It undeniably sucks when Michigan wins anything. But it is even worse when the college basketball season ends in such a manner. Now everything is super sad.
This is how I try to describe being a sports fan like this to people that aren’t a sports fan:
Watching your favorite team is like watching your favorite television show. But it is more than your favorite television show because these are real people you are watching. And you can go see them in person. So it is like your favorite television show and your favorite musician that you can see in concert on a regular basis. But there is also a good chance that you inherited your favorite team from your family. For example, it is part of being a Bennett to be an Iowa State fan. So not only is your favorite sports team your favorite show, your favorite musician, it is also family. But your favorite college sports team can also be something you choose. Like your religion. So not only is it family, your favorite show, your favorite musician, it can also be your back-up religion. But in college sports, you favorite sports team can also be where you went to school. So not only is your favorite sports team your family, your backup religion, your favorite show, and favorite musician, it is also part of your identity and the one of the largest molders of who you are as a person. But your favorite sports team might be in your city or near your city. So not only is your favorite sports team family, a backup religion, a major part of your identity, your favorite show, and your favorite musician, it is also the largest single economic driver in your life.
However, (hopefully) your family and your religion will always be there for you. In the case of a college team, that university isn’t picking up and moving so it is going to keep plugging money into your local economy and employ many of your friends and family. That college degree and memories are not being taken away from you. You know exactly when your favorite show is going to be on and when the last episode is every season. Your favorite band’s tour dates are right on their website. But with your favorite sports team you don’t know when that final game of the season is going to be. You wake up in the postseason and they could win and go on and play again. OR they could lose and just like that they are gone with no warning. At least until next season.
Then somebody that doesn’t get sports tells you, “It is only a game. Get over it.”
So if you are like me and you are still thinking about how Seneca was in or the Blarge well over 20 years later, it is okay if you want to punch that person in the throat. You are my kind of people.
While as a sports fan, you do grieve (having to say goodbye to Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson and Nate Heise) when the season is over, you do not grieve without hope, because Iowa State football starts in a little over 4 months! And while the football team will probably suck this year… it will be very interesting to watch and I will be there in Section 5. Row 19. For every home game.
This year’s champion was… drumroll please… Olivia Baier! She completed the miraculous last to 1st one year turnaround! Leaving the only Baier to never clutch a Roundball Oracles trophy is JJ. Maybe next year will be his year.
ROUNDBALL ORACLE CHAMPTIONS – LIST OF IMMORTALS
- 2026 – Olivia Baier
- 2025 – Jason Baier
- 2024 – Micky Augustin
- 2023 – Will Baier
- 2022 – Ben Baier
- 2021 – Micky Augustin
- 2020 – No Tournament – COVID
- 2019 – Becky Parmelee
- 2018 – Paul Golden
- 2017 – Paul Golden
- 2016 – Michelle Haupt
- 2015 – Derek Dohrman
- 2014 – Brandon Kahler
- 2013 – William McAlpine
- 2012 – Lowell Davis
- 2011 – Carrie Baier
- 2010 – Mark Wolfram
- 2009 – Mark Wolfram
- 2008 – Mark Wolfram
- 2007 – Tim Peterson
- 2006 – William McAlpine
- 2005 – William McAlpine
But I hand out 2 trophies for the Roundball Oracles. Olivia will take home the Championship trophy. But who gets “The Sara” for last place?
Do you have another drumroll in you? It goes to Adam Gordon!
“The Sara” Winners:
- 2026 – Adam Gordon
- 2025 – Olivia Baier
- 2024 – Aaron Sader
- 2023 – Ben Baier
- 2022 – Joey Randazzo
- 2021 – Rachel Gildersleeve
- 2020 – No Tournament – COVID
- 2019 – Russell Kennerly
- 2018 – Robert Henning
- 2017 – Shannon Bardole
- 2016 – Laura Priest (Miller)
- 2015 – Derrick Gorshe
- 2014 – Sara Lockner
Here are the Final Standings:
- 2026 Final Standings
- Olivia Baier (Michigan) – 259
- Linda Bennett (Arizona) – 252
- Derrick Gorshe (Iowa State) – 250
- Michelle Haupt (Michigan) – 248
- Andy Sharp (Iowa State) – 243
- Derek Dohrman (Arizona) – 243
- Carrie Baier (Michigan) – 237
- Aaron Sader (Michigan) – 233
- Tim Peterson (Duke) – 231
- Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa State) – 230
- Leah Davis (Duke) – 229
- Shawn Lockner (Kansas) – 228
- Cathie Raley (Iowa State) – 226
- Sarah Karber (Michigan) – 226
- Micky Augustin (Duke) – 225
- Sara Lockner (Duke) – 221
- Jason Baier (Arizona) – 218
- Lowell Davis (Duke) – 215
- Bill Wentworth (Iowa State) – 213
- Christopher Bennett (Iowa State) – 211
- Andree Jauhari (Iowa State) – 208
- Corey Faust (Arizona) – 206
- Ben Baier (Duke) – 201
- Angie DeWaard (Arizona) – 200
- Logan Kahler (Kansas) – 199
- Russell Kennerly (Houston) – 197
- Jesse Hoard (Iowa State) – 193
- Jackson Faust (Iowa State) – 190
- Robert Henning (Duke) – 183
- Will Baier (Iowa State) – 179
- Joe Duff (Iowa State) – 170
- Toby Sebring (Arizona) – 169
- JJ Baier (Duke) – 158
- Adam Gordon (Iowa State) – 149
Here are some non-interesting break downs, but I’m throwing them out there for Joe Duff (who is my target audience for all meaningless stats if you haven’t figured this out):
- Highest finishing male: Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing female: Olivia Baier
- Highest finishing Computer Mine employee: Michelle Haupt
- Highest finishing former Computer Mine employee: Angie DeWaard
- Highest finishing former Evil Clown Empire employee: Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing blood relative: Linda Bennett (2nd Year in a Row!)
- Highest finishing Boone Toreador (my era): Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing Boone First United Methodist: Andy Sharp (2nd Year in a Row!)
- Highest finishing real one (picked Iowa State): Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing person that I attended an Iowa State sporting event with this season: Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing person from the Witch Hunt: Michelle Haupt
- Highest finishing Iowan: Olivia Baier (Huxley)
- Highest finishing non-Iowan: Linda Bennett (Kansas) – She might argue she is still Iowan though.
- Highest finishing Cyclone fan: Derrick Gorshe (I’m pretty sure Olivia is a Cyclone fan, but I don’t know that for sure.)
- Highest finishing Hawkeye fan: Michelle Haupt
- Highest finishing person that has appeared in this year’s THE SELFIE PROJECT (so far): Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing person to pose for THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT: Derrick Gorshe
- Highest finishing past “The Sara” winner: Olivia Baier
Derrick really checks a lot of boxes in my life! There aren’t any trophies for any of those, but I’ll have to get the trophies ordered for Olivia and Adam soon.
Basketball season is barely over and I already miss it so much! I guess the WNBA and NBA Playoffs will have to assuage the emptiness.
Back to food adventures on Sundays. A few weeks back Jesse and I went out to the Iowa Arboretum to knock down some delicious waffles at one of their fundraisers.
Here are some pictures from the event:
Quite the setup!
I mean… if I decide to leave the Computer Mine, I have worse ideas for what to do next.
These better come with the business if I purchase it.
You can have your Michelin star chefs. Give me a good waffle chef every time.
A breakfast fundraiser without frozen rock hard butter patties. Be still my beating heart.
With apologies to marshmallows and sprinkles… waffles are fun enough on their own.
So you spin the waffle while they pump the syrup on. Like edible spin art!
I’m not going to really do a rating of a charity fundraiser. Especially for an organization that I’m a member. Really, joining a community garden is about the best return on investment you can get. For joining the Iowa Arboretum, I get free entrance into the Iowa Arboretum (duh), Reiman Gardens, and the Botanical Center. Just to name the closest gardens to me. There are reciprocal benefits for over a thousand gardens nationwide. The membership pays for itself within months.
All that to say, they were delicious and I would go again. They are waffles! Of course they were delicious!
Next Sunday will involve food in Denison. It might be a two for one or I might break my dining experience into 2 separate meals. It was sort of two separate meals.