Soil Compilation

If someone was asked to sum up the career of former Denver Bronco and Chicago Bear Jay Cutler in one word, that someone would be wise to describe him as polarizing. As a resident in the Chicagoland area throughout the duration of Cutler’s 8 year career, I can assure you that very few talking heads had an opinion of him that wasn’t on the extreme end of the spectrum. Cutler has been the poster boy for the “you either love him or you hate him” cliche. What bothers so many people in the Cutler fan camp is how he has … Continued

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Before the championship even tips off, I am sitting here surrounded by my busted brackets, seeing exactly where things went wrong. If only (X) team would have beat (Y) then I’d be rich. An old saying. Giving ourselves reassurance that it was not our faults, rather the universe has some sort of score to settle. South Carolina in the Final Four? Three of the Four #16 Seeds had higher final four picks that South Carolina. This year of March Madness certainly wasn’t the craziest in recent memory, nor the one with the most bracket-busters early. It was rather one where … Continued

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Carrying on my exploration of local caffeine hubs, I decided to take a trip over to 345 S. Dubuque and visit Fair Grounds Coffeehouse.  What struck me most about the establishment upon entering was how much it had going on simultaneously. After making just a cursory glance, I was swimming in sensory overload. Two televisions were streaming classic films above the main seating area. Blues guitar beat out from speakers that I couldn’t quite locate. An array of potted plants in various stages of disrepair lined the bank of windows behind tables to my right. Two separate ventilation systems bulged … Continued

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The past 5 NBA Finals have been in only 5 cities. Cleveland, Oakland, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Miami. These teams are very different than they once were. All these teams added and lost major pieces in their lineups. Now, we sit in an age where each conference has their juggernauts. The east has Cleveland, the west has Golden State. With LeBron being the best active player on the planet, The Cavaliers have made short work of an Eastern Conference that doesn’t have the firepower to suppress them. The Warriors, on the other hand, have a roster chalked full of … Continued

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USA! USA! USA! Team USA can finally scream “We Are the Champions” after high expectations to win the World Baseball Classic. It did not come easy though, as Team USA had to beat highly-skilled opponents in the Dominican Republic, Japan, and WBC runner-up Puerto Rico in consecutive games. Team USA was aided greatly by their starting pitching, going 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA in the tournament. Puerto Rico did not stand a chance against Marcus Stroman, who no-hit them through 6 innings. Some key hitters for Team USA were Brandon Crawford and Eric Hosmer, who both had an OPS over a … Continued

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IOWA CITY – Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd reigned atop Iowa fan’s list of most despised sports voices for a over a year. He’d experienced some heat from other critics of the Black and Gold but may have found a rival in ESPN analyst Dan Dakich. It’s been a while since Iowa fans heard from Cowherd, the last followed the early season loss to FCS opponent North Dakota State. The noise quieted but arose again when Dakich opened old wounds about former basketball coach Steve Alford. Dakich claims that he “brokered the deal” for Alford to leave Iowa and accept … Continued

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