Williams & Blum: Ranking Our Top Ten Favorite Cyclone Football Players

Chris Williams, Brent Blum, and Jake Brend dive into their top ten favorite Iowa State football players of all time. Who makes the cut? The guys discuss from Northwest Bank in Ames on a special remote edition of Williams & Blum, presented by Mechdyne.


Looking for a New Mattress

Our mattress is shot and I'm hunting for a new one. I basically don't trust any of the sites that pop up on searches because who the hell knows who's paying them or not so I thought I'd come to the place where I know people know a little something about spending time on a mattress. We aren't trying to spend a fortune and what I've read leads me to believe there's no reason to and I'm looking for peoples experience. It seems like Nectar has gotten really consistent reviews so that definitely interests me. We would possibly be interested in something like Sleep number or Tempurpedic. I'm not real picky on firm or soft as long as there's support. She would like something a little on the softer side and we both want something cool although we kind of intend on getting and Eight Sleep system or something similar in the future if needed. Any feedback or things to avoid is appreciated.

Red-hot Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie?

New to me and the best pie I can recall, with ice cream OMG. My wife got it from a friend who was helping with some old-fashioned bake sale. As the sale ended her friend made an offer for some remaining goods. Fortunately, the pie was one of the lot and we had no idea who baked it except a small label stating:"Red-hot Strawberry Rhubarb-made with strawberry, rhubarb, and cinnamon candy red-hots." Crust was great, too.

Our neighbor is always gifting us rhubarb and if I had the recipe, I'd make it. Anyone heard of this, I see online recipes but afraid they may be different. Good recipe wanted or I'll go with my best guess.

*** 2026 Milwaukee Brewers ***


I don't post much, but I'm super excited for another season of Milwaukee Brewers baseball.

Can they win the NL Central for a 4th consecutive year, and 4 of the past 5 years?
Can they have a repeat year with the best record in baseball?
Can Murph win his 3rd NL Manager of the Year in a row?
Can their young players and deep farm system meet, or even exceed, expectations?
And lastly, the big one... Can they break through in the playoffs and claim their first WS title?

Buckle up; it should be a wild Summer -- Let's go Brew Crew!!


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Pinging a few folks who have commented over the years, and my apologies if I missed any Crew fans.
@CYEATHAWK @ameslurker @stormchaser2014 @kentkel @4cy16 @brokenloginagain @Fishhead @azhuth09 @Cmonwhatarewedoinghereman @packattack425 @delt4cy @daniel22 @Cardinal and Gold

***Jack Trice Stadium/Hilton Coliseum alcohol sales thread***





Dear Cyclone Fans,
As many of you know, we are living in one of the most transformational periods in the history of college athletics. University athletic departments across the country are facing uncertainty and significant financial pressures from rapidly increasing costs.
Iowa State is not immune to the challenges or to the financial strain. Over the past year, we have worked closely with university leadership to identify new cost containment measures and increased revenue streams through ticket sales and donations, sponsorship and licensing, and new opportunities to host events in our athletic facilities (concerts, state high school championships, etc.).
Additionally, we have studied and analyzed the prospect of alcohol sales at Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum during athletic events. Many of our peers have successfully taken this step. We are confident that we can initiate the sale of alcohol throughout our facilities and ensure a positive and safe environment for all of our guests.
We will begin offering alcohol sales at Jack Trice Stadium this fall, and Hilton Coliseum this winter. This decision will require changes to some of our current gameday policies:

  1. Guests will no longer be allowed to leave and re-enter Jack Trice Stadium at any point during the game.
  2. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to purchase alcoholic beverages and must provide legal identification at the time of purchase.
  3. Sales will be limited to two (2) alcoholic beverages, per person, per sale.
  4. Beer, wine, and pre-packaged ready-to-drink cocktails will be offered.
  5. Alcoholic beverages will be sold in the north and south expanded gate areas, and the north and south concourses. They will not be sold at the permanent concession stands located on the east and west concourses to prevent additional pedestrian congestion in these areas. However, there will be a limited number of portable concession locations on the east and west concourses.
  6. Alcohol will not be allowed on the grass hillsides (Jr. Cyclone Club areas).
  7. Alcohol will not be sold by vendors within the seating areas.
  8. There will be designated stop times for the sale of alcohol during games (e.g., end of the third quarter in football).
  9. Current alcohol policies within the Jack Trice Club, Sukup Endzone Club, suites, Johnny’s, Champion’s Club, and other official hospitality areas will remain unchanged.
  10. A portion of the net proceeds from the sale of all alcoholic beverages will support alcohol education, student wellness programming, and public safety enhancements, to support a safe and welcoming community.

In conjunction with these changes, the university will continue to invest in game day safety initiatives designed to protect fans, student-athletes and visitors. This includes enhanced event staffing, continued evaluation of venue security practices and investments in technology to detect weapons as fans pass through the stadium gates.
We recognize that this decision and the associated policy changes will impact Cyclone fans differently. It is our hope that we can all work together to ensure a smooth rollout. We ask for your cooperation to ensure a positive atmosphere for everyone and to protect the safety of all guests, participants and staff. A positive game day experience is mission critical to our athletics program.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and support.

Go Cyclones!

Jamie Pollard
Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics
Iowa State University

Fireworks Shows

Looking to take the kids on a weekend trip over the 4th and probably do something like the zoo or aquarium and see a fireworks show in a bigger city. Anyone have opinions on accessibility and/or quality of shows in KC, Minneapolis, Omaha, etc.?

I was in Chicago a couple decades ago and it was shoulder to shoulder packed anywhere close to the pier. Didn't seem the best option for younger kids at the time but that would also be an option so we could hit up the Shedd.

"The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa"

I thought this needed its own thread beyond a summer reading suggestion with its Iowa State connection and Des Moines angle.

An Iowa State Grad David P. Donovan pens a true crime work about the dangerous seedy world of early Des Moines.

"Wickedest place in the wickedest section of Des Moines” ―Des Moines Register

IIn the first decades of the twentieth century, saloon proprietor Erastus Wallace Scott of Des Moines―with his cousins in the infamous Carter Gang―operated a campaign of murder, fraud, corruption, and prostitution from his bar on East Court Avenue. In 1908, the local paper denounced the neighborhood as “given up almost entirely to houses of prostitution. At one end stands a notorious saloon, the scene of many crimes, even murders, and for years a harbor for criminals and a plotting place for the evil minded."


Podcast:


Carroll Time Herald featured article:

CMC's Best vs Mac/Chiz/CPR's Best

Listening to W&B earlier this week naming their top 10 all-time Cyclone Football players made me think, what would spread and matchup look like for the Mac through CPR era's best against the CMC era's best?

This is what i came up with, and please let me know who is off that should be subbed in or out. There's a few that could be argued if Lazard, or Netten should be CPR guys or CMC guys. According to AI, CMC's team would be a -2.5 favorite if this were to be simulated on CFB27. A KO vs Will McDonald matchup would be a really fun matchup!

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Walked into a bar

Three golf clubs leaned into a bar. Bartender said, “What’ll it be?” Wedge said, “Gimee a beer.” Putter said, “Same for me.” Bartender asked the third club, “How about you?, and he replied, “I’ll have a glass of water.” “Just water?” asked the bartender. “Yeah, said the club, “I’m the driver.”

GRAY: Tamin Lipsey bet on himself and plans to "grind" his way to the NBA

Serious Question: How does ISUs football recruiting look so far?

I've seen us sign a few future guys recently. What are the trends you're seeing and what about the level of talent so far. To me, it seems like we're defensive focused and O-line focused. It also feels like the dudes we're getting are similar to a Campbell-type level of talent.

Anyone feel like they have a grip on how our coaches are really doing so far? I'll hang up and listen.

Toy Story 5

I like all the Toy Story movies. Some are fantastic. Others are just good. I personally think it should have ended after 3, but it's a cash cow.

Pleasantly surprised how much I liked Toy Story 5. Really interesting take on tech and kids today.

My Toy Story movie rankings:

1: Toy Story 3
2: Toy Story
3: Toy Story 5
4: Toy Story 2
5: Toy Story 4

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