Jamie Pollard has been on the job for exactly six months. And, needless to say, he has been put to work. Some are calling him “the hatchet man,” “the man with the guillotine” or “the new sheriff in town.” And for good reason.

Only 180 days into his tenure at Iowa State and he has relieved Wayne Morgan of his duties, hand-picked Greg McDermott, placed Cael Sanderson at the head post with Bobby Douglas’ retirement, reorganized the athletic department and revolutionized the vision of Cyclone sports. I doubt he has even had time to buy office supplies – except for some scissors.

Pollard said when he was hired that he would, “Take Iowa State to a whole new level.” He wasn’t kidding around. Within weeks, Pollard was out on the proverbial stump, professing how Iowa State shouldn’t settle for average. How can Iowa State compete with Texas and Oklahoma if people don’t buy into his vision?

Vision. Vision. Vision. He kept pounding that concept like that Japanese guy – Kobayashi – pounds hot dogs.

Cyclone fans weren’t used to this. Let’s face it, our athletic history is about as storied as Yinka Dare’s NBA career. We’re self-professed losers. And when you lose as much as Iowa State has, you begin to accept ineptitude. It’s like dating the average-looking girl who stays at home and watches reruns of Sponge Bob, when suddenly someone comes in and tries to convince you that Jessica Alba is a legitimate possibility. You are a little shell-shocked at first.

I’ll admit it – I was a bit uncomfortable with Pollard’s ideas of grandeur. He knows he’s at Iowa State and not Wisconsin, right? We don’t belong with the big boys.

Pollard realized this and was relentless in his pursuit of changing the ISU mindset. First it was showing up at every sporting event. (Something former Athletic Director Bruce Van de Velde rarely did). He even sat in Cyclone Alley for a game. Can you see Van de Velde doing that? Pollard showed that he is a fan first, big-shot second. Then the administrative wheels started turning.

Pollard green-lighted a plan to construct an electronic ring around Hilton and get a new, high-tech scoreboard because the current one has no score. Smart move. Imagine the atmosphere in Hilton next season. But what is atmosphere without a basketball program going in the right direction?

See ya, Wayne Morgan. Hello, Greg McDermott. Pollard headed the coaching search by himself so nobody else could screw things up (see Missouri). And he did it in two days.

He then locked up Cael Sanderson before Iowa could even place a courtesy call. You don’t want Dan Gable version 2006 to occur. And, perhaps in his boldest move yet, he appeared on WHO’s Sound-Off and endured some stiff questions. Gutsy.

What will Pollard do next? Hopefully he takes a quick power nap. The guy must be tired. After that, who knows? Six months is an eternity for the hatchet man. And I am willing to help Pollard swing that ax if it means athletic excellence. If it ain’t working, tear it up. I’m tired of mediocrity. I’m aiming for Jessica Alba.

– Brent Blum is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.