Walk-offs:

I saw a heck of a finish last night at the Ames High softball diamond. Little Cyclones Senior catcher Madison Mickelson hit a three-run home run to give her team a dramatic win. There aren't many things in sports more exciting than a last-second victory no matter what level you're watching. It doesn't matter if its a pro, college, high school or even pee-wee game. When everyone realizes the game has ended suddenly and decisively, everyone on the winning side gives into their emotions and pure joy flows out. I always love seeing that.

Add-ons:

The Iowa State athletic departmet just got approval from the board of regents to build a new football facility to compliment their indoor practice facility. It'll include new weight rooms, offices, meeting rooms and just about any other amenity a big-time football program needs nowadays. It'll cost about $20 million for the the 60,000 square foot facility. ISU officials says they've outgrown their current home in the Jacobson Athletic Building, and that's true, but the bigger need for a new football-only facility stems from the lifeblood of college sports: Recruiting. You have to impress those 17-year-olds who expect to see the most modern stuff wherever they go so you'd better have it. The problem is, ISU is usually among the last of their peers to have this stuff. Its been a problem for a long time and even with the new facilities the school has added in recent years, they'll likely always have to play catchup to stay in the game. That's life in Ames for you.