Blogs, Brewster's Kool-Aid And The Return Of Zombie Nation

I've added a few new items to the sidebar and I thought I'd fill you in on what I've done. And at the bottom of this post, I'll point you to a blogger who has been on the blogroll for awhile who desrves another look.

A new fixture on the right sidebar is the Big Ten Bloggers feed, where you will see the latest posts authored by members of the Big Ten Bloggers alliance. The feed is a nice addition, I think. The Big Ten is lucky to be represented by some great bloggers. Having their content ready and available at PJS can only be a good thing for readers.

I've added two new links to the "Big Ten Foes" blog roll. One of my favorite Big Ten bloggers, Hawkeye State, turned out the lights at his shop only to join a new venture dubbed The Hawkeye Compulsion. At the Hawkeye Compulsion, the former Hawkeye State blogger will join the former author of Steve Alford's Hair Gel, which itself turned out the lights when Alford was run out of town. The Hair Gel was fantastic and Hawkeye State was damn good too. The combination should be great for those who clamor to read all things Hawkeye.

The second new blog in the Big Ten foes section is Inside the Hall, a Hoosiers blog dedicated to Kelvin Sampson's team. The blogger took a nice potshot recently at Illinois head coach Bruce Weber's new recruiting tactics. Take a look here.

In other sidebar news--I know how you all yearn to read about these things--I've replaced the standard Minnesota "M" with a jug of maroon kool-aid. For Minnesota football fans who have followed our new fearless leader Tim Brewster, this should need no introduction. For others who don't know, it's real simple. Brewster has proven one thing since he came to Minneapolis: that he can convince a crowd of reporters and alums that he can turn the program around. Most are convinced the man with a propensity for exaggeartion--"Gopher Nation," "Minnesota football tradition," and "Rose Bowls"--will improve upon Glen Mason's medicority. Few people--though the Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse deserves credit for being among them--realize all Brewster has done so far is talk a big game. So, the kool-aid represents many strangely giddy Minnesota fans who have been completely swayed by a smooth talking salesman.

And finally, a colleague and friend of mine, who started his blog about Penn State around the same time I began this blog is finally back. The author of Zombie Nation, who I saw for the first time in a month-plus last week, lost probably 25 pounds due to a horrific battle with Crohn's Disease, which had him in and out of the hospital. Mike's a great writer and one of the most knowledgable college football fans I know. Glad you're back, Mike.