. As a Bears fan, the last decade or so of draft picks has produced little worth celebrating. The bears have only extended four draft picks since the 2007 draft, and right guard Kyle Long is the only current  Bear draft pick that is in his second contract with the team. … Continued

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Ronaldo, Real Madrid Down Bayern Munich

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    (Disclaimer): Opinions expressed are my own. For full coverage of the UEFA Champions League, visit http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/index.html   Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals in two games as defending champs move on   Surprises were abound in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals; an 18-year-old scored three goals in two games, and a man with no international goals netted two goals versus Barcelona. But the only surprise in Ronaldo scoring his 100th career Champions League goal was in how quickly it happened.   That’s because it indeed happened in the quarterfinals as Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich. The soccer celebrity scored … Continued

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Cristiano Ronaldo in a 2015 UEFA Champions League game vs. FC Schalke. Photo courtesy of Chris Deahr via Wikimedia Commons. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Iowa Spring Game Leaves More to be Learned

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Changes to the Spring Game Don’t Change the Questions about the Hawks By Ben Colin Iowa City, Iowa – Not your typical Friday night lights. First off, it’s a mild spring evening, not a chilly fall night. Second, this was a Hawkeye football game of 16,500 people instead of a local high school. Third, the final score; Gold (defense) beat Black (offense) 63-47. The high scoring affair under the lights that combined to a grand total of 110 points. The missing detail, one team scored on nearly every play, in one way or another. The Hawkeyes spring game uses an … Continued

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Oh No! Colin Cowherd Missed an Important Point

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Iowa City, Iowa – Once again Iowa footballs scheduling tactics are under fire, this time after adding Middle Tennessee to the 2019 non-conference line-up. Well known Iowa football critic and FS1 personality Colin Cowherd joined the conversation yesterday on his show ‘The Herd’. Nothing new but Colin once again brought up his ideas of Kirk Ferentz’s speed dial. The first number he’d imagine, “1-800-CREAM-PUFF”. Each year Colin ridicules Ferentz for dialing up the Northern Illinois’ and Iowa States of the world. He has a point; Iowa hasn’t put much into its non-conference schedule in recent years. In addition to Iowa … Continued

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Baseball Mid-Season Report

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Iowa City – The Iowa Hawkeye baseball team captured its 20th win of the season on Tuesday after a 4-1 victory over Western Illinois. With this past weekend marking the halfway point of the season, let’s take a look at how the men’s baseball team is doing thus far. The Hawkeyes have found themselves with a 20-11 overall record but just 3-3 in Big Ten play which puts them tied for 7th in the conference with Michigan State. Coming up this weekend is a vital three game series against the Nebraska Cornhuskers who currently sit at number two in the … Continued

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The Continued Importance of Jackie Robinson Day and His Legacy

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Your legacy lives on, Jackie. April 15th, 2017 marks the 70th year in which Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, becoming the first African-American player in the game. In 1997, the MLB officially retired number forty-two. Since 2009, Major League Baseball has praised Jackie for his efforts, declaring April 15th Jackie Robinson Day, in which all players will wear the number forty-two in his honor. Why is he so important in the baseball culture? Well, aside from his talents to become the first African-American player in the MLB, he also resembled a person with great character as well as … Continued

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Iowa Baseball Builds Off A Great Weekend

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Coming off a successful weekend, Iowa Baseball grabbed another victory on Tuesday to go 18-9(.667) on the season. Recap of last weekend: The Hawkeyes’ bats last weekend were again hot, as they swept UNLV at home after a 3-0 win on Friday, and two late scoring rallies on Saturday 6-5,and 7-6. They tallied up 16 runs total outscoring the Rebels 16-11 for the weekend. Pitching for Iowa still struggled, although they had a highlight as Friday’s win was the first time this season that they allowed no runs in a game. Although the struggling bullpen has … Continued

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