From the outside you might think that Iowa lacks one major cultural cornerstone: A professional sports team. From the inside you quickly realize that Iowa has a ton to offer to the sports fanatic.
NCAA FOOTBALL: It’s 6am and you have the grill going, face-paint on and you’re surrounded by thousands of football fans from across the state and country. Whether you are in Iowa City, Ames or Cedar Falls you can expect a great day of football. The Hawkeyes took a team to the BCS Orange Bowl in the 2009/10 season and upset the favored Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. During the same year, the Iowa State Cyclones won on the road at Nebraska for the first time in over 30 years!
NCAA BASKETBALL: One of the greatest games ever played in March Madness history involved an Iowa team and the #1 ranked team in country. The UNI Panthers posted a HUGE upset over the top seeded Kansas Jayhawks in a thriller that went down to the wire. Expect to see the highlight video of the 3-point shot by Ali Farokhmanesh played for years to come.
SEMI-PRO TEAMS: The lovable Chicago Cubs house their farm team, the AAA Iowa Cubs, at Principal Park in downtown Des Moines. The new skipper, Ryne Sandberg is sure to draw a crowd and visitors can expect to see some of their favorite MLB players on rehab assignments along with the top prospects at every game. In addition to the baseball scene Iowa plays home to the NBA farm team for the Chicago Bulls, the Iowa Energy, at Wells Fargo arena. And let’s not forget the Iowa Barnstormers where future Hall of Fame Quarterback, Kurt Warner, got his start.
So we may not have a pro team housed in the state, but like our last post pointed out there is no shortage of stars coming out of Iowa.
@dsmhomes

Ryne Sandberg

With more than a foot of snow on the ground it’s hard to think about Springtime and baseball is certainly not top of mind but recent news from the Cubs organization has baseball fans all abuzz. Earlier this month the Chicago Cubs announced that former Cubs infielder and hall-of-famer Ryne Sandberg will be the next manager for the Iowa Cubs (AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) starting with the 2010 season.
Principal Park, the home of the Iowa Cubs, has proven to be a favorite summertime venue of both Des Moines locals and visitors. The team, posting a winning record over the last 4 seasons, has played incubator for some of the MLB greats. Players like 2008 National League Rookie of the Year award winner, Geovany Soto, and pitcher Kerry Wood, famous for his record 20 strikeout game, have helped fill the stands.
For more information on the Iowa Cubs visit their site HERE.

@dsmhomes