Hell Yeah Bruce Weber!!!

Just stumbled across this quote from Illini coach Bruce Weber from a football rally this year. Apparently it ruffled some feathers, but who cares? Vitale and a lot of folks have an East Coast/ACC bias, and Weber is right. Time for the spotlight to be on Illinois. Vitale still has Illinois ranked behind Kansas in his ranking...Kansas who has not played a road game and has lost Wayne Simien for 4-6 weeks.

"But the extra attention has made the free-speaking Weber more aware of his comments, especially since a remark he uttered at an Illini football pep rally in August made it into Sports Illustrated and created a potentially awkward situation with college basketball analyst Dick Vitale. " "We are 63-3 at home in the past five years. That's not the best record in the Big Ten, it's the best in the nation. So Dick Vitale can take his Dookies and shove it." "

Iowawineguy On Vacation!

With the approach of the holidays, and the moving out of 480 students of my residence hall building, it must mean that my annual December break is here! Mrs. IWG and myself will be travelling home to Decatur, IL this afternoon for 12 days of visiting friends and family. During this time I will not be posting. I shall return in the new year refreshed and ready to fight the good liberal fight! Interestingly enough, a CNN poll yesterday said that Republicans prefer to say Merry Xmas more than Happy Holidays 72% to 24% or so. Democrats prefer to not offend our non-Christian friends and say Happy Holidays at 55% over Merry Xmas at 44%.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! I hope your year has been as blessed and special as the one I have enjoyed. Happy New Year!

Wine Tasting Results

We had a great time tasting some wines! First though, the food was great. Mrs. IWG and I slaved over the stove to prepare a homeade Spinach Artichoke Dip that was amazing, as well as baking a Brie, and providing some cookies!

We tasted four wines, here is how I ranked them.

1. 2002 Concannon Selected Vineyard Petite Sirah: This wine was amazing! I had never had a Petitie Sirah before I and I have to say that I was blown away. This wine was thick, it coated the glass nearly like a cough syrup, yet it was rather smooth when I drank it. The tannins were incredible in this wine! The aroma coming from this wine was first rate. I spent half my drinking time just inhaling all of the goodness! On first taste my cheeks were sucked dry by the tannins. If you like dry reds, pick this baby up! At $12 retail it is a bargain, and I found it on sale for $9.

2. 2002 Ravenswood California Chardonnay: Normally I do not like dry, oaky wines, but this one was a beauty! It was buttery and flavorful. A really good buy at $10.

3. 2003 Château Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer: A great Gewurtz, nice and spicy with good aroma. The Riesling of this vintage is supposed to be exceptional, but for that bite of spice this is a good wine.

4. 2001 Blackstone Pinot Noir: Just okay. I grabbed this one off the shelf to give it a try and was not dazzled by it. It was the least touched at the party. Nothing wrong, just not a great Pinot.

All in all we had a great time and we drained a few of the bottles.

The Annual Holiday Wine Tasting

Tonight is the annual Iowawineguy Holiday Wine Tasting. We will be trying out four wines that are all good buys, in fact, I found them all for $10 or under this year! The reviews are courtesy of Wine Enthusiast.

2002 Concannon Selected Vineyard Petite Sirah, Central Coast$12 A Best Buy 88 Points
Quintessential "Pet" wine, inky black, rich in thick, dusty tannins, absolutely dry, and bursting with blackberry, plum, dark chocolate and spicy, peppery flavors. Beautiful in its own way, and a super-value compared to similar wines costing far more. — S.H. (11/15/2004)

2001 Blackstone Pinot Noir, Monterey County$12 83 Points
Varietally correct in the soft, silky tannins, crisp acids and notes of berries. This simple wine also has a baked edge and finishes hot. — S.H. ()

2003 Château Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer, Columbia Valley (WA)$9 87 Points
Very much a food wine, it minimizes the floral oiliness of the grape in favor of citrus rind and spice. Crisp and fresh, with a touch of sweetness, it makes a perfect partner for crab cakes, Asian noodle dishes, or summer salads. — P.G. (9/1/2004)

2002 Ravenswood California Chardonnay, California$10 90 Points #3 Best Buy of the Year
One of the best Chards out there in its price range, and an incredible value for its succulent flavors and rich, creamy texture. It’s all about juicy, crisp apples, tangerines and pineapples. The oak is well integrated, adding spice and smoky vanilla. Buy this beauty by the case — S.H. (9/1/2004)

In addition to the lovely wines, we will be having Spinach Artichoke Dip (thanks Spoonchamp for the recipe), baked Brie, Oreo Cheescake Cups, Chocalate Crinkle Cookies, and Candy Cane Cookies. I will update you with my impressions of the wines we will be tasting!

The Iowawineguy Wish List!!

As we move into the holiday season, you may be wondering what is on the wish list of the Iowawineguy for the holiday season! Well, at least I think you should know what I consider to be the best gifts out there!!! Without further ado, here are the best items gracing the Iowawineguy Xmas list!!!

For the Baby

Baby Iowawineguy has an extensive XMas wish list, which can be accessed at any Target store! He is already asking about presents, even though he is yet to be born.

DVD's

A whole lot of great DVD sets are available this December.

For Lord of the Rings Fans, you must get them the Return of The King Extended Edition gift set. It comes with the movie, as well as a miniature sculpture, and special DVD on the production of the score. A must have.

If you love the Matrix movies, then the great gift might be the Ultimate Matrix Collection. It includes the Animatrix, plus there is a gift set available with a statue of Neo.

For fans of television, a must have is the Seinfeld Limited Edition Gift Set. It comes with seasons 1,2, and 3, as well as some fun collectibles. I can't wait to get these on DVD to relive all of the great episodes!

If you are not watching HBO, then you are missing out on the best television out there. One of the best shows on HBO this past year was Carnivale. A show about the battle between good and evil set in the dust bowl of the 1930's. It is simply phenomenal. The second season starts on January 9th, so get Season One of Carnivale on DVD now to make sure you are up to speed!

Wine Clubs

There is nothing the Iowawineguy likes better than having quality wine delivered to his door each month. Wine clubs are a great way to present a gift that lasts the whole year. Here are some great wine clubs that I would love to have a membership in.

Big Bold Reds, available from www.wine.com. I spent some time this past year in this wine club and found it's offerings to be great. The price is decent and the wines I received were all very good.

Wine Express.com A new service available in conjunction with Wine Enthusiast magazine. Any of the fine wine clubs they offer would be a great gift, but remember that the Iowawineguy loves reds!!!

DeLoach Vineyards, O.F.S. Society. One of my favorite vineyards makes some excellent wines. The wine club they have offers a great selection, as well as a rarer selection as well. This is a top notch winery.

Books

Several good and interesting books are available...here is what I am hoping to get!

Jenna Jameson is not a name that pops up in most book lists, she is more of a straight to video person! However, I am most intrigued to read her book, How To Make Love Like A Pornstar: A Cautionary Tale. Looks like interesting reading into a business you don't hear a lot about.

Children's books are going to be a great gift for the guy this year. All kids books are great!

A book I look forward to reading is Jon Stewart's America The Book. I like Stewarts humor, plus I hear there are some naked Supreme Court Justices in the book!


Well, those are some of my favorites. I hope you all get something that you want as well. Remember that the holidays are not about the physical gifts you give or receive, but the gift of friendship, love, and family.

Are Canadians Smarter Than Us?

Landmark court decision out of Ottawa today on gay marriage in Canada.

The Canadians and their courts have it right. The ruling states that the government can redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. The ruling also says that the country cannot force religious sects to perform the unions against their beliefs.

This is important because it is the smart and logical way to tackle gay marriage. Marriage is currently written into laws across our country, but it is discriminatory and it is at it's basic level, a religious denotation. What Canada has done, and what the US will do eventually I am willing to wager, is say that the government definition of marriage cannot be tied into the religious definition of marriage.

The outcome is that government in Canada will now pass legislation making gay marriages a state recognized union, providing the appropriate rights to these committed couples. However, the sanctity of the religious ceremony will be preserved for those faiths that do not believe that a "marriage" should be allowed between same sex couples.

This seems to me to be a win-win situation. Loving gay couples are given government rights and allowed to be a legal couple, but the sacred tradition of marriage as a religious event between two people and God is left up to each denomination and religious sect. I think it would still anger right-wing folks in America that don't care to see the seperation between religion and government, but I think it is an important lesson from our neighbors to the North.

Number One Is Sweet

It has happened. Illinois is #1 in both polls. Illinois has been #1 in the nation twice before, each time for only a week. 1952 and 1989. Both years the Illini went to the Final Four......

Steroids and Baseball

I was all set to write a post about the revelation that Jason Giambi did admit to taking steroids (duh!), and then I stumbled across this article by Mike Celizik.

I would be interested in hearing what all of you think about the arguments presented within. Does society expect our heroes to lie? Would you take steroids if it could earn you $10-$15 million a year? Interesting themes.

Yoni's College B-Ball

Added to the blogroll on the left is Yoni's College Basketball blog for all of you junkies out there.

Illinois 5-0, #1 in the Nation?????

Okay, to be honest, it was not a fair fight. The Assembly Hall is a special place, one of the best homecourts in all of college basketball, with the best fans. All that orange? Well it is bound to throw off your shot. Bruce Weber's jacket alone could leave the opposing team wondering about the existence of such a place as Delbert's in Arthur, IL that would make such clothing.

However, what happened last night against #1 ranked Wake Forest was still an incredible moment for Illinois basketball. The announcers (okay, I love Bill Rafftery and hate Jay "Bias" Bilas) kept saying that Wake Forest had been punched in the mouth. I say that Wake Forest walked onto the playground, stuck out their hand, were promptly hit in the mouth with an aluminum bat, and sat down on the playground and cried.

Okay, to be honest, it is nearly impossible to beat a team when they shoot 61% in a half. It makes it even harder when that team only turns the ball over 4 times. Illinois had 27 assists on 32 basketes. Wow. I am still in shock over the complete domination of the Illini. The game was so ridiculous, that I turned it off in the second half and watched part of the Iowa St. vs. Northern Iowa game (GO PANTHERS!).

I love this team, I have for a long time. I love every player. My favorites though, are Roger Powell and Luther Head. Powell is so versatile it is crazy. The way he flashed to the ball and shot with good mid-range last night, just beautiful. He plays a crazy kind of defense, and he is just out there working hard. He is the key to any success we have this year. Luther is just a freak. Nuff said. This is Bill Self's team...he recruited them, coached them, and got them to click as a team. However, this season, the genius coaching of Bruce Weber is really showing through. The motion offense Illinois is running is the perfect complement to the aggressive swarming defense they play. I appreciated the high-low with Brian Cook, but can anyone disagree that watching this team weave, pass, and shoot is one of the best things you have ever seen? They are so fast and they are so sharp with their passes.

This team has discipline, not all of the time as some shots are still rushed, but this team makes snap passes, clean blocks, good cuts, and is shooting great. In my recent memory there have been three great Illini teams that have done things. The 1989 Flyin' Illini were amazing and dominant in many ways. They lost a close game to Michigan in the Final Four in a year that probably should have produced a National Title, they had it all. Another great team was the year we won the conference with Matt Heldman, Bryan Johnson, Jarod Gee and that group of guys. They did not have a ton of talent, but they had more heart than their bodies could contain. The third great team was during the time of the Peoria Manual guys. Frank Williams, Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain, and Corey Bradford were the lynchpins...Brian Cook was in this crowd as well. This team had a ton of talent, but had no heart and had some real problem players...hello Frankie!! My point is, the current incarnation has it all. They have the heart and the talent to do great things. The bench is playing great, and would be even greater with Brian "Damn You Wall!" Randle.

My mom called after the game and immeadiately stated that we were going to the Final Four and she needs tickets. I am not as far out there as her right now, even though one of my bosses does have two tickets to the Final Four. We have not gone on the road yet, although if we keep winning our tournament sites could potentially be Chicago, Indianapolis, then St. Louis. We need to see how we respond in the Kohl Center, and at Michigan State. We still have a long way to go, and some other tough teams to match up against. I think one of the toughest teams out there is Georgia Tech. I am sure if we played them it would be tight. I don't worry about North Carolina, we have matched up well with them in the past 2 meetings over the past two years. Kansas you say? They have a great dominant inside presence with a lot of talent...but I dare you to put this Illini team in the same gym with Bill Self...retribution anyone?

At any rate I am pleased as punch for this team because I truly like this team and the personalities on it. The only thing that makes me sad is knowing the number of NBA folks that were there last night seeing so many Illini having great games. I would hate to see any of these guys leave early, but I fear it is inevitable. I will just enjoy this ride as long as it lasts and give a:

OSKEE WOW WOW!!!!